June Photo A Day Challenge

I have made it a half of a year continuing with the Photo A Day Challenge on Flickr. If you haven’t done this before, you might give it a try. You might try it was a week challenge or a month challenge. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t start at the beginning of the year. The reason that I suggest this is that I have found so many benefits for this and want to share them with you.

I look closer at the world around me. I am more attentive to the little things. When I first started, I mostly looked at the big picture. This project has helped me look for the details.

I try to find something interesting every day. I’m not talking about just interesting to me but thinking about what might be interesting to others.

I am collecting photos that I may use in presentations that are more interesting than clip art. I think about photos that I have looked for when I am creating presentations and when I see something that might fit; I take a photo of it.

When I am at a loss for an idea, I got to The Daily Shoot which gives an assignment for the day. Sometimes that can inspire me.

It can get others involved in helping me look for good shots too. When I’m with my friends and mention that I am taking pictures for this project, they get caught up in the hunt too. At times, they will call me over to take a photo of something they think would make a good photo of the day. At the end of the day, I have lots of photos to choose from.

At the end of the month, I like to look at all of the photos I took that month to see what caught my eye and if I see any trends or themes for the month.

After reflecting about this project, I wonder how I could get my class to do something like this.

I could do it as a class project and have students give suggestions about what they think would make a great photo. If there was more than one digital camera, students could take turns getting a photo of something. Or if there was only one camera, students could have a designated day to be responsible for taking the photos that day and then turning in the camera to the teacher. The students could vote on the photo they think should be the designated Photo of the Day.

Students can take turns coming up for a theme of the month and looking for photos that fit that them.

The Photos of the Day can be used as story starters for creative writing.

Have you done this project before or are you doing it now? Please let me know and give the link to your photos so I can look at them. If you have ideas how this project can be used in the classroom, please share that too!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: June Photos of the Day by Pat Hensley

Katie and Kevin Books

I recently read the book Katie Helps Mom and Kevin Helps Dad written and illustrated by Liesbet Slegers which was mentioned on The Picnic Basket. This is the review that I gave the book (I am not being paid to give this review).

I would give the books 3 out of 5. I love the bright colors and the pretty pictures. I thought the font that was used was appealing too. The stories in both were very upbeat and happy which I think is important when reading to and with children. The problem I had was the stereotyping of boys helping Dad and girls helping Mom. I think it would have been better to have Kevin helping Dad with some stuff and Mom with some things. The story gives an underlying implication that boys don’t do those things that girls do and vice versa. For entertainment, I think these books would be cute for children but I would not use them in a classroom.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Benefits of Online Degrees for People with Learning Disabilities

Online education has revolutionized the way we learn in more ways than one; it has opened up opportunities for people who were hampered by location, cost, and other circumstances in their quest for a degree; it has made possible continuous learning at any age and from anywhere; and it has enhanced the use of technology in the field of education. While most people know and are aware of these benefits of technology, what they don’t realize is that online education is a boon to people who are slow learners or who have learning disabilities because:

· It allows you to set your own schedule: Online education is an opportunity for people who don’t have the time to dedicate to a full-time degree because it allows learners to choose courses that are suited to their schedules. And so you have business professionals opting for degrees that have most classes during weekends and others who prefer flexible assignment and class schedules. This flexibility is a boon for those who are slow learners or have learning disabilities of any kind because it allows them to set and learn at their own pace without worrying about having to keep up with the rest of the class.

· It eliminates the pressure of competition: In a traditional classroom, the slow learners are hampered by more than their learning disability; they’re also restricted by the fear of having to compete with their classmates who have normal or above-normal learning capabilities. This sets them back even more because they’re unable to perform at their usual level when they feel the pressure of having to compete and keep up with the rest of the class. Online education removes this unnecessary stress and allows them to blossom in an environment that is relatively free of competition.

· It facilitates anonymity: And last, but not the least, online education facilitates anonymity which ensures that slow learners and those with other learning disabilities are not subject to the ridicule, scorn or pity of their classmates and staff. Learners are able to grow in confidence because their disability does not cause a bias in the minds of their fellow students which gives rise to preconceived notions and potential cause for mockery or ridicule.

