21st Century School Teacher

"At an experimental Web site, Many Eyes, (www.many-eyes.com), users can upload the data they want to visualize, then try sophisticated tools to generate interactive displays. These might range from maps of relationships in the New Testament to a display of the comparative frequency of words used in speeches by Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama." 

By ANNE EISENBERG--New York Times
Lines and Bubbles and Bars, Oh My! New Ways to Sift Data

Heard of Animoto?  It's a really cool site that produces presentations with movement--I've been playing around with the site this summer, and I have had a lot of fun making videos... On the home page of our site, you can scroll down and see a couple that I've completed.  I make my slides in PowerPoint, save them as jpegs, and then upload them.  I've used Kevin MacLeod's music, primarily, because his music is royalty free.  If you haven't tried it, you can for free--that's right FREE--Animoto for Educators is Free!  Check it out :)   (your students can also access from home to create their own videos, too)  I remixed a back to school presentation using Movie Maker slides for an example below...  Kids will love this tool!

Last year, Donna and I took on the task of putting together an essay writing curriculum that consists of mapping templates to teach expository, persuasive, and analytical essay writing. 

I thought I would post  "Mapping for Success" here on this blog.  If you teach writing and would like to take a peek, download the file.  If you have questions about the writing maps, feel free to contact us for clarification... 

We originally put together this document in response to the highly formulaic essay formats that are being taught in schools across America.  It is our opinion that students need to learn the organization for writing a strong essay, but then students should be encouraged to move beyond "the formula" to find their own unique organizational pattern that best suits subject, audience, and purpose.  We feel that visual organizers work best for most students, so "Mapping for Success" was born.  We designed the maps as a scaffold that could easily be removed once students understand the basic structure for writing an essay.

mapping_for_success.pdf
File Size:	967 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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A comprehensive directory with a small explanation of each site beside each logo. It is a very handy overview of what is available in social and business networking.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/1036413/Web2Directory

Mathway - Mathway is an application that solves math equations with step-by-step explanations. Mathway is for students, parents and teachers, and covers the following math subjects: Basic Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Linear Algebra, Trigonometry, Precalculus and Calculus. I'm not a math teacher, but I think this could be a cool classroom tool!

The Center for Open and Sustainable Learning published The Open Educational Resources Handbook today on Lulu.com--the first in a three-part series.  It is available for free download, or you can purchase a black and white copy for $19.99 (color is a tad more...)  "The OER Handbook is an introductory guide for educators to the Open Education movement. The handbook is arranged along the "OER Lifecycle:" Find, Compose, Adapt, Use and Share."

The handbook opens with a discussion on the definition of what OER is and why OER is important to educators, then quickly moves to an overview of copyright--the copyright paradox--and how educators can use copyright as an advantage when sharing their work...
Why find, compose, adapt, use, and share?

"OER provide freedom of access for yourself and others. Because you can freely adapt them, OER encourage pedagogical  innovation. Because OER are available free of charge, using them can lower costs to students and organizations. You and your organization may benefit from potential publicity.
When you share OER, you are contributing to the global education community.
When you share OER, you open a new method of collaborating with your students and colleagues. Your OER may be helpful to future educators..."  and so on...

The handbook establishes the beginning of the "OER lifecycle" FIND and provides educators with place to start, explaining how to marry their own work with what may already be available on the internet--including information on how to conduct creative commons searches...The handbook lists repositories, and it even explains how individuals should save files so that they are easier to share and remix...

The handbook continues through compose, adapt, use and share...
I like the idea of using OER to create innovative learning experiences for students, and I think that this handbook clearly outlines the processes involved with creating or using OER.  Definitely worth it to download and read...

*chuckle*

School Reform requires a Reality Check - An Open Letter to Bill & Melinda Gates, Jonathon Kozol, Rev. Meeks, & Oprah Winfrey...  Written By Dr. Kathleen P. Loftus--columnist EducationNews.org...

    "As a seasoned educator I witness firsthand every day the problems with our     current educational system that are not simply the result of racially-biased education, but of a bureaucracy designed to ensure the success of only one  group of students.I have identified what I believe to be the five greatest  problems affecting America's schools today, as well as five corresponding and achievable solutions.

