March 2009 Blog Posts (259)

Robot or teacher?

Can robots teach in classrooms? Will they be considered more expensive than real teachers? Will schools close down? Will this be a sort of back to the past when there weren't schools?

Added by Octávio Lima on March 7, 2009 at 8:39am — 8 Comments

The questions we are supposed to be answering are posed to us as though we are all teachers with classrooms full of students with similar assignments and needs (maybe not really needs, but for my purposes, just go with it). However, I am not yet a teacher with a classroom of my own, and therefore do not have classes in which students could be collaborating with one another on assignments I give, or anything of the like really. Instead I am a tutor to six individual students in different schools… Continue

Added by Ariella Epstein on March 6, 2009 at 11:29pm — No Comments

Reflective Readers

We're working through a novel together in 5th grade right now. The name of the novel, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, is secondary to the title of the unit, "REFLECTIVE READING". We are really trying to hone in on what it is exactly that makes a reader "reflective". Here's the anchor chart that we have come up with for now. This chart was created during… Continue

Added by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on March 6, 2009 at 2:40pm — 1 Comment

Five Minds for the Future

After reading Five Minds for the Future, I feel like most people have a combination of at least two of the "minds." I feel like most professionals work hard towards being proficient in their area of discipline, whether it is being a carpenter, educator, or politician. Whatever passion drives a person, they strive to be the very best in the profession. As a teacher of high school students, I believe it is extremely important to be prepared and self-disciplined as well as knowledgeable. I,… Continue

Added by Tracy Montgomery on March 6, 2009 at 2:14pm — No Comments

Five Minds for the Future

The Disciplined mind in the Five Minds for the Future was very identifiable for me. My father owns his own plumbing buisness. He has been in buisness for over 30 years. He is very successful. I can think of how he and my mother spoke of how they struggled in the beginning. In the book, the author makes reference to research that shows that it takes up to 10 years to master a discipline. I think my father has that disciplined mind. It took him a while to master his craft and once he worked and… Continue

Added by Brandy Smothers on March 6, 2009 at 2:13pm — No Comments

Teamwork and Technology

This week my students practiced teamwork during our literature circles discussions of a novel.
We could incorporate technology into our analysis of text easily by teaming my students with students from another school and adding those students to our literature circles or even better our Socratic Seminars!

Added by Donna Keeton on March 6, 2009 at 1:23pm — No Comments

Teamwork

Today in class, we did a book review. I asked our librarian, the most honorable Martha Black ( she is a life-saver), to pull enough books for all of my classes. She pulled 84 books. To start the book review, each student chose a book and read for three minutes. After reading, if the student wanted to keep the book to read more, they didn't have to pass the book back to the next student, but if they wanted to check out more books, they passed their book back and got another book from the student… Continue

Added by Tracy Montgomery on March 6, 2009 at 1:22pm — No Comments

Gone Fishing - Quality Web Searching for Student Projects

Many teachers have experienced the frustration of assigning a topic for a research project, then giving students a block of time in the computer lab, only to discover at the end of the class period that the students spent most of their time looking at sites that were off topic, or otherwise useless. Chances are that if a teacher sent her students off on an internet search with so little guidance, she uses the same methods and wastes her own time in similar fashion. It is likely that this… Continue

Added by Deborah Kerwood on March 6, 2009 at 9:56am — No Comments

Super-Hero Teachers and the Super-Power of Writing: Perfect Man

Author: Troy Wilson (on JOMB)

Illustrator: Dean Griffiths (on JOMB)

Published: 2004… Continue

Added by Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast on March 6, 2009 at 6:39am — No Comments

Procedural Reading

During this six weeks, I will also be covering procedural readings with my students. This lesson today falls under that category.

Entering Activities: Students will read a section entitled “Reading For Life” in the Elements of Literature textbook. Students will make a list of they type of informational reading that is in the text that they have done.

