September 2009 Blog Posts (134)

Changing with the times..my thoughts on classroom technology

It has been said that, “the only constant is change itself.” Though difficult at times, we know that change breeds growth, a necessary part of life.

As teaching veteran with a quarter of a century's experience, I can say without hesitation that I have seen technology “change the face of education.” Literally amazed at times, I have watched in awe, as technology transformed the dynamic of my classroom in the most profound way. Through hard work, professional readings, and the… Continue

Added by Stacy Bodin on September 7, 2009 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Open Source, Web, and Tools for Students and Teachers

Over the summer I installed worpressMU on the jasperstreet server. It was a success, and as a result I installed it on the school intranet server and will be offering blogs to any interested teachers, clubs, or whatever. If you want a blog you can have one too.

I am excited at the prospect. I am going to have my students blog about the books they read from the mini library in my class each student will have their own blog, which they… Continue

Added by Geoff St. Pierre on September 7, 2009 at 7:30pm — 1 Comment

Inventories

I just finished taking both of the inventories assigned. First, I took the MII. It confirmed one thing for me. One, that I am musical. I knew that already because I play multiple instruments. Something that the MII showed me that was unexpect was how balanced my learning styles are. Other than musical and visual/spatial, my other learning styles were all about even. This will be good when I become a teacher because I will be less likely to use just one type of learning style. I will have a… Continue

Added by Michelle White on September 7, 2009 at 11:07am — 1 Comment

Education Technology - Don’t Lean On It, Leverage It!

Are you using Internet tools to engage students in the classroom and improve learning outcomes, or are you just using technology to decrease the time you spend lecturing and interacting with your students?

There are many great internet based tools available to bring new elements of collaboration, interaction, and even a little fun to the instructional process and thereby better engage and motivate your students and enhance learning outcomes. Of course, it is also entirely… Continue

Added by Kelly Walsh on September 7, 2009 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Freud once said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Obama wants to address the school-kids of this nation and, whodda thunk it, there's controversy surrounding the idea of such an address to our nation's youngsters.

Now, obviously, (or maybe not, so I'll say it here) I am of the opinion that a well-spoken President addressing our nation's kids in a "you can do it" tone now that it's back-to-school season is good for the kids, good for the schools, and good for the good ol' U. S. of A.

So I wonder, is it just me,… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on September 7, 2009 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

Glogster!

Most of you have probably heard of Glogster but if you haven't, I suggest you try it out! The .edu.glogster site is now private and is an amazing tool for student work. This year our school theme is Star Trek and I created a Star Trek themed Glog web for our school. It will continue to grow as the year progresses but if you would like to see it go to:
http://mckilloplibrary.edu.glogster.com/McKillop-Home/
I will be posting more book reviews there as we get into the school year.

Added by Doug Valentine on September 6, 2009 at 8:35pm — No Comments

Inventories

After taking the MII, I was very surprised at the results. According to the numbers, my styles (listed from highest to lowest) were Interpersonal, Body/Kinesthetic, Naturalistic, tied were Visual/Spatial and Music, Mathematics, and tied at the end were Linguistic and Intrapersonal. Never before has my highest score been interpersonal. I am not the kind of person that is very talkative or has lots of friends. The only reason that I could see this being true is because I do like to work in groups… Continue

Added by Kaleigh Marie West on September 6, 2009 at 10:14am — 1 Comment

Do You Know Who May Be Sitting In Your Classroom?

Do you know who may be sitting in your classroom? Or will someone else discover them?

I came across a YouTube video that caught my attention. It conveys that there may be unidentified talents in ordinary people. I believe as teachers, our job is to help students explore, unlock and discover what these talents are. Once identified, help them strengthen these talents.

I encourage every teacher to search for that…

Continue

Added by Donnie Smith on September 6, 2009 at 6:53am — 2 Comments

The Bookless School Library

Reposted from Meg's Notebook

"When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books..." Cushing Academy (…

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Added by Meg H on September 5, 2009 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Will You Listen

For the last two years, the students in http://ahafilms.ning.com/ has been working hand in hand with the leadership of The Dream Project to create a film about how students can make a difference in communities around the globe. The film, Will You Listen, centers around the eight Millennium Development goals outlined by the… Continue

Added by Joe Fatheree on September 5, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Fourth Grader Brennan LaBrie, Time For Kids Reporter, On NPR Weekend Edition Today

This morning Brennan LaBrie, TIME For Kids - Kid Reporter, will be on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon.

