Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/30/12

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Museum Box - “This site provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.” (L:G; SA: A)

Shout - “Connect online to interact with experts in the field, share ideas, and collaborate with people around the world who, like you, are committed to solving environmental challenges. Shout gives participants a framework for success, with resources and tools for exercising social responsibility while building the 21st-century skills of collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking. When students are connected through technology and empowered to build activities in their own way the learning experience extends far beyond the four walls of a classroom. Check out the participants on the map and take your own stand in making the world a better place.” (L: G; SA: S)

Get the Math - “Get the Math is a multimedia project about algebra in the real world. See how professionals working in fashion, videogame design, and music production use algebraic thinking. Then take on interactive challenges related to those careers.” (L:H; SA:M)

Socrative - “Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets.” (L:G; SA:A)

Lit Charts - “faster, downloadable alternative to SparkNotes” (L:H; SA:LA)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

5th Graders Make Me Laugh

This week I took two classes on a nature hike at Paris Mountain State Park. For those of you who live in the area, the park has a wonderful school program for 2nd and 5th graders. On this day, the 5th graders were going to complete a Creative Writing Journal.

We talked about using their senses but I stressed that we would NOT be using our sense of taste for anything!

At various stopping places, I had the students sit and finish the writing prompts that were in the journal that I gave them. I stressed using their senses of sight, hearing, and smell. It was perfect when the geese decided to take a bath in the water right in front of us. The turtles came out of the water to sun bathe on the logs which is always a hit for children and adults. Students had to use descriptive word for certain things. In one section of the journal, students fill in the blanks to write a poem about what they are seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling.

I loved the first stop the best. Students sat on the steps outside the park center and filled in the first two pages of their journal. This set the scene for the rest of the hike. It helped students to notice what was all around them. Quietly they sat and observed nature around them. Both groups, one in the morning and one after lunch, really seemed to enjoy this activity the best.

I learned some things about working with this age group:

1. Not as many parent volunteers come with this age group like they do with the 2nd graders. They really didn’t need many chaperones with this age group.

2. Very few of these students had visited this state park before. It was good to tell them what activities were available at the park in case they returned with their families.

3. It is important to tell students what to expect in advance. It helps them be less anxious when in a new environment.

4. 5th graders like to learn “big words.” They love to think they can show off how smart they are later.

5. Students like to share their knowledge. Before telling them things, I liked to see who knew the information first. Many times they knew things that I had been prepared to tell them which would have bored them or made them feel like I was talking down to them.

6. Students are fascinated with nature. It was important to give them time to just observe, admire, and enjoy all that was happening around them.

7. It is good to motivate students at the beginning of a lesson by letting them know what to expect at the end.

8. Students need to have a reason to complete an assignment. When told that only those who finished would be able to participate with the fun activity at the end, more students were motivated to complete each task.

9. If there is a log available, children will climb on it. Telling them to look on and around logs before getting on them is a safety tip that they need to learn in advance!

10. Turtles are a big hit no matter what age you are.

I think the best thing that happened all day was this:

Near the end of our hike, one young lady behind me gasped, “Are we EVER going to take a rest?” I was shocked since we had already stopped about 4 times for a 5 minute journal writing activity each time. I told her it was almost lunch time and we were about done. She looked at me and said, “Boy, you sure walk good for an old lady!” I just had to laugh. Being with young people really do put me in a good mood, especially when they make me laugh!

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Risking Failure

In Don't Fear Failure from The Fischbowl, Karl Fisch asks,

“So, what are you willing to try (and perhaps fail) at?”

I think it is important to risk failure and to share our attempts with others. I think part of the problem in most people’s lives is that they think they must succeed at everything. They think that things should work out perfectly the first time, every time.

Edison had over 10,000 attempts before he invented the light bulb.

Alexander Graham Bell failed 31 times before he invented the audiometer to help deaf people.

Lincoln ran for public office and lost 7 times before he was elected President.

I have learned from knitting that it is okay to try to make something and it not turn out exactly the way I want it. I like to think of it as a prototype. The next one I make will have certain adjustments that I think will make it better.

We used to go to a lot of high school basketball games and my friend was the coach. I remember hearing him tell the kids that he would much rather have them attempt a basket and not make it then never try at all because if you don’t try, you never score.

