Investigating a Mysterious Boom

This is true 21st Century Learning--collaboration, research, creativity, and relevance.
This teacher is my friend, but she *sob, sob* no longer teaches at my school.  She was a victim of staffing cuts a few years ago, but I know she loves where she is now.


I especially love this project because the mysterious boom literally almost broke the windows in my house.
   

Way to go, Dianna!

The Beach on VoiceThread

I know the VoiceThread is not the latest thing off the market, but it's a great product for presentation and collaboration.  Besides, it's free.

I'm teaching earth science classes how to use it to create their own rock cycles.  They turn in their projects by sharing with their teacher. 

They are also sharing with each other (only people they trust since they have to share email addresses) so that they can collaborate.  I used some of my own pictures and one video to show them how to create a voice thread, and then some of them wanted to be my friend :), so they commented on my pictures.

VoiceThread can be used for many different types of assignments, especially digital storytelling.  Give it a try.

Just Playin' Around

Okay, I'll admit, like many others, I am now addicted to Angry Birds.  Argh!  Like I have time for this!


I really like playing games, and I have been thinking (as I've been trying to guide these daggone birds to the right spots) about how playing games is not just for fun.  We often criticize people (teenagers especially) for the exorbitant amount of time they spend playing games (the various versions of "Call of Duty" come to mind), and okay, a lot of people go just a bit overboard.


But playing games is not just playing around.  Most games require critical thinking (like Angry Birds) and creativity.  And man, would I ever love to have some collaboration right now to help me get past this spot where I'm stuck!


Younger children often love school, and then grow to dislike it as they become older.  One difference?  The young kids get to play games.  In high school, we're wasting time if we play games.


Well, I don't think so!  Games are an excellent learning opportunity for any age.

21st Century Collaboration--Building Relationships

Reflecting on the events of the past two weeks, knowing that the work of the officials involved has yet to be finished, and preparing to go back to work (school) after spring break with the plot still heavy on our minds, I am reminded of one of the main reasons most of us are in this profession.

That reason is so that we can help kids.

We now have more opportunities than ever to be able to get to know our students well and do what we can to better their lives. We can't solve every problem, but we can do our best with the ones we know about.

One of the main components of 21st Century Learning and Teaching is collaboration. Every time I explain the value of blogs, wikis, and social networks (Ning) in education, my main point is that using them allows us to get to know our students better.

Many students, shy or not, will write in a blog or discussion more than they will reveal verbally. Part of the reason is that they are more comfortable texting and typing. I've heard many people near my age, and even younger (not that I'm young--I just would expect younger educators to be more accepting), disdainfully complain about that characteristic of the net-generation, but it's not a bad thing; it's just a new thing.

And the point is, if we use that to our advantage, to engage students, and to get to know them better, then we are in a better position to do our jobs well--to help them discover, create, collaborate, and grow.

And to help them solve some problems that they may never share with anyone else. After all, all they really ever want from us (usually) is just to be there for them.

Why Teach?

A person is a teacher because he knows what is important.

Pure and simple.

It comes from the gut.

It starts from the knowledge that no one survives alone

And the best way to grow is with the guidance

Of someone in your corner.

That person "in a child's corner" is his teacher.

Now for the unvarnished truth: No guts, no glory.

Teaching takes more patience, energy, stamina, and resilience

Than the average person has.

But there is nothing in the world like it.

A teacher calls his students "my kids."

Make no mistake; that's exactly the way it is.

There is a bond.

The bond says to each student: I will be here for you each day.

I want you to be here. I will be ready to teach you.

I expect you to do the best you can. I will help you.

You are important to me.

Why teach?

Why work so hard to make life better for kids?

What is it that the teacher gets in return?

The "return" is a child who has learned.

Along with the guarantee that the future

Is in the hands of the students who walk into his room.

At the end of life,

A teacher won't have to be concerned

About what he did for mankind

Because mankind walked through his door

And waited for him to reveal a world

That was worth the effort.

~J.C. Grosche ©2007

Double Play!

An exceptionally talented colleague (Mark in social studies) introduced me to these two sites. The first is called Xtranormal. Just the title is intriguing. It's in Beta form right now, so things will change and some free stuff won't be free later, but it is a fun site that can be used as part of a lesson, or as a project for your students. I've made a brief practice movie just to show a little of what you can do, but some of you will no doubt make much better movies and spend more time. I know one thing--many of our students will make much better movies and spend LESS time. It's their thing, which is why it's a good tool for us.

The second is an incredible site created by a teacher in California. (See--this is what social networking, a personal learning network, is all about--collaboration across the country, around the globe.) Go to Mr. Roughton's Classroom 2.0 and look around at the incredible stuff he has done. I want to be like him when I grow up. What a great site! Can you imagine how engaging his site is for his students?

Mixbook--Too Cool!

My friend Heidi, who is the CRS at the Tech Center (Vo Tech 2.0) found this site, Mixbook, that allows anyone to create and share books online. You can buy your book if you want, but you don't have to. You can share for free.

Therefore, you and your students can use it for projects. It allows users to invite others to collaborate on one book--group projects! It's also fun--I made one myself to learn it.

Two teachers--one from science and one from English--have asked me recently for a web alternative to creating a brochure in Publisher (which pretty much everyone I work with knows I hate). I tried to find some alternatives, but nothing really worked right in school--filter issues--until I found this on my friend's blog.

The academic uses for this site are infinite. Well, maybe not quite infinite, but close.