Netflix founder

This article talks about the founder of Netflix working on software to make schools a more online environment. Textbooks would be useless, as books would be found online. He started Dreambox, which is the software he created with lesson plans, games, and concepts needed by students.

I think this is brilliant. Everyone has been talking about this direction for schools, but no one has been working on it. I saw an video clip on CNN last week about a school on the east coast that gives a cell phone to each student with the calling/texting features turned off so everyone will have access to the Internet and teaching tools. I think it is an exciting, changing time for students and teachers!

Picasa

I love the idea of an online photo collage. I can see using that in science class if I give students a chance to go outside and take pictures of our topic, like plants. They could create a one page collage using Picasa. I've given longer final projects using online scrap booking sites. The students are better able to go into a large amount of detail that way, organize it, and present it. But I can see the benefit of Picasa for simpler projects.

Middle school subbing

I took a sub job for a SS middle school teacher last week. I feel so bad for this teacher! He has no classroom of his own, so he has to wheel whatever he needs around on a cart. I realized how spoiled I was during my long-term sub positions to have my rooms the entire days I was there. Not only that, but his students were ridiculous! Usually there are just a couple students you have to keep an extra eye on in each class. 10-12 of his students were off the wall at any given moment. When I stopped to address one issue, three other issues started. If the students were mine all the time, the first thing I'd want to do is re-arrange the classroom environment to try and manage the students. This guy can't do that b/c he works in 4 different classrooms!!! I must have sent a dozen kids to the office that day. I hate being that way, but I was so grateful to get some of them out of my room!

TIPS - games

I really enjoyed learning about different games for classrooms. I would like to incorporate games more often in a meaningful way. I think that Kelly was right - debriefing is the part most overlooked when teachers use games, and it is the part that can add valuable meaning to the game. I loved the example she used in class that she took from http://www.internet4classrooms.com/. The game divided the class into two teams. Whoever gets the right answer first gets to "roll" the dice to get points added to their group score. The team that lost the round rolled the diced to get points subtracted from their group. It seemed like either team could still win with only a couple rounds in the game to go. One of the difficulties I've faced is students who just turn off as soon as they realize they won't win. This game is based on skill and luck, which is nice. It could easily be adapted for science class. Good TIP!

TIPS - luggage

I learned about a number of good TIPS in class. I liked the meet and greet that uses luggage where students write their name and two interesting facts about themselves on a piece of "luggage". In round 1, students introduce themselves with that information, then exchange their luggage. In round 2, students greet someone new. They again introduce themselves and their personal interesting fact. Then they point out the student who owns the luggage they carry and go over that students' interesting facts. Once both students have a turn, they move on to round 3. All the following rounds are the same: introduce self, then the owner of the luggage. It's a fun and different way to get students up and active while learning about classmates.

instructional strengths

I know I'm not a perfect teacher, however there are some things that I think I'm good at in regards to instruction. First of all I love the science material, so it is easy to share that excitement with my students. I also think I'm good at presenting material in different ways to try and reach different students. I'll go over notes, we'll have class discussions, and then we'll do something active. I'm also willing to change my plans instantaneously if my kids aren't getting it, or if I can ascertain we need to backtrack a few steps.

2/4 TWS update

At the beginning of the TWS process, I really felt overwhelmed by the entire process. I feel like I subconsciously assess my student's growth and alter our discussions and lessons accordingly. But even more than that, I was really worried about my ability to meet all the TWS standards without having a regular classroom. I know the teacher I just finished a long-term sub job for will probably let me teach for her classes, but I'm just going to have to make do with the situation I'm in.