So I just ran across an awesome article, “Ads on tests adds up for teacher.” Here is the jest of it. Schools are cutting their budget but expecting teachers to exceed expectations. A teacher wants to give his students as much practice as possible for calculus but his printing budget isn’t big enough. His solution, sell space on the tests. He has already raised a lot of money. It isn’t for “personal gain” per say. I think that desperate times call for desperate measures. Isn’t the whole point of school to learn, no matter what it takes…or costs. I commend this teacher for thinking outside the box. Good for him!
Teaching the election November 30, 2008
I know it has been a while since the election, but I saw this blog post Tuesday and thought I would share it. This is from Elementary, My Dear, or Far From it. Jenny, the writer/teacher, talks about teaching first graders about the election, their results, and their thoughts on the whole thing. She always taught older students during election time, but would not ignore the topic. She believes that more students were Obama supporters than McCain supporters because they found out that Obama liked basketball. It made him more relatable to those children. It is interesting what really matters to children. They didn’t understand the hot button issues, all that matters to them was if he was a cool guy. It is amazing how children view the world.
I also found her dilema of switching grades interesting. I was just talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher. She is teaching first graders this year, but has taught fourth and fifth graders the last several years. She was telling me about the differences. She loves not having to teach for assessments but says that the parents are a lot different. My teacher friend is not a softy. She wants the children to be independent and be able to tie their own shoes, blow their own noses, and follow directions. She doesn’t “baby” her daughter and is not going to “baby” her students. Unfortunately at times, the parents don’t like that approach. I have to say that I like her approach. She is not mean, she just isn’t going to let the students take the easy way by having her do everything for them. It is also refreshing to know that you don’t have to be all sunshine and happiness and that teachers still have some authority over the children. If they didn’t, I don’t believe the children would learn anything.
Check out my other blog! November 18, 2008
I have had so much fun creating this blog for class that I decided I wanted to do one on another passion in my life. I have created one to show off all my homemade cards. I always look at different craft blogs and now that I have learned the tools to make one of my own, I couldn’t pass it up. You can find it here. Hope you enjoy.
Our You Tube Video October 14, 2008
The green team made this video for class and put it on You Tube. I am going to be famous.
How to handle subjects you don’t like October 5, 2008
There are certain subjects I love and then there are those other subjects that just aren’t my favorite. I am pretty sure I will have kids in my class that feel the same way. I wanted to see if I could find any tips to help the students, and myself, through those difficult subjects. Here is what I found….
Spaced Penguins October 5, 2008
Today in science class we were studying inertia, Kepler’s Law, centripetal force, and orbits. It made me think of this really fun web game that I have played before. It is called Spaced Penguins. The point is to launch a ball into space and get it to land in the other space craft. The only thing is, you have to deal with orbits and you can’t just shoot it straight. I think this would be really fun for kids when you talk about orbits or gravity. They would be having fun and learning at the same time. Even if you don’t use it as an educational tool, it is a fun game for all ages.
Wow this kid is smart September 18, 2008
This is the kind of student I am afraid to have in my classroom. He’s 12 and building 3-D solar cells and I am *cough* and still can’t figure out how to delete unwanted songs off my MP3 player.
Fantasy Football as a learning tool September 18, 2008
It is fall (not officially, but in just a couple of days) and this is my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing, I get to pull out my sweaters, and I love pumpkin pie. But one of my favorite things about fall is that football season has begun. I love watching football and I am also involved in fantasy football. I watched a cool segment last year on ESPN about how some teachers were actually using fantasy football in their math lessons. Here are some cool links about it and the awesome video.
http://fantasysportsmath.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34
http://www.k12.wa.us/cisl/K-12/FootballMath.aspx
Random thoughts stemming from historical inaccuracies September 18, 2008
My mind has been spinning after reading “Nike bends time and space to brand Ernie Davis’ shoes” by Matt Hinton, a Yahoo blog writer. The jest of the article is about how a statue was created to honor Ernie Davis, the first African-American Hiesman trophy winner. The problem with the statue is that Nike swoosh appears on his shoes. Now, this wouldn’t be a problem, if the Nike swoosh had been created in Ernie Davis’ lifetime.
Now this article led me to a thought. I have never lived without the Swoosh, but my parents did. Remember when you were younger and would ask your parents or teachers where they were during historic events like the Kennedy assassination, or the Challenger explosion? I was also fascinated by the technology, or lack there of. It got me thinking about what things the children of the future will be surprised that I have not had my entire life. Well, what questions are the children in my class going to ask me. This is what I think…
Q: Where were you when 9/11 happened?
A: I was a sophomore in college and noticed a bunch of my sorority sisters huddled around a radio and they told me what had happened. French class was canceled that day and I started a new job at the college art museum.
