I must apologize for not blogging and for not letting you know why I haven't posted in so long. I'm in grad school taking my second course to self renew my teaching license even though I don't think I'd want to teach in a public school again under the current regime of testing, Department of Justice mandates in the two school systems near where I live are putting additional burdens on school systems that according to the source I spoke with were not actively discriminatory, but the result of, sadly, the actions of a handful of "bad apples".
My goal is to be an advocate for teachers training teachers, appropriate use of technology, integrating research/STEM with humanities driven courses so that ethics and an understanding of trends through the ages in science and technology don't get lost - even engineers have to know about the excesses of King Lear and the abuse of power throughout the ages and the need to be part of a community - not on Facebook, but face to face.
Teachers and parents need to work together to promote a balance of activities throughout the school day and appropriate use of technology and testing so that students don't display signs of autism that may really relate to a lack of enough proper physical activity and free play. (That's why at sixty-four, I'm getting my group fitness instructors certification.)
I hope that we can tap the talents of the community in ways we have never dared to contemplate - it is already happening, but is it reaching enough of our children, parents and others who need to dream that what they have to share is important and meaningful at any age?
My rotator cuff surgery has made typing painful and I finally have the money for a decent video camera - so I hope to redesign the blog site and keep researching for the things you want to know. In a format that works. Best wishes for a wonderful winter season - hope it's not too cold! See you in January!
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Public Speaking Skills Are In The Mix To Increase Salaries For Your Students - Not Just STEM!
You are going to get tired of hearing the former language
arts/English/humanities teacher point out the obvious to her, but not so
obvious to the STEM heads that the rare student that presents the “complete”
package has an increased change of getting a job, getting ahead and getting a
bonus!
To boost
your chances of getting hired—or getting ahead—polish “soft” skills such
as public speaking, writing and listening.
And that applies even to rarefied experts.
It used to be that tech people could stay in the tech department.
Now, says
McDonald, “people work in
teams. You have to learn how to speak to non-experts
across the organizational chart.”
Read more at http://www.kiplinger.com/article/saving/T012-C000-S002-look-for-
Read more at http://www.kiplinger.com/article/saving/T012-C000-S002-look-for-
a- modest-pay-raise-in-2014.html#ZYyw9jUAYtfuhyMR.99
As
my rotator cuff heals – I've had a pretty major setback and typing causes me a
lot of pain! I’ll start to get back to my longer posts. I am so sorry that the healing process is not
running smoothly, but it’s just one of those things.
The
list below provides a few other tips for your students as they learn to become
adept public speakers – I used to keep the videos of their reports/speeches so
they could review them before their next speech and pick an area for
improvement – I let them review their previous reports during lunch or after
school:
1.
Loudness doesn't equal emphasis – often stopping
and becoming silent and then quietly announcing an important point gets the
message across.
2.
This leads to the next point – have a statistic
that is a surprise or a piece of information that is contrary to the expected.
An important supporting detail will get your audiences’ attention.
3.
Be prepared to wing it!! Your time may be cut,
power may fail, and practice – practice – practice! Record your speech (if
possible, use your web cam to watch for lazy eyes, too much blinking and other
visual ticks) and play it back until when you watch it, you feel it’s on the
mark.
4.
Don’t think about yourself during your speech –
think about what you are trying to achieve! Don’t market yourself – network with
people and make connections. If you are lacking in creativity for the moment, find
an object and connect it to your life in a non-traditional way. (We’re back to
how is love like a tree?)
5.
My debate team had lucky dimes in their shoes
from their fellow students. They were
instructed to wiggle their toes to touch the dimes if they felt nervous and
remember all the support their classmates had given them during mock debates
and practice – my students were so composed and prepared – I have no real proof
that the dimes helped, but in my heart, I like to think they did.
We need all disciplines to be integrated for children to
make connections and develop their talents, knowledge and skills. It is important to devise methods that tap
creative solutions to needs in our own country which are also global
needs. Every person is a resource and we
must never lose sight of that vision.
Providing all children with an education feeds their soul just as food,
water and a healthy/safe environment feeds their body. Best wishes to all who have courage and care
for children around the world.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Assessments How to Make Students Take Them Seriously . . .
