So I went to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website and discovered that I am dumber than I thought. The website is awesome. It has videos and a subscription option so you can blog with other users and the site, links to lots of useful information on pretty much any subject, and lots more. My only issue with the site is that I had a hard time navigating it and knowing how to get to the information that I wanted. But there again, that is probably more of an "I'm an idiot" issue than anything else.
I know that it is a site that brings education, business, and government together, but I was still surprised to see big names like Apple, Dell, Verizon, and others listed as contributors. Those guys know the information age and are helping make it possible for teachers to learn more to help their students succeed in our technology-driven society.
My 11th grade English teacher used to say, "the more you know, the more you know" and in today's world that is true more than ever. The old SchoolHouse Rock slogan of "knowledge is power" and that is proven over and over to be true. I no longer think of information as being redundant, but as an opportunity to hear things that I may have missed the first time, or see something in a different light. Our world is ever-changing, and I do not want to be left behind, nor do I want my students to be. This website is a great tool to access information and be able to discuss that information with other professionals. We're not in competition; we're all working toward the same goal. For the sake of my students, I will keep learning (even if it shows me what an idiot I am). :-)
-Mary Beth-
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Invention Convention
One of my favorite times of the school year is the week of CRCT (the end-of-the-year test). *You may now remove your jaw from the floor and return it to its normal position.* I know it is a crazy and stressful week, but I like to look on the brighter side of death... er... life. :-) During this week, we have to be really careful about what we say and do in the classroom so as not to have a conflict of interest or whatever they call it. So during CRCT week, I do something with my 5th graders that I like to call the "Invention Convention." Using inspiration from social studies inventors and science techniques we have studied throughout the year, the students are placed into groups and asked to come up with a new invention that will make life better.
The students have four things to accomplish during the week:
1. Tell me what the invention is
2. Explain how it will make life better
3. Explain how the invention would work if it were to be made reality
4. Make a model of the invention to present to the class
Blogging could be beneficial in my Invention Convention lesson by allowing each group to write about steps 1-3 and get feedback from other student groups, parents, teachers, etc. Typing instead of pencil writing the required responses for items 1-3 can also serve as a modification for students with special needs. Each member of the group can type out each part of the assignment in separate blog entries to get more specific feedback.
I will definitely put this idea to use when the opportunity comes up this next school year. As the story unfolds, I will be sure to keep my dear fans... er... captive audience readers for grad school updated. :-) Any feedback is appreciated. I am never offended by anyone who is trying to help me become a better teacher.
Blessings,
-Mary Beth-
The students have four things to accomplish during the week:
1. Tell me what the invention is
2. Explain how it will make life better
3. Explain how the invention would work if it were to be made reality
4. Make a model of the invention to present to the class
Blogging could be beneficial in my Invention Convention lesson by allowing each group to write about steps 1-3 and get feedback from other student groups, parents, teachers, etc. Typing instead of pencil writing the required responses for items 1-3 can also serve as a modification for students with special needs. Each member of the group can type out each part of the assignment in separate blog entries to get more specific feedback.
I will definitely put this idea to use when the opportunity comes up this next school year. As the story unfolds, I will be sure to keep my dear fans... er... captive audience readers for grad school updated. :-) Any feedback is appreciated. I am never offended by anyone who is trying to help me become a better teacher.
Blessings,
-Mary Beth-
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Greetings Earthlings
Hello out there in blog-land! This is my first blogspot post (even though it says I've been a blogger since 2008, ha!), and I hope to not be a total bore.
I will begin the journey with a story... a "Classic Mary Beth Story" story.
So it was my second week teaching and I had already established myself as the craziest person anyone at Banks County Elementary had ever met. The media clerk, Jennifer, came to me during my planning period and asked if I would help promote the upcoming book fair. Of course I was eager to oblige, so I walked with her to the media center to see how I could help out.
We get there and I see a giant red fluff on the floor. Jennifer said that I would walk around with her dressed Clifford, the Big Red Dog who happened to be the mascot for the book fair. I was game, so I tried on the costume. It was HUGE! Way too big for me being so short. But hey, Jennifer was going to be walking around with me, right? I'd be fine.
So the big day came for our tour of the school with me dressed as Clifford. I got to school early to put on the costume so we could greet the kids as they got off of the bus. The costume has several parts to it and it is impossible to put on by yourself. The main body section was put on first, but I couldn't zip it. My arms were almost parallel to the floor because there was so much padding to the body of the costume. Next come the feet paws which Jennifer had to put on for me or I would have fallen over, then the hand paws, and lastly the giant Clifford head. I could barely see out of it. I could only see what was directly in front of me at my eye level. Again, Jennifer was going to be walking with me. I'd be fine.
