To Infinity and Beyond!!!

That line was made famous by the great Buzz Lightyear. I often ask my students to channel him and say it with pride when we're learning to speak aloud. The quote also seems to hold true for my aspirations this year. My students are now blogging, and the enthusiasm is awesome. Our school's library media specialist Karen Kliegman and I introduced the concept of blogging to the students in one lesson, but you can read about that in the collaborations section of this blog. Anyway, my kids are now starting to think of their respective blogs on our classroomblogmeister page as their little places on the web that the whole world can see. Initially, I used it as a resource for personal and reading response to literature that we are exploring in our classroom, but I hope to expand its use to reach one small percentage of its total potential. So I guess as I look toward the sky with the hopes and dreams of a successful, engaging and fun school year, I proudly and loudly proclaim "To infinity, AND BEYOND!!!!!"

Putting it Down on Paper

I collaborated with my library media specialist using a lesson to introduce the concept of blogging using paper. We introduced the term "blog" to the students and identified the difference between a personal journal and a blog.
Students were each given a blank sheet of paper and asked to describe one of their favorite foods using words and a picture. The kids were then given the papers of other students in the class. They were asked to interact with each other through post-its by writing comments. Then, the papers with post-it comments were again given to other students in the class that were then able to comment on either the original paper or the comments that were made. It was engaging and exciting, and it sets the stage for 'real' blogging.
I found the lesson at http://bookwyrmish.edublogs.org/2007/09/01/paper-blog-lp/.

It was a very successful lesson that the LMS then used subsequently with other classes.

And Away We Go!!!

I was asked to think about what I am hoping to learn. This is a refreshing change, as most 'higher education' will take the liberty of telling you what you will learn. Sure, there are electives and the like (undergraduate perhaps), but the majority of learning is already charted out.
My past graduate educational experience was very positive. It was a source of tremendous growth and learning, but at a cost of an incredible amount of work. This brings me back to the original question - what am I hoping to learn...
I guess I am hoping to learn new ways to engage my students. I am looking for new methods and ideas, along with resources both in technology and those that compliment it to allow my instruction to evolve. The very nature of our business is ever changing. We face new challenges every school year, and within the 'live subjects' that sit eagerly in our classrooms can be daily or even hourly changes. I want to ensure that my skills, my instruction and my strategies have the ability to change with them and utilize whatever resources I can.

Once upon a time.....

Once upon a time, there was an educator looking to use the latest resources in his classroom. His love of technology and a hunger for engaging media for his students has led him here...