In high school it is easier depending on the make up and subject area of your class to have students take the grade they earn seriously because many of them may be college bound and so their GPA counts. AP classes, Cambridge courses or International Baccalaureate courses usually attract committed students. Many school districts are making it easier to enroll in challenging courses with mixed results. Many students without the expected entry-level-skills can slow the pace of the course, but ultimately rise to the higher requirements, but may need tutoring.
Middle school students can either be grade grubbers, hit peaks and valleys or be a defeatist - it's what we call the child who has absolutely no self confidence and has chosen to not try at all. This child will usually be a problem in class because if you can't get an "A" in a subject - you can certainly earn an "A" or even an "A+" in being disruptive. Elementary students can also be all over the place, but if you can hold their attention and have good curriculum strategies and lesson plans that allow for flexibility and mobility, students may become learning sponges especially third and forth graders - wow, what great ages.
So assessments - one quick one is exit visas - you put a few questions on your "Smart Board" for closure and students have to answer one of their choice as a pass out of the room - really great on the day you have a formal observation. Pass out 3x5 cards at the beginning of class to set this up as a pattern so students will know this is an exit visa day and they should already put their name and class period on the card. Your observer will be super impressed with this quick assessment. It's closure, too!! You can hold onto these for study guides for quizzes and test guides. Apps are available now that can generate multiple versions of your tests so that can cut down on student cheating, but essays are essays.
If you have a blackboard-like function that you can set up that runs the plagiarism software on submitted Word essays, you are in teacher heaven. I just had to do that for the first time in my grad class and thought, wow (although this is the second class I've taken in the English Department - they are not standardized, go figure) - this is a perk! The papers are all electronically uploaded so the format is standard. Then they are scanned for plagiarism and the yellow background the professor used is easy on the eyes when she reads them. Of course - as grad students paying for the course, we take the assessments seriously.
My tests/assessments had a predictable pattern and appearance. That is the first rule. The second rule is that some material from past lessons always appeared on a new test/assessment - if it was important enough for me to teach, it is important enough for the student to remember. The third rule - students self-score the test with a red pen immediately upon finishing the test. Students turn in the test when time is called, all pencils are put away, desks are cleared and red pens are passed out and test papers are returned. Students correct their own papers using the matching answer key. (This is great for special needs students because it meets many of their IEP's) You put the answers to the spelling test in a word box on the "Smart Board", chart or blackboard - so they can use them correctly in the rest of the test.
Sorry to tell you that you, the teacher, will still have to spend lots of time reviewing each paper because students do not do a good job of finding their mistakes. Since the test format is always the same - the point value is standard so the students learn to score themselves very quickly. Students may request to retake the same test within three days. When parents or guardians find out that students do not have to live with a poor test grade, they get pretty insistent that you automatically give the test again. Word gets out that you have to work hard if you want to fail the class. Meanwhile, you are constantly reinforcing the main concepts that you want to stay put in the brains of all of your students. Yes, it's a lot of work - but it works. They take the assessments seriously - at least the ones I made and those were related to the ones the school district and state developed.
Tests and assessments should be a chance to show off and get that "A" - students should feel confident that between the preparation you have given them all year long. A "unit" on test-taking skills has taught them to look for key words in the set up and weed out the distractors. The more you give exit visas, pop quizzes and predictable tests - the more students will take them seriously.
It is true that culturally, some students are mocked for getting good grades. This is where I think having a lunch bunch or some other alternative lunch-room area is a cool privilege. Maybe it should be a lottery for those who are interested. This might relieve some pressure to fail on purpose.
Being predictable about your assessments, how they are graded and formatted will go along way to helping students take them seriously. Double weight test and single weight quizzes and that also helps. If the whole class bombs a test throw it out - it's your fault!
Essays on tests should be brief or should resemble test prompts - triple weight them if you can and develop individual topics before the test so students can prepare for two or three topics that you all figure out together. Finally, outcome-based projects give an authentic measure for students that just will never do well on any formal test instrument. I construct the arc of nine week and semester grades so that projects will protect any student from a "D" or "F", but take a look at my rubrics and you will see that I spell out specific expectations. So high expectations and student input raise the stakes and students take these assignments more willingly. Good luck - it seems like the assessment grind is slowly winding down and maybe teachers can take the lead in making better judgment calls on what works best for educating American youth.
