Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
About a 11 months ago I started collecting data a la Feltron…and was completely inspired by dy/dan’s Annual Report…so I started collecting data.
This data was to be collected in 5 major categories…School Business, Leisure Activities, Beverages Consumed, Social Networking Stats, and Sporting Events. With a month left, I decided to take a peek at some of the grand totals…and it blew my mind. It really is amazing how some of these categories added up. I’m going to wait another month to release the full results, but I’m just blown away.
I suggest this activity to everyone. Pick a few things to track for a year and watch your progress.
<<Spoiler Alert>>
I’ve already had 712.5 servings of coffee.
At an average of 12 ounces a serving (that is probably a low estimate) I’ve drank 8550 ounces of coffee.
That converts to 66.8 gallons of coffee in 11 months…and I wonder where my heartburn comes from. I know that might not seem like a lot of coffee to some hardcore coffee drinkers out there, but I’m amazed at my intake of java!!
I’m switching to tea for 2010.
We just had a nice long Thanksgiving Day break. This was a much needed break from school. It is amazing how energized you get from having a few days off with nothing to do. Luckily, my lesson plans were done before I left school on Wednesday and all assignments were graded…nothing was brought home. Sometimes thats all you need to get re-energized.
Image attribution: .| Email |. http://www.everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=225359
So…the last post on the Annex was on September 2, 2009. There is no way I’ll get followers posting once every 2months. I’ve been extremely busy working on my Master’s research project, a second graduate class, juggling a new-ish curriculum, teaching 2 PD courses, and leaving things until the last minute. I’d like to say that I vow to write more posts, but I just don’t know if I can follow through…I can give it a try though!
I can say that I’ve been over-saturating myself with information coming through my tweets and RSS feed. I honestly think there is way too much out there. I taught one PD class on Web2.0 tools. I think my class of 6 was overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that is available to them. The number one question was…Where do you find the time? All I had to say to that was…I don’t know. There isn’t enough time to teach everything. As a fairly new teacher, I feel that has been my mistake. Try to teach everything. Unfortunately, YOU CAN’T. Towards the end of my Web2.0 Tools class, I advised my eager educators to pick 1 or 2 tools and start there. Hone your skills in a few methods of teaching before you move to the next.
In following my own advice, I’m going to start a “Historical Blog” of sorts. (the details have not fully been ironed out yet) I want to make a blog available for my students to contribute to on a weekly/bi-weekly/or monthly basis. They’ll simply log-in and write a post. Here’s the catch…they’ll need to take on the identity of a historical figure and write. It would be Hammurabi writing a post about the code of laws he just came up with…or…Alexander the Great writing about his most recent conquest. I think (fingers crossed) this is a good idea.
Image Attributions:Alexandr Makedonsky, Summer Gardenhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexandr_Makedonsky,_Summer_Garden.jpg
After a relatively “short” summer, school begins on Thursday. I’m truly excited to start this year off with a bang. Just like every December 31st, I tend to make some new school year resolutions.
- I want to be more organized in everything I do.
- I want to be more patient.
- I want to be more clear in my instructions.
- I want to become a better planner.
- I want to give myself more time to turn lessons into masterpieces.
- I want to use technology without any limitations.
I’m sure there are some more, but they have escaped me. I guess that means that resolution #4 is already broken.
Let’s Roll!!
gdgt.com is a great site for all those crazy about gadgets. You can create your profile and keep track of all the gadgets you have or had. I even put old school nintendo on there!!(mint condition – no blowing in the cartridge needed) You can note which gadgets you want in the future and read reviews about them. Oh and for you folks that like telling everyone which gadgets you had or have, why not get this handy-dandy widget for the sidebar of your blog…just a suggestion.
I had to write this down, otherwise I might forget it. I’m a big sports fan. Not HUGE, just big. I like watching ESPN when I can. SportsCenter, Around the Horn, and PTI. The guys (and gals) on SportsCenter are absolutely hilarious. (I hung out with Neil Everett one night and tried to convince him to give me a shout out on SportsCenter or work me into one of his catch phrases…”Bartender…Makers Mark!!” But that’s beside the point) Around the Horn has an outstanding array of panelists hosted by a fellow New Jersyan, Tony Reali.
But, Pardon the Interruption takes the cake. This is a sports talk show hosted by two sports reporters, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. What makes this show great is the back and forth that Tony and Mike have. They almost never agree and almost always argue over the current news stories. Many times it’s as if one of the two hosts takes the opposing side just to start an argument. Apparently, arguments make for good TV.
The show is usually broken up in different segments. There is a Headlines segment where the hosts run down 5 or 6 of the top sporting news stories. Each story is talked about for only 1:30 minutes. The next segment is called Five Good Minutes. This is where they spend 5 minutes talking to a sports figure, sports writer, or analyst. The third segment various between a few different segments. Sometimes its Odds Makers where the hosts place certain odds on future sporting outcomes. There is also Role Play. In this segment they hold a face on a stick in front of their face and “act the part.” Psychic Hotline is where the hosts predict what will happen. During Over/Under the hosts argue whether a sports figure will go over or under a specific numbered stat. And Good Cop/Bad Cop is where the hosts are forced to take opposing sides of an argument.
T
hat brings me to my idea. I want to hold a PTI episode in my classroom. I will give each student a partner (or two) and a run-down of the topics they will discuss. They must keep the conversation going for the full minute and a half. Then when the buzzer rings, they move on to the next topic. The goal is to talk intellectually about the topic.
For the second segment, they’ll have to interview a historical figure. They will have a list of questions they would like to ask. Of course, someone will have to play the role of that historical figure.
Segment three is where they’ll have a chance to pick one of the options explained above. For Odds Makers I would ask them questions like: What are the odds that Rome will fall? or What are the odds that Alexander the Great will conquer the world? For Over/Under I’ll ask them questions like: Over/Under: 50 years to build a pyramid….or Over/Under: 199 years of peace and prosperity for the Roman Empire.
I want them to recreate the show. Every segment. From Headlines to Happy Time.
What I like about the show is what I want to achieve in my classroom. Have the students think about issues with a different lens. Force them to take the other side. The side that they are not comfortable with. The side that sticks up for the bad guy. In my opinion, if they can argue both sides of an issue, then they truly know the material.
Now I just have to figure out how to assess the activity.
I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. By the Spring of 2010 I should have my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and hold a Supervisor’s Certificate. Shortly after that, I’ll take a few more classes to get my Principal’s Certificate. I honestly do not see myself as a Principal yet. I truly love the classroom. I have fun every day I go into “work.” I wonder if I’ll get sick of the classroom…I hope not. As for now, I’ll just complete my graduate classes and take it one year at a time.
Just made a crappy graph. Thinking about using this graphic for a paper I’m writing about turning reluctant learners into inspired learners.
