Shine On Harvest Moon

So, I guess the Harvest Moon has more power than seeing two rainbows in one day. When you have testing and a different schedule it puts the kids in a tizzy-add a full moon and they go over the edge.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

OK, so I thought I would find Slideshare a better place to start because I have used Marvel before. Thinking that Slideshare would be a great place to find presentations already made on some of the topics we discuss in social studies or for students to create presentations. Didn't go the way I thought it would.

Many of the slideshares didn't have audio-or if they did, I didn't hear it. Other than posting a Powerpoint or Keynote to the web I didn't get much out of it. Probably need to play with it more in order for it to make sense to me.

Then went to Marvel. I had not used Middle Search before so I tried that. Found some great articles from Scholastic on the Middle East and saved them to my folder. That was cool. I am assuming there must be a way I can share that folder with my students...at the very least I know I can take the articles and put them on my web page, in a shared google document, or in a blog to comment on.

So, did find some good stuff to use in class. Still wishing for those days of summer when we had more time and energy to think about how to put this all to good use!

Can we pause school and just have class again for a few days...

Remember all that excitement and energy we had when the class started? I need to redevelop that. I wish we had a few days with no students and could just concentrate on technology. That would help me with actually incorporating all those ideas in to lessons.

My goal is to start a blog right after NECAPS. I really think it will be a useful tool for student review, feedback, and communicating with each other. The first time I want to use it as an end of class or homework assignment, having the students review the main points of the day. I think I will use just one blog though, not an individual one for each student, so I can check them faster.

Voice threads will be great for student projects. I like the fact that they can post separately and together. No more days when a group is suppose to present but someone is absent. They seem easier to use than the visual podcasts we've tried in the past. Will need to experiment with them to see if they are "user friendly" when making one.

To be honest, the Igoogle page has been overlooked since I made it. Just don't seem to find the time to peruse it on a regular basis. My students have sent me gmails so I can begin to send them work that way. I missed the Wiki class and need to learn about those before I decide to go with a wiki, google page, or stick with my Weebly.

Again, I am missing those good old summer days where creative energy flowed through the room and there was not that long list of things to do weighing me down. One step at a time....

News I Can Use

I already have one web page, but the google one does seem easy to work. Will have to see if I move everything over. I might so I can incorporate more into it. Today was a difficult day to concentrate though, I was the "bad" student who just could not focus.

Good info though!

Plugging through

Today I had all my students send me their google emails. We even discussed separating their "school" emails from their personal ones. My goal is to begin using gmail to share information and assignments.

By next week I hope to have a blog started that I can use with different classes as a way to summarize, review, and discuss. We shall see. All the technology seems wonderful....then I remember I have two sets of quizzes to correct in my bag, homework to read over/correct, and need to have a handout for open house tomorrow night. Sometimes I think it is just "easier in the moment" to do things the old fashioned way. Will keep working on that....

The ideas are still forming-just more slowly

Using voice threads is intriguing. I can see group projects, small group discussion from around the room, differentiation, maybe even a sub plan sent to the kids....
My concern now is that the year has begun and all of a sudden the days seem shorter. I am going to use these new technologies, may only concentrate on two or three this year. Isn't it better to use less and know them well-or should I try to use more of them and be willing to flounder through?

Having time in class to work with different types of technology continues to be helpful. Thanks for letting us do that.

OK, so I would be lying if I said I was ready for today. So much to do...so many technology things I want to do but waiting for laptops to be distributed-I find it difficult to jump between being really "techy" and still living in the "old" world.

I got a lot out of the first four days of the class-I was energized and full of new, great ideas. No pressure, Steve and Connie, but I hope that continues today. I am determined to make this class change how I teach-no matter what.