Middle school students can either be grade grubbers, hit peaks and valleys or be a defeatist - it's what we call the child who has absolutely no self confidence and has chosen to not try at all. This child will usually be a problem in class because if you can't get an "A" in a subject - you can certainly earn an "A" or even an "A+" in being disruptive. Elementary students can also be all over the place, but if you can hold their attention and have good curriculum strategies and lesson plans that allow for flexibility and mobility, students may become learning sponges especially third and forth graders - wow, what great ages.
So assessments - one quick one is exit visas - you put a few questions on your "Smart Board" for closure and students have to answer one of their choice as a pass out of the room - really great on the day you have a formal observation. Pass out 3x5 cards at the beginning of class to set this up as a pattern so students will know this is an exit visa day and they should already put their name and class period on the card. Your observer will be super impressed with this quick assessment. It's closure, too!! You can hold onto these for study guides for quizzes and test guides. Apps are available now that can generate multiple versions of your tests so that can cut down on student cheating, but essays are essays.
If you have a blackboard-like function that you can set up that runs the plagiarism software on submitted Word essays, you are in teacher heaven. I just had to do that for the first time in my grad class and thought, wow (although this is the second class I've taken in the English Department - they are not standardized, go figure) - this is a perk! The papers are all electronically uploaded so the format is standard. Then they are scanned for plagiarism and the yellow background the professor used is easy on the eyes when she reads them. Of course - as grad students paying for the course, we take the assessments seriously.
My tests/assessments had a predictable pattern and appearance. That is the first rule. The second rule is that some material from past lessons always appeared on a new test/assessment - if it was important enough for me to teach, it is important enough for the student to remember. The third rule - students self-score the test with a red pen immediately upon finishing the test. Students turn in the test when time is called, all pencils are put away, desks are cleared and red pens are passed out and test papers are returned. Students correct their own papers using the matching answer key. (This is great for special needs students because it meets many of their IEP's) You put the answers to the spelling test in a word box on the "Smart Board", chart or blackboard - so they can use them correctly in the rest of the test.
Sorry to tell you that you, the teacher, will still have to spend lots of time reviewing each paper because students do not do a good job of finding their mistakes. Since the test format is always the same - the point value is standard so the students learn to score themselves very quickly. Students may request to retake the same test within three days. When parents or guardians find out that students do not have to live with a poor test grade, they get pretty insistent that you automatically give the test again. Word gets out that you have to work hard if you want to fail the class. Meanwhile, you are constantly reinforcing the main concepts that you want to stay put in the brains of all of your students. Yes, it's a lot of work - but it works. They take the assessments seriously - at least the ones I made and those were related to the ones the school district and state developed.
Tests and assessments should be a chance to show off and get that "A" - students should feel confident that between the preparation you have given them all year long. A "unit" on test-taking skills has taught them to look for key words in the set up and weed out the distractors. The more you give exit visas, pop quizzes and predictable tests - the more students will take them seriously.
It is true that culturally, some students are mocked for getting good grades. This is where I think having a lunch bunch or some other alternative lunch-room area is a cool privilege. Maybe it should be a lottery for those who are interested. This might relieve some pressure to fail on purpose.
Being predictable about your assessments, how they are graded and formatted will go along way to helping students take them seriously. Double weight test and single weight quizzes and that also helps. If the whole class bombs a test throw it out - it's your fault!
Essays on tests should be brief or should resemble test prompts - triple weight them if you can and develop individual topics before the test so students can prepare for two or three topics that you all figure out together. Finally, outcome-based projects give an authentic measure for students that just will never do well on any formal test instrument. I construct the arc of nine week and semester grades so that projects will protect any student from a "D" or "F", but take a look at my rubrics and you will see that I spell out specific expectations. So high expectations and student input raise the stakes and students take these assignments more willingly. Good luck - it seems like the assessment grind is slowly winding down and maybe teachers can take the lead in making better judgment calls on what works best for educating American youth.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Be a Teacher Your Students Remember - An Idea From a Math Teacher and One From Me!
At a yard sale last weekend, an outstanding math teacher and tutor and I started swapping stories and ideas. I mentioned to her that I frequently meet former students because twenty years of my career were spent teaching locally. I'm usually interested to hear what's happening currently so it's rare that I ask about what they remember from the year they spent with me. Sometimes they volunteer something beautiful, but mostly they remember it as their favorite class - a place where they felt welcome and most important of all: a place where they could be themselves. Recently, I ran into a student who is using her graphic and journalism skills and she gave me a lot of credit for getting her interested in that arena - I don't think so - but it was nice of her to say. However, my math master and I started talking about teachers and/or lessons we remembered.