Direct… Continue

Added by Jack Olmsted on September 5, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Yo, before you open your mouth, open a book, huh?

People who work in schools moan and moan all the time about how "the kids don't read" but you know what... the people who are moaning aren't really reading either. At least they're not, in large part, doing the professional reading necessary (IMHO) to stay up to date with what's going on the world of literacy and language arts.

I've got administrators screaming about how we need to make "data-driven decisions in the English Department" but these folks aren't reading what I… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on September 4, 2009 at 9:58pm — 2 Comments

Ending Failing Grades

As I began this year, I considered how to motivate students to succeed in Science. I realized many who think they “cannot do science” instead just do not complete their work. I, therefore, decided to not give a grade to work turned in “incomplete” but require these students to come to my classroom during our school’s “flex” time. We run flex time on Tuesdays - Fridays. This is 30 minutes where students who have either an “F” or “Incomplete” grade in any class are required to work with that… Continue

Added by Glen Westbroek on September 4, 2009 at 5:21pm — 4 Comments

Which States Rank at the Top When It Comes to One-to-One Computing?

In a recent article published in eSchool News entitled "1-to-1 Computing in the Spotlight," Laura Devaney reports on a few interesting findings from a recent study conducted by Project Red. Based on a close examination of nationwide data, the project determined the percentage of schools in each state which provide ubiquitous computer access. More...

Added by Shawn Roner on September 4, 2009 at 11:50am — No Comments

Rabbi Robert Abramson, USCJ Director of the Department of Education Reviews Toolbox for Teachers

Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond, A Review by Rabbi Robert Abramson, Director, Department of Education United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

This book can make a difference.

For quite some time, some supplementary schools have engaged teens as teaching assistants in a variety of ways and some material was… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on September 4, 2009 at 9:38am — No Comments

Cooperative Learning

I am interested in learning more about cooperative learning. If anyone has any insights, information, or great resources on cooperative learning, I would love to hear from you!

Added by Jenny on September 3, 2009 at 5:37pm — No Comments

Teaching Technique-WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY?

Teaching Technique-What did you learn in school today?

There was a time Parents would ask their student offspring, “What did you learn in school today”.

Do you know what the reply was then? Do you know what the reply would be today?

You got it; the reply would be “Nothing”

TEACHERS, that’s our fault.

We are involved in the lecture method of teaching. It’s the least effective technique. That’s just one problem. But we won’t focus on… Continue

Added by William Lambert on September 3, 2009 at 4:54pm — 2 Comments

Middle School Science Blogging Help

Our district is really pushing social media and social networking, but they never say anything about managing the huge volume of content that can be created. I'm looking for effective ways of implementing social media into my 8th Grade Physical Science Class.

Basically, my idea is that every couple of weeks, I or one of the other two teachers would post one of the essential questions upon which our curriculum is based, and then have the kids respond to that.

My big worry… Continue

Added by Damian Thomas on September 3, 2009 at 4:47pm — No Comments

Sped Wikis

Well, as I end the second week of school before Labor Day, I have to say that my time working with SPED kids with my wiki has passed with some success. There are some things that are worth changing. First, to all educators, simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify. The less clicking kids have to do, the more they will use your site and find their way around it. Also, big fonts and tables work wonders. There are some wonderful wikis to help make editing easier, but they are hard to find. One is… Continue

Added by DJ on September 3, 2009 at 2:16pm — No Comments

Pregnant Freshman Icebreaker Activities

So it's the first day of class this week -- I am teaching ALL freshman this year in an attempt to try and get a whole host of kids off to a good high school start with the ambition that a good leap out of the gate will help carry enough positive momentum for them to really see things through and graduate. (And graduation rate is a percentage we'd really LOVE to improve 'round these parts. Seems 50/50 isn't quite what the state is hoping for in terms of odds.)

So my little… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on September 3, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments