Last year, I was fortunate enough to buy a Gateway tablet PC for my own personal use.  I had a multimedia projector in my classroom, and was using my own regular laptop and a PC Notestaker as my “chalkboard.”  I would use the white wall as my screen.  With the tablet PC, I can use something called a Windows Journal which has a background that looks like notebook paper.  I can change it to graph paper when needed (I teach math), and I can open pdfs with guided notes, Powerpoints that can with my textbook, etc.  I has revolutionized my classroom management.  My back is never to my students, and the desks in my room are arranged in an L shape in short rows so it is easy to get to students and I can make eye contact with all of them.  I found a blog that is devoted to discussing the tablet PC.  The link is:

http://tabletpceducation.blogspot.com/

For those of you who have never seen a tablet PC, they look like a regular laptop, but the screen will spin around and lie flat, and you write on the screen with a stylus.

Yesterday in the mail, I received the October copy of NEA Today, a magazine for members of the Kentucky Educators Association.  On page 42, there is an article called “Educators Got Game.”  It is extremely supportive of gaming with students, and includes mention of “The Political Game” and “Dance Dance Revolution.”  The link to the article is:  http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0710/trythis.html

Source:  http://www.liveslick.com/2007/09/top-10-freeware-software-nobody-knows.html

Title:  Top 10 Freeware Software Nobody Knows About — But Should

I have become a really big fan of using pdfs as storage for “printed documents” to help minimize my paperload of references at home and to make it easier to find.  I have used Adobe Reader for several years, but I hate how slowly it loads and how clunky it is to use.  And newer versions of the program would not work with the Prentice Hall web site that contains the pdf files I use to teach with.  I tried out the Foxit Reader recently, and it really is 100% better and had no compatibility issues.  The link to download it is:

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/

Here is a website that I go to when I need new ideas.  Thought I would share:

http://www.education-world.com/

Right now, I am looking for lesson plans on home construction.

Source:  http://www.jackofallblogs.com/2006/09/19/september-19-talk-like-a-pirate-day/

The reason I was drawn to this article was because my school mascot is a pirate, so I thought, “What a cute article.”  Once I read the article, I wanted to be sure to post it on my blog because it gives very good advice for living.  For example, the first entry was about choosing your battles well.  I think a lot of times, teachers try to take on the entire world and believe that we can fix anything.  We end up getting heartbroken and disappointed.  My goal this year is to select a handful of students who lack motivation or appear to have a difficult time, and give them a little extra attention during the class.  I am pleased to report that this has worked on most of them.  Sometimes what motivates a kid is just to let them know that you genuinely care.

The third paragraph is the most thought provoking.  It says:  “Live your life on your own terms. Know that you are master of your own ship. You never have “no choice” in your life, even if you’re in prison and shackled hand and foot. Even if you’re about to die, you can choose to die well. Most of us aren’t at that point. Step back and look at your life. What choices do you really have? Now, instead of drifting into them as the wind whims, tack sail into the wind and shear forth where you will.”  I begin a few years ago trying to live my life by this philosophy.  I lost both my parents within 16 months of each other, mom to diabetes and dad to a stroke.  They were both relatively young (51 and 62).  I realized then that life really is short, so you need to start living how you want to live, since you don’t know when it will be your time to go.  I found a way to go back to school and get this teaching degree that I love so much.  I go in each day with a true enthusiasm for teaching, which is very infectious to my kids.  I smile and say hello, even if I don’t get anything in return.    I am not a magical being, or a good actor, I just have changed my outlook on life and want to show others that attitude is half the battle.  We all have good days and bad days, we all have struggles, and most of us know that there are people out there much worse off than we are. 

The fifth point made in the article is to laugh.  Being able to laugh can get you through some tough times.  When you have that rough day of teaching, wait until the end of the day and find a colleague to laugh with.  See the good in the bad.

 I hope that those who read this posting will pass it on to at least one person to brighten their day.  I am off to do that right now.