I guess I was always brought up that trying was as important as succeeding.

This is something so important to teach out students. I’m not sure that parents today are instilling this value in their children. It is probably not from neglect but because so many parents are struggling with the economy and raising children that they are tired. Many have forgotten learning this in school or home themselves. Many parents want their children to be successful but have forgotten that sometimes it takes failure to breed success.

There are still so many things I plan to try but willing to risk failure. I’m sure there are still many things in my future that I don’t know about yet. Here are some of the things I would like to do soon:

1. Lose 20 lbs.

2. Can my own vegetables.

3. Make jelly. .

4. Dye my own yarn.

Maybe someday I would like to:

1. Play pool.

2. Climb a rock wall.

3. Ride a unicycle.

4. Ride a motorcycle (yes, I’m one of those that have never done this before).

So now, I pass on the question - What are you willing to try (and risk failure)?

Image: 'Effort'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28284386@N02/2880756271

Teaching Independence

But what if…?

That is a big question when we are trying to teach children independence. We want to protect them from hurt and disappointment but that is impossible. Life is full of hurts and disappointments but it is most important how we handle these situations. We learn at an early age that not everything goes our way or the way we think it should.

My friend who is a ranger will be leaving soon to go back to work at the national park where I met her. Check out her blog post: March Madness, Our Way. Her adult son with disabilities will be left at home (I believe this is his choice) to be independent. Notice that I did not say left alone. His parents have built in many safety nets (roommates, relatives, and agencies) that will be there if he needs them. He has a job and will be able to ride his bike back and forth to work. What a wonderful opportunity for him (and his family)!

I know how hard it is to let our children be more independent but it is necessary if at all possible. Parents and teachers won’t be there for children forever. It is our job to teach values, decision making, and especially looking at the consequences of our actions. By doing this, you are encouraging children to be more successful as they grow up.

When I was growing up, I led a very sheltered life as the baby of the family. I really didn’t have much decision making to do because everything was pretty much done for me. I was expected to do certain things and there was no discussion about it. Then when I went 800 miles away to college, decision making and independence hit me like a brick wall. I have to admit that I didn’t always make the best decisions (but nothing that broke the law) and had to deal with consequences that I never had before. It was truly an eye opener and had the potential for being disastrous. Luckily God was watching out for me and got me through those tough times. Through trial and error, I learned better decision making skills and was more comfortable with my independence. Yet, I wished that my parents had given me more opportunities for this when I lived at home where I would have had the safety net of my family. If any of the “what if” situation happened, I would have had someone to turn to. Instead, I had to learn most of these things on my own.

One year at the high school where I taught, one of my senior girls with a mental disability was working at a local cafeteria. She was doing a great job serving bread and earned a paycheck. This job was mandatory for graduation with an occupational diploma. Imagine my disappointment when this girl was forced to quit the job after graduation because her parents wanted her at home and not working with others. They didn’t want to deal with any “issues” on the job. I feel this girl had a chance at some independence but lost it when her parents wanted to protect her from any employment conflicts, hurt feelings, or interactions with other people. Sometimes through our love, we can be a disservice to our children. When I see this girl in the community, she lets me know that she watches TV and stays at home doing nothing and I feel sad. This girl had the potential to be somewhat independent and lost the chance. I’m not sure that she will ever get this chance again and I worry about what will happen to her after her parents are gone.

Even in our classroom, we need to loosen the reins a little and let our students have a part in the decision making. We need to let them suffer the consequences of their actions, yet be there as their safety net. It is important when things go awry to talk about what happened. Talk about the options the student had and why the choice that was made was the wrong one. Also talk about the other choices and the possible consequences that could have happened. Then let the student talk about the choice that should have been chosen. I think this is an important skill to learn that can help our students be more successful in life.

Do you encourage independence? What kinds of things do you do to do this? Please share!

