I currently have 3 preps-two different art classes and one science (Astronomy). One of my art classes is only on Fridays, so I only have to plan that once a week. Usually I have to plan twice a week for each of my other preps. Not right now though. For the past week and a half my Art and Astronomy students have been working on projects. In the long run, I think the projects are going to be extremely beneficial. The kids are getting into them too, which is exciting. However, there's one small problem-I'M BORED! It's nice to NOT have to plan a new lesson or two every day, but while I'm in class I'm stir crazy. I spend an hour and forty minutes making the rounds from student to student to make sure they're on track and the assignment expectations are clear. The kids are doing well, but I'm anxious to teach them something new...I wasn't anticipating that. I guess I thought I'd be more comfortable working on the same thing for several days instead of having a new lesson. I'm not though.
Teaching is such an interesting career field. It's in a league of its own really. I honestly find it to be the most rewarding and frustrating job I've ever had. I love seeing the students learn and grow and meet their potential. When they're having bad days and acting out and nothing seems to work-that's when it's frustrating. But I think it's the challenge of getting through to these kids and learning new things myself that drives me. I need to be challenged to grow, just like they do; maybe that's why I want to move on to a new subject.
All and all though, I feel like my kids are engaged in what they are doing and enjoying their projects as they develop. That's a good feeling-it means I've given them assignments that are engaging and provide a little workout for their brains. Maybe I should just enjoy not having to lesson plan right now...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
I-touches and such
Last week our staff got out some I-Touches and spent some time in professional development playing with them. I've played a little bit with my friend's I-Phone and like it quite a bit. I'm thinking about getting one myself and can see why they have become so popular.
The I-Touches are really engaging and I'd like to find a good way to work them into my classes. I think they may be a good resource when we get onto the next LTT in Astronomy-learning about the life cycle of stars. I just feel really feel fortunate to have the access to all the technology I've been able to explore in this district.
The I-Touches are really engaging and I'd like to find a good way to work them into my classes. I think they may be a good resource when we get onto the next LTT in Astronomy-learning about the life cycle of stars. I just feel really feel fortunate to have the access to all the technology I've been able to explore in this district.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Flying By...
It's hard to believe that the third trimester is almost half way through! I'm looking at summer on the horizon-I have to squint to see it, but it's there! Part of me is excited for the break and the relaxation, but not all of me. There's a lot of uncertainty in the next couple of months.
Right now I'm focusing on all the good. My lesson plans are taking less time to create and seem more natural. My students are engaged in the material and I feel as if the various balls we all must juggle as teachers are staying in the air. Perseverance pays off!!
Right now I'm focusing on all the good. My lesson plans are taking less time to create and seem more natural. My students are engaged in the material and I feel as if the various balls we all must juggle as teachers are staying in the air. Perseverance pays off!!
Monday, March 1, 2010
What a Nice End to the Trimester!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my anticipation of the fetal pig dissections and how I thought they might go. I was a little excited about the whole process, although I had my reservations. Well, now we're done dissecting and what an experience that was! I heard 15-20 times a day how much the pigs smelled and how gross they were. For the first time this trimester students weren't bringing food into the classroom, (easy to see why!) It was interesting to see which students had aversions to the pigs and which ones were okay with getting their hands dirty while exploring. The students who could get past the smell and see the experience as a unique opportunity to learn, really seemed to get something out of it! I think it was fun for them to get to see and feel organs and a body structure that is very similar to our own.
During the dissections, I took pictures of the kids working and the pigs in their full glory. By the time we were done I had about 50 pictures of the whole thing. Going with a well-advised suggestion of one of my co-workers, I used these pictures to have the kids make a quick video out of their experience. On their last day of class, I loaded the pictures onto two different computers and split the kids into groups. Using Animoto, an online program that mixes photos with text and music to make a video clip, my students were able to build some really cool videos of their dissections in about an hour and a half. The students had to pick 12-20 pictures of the dissected pigs and use them to present the excretory, circulatory, and respiratory systems. They broke the photos up into the correct body systems and introduced them with text about the system's parts and functions. Then they got to pick some music to coordinate the video to.
On Gallery Night, a night that showcases student progress and achievement to their families and the community, one of the videos was chosen to represent the A & P class. A couple of the girls presented it, and overall it was received very well! The idea of watching pictures of a dead pig with all of its body parts sprawled out being jazzed up with techno music may come across as a bit odd, but it really was a neat way to display their knowledge. The students enjoyed making the videos and now they have a final product-and all the memories that come with it-to put into their portfolios!
During the dissections, I took pictures of the kids working and the pigs in their full glory. By the time we were done I had about 50 pictures of the whole thing. Going with a well-advised suggestion of one of my co-workers, I used these pictures to have the kids make a quick video out of their experience. On their last day of class, I loaded the pictures onto two different computers and split the kids into groups. Using Animoto, an online program that mixes photos with text and music to make a video clip, my students were able to build some really cool videos of their dissections in about an hour and a half. The students had to pick 12-20 pictures of the dissected pigs and use them to present the excretory, circulatory, and respiratory systems. They broke the photos up into the correct body systems and introduced them with text about the system's parts and functions. Then they got to pick some music to coordinate the video to.
On Gallery Night, a night that showcases student progress and achievement to their families and the community, one of the videos was chosen to represent the A & P class. A couple of the girls presented it, and overall it was received very well! The idea of watching pictures of a dead pig with all of its body parts sprawled out being jazzed up with techno music may come across as a bit odd, but it really was a neat way to display their knowledge. The students enjoyed making the videos and now they have a final product-and all the memories that come with it-to put into their portfolios!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
More Fuel for the Gas Tank
The second trimester is winding down and the kids are, as tends to be the pattern, getting antsy. I don't blame them really, but I find myself having very little patience for their excuses and attitudes.
I'm quite new to the teaching profession. It was not much more than a year ago that I decided teaching was my niche and I wanted to pursue it fully as my livelihood, instead of just teaching a class here or there. A career has never felt more right to me than teaching does, but lately I'm not enjoying it. I feel like my gas tank is on empty and the next gas station is MILES away. It's sheer willpower that's fueling me on right now, and even that is running low. I'm not naive enough to think I'm one of the only teachers to experience this. I do, however, wonder what it will take to get me to the next gas station. I'm too stubborn not to get there, but it's starting to look like I may be walking a mile or two with the ol' gas can.
This profession is SO demanding and sometimes I just get overwhelmed. I'd really like to know what I can do to minimize the stress and maximize the learning. I've tried talking to some of my fellow teachers, but I think it's something I'm just going to have to figure out on my own. So, that walk to the gas station? Well, it may not have been what I had planned, but it'll work. I'm just getting some exercise with the gas I need.
I'm quite new to the teaching profession. It was not much more than a year ago that I decided teaching was my niche and I wanted to pursue it fully as my livelihood, instead of just teaching a class here or there. A career has never felt more right to me than teaching does, but lately I'm not enjoying it. I feel like my gas tank is on empty and the next gas station is MILES away. It's sheer willpower that's fueling me on right now, and even that is running low. I'm not naive enough to think I'm one of the only teachers to experience this. I do, however, wonder what it will take to