Thing 4

Online tools

I have started to use http://pagekeeper.teachingmatters.org for my home page.
It doesn't have all the fancy tools and features, but I can set it up as my homepage
and I don't need a password to get on. I also don't need to download any software
to use it (like delicious). I have found that using this website as my homepage has
helped me keep track of the frequently used websites.

I love using online calendars. I always set them up to send me reminder e-mails.
I don't always remember to check my calendar, but I do check my e-mail every day.

I signed up for the "remember the milk" to do list. I liked the suggestion of just
leaving it up on my computer all day. Though I am not sure that this is going to work.
I think I really need something I can actually carry with me.

The question about comparing online tools to traditional paper tools is interesting.
I think paper is better, because it is more mobile. However, today's student is growing
up accustomed to using "online" for everything. Many handheld devices are now able to sinc
with online programs. That I think is the best way for the student of the future. Keep an online calendar but carry it with you on a mobile device. I love the diversity of tools that are being created for people to work with.

Fun video and photo sharing

I found this fun little website.
I was able to put my Thanksgiving pictures into a online scrapbook.
and e-mail it to family and friends. It could also be embedded in a
web page. It is a fun way to share videos and photos.

http://www.smilebox.com

Thing 3

• What is easy for you about teaching research?

I don't teach daily classes. However, I love doing research. Looking for the answer to a question is a little bit like being a detective solving a mystery. I love the challenge.

• What are the challenges? What is frustrating for me is lack of time. Some information cannot be found in a five minute search. Good searches may take quite a bit of time, which doesn't always exist in a busy library.

• How might the RPC Teacher Guide help you plan and manage research projects?
  
• When I observe teachers working with their students on research projects, I see that most experienced teachers break their projects down into manageable sections. However, I have seen less experienced teachers give their students a research assignment and not break it down. Some students are able to break a project down into tasks and complete the project while others flounder. I think the RPC is a great tool to show students and new teachers for how to break their research into manageable components.
  

Thing 2

Thing 2:


Blogs in Education: I think blogs have the potential to allow the quiet student to have a place
to voice opinions, but at this point, I do not see a huge value for it. I am finding it overwhelming to try to read even some of the blogs of my classmates.



The only way I can think of for using blogs would be to have my students follow a specific blog that deals with the topic we are studying.



I have really enjoyed some of the professional blogs that I am getting through my RSS reader. They help me keep up to date in my career field and that is something that I find a lot of personal value in. However, I only have a couple. I find it challenging just to keep up with my e-mail...much less more stuff to read.

Thing 1

I read "Truth: Can you handle it?" by Monica Hesse weeks ago and the phrase "truth by consensus" still stands out.

Ms Hesse make it sound like "truth by consensus" is new. But hasn't it always existed? Whenever there has been genocide haven't we seen "truth by consensus" in action: one group determining that the other has no value and seeking to destroy. History has always been about rewriting "truth" in a way that is palatable for the people of the day. For example, the Christopher Columbus in today's textbooks is vastly different from the Christopher Columbus I was taught about in elementary school: explorer vs conquerer.

One of our jobs as educators has always been to help our students learn to think critically. We have always needed to teach them to recognize fact from opinion, hype, or propaganda. It is imperative that we teach them how to look past emotional responses to see the hard facts. The internet has pushed the need for critical thinking skills to a much higher level. But in many ways it is just a new spin on an old problem.

The question that I always struggle with is, what is the best way to teach these necessary skills.

Google Docs Tool

I was pretty excited. I wanted to make a schedule for the teachers who had
taken the "clicker" training. I made a little schedule using the spreadsheet on
Google Docs and shared it with those teachers. It worked really well. So far
I am finding the google docs to be the tool that I use most. (of the tools that we
have been introduced to.)

I was reading the blue skunk blog by Doug Johnson (

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/atom.xml

He discusses a book called "Joy in School" by Steven Wolk The book starts with this quote.

"What avail is it to win prescribed amounts of information about geography and history, to win the ability to read and write, if in the process the individual lose his own soul? - John Dewey, Experience and Education, 1938"

He then proceeds to discuss things we can do to make school more meaningful and enjoyable for students and staff.

As a media specialist, I can encourage teachers to create meaningful projects and help connect students to resources.

The most recent resource I have been showing people, is google documents. Many teachers and students see the value of this site and are starting to use it.

First weeks of school

The first 3 or 4 weeks of school are always incredibly busy. At the end of the school year,
all of our technology is taken apart and then we spend weeks putting everything back together.
Plus of course teaching orientation, supervising the library and open houses.

Every year I think that I am going to find an easier way to get everything done. No matter what I try, every year it is still a huge struggle to get everything put back together. With all the new projectors and document cameras it is harder than ever. So many cords...even the technically literate teachers struggle with how to put everything back together.

Anyone ever come up with an easy system for making the beginning of the year go smoothly.