Image: 'running free'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91567702@N00/2797256129

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/23/12

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Station Spacewalk Game - “This video game features simulations of actual EVAs conducted by NASA astronauts on missions to provide power to the space station. The graphics used in this game are based on real NASA missions and incorporate 3D graphics used by the Agency.” (L:H; SA: S)

Learning Ideas - “Here is collection of Science, Mathematics, and Language Arts Ideas with some Music and Arts and Crafts. The monthly themes have been Animals, the Solar System, Energy (Electricity, Magnets, Light, Sound), Plants, Matter, Machines, Geometry, Crafts, and Weather.” (L: E, M; SA: S, M, LA, FA)

Klondike Gold Rush - “These activities make use of writing skills, reading, math, art, and physical education. Although arranged in a chronological order for following the gold rush story, individual activities can act as standalone component.” (L: E, M; SA: LA, M, FA)

Metaphorical Gold: Mining the Gold Rush for Stories - “By "mining" online databases for primary texts and period photographs, your students can explore the Klondike Stampede, and, like London, can glean from their visit sufficient period details to help them create their own narratives based on the Gold Rush. If time does not permit students to write their own stories, the teacher can select stand-alone sections from this lesson that deal with the history of the Gold Rush era. While the emphasis of this lesson is on history and research rather than literature, selections from Jack London's The Call of the Wild are used to provide focus and structure for students' research in online databases of primary sources, and to serve as models of vivid narrative prose for students' own stories.” (L: M; SA: SS)

From Boomtown to Ghost town - “In order to fully understand the geographic concept of natural resource use, students should learn about the ways that resource extraction affects the physical and human landscape. In this lesson, they will discuss how a specific economic activity in a region can facilitate the creation of towns, which often turn into ghost towns if the economic activity ends.” (L:E; SA: SS)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Accurate Measurements

Some of you know that we are enclosing our side porch and making it our sun room. I have wanted this for year. As I watch the porch become transformed, I am amazed at how many learning opportunities there are in construction. I have watched the men measure wood and drywall over the past few weeks. They use many different tools as well. It is amazing how all these little things get put together and make something new. I also notice how these guys all work together.

Measuring has to be very precise or the walls and ceiling would not come out level. When the inspector came by to inspect before the drywall could be installed, he was quite impressed at the workmanship. Our contractor is very conscientious and goes further than he needs to sometimes.

When the roof was being put on, the men ran out of shingles. Then someone realized that the man in charge of measuring messed up and was short materials so the guys had to return another day to finish when the materials were delivered. Since we were given a price at the start, the company lost money on this job because of the measurement error.

I think it is important for students to see the relevance in learning new skills. These examples are just a few real life situations that involve measurement. The more that students are able to relate what they are learning to a situation where they might learn the new skills, the more they will understand and retain this new skill.

Do you use real life examples when teaching measurement? If so, what are some of the ways you make this learning relevant to students? Please share.

Image: 'tape measure'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87434398@N00/136165399

2nd Graders are Fun!

This week I was able to help take two 2nd grade classes on a nature hike at our state park. My job was to observe the leader so I can help lead the hike on another day. The weather was arrived at 9:15 and we were on the trail at 9;30. The hike lasted 90 minutes and then lunch. After lunch our group went to the creek activity with the ranger and that group came on the afternoon hike. They were all back on the bus by 1:30.

Here are things that I learned:

1. Getting 2nd graders to pay attention is easy when the teacher had them trained. She said, “Hocus Pocus…” and the students responded, “Everybody focus!” At that point all eyes were trained on the leader and the group was quiet.

2. 7 year olds love nature! They love touching and moving and seeing.

3. Turtles lying on the logs in the lake were a big hit!

4. 20 students in a group was the maximum that should be in one group. More than that would be a little hard to handle.

5. Break the group into 6 or 7 smaller groups. Each group gets to lead to the next station and then rotate to the back of the line.

6. The afternoon group is very different than the morning group.

7. Sometimes parents are not as well behaved as their children.

8. Parents get as excited as children and want to answer all the questions.

9. 20 minutes for lunch is long enough and then the kids gets rambunctious.

10. It is important to teach young children at an early age to be good conservators of our natural resources.

Original Image by Pat Hensley

Fairy Tales are Becoming Extinct

I remember growing up and hearing tons of fairy tales. My parents read me these or gave me books that I could read on my own. Even in school, many of the stories that we learned to read were fairy tales.

When my husband and watched the movie Hook with Robin Williams, he was a little lost because he didn’t even know the story about Peter Pan. Just recently we watched the movie Peter Pan and he liked it better than Hook because it made more sense. I began to run down the list of all the fairy tales I remember and tried to see if he would recognize them but he hardly knew any of them. This made me think back about my own teaching career and how many times I thought students had contact with fairy tales. It shocked me to realize how little there was.

