I first spoke to Kris in October when she was just getting started with ShowMe. Since then, Kris has had her nose to the grindstone at school and created some really awesome ShowMe lessons! We’re proud to have her as a member of our community and excited to have her share her knowledge with all of you! To view Kris’s ShowMe Library, visit her profile and get your learning on!

Tell us about yourself!

I am a ’91 graduate of Penn State University with a BS in Secondary Math Education.  I have taught for 15 years in both public and private schools.  I have taught in Spotsylvania County, Va for 8 years, and the last 7 years at an independent private school, Fredericksburg Academy – in Fredericksburg, VA.  I teach high school students and have taught from pre-algebra to calculus.  I am currently teaching geometry, trigonometry, and calculus.  I would say my favorite subject right now is calculus.  This is the first year I have taught calculus and I am really enjoying relearning and working all the problems – my students just shake their head! (so does my husband)

How do you use ShowMe?

I have used show me to review problems in class – students can work problems then watch the solutions – this allows me to roam through the room and help those who need it, while the other students can continue to work and see solutions worked out.  Additionally, I have used it to demonstrate problems students have had difficulty in class or re-explain topics.  Just recently I have started to search out other calculus problems for my students to go home and listen to.  I think this provides them with alternative descriptions to solve a problem.  I also have started watching the calculus problems to pick up on any key points that I might not have taken into consideration – since it is my first year teaching the subject.   I am trying to figure out how I want to hand over my ipad and have the students create some showmes!

What’s the coolest ShowMe you’ve seen?

Currently, the only showmes I have been watching are the math showmes basically because that is all I have time for I think they are all great!

How has technology made a difference for your students?

Technology is something I find myself catching up with to the students, however, this year I am really branching out in all directions.  I think that technology is having a huge impact on how to present topics differently to better help all of my students.  I have used technology to do short online quizzes to help students have immediate feedback.  I believe the use of technology in class can only help my students.

Where do you see education technology heading?

I see technology having the potential to helping teachers to reach all students.  Technology is improving at an alarming rate and it is imperative to help our students to be able to work and adapt in this ever changing age.  With that said it is also imperative for teachers to receive training and administrators and school districts to help move us in that direction.

When you’re not teaching and learning, what can we find you doing?

My favorite things to do when not teaching is hanging out with my family.  I have two children, Jake, a sophomore in high school, and Annmarie, a seventh grader in Middle School.  I like to Jazzercise, run, and read.

Meet Ixchell, an outstanding ESL teacher hailing from southern California. Her English tutorials are inspired by her ESL students and we are proud to have her work showcased here at ShowMe.

Visit Ixchell’s awesome ShowMe portfolio:
http://www.showme.com/ESLStrawberry

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I currently teach English as a second language for students getting their master’s degree. Both my parents were university professors so I was constantly surrounded by academia. Having studied several languages as a child, I was always interested in how words played a part in sentences and wanted to teach a language when I grew up.

How has ShowMe played a role in your classroom?
The ShowMes I create are based on a certain English textbook, so anyone using that textbook can following along. Since a lot of fellow teachers don’t have iPads, I try to set a certain standard for my ShowMes so other teachers can use them as well. It’s especially exciting when I realize that my students are watching my ShowMes without me even having to assign them for homework!

What are some things your students have taught you?
Definitely cultural awareness, especially since these students come from all around the world. For example, body language is very important to students from Saudi Arabia.

What are your future plans for ShowMe?
I definitely plan on using ShowMe more in the classroom and creating more grammar tutorials. Students constantly ask if I will continue making them. The lessons are especially helpful since ESL learners need concrete, physical examples and they eliminate the need for me to repeat lectures.

Meet JR Ginex-Orinion, one of our original beta testers who has created numerous outstanding chemistry ShowMes. He’s been very busy lately with a happy new addition to his family, so it was great to finally sit down and catch up over Skype!

Visit JR’s awesome ShowMe Portfolio:
http://www.showme.com/jr_orinion

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I currently teach chemistry at my alma mater in Orange County, California. It was a bit strange at first when I started teaching though since I taught alongside the same teachers who had taught me in high school!

What are some tips you can share with other ShowMe teachers?
Avoid creating ShowMes that are too long – I recommend sticking to 2-4 minutes per lesson. People usually go online to search for specific topics, and you need to maintain the audiences’ attention and segment information so the main message is clear and direct. This is especially true for instructional videos.

Prep the brain by writing the ShowMe topic on the video screen from the start so people know what to expect. Remind the viewer why he or she is watching the lesson.

When you’re recording, make sure you’re in a room that has sound dampeners (ex: curtains). This will greatly affect the quality of the sound recorded.

What are some other cool tech products being used in the classroom right now?
We actually use Google applications quite a bit with the students. It’s an easy way to communicate outside of the classroom and disseminate worksheets and assignments. Doceri is also a great classroom tool, which automatically projects what’s on the iPad onto a large whiteboard screen.

What are your future plans for ShowMe?
I found Showme to be particularly helpful last year during the end-of-year review process, and I will definitely continue using it as a review tool this year. As I continue to move in the direction of flipping the classroom, I hope to eventually implement a 50/50 hybrid instruction curriculum using a combination of instructional videos and on-site teaching.

Right now I’m still brainstorming some new lesson ideas. I might create some ShowMes that help other people produce showMes. I look forward to working with other people to help produce better lessons!

Any closing remarks?
I really hope technology changes the face of education. The tech is out there, and people are finally starting to use it.

We met the first batch of InspireMe talent in last week’s blog post – check it out! Part 2 showcases more of the fantastic contest entries along with the creators behind the lessons. We can’t wait to see what’s coming next as we enter the school year in full-swing!

