Taking Teachers Blogs Up A Level

February 4, 2009 By 2 Comments

The first two days of school after the Chinese New Year holiday were dedicated to Professional Development.  I was asked to present three sessions.

Most of our teachers started blogging this school year for the first time in their life.  I’m still amazed by the fact that not once did administraiton ask them to blog…. they did however ask teachers to communicate with parents.

The PD session was titled “I’ve Got a Blog – Now What?” because teachers have achieved what has been asked of them… they are communicating with parents using their blogs.  But we can all be doing so much more! The three things we decided that we want from our blogs are:

  1. Build our Teacher/Professional Online Profile
  2. Communicate and celebrate the learning in our classes for parents
  3. Make our teacher blogs a place of “1st contact” for our students before they collaborate on the wikis and Nings

I used several resources for the Keynote (which I converted to a PowerPoint).  Thanks to my PLN for all of they great resources they share!

Bloggingppt

Applet used to show teacher blops as a graph.
How to link to other people in a blog post movie.
Rinse, Repeat, Remember Audio or Visual
Hey Blog Coach! Conversation Conductor

Filed Under: blogging Tagged With: ,

Glogs… Is there an Educational Purpose?

October 3, 2008 By 1 Comment

I am constantly thinking of ways to try to get my teachers hooked into technology. Technology cannot be seen as just one more thing on their already busy plates.

  • Technology has to be seen as fun…
  • Technology should help teachers celebrate the successes of their students
  • Technology should help everyone is our communities stay connected; parent to teachers to administrators to parents to teachers to administrators and back again.

I’m sure others may know about this, but I just stumbled upon it through my PLN on Twitter. Glogs are just one more way to get teachers involved. At the beginning of the school year, teachers were asking the question: How do I get my Publisher newsletter on my blog?  “Our” answer was very simple: Yes, you can get your newsletter on your blog, but you shouldn’t as Jeff Utecht put it.  We were trying to get our teachers to blog more frequently with the information that they normally would’ve put into a newsletter. I recognize though that it’s not easy for many to jump into blogging and make a clean break from their traditional newsletter. Maybe, just maybe, I glog would be a good transition for them. They are still able to create a newsletter of sorts, but the tech is just a bit more involved. What do you think?

I helped out my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher and made a glog of their first class Publishing Party. I can see possibilities for glogs with teachers and students. And by the way, my daughter and I did have FUN creating our first glog!

Filed Under: blogging Tagged With: ,

Launching Some Tech Sense

April 11, 2008 By 3 Comments

The time has come… I have something to say. After spending thirteen years as a math teacher, I am ready for a change. It was a decision long in the making as it has taken me about three years to take the plunge. I blame Jeff and Andy. When they are separate they are amazing still, but when they are together they are unstoppable. In 2002 all of us were working at Yanbu International School (part of International Schools Group) in Saudi Arabia . I believe Andy came across this new open source “thing” called Moodle. At the time it was so new. He asked Jeff to check it out, Jeff ran with it as only Jeff can do and the rest is history. I started using Moodle in math classes and started training people at school and at NESA Conferences about the benefits. What a great way to get kids “talking” to each other about math and to get them reflecting about what it takes to be a good problem solver.

In 2005 we all moved to Shanghai American School and I found myself doing all of my math work first, but staying up until midnight just so I could get my tech fix. Jeff started seriously blogging his first year in Shanghai with The Thinking Stick and I started Maddie’s Minute shortly thereafter. I made my first podcast and started to actively look for ways to get technology into the hands of my students.

All of a sudden, I look up and I realize that I am a tech geek… I…

  • Use Twitter with family and educational professionals
  • Moodle like nobody’s business
  • Write on three blogs
  • Use Diigo
  • Use Nings
  • Use Firebox and Flock
  • Use Netvibes
  • Use Skype and iChat
  • Use U-Stream for Gourmet Geeks
  • Use my Smartboard religiously in math class
  • Set teachers and students up with blogs using WordPress MU

I know that I still have so much more to learn, but this is what makes me tick. I put the kids to bed and hop online to feel connected to the world around me. There is so much out there and I’m ready to leave math in order to try and make some sense out of all this tech around me. That is why the name of this site is Some Tech Sense…. I need some!

I decided to go ahead and import all post and comments from my school blog because it partly shows where I have been. This is not about the destination of knowing everything and doing everything correct. This is about the journey… there is growth in the journey.

Thanks for joining me and please feel free to give me feedback so that I can gain some tech sense!

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You Never Know Who Is Watching!

February 7, 2008 By 3 Comments

My mom-in-law is a GREAT blogger. She has taken it to a whole new level and I have so much respect for her. She’s is one of those people that have a CAN DO attitude rather than a can’t do attitude. She amazes me and inspires me everyday even though we are thousands of miles apart.

A couple of weeks ago she officially tagged me. She mentioned my professional blog on her her blog. Her blog is officially blocked in China, but as many of you know, there are ways to get around that so I am able to visit her blog a few times a week. When she tagged me, she included me in a social network that hits every major continent in this flat world of ours. A big thanks to her as she has increased the readership on our blog… now it’s time for me to reciprocate. Play along if you will and don’t forget to give credit where credit is due – it’s like that pat on the back I make you give yourself in class! :)

The Rules:Blogging For DummiesLink to the person that tagged you.

