United Streaming Online

This is the best things since slice bread and you don't have to pay for the bread you eat. This site is apart of the Discovery Channel internet sites. Imagine going to Blockbuster Videos Online and you can pick any movie you want and download or stream it to your computer. Simply type in www.unitedstreaming.com and the user-friendly website will request your user ID and password. It easy to register if you don't have an account but you will need a school code. Your curriculum instructor should have or know how to obtain this information.

I wanted to show a video to my students about the different types of vertebrate animals. I just type in the word "vertebrate" into the search box that is located at the top of the page. I was able to choose from a full videos on vertebrate animals or choose from sub topics like mammal, fish, or birds. Once type in the topic all the videos related to the topic will be listed. If you have to too many to choose from you can also do a more detailed search as well.

They even give you the capability of previewing the video before you down load it or stream it to your computer for students. Most of the video have a quiz included at the end of the video help with attentiveness and helping student to recap what they just viewed. Let me not forget the lesson plans and activities that are connected to the videos as well. They have quick videos as well as longer length videos on any content related to the topics we teach in school. And best of all this is free. Yes its free!

Made to Stick!

I recently went to a writing workshop for a new program that Atlanta Public Schools will be implementing very soon. One part of the activity required the teachers at my table to read a few essay from follow teacher's students and score them using the rubric. We all were handed a copy of the first essay. It began like this, "Where is did that ball go? I have to find it or I will be in big trouble. Oh I'm sorry, I started my story in the wrong place. Let me start over. ." We were amazed with the rest of the essay as well and every teacher will forever remember that introduction and I'm sure they will read it to their students as an example of getting the audiences attention.

Made it Stick made some very good point that I use in the classroom with 5th grader. Know your audience! I tell my students all the time that no one wants to read a boring paper. Even me! I enjoyed the stories that I remembered from my past and they all do contain the 6 principles to make something stick. I will definitely be using these principles in my lesson and teaching them to my students for their presentations and essays.

What's wrong with me?

A fews week ago, I started on my technology and non technology lesson plans for class. I was so excited to complete the technology plan because I've been told that my school has a lot more technology than many of the other Atlanta Public Schools. We have Promethean boards, Document cameras, LCD projectors, video/photo cameras, a somewhat functional computer lab, Ipods, various website site like study island that my school purchase. I was so very proud of my lesson plan for technology.

Then the problem came when I completed my non-technology lesson plan. I put together two different activities that I have done in prior years that were engaging and hands-on. As I thought about which one would be more exciting for me to teach and see the kids complete I quickly, hands down, chose the non-technology plan. This disturb me because I a very technology savvy teacher and I always incorporate some form of technology into my lesson EVERYDAY!

As I gave it more thought, I realized I normally incorporate technology and non-technology activities into the one lesson. Both can work together to get the job done. As I may favor the non-technology activity now I may also favor a technology activity when I'm teaching something else. Just as me, my students are the same way. Learning Styles is what we call them. So as I prepare to teach these lesson on this week I wonder which one of my students prefer technology that will be in the non-technology class and those that prefer non-technology but will be in the technology class. Even before I teach the lessons and assess the students I've learned a lesson. Make sure I tap into the learning styles of all students so that everyone can be successful.

Time to check the donuts!

The article, Technology: Changing the Way Educators Work written Melissa Johnston, gives a brief account of one teacher morning and it focused on how email has changed the way educators work. In my sarcastic voice, I scream with excitement every time I check my email at work. Where does Melissa work at when she can nicely starts the day checking her email before the children arrive and plans out the day and pencils in her calendar of all the fantastic things she has been requested to complete. Not to mention she has to follow through on all the other request not email to her along with her all ready hectic day full of students. All I can think about is the 80's commercial where the man has to get up early in the morning to prepare the donuts that is so excited to make for all the great customers of dunkin donuts. He's as thrilled when it time check those donuts as I am eager to check my emails.

