MR SANDS, UMS TECHNOLOGY

ALL ABOUT ME! I have worked in education for over 15 years and one thing I've learned is that children (especially middle school aged children), LOVE to talk about themselves.  One of the first assignments I have my students complete in all of my classes is to create a GOOGLE SLIDE and share some of their favorite things.  This is not only a great way for students to use technology (using text and images to communicate ideas, learning a few basic principals of graphic design, and also reading and following written and video directions), but I always enjoy this assignment as it allows me to learn about my students. If your student has created an ALL ABOUT ME slide, ask to check it out.  You might learn something about them you never knew before :) Also, whenever I assign students something to do in class, most of the time I also take the time to complete the work so I can show them something as a finished model.  You can find my ALL ABOUT ME slide from this school yea...

GETTING SET FOR CLASS! Hello, Though it may not always appear as such from the outside, I do pride myself in being a pretty organized person... Just don't judge me from my lawn or home office space... Both of those are a little "rough" right now and are in need of a little love to clean things up... One step at a time... That being said, at school, I try to set my students up for success in terms of being organized.  One of the first things I have students do is to create a CLASS FOLDER specifically for my class.  I have a set of CUBBY HOLES that live at the STUDENT STATION in my classroom for all students to keep their CLASSROOM FOLDERS .   My STUDENT STATION also has several other things that students may need while in class:  Paper, pencils, pens, tape, scissors, markers, a stapler, a 3-hole punch, etc.  All I ask of students is that if they borrow or use something from my student station during class, then they return it before they leave the class ...

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! Hello , My name is Mr. Sands.  I am the sole technology teacher at Urbana Middle School and the Head Boys Tennis Coach at Urbana High School.  I have been a teacher at UMS for the last 10 years and have worked in education for the last 15 years of my life.  I am originally from Danville, IL, but I have had the privilege to live and travel all around the world.  Just this summer I visited White Sands National Park in New Mexico; Tamarindo, Costa Rica; and Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Sunset selfie at Playa Tamarindo in Costa Rica this past July at Witch's Rock Surf Camp. In my free time I enjoy playing golf, tennis, ultimate frisbee, riding my bike, seeing live music, and watching movies.  I also enjoy cooking and hanging out with my friends and family.  This summer I got myself a new GoPro camera and have had a lot of fun using it to document lots of fun adventures and experiences. I am very excited to teach my technology curriculum this ye...