I could only remember Mr. Collins, my sixth-grade teacher, who made it snow using boiling water and a special beaker with a long neck. We went outsize on a day when the temperature was 32 degrees and so flakes collected in the long neck of the beaker. I think I've mentioned him a few times.
Here is her math story and I think it is well worth passing along. Her seventh grade math teacher stood out for her because she had different geometric shapes (fairly large and different colored ones), folded and made of paper hanging from every light fixture. She said that the shapes would move gently and when she finished her work, she would always transfer her gaze to the shapes- always finding something of interest in the class. Additionally, this teacher had the numeric value of Pi written on the wall circling the middle (nice size and eye level when seated) and when she had run out of room she had ended with three dots (or marks of ellipsis) indicating that this number was infinite. This was a Pre-Algebra/Algebra class for advanced students, but our master math teacher remembers learning the process of algebraic equations and that they were presented visually - not just as algorithms.
As a tutor, she now sometimes views the on-line presentations of math teachers who just put the equations on the "Smart Board". All of the upcoming lessons are posted so that the student, parent and tutor, if necessary, can review what process to use. However, she always turns the lesson into something visual and concrete. She explained to me that one item she uses is a soccer ball shape which students can fold and create.
The best teachers I know have always used sensory materials. It is time consuming to plan these lessons not to mention costly - which is why working as a departmental, grade-level or interdisciplinary team, sharing and brainstorming ways to push to the application level of learning is so important. I told her I had always loved Algebra and loved teaching the beginning level of it to sixth graders. For me, Algebra is like unwrapping a present. What I do to one side of the box, I must do to the other and so on and so on until I get to the end and the present stands alone. Yippee!
Now, it's my turn - chose a theme for your room: pirates, boxes, puppets, hats, tall buildings, outer space, weird animals, shoes, rocks, circles, eyes, Muppets, Post-it notes, bridges, crazy inventions, silly socks, volcanoes, amazing careers, detectives, olden days, survivors and fishing ...
These are just a few items that I brainstormed - wanted them to be gender neutral, safe topics (no parent phone calls), easy for you to find inexpensive or free material to decorate your room and when you chose the theme it must be something that grabs you - like - I got this!
When I did pirates, I found a parrot for two or three dollars at the Party Store and I had a blast using that prop! Parents used to always tell me they couldn't wait to hear the stories of what went on in my classroom - now chew on that for awhile. Most kids go home - what did you do in school today? Nothing! I must admit that I am a ham - so I do like a lively room and it isn't for every teacher out there - but even if you're a quiet person - the theme will do wonders for embedding any lesson in every students' mind.
Wonders of wonder - who knew Kings Dominion was a fantastic source of inexpensive posters! I'll leave off with the words from one of my favorite posters from good, old KD:
I could only remember Mr. Collins, my sixth-grade teacher, who made it snow using boiling water and a special beaker with a long neck. We went outsize on a day when the temperature was 32 degrees and so flakes collected in the long neck of the beaker. I think I've mentioned him a few times.
Here is her math story and I think it is well worth passing along. Her seventh grade math teacher stood out for her because she had different geometric shapes (fairly large and different colored ones), folded and made of paper hanging from every light fixture. She said that the shapes would move gently and when she finished her work, she would always transfer her gaze to the shapes- always finding something of interest in the class. Additionally, this teacher had the numeric value of Pi written on the wall circling the middle (nice size and eye level when seated) and when she had run out of room she had ended with three dots (or marks of ellipsis) indicating that this number was infinite. This was a Pre-Algebra/Algebra class for advanced students, but our master math teacher remembers learning the process of algebraic equations and that they were presented visually - not just as algorithms.
As a tutor, she now sometimes views the on-line presentations of math teachers who just put the equations on the "Smart Board". All of the upcoming lessons are posted so that the student, parent and tutor, if necessary, can review what process to use. However, she always turns the lesson into something visual and concrete. She explained to me that one item she uses is a soccer ball shape which students can fold and create.
