Two Sticks

I loved this course.  I learned so much!  I’ve shared so much!  I think I’m a better teacher for it!

The design of this class really pushed me technologically into new areas; it challenged my political feeling on internet use, on privacy issues and on the benefits of using technology in the classroom.  This class made me reassess who I am as a teacher and what my goals on for my own learning and for student learning.  I’m thrilled that my team and other teachers are using Wordle to help students visualize classroom ideas.  I love having delicious as a resource for sharing my favorite links in teaching.  I can’t wait to blog with my kids about their reading and discoveries.  I want to set up a “Teacher” facebook account to communicate with my parents and students.  I feel re-inspired.

Thank you for this class.  Do you have more?

I ran into a few snafus making this podcast – but I finally got it an I like the effect.  This is a great way to share information in an age of sound bites and time crunches.  I hate the idea that people don’t read and want to watch or listen instead – but I can’t change the way of the world.  I don’t know where this quote came from but it seems appropriate: “If you want to hide information from a black man, put it in a book.”  I think it was Spike Lee who added “You want to share that information, make a movie.” (I could be wrong on my quotes.)

I think podcasting opens doors for people around the world who aren’t literate.  I shared a teaching strategy; I’ve seen cooking podcasts, history lesson podcasts – it’s great stuff.  However, I think we lose depth and detail because we are trying to do something quickly.  And what happens as a society if we stop reading and only listen and then the system shuts down?  The Iranian government shut down cell phones for a time – what’s to say that couldn’t happen globally?

Off my politics and back into the classroom. . .  Podcasting is a great presentation option. Students could share book reports, create commercials for products they are advertising, teach a lesson, record a lesson to study or review.  Just like note taking, but better.

As one other blogger in our class wrote…”I’m webbed out”.

I spent a good amount of time looking around and followed all the guidelines for poking around this site.  I got lost in some great discussions on blogging including great intro lessons on how to comment which I promptly remembered to bookmark in delicious.  I’m very interested in blogging with my class this year and I feel unsure how to begin.  These blogs helped me focus some ideas and gave great suggestions for lessons.

Once I was in deep it was hard to get out to the next topic – for me.  I think there is so much to look at and learn that I do feel a little overwhelmed. Switching from topic to topic didn’t engage me.

Social networking is becoming a huge topic of conversation at my school – and I’m not willing to allow Facebook to do the job of keeping my parents in touch.  I think the forum is too loose and people don’t show restraint.  I like pageflakes for this tool.  I guess I’m just going to have to see how it goes.

I think my school, which already uses message boards for professional development, could upgrade a little and include more of a social networking aspect for dialogue.  I think it’s become a way to enter information by not a way to chat.  Wish my principal were taking this class!

There is so much that goes into building a classroom community.  I wish I were better at having a formula of some sort, or I was better with planning.  Between curriculum, thinking about grouping, who can read and who can’t; teaching respect, love, kindness; research skills; how to wash your hands properly and not to sneeze on your neighbors (or teacher!) something usually gets missed.  That’s why this  Successful Teaching blog titled Is My Classroom a Safe Place? really got me thinking.  All of her ideas about building trust, sharing stories, journal writing and sharing, and having class discussions are things I have done but I wonder if they are things I DO for the purpose of building trust and safety and allowing my kids to take risks by sharing themselves.   I dont’ have any answers right now.  I know that I want the end product- that point in say March or April when everyone feels comfortable and capable to really open up and share something…is there a way to get that in November?  I guess everyone just needs to take risks.

I have to go back to what a mentor teacher told me, Pick one thing each year and do it well.  If you add too much to your plate you will get bogged down and nothing will work out.  This year is looking like technology.  How many dozens of other things are on my plate that I don’t even know about yet?

Pageflakes really lets me create an on-line webpage without all the drama and work of a classroom page.  I have set up a homeroom page for ideas, links, newsletter, messageboard, calendar for the class and parents.  I’ve been sending DOZENS of e-mails about websites or activities or research – pageflakes lets me consolidate all of this into one page.  I like this a lot.

I’m trying to figure out how to have a blog on the page…for the newsletter.  I’ll figure this out.  I’m also a little concerned about having a message board for parents and students.  I guess my first lessons of the year will have to talk a lot about what is and isn’t appropriate.

I imagine having a different page for each of the four units in science.  This would allow the kids to collect more information and for me to post relevant videos and links for them.

I’m also excited to have a personal home page for education, knitting, hiking, travel – all the stuff that I love.  It might help me streamline my google reader and remember all the great websites I’m always looking at. Although I gather that once allowed access, anyone can see ALL the pageflake tabs.  Humm…guess the personal one needs another log in….

Cool… I’m loving this class.

Happy Rebecca.  After an 1 1/2 hour hike today thinking about working with my team and planning science and social studies units for the year I found the answer. . .  a shared Document! How cool.  I especially love the revision history.  After loosing my MASSIVE plan for a cross curricular year of study for science and social studies to a corrupted file, I’ve been hesitant to start all over for fear of losing the file again.  No more!

Idea 1 – set up and create a document for creating lesson plans.  As teachers come up with new ideas, book titles or web links they can add it to the document.

Idea 2 – Create a homework log spreadsheet – I can edit as I go and cut and paste relevant information to parents.

Idea 3 – create worksheets / recording sheets / field trip permission forms etc.  and send to teachers on my grade level to edit and copy as needed.

No more e-mail attachments! Hallelujah!

I’ve always liked Youtube for science videos but didn’t know how to make them safer.  I’m thrilled to be able to embed them into a blog or wiki page to use as hooks for a science lesson.  I’m intrigued by how to use the videos for writing prompts.  I think I need to search out some curriculum or design my own for how to help kids become media educated.  There is just so much that is skewed on the internet as far as visual or audio manipulation.  Need to learn how to teach them to evaluate the information.

I loved all the Bill Nye the science guy and here’s a video on erosion:

But I loved the task to search for something nostalgic – so I found a Wonder Woman montage. I don’t know why Wonder Woman popped into my head – but she sure made me smile!

I previewed a number of science and history podcasts including NPR’s Georgia Stories as well as 60 Second Science (which I love).  I think there is great value in some of these podcasts for listening to authors, taking a class or learning bout a different town or country. However, some took a REALLY long time to load.

Off hand, I think I would use something like 60 second science to spark my student’s interests.  Although I didn’t search iTunes (not on my home computer to download it) I imagine there are some amazing podcasts for teaching and instruction.  Review for kids?  Podcasts could be great for re-teaching – much in the same way we have watches all these short videos from Common Craft.

There was a great link to Our City Podcasts where elementary school kids research and podcast about their towns.  This would be excellent for 3rd grades study of GA regions or cities.  We also do a “How to” project where the students explain step by step how to do something e.g. set the table, windsurf, braid hair.  This project could EASILY translate to a podcast. Also, I think this tool would serve teacher well who need to “see” guided reading or writer’s workshop in action.

Guess I’ll learn how to do it in the next thing!