Now it seems like we are getting back to fairy tale times with the TV shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time. When we watch an episode, my husband asks me which fairy tale is being referenced. Then I have to give him a recap of the fairy tale as I remember it.

I wonder if society has realized that children need fairy tales. Pretend and make believe are important in a child’s development. Those were happy times for me and bring back many good memories.

Maybe we need to reintroduce them more in our curriculum. They are wonderful ways to teach reading. Many of the fairy tales even have great moral lessons to learn.

Do you use fairy tales in the classroom? Which ones do you use and why? Please share.

Image: 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/45097561@N00/2483997193

No Dumping Allowed!

In End of an Era from Misadventures with Rangers, Marianne, aka Ranger Anna talks about her son in special education who, even though he is still allowed to attend school according to law, is being pushed out by the school system.  Please take the time to read her post in order to get the whole story.

I feel so sad to hear stories like this. This is what the law was made to avoid. When this law was made, too many special needs students were being dumped out into the real world before they should be. Too many schools do not encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity. Students with true special needs should be encouraged to stay in school for every possible minute they can. There is so much to learn and where an average student might be able to gather all they need for the future in 18 years, these students need every bit of extra time they can get.

Too many times I hear that schools and teachers are being babysitters. I feel if they were truly teaching the right way, they would not be in the babysitting business. Students should be taught according to their individual needs not according to the school curriculum.

According to this parent, the school felt they didn’t have anything to interest the student. Then it is the school’s job to teach something that does interest the student. I find it hard to believe that if thorough investigation was done, that the school and the student couldn’t find something worth learning. In fact, to me, it sounds like the professionals are taking the lazy way out.

If the student has an interest, then the teacher/school needs to find out ways to teach more about this topic. If the student has finished the curriculum offered by the school, then this is the perfect way to teach the student how to learn. The student will gain the skills that could help him learn new things when he no longer can depend on the teacher/school to teach him. What a valuable opportunity for this student! How can anyone not say this is in the best interest of the student?

As a teacher, I was expected to meet standards set by state. I learned early that many of these standards were general enough that I could meet them with most topics that the student was interested in. Reading and math standards fit right into whatever topic the student wanted to learn. Sometimes Social Studies and Science standards were harder but if I was able to give the students a list of 5 possible topics, they were able to find at least one that they were interested in. Sometimes I even told them the standards and asked them to find a topic that would fit with the standards and they would actually come up with one that I hadn’t thought of.

Of course, this was a lot more work for me as the teacher because each lesson was also a learning lesson for me. I found it interesting and exciting to learn along with the students!

If the students were learning about a topic that interested them, they worked harder and there were very few behavior problems. What a joy it was to teach this way! When the students would learn a new skill, it was great to see their faces and see how much fun they were having with learning.

How do you feel about this? Do you think students with special needs should be pushed out of the school system at age 18? If so, why or why not? Please share!

Image: 'Dirt Delivery'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15965815@N00/155223959

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/16/12

 Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!
Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All
Calme - calendars made easy (L: G; SA: A)
Planetarium - “An interactive sky map for exploring the stars and planets.” (L:G; SA: S)
Rubrics for Assessment - “A collection of rubrics for assessing portfolios, cooperative learning, research process/ report, PowerPoint, podcast, oral presentation, web page, blog, wiki, and other web 2.0 projects.” (L:G; S: A)
Turf Mutt - “Foster an appreciation of the environment and an interest in the green space in your community with these classroom resources designed for students in grades K-5, recently updated with NEW lesson plans and activities for K-2!” (L: E; S: S)
Visions of Earth - “Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer's eye.” (L:G; S: SS, FA)
Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Translators Needed!

My husband and I belong to a Disaster Action Team (DAT) with the Red Cross. It is such a worthwhile volunteer opportunity and I feel so good when I know I was able to help others.

Unfortunately there was a fire that destroyed the home of a family of 5: parents and three small children. When we went to meet with them, we were notified that no one in the family spoke English. The captain of my team tried to get the translators on call this week but they were busy and could not meet with us so we thought we would have to have the translator on the phone during the whole process. Luckily, one of my knitting buddies speaks Spanish fluently and I was able to contact her to ask if she would be willing to meet and help us. She is such an angel and helped us into the wee hours of the morning as we helped this distraught family.