1. Post the rules on your blog.
2, Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
3. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
4. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

The six non-important/habits/quirks about myself are:

  • I am a passionate math teacher, but for some reason some aspects of every other subject really inspire me as well. Many of my students know how to get me off on a tangent by talking politics… I certainly have my opinions.
  • Non-important – this does not affect anybody other than me: I am a terrible sleeper. I get on my students for their terrible sleep habits. I can tell that Tomas has logged into our online classroom at 1:00am, but I notice this while I am up at 3:00am.
  • The greatest thing I have ever done to date is being a mom. It’s humbling.. impossible… inspiring… mind-boggling… fantastic. Words cannot describe the depth of love I have for my children. Never forget that your parents feel the same way about you.
  • Quirky – when somebody tells me something that I don’t quite agree with or if I think they are slightly off kilter, I wiggle my mouth just like Elizabeth Montgomery on Bewitched. I know I’m dating myself here, but she rocks and even though I like Nicole Kidman, she just doesn’t quite cut it.
  • Habit – Before I get on ANY plane, I always pat the plane three times to the right of the door. I look up and say a quiet thanks and then I start each and every plane trip off with a tomato juice. It’s a habit and it has worked well for me for a long time now. (I hate flying and love traveling.)
  • Non-important (to you maybe) – my husband has blinders on to all of my faults. He tells me he loves me everyday and loves all of the quirks I have listed above. He thinks I’m the greatest thing in the world, but that’s okay because I think he’s the most amazing person in the world. My wish is for my kids (in school and my own at home) to feel this exact same way someday.

So those are the six random things about me. These are the blogs that I love to read..:

Beckett-To-Be (This blog is the whole reason I started blogging in the first place. Beckett is right between Maddie and Amelia in age and I love checking in on him.)Maddie’s Snowman

Sentiments On Common Sense (blocked in China, but well worth the read!)

The Thinking Stick (I’ve know Jeff for nearly seven years now and he has inspired me to learn more and more every step of the way.)

Dare to Dream (I love this blog so very much. I keep going back to read my favorite post when the house is quiet and the girls are asleep. I wish this for my girls… to be more like Rachel. My second favorite post so relates to me and I try to give myself a break. I suppose I’ll always be the gatekeeper of Maddie’s dreams, but perhaps the wait time can be a bit shorter. Thus… a snowman on snow day!

Maddie’s Minute (Is it bad for me to tag my daughter’s blog? I have to admit though that I read this blog more than any other blog. It’s our thing: Maddie and I sit at the computer every single day and walk down memory lane. Great conversations!)

The Swivel Chair (A colleague of mine, Mr. Power, started blogging this year with his kids and has really ran with it. I have so much respect for him because he jumped in with both feet and is truly building his social network and his students’ social network.)

Photos: Blogging for Dummies by Somewhat Frank
Snow Day in Shanghai by Amanda DeCardy

Filed Under: Weekly Notes Tagged With: ,

Be SMART About It!

December 8, 2007 By Leave a Comment

In November, students went through the student involved conference process which included sharing and setting goals with their parents. Before we leave for the winter holiday, students are revisiting these goals and setting two new goals to take them through the next quarter. SMART goals are just that… they are Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic, and Timely. The most common goal is for students by far is to “get on high-honor role” for the rest of their days, but we ask them to dig a bit deeper. What would prevent them from getting onto honor role? Would it be procrastination? Not taking notes in class? Spending too much time texting friends? The answer is different for each student, but we ask them to tackle those answers through their goals.

Students write their goals in three areas: an academic goal, a health/wellness goal, and a personal behavior goal. Sometimes they overlap, but we feel that it’s important for the students to find a sense of balance in their lives. All too often, students are so hungry for that perfect grade that they forget to take care of themselves. Conversely, sometimes we see students kicking their heels up a bit too much and forgetting about the academics. The goal setting process is intended to help them strike a balance. We’ll be asking the students to reflect on their goals once a week. All students are required to write at least one of their three goals on their blog, but some may write all three. While some students may choose to hand write their goals on forms in the classroom, all students will reflect on their progress towards their goals.

I think it’s only fair to model what I’m asking of my students. So I share you with goals in these three areas. Maybe by putting my goals out there, you will help me be accountable!!!

My Academic Goal – I have been talking about it for years so it’s time for me to jump in… I will start working towards my certification in School Counseling at Lehigh University by taking one online course in the spring of 2008.

My Health/Wellness Goal – We all know that I just had a baby… I will go to the gym three to four mornings a week where I will do 20 minutes of cardio each time and 30 minutes of weight training in order to become more physically fit and healthy.

My Personal Behavior Goal – Just so those precious moments don’t slip away too fast… I will decrease the amount of school work I do at home from 5:00 – 8:00 so that I can spend quality time with my children and will be home by 4:00 twice a week. (Thank goodness I live near school.)

Happy Goal Setting!

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