21st Century School Teacher

It was finally back to school for me.  I returned to my what was my home-away-from home for almost the last decade...  The Grizzlies were excited to see me, and I was equally excited to hear about all their latest-greatest adventures.  As I mentioned before, my old classroom has been taken over by my best friend, Kyla.  So I was hangin' out with her, and at one point a former student of mine approached her desk where I was sitting.  I instantly went into teacher-mode.  It was like I'd never left--tear!  I miss teaching and the kids, but I miss my little angel even more.  Although the visit was good, I'm looking forward to going home.

It was same-old, same-old at my old school.  The teachers have way too much to do, and the gossip was already taking over the teacher lounge.  The biggest discussion was about academic freedom and what academic freedom means to middle school teachers.  Apparently, and I had not heard this, teachers in the the Bellevue district in Washington state went on strike--there was too much scripting taking place, and the teachers didn't feel they had their rights to academic freedom.  Now I haven't read any official articles on the happenings, but it sounds like the district caved...  The teachers are back to work without the rigid curriculum requirements.  Hmmm... makes you wonder who's next...

On a different note, have you checked out Edmodo ?

It’s another interesting web 2.0 application to add to your tool box, and one that you can use fairly easily with your students.  It is similar toTwitter, but Edmodo does much more.  Students and teachers create short messages--140 characters or less--and disseminate them.  The messages are sent to defined individuals or groups--not the whole world.   You have much more control over who views each message, instead of allowing public access for all. 

If students choose to respond to different posts, their replies are threaded with the original post, making it easy to follow a variety of conversations.  With Edmodo, you can attach files. You are able to attach files, embed links, assignments, etc.  

There are public pages available, with RSS feeds, so if you do have something that you want to share globally, it will support that, too. Students are able to save specific messages in their ‘locker’ to refer back to them at a later time.  Assignments appear conveniently in the sidebar as needed.

You might wan t to take a peak at Edmodo.  I can't say that I'm a great 'twitterer,' but I can see that there are some cool applications here! 

www.waterbuffalomovie.com  If you haven't seen this short video, it is a must see.  It is also posted on my cool website page.  I have watched this video several times, and every time I'm moved by the compassion of others.  An amazing video to springboard off of in the classroom.

Robert Thompson shot and produced "4 Generations" in 2007 while living in China. It is a story documenting a journey in southwestern China (near Tibet) to first find, then deliver a water buffalo to a poor family. The water buffalo led him to a family with an phenomenal story.There are many ways you can use this video in the classroom-- Watch this one with tissue in hand--Inspiring!

Okay, one of my favorite web sites is americanrhetoric.com  It is a teacher friendly site with a multitude of resources.  Beyond the top 100 American speeches, this site provides audio and video--authenticated and verified text.  I've used the site for speeches from FDR or Malcom X to George Bush's 9/11 speech to MLK's I have a dream.  There are also several contemporary pieces from people like Oprah and Maya Angelou.  If you ever have a day when you're not sure what to teach, find two speeches to compare speaker, audience, and subject (Aristotilian triangle) Like FDR's Pearl Harbor Congressional Address to Bush's 9/11... 

Have you ever had a friend or co-worker that forwards EveRyThing to you?  I have, and it's really annoying.  If I see FW before an email sent to me from a collective few FW abusers, I don't even bother to open them anymore.  There's something about those chain letters that makes me feel like bad karma is coming my way when I don't respond--so I just don't open them anymore.  And I love the tear-jerkers, too, but at work, who wants mascara running down her face?  Welcome the site www.stopforwarding.us  What a great idea!  I found this site on John Goldsmith's De Tools of the Trade--A great resource for teachers! 

This service will anonymously email a friend, co-worker, or spammer and let them know that someone isn't happy about all the FW messages he's received.  Pretty funny, but also, if it works--a 21st century must have.  Take a look:  www.stopforwarding.us

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This is another of my experimental videos--posted per request :)  Happy Thursday!

I'm back home, for a few days.  It is great to be here, and it is hard, too.  I can't believe how much I miss my little one... 

Tomorrow I will go back to my old classroom to visit--my best friend happened to switch classrooms, into mine, when I left last year.  She acquired all the technology that I had been collecting over the years; that made it a little easier to leave, knowing that she would be using it with her students (which are many kids that I taught last year).  I can't wait to see everyone--check my test scores from last year--okay, I'll admit it, I still care.  I just can't seem to get motivated to search the net for new resources tonight, so I'll probably help my sis correct papers instead--I don't miss that much. 

I'll get back into the swing-of-it soon--just need a few days to reminisce... 

In the meantime, check out a web browser that is designed for kids--KidZui...  This web browser is designed to access 'safe' websites only and tracks what your kids are looking at.  You have a choice between a free version or a subscription version.  I'm going to be checking this out for my nieces during my visit! 

Quick Shout--thank you for finding this great resource for 21st century school teachers!

*chuckle*

Yes, that's right, I'm leaving my precious little baby behind for a trip back to my old stomping grounds.  It was super hard for me as another school year began, so a trip home to my old school is just what I need!  I'm going to take a few days to catch up on new gossip amongst my peers and visit with the little critters I've taught in previous years...(well, I guess those middle schoolers aren't so little anymore...). 

I'm already wondering how I'm going to do without my little Katie with me--I've never been away from her for 5 days.  Thank goodness Grandma and Papa (G & P) are in town to stay with Katie and daddy.  :)

How lucky am I to have such a beautiful daughter--it definitely softens the circumstances that I find myself in today.  And the latest-greatest news has me smilin' too.  (Drum roll please!)  G & P sold their house and are making arrangements to move to Arizona.  Looks like I can take a day or two a week to get myself back in the classroom.  I'm looking forward to subbing a few days here and there to keep my feet wet.  It will be hard not to have my own classroom, but that interaction with peers and kids is what I'm looking forward to... 

In Rush to White House, 'No Child' Is Left Behind Obama, McCain Reveal Little on Updates for Plan  By Maria Glod Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 15, 2008  is a nice article reviewing what we already know...  The two front runner candidates for the presidency are steering clear of this hot topic.  I like what Randy Pausch said his father told him, "If there's an elephant in the kitchen, introduce it!"  It's time for the candidates to be more specific about what they plan to do to the law that has the majority of Americans asking for legislative change.

It seems that Obama has outlined his intent for educational reform more so than McCain, but both are leaving enough out that it is hard for the average American to know what it is that they will do with NCLB.

This article suggests that Obama will work more closely with unions than McCain--no surprise there, and that he does support performance pay in addition that support union agreements.  McCain is clearly in support of attaching performance pay to test scores.

The article is a quick read and highlights what is being left out of the candidates' education platform...

Homework expert Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, discusses the impact of homework with Madeleine Brand, as part of a series of reports on education. You can hear the interview here…

How much is enough or too much?  Basically, the ten minute rule still stands.  10 minutes per grade. More than that shows no negligible impact on learning… 

Kids in primary school should be guided by parents to make sure that 10 minute assignment is not being turned into an hour long assignment.  If the 10 minute rule is being broken, the professor suggests creating a dialogue with the teacher.