Google tools galore class

I have just had the last session of a great staff development class called Google Tools Galore. It is a great class! I have been exposed to numerous google tools including gmail, documents, calendar, reader, and much more. I consider myself a pretty active google user, but now realize that the capabilities of Google, its sites, and its tools are virtually limitless. I plan to use many of these features, particularly the google docs, as I look for ways to improve my effectiveness at my job and with my personal life. I feel a bit overwhelmed but can't wait to continue to explore the seemingly infinite possibilities with Google!!
The teacher was awesome, too!!

the digital native

http://is.gd/8krhR

this link is worth conversation!!

my fun quiz

http://is.gd/8brnE

my "All About Me" Presentation

click here to view my Google class presentation: enjoy my presentation

Google Reader

Google Reader is a really cool and time-saving tool from Google I have been using for some time now. I would be happy to give a little mini-lesson on this tool in our class to explain how valuable it is if anyone is interested. In the meantime here is a link to help you get started form one of the blogs I follow: Dangerously Irrelevant. It is a great blog.

http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2010/01/school-law-feeds-and-other-resources-for-google-reader.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+dangerouslyirrelevant+(Dangerously+Irrelevant)

Berries and Deer Prints

Berries and Deer Prints

 

I sit here on the porch of my cabin at Nature’s Classroom in Mentone, Alabama. For eight years I’ve been making this trip with the 5^th grade students of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.  It is an outdoor science/learning/bonding experience. Now it has begun to rain, but the students are oblivious.  The benchswing, the very competitive round-robin match of four square with Mr. Dorsey, our fourth grade teacher, and a bit of harmless boy/girl chasing are all the focus.  Memories in the making!

 

I have before me much of what I hope we, as educators, can capture in the school environment. Among the academic preparations that we must offer and impose on our students… essential in today’s world of high expectations and high-speed information exchange…we should strive to capture the enchantment of childhood and the making of memories. We must remember to not only teach, but also to connect with and know our students. We must create an environment that allows young brains to acquire the knowledge base and academic skills needed in our culture.   Equally important, our students must be aware of their own strengths and how to use those strengths to overcome any weaknesses they may have.  They must feel connected to something greater than themselves and embrace life-long learning.  This is no small task. The traditional academic expectations are always present, but fostering a love of learning and confidence in their own unique skills is just as critical. 

 

I was on a group hike today with Sally. I was the caboose of the line and Sally just happened to be the student next to last in the line. We had a casual conversation as we walked through the woods and along the river. I had noticed that Sally planned to be at the tail end of the group. She was taking it all in as we made our way past berries, rock formations, and various plants she had been learning about on previous hikes. She stopped often to tell me about these berries and those berries, this plant and that tree. We connected on the journey, talking about what animal might have just been there eating those berries, or spotting a deer print and discussing how the deer might have made its way down to the river to drink. She got more out of that hike than any of the others, as did I.

 

What makes a kid tick? Mel Levine inspires much of what makes up my own philosophy.  It is not about how smart our kids are. It is about how our kids are smart. Sally is a ‘stop and smell the roses’ type of person.  When allowed to stop and take it in, she thirsts for knowledge, for learning something new. She used her brain today in ways nobody else did. What a smart kid!

 

If I were to ask Sally where we went on our hike, she might not remember, but she can name berries, bushes, and identify deer tracks…and she will remember the journey. Is that not what we want for our kids? Of course our kids need acquisition of academic knowledge and skills, no doubt about that. But there is more: the enchantment of childhood and the making of memories. My brain grew and learned today, and I know Sally’s did too.

 

My educational philosophy: teach, reach and connect. Children should learn what they do well, and how that can help them with what they don’t do so well. Teachers should allow them the time to stop, absorb, experience, and remember the journey. Education should be viewed as a lifelong journey with no final destination.  Getting through school is just the first leg of the trip.  We need to connect with students so that the learning process is an organic one; a process in which the lines between teacher and student blur, and the students’ vision for their own learning style is clear.  As Ned Hallowell said so well in his latest book: “Every brain is smart, you just need to find at what.”

In the Lower School, enrichment is at the core of what we do everyday. We present an advanced and enriching curriculum and offer a multitude of enriching courses and content. We offer strong academics in reading, writing and arithmetic, balanced with social studies, PE, recess, fine arts, foreign language, technology, VBV, math enrichment, writing lab, AR opportunities, Science lab, Library and others. Every student has the opportunity to find challenge and enrichment. In the midst of all this, there are also learners that need support and for them we provide a skilled Learning Specialist to coordinate a support system. For every student there is a support system, whether it is for challenge or remediation. Our class sizes are held to a level that allows that support system to function effectively. Every child is able, if they choose, to find and explore areas of talent and interest. For some, it may be in a particular subject, project, activity, or class. Every child should be afforded the enriching opportunities that allow for an area of passion to unfold. Each child should be able to answer the question, “how are you smart?” Can you? 

 

The rain has stopped and darkness has fallen here at Nature’s Classroom.  The kids are enjoying a campfire, S’mores, and reflecting on the experiences of the day. This is what it is all about.  I know Sally is thinking about berries, bushes and how that Deer got that drink from the river.  And so am I.

 

Globalization Collaboration Sheet

Globalization Collaboration Sheet

The purpose of this form is to allow students to collaborate in defining the following terms:

1. Globalization

2. Outsourcing

3. Insourcing

What do I hope to accomplish with this?

What if Daniel White asks me to define these words and I do not know the answer?

Why is my nametag on backwards on the photo?

Why would you take a class from such a goof? 

What grade would you like: A for $50, B for $25, or a C for $10. (I don't charge for an F).??