My Blended Learning in Action

Podcast Interview

Listen to find out how I used Blended Learning teaching models to enhance student learning in the area of Data Analysis.

My Shukes & Giff Podcast Experience

Shukes and Giff - S&G S5E10 - VICKI Season 5, Episode 10: Heupel & Giff

Click the link to listen to me Cohosting a Podcast with the incredible Jen Giffen. What a great time we had talking about tech and how it enhances what we do in the classroom.

Using Google Sheets for Collaboration
Level Up Sheets Skills - Start getting comfortable Sheets
- Jen's All About Google Sheets Slide Deck
More Wordle!!
- Shape Sums
- Tony Vincent's Wordle games list : Includes flippity, slidesmania, oodle (for math!)
Itty Bitties
- Gmail - C - Compose R - Reply F - Forward
  - enable shortcuts in settings
- Shift + S in Drive (New Sheet) - Ben Collins
- Sheets Control + Enter (CMD +Enter on a mac also works) - Line Break in a cell - Eric Guise - Gotteched- The Podcast
- Left / Right Track Pad Slide - Tab Navigation in Sheets - PC
- Forms Responses - Getting to an Individual Quickly - Use the drop down in responses
Thread Reader helps you read and share Twitter threads easily! Just type "@threadreaderapp unroll"
- Example
Astronomy Children's Books An Authentic Audience - Book Creator & Campus Elementary Students
Tall Tweets for Gif creation

Hark Audio App - podcast mixtapes. Each day, we create Harklists to make you laugh, give you multiple perspectives on a topic, and find your next favorite show. All in less time than it takes to listen to a single episode.

My Shake Up Learning Show Experiences

Meaningful Collaboration in the Classroom - SULS026It’s time for another on-air coaching session! My guest on this episode is Vicki Huepel, a high school science teacher from Montana, and member of the Shake Up Learning community, who is trying to create meaningful collaboration in the classroom. Listen in and we breakdown an entire lesson to see where it can be elevated and updated. Vicki has put together a lesson in which her students complete a variety of tasks dedicated to researching and explaining the digestive system. In the past, she has mostly lectured the students and then they would complete labs. She shares the changes she has already made to the lesson and then the coaching begins.

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 26

In August 2019, the host of The Shake Up Learning Show, Kasey Bell, asked me if I would be willing to be interviewed on her new podcast. I was beyond excited, and nervous too. The podcast was just getting started and I had listened to every episode so far, and totally loved it. I really enjoyed listening to the two other teachers who had been through the instructional coaching episodes with Kasey already. Talking about how to improve teaching practices, who wouldn't love that?

I had been listening the the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast for about 6 months at the time, and had filled out an application form for the opportunity of being interviewed. I had no expectation at all that Kasey would choose me.

I was very interested in the opportunity because the episode's format was an Instructional Coaching episode with Kasey Bell. I would have the privilege of discussing, my lesson preparation and planning with her. What a exciting opportunity!

I appreciate the time and coaching Kasey was able to give me in the short time period of the show. But most of all, just talking and thinking with someone who is as excited about teaching as I am, made the experience totally worth it. If you are considering applying to be on the show for the coaching episodes, I totally recommend it!

Click on the link provided, if you would like to listen to Episode #26.

Take Student Collaboration to the Next Level - SULS0120In this episode, Kasey follows up with a former on-air coaching guest, Vicki Heupel. Vicki shared in episode 26 her struggles with making collaboration meaningful. Listen in to hear how she took Kasey's advice and took her lesson to the next level. Her students are collaborating, thinking critically, and using Google Sheets!

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 120

In the summer of 2021 I was spending time reflecting on some of the instructional strategies that I had implemented the previous year and remembering how successful they had been for students learning data analysis through collaboration.

Finally, students were digging deeper into the data they collected in lab and seeing the bigger picture of invalid data, errors, trends and more. For a deeper look into what I discovered in using the Collaborative functionality of Google Sheets, listen to the Shake Up Learning Podcast. For a explanation of how to do this in your own class, click here.

Goals Completed

March 2019

What an unexpected twist to my 2018-19 teacher year. I was assigned a Better Lesson teaching coach, and asked to chose an area in my teaching that I would like to improve on. In the middle of all the reflection and research for those things, I stumbled across the option for getting Google Certified. I decided to take the leap and I have learned so many new things about tech and teaching by preparing for this certification. It is one small step that I am proud to say that I took!

Master Screencaster

Was able to add the Screencastify extension to my Chrome browser and begin using it to create videos of my in class lectures for students to view if they are absent. I really enjoy creating them and even though I am still a novice, it seems to be helping absent students.

Can't wait to see what else I can create with this tool.

Edpuzzle Coach

With supporting other teachers as my goal, I spent time going through the EDPUZZLE Coach Lessons to get a much broader view of what the App was capable of and how it could be used in the classroom. I really loved all of the great instructional tips that were shared as the lessons progressed. You not only become familiar with the student user interface, but also get great ideas on how you can make your video lessons more valuable for your student's learning.

Edpuzzle Level 2

Most of this learning module was review for me as well after using Edpuzzle for almost 2 years, but I did get some new ideas about how I might use the features that I have been using.

Using the audio notes prior to starting the video to focus the student's attention on the key ideas of the video is something I will definitely try. Also, adding an audio note to the end of an Edpuzzle video to give the students directions on what to do next would be a great addition to any Edpuzzle lesson.

A second idea would be to add a link to another Edpuzzle for students who have reflected on their answers and determined that they need more practice or more information. An extension video link would be another option.

Last of all, I had never added folders to my Edpuzzle site before. So now that I am using the site much more, it is good to know that you not only can add folders, but folders within folders. Love the organization!

Edpuzzle & Google Classroom

I needed a quick refresher on how to use Edpuzzle and Google Classroom for the 2020-21 school year, partially because of the COVID teaching situation, and partially because I taught myself how to use Edpuzzle and figured there were some things I might have missed along the way.

It turns out that I did miss a few things. Here are my 3 big takeaways.

You can voice over a video, but did you know you can voice over just part of the video.

You can cut out part of the middle of a video.

When new students join you Google Classroom, you can click Import Students again to update the list of students.

FAVORITE tEACHING qUOTE

My Family

I am Vicki Heupel and I live in Kalispell, MT with my husband Justin and my two boys Luke and Evan. I teach in beautiful Bigfork, MT. Go Vikes and Vals! (It's a half an hour commute for me. Perfect for Podcast listening.) I have been teaching 25 years, and currently teach High School Biology, Forensics, and Astronomy.

I would like to say a enormous thank you to all of you who showed kindness and generosity towards our family during 2020 when we were dealing with my son going through Leukemia treatment. Our family is so grateful for all of your support, prayers, and donations. We couldn't have made it through without you.

My siblings

I grew up on a farm in NE Montana and am the youngest of 5 children. Each one of my siblings means the world to me and I have learned very important things from each of them. I realized I wanted to be a teacher in college, and have been loving teaching ever since. I am grateful to all of the students who have allowed me into their lives and to my family for the love and support that have given me along the way.