This whole situation made me realize how much we need bilingual volunteers! It also makes me want to go out and learn Spanish in case this happens again. Families that are already traumatized would benefit to know that someone can communicate to them in their own language! I do not want to get into a debate on whether they should learn the English language or not because that is not what this is all about. This is about helping families that are in a tragic situation and I am not going to pass judgments of any kind.

I know that we could have used the phone but I think it would have been confusing and crazy at the time. In fact, it might have put more stress on the family who was already in shock about this whole situation. The three to four hour process would have only been prolonged and everyone was exhausted at this time of night anyway.

My husband later thought about another solution if we needed it. He suggested that we might have gone to a restaurant where we know the employees speak Spanish. Surely one of them might have been willing and able to help us. That would also go for other languages if we needed to do so.

I truly believe that God had a hand in helping us that evening. I had just left my knitting group where my friend was there knitting and she comes a long way to join us. When I got the fire call and found out that we would be meeting in the town where my friend lives, I decided to ask her for her help. Amazingly, she was right near the meeting place when I called and was waiting for us when we got there. With her help, we were able to comfort the family and offer them emergency services (shelter, food and clothing). God had a plan for all of us and thankfully everything worked out perfectly.

Has you ever needed a translator but couldn’t find one? What did you do? Please share.

Image: 'You Will Be Welcome'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27109792@N00/4622050024

The Fun of Photography

I recently bought a new camera at Wolf Camera (Greenville, SC) and I am ecstatic! (This is not an ad for Wolf Camera and I’m not being paid for this!) I bought a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. At first we priced them at Wolf Camera and Best Buy but the better buy was at Wolf Camera which surprised me. At Wolf Camera, included in the price was a telephoto lens but this was not included with the camera at Best Buy. Also included with the camera and lens were 4 free photography classes. I love my new camera!

I really enjoyed the classes that Wolf Camera offers because I have learned so much from actually seeing and doing with a real person. In fact, the instructor said that these classes were free for customers and I could return as many times as I wanted to them. There are 4 classes that are repeated over and over. Even adults sometimes need to hear the same things over and over before it sinks in, especially when there is so much information to learn.

Wow! The customer service that is offered here is phenomenal. Whenever I have a question about getting my camera to do what I want, there is always someone there willing to answer my question. I have never gotten any camera from Wolf Camera before but I can promise you that it will definitely be the place I go for my camera needs. Again, this is a great example of how customer service can really make a difference in a business! This would be another great lesson for the classroom!

I have some hiking and camping trips coming up and I can’t wait to use my camera to take many photos. Instead of a camera bag, I bought a diaper bag to hold my camera. There are plenty of pockets and I’m hoping that someone seeing it in my car might not want to risk breaking in a car for a diaper bag where they might for a camera bag.

I am doing the Photo A Day Project again where I take pictures each day and choose one for the photo of the day. I am also using assignments given by Today’s Posting and I really like how these assignments are helping me learn about my camera and about taking photos. I am learning to look at things differently and from different perspectives. This would be great lessons for the classroom. The lesson could be short and to the point but I believe students would learn a lot. Maybe instead of a photo a day, there could be a photo a week and students could share their best photo for the week.

Students could also use photography for projects and this would be a great way to assess their learning. Students who have trouble writing would be able to take photos to get their points across. Then they could explain the connection between their photo and the information they feel is important. Students might even find out that they have a knack for photography!

It seems like the more I practice and the more I learn, the more fun photography is!

Do you take a lot of photos? Do you use them or photography in class? What kind of projects would be great to do in a classroom? Please share!

Nice People Live Longer

When I was thinking about the people who have touched my life over the years, I realized that many some of them have died or are dealing with severe health issues. (Everything I write in this post will be pure observation and no scientific fact.)
I’m also not saying that bad things don’t happen to good people but the majority of these dead or sick people have been really mean to me at one time or another.
This makes me think that “what goes around comes around” or the karma thing is a real thing. It can truly happen!

Maybe being mean puts more stress in your life and on your body. Maybe it causes health issues. Maybe it makes you sick or even sicker. Maybe someone needs to do a scientific study on the effect of meanness to the body.

