Socialize and Build Class with Minecraft-Ongoing!

Hi there! My name is Robyn Skinner and I am passionate about different types of literacy and STEM (robotics, circuits, engineering, and programming). As a teacher who has taught multiple contents at two project-based learning schools, I have seen learners grow and thrive in all of these content areas when they learned them in authentic project-based learning environments and when they were learning important 21st-century skills like collaboration, critical thinking, adaptability, leadership, and digital literacy. 

In my 9 years as a PBL teacher and an instructional technologist, I created, co-created, managed, and collaborated on many cross-content projects that integrated English, science, social studies, and engineering. These projects involved world literature, culture, coding, app creation, CAD, digital electronics, renewable energy research and development, Minecraft, etc. I also organized and co-wrote a course curriculum for my district over digital literacy.  

When COVID started and the schools had to go virtual, I was working in the instructional technology department in my district and helped teachers in one of the largest school districts in the nation transition to virtual learning. I am very comfortable with instructional technology, learning management systems, online content creation, and other online platforms. I hold two graduate certificates: 1. Multimedia and 2. Online Teaching and Learning. 

Building connections with students online is somewhat new for many of us, but it is so much fun and rewarding too! Classroom management also looks different in the digital sphere, but norms, structure, building relationships and incorporating plenty of social-emotional check-ins/ice-breakers are so important! I strongly believe in a student-led classroom that involves a lot of student voice and choice in order to have more student buy-in to the content being delivered and learned. 

My certifications include English Language Arts and Reading (8-12), English as a Second Language (6-12), Technology Education (6-12), Project Lead the Way certification for Introduction to Engineering Design. I have a B.A. in English with a second major in Child and Family Studies. 

I love learning new instructional and digital technologies like Google Tools, video editing tools, planning tools like GoodNotes, KeyNote on iPad, TinkerCAD, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, CAD, and Minecraft for Education. I also love getting organized, setting goals, and learning new ways to teach global graduate skills.

I am a Texas girl and have lived in different parts of Texas almost my entire life! I live with my husband, sister-in-law, and two cats in my childhood home that I recently purchased from my family. This was a dream come true, ya'll! I absolutely love to meal plan and cook healthy, spicy, and delicious food for my family and find new ways to improve my health and overall wellbeing. I love sharing these things with others and hope to have a blog and YouTube channel going one day. 
  
I look forward to having you in my class and meeting you soon!