I would like to invite you into my morning activities:

It's 7:30 A.M. as Mr. Walker opens his classroom door, puts his bags down and takes out his laptop. As he turns on the computer and logs on to the school network during the few minutes before the bell rings signaling students that their day has begun. Wait I don't have a few minutes. We have no prep time at the beginning of the day to prepare. Back to story. Mr. Walker checks his email for any new messages that may need attention.

Email 1:
Teachers:

Contact all your homeroom parents and get contact information for inclement weather because we didn't think about this ahead of time and have the information by 10:00. (Thinking to myself, "When am I suppose to do this, I have to teach reading until 9:45 and call them from where? My cell phone and daytime minutes?")

Interruption #1:
Voice on the Intercom says, "Mr. Walker can you send Tyrone Davis to the office. He not in my class. Whose class is he in then? :-/
(Thinking to myself, "You can look that up right?")

Email 2:
I need the EIP checklist by 9 a.m.. Bring this documentation to me first thing in the morning. (Thinking to myself again, "didn't you just give me at 3:00pm yesterday)

I could go on, but no need. I think you get the point. Yes email is a great thing in the work place and can be beneficial to an educator being organized and help to keep track of the important things that need to get done. Just send the email in a descent amount of time and give me some uninterrupted time to check them.

Study Island

As I enter into my classroom and began to put my bags down and take off my coat I alway hear, "Good Morning Mr. Walker, Can I get on Study Island?" Can I get on study Island? The question I hear all day long but I love to hear it. Study Island is a program the elementary school I work at purchased last year. It is a study site for the students to log onto and practice different skills they have learned or currently learning in class. Imagine taking all your workbooks and practice questions and problems and putting them on to your computer.

Study Island is not only practice problem but also has tutorials for students to review when they become stuck on a problem. Study Island has so many components that make it so attractive to teachers. The program has a required pretest and post test and calculates the data that is available at a click of a button. All of the subjects are incorporated into Study Island and most importantly they are aligned with Georgia State Standards. Another great feature is email. Teachers can send out mass email to he/her classes with different assignments and get feedback from students. I receive questions about how to complete problems and asking me to repeat instruction on something they didn't get in class but was scared to say it.


The ultimate feature that kids love about Study Island are the games on the program. Study Island has games that students play during their question answer section. But students have to take some responsibility and ownership for their learning so it has a shut off feature and also a baseline score can be set to turn the games off or on automatically according to a students performance. This counter act situations where students will just choose any response to just play the games. So we both win in the end. My students love it and so do I.

Google Waves

First, I would like to know where is my invite? Ok, now that I got that out the way. I will say that Im not quite sure of about Google wave. I need a little bit more information and to see how it can be used in the classroom. After reading the article, Im sure that some of it functions will be beneficial to the classroom, but I didn't get drawn into the product. The playback function sounds great, but I still have questions about in what manner can I use this best in my class. One great thing about Google Wave is the free component. Free is alway good. Especially with the budget issues in education that are occurring across the country. The context spell checker is an excellent idea. I would like to use this when teaching Language Arts to my students. I will use Google Wave just for this capability. Since it is still in development this gives me some hope that this will bring to the table some more idea and features that will help me to see the big picture of the product.

In the end, I will take the opinion of the educators that had the opportunity to test the product out and say it probably will be a free benefit for education.

Alternative Teaching Programs vs Traditional

What happens in a Teacher’s lounge stays in the teacher’s lounge.

As a kid I use to wonder what were my teacher doing in the lounge as we sat and ate lunch in the cafeteria. What was in there? What did they talk about? There was no sign on the door with a student sitting at a desk crossed out like the say no to drugs sign in the 80’s, but I know without a doubt I was definitely not allowed. Did I become a teacher to finally be able to go into the lounge and see what it looked like and find out what goes on in there? Whatever the reason I became a teacher, I now know that what goes on in the teacher’s lounge stays in the teacher’s lounge. I am doing what has been dared to be done. Disclose the unthinkable. Tell you what happens in the lounge. We eat, we relax for a moment and prepare our minds for the afternoon classes. We TALK! oh boy do we talk!