Source:  http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/downloads/top100tools.pdf Title:  “Top 100 Tools for Learning 2007” 

This is my favorite article of the week because it gave me more resources that I did not know were out there.  It also contained some of the tools I have acquired over the past few years and the new ones I have acquired by taking this class.  The most significant tool that I use every time I logged onto the Internet is Google Search.  I affectionately call it “The Great Oracle.”  I wish that the
U.S. could be like some other countries and have wireless access in most places we go.  Whenever my husband and I travel, he is driving, and we both will see something and want to know more.  We have considered using Internet access on our cell phones.  I don’t know how cost prohibitive that will be, but I will find out and post.  I have always been a big fan of Firefox.  I used it for all my browsing.  I did discover that the older version was not perfectly compatible with Blackboard when I was taking an online course with the Kentucky Department of Education.   I love having several tabs open instead of a bunch of windows at the bottom of my taskbar.   I am an avid digital photographer (amateur) and for the past several years, I have been a member of Photosig and BBReports (formerly DSLReports).  What I like best about BBReports is that it is a group of computer users who discuss everything imaginable relating to technology.  I was part of the photo forum, but one of my favorite groups was called “The Kitchen Sink.”  My husband started it as a fun collection of resources.  I do not yet have a Flickr account, but only because I need to organize my photos before posting into groups.  That project will have to wait until Christmas when my online classes are over.  Balancing teaching, extracurricular school activities, and nine graduate hours has put me a bit behind on certain tasks.  Still, I would not give up any of them. 

I have had a gmail account for several years now, and it is my favorite account to use.  I like the spamguard better than Yahoo or Hotmail.  It keeps my messages nicely organized.  My login works for my email and my Google reader (gator feed).  I have yet to try to IGoogle, but I feel it will be just as useful.  The blogging sites (Edublogs and Wordpress) have been really easy to use, too.   I compose first in Word, and then copy and paste into the blog.  That probably shows my Digital Immigrant status, but I am proud to say that I am saving more trees my not printing so much and reading more on my laptop. I was not aware of Google documents program.  I went there this morning and liked the interface.  This will be useful to my students.  I used to use the Yahoo briefcase to have access to my documents, but this is better.

Source:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6982090.stm

Title:  “Schools alone ‘cannot help poor’” 

            This article is an English publication involving the Joseph Rowntree Foundation investigating how a low SES affects student learning.  The most significant statement in this article was, “Mr Hirsch added that if children did not feel confident about their learning they were reluctant to invest effort into it.”  In order to address this issue, the agencies involved set up after school programs in order to help students who do not have strong educational support at home.  The purpose was to raise student achievement.  I believe that it will take intervention from government agencies to help our schools be more successful.  There are programs already out there in my district which have helped our students.  Our elementary and middle schools have Century 21, and our high school uses Extended School Services (tutoring).  Snacks and transportation are provided, and our attendance rates for these after school programs are good.  Although not all of our schools meet AYP, we only lacked in one area and school schools are improving, just not at the rate NCLB demands.

Article:  “How Should Teachers Be Graded?” Christian Science Monitor

Source:  http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0830/p13s02-legn.html

This article begins by talking about teacher grading and performance, but on the second page, it addresses an issue which I feel has a strong effect on teacher grading, and that is evaluation and support.  This particular article was meaningful for me because of the teacher turnover in my district.  In the three previous years I have taught, the staff turnover rate is between 20-25%.  The issue has been discussed intensely by the school’s Site Base Decision Making Council, but no solutions have been offered.  The paragraph which I believe most strongly represents our situation is:

“Better school leadership can stem turnover, says Ms. Walsh of the National Council on Teacher Quality. If principals ‘created an atmosphere of collegiality and were effective at their own jobs, that would attract a better caliber of teachers.’ States also need to do better overseeing the quality of education schools and certification, she says. ‘Only 14 states require annual evaluations [of teachers],’ and in some of those states, ‘you can get a ‘Satisfactory’ and be a terrible teacher.’”

I am happy to report that this year seems to be a turnaround year for us.  We have had a change in administration and now have two leaders (principal and vice principal) who have taken on the task of making sure that new teachers are supported and that there is collegiality among the staff.  In addition to productive meetings, we have had a staff/family cookout.  With the atmosphere among teachers being more positive, our students have picked up on this build in moral and have responded positively.   I believe that this change in school morale will have a positive impact on CATS testing in the spring because students will feel more motivated to actually try on the test.

I recommend to anyone who teaches to not let yourselves get caught up in the negative politics of your school.  Be a positive influence among your staff, give your administrators full support, and don’t give up.  Many times, new teachers don’t stay because of a lack of support or that sink or swim mentality.  If you are a veteran teacher, take it upon yourself to check on your new hires.  If you a new hire, ask your principal who would be a good teacher to be a mentor.   

Here is a link to an article I read this week.  It talks about how well are we really educating our students.  It was thought provoking for me.  I teach my students by the program of studies, but I also try to throw in topics that do relate to the real world.  It still amazes me how students don’t do percentages well.  Integers are still an issue, too.  Let me know your thoughts (good or bad) on this reading.

http://www.garlikov.com/philosophy/NCLBY.htm