Terry Woolard
Watch now! The State of New Jersey

Tell us about yourself
My name is Terry Woolard and I am the Supervisor of Educational Media and Technology K-12 Online Learning. I hold a Masters Degree in both Curriculum and Instruction as well as Information System Management.

What inspires you?
What inspires me is watching the faces of my students light up when they understand something for the first time, when they realize they are able to achieve, succeed, Be Better. I am happily married and the father of five, four boys 16, 14, 8, and 5; and a girl 6.

Brian Davis
Watch now! Gerrymandering

Tell us about yourself
My name is Brian Davis, and this is my 9th year teaching in Memphis City Schools in innercity Memphis, TN. I taught computer literacy to middle school students for five years, and I am currently teaching U.S. Government to 11th and 12th Graders at Whitehaven High School where I also serve as the school webmaster. I completed the process for National Board Certification this past year, and I am waiting to hear whether or not I passed this December. I love using Showme, because it enables me to provide instruction to my students on their own time at their own pace, allowing me to give them more remediation and different learning activities during classtime that was being used for instruction. The ease of getting the videos to the website is a HUGE plus.

What inspires you?
I am inspired by seeing the faces of my students who dreaded Government because it is boring light up when they see that Government is a fascinating topic when it is taught with enthusiasm and a heavy dose of multimedia and technology. Students tell me all the time that they did not want to take Government and they took it only because it is required for graduation, but that they ended up learning more from this class than any other class because it is interactive. This really excites/inspires me.

James Sutton
Watch now! The bloomtrigger project

Tell us about yourself
My passion is in architecture, design, digital concepts and rainforest conservation. This has led me to launch ‘the bloomtrigger project’ as a revolutionary way for people to protect their own part of the rainforest. To discover more check out bloomtrigger.com. Little known facts about me… I’m learning (Brazilian) Portuguese, I keep bees and I’m part bionic (I have a mechanical heart valve).

What inspires you?
Baz Luhrmann “Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.” I agree with Baz Luhrmann on this, I think worrying is pointless. You’re much better spending your energy on thinking up creative solutions for problems rather than worrying about them. This one thing that inspires me why to develop simple, affordable and creative tools to help people to protect rainforest and I think Showme is an excellent example of an empowering educational tool.

Janine Ritter
Watch now! Chain Rule

Tell us about yourself
I’m a secondary maths teacher from Brisbane Australia. I was fortunate to attend the ISTE conference this year and this inspired me to produce flip lessons for my math classes. The students view these lessons before my class so I only have to spend a little time at the board and the students have more time to work on questions in class. The students have responded well to the lessons and have told me they have also used them for revision as well.

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We want to extend a warm thanks to everyone who participated in the InspireMe Contest! We witnessed an incredible amount of talent and we want to highlight some of those fantastic contest entries along with the creators behind the lessons. Of course, there’s still a lot of knowledge to be shared, and we look forward to seeing what’s to come down the pipeline!

Spencer Leu
Watch now! Compound Interest

Tell us about yourself
I’m a financial guy (CFP(r) Professional) who enjoys helping people understand personal finance and investing better. I’ve spent over 10 years in the financial services industry and have held roles in service, marketing and sales. My favorite role has always been making financial topics easier to understand and helping people make better financial decisions.

What inspires you?
New concepts in education like the Khan Academy and technology that promotes this type of education like your ShowMe app.

Ixchell
Watch now! Writing a Conclusion

Tell us about yourself
I am an ESL Instructor at a University in SoCal. I’ve taught ESL overseas, and have taught from pre-k to college level. Because I teach international students from all over the world, at all levels of Second Language Acquisition, my job is full of fun cultural and language challenges! There is never a dull moment.

What inspires you?
My ESL students, of course! They are so brave to come study a new language in a foreign country, so when I make them feel that they can overcome the fear of English, they try very hard to improve their skills. The best ideas for lessons have come from observing them. This quarter I taught English through Social Media and I’ve used ShowMe for many tutorials for students who were absent or needed review. They love it!

Laura Holmgren
Watch now! Stepping Up with ShowMe

Tell us about yourself
I earned my B.A in English from UC Irvine, a certificate in Web-based Instruction from Simon Frasier University, and a Masters in educational technology from Leslie University. A high school English for twenty-four years in private and independent schools in Southern California, I also coach my school’s fencing team and recently started offering an interdisciplinary, project-based elective course entitled New Media Psychology and Application. In the classroom, I might describe myself as a cross between Jane Eyre and Mary Poppins: a mix of seriousness of purpose and focus with the spirit of play that manifests in the creative use of technology rather than in magic, song, and dance.

What inspires you?
The possibility to make a positive difference in students’ lives if I can engage their interest, spark or fan the desire to learn, and help them surpass their self-imposed limits to achieve personal growth inspires me to give as much to my students as they give to my class. Learning to communicate effectively and, equally important, developing something worthwhile to communicate empowers students to then make positive differences in the world themselves.

Iris Qiu
Watch now! Chinese 上

Tell us about yourself
I am currently teaching at 3d Avatar School.  I installed ShowMe when it was still at testing stage.  I did not pay much attention on it at that time.  I was actually inspired by watching my son (7 year old) playing with Showme. He was drawing, talking to himself and laughing. Then  I thought I probably can create some interesting stuff for my students. The first idea came into my mind is about 书房（study room) and 厨房(kitchen) which my students always struggled on. Chinese character 上 is actually my third ShowMe entry. I believe ShowMe has great potential in language teaching.  It is such a great tool for us!

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