Meme: Passion Quilt

Thanks to Andrea Hernandez of Ed Tech Workshop for tagging me for this cool Passion Quilt meme.
Update 2/23/08: I was tagged again by Christine Southard of Christine Southard's Blogspot too.
Update 3/23/08: I was tagged again by Tink of Tink's Tribulations.
Update 3/26/08: I was tagged again by Clix of Epic Adventures are Often Uncomfortable.

Directions: Find or create an image that captures what you are most passionate for kids to learn about.
3 Simple Meme Rules:
• Post a picture from a source like Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what you are most passionate about for kids to learn…and give your picture a short title.
• Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt” and link back to this blog entry.
• Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce.
Tag. Your turn—what are you passionate about sharing with the kids you teach.

The Branches of Knowledge are Ever Growing




I got this picture from Flickr and felt it showed that I'm passionate for kids to learn about things that they want to learn about in addition to what we have to teach them. There is so much out there to learn and like a tree, our knowledge branches out into different directions, which is okay. Our knowledge is not a tree that has one stalk that goes straight up. This picture also made me think that we need to need to nurture our students learning just like we would a tree or it will die. They need encouragement and care just like a tree needs sun and water.

I’m tagging:
Bill Gaskins of Blogging on the Bay
Vicki Davis of Cool Cat Teacher
EHT of History is Elementary
Betty of Betty’s Blog
Angela Maiers of Angela Maiers Educational Services

Using Twitter in the Classroom

Twitter is a way of communicating with other educators all around the world. I first heard of twitter by reading another teacher’s blog and when I saw that it was a way of collaborating with others, I got excited. It is always a little scary to try something new but it wasn’t as hard as I imagined. Remember when you were little and the thing you feared was always bigger in your mind than it actually is? That is the way I feel about Twitter. It is kind of like instant messaging but when I use AIM, I have to know the person’s screen name to communicate with them. This is not true in Twitter.

First I learned about Terraminds: Twitter Search where I typed in education and hit search. That shows me conversations of people that talked about education. I went back to Twitter and added their user name after the address for Twitter (mine is www.twitter.com/loonyhiker) I then clicked on their name and chose to “follow” them. After I had a bunch of people to follow, I clicked back to home and I could follow the conversations of these people.

This is where I was introduced to wonderful links and even conferences that I could attend online for free. Those were really educational for me because I didn’t realize all this stuff is out there that I could use in the classroom. It doesn’t matter what level you teach on because you just apply the technology to your level. Plus you communicate with other teachers that teach on your level and can bounce ideas off of each other. I enjoy meeting educators from all around the world and I’m learning a lot of our daily frustrations are the same where ever you live.

Here are great ways to use Twitter in the Classroom: Twitter for Academia

Here is another professor’s tips for using Twitter in the Classroom

I also learned of projects that were open for collaboration between classes like the one done between a class in Scotland and a class in Georgia. It is amazing the new ideas and energy that abounds in Twitter. If I ever hit a roadblock, I just tell everyone in Twitter, and usually lots of people have great ideas on how to overcome the problem. It is almost like an online support system. Maybe this is one way to get support if you feel you don’t have any in your school.

Even if you decide not to use Twitter in the classroom, it is a valuable tool for teachers to use. This is one way to make your experience in the classroom more successful!

Candy Hearts is Not Just for Babies

(Here is a little break from my technology push in order to prepare for Valentine's Day.)



It is the week of Valentine’s Day and my classes always get excited about this day. It doesn’t matter if they are in elementary school or high school, everyone wants to be loved! Our school has this policy that no flowers, candy, or gifts may be delivered to anybody in the school. This is supposed to cut down on the disruption in classes. Instead, flowers and candy are delivered to the main office and at the end of the day, the students are called by name to come there after school is over. With the number of names to read, the announcer usually has to disrupt class the last ten minutes of class in order to read all of them. Many of the students expect their names to be called and if it isn’t, there is another type of disruption. But I’m getting off my main reason for writing this post.

Valentine’s Day is going to be here and we can’t ignore it. It is like a big elephant in the room and the more you try to ignore it, the worse things will get. So instead of ignoring the big elephant, I decided to put him to work.

I have done this activity in every class for Valentine’s Day on every level that I’ve taught and it always is a big hit. I introduce the lesson by reading about the origin of Valentine’s Day. I also have many examples of valentines over the years and how they have changed. We also discuss some sayings that look nice on a valentine and what is not appropriate to say on them.

I show them a big bag of candy hearts and tell my students that they will be making their own valentines with the candy. I instruct them that they cannot eat the ones I give them but I will give them some at the end of class. I give out construction paper (I have red, pink, and white for them to choose from) and sample hearts in cardstock that they can trace on their paper. They can cut the hearts out or make their own designs however they want to. The requirements are to do at least one valentine (and it can be for a boy/girlfriend, parent, relative, or teacher) and they must use at least 5 of the candy hearts in sentences. They could even write a poem if they wanted to. Instead of writing certain words, they would glue the candy heart in place of the written words. I would usually have an sample valentine to show them and they couldn’t wait to get started. Each student is given 5 candy hearts to use and they usually read them and end up trading them with someone else. If they really don’t like the one they have, I let them trade it for another one. There is always one student who just has a mind block on what to write and usually the class comes to the rescue with suggestions. After they are done, we clean up the room in order to let the glue dry. Then they are asked to show the class their valentine. It is so much fun to see how creative they are. The students had fun and feel they have had a successful learning experience!

Technology in the Classroom

As I explore the world of technology, I amazed at all the wonderful things there are for the classroom. These things weren’t available when I first started teaching so I really enjoy investigating all of this. I have started reading blogs and writing my own as well as joining the world of Twitter. Twitter is like an instant message program but it enables me to talk with people I don’t know about things that I’m interested in. Just having communication with other people in my field is inspiring and makes me excited about teaching. This is where I exposed to a lot of new technology that I never knew about and I am also learning how to use some of it.

After two weeks in Twitter and reading the blogs mentioned there, I amazed that more teachers in my area don’t use the technology that is out there. Just from my observations, it seems like teachers not in the United States and teachers in the northern part of the United States are the ones on top of the technology game. As President of the local Council for Exceptional Children chapter, I will be holding a program on using technology in the classroom. I am hoping to introduce some technology that is out there and tempt other teachers to use this technology. (See my wikispace for the meeting: http://loonyhiker.wikispaces.com/ Maybe if I can show them how other teachers are using it and what wonderful outcomes are coming from this, they will want to use it more in the classroom. I hope I can inspire and excite other teachers the same way that have been inspired. After seeing the results that other teachers are having in their classrooms, I see that teachers in my area need to get involved or we will be behind.

Maybe that is why my state is ranked almost last in the nation in education. It seems like the teachers I have taught with (in four different schools) are so reluctant to try anything new. Many are afraid of change and want to do it the “old way” because it always worked in the past. We can’t afford to take this position because I think it hurts us professionally and it hurts our students. For example, my district bought some new software (WYNN and Test Talker) and hardware (scanner) to help our special education students. They even trained us to use this but out of twelve teachers, I was the only one who used it for a year. The second year I insisted that a new teacher use it also and she did. The results were that a couple of our students who had been making straight Fs were now making Bs and Cs. I just know that it could have helped other students if the teachers would have taken the time and initiative to use it. There is also so much free technology that can be used in the classroom and our teachers need to be using it. I have heard so many times that “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t know how to do that stuff” but we can’t afford not to take the time or learn how to use these things.

I have learned that there is a lot of things out there that is available (many of it is free) and I know it will take time to learn some of it. I have also learned (through Twitter and blogging) that there are so many others out there willing to help me if I have questions or hit a road block. Just like anything else, it is easier to learn by doing, so I jumped in a tried some of this stuff and discovered most of it was pretty easy to learn. By talking to other teachers, I have found real life examples on how these things can work in the classroom. If students see there is a real life application to the things they are learning, they will be more excited about learning and retain more of the information. I have built relationships with people all around the world who have given me great ideas and hopefully I have given to them also. Students can also build relationships with students in other districts, states, and even countries. Some classes are collaborating even though they live in different countries. Talk about an opportunity for learning! To me, that is what teaching is all about. I have said it before but teaching should not be stagnant. As teachers, we need to be constantly learning new strategies and techniques in order to have a successful teaching experience.

This week I will be looking at different programs that are available to use in the classroom and hope to show you examples of how it is being used.

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 2/8/08

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found interesting this week. 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!

Study Guides and Strategies: Learning to Learn

Reading Strategies: Great suggestions on building interest for reading before and during the reading (Scroll down to "Be the Molotov Cocktail, Before Strategies Jan. 13; Be the Molotov Cocktail, During Strategies Jan. 16; and Be the Molotov Cocktail, After Strategies Jan. 19)

Websites for Writing Instruction

FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency for Kids  (link no longer works. Sorry!)

Teacher Tools: free forms for teachers