March 2011 Blog Posts (47)

                                                    Premio al delito

Presentación Día: 25 de marzo Hora: 6 pm
Lugar Congreso de la República
Auditorio: José Faustino Sánchez Carrión
Jr. Azángaro 468
Autor: Jimmy Calla Colana
Participación artísitca: Margot Palomino

One thing we learned from last year's students was that they would find articles, books, resources, print them out/mark the pages...but they would not always read them!  So, this year, we are making sure that the students READ what they are finding as soon as they are finding it, making notes, using sticky notes to jot down ideas/questions... 

The process of finding information is only valuable if the students read what they are finding and are critical about it.  Soon, we will ask…

Dream Realizations will be presenting this year at the Virtual World Best Practices in Education (VWBPE -…

   As students peer edit others work they learn how to become critical readers and writers. Students are able to take the time to evaluate readings and also improve on their own writings by peer editing.

   So how can we…

Earlier this week I held a mini "mentor training" over morning coffee.  It was a nice way to touch base with the mentors who are all teachers at the school and volunteered during their off time to work with a group of students.  I valued their help and them giving up some of their planning time, as you know, there is never enough time in the day to do everything needed at school. 

So, each mentor received their Mentor Log, , a collection of information; what is the PYP Exhibituion,…

Throughout my Graduate studies, my colleagues and I have been exposed to a myriad of new technologies which can be used in both our professional and personal lives.  We are taught how to implement these technologies in the classroom in order to foster student growth and development.  When deployed correctly, integrating technology into the classroom can be extremely successful.  Students are constantly using technology outside of school as well.  However, I do wonder when people 'unplug'…

              I grew up down by Philadelphia, about two hours away from where I currently live. In being so far away, I miss some of the Philly experience including REAL cheesesteaks, the city buzzing with October baseball, and great radio. One of those things I pine for has made its way out to me in a podcast. Every day I download my favorite morning show via iTunes, plug in my iPod, and listen on my way to work. Since discovering a little bit of home in a podcast,…

Right after Exhibition last year, after students completed their reflection and their planners,  I sat with the grade 6 teams and we did our own reflection, for our own planner. We went over the good, the bad and the ugly, made notes for this year's exhibition as well as went over the resources we used, the organization of Exhibition day...

So, fastforward to start of the school year and we picked a day for the Exhibition, that would be the 5th unit of inquiry for the year and…

Hey there!  This is a new thing for me, to blog about my role in the PYP exhibitionl.  I'm going to try and keep this going throughout the process this year.  My role as PYP coordinator is different from the Grade 6 homeroom teachers, as I don't usually have daily contact with the Grade 6 students nor do I spent the majority of my time with them.  But, I am part of the Exhibition and help the students and their teachers very regularly. So, in a way, I am backstage, away from the spotligths…

A recent class discussion regarding development of the learning space for today's students and parent involvement brought about a number of different concepts which were quite interesting to read over the course of the past two weeks.  Once topic, in particular, struck a chord.   Part of our discussion explored the idea of technology becoming synonymous with a binkie.   High priced toys which some parents purchase just to keep their kids out of their hair.  The parents get some quiet time…

In this post we look at SchoolRack, then review results of our look at 4 different CMS apps, and decide what’s next.

So far in this series, we’ve looked at Rcampus and…

I am trying to weave through all the Web 2.0 material that is available - and have listed concrete examples that have worked well in my classroom over the last 3 years.  Our school will be piloting an iPad cart in 5th grade next year, and I'm looking for ways to roll my "in the clouds" curriculum into this new area.  Any ideas??

Check out my presentation wiki:

 Web 2.0…

 Technology Integration in Education is starting a Glogster Global Collaborative where educators and students can share their cultures through stories which incorporate multiple media -- text, audio, images, and video.…

Having long been a devotee of active reflection I have been exploring how Web2.0 based technologies can provide new opportunities in which to express oneself.  Naturally, one of the most obvious forms is in the blog format which provides a space and an audience in which to share ones discoveries or seek out new information and ideas by posing questions or sharing conundrums for the reader to comment on.  I started a blog in WordPress nearly six months ago and am thoroughly enjoying the forum…

coming soon:

mimio lessons for all content areas!

So, in the mix of everything else.  Educational Budgets are once again up on the blocks with no one realizing that this is the lifeblood of the economy.  Who is left with the information or inspiration to move forward.   Where will the supplies come from?

The technology that we count on, whether it truly exists in a form we would like to have, could become more obsolete.  Budgets affect all aspects of a teacher's ability to teach.  How to teach without using what students use…