Ok, so the task is to blog about who I'm following and the labels I've used. Here goes.
I'm new to the blogger world so I jumped on the bandwagon quickly and followed nearly everyone I came into contact with at some point during my school day! I'm following
5 Tech Teaching Tools
gorman's blog - She is my building reading specialist and supports my curriculum
isketch- I used to play this game in college and when I signed in it was right there on my screen. Weird??
Jess' Tech Tools- I went to Canada with this woman! Cool video about "flipping the classroom."
Justin Jacobs PC Math Blog- This man must know by now that math is not my strongest subject. I send a math question to him about AT LEAST once a trimester. If you go to his blog you can FEED HIS FISH!!!
Laura's Education Blog- She's a kindred spirit, a fellow English friend.
Morgan Kingstedt- We laugh A LOT.
Mr. Kemmis- his formal title is way too long BUT when I need to check to see if I'm doing something right I check his blog :)
No clue- I want to see if he can figure it out!
Personal Foul- I think his rants could be funny
Rants.Raves.Randomness- a fellow friend from high school.
Students and Technology- Our art teacher. No pressure but I'm waiting to see what awesomeness she puts togther.
stuff for school- totally respect this woman!
Tech blog- I'm waiting for the witty remarks.
The Chemistry Teacher- when I think about what kind of blogger I want to be when I grow up, it's this one.
PHew. Too many? Time will tell!
Labels I have so far:rant, scary technology , following, labels, Gaming in the classroom, need for social media,
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Just a rant
Why does technology scare me? I've seen changes in the way my students write because of twitter, email, IM, chat, and texting. I have seen my students read less traditional fiction and nonfiction and read more email, facebook, blogs, tweets. I have seen my students' prior knowledge and vocabulary limited because they choose the tiny, tiny world they are interested in and deeply envelop themselves in just that.
I have a SMART board in my classroom, I read online newspapers with my students, I use online study tools, I use moodle, I text, I email, I facebook. I DON'T tweet.
Technology seems like that unknown thing, the one that has 50% chance of being something really good and 50% chance of being really bad. The suspense is killing me!
My rant? A discussion I overheard in the hallway today:
Girl student says to other girl student: I think it was false, false, true, false, true, true...(you get the drift).
Other student: oh, but what about this?
Girl student: Do you have your phone? I'll just text you.
Good thing I wasn't giving a true/false quiz that day. Other teachers? Beware ;)
I have a SMART board in my classroom, I read online newspapers with my students, I use online study tools, I use moodle, I text, I email, I facebook. I DON'T tweet.
Technology seems like that unknown thing, the one that has 50% chance of being something really good and 50% chance of being really bad. The suspense is killing me!
My rant? A discussion I overheard in the hallway today:
Girl student says to other girl student: I think it was false, false, true, false, true, true...(you get the drift).
Other student: oh, but what about this?
Girl student: Do you have your phone? I'll just text you.
Good thing I wasn't giving a true/false quiz that day. Other teachers? Beware ;)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Is reading fun?
So, for me reading is fun. For many of my students it is not. I love reading; I see the characters in my head and when I put my book down it is like I am putting down some friends for a while only to pick them up later. Crazy, I know. How do I get that love of reading to my students? While finding the right text is key, how do I get them to practice much needed reading skills without boring them to death? A colleague of mine is super amazing and took on the challenge of inventing and running a RPG in her classroom. Students could "power up" based on how well they did on assignments, they could "earn" extra health, etc. My colleague is awesome and energetic and even she found that it was hard to control and manage. Give me something in a package! How can I use games in my classroom? Google is now giving out google badges for newspaper articles read, and I am looking more into that. For now I guess I have to just live in the abstract, the-idea-is-out-there moment and wait for someone (one of my students, perhaps) to create something for me. Click below to watch a brief video discussing the possible positives that could come from gaming in the classroom. My concerns: internal motivation- are we losing it altogether if I compete for "prizes" all the time, could my role as a teacher become (gasp!) obselete?
The Game is on!
AND
The Game is on!
AND
Just as an ironic side note- I watched this on a Sunday afternoon by my patio window, sipping my tea with my computer next to the book I was reading. You will probably laugh if you get to the end of this video.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Just READ isn't just about reading but thinking about how to teach reading
What do my students need to be able to read? What do my 12th graders need to be prepared to do for the work world? My students follow twitter, read online news (as part of my class), spend countless HOURS on facebook. How are they using social media? How will they use social media in the future?
Starting up
Hey all!
Megan Rohwer from Park Center Senior High School here.
So I won't lie. I probably would not have this site if not for an AWESOME chance to win a Kindle (and of course a chance to learn about technology and how to use it in the classroom). This is my 6th year at Park Center. I have taught 10th English, 11th English, 12th English, journalism, AP 11, writing interventions, reading interventions and English/Read 12 in my years here. I like to think that I am the current expert on English/Reading 12 as I have been the only teacher to do it recently at Park Center. Because English/Read is the impetus for the title of my blog, let me tell you about it.
English/Reading 12 is a class for 12th graders who have not yet passed the MCA GRAD reading test. If they do not pass it, they will NOT graduate (or so that's the rumor. A bit more research must be done as I KNOW I have students who have NOT passed it applying for community colleges and getting in!??!). In this course I am supposed to teach students the reading skills they need to pass the test ALONG with grade 12 literature ALONG with writing skills. Typing it, it doesn't seem like a lot. Add in that it feels as though 80% of them are reluctant learners...and well, it's a challenge.
Moral of the story? Just read. 98% of my English/Reading students tell me, "I hate reading." Read to your kids, read to your neighbors, read to strangers. Just read.
Megan Rohwer from Park Center Senior High School here.
So I won't lie. I probably would not have this site if not for an AWESOME chance to win a Kindle (and of course a chance to learn about technology and how to use it in the classroom). This is my 6th year at Park Center. I have taught 10th English, 11th English, 12th English, journalism, AP 11, writing interventions, reading interventions and English/Read 12 in my years here. I like to think that I am the current expert on English/Reading 12 as I have been the only teacher to do it recently at Park Center. Because English/Read is the impetus for the title of my blog, let me tell you about it.
English/Reading 12 is a class for 12th graders who have not yet passed the MCA GRAD reading test. If they do not pass it, they will NOT graduate (or so that's the rumor. A bit more research must be done as I KNOW I have students who have NOT passed it applying for community colleges and getting in!??!). In this course I am supposed to teach students the reading skills they need to pass the test ALONG with grade 12 literature ALONG with writing skills. Typing it, it doesn't seem like a lot. Add in that it feels as though 80% of them are reluctant learners...and well, it's a challenge.
Moral of the story? Just read. 98% of my English/Reading students tell me, "I hate reading." Read to your kids, read to your neighbors, read to strangers. Just read.
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