    In order to confront our nation's growing educational crisis we must first face a stark reality.What is being characterized as a "race" problem is actually largely a "poverty" problem."

Well, I think Dr. Loftus is on to something!  I have to start with the fact that I love Oprah, and I admire all that Bill and Melinda Gates have done for education in America and around the world...  And clearly, we do have a problem with racial discrimination in our school systems that should be addressed...  I do not have a beef with Oprah's vision or the Gates, but I have to ask are there some valid points in this letter? 

It's time for America to get real about why our education system seems to be failing a large segment of our youth...  Our education system is broken on many levels, and to continue to berate teachers and administrators, as if somehow we can will the education system right through longer hours and more attention to "standards" is lunacy.  Teachers hands are tied on many fronts--as this letter points out...  And a new ideology should be adopted. 

I believe that all students can learn, but I do not believe that all students have the same capacity to learn (based on a variety of factors) or the same desire--yet with legislation like No Child Left Behind teachers, schools, and districts are being held accountable as if all learners were the same...  Let's be real--how many studies have been conducted that show the language development deficiencies of children living in poor socioeconomic households--more affluent households have given their children a measurable and significant advantage by the time their children enter kindergarten--an advantage that can predict with high accuracy their educational outcome... How are teachers and schools to combat statistics like that?  Now, I'm not suggesting that we give up, just that we get real--it's a poverty issue and a resource issue.

With poverty comes many issues that teachers and school districts cannot fix alone.  Now, I've known many teachers, myself included, who have spent their own money to try and help disadvantaged students and their families--paying electricity bills, buying clothes, contacting dentists and doctors to comp services, fund raising for families in need...  This is not part of the job description, yet we do it because we know the benefit on the child's educational outcome.  Add becoming pseudo parents to our job description, as well as a heaping dose of psychology education--that might translate to greater strides on test scores...  Is that all we care about anymore?

I like this letter because Dr. Loftus does more than point out the problem, she suggests solutions.  I'm not sure I agree with them all, but hey, at least she's not spewing the same old, same old.

This idea that somehow if we penalize districts and identify poorly performing schools we will shame teachers and schools into doing a better job is absurd. 

Have you heard of the Digital Media and Learning Competition? HASTAC and the MacArthur Foundation held the first Digital Media and Learning Competition in 2007. A total of two million dollars was awarded to 17 projects representing compelling work in the field of Digital Media and Learning.

The second (2008) Competition similarly seeks to mobilize the field of Digital Media and Learning through a $2 million open call, supporting learning entrepreneurs, educators, communicators, and innovators. The Competition supports pioneers who use new technologies to envision the future of participatory learning.

The theme for this year’s Competition is Participatory Learning. Awards will be made in two categories: Innovation in Participatory Learning, and Young Innovators, a special category designed to promote the contributions of 18-25-year-old innovators to digital media and learning.

The excitement of a new year also brings the realization that 24 hours in a day just isn't enough.  Often, we spend more time than we probably should--after a long work day--planning and preparing for the next day's lesson, assessing student work, talking to colleagues--comparing notes or seeking guidance, surfing the net for a great new resource or lesson idea...   You know what I mean...

Well last year, in a brief catch-up-after-the-summer talk with one of my  teaching colleagues, this very good friend and I agreed that during the year we would concentrate on the things that we had accomplished each day, not the things that we didn't. 

That may sound small and insignificant, but truly, spending my energy in thoughtful reflection and appreciation for the things that I did get done and the things that I did do well made a big difference in my life.  It wasn't as difficult to put down the computer and read stories with Katie, or go as a family for ice cream.  Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of nights I graded papers while eating dinner... "Mrs. W, what's on my essay?"  That would be Domino's thin crust  sausage and pineapple, thank you very much!   But being honest with myself about all the many things that I did complete in a day helped me to feel less guilty about what there just wasn't enough time for...  (Celebrate each day for all that you've done!)

