Dear Readers:
I came across this post in Edutopia. Edutopia is an education site created by George Lucas. I hear from community members how sometimes they do not understand a concept or a problem, well here is a site for you. The blog speaks about homework help from teachers in New York. If you try the site please let me know how it works.
Sincerely,
Chris
Thursday, January 27, 2011
State of the Union Address
Dear Readers:
I was watching the State of the Union Address, when I felt I needed to make a change to my blog. President Obama spoke of Big Things (attached the video). I want to make my blog a little more interactive with involvement from students, teachers, and community members. President Obama spoke of how America was proactive and a leader innovation. He spoke of how education needs to change and inspire our youth to make changes and want to achieve new levels of success.
Martin Luther King made his "I have a dream Speech" in 1963 which pertained to civil rights. What I am asking is what dreams do you have as a student, what big things do you want to accomplish, how are you going to make a difference?
We are entering into a new world of education. Yesterday our students had the opportunity to skype with a class from Pennsylvania. I have not had a chance to meet with the students, but heard from several staff members how much they enjoyed the experience. I heard some of the questions about "what are your houses like" and getting to know each other type of events. Our students then used Google Earth to view actual satellite photos of the town where the students resided. Mrs. Gano is looking to collaborate on future classroom projects. The classroom of yesterday is greatly changing.
A blog I follow from Shawn Holloway spoke of how classrooms used to look. Have we changed to meet what education looks like today? Everyone is now connected in brand new ways. We were asked at the tech training yesterday, "How has banking changed?" My first thought was that we can now bank online. We do not need to really ever step foot inside a bank. Then I thought about how my parents did not have access to ATMs, if you did not go to the bank on Friday for cash you went without.
Again I pose the question to you the students, teachers, and community members what Big Things or Dreams do you have for the future of education?
I was watching the State of the Union Address, when I felt I needed to make a change to my blog. President Obama spoke of Big Things (attached the video). I want to make my blog a little more interactive with involvement from students, teachers, and community members. President Obama spoke of how America was proactive and a leader innovation. He spoke of how education needs to change and inspire our youth to make changes and want to achieve new levels of success.
Martin Luther King made his "I have a dream Speech" in 1963 which pertained to civil rights. What I am asking is what dreams do you have as a student, what big things do you want to accomplish, how are you going to make a difference?
We are entering into a new world of education. Yesterday our students had the opportunity to skype with a class from Pennsylvania. I have not had a chance to meet with the students, but heard from several staff members how much they enjoyed the experience. I heard some of the questions about "what are your houses like" and getting to know each other type of events. Our students then used Google Earth to view actual satellite photos of the town where the students resided. Mrs. Gano is looking to collaborate on future classroom projects. The classroom of yesterday is greatly changing.
A blog I follow from Shawn Holloway spoke of how classrooms used to look. Have we changed to meet what education looks like today? Everyone is now connected in brand new ways. We were asked at the tech training yesterday, "How has banking changed?" My first thought was that we can now bank online. We do not need to really ever step foot inside a bank. Then I thought about how my parents did not have access to ATMs, if you did not go to the bank on Friday for cash you went without.
Again I pose the question to you the students, teachers, and community members what Big Things or Dreams do you have for the future of education?
Friday, January 21, 2011
New Water
Dear Readers:
I would like for you to know that we are venturing into new water. Mrs. Gano and her eighth grade class are going to skype with a class from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Gano has been working with another social studies teacher to create the magic. It was suppose to happen today but due to the late start we are trying for Wednesday(keep your fingers crossed for nice weather).
Again I want to remind all of you that we begin state testing on February 1st. Please make sure and have your child get a good night rest, eat a nutrition breakfast, and enjoy the experience. We are looking for great scores and to see an increase in our overall performance. The students will be filling out goal sheets next Friday, so take time and ask them about their goal.
Sincerely,
Chris
I would like for you to know that we are venturing into new water. Mrs. Gano and her eighth grade class are going to skype with a class from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Gano has been working with another social studies teacher to create the magic. It was suppose to happen today but due to the late start we are trying for Wednesday(keep your fingers crossed for nice weather).
Again I want to remind all of you that we begin state testing on February 1st. Please make sure and have your child get a good night rest, eat a nutrition breakfast, and enjoy the experience. We are looking for great scores and to see an increase in our overall performance. The students will be filling out goal sheets next Friday, so take time and ask them about their goal.
Sincerely,
Chris
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
ITBS
Dear Readers:
The Terril school will begin state testing on February 2nd. We will finish testing on Friday, February 5th. The following week will be used for make up time. We need the students to do well and will be preparing them for the test. If we experience inclement weather during testing we will move schedule one day back. The schedule is as follows:
ITBS Testing for Grades 3-8 (2011)
Testing done by Groups
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
(Vocabulary, Reading Part 1, Reading Part 2, & Spelling)
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
(Math Concepts/Estimation, Math Problem-Solving/Data Interpretation, & Math Computation)
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
(Social Studies, Science, & Maps/Diagrams)
Friday, February 4th, 2011
(Usage and Expression, Capitalization, & Punctation)
Sincerely,
Chris
The Terril school will begin state testing on February 2nd. We will finish testing on Friday, February 5th. The following week will be used for make up time. We need the students to do well and will be preparing them for the test. If we experience inclement weather during testing we will move schedule one day back. The schedule is as follows:
ITBS Testing for Grades 3-8 (2011)
Testing done by Groups
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
(Vocabulary, Reading Part 1, Reading Part 2, & Spelling)
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
(Math Concepts/Estimation, Math Problem-Solving/Data Interpretation, & Math Computation)
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
(Social Studies, Science, & Maps/Diagrams)
Friday, February 4th, 2011
(Usage and Expression, Capitalization, & Punctation)
Sincerely,
Chris
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Meetings
Dear Readers:
We had staff meetings the last two days. We talked about open source materials which would be similar to a on-line text book. I showed the staff two sites Curriki and Flexbooks which are great for open source material. We also discussed Characteristics of Effective Instruction with assessment. The staff read a blog about formative assessment and whether it is oversold. We discussed different ideas and how assessment needs to be a variety; end of the chapter or unit test along with observations, rubics, speaking with students, and others informal assessments. We also have moved the advisory period from after lunch to the end of the day for middle school students. We want to give them a chance to refocus their thoughts and have their materials ready to bring home. The staff and I want to have success for all our students and feel this might help. I will post the schedule for ITBS next week which will begin Tuesday February 1st.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year
Dear Readers:
Happy New Year and I look forward to a great 2011. We had an excellent professional development day on January 3rd. During the professional development we focused on literacy for all staff members. We had a presentation on the six outcomes of the Iowa Core Curriculum. The positive behavior support team provided information on majors and also bullying and harassment data was provided by Mr. Mahon.
We will be taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills during the first two weeks of February so make sure have your child get plenty of rest and a solid breakfast. I will post the schedule for testing in the near future.
Sincerely,
Chris
Happy New Year and I look forward to a great 2011. We had an excellent professional development day on January 3rd. During the professional development we focused on literacy for all staff members. We had a presentation on the six outcomes of the Iowa Core Curriculum. The positive behavior support team provided information on majors and also bullying and harassment data was provided by Mr. Mahon.
We will be taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills during the first two weeks of February so make sure have your child get plenty of rest and a solid breakfast. I will post the schedule for testing in the near future.
Sincerely,
Chris
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