Then I look at the many nice people I know and I’m amazed at their longevity. These people are not mean or spiteful. You would never hear them talk behind someone’s back in order to turn others against them. These people are supportive if you need any kind of help and seem to always be there if you need them.

My parents for instance are the nicest, sweetest people I know. My stepmom is 86 and my dad is 92 and both of them are still going strong. They live independently, socialize with others, visit the senior center about three times a week to play pool, garden, and fix up their own house. There isn’t a mean bone in their body and they wouldn’t hurt a fly!

Most of the people who are in my hiking group are in their 70s and 80s. In fact, 2 guys are in their 90s. Like my parents, all of these people are the nicest people to be around. If you needed it, they would give you the shirt off their backs.

So, from my observations, nice people live longer. Nice people seem happier and are even more successful in life.

I need to share this with my students so they can learn ahead of time. I need to make sure that the meanness bug stays away from me (and my students)! I also need to be nicer to others because I want to live a long and happy life!

How about you? Do you notice the life span of mean people is different than nice people? If so, please share your observations.

Image: 'Elderly couple, Paris'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/89886127@N00/207335658

Episode 16 St. Patrick’s Day Ideas

1. Contact info:
a. loonyhiker on Plurk: http://www.plurk.com
b. Loonyhiker on Twitter: http://twitter.com
c. Blog – http://successfulteaching.net
d. Email me at successfulteaching@gmail.com

2. Music Notes
a. Yes I Can by Danny O’Flaherty from his Secret Garden CD. : http://www.dannyoflaherty.com/.

3. Arts and Crafts Notes
a. Enchanted Learning: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/stpatrick/
b. Clever Clover treats: http://familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day/st-patricks-day-recipes/st-patricks-day-desserts/clever-clovers-988547/
c. To Catch a Leprechaun: http://familyfun.go.com/st-patricks-day/st-patricks-day-crafts/to-catch-a-leprechaun-710897/

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/9/12

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Calme - calendars made easy (L: G; SA: A)

Planetarium - “An interactive sky map for exploring the stars and planets.” (L:G; SA: S)

Rubrics for Assessment - “A collection of rubrics for assessing portfolios, cooperative learning, research process/ report, PowerPoint, podcast, oral presentation, web page, blog, wiki, and other web 2.0 projects.” (L:G; S: A)

Turf Mutt - “Foster an appreciation of the environment and an interest in the green space in your community with these classroom resources designed for students in grades K-5, recently updated with NEW lesson plans and activities for K-2!” (L: E; S: S)

Visions of Earth - “Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer's eye.” (L:G; S: SS, FA)

Original Image by Pat Hensley

Presentation Ideas

Every summer we have a wonderful tech conference for teachers put on by my school district and it is absolutely free. I would like to present at this conference (edited to add: each session is about an hour long) and I try to do this every year because I feel that is my way of giving back. My problem is that sometimes I see the same stuff every year and I don’t want to do the same as everyone else. I need your help and some ideas.

In the past I have done presentation on Strategies working with Special Ed Students, Wikis, Voicethread, and QR codes. There have been numerous presentations by others on IPods, IPads, podcasting, kindles, nooks, blogging, Google, and internet safety.

Here are some of my ideas but I’m not sure they are presentation worthy. These are ideas but not titles. Keep in mind that the people who attend (on a scale of 1-10 rating of experience with technology) can be 1-10. There are many beginners, many who know how but never use any technology, and those who do use technology.
1. Building a personal/professional learning community (many people still don’t do this!)
2. Differentiated Learning - where to start and how to plan
3. Skype in the Classroom - how to get it, use it and why
4. Bullying - have students make videos to teach about standing up to bullies.

Would any of these sessions appeal to you? Are there any technology topics you would like to see at a conference? Please let me know because I really want to do a presentation that people would find useful.

Image: 'presentation skills'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52505823@N05/5220980010

Different Ways to Blog

In If they can write, they can blog by ejr, she tells about

“A primary school teacher, Brandey Addison from Tuloso Midway Primary School, said this at TCEA: "If they can write, they can blog."  She and her colleagues, Christy Solis, and Benito Portillo, provide a variety of ways for their students to practice reading, writing, critical thinking, and peer review.”

To me, blogging is a way to share ideas, beliefs, and information. It is a way to communicate with others. There are many different platforms to use. Some posts can be written but some can also be video.