Q: When did you get your first computer?
A: I was 9. It was a Tandy and then we got Prodigy, my first “on-line” experience.
Q: When did you get your first cell phone?
A: I was 18 and got it before I left for college.
Q: When did you get your first iPod?
A: I don’t have an iPod, but I do have an MP3 player that I have used twice.
Q: When did you get a DVR?
A: I waited far too long for one of those. It wasn’t until the cable channels started requiring digital boxes for televisions, and now I don’t think I could live without it.
Some other questions I will have for them…
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Who has a home phone?
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Who has ever recorded a show on VHS?
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Who has written a letter and sent it through the mail?
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Anyone used a typewriter before?
The future is limitless, but how much the future know about the past?
Here is a really cool site, http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/ This is a list made every fall. It is all about what the incoming freshmen are too young to understand. Really makes you think and also makes you feel old, and I only graduated high school less than 10 years ago.
Where in the world answer! September 16, 2008
So I wasn’t able to give clues this time around, but I wanted to give everyone the answer since it has been a while since I posted the original entry. I was at…
the Washington Monument!
If you want to learn more about the Washington Monument, check out http://www.nps.gov/wamo/.
Videos are still cool in college September 16, 2008
My science teacher showed the class this yesterday to introduce force.
I am not a science person, so it really helps me learn when I see examples. Plus it just makes class fun.
Inspiration from the movies September 16, 2008
I read the blog A Not So Different Place and it upset me in a way. Actually, it didn’t upset me as much as the two blogs that she was commenting on. The first blog spoke about The Ron Clark Story and the other blog about Freedom Writers. Now, I can’t really talk about Freedom Writers, because I have not seen it, but I can talk about The Ron Clark Story. The blogs were from teachers who feel like these movies give the impression that teachers should think about their students and completely disregard their personal lives. They felt that they were both good teachers and did it while still concentrating on their own life. Good for them.
I want to be a teacher, but that is only part of the life I want. I also want to be a wife, mother, daughter, and a friend. Those people got movies made about them because of their extraordinary gifts as educators. While they may have taken it farther than others, I don’t think that these movies are stating that is what all teachers should be like. That being said though, I think The Ron Clark Story is an amazing movie. I watched it on Sunday night and was enrolling to be a teacher on Tuesday. I wanted to be there for those students. I may not be able to change every life, but I still want to try. I plan on being Erica and not just Ms. Teacher at all times. I know there needs to be a balance, but I don’t think that those people who do devote all of their time to teaching should be criticized. Those movies may exaggerate a bit, but if they can inspire more people to get into the classroom, should we really fault them.
Funny blog, but I am sure it will happen to all of us September 16, 2008
I loved this entry from the blog Learn me Good. It talks about how kid’s brains leave their heads during the summer and take an extended vacation that ends after the school year begins. He talks about how his 3rd graders forgot their basic math skills. I remember when I was in school I always forgot how to spell. I would rack my brain trying to remember to spell “who”.
Cool documentary September 15, 2008
I happened to be flipping the channels last night and ran across this amazing documentary on PBS. It was called, “Where We Stand: America’s Schools in the 21st Century“. It is hosted by Judy Woodruff and really goes in depth about what is happening in American schools right now. It talks about No Child Left Behind, funding, getting good educators and compares our system to the one’s in Finland and China. The program informed me of some of the programs that are out there for teachers and some good methods and attitudes to take when dealing with teaching to the assessment. It also gave startaling statistics about how divided our school systems are between rich and poor.
One of the most interesting things I learned was that our rate of college graduates is at a stand still. One of the main reasons for this is the alarming rise in tution, at state schools. It is sad that some of the brightest minds we have can’t go to college because they can’t afford it. I was blessed that my parents helped out with college, because I know I would not have been able to do it on my own.
Another thing that I learned was that teachers in Finland go to school for 6 years and have to have their Master’s degree. Also according to the “Where We Stand,” documentary, only 10% of the teachers that apply for admission into the college programs get in. By the time I am done with my ceritification, I will have been in school for 8 years. Does that count?
I hope you check out the site and/or the documentary. There is some amazing information!
Where in the states was I? September 7, 2008
I thought it would be fun if I put a photo up and had my students try to figure out what it was of. My 6th grade teacher used to put photos up in the classroom and we had figure out who the photo was of. Sometimes is was a baby picture of a political figure or an important person that we should know. If you do this on a blog you can have the parent’s involvement as well and they can help the child figure it out. After doing my teacher interview, I have learned that this will only work if my student’s parents are involved and have access to computers and the Internet. If this is not possible, I will have to adapt. That is what I have been told is the key to teaching. No day is the same, no year is the same. What works for one class will fail miserably in another. Be flexible.