The best teachers I know have always used sensory materials. It is time consuming to plan these lessons not to mention costly - which is why working as a departmental, grade-level or interdisciplinary team, sharing and brainstorming ways to push to the application level of learning is so important. I told her I had always loved Algebra and loved teaching the beginning level of it to sixth graders. For me, Algebra is like unwrapping a present. What I do to one side of the box, I must do to the other and so on and so on until I get to the end and the present stands alone. Yippee!
Now, it's my turn - chose a theme for your room: pirates, boxes, puppets, hats, tall buildings, outer space, weird animals, shoes, rocks, circles, eyes, Muppets, Post-it notes, bridges, crazy inventions, silly socks, volcanoes, amazing careers, detectives, olden days, survivors and fishing ...
These are just a few items that I brainstormed - wanted them to be gender neutral, safe topics (no parent phone calls), easy for you to find inexpensive or free material to decorate your room and when you chose the theme it must be something that grabs you - like - I got this!
When I did pirates, I found a parrot for two or three dollars at the Party Store and I had a blast using that prop! Parents used to always tell me they couldn't wait to hear the stories of what went on in my classroom - now chew on that for awhile. Most kids go home - what did you do in school today? Nothing! I must admit that I am a ham - so I do like a lively room and it isn't for every teacher out there - but even if you're a quiet person - the theme will do wonders for embedding any lesson in every students' mind.
Wonders of wonder - who knew Kings Dominion was a fantastic source of inexpensive posters! I'll leave off with the words from one of my favorite posters from good, old KD:
People are unreasonable, illogical and self centered,
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The kindness you show today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be kind anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down
by the smallest person with the smallest mind.
Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help, but may attack you if you help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
Author Unknown (Some people have suggested that they have found the author for this piece - let me know if you have a name for me.)
Poster by Mantis Design copyright 1998 Mantis Design, 513 Main St. Stroudsburg, PA 18360
www.mantis.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Do Children Really Know the Difference Between Reality and Fantasy ? A Cautionary Tale About "Slender Man"!
I'm still having trouble typing because the rotator cuff surgery combined with the bicep tear repair is still painful and typing seems to aggravate the surgery site. I start physical therapy next week and get to lose my sling during the day, but have to sleep in it for one more week which will make a total of 6 weeks. I'm doing a lot of writing for my grad class so I have to take breaks to prevent soreness. I know whine, whine and more whining - but soon I'll be able to be sure I haven't overdone it and reversed the good work done by the surgery.
I want to sound an alarm for teachers based on a 20 - 20 Television Show that played this past Saturday. It was about a Meme that has been circulating on the Internet and is being kept alive and made more fanciful by faithful fans adding to the "urban legend" credibility of this fictional story. Story lines, photos, videos and graphics are being uploaded by tweens, teens and possibly younger children. http://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-man-stabbing-survivors-parents-describe-horrific-ordeal/story?id=25787516 This is the link so you can find out all the necessary details.
I want to sound an alarm for teachers based on a 20 - 20 Television Show that played this past Saturday. It was about a Meme that has been circulating on the Internet and is being kept alive and made more fanciful by faithful fans adding to the "urban legend" credibility of this fictional story. Story lines, photos, videos and graphics are being uploaded by tweens, teens and possibly younger children. http://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-man-stabbing-survivors-parents-describe-horrific-ordeal/story?id=25787516 This is the link so you can find out all the necessary details.
Three issues are important for teachers. First, when things like this happen - it's a little difficult to directly discuss the topic - you may be sensationalizing it and creating a problem. The discussion needs to focus on how do you determine the difference between reality and fantasy? My students were always quick to reassure me that they were fully aware of what was real and what was not - but the desire for many young people to find their 15 seconds of fame leads me to worry that students will use all avenues possible to "get noticed". The second issue is to get parents to realize how many children are aware of "Slender Man" and search for him on line using their personal technology or the technology of their friends. The ABC special makes it painfully clear that parents haven't got a clue what children are viewing - a link to the television program on your home page might do the trick. Finally, some exploration of these topics is natural and part of the development of the age group, but a media literacy unit needs to be in place to develop clear guidelines for measuring reality. Here's an example -
A great group research project might be helpful using the librarian as a resource. Divide your class into small groups and have them become truth hunters finding the origins of some legends. These should be age appropriate and again there are some easy-to-read "scholarly' articles/books that you can print out for the groups to use for visual and oral reports. Finding primary source material might help students develop a healthy skepticism and some evaluation skills when it comes to planning out seriously life altering plans for their infamous future.
