What Do You Teach?
11th grade on-level US History
How Long Have You Been Teaching?
This is my 8th year.
How Does Educational Technology Play a Role in Your Classroom?
In my US History classroom, educational technology supports rigorous learning, meaningful historical inquiry, and higher-order thinking skills to enhance opportunities for independent and collaborative learning. During instruction I use an interactive timeline application to model chronological thinking and connect events; students then typically work in groups with digital activities that provide relevance and context while building connections to real-world experiences. Formative assessments include quick, standards-aligned quizzes delivered digitally with immediate feedback so I can identify misconceptions and adjust instruction. Data from summative assessments is used for intervention and enrichment opportunities for students. These technology-supported practices deepen students’ content understanding while developing the analytic and communication skills required by the Texas U.S. History TEKS.
How Do You Find Technology in the Classroom Helpful?
Technology in the classroom enhances US History instruction by increasing student engagement, supporting primary-source analysis, and enabling differentiated, standards-aligned learning. For example, I use digital archives so students can analyze original documents, photographs, and maps; this deepens historical inquiry and allows students to corroborate evidence when thinking critically. Additionally, I provide scaffolded multimedia options—transcripts, audio readings, and graphic organizers—so English learners and students with varied reading levels can access the same content and demonstrate understanding through written, visual, or oral products, which aligns with the TEKS emphasis on using "computer software to create written, graphic, or visual products." Finally, I use formative assessment tools (quick polls, exit-ticket quizzes) to adjust instruction in real time and to track mastery of content. These practices preserve rigorous historical thinking while using technology to make instruction more inclusive, evidence-based, and responsive to student needs.
What Is Your Favorite Piece of Classroom Technology? Why?
I have several classroom technology favorites. Firstly, Curipod because it streamlines formative assessment and student engagement while supporting historical inquiry in a standards-aligned way. I use Curipod to create interactive, inquiry-based prompts that ask students to analyze primary sources from the Reconstruction era through the Civil Rights movement; its built-in polling and instant-response features let me quickly gauge whether students can construct evidence-based claims and evaluate multiple perspectives. I pair Curipod activities with MagicSchool’s collaborative lesson templates to organize a unit sequence that scaffolds skills across lessons. For example, an initial primary-source close read, a teacher-led modeling of critical analysis, and a culminating MyShortAnswer formative check where students submit a concise written claim. MyShortAnswer’s quick, text-based responses make it easy to scan for mastery of SCR responses and I can export results to group students for differentiated follow-up. Together, Curipod, MagicSchool, and MyShortAnswer let me design lessons that target TEKS skills while providing rapid formative feedback so I can reteach or extend learning in real time.
What Do You Love Most About Teaching?
Long after the individual facts and phrases I’ve taught my students are forgotten, they will carry with them the intellectual skills I’ve helped them develop, from critical to creative thinking. I think it’s essential to give students a growth mindset to prepare them for lifelong learning. Success in an increasingly complex and evolving world will require citizens motivated by the need to achieve, the ability to direct their own learning to solve their own problems as well as problems in their communities, and the competencies and capabilities to cooperate and collaborate with all types of people. I also believe it’s crucial that students gain the skills to communicate effectively to effect change, but before they can do that, they must gain the confidence to express what they think. I think it’s essential that I equip my students with that mindset. It would be ideal if my students graduated from high school with some idea of who they are and how they could be of service to their community. I strive to be an educator who can help students understand the responsibilities of the fields in which they are interested and the impact and consequences of their choices.
Nominated by Morgan Cupps: "Ms. Potts has a strong attention to detail and thrives to ensure the best instruction possible to her students. She is committed to ensure her students have a strong foundation of understanding of the US History curriculum; due to this, she is not shy about implementing tools that contribute to her students' success. She is very mindful about introducing vocabulary in a way that reaches all learners utilizing Curipod, Wordwall, Google Apps, Apple Apps in a manner that increases engagement and retention."