Well now, on to the photo. Leave a comment and guess what this is a photo of. I will try to leave some clues and I will let you know exactly where I was in a couple of days. Have fun guessing.
Outdated information September 7, 2008
I just posted a video from the “Animaniacs” television show naming all states and their capitols. I was looking at the other videos that are from the show, but they are all outdated. The video about the Galaxy doesn’t name new dwarf planets and only said that there are about 50 moons in the solar system, but now there are over 100. The Presidental song doesn’t mention the current president and in two months, the newest presidental nominee. This gives me a good idea that you really have to check publishing dates and realize that you might have to change your material from year to year because it can get outdated very quickly.
La la la…I can’t sing, but if it will help the students, I will do it September 7, 2008
So I think it is so cool when you can take educational information out of the textbooks and create something really interesting out of it. I need something fun to help me remember lists. Last year I created a lesson plan to learn all 50 states and their capitols. I started the lesson plan with this video. I will be adding a couple more videos from “The Animaniacs,” because they had some great songs to learn the Presidents and all of the countries.
Second blog site attempt September 7, 2008
This is my second attempt for a blog. My previous blog was published at http://charliegirl612.edublogs.org . I might be re-posting some of the posts on here. It all depends on the direction I decide to go with this blog. I am still figuring all of this stuff out, but I am trying to entertain and educate. Let me know what you think. I love comments, they let me know that someone is actually reading this.
I got my first comment…but it was on the other blog September 5, 2008
Originally posted on my other blog on 9/5/08… ( I had to switch blogs, so I have back dated all of my previous posts, but I can’t move my comment over…but it was there.)
Some on is actually reading my blog!!! I don’t know how he found it, but Troy Hicks of Digital Writing, Digital Teaching found the article that I had written about him. He appreciated what I had to say and even gave me a link to the blogs that his students do for class. I was just so excited that he liked what I had done. Check out the comment!
A Vote for Education September 4, 2008
As the Presidential election draws near and the craziness increases expodentially, I still felt in the dark about where each candidate stands on education. I know how they feel about oil, well everyone is pretty vocal about that issue. I looked at both candidates official websites to see what they believe is right with education and what needs to improve.
John McCain (listed 5th out of 12 issues)
Barack Obama (listed 5th out of 22 issues, but his were in alphabetical order)
Personally, I liked Barack’s plan for education better. I think he has real foresight on what is needed. He saw the flaws in No Child Left Behind, but instead of dismissing completely, he wants to expand and improve on the legislation already in place. I don’t like the idea of more charter schools though.
The only thing that really bothered me about McCain’s plan was to allow parents to “hand-pick” their childs school. If their is a specific school you want your child in, you should be in that district. Second of all, if every parent go to do this, then there would be several very large crowded schools and some empty buildings where I am from. Instead of focusing on going to a better school, make the school you go to better.
Blogging = bringing the world together, one computer screen at a time September 1, 2008
As I sit here on a holiday, school free and work free, I began doing homework. I wanted to learn more about this blogging thing and wanted to give my reader/s more to read. Teachers never stop learning, even on their days off…right?
I ran across a blog article I found very interesting. It came from Digital Writing, Digital Teaching, a blog focused on how technology and education can work hand in hand. When the author, Professor Troy Hicks, began writing his blog over three years ago, I am sure he didn’t know what to expect. As a new blogger, that is how I feel. You wonder if anyone will read your blog, and if they do, what kind of impact will it have on the reader, society, or the teaching world in general.
This article I think shows how such a ”small” concept can grow.The article is full of links Professor Hicks received from readers of his blog. They are links to websites, wikis, and blogs about how teachers are using technology to enhance their approach to education. All of these links were not from Hicks’ research, but from followers of his blog and studies informing him of their finds.
I just think it is amazing how a blogging can bring people together. If you look at some of the links to information in that article, I think you too will be pleasantly surprised on how technology is being used in education.
Great geography project August 26, 2008
I love geography. As a Navy brat I have moved around a lot and learned to embrace traveling. I love learning about new cultures and I think this project is a great way for students to learn about new cultures. Postcard Geography is a class project going on from late September to the end of January. Classes can sign up and send mail to students across the country and world. Also, isn’t refreshing that students are not only getting to “meet” people from around the world but also how to send a real, physical letter.
Introducing *kazoo noise*… ME August 26, 2008
This is my first post! I am doing this blog for my Integrating Technology class. I am really excited to learn how to do this and I hope that all the readers (even if it is only the students in my class) get some use out of this. I will be putting some interesting pictures, videos, articles and commentary, partcially because that is the assignment, but also because I like this stuff. I never seem to have time to do this on my own, but maybe once I finish this class, I will still have the blog bug. Only time will tell.