Good luck dealing with this difficult issue.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Outlining and Research Papers
Outlining and research papers are two curricular objectives
that both students and teachers dread.
Generally speaking this is because they are both formulaic. In outlining if you have an “A”, you must
have a “B” – if you have a “1” you must have a “2”. Research papers tend to be expanded five
paragraph essays on topics that most students can find on-line. Some school districts have a minimum research
paper requirement of around four pages with five sources that are scored by
outside sources using a standing 4 to 6 point rubric. These nameless scorers
use the usual domains indicating the level of control exhibited by the writer
in content, style, grammar and proper research and attribution of quotes and
information.
Teachers may start teaching mind mapping, webbing, word
clouds, Creatly (a source for every organizational chart in the “universe”) or
other meta-cognitive methodologies for learners with a wide variety of thinking
patterns to get on the path to finding a worthy research paper topic. Dutifully, around March or earlier, this
painful process has started in grades five through twelve. Younger students
usually do reports, not true research papers because developmentally, they are
not quite ready to grasp the necessary concepts. Especially the idea of
presenting the “straw dog” or the hypothetical argument that runs counter to
their thesis statement.
By the time I started teaching high school in 2001, I had
decided that placing the research paper near the end of the school year was a
mistake. I needed it to be the first
assignment. I was fresh; students were
ready for a new beginning and somehow, waiting until later in the year, just
made teaching or re-teaching all necessary skills seem like scaling Mount
Everest instead of an achievable assignment.
I never had to endure the ordeal of getting my students through passing
the eleventh-grade research paper, but I wanted to have them so well-prepared –
that it would feel simple to them – almost like child’s play when they left my
ninth or tenth grade classroom.
My love of outlining as an organizational tool for writing
and for thinking is because it makes my job of responding to students easier.
All the other cool graphic organizers still have to be redone to develop the
concept of main idea, supporting detail, and related supporting fact in a
hierarchical order. Undertaking this arranging of information to support a
thesis statement perfectly describes an outline. The trick I've found to take
away the pain of outlining is the take away the rules. Students don’t always have to have a “B” or a
“2”. Additionally, have your students
write the bibliographic reference next to the information collected from that
source in the outline INCLUDING THE PAGE NUMBERS! Direct quotes are printed and turned in with
the outline, or if you are lucky, you can have your students turn work in
through the Cloud or a Wiki – you can form a group with you as the
administrator and then only you and the author have the ability to edit a piece
of work.
It is messy to allow students to rampage about looking for a
topic with an anything goes attitude.
Yes, I know students MUST write about something they care about, but for
everyone’s sanity, choose an umbrella topic.
Since I was in a biotech program, I posed the question: Is forensic
science reliable ninety-nine percent of the time? Ask colleagues for input about what “big”
umbrella topic would work to help them.
Your job is really to be the expert about the mechanics. In middle school, my umbrella topic was WWII,
which helped the social studies teacher. I also used the papers to have
students form groups and write newspapers that might have existed at that time.
With an overarching
topic like this, your librarian can be an invaluable help gathering materials,
helping students and working with you to point students to appropriate resource
material. It truly expands the learning
when students can return to their work and create poems, feature articles,
Power Point presentations, Prezis and even animated PowToons.
This is a place for one of those “I Believe” statements that
I talk about. You have to be ready to
believe that no matter what the haters hurl at you – you are prepared to speak
about how putting this important project first, you have harnessed students
creative energy at the right time and that having looked at the curriculum from
middle school, you have learned that students should already have an initial
grasp of the demands of a research paper.
This reminds me, you may find that a lot of your students
have been taught incorrect steps – many of my students wanted to outline the
opening and closing paragraph. This is sensitive ground because you may be
thought of as being critical of a former beloved teacher. I have blown this so
I don’t want you to make the same mistake. Have a copy of a page from a grammar
book that supports your scenario and quietly hand it out asking a student to
read the highlighted portion aloud. Explain that you know many things have
changed, but this rule(s) still seems to count.
Please do yourself a favor and get this out of the way
during the first few weeks of school and use outlining as much as you can. Don’t forget about a theme for your classroom
– humanize yourself!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Bringing Your Own Device - Technology on the Fly - Is This the Way to Go?