Discussion of topic #1: Alternative Teaching Programs vs Traditional

As I enter the lounge, the topic was already under way. “Somethings just can’t be taught. You just have to have a gift to teach.” I learned from my mother to lesson twice and speak one. So I let the conversation continue as I took a seat and began to eat my lunch. “These teacher from these alternative programs cant teach.” One after the other teacher put their “two cents” in about a first year teacher who was going through an alternative certification program.Trust me the two cents were not in favor of her of competency in the classroom. All the comments in favor of “traditional teacher” included me to my surprise. Finally ,I had heard enough opinions to put my own little “two cents” into the discussion. “Well, I went through an alternative certification program.” “But Mr. Walker you.....”

Alternative certification programs in my opinion are great. They offer adults the opportunity to change careers to become teachers. I graduated with a degree in Business Management and Communication and did very well at the company I was employed with at the time. After going through a very trying and personal life experience I decided that I wanted to work hard to improve someone life than help someone make money. Compton Fellowship Alternative Certification Program allowed me to do this. When I started on my teaching journey I was filled with compassion and I wanted to save the world. Let me not fail to mention that one of the teacher said, “They come in here with this imma save the world attitude and don’t have a gift to teach the students.” Well, to me this save the world idea is a gift. It comes with compassion According to the Merriam/Webster online dictionary compassion means a sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. If i have compassion I will do what is necessary to be a great teacher. Pass the course work, and internalize the knowledge that I am imparted with to be a teacher that really teaches.

The alternative certification programs instruction is equivalent to the traditional programs. We learn about all the components of a lesson plan. How to engage the students. We learn and practice classroom management strategies while completing the required student teaching experience during summer school. We have different subject area classes that teach us with how to incorporate differentiated strategies into our lessons to meet the needs of the learning styles. You name it, we learn it. Just like in a traditional program. So, Yes I can be a great teacher by saving the world one student at a time. I think I’ll ask for the next topic of discussion, Is teaching a gift or can it be taught? Stay tuned for the next Teacher’s Lounge post.

At-risk students embrace online learning at Metro Detroit cyber school

Wow! The first word that comes to my mind. I lived in Milwaukee, WI for several years and in the early 90’s a cyber elementary school opened. My wife, at the time, was hired to be a teacher for the kindergarden students when the school first opened. I remember the excitement of her talking about the school and the many things they were exposing the students to as well as how much she was learning as well. I think this is a great idea. It meets the needs of the students and gives them an alternative way of learning. Education and instruction can no longer be lecture, text books, and drills. People learn in different ways and we need to meet the needs of the students that we instruct. Technology transcend all the learning styles so however students learn best technology can be an important key to higher level understanding.

Kyle Griggs, student from the article, said it best, "It's all your own pace. It's all on me now. If I don't graduate now, it's my own fault." This kind of situation may not be great for every student but it great for some but what all students need is the responsibility for their own learning. Everyday I teach I try to enforce that the responsibility of learning falls on the student. Coming with a mind set that is ready to explore, think critically, and engage oneself into learning. The article touched on a key point that teachers are essential to make online learning a successful process. Teachers are still needed develop a relationship of support and guidance for students, and to facilitate the learning process. Accompanied with teachers and family support these new types of schools can definitely work.

http://detnews.com/article/20100120/SCHOOLS/1200349/At-risk-students-embrace-online-learning-at-Metro-Detroit-cyber-school

Joe's Non-Netbook

I currently teach a group of 5th graders math in Atlanta Public Schools. Just on this week I asked them to open their math books to a certain page. One by one over half the class asked me to go back to their homerooms to get their math books. After, watching the video I immediately thought about this situation I experienced with my students. After so many requests I asked them did they remember me telling them to always bring their books. They replied in a innocent but sarcastic tone, “yes, but we never use them.” I could not say or do anything but smile. I do not incorporate the text book much into many of our lessons because to me its most time the basic level of understanding for students. I have the steps, formula, and practice problems in my head, so I use many other things such as a promethean board, videos, document camera, computer websites, and games to develop a deeper understanding of the concept I am teaching. I guess I’m partly to blame but it’s a good thing though. Right?