Inspirational K

Erroll B. Davis Jr, Atlanta Superintendent of Schools, NYT

(Source: The New York Times)

theteachersdesk:

Angry Verbs!

Teach elementary students about verbs using angry birds! 

1. Create your angry verbs by writing verbs on angry bird cut outs (leave room for students to later write a sentence).
2. Put tape on the back of the angry verbs.
3. Write sentences with missing verbs on the board.
4. Ask students to the front of the room to place the appropriate angry verbs in the sentences.
5. Hand out angry verbs to each student. 
6. Ask students to write a sentence on their bird using the verb. 
7. Allow students to colour in their angry verb and place them on the class bulletin board. 

You can find the Angry Birds colouring pages here

Source: Pinterest 

(via theteachersdesk-deactivated2013)

When will the bell ring, and end this weariness?
How long have they tugged the leash, and strained apart
My pack of unruly hounds: I cannot start
Them again on a quarry of knowledge they hate to hunt, 
I can haul them and urge them no more.
No more can I endure to bear the brunt
Of the books that lie out on the desks: a full three score
Of several insults of blotted pages and scrawl
Of slovenly work that they have offered me.
I am sick, and tired more than any thrall
Upon the woodstacks working weariedly.


And shall I take
The last dear fuel and heap it on my soul
Till I rouse my will like a fire to consume
Their dross of indifference, and burn the scroll
Of their insults in punishment? - I will not!
I will not waste myself to embers for them,
Not all for them shall the fires of my life be hot,
For myself a heap of ashes of weariness, till sleep
Shall have raked the embers clear: I will keep
Some of my strength for myself, for if I should sell
It all for them, I should hate them -
- I will sit and wait for the bell.

~D. H. Lawrence

thismichiganteacher:

Love this quote: “digital learning starts with teachers, whose performance is enhanced by technology—not the other way around.”  Educators need to embrace the technology and work to learn and incorporate in every dimension of the classroom. 

I love Google. Besides it being the top search engine, I love everything that it stands for. Just watching today’s Google Doodle gave me a sense of love and warmth, as I’m sure many of you experienced as well. Google is also always cutting edge—from their Google Calendar to Google Documents to their Apps for Education—they’re simply magnificent.

Now, teachers, schools, and educators out there—I want to spread the word about one of their amazing opportunities: Doodle 4 Google. Even if your school doesn’t win the grand prize, any number of your students might still become finalists—in which, it’ll be great publicity for the school and the arts community.

This year, they are choosing 250 state finalists, whose Doodles will be displayed on an online gallery. Then, one finalist from each state would be chosen, which will be displayed on the Doodle 4 Google website. Following that would be 5 national finalists, who will participate in an awards ceremony in NYC. And, the grand prize for one national winner is to have his/her Doodle be featured on the Google homepage, $30,000 college scholarship, trip to NY, Google Chromebook computer, Wacom digital design tablet, a t-shirt with his/her Doodle on it, AND $50,000 TO THE WINNER’S FULL-TIME SCHOOL FOR A TECHNOLOGY GRANT!

I encourage YOU to make your school aware of this opportunity. There are so many levels of winners that it’s not like you’re shooting into the blue with this. It’ll also be a fun project for your students in any class. The theme this year is, “If I could travel in time, I’d visit…” You can tell your students to draw based on a point in American history that you’ve gone over in class. Or, if you’re an English teacher, it could be a doodle of a time in any of the non-fiction books that you’ve read in class..or during a specific literary movement. In science class, it could be during any scientific feat—the invention of the light bulb for instance. Within several minutes, I came up with all of these projects. With a little bit of creativity, you can create a unique and fun project for your students too! And remember, it doesn’t hurt to try entering. It’s only when you don’t even try that you lose your chance at winning. =]

http://www.google.com/doodle4google/

I wrote this June 29, 2011 for my digital blog—a little outdated, but the question is still relevant. So, what do you think about this new technology in the classroom and the possibilities that it provides for the future of education?

K

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I remember just 8 years ago, when I was starting high school, how heavy the textbooks were. I was smart enough to put two of the thinner books in my book bag and physically carry the heavier ones. But, I swear that the spines of those who didn’t curved several inches lower or tilted towards one side after their four years. 