For many school systems the idea of 1:1 education, a system where each child has a tablet or laptop provided by the board of education is affordable because of grants or other actions. Steps are taken to free up capital to purchase the hardware and provide teacher training. Many companies sweeten the deal by providing free apps and loading the computers with the appropriate text books. Other school systems are experimenting with allowing students to bring their own devices with appropriate releases signed by parents.
I was an early adopter of technology when Mac's entered my teaching life. I had the computer lab to myself for almost two years while other teachers didn't feel that comfortable taking thirty students to the lab without an aid. In the mid-to late eighties, students loved playing Oregon Trail when they finished using a software program that allowed them to create plays. They wrote poetry, feature or hard news stories, research papers and learned all the bells and whistles associated with Power Point. I had read about a piece of software that could take your writing and change it to sound as if Charles Dickens wrote it, Shakespeare or some other famous writer. After repeated searches, I never found it. (If you find it - I'll send you a gift card to Starbucks - I promise!)
Things got a lot easier once we hired a person to be in charge of the computer lab, but by then other teachers had decided to take advantage of the lab and the state of Virginia had put in computer curriculum objectives. The lab was not just my sandbox anymore.
I am concerned with the implementation of technology in the classroom. That is why I found two examples: https://www.academia.edu/7964178/Web_2.0_Internet_Activities_for_Lower_Level_Learners
and http://hosted.mediasite.com/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=edd5f8a1a0ad4e2fbacee11257dd2950 that could serve as good springboards for setting up technology.
I hope teachers will take the time to have a solid plan for when and how technology will be used. Additionally, I hope you will work with students to monitor and adjust any outcome-based projects you assign so that random use of "devices" is limited. Managing behavior under normal conditions is challenging and without more adults available for oversight - I can see many opportunities for misuse of a very powerful teaching tool.
For a complete view on BYOD check out this Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/stem/schools-move-toward-bring-your-own-device-practices-to-boost-student-tech-use/2014/09/14/4d1e3232-393e-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html
Finally, here is a sight that demonstrates how to control security issues with "Bring Your Own Device: For more information on how AccessNow can facilitate BYOD in education, visit:
http://www.ericom.com/AccessNow-BYODForEducation.a...
I was an early adopter of technology when Mac's entered my teaching life. I had the computer lab to myself for almost two years while other teachers didn't feel that comfortable taking thirty students to the lab without an aid. In the mid-to late eighties, students loved playing Oregon Trail when they finished using a software program that allowed them to create plays. They wrote poetry, feature or hard news stories, research papers and learned all the bells and whistles associated with Power Point. I had read about a piece of software that could take your writing and change it to sound as if Charles Dickens wrote it, Shakespeare or some other famous writer. After repeated searches, I never found it. (If you find it - I'll send you a gift card to Starbucks - I promise!)
Things got a lot easier once we hired a person to be in charge of the computer lab, but by then other teachers had decided to take advantage of the lab and the state of Virginia had put in computer curriculum objectives. The lab was not just my sandbox anymore.
I am concerned with the implementation of technology in the classroom. That is why I found two examples: https://www.academia.edu/7964178/Web_2.0_Internet_Activities_for_Lower_Level_Learners
and http://hosted.mediasite.com/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=edd5f8a1a0ad4e2fbacee11257dd2950 that could serve as good springboards for setting up technology.
I hope teachers will take the time to have a solid plan for when and how technology will be used. Additionally, I hope you will work with students to monitor and adjust any outcome-based projects you assign so that random use of "devices" is limited. Managing behavior under normal conditions is challenging and without more adults available for oversight - I can see many opportunities for misuse of a very powerful teaching tool.
For a complete view on BYOD check out this Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/stem/schools-move-toward-bring-your-own-device-practices-to-boost-student-tech-use/2014/09/14/4d1e3232-393e-11e4-9c9f-ebb47272e40e_story.html
Finally, here is a sight that demonstrates how to control security issues with "Bring Your Own Device: For more information on how AccessNow can facilitate BYOD in education, visit:
http://www.ericom.com/AccessNow-BYODForEducation.a...
Since it will take a lot of effort to get the use of technology right, try and team with other teachers and use Cloud file sharing to create your lessons and projects. You should not try and go this alone. I also found my computer lab coordinator to be really helpful when she wasn't in total overwhelm. Make finding a teacher or teachers to work with a goal and you may be able to find money to support any great ideas you create.
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