I like Voicethread a lot because it is interactive. A student can have pictures and then tell about pictures. People can also respond on Voicethread. This Voicethread can be embedded in a blog post.

Videos can also be embedded in a blog post. If the purpose of the blog post is to share with others about some activity, a young child who is unable to write can still communicate. This may be a jumping board into writing later, but is a way to blog. I think this would be a great way to motivate students into learning also.
Students with learning difficulties can also use videos on a blog. They may be intimidated by the actual writing a post but may be more comfortable with recording a video. They can still read comments to the blog post and even respond to the comments in writing. But it is less overwhelming than writing a long blog post. Later on, they may be encouraged to write a small paragraph about their video and then increase their writing later on.

Students who don’t want to be seen but don’t mind being heard, can do an audio blog post. This also can be embedded into a blog.

I believe that parents would be thrilled to see or hear their child in any way. Too many times when asked how school was, their child responds in one word answers. This would be a great way for parents to hear more about their child’s school day.

Do you have your students blog? If so, which way is most successful for your students? Please share.

Image: 'cell phone, interrupted'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73645804@N00/2384680412

The Hike Inn

Last week for my husband’s birthday, we went to the Len Foote Hike Inn in Georgia. It involves a five mile hike up the mountain to the inn and the hike starts at Amicalola Falls State Park. This is also where the Appalachian Trail starts in Georgia. It rained a little on our three hour drive to the park but then it just became overcast.

We got to the park in time for the lunch buffet ($10.95) at the lodge before we headed up the mountain. Then the hike up the mountain was really lovely and I took a lot of pictures so it took us 3 hours to get to the lodge. We had time to sit on the balcony for about 30 minutes before we took the tour of the facility. They use a lot of “green” techniques like solar panels for heating water, compost toilets, and worm compost bins for food waste.

At 6pm, we were called to dinner which was family style. We sat at a table with two other couples: Doug and Ruth from Jessup, GA and Howard and Faye (I forgot where they were from). We had a lovely dinner and great conversation. After dinner, we watched a program presented by Richard Judy about the Appalachian Trail. After the program it was time to head to our room where my hubby and I shared the bottom bunk because I can’t sleep alone! Of course he woke up every 2-3 hours to go to the bathroom which involved getting dressed and heading to the bathhouse. Luckily, the walkway was completely covered because it poured down rain all night.

At 4:30am, I headed to the Sunrise room (game room/gathering room) so I could knit and watch a podcast on my Ipad. At 5am, I was joined by Darvin who has a family BBQ place called Poole’s BBQ in Ellijay that we will visit someday. He is retired teacher also so we had a great conversation. About 30 minutes later we were joined by Paul Longchamps (trail name is Orange Lightening) who would begin his Appalachian Trail Thru-hike that day. He will be blogging about his trip and I will follow along to see how he is doing (Orange Lightening Blog).

At 8am we were called for breakfast and it was delightful! We had scrambled eggs, bacon, peach spoonbread, cereal, and tea/coffee. The food here was exceptional! After breakfast we headed back down the mountain back to real life.

This was our third or fourth visit to the Hike Inn. If you have never been here, I highly recommend it. I like meeting new people and hiking up the mountain plus taking lots of photos. If you want to see the pictures I took, click HERE.

Original picture by Pat Hensley

School Program Volunteer

This sounded like something I just had to check out! I heard about this program from an email I received as a Master Naturalist. The press release stated,

“School Program Volunteers are naturalists at heart who want to share the wonders of nature with 2^nd and 5^th graders, in the park’s Discover Carolina school programs. Some volunteers assist students with their measurements and observations down at the creek. Some volunteers with a naturalist background lead 2^nd graders on a nature hike around Lake Placid. Some lead 5^th graders in the use of a Creative Writing Journal at the park, or assist in a Forest Ecology program.”

So, last week I attended the orientation to find out what the program entailed and what was required from the volunteers. Cathy Taylor, the interpretive ranger in charge of the program was fantastic! I was so impressed with the organization of this program and how well planned this program seemed to be. We went through the motions as if we were the students to see what is actually done. We went to the creek and put on boots so we could find organisms to identify and measure. We also completed the activities that were expected of the students. After lunch we took the hike around the lake as if we were the students too. Of course, since I love hiking, this really interested me.