Anticipatory Set: I will go over with students that we will also this six weeks be reading informational texts. We will… Continue

Added by Amanda Addison on March 6, 2009 at 5:46am — 1 Comment

How do you use the interactive white board?

I build my own wii IWB and really enjoyed doing it, but I never use the darn thing. Is it me, my teaching style the software, what? I am trolling for ideas on using it.

Added by Michael Warner on March 5, 2009 at 9:36pm — 1 Comment

Howard Gardner "The Five Minds for the Future" article

I read the article 'The Five Minds for the Future" by Howard Gardner. The mind that I most closely associated with in relation to my classroom is the "creating" mind. I am constantly seeking out new ways to improve my classroom instruction. I used a "layered curriculum" in my classroom which is based on research by Dr. Kathie Nunley. (help4teachers.com) The curriculum was not a conventional approach to instruction because it allowed the students to choose activities they wanted to complete and… Continue

Added by Kathy Eldridge on March 5, 2009 at 2:54pm — No Comments

"The Networked Student"

The idea of the networked student makes me nervous. I can't figure out how it could work in my classroom. Math is more building block. I can't imagine assgining linear equations and having the students just go and learn. I just can't wrap my mind around how to utilize such activities in the lower level math classes.

Added by Brandy Smothers on March 5, 2009 at 1:51pm — No Comments

The Networked Student

Increase technology! Kids multitask through a variety of ways. I have attempted this in the classroo: SMART technology, blogging, using cell phone cameras, etc. It is engaging and they love learning this way. However, will they test well?

Added by Lori Roberts on March 5, 2009 at 1:51pm — No Comments

"The Networked Student"

The segment about cell phones and ipods really hits home at our school because students use them a lot, but not for educational purposes. I wish this could change. I use mp3 players/cell phones/ipods, when I take trips to the Zoo. They have a podcast set up on their website at the Birmingham Zoo.

Added by April Nelms on March 5, 2009 at 1:47pm — No Comments

The Five Minds for the Future: Respectful and Ethical

Trust is crucial! "Respect does not entail a "pass" for terrorists." Isn't that the truth. I respect other values, beliefs, etc. Respect mine in the classroom. Respect is one of the #1 issues teachers face today. Respect me, respect others, respect yourself!

Added by Lori Roberts on March 5, 2009 at 1:41pm — No Comments

The Networked Student

I watched the Networked Student on youtube a few minutes ago. I had seen it twice before but I am really eager to create 21st century student learning in my classroom. They are not the hold up! I am. I have the interest, it is mainly finding the time to figure out how to connect the kids and then implement it in my classroom. One of my main concerns is monitoring their progress. Where do I find the time to check their blogs, wikis etc.? I can see where their learning could really take off when… Continue

Added by Kathy Eldridge on March 5, 2009 at 1:31pm — 2 Comments

"The Five Minds for the Future"

The ethical mind deals with human relationships, As an educator our actions and ethical decision influence our students. If we are model individuals, we can be positvie influences versus what students see most EVERYwhere else. A large problem for students of this time period deals with resepect. They don't normally understand it because they have not seen it. Simple considerations such as "Yes ma'am and No Ma'am" are unfamiliar to our students. Common courtesies to us as teachers is not common… Continue

Added by April Nelms on March 5, 2009 at 1:28pm — No Comments

Wikified Schools -- book available now!

I am very happy to announce that my book Wikified Schools: Using Wikis to Improve Collaboration and Communication in Education has been published. Within the next month it will become available at online retailers Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (and more), but you can get it here now.

So what is the… Continue

Added by Stephanie Sandifer on March 5, 2009 at 1:28pm — No Comments

Teamwork in Zoology

We used my classroom blog: www.mshszoology.blogspot.com.
Students blog answers to questions linked to a pbs.org. page. It was a really neat activity, however, students have difficulty remembering their id numbers and email accounts.

Added by Lori Roberts on March 5, 2009 at 1:27pm — No Comments