Mid August and Fabulous Quotes

The photo is a crane that landed high in the trees by our local creek.
The first afternoon I actually sat and did nothing was strange!! I kept saying "I really have nothing that I have to do" No blog to update, tweet to post, site to find, question to answer, tech to play with, I think this is what they call summer vacation. Wow. I need to enjoy it- I only have a few more weeks of it. Loved my summer courses, now how to implement them into the class.

Spent time in the classroom yesterday getting boxes put away and setting up my new desk.The contruction has not gone smoothly (last week all the lights in 3 rooms fell, mine included) There is dust everywhere and a hired cleaning crew coming in to clean (again). Roof is not finished, tiles in the main hall are 80% done and the office staff did move back into the building. Will it all be finished by September??? Maybe not!

ON the tech side...I will not have my smartboard until Nov, maybe December. After using it all last year now I have to rethink and find overheads. Any video from youtube will be blocked for students and with no smartboad I can't show them. Uggg. What will I really be able to do technology wise is up in the air a little.

Found a great quote for the classroom ecology unit that our 40 week class is starting with-

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we are taught." - Babi Dioun, African ecologist

Any one else use great quotes in the classroom? I am thinking of posting it over the main board.

Reflections

I have really enjoyed this class. I have also grumbled and complained along the way. It really is so much work in such a short time frame. I was able to explore about 90% of the material that we were given in class. Some are earmarked for further investigation, like online inquiry.

My PLN has been wonderful. I did not think there would actually be relevance in my twittering and I do enjoy the quick notes that lead me through the web to sites I would never have been before. It is such a habit now to check my google reader that I will definitly continue with it. I am also interested to add to my network as teachers get back in the swing of the school year. I know I won't be alone in my technology world, many of the teachers i work with are receptive. Some are doing blogs and wikis for the first time this year.

One of the testimonials that I read over and over about the MSSE program was the high caliber of the particpants. It is so true. All of you are dedicated professionals that add immensly to the learning process. I really learned because you pushed me, challenged me and pulled me along. I hope you will keep blogging and twittering, sharing your thoughts and how your classrooms are doing.

The class is definitly a stretch timewise. I have never spent so much time online before, hours and hours at a sitting. But the payoff has been beyond what I could have dreamed. I love the projects I have ready for my students and I am looking forward to the new year.

I am also ready to sign up for my new fall MSU course. A few weeks off then right back at it. The joys of being a life long learner.

Thank you Eric for all your work, enjoy the rest of the summer.

Final Guiding Principles

I realized it was time to really look at my principles. When I first wrote about them (30 blogs ago!) I was just starting out, didn't have my PLN and didn't know the fast paced life I would be leading in this course. I go into the school year excited but reminding myself that technology might be fun but is it accomplishing what I need it to in the classroom.

1. The tech needs to be aligned with the content standards. I want to use technology as a tool to bring better understanding to my students. This means looking at the content they need to know and deciding how to present it, what tool will accomplish this best. Old things in new ways are good.

2. The technology needs to be student centered. I want my students to want to learn and this is not always the case. If the tools I use in the classroom force them to take the reins and giude their own learning that is a huge positive. Ownership of the learning comes when students possess the tools, dig for the knowledge, and produce a product they are proud of.

3. The technology needs to be relevant. Teaching high school now makes me mindful that these students will soon be college students and entering the work force. Will the technology that I teach them be useful? I was them to see relevance in what they do in class to what their future looks like. Also it needs to be relevant to the global world. Our students need to think beyond our samll county borders (tough to do in small town) and beyond our state and national borders as well.

4. The technology should work toward inquiry. Inquiry based learning in the sciences is the not in the future it is now. It is proven that inquiry based learning is more relevant and meaningful. Can the technology I choose facilitate inquiry? This is where the data bases and inquiry projects online will work well.

5. The teacher needs to master the technology first. I do not want to get excited about a technology and pass it along without fully understanding the ins and outs of it. This will require time and effort on my part and may only allow me to add in small bits but I will add quality when I hand the technology to my students. It is important that I can help them, many will be fearfull of something new.

My Projects

1. Class Wiki created on PBWorks. I am only using a wiki for one class. I will refine my use of the wiki with them, learning as I go how to use it best for my content. I have tried to organize it so that it is easy to follow. The directory will get them to the page they need. Separate groups will be easier to manage. The wonderful thing about a wiki is nothing is set in stone. I can change things up if I need to. I will have their names within the next few weeks to insert into Group A or B. I will not have a separate page for each unless the students grow comfortable with the technology. For projects that require smaller group work I can add pages as the need arises. The school has worked this summer to have a new layout for student folders that are easily accessed for any class and by any teacher. I don't want to duplicate anything and make it more work for students so they will keep work in the folder and post final copies to the Wiki. I will have the syllabus page complete after a few meetings next week with my co- teacher and my goal is to have all labs entered into the lab folder and link them with the syllabus. The resource page will be an ongoing page as the year rolls. Hopefully students will use and contribute to it as an extra source of information.
I need to have a formal procedural sheet for students and parents. I know I have seen a few. When I find one I like I will post it and students will need to sign off on it. I am concerned with tampering but the wiki will be closed and they will need to sign in so theoretically I will know who edits what.
Students will be expected in college to learn online, even with regular classes so much is done online. It is my goal to demonstrate they can all participate and learn from each other using this online tool.

2. Energy Transfer Project I have always been bothered by student power point presentations, even students in college. Most students will do exactly what you are not suppose to do. Well, high school is the time to learn how to do it correctly. For the ecology unit students need to understand energy flow through the ecosystem. To select the environment I would like to have students use Google Earth but I am leary about incorporating too much into one project. I have posted the excellent video, How not to use PowerPoint and given them an example of a presentation from slideboom. Students will also learn to use a file sharing site like slideboom.com which I am hoping they will use in other classes.
Objective- Students will select an ecosystem and create a presentation of the food chain and webs within the system.

3. Pathogen Project This will be part of our Homeostasis Unit and use glogster as the presentation tool. I created a glog for cholera that is about what I am looking for but I may only show them then take it off. I want them to be creative and not follow my example. Our school has been emphasizing student writing abilities and so for this project I will have them write a small article for a travel magazine (or appropriate medium) about the disease with the poster as the visual. There will be two rubrics.
Objective- Students will describe how a specific pathogen causes a failure of homeostasis leading to disease. Students will detail how the body fails and the prevention measures taken including vaccinations. They will create an education poster and summarize the information in a written article.

4. ACS Biology This is the blog I will use for my other two classes. It will be shared by myself and another teacher. I am not sure how to keep the classes separate. I will refine this as we go. I also wanted to gauge their online use. I created a poll that students will take the first few days.

5. The Voicethreads are amazing. I have posted one for students to comment on for the Wiki, at the bottom of the page and will embed it into the blog as well. I want to keep these fresh so I may only use one a unit. There will come a time when I want the students to create a thread themselves but I am not sure where yet. As I get my material and objectives set for the year, I am sure I will find a place for student-created voicethreads.