I really think this whole program is extremely worthwhile. I’m not sure how long it has been in existence but you can tell that it has been tweaked and fine tuned to be the most effective.

After attending this orientation, we are expected to come observe an actual class attending the program. Then we will sign up to volunteer on the day that we would like to be there. There are no preconceived expectations on when we volunteer so we can volunteer for a day, once a week, once a month or even just be available as a substitute.

What an awesome program for students, teachers, and volunteers! I really look forward into helping with this program. If you live in South Carolina, you might check out your local state park to see if there are any school programs available for your class. If you are near Paris Mountain State Park, check out this program! Maybe I’ll see you there!

(Click HERE to see the pictures that I took!)

Original picture by Pat Hensley

Education Buzz Carnival 2/29/12

Another edition of the Education Buzz Carnival is up and running at Bellringers! Don’t miss out on all the fun! See what is going on in the Edusphere. My article on Things That Should Kick the Bucket Before I Do is there but there are lots of other great articles to read too! See you there and don’t eat too much cotton candy!

Original image: Carnival by Pat Hensley

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/2/12

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Doodle4Google - “…K-12 students in the U.S. to participate in our fifth annual U.S. Doodle 4 Google contest. Draw your rendition of the Google logo and you may see it on the ultimate gallery: the Google homepage. The winning doodler will also take home a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school. The theme for this year’s contest is “If I could travel in time, I’d visit...”. That could mean visiting a past, present or future setting—whether it’s traveling back in time to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the future to witness everyday space travel, or to just a few moments ago to relive a poignant experience.” (L:G; SA: A)

Google Science Fair - “The Google Science Fair is an online science competition seeking curious minds from the four corners of the globe. Anybody and everybody between 13 and 18 can enter. All you need is an idea.” Deadline is April 1. (L:M, H; SA:S)

iTV Wild - Learn about the animals in the wild (L: G; SA: S)

Seterra - “free map quiz for windows; Seterra 4.0 is a challenging educational geography game with more than 100 different exercises. Learn about countries, capitals, oceans, flags and cities in Africa, Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Australia, using outline map exercises!” (L: M, H; SA: SS)

Calkoo - “On this site you will find superb calculators for practically any purpose. Whether you are preparing a business plan for your start-up company and need to calculate the NPV for an investment, or if you play free roulette and want to invest your possible winnings in stock market, or perhaps you're trying to compare fuel efficiency of several cars you are considering buying - we have everything you need right here!”

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Consequences

In Rewards, Punishment and Consequences, ksquirkyteacher talks about a video she had to watch for professional development. Then she adds,

“To say that kids should never be punished or rewarded is ridiculous. That sends a clear message to the child that they can get away with anything. Adults have consequences and so should children, otherwise they are forming bad habits that will stay with them for life.”

When my own children were growing up, I had a really hard time with natural consequences. There would be battles over wearing a coat or hat, or many other trivial things. I know I am a control freak so allowing my children to suffer natural consequences was really hard for me. Then I had to think about what is the worst thing that could happen. When I put it in a different perspective, it really helped me let my kids suffer natural consequences. Then I stopped being the bad guy and they learned from their mistakes (usually, not always). Sometimes they had to suffer the consequences more than once.

As Ksquirkyteacher mentions, adults deal with this all the time and there usually isn’t someone out there to warn about the consequences. Hopefully the many things we learned as a child prepare us for the consequences so we can make better decisions.

The thing that helped me was to give my students choices and discuss the consequences beforehand. At the beginning this took more time than later on in the year because they heard the choices and consequences before.

An example using school work:

1. They can complete their work on time and enjoy recess.

2. They can refuse to do their work and do it during recess.

I don’t feel this is a punishment where I would be taking away their recess. Instead I feel that they are making the choice and accepting the consequence. The important part of this learning is the role of the teacher. The teacher must make sure that the consequence is followed or the student will not learn which behavior benefits the most.

As adults, I believe we go through the same process of looking at choices and consequences but we have done it for so long we take it for granted. We think that everyone goes through the same process. But if we don’t teach our students this process, they won’t have this skill to use as an adult. I believe this skill is important to be successful in life no matter what you do.

How do you deal with behavior and consequences? Please share.

Image: 'DSC01346'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19517696@N00/77229615