Incident #1:
Jennifer walks me out to the buses and says, "wave to the kids, Clifford!" so I raise my hand to wave and whack a kid right in the face. Never saw him. Never felt him. Sent him toppling. Yeah.
Incident #2:
We walked through half the school, then to avoid spontaneous combustion, I took the costume off to take my students to lunch and recess. I went back at one o'clock so we could get the rest of the school and started to put the costume back on. Jennifer was busy, so I tried to put it on as much as I could by myself in the storage room. I successfully got on the main body part (zipping excluded) and started on the feet paws. I got one on... not so with the other. BAM! Yep. Fell to the floor. Had it not been for all the padding of the costume, I would have broken my arm. So I tried to get up. No such luck. All the tummy padding made it impossible to crunch myself to sit up. I even grabbed on to the shelving in the storage room, but just slipped and fell again. I laid there a good 2 minutes before I was found. Jennifer laughed, took my picture, then helped me up.
Incident #3:
The kicker. So we go to the last room of the tour--the special ed resource room. I stand at the top of the hall and Jennifer goes to tell them that we're coming so as not to scare anyone. It's the first pod from the top of the hall, so she isn't too far from me. Jennifer gets the okay from the teachers and waves for me to come. I can see her. She's right at my eye level right in front of me. Walking... walking... walking... CRASH! BOOM! BANG! SPLAT! Custodial cart right in my path. Knocked the breath out of me. Even through all the padding. Had the padding not been there, I would have broken all of my ribs. I did have a good many bruises, though. So I'm splatted out in the floor, unable to breathe, trying to gasp for air in my giant smiling Clifford costume. Jennifer was walking with me. I'll be okay. Yeah right!
So there you go. One of MANY classic Mary Beth stories. :-)
I will begin the journey with a story... a "Classic Mary Beth Story" story.
So it was my second week teaching and I had already established myself as the craziest person anyone at Banks County Elementary had ever met. The media clerk, Jennifer, came to me during my planning period and asked if I would help promote the upcoming book fair. Of course I was eager to oblige, so I walked with her to the media center to see how I could help out.
We get there and I see a giant red fluff on the floor. Jennifer said that I would walk around with her dressed Clifford, the Big Red Dog who happened to be the mascot for the book fair. I was game, so I tried on the costume. It was HUGE! Way too big for me being so short. But hey, Jennifer was going to be walking around with me, right? I'd be fine.
So the big day came for our tour of the school with me dressed as Clifford. I got to school early to put on the costume so we could greet the kids as they got off of the bus. The costume has several parts to it and it is impossible to put on by yourself. The main body section was put on first, but I couldn't zip it. My arms were almost parallel to the floor because there was so much padding to the body of the costume. Next come the feet paws which Jennifer had to put on for me or I would have fallen over, then the hand paws, and lastly the giant Clifford head. I could barely see out of it. I could only see what was directly in front of me at my eye level. Again, Jennifer was going to be walking with me. I'd be fine.
Incident #1:
Jennifer walks me out to the buses and says, "wave to the kids, Clifford!" so I raise my hand to wave and whack a kid right in the face. Never saw him. Never felt him. Sent him toppling. Yeah.
Incident #2:
We walked through half the school, then to avoid spontaneous combustion, I took the costume off to take my students to lunch and recess. I went back at one o'clock so we could get the rest of the school and started to put the costume back on. Jennifer was busy, so I tried to put it on as much as I could by myself in the storage room. I successfully got on the main body part (zipping excluded) and started on the feet paws. I got one on... not so with the other. BAM! Yep. Fell to the floor. Had it not been for all the padding of the costume, I would have broken my arm. So I tried to get up. No such luck. All the tummy padding made it impossible to crunch myself to sit up. I even grabbed on to the shelving in the storage room, but just slipped and fell again. I laid there a good 2 minutes before I was found. Jennifer laughed, took my picture, then helped me up.
Incident #3:
The kicker. So we go to the last room of the tour--the special ed resource room. I stand at the top of the hall and Jennifer goes to tell them that we're coming so as not to scare anyone. It's the first pod from the top of the hall, so she isn't too far from me. Jennifer gets the okay from the teachers and waves for me to come. I can see her. She's right at my eye level right in front of me. Walking... walking... walking... CRASH! BOOM! BANG! SPLAT! Custodial cart right in my path. Knocked the breath out of me. Even through all the padding. Had the padding not been there, I would have broken all of my ribs. I did have a good many bruises, though. So I'm splatted out in the floor, unable to breathe, trying to gasp for air in my giant smiling Clifford costume. Jennifer was walking with me. I'll be okay. Yeah right!
So there you go. One of MANY classic Mary Beth stories. :-)
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