Back to the Classroom?

I often think about going back to the classroom. I don't believeI ever worked harder then when I was a teacher in the classroom, but I often think about going back. If I were to return to the classroom I would use technology...

• to engage students during the background/orientation portion of a lesson
• to organize and display student data to make patterns more visible
• web 2.0 tools to publish work creating an authenic audience and motivation to succeed
• to communicate with parents who have technology available to them
• to share lessons and ideas with my colleagues and hope that they will do the same
• to model 21st Century Skills
• to educate myself on what new technology is available to me and my students.

If I were to return to the classroom I would use technology.

I Absolutely Have a Way to Become Better as a Teacher

Site Administrators, coaches, and educators, Looking for away to start of the year? Check out the post at The Fischbowl. I Have Absolutely No Way to Become Better as a Teacher . The page was taken from Carl Glickman's Leadership for Learning: How to Help Teachers Succeed, a book I have not yet read. If a staff, team or teacher, were to break down each bullet into a positive phrase and then turn each phrase into an action plan, then teachers would absolutely have a way to become better as a teacher. For example: Take the phrase" I do not visit other schools or attend particular workshops or seminars or read professional literature on aspects of my teaching" Turn it into, "I visit other schools and attend workshops and read professional literature on aspects of my teaching." Now comes the action plan. Administrators can set up classroom observations throughout the year (even if it's somewhere in the district or even at a school site). Even if there isn't money to send teachers to workshops, coordinate with district or community leaders to have site based workshops that help teachers meet objectives or specific goals. And now... start a Book Club on campus or district-wide for teachers who are interested. You may even want to begin with this book, Leadership for Learning: How to Help Teachers Succeed.

Breaking all the Rules

While browsing the top 100 blogs at Technorati I came across an interesting Blog and apparently others agree because it is ranked 40 on their list, The blog known as The Wrong Advices, includes topics such as tech news and blogging tips and it seems lots of other stuff . One can view numerous articles and links regarding blogging. 10 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid is one of the articles linked on the site by John Chow.
Here is where I am missing the mark:

• not updating frequently (Hey it's hard I'm on the computer all day at work.)
• Not giving RSS (Am I really saying anything that worthwhile, yet?)
• Not being personal (That can be scarey)
• Not reaching out to other bloggers (Ok, I admit it I'm anti blogsocial)
• Not reading John Chow.com (ha! ha!)

Photo Story 3 Easy for Me

Photo Story 3 seems to be a program that educators are willing to embrace, so I like to let teachers and students know about it! It just might be a way to get educators to use technology in the classroom. Why is there buy-in?

• free- quick download for PC (doesn't seem compatible with VISTA yet?)


• easy to use- step-by-step wizard


• fun!

Although it doesn't allow for complex editing or a lot of creative freedom, it gets the job done. Besides, the less time teachers have to spend on administrative type steps, the more time they have to TEACH. And... because it seems simple, teachers may have the confidence to use it with their students of all ages.

Radio WillowWeb

Whoever heard of Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska? Until they started podcasting, not many. Today it's difficult to talk podcasting without mention of Radio Willow Web. Look them up on iTunes or visit their site Radio Willow Web for a little inspiration.

Podcasting

Interested in Podcasting? Tune into iTunes. Select Podcasts and then from the categories menu choose education. Here you will find an array of free podcasts to listen to. If you find one you like, subscribe to it and the next time you select update you will automatically receive the newest episodes of the podcast.

Blogs in Plain English

Still foggy on the whole BLOG thing? This video will clear you up.

Student Wiki Experiments

Introducing a group to wikis? Why not start with the wiki of all wikis, Wikipedia. Not only is Wikipedia a great model of what features a wiki includes, it also is a plethora of information. No matter if you are training a group of educators, health care providers or even Girl Scouts, there is going to be a page or ten on the groups' area of expertise.
1. Take the group to a page of interest.
2. Invite participants to read.
3. Now encourage them to participate by editing or adding to the information.
I guarantee participants will find their contribution to the internet exciting and a little bit contagious. This is only the beginning.