Okay, now a great little reminder of what parents are hoping for as they drop their little critters off at your door on the first day of school...  (I'm a sucker for sappy stuff...)

To Beth's First-Grade Teacher By Richard F. Abrahamson

I didn't know the man in front of me that morning. But I did notice that we both walked a little straighter, a little more proudly, as our daughters held our hands. We were proud but apprehensive on that important day.

Our girls were beginning first grade. We were about to give them up, for a while at least, to the institution we call school. As we entered the building, he looked at me. Our eyes met just for a minute, but that was enough. Our love for our daughters, our hopes for their future, our concern for their well-being welled up in our eyes.

You, their teacher, met us at the door. You introduced yourself and showed the girls to their seats. We gave them each a good-bye kiss, and then we walked out the door. We didn't talk to each other on the way back to the parking lot and on to our respective jobs. We were too involved thinking about you. There were so many things we wanted to tell you, Teacher. Too many things were left unsaid.

So I'm writing to you. I'd like to tell you the things we didn't have time for that first morning. I hope you noticed Beth's dress. She looked beautiful in it. Now I know you might think that's a father's prejudice, but she thinks she looks beautiful in it, and that's what's really important. Did you know we spent a full week searching the shopping malls for just the right dress for that special occasion? She wouldn't show you, but I'm sure she'd like you to know that she picked that dress because of the way it unfurled as she danced in front of the mirrors in the clothing store. The minute she tried it on, she knew she'd found her special dress. I wonder if you noticed. Just a word from you would make that dress all the more wondrous.

Her shoes tell a lot about Beth and a lot about her family. At least they're worth a minute of your time. Yes, they're blue shoes with one strap. Solid, well-made shoes, not too stylish, you know the kind. What you don't know is how we argued about getting the kind of shoes she said all the girls would be wearing. We said no to plastic shoes in purple or pink or orange. Beth was worried that the other kids would laugh at her baby shoes. In the end she tried the solid blue ones on and, with a smile, told us she always did like strap shoes. That's the first-born, eager to please. She's like the shoes solid and reliable. How she'd love it if you mentioned those straps.

I hope you quickly notice that Beth is shy. She'll talk her head off when she gets to know you, but you'll have to make the first move. Don't mistake her quietness for lack of intelligence. Beth can read any children's book you put in front of her. She learned reading the way it should be taught. She learned it naturally, snuggled up in her bed with her mother and me reading her stories at naptime, at bedtime and at cuddling times throughout the day. To Beth, books are synonymous with good times and loving family. Please don't change her love of reading by making the learning of it a burdensome chore. It has taken us all her life to instill in her the joy of books and learning.

Did you know that Beth and her friends played school all summer in preparation for their first day? I should tell you about her class. Everybody in her class wrote something every day. She encouraged the other kids who said they couldn't think of anything to write about. She helped them with their spelling. She came to me upset one day. She said you might be disappointed in her because she didn't know how to spell "subtraction." She can do that now. If you would only ask her. Her play school this summer was filled with positive reinforcement and the quiet voice of a reassuring teacher. I hope that her fantasy world will be translated into reality in your classroom.

I know you're busy with all the things that a teacher does at the beginning of the school year, so I'll make this letter short. But I did want you to know about the night before that first day. We got her lunch packed in the Care Bear lunch box. We got the backpack ready with the school supplies. We laid out her special dress and shoes, read a story, and then I shut off the lights. I gave her a kiss and started to walk out of the room. She called me back in and asked me if I knew that God wrote letters to people and put them in their minds. I told her I never had heard that, but I asked if she had received a letter. She had. She said the letter told her that her first day of school was going to be one of the best days of her life. I wiped away a tear as I thought: Please let it be so.

Later that night I discovered a note Beth left for me. It read, "I'm so lucky to have you for a dad." Well, Beth's first-grade teacher, I think you're so lucky to have her as a student. We're all counting on you. Every one of us who left our children and our dreams with you that day. As you take our youngsters by the hand, stand a little taller and walk a little prouder. Being a teacher carries with it an awesome responsibility ~ published by Chicken Soup for the Soul (online)