But now, the kids of the future might not ever have that problem again. According to Mashable, publishing giant, McGraw-Hill launched its first all-digital, cloud-based textbook for the K-12 market this past Monday, June 27, 2011 at the International Society for Technology in Education conference. They have released other digital texts before, but they were sold as just companions to physical textbooks. This new one is created to replace textbooks altogether.


Supposedly, textbook sales have dropped more than 15% since this time last year. But will producing digital textbooks really reverse this trend?

We don’t even know the reason behind this drop. For all we know, that 15% could be those who are buying into this digital, using computers and tablets for education, thing. Or, with the economy still not up to par yet, maybe students are sharing textbooks more in the classroom. As a matter of fact, textbooks aren’t the only prints where sales have dropped. According to Engadget.com, within the past year, hardcover sales in general were down 11.3% and paperbacks dropped 19.7%. But, ebook sales have raised to a whopping 116%. With ebooks being relatively less expensive than physical textbooks, schools can be rest assured that students will be receiving the materials that they need in a way that is economically sound. Virtually, the tablet is the only object that might be of a concern, money-wise—and even then, to solve that concern, the tablet should be viewed as not just a piece of technology, but an investment.

The thought of bringing just that one tablet to all classes, with all materials existing on a cloud platform, which are easily accessible at just a tap of a finger on the screen—is wonderful. And another great feature is the chat platform where students can engage with the teachers with questions and concerns. Coming from a time when after-school-hours meant that teachers couldn’t be contacted, this is revolutionary in terms of education. 

Some concerns are still on my mind though, as I’m sure are on the minds of some of you as well: What would the actual cost be in relation to textbooks? There’s been a lot of talk of ‘popcorn brain’ and such, which is the term used to describe the youth of today who can’t disengage from technology and in-turn has affected their perception of reality in comparison to the quick-paced digital world. Would we be instilling this thought process too early in the lives of these children with such technology? Other studies have shown that computer screens are detrimental to the development of children, mentally, socially, and physically. How safe are these tablets? Should we be introducing them to children at a grade level as low as Kindergarten? 

Huffington Post correspondent Delia Lloyd wrote an article titled “Are Computers Really Bad for Kids?” Within this article, she lists some pros and cons of introducing computers early in the lives of children. Although she talks about computers, the same issues may be raised for these textbook tablets: the lost art of handwriting and a loss in the cognitive abilities of children (because their brains are still developing at this young age and technology can now easily do their math, spell check, and research for them). I’m sure that the tablet will have many educational resources such as a calculator for math classes, translation tools or dictionaries for foreign language classes, and maybe even a monitored web browser where children can research sources for their English papers.

I’m sure all these questions will be answered in due time, and when they do, you know where to go to find the answers first. We just have to remember that kids today aren’t going to the library like we did as kids. As adults, we’re even brushing their questions off at times and simply saying, “Just Google it.” I don’t believe that elementary children should be stripped of the joy of physical books/textbooks and given less time to develop their cognitive skills without the ease of technology, but times have changed. If these textbook tablets prove comparable to physical textbooks in terms of cost, their production stays ‘green’, and they’re not detrimental to the well-being of these children, I say that the future of education looks bright. We just need to make sure that their development isn’t compromised.

Working in the marketing department for a school is very interesting. It gives me all sorts of mixed emotions. Because I work ‘behind-the-scenes’, the students and the parents don’t often know that I’m doing most of the work that they come across. I design, update, and dispatch the parents newsletter daily. I manage our social media accounts. I also manage, and somewhat am tech support for, our Google Apps. Imagine teaching 50 parents through email and phone recent technological advances. It’s pretty darn hard. Even with Google being so intuitive, after half a year, I still have parents who do not understand how to view their calendars.

A bit ago, I sold CDs to a parent who I’ve been interacting with through email for quite some time. We finally were able to meet. And what a delightful woman she is! She found out that I work the daily newsletter and told me how much of a difference I made it this year—how nice, beautiful, and timely it is. I finally felt a sense of worth, with working on the newsletter. That is the goal. That is why I do it everyday. I want the parents to feel engaged—to know what their children are up to during the day—to know that we have a great community here.

Although I hate how I’m doing work that was not originally mine to do—as long as some parent out there appreciates the effort that I put into it—it’s totally worth it.

K