Students who are plagued by learning disabilities can enhance their online education experience by reaching out to their instructors and asking for additional help, enquiring about assistive technology, and setting a schedule that is suited to their pace. Most schools are more than willing to accommodate special needs students, so if you aim to earn a degree, make the most of your experience with a college that understands your limitations and works with you to overcome them.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of online degrees . She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'MacBook Pro 15" Unibody'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36645776@N00/3682719799 by: Steve Keys

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 7/2/10

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!

Word Steps –“ is a place for people to learn foreign words and keep their vocabularies in fit condition. Here you can not only enrich your vocabulary, but you can also track your progress and recall the words you could forget.”

Fit Brains – “Fit Brains games offer a variety of well-rounded, scientifically based activities wrapped within a fun and engaging experience that is accessible even to first-time players. By offering stimulation across the spectrum of the brain, and ramping the difficulty in a way that increases the complexity of the tasks over time, brain games can offer people an effective means of brain exercise.”

Verbs Online – learn verbs in different languages

Story Place - is “an interactive web site, came about to provide children with the virtual experience of going to the library and participating in the same types of activities the library offers.”

Vocabulix - Improve your vocabulary skills in foreign languages, online and free!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: Tools by Pat Hensley

What is the Real World?

In This World, That World and Some Other World from Education On The Plate, Deven Black states,

“I don’t like the term ‘real world.’

It is often used in sentences like ‘Every lesson in school should relate to the real world.’

Formulations like that make me think schools are like the Floating World of ancient Japan or the artificial world of the holodeck on some Star Trek spaceship.

Schools are the real world, just as much as slums or split-level suburban homes are.”

As soon as I saw this, I knew, as my husband hears frequently, I feel a blog post coming! I use the term “real world” a lot because I think it distinguishes it from a different time in people’s lives when they are sheltered and protected. I feel the real world makes people vulnerable and I need to prepare my students so that they can enter situations supplied with whatever tools and strategies necessary to keep them safe and independent.

I do not feel like a school situation is the “real world.” Parents, Teachers, and Administrators are able to manipulate the environment in different ways to help a student and this is not possible in the real world. I have worked hard at the beginning of the year to help my students succeed in different situations so they can use their confidence in trying more difficult assignments. There are also laws that protect children in schools that help them get accommodations and modifications to instruction if needed (IDEA and 504, for example). Administrators may use different discipline techniques to help students learn social skills necessary to get along with others. Special Education students are protected under special ed laws that enable them to continue with their education even if they are removed from a regular school environment.

It kind of reminds me of times I have seen football teams practice or play scrimmages and how they differ from real games. The real games are the ones that count. They count towards statistics, records, and championships but practice games and scrimmages do not. Practice games and scrimmages are a way to practice plays or move players to different positions and try them out. This is the time to explore different possibilities without it actually hurting statistics or records.

When a student causes minor problems in school, there are repercussions and this teaches a student how to be accountable for his actions. When a person gets in the “real world,” this student is usually of legal age and being accountable for his actions may involve money or even jail time. This does not usually happen at school age unless the student has broken a major law. I have seen students show violence in schools that will not be tolerated in the real world. Law enforcement will not care if this student has a disability or comes from a bad home life when protecting other citizens.

In school, if you misbehave, they send you to the office and pay the penalty, and then return to class. Unless you are expelled (and schools must have a good reason), you return to class. In the workplace (the real world), employers don’t tolerate people who won’t do their job. Employers want someone who will show up for work regularly, get the job done, as well as get along with other workers. There are too many people who need a job and want that position if you don’t follow the employer’s policies. If you can’t do the job for some reason, they can fire you.

In school, the system makes sure that students get fed. There are free and reduced lunch programs to feed children. If a student does not have lunch or money continuously, someone is notified about this problem (social worker, DSS etc.) In the real world, many people go to work hungry and go home hungry. Many people work so that they can pay bills and buy food.

Even when I went to college and lived on campus, I do not consider that the real world. I paid tuition and room and board as well as books but those were my major expenses. Many other students had their education paid for by their parents. When I graduated and got my first apartment, I never realized how much money was needed for deposits as well as electric, water, and phone bills. No one prepared me for these real world situation.

So, I guess I really don’t feel that school is the real world. And yes, I do feel that my lessons should be related to the real world so I can prepare my students for things that they may face. I might not be able to cover all of the situations they may face, but I hope that I give them enough tools and information so they can go find the answers they need.

What do you think? Is school the real world or not?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Summer Storm over Kuala Lumpur'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95572727@N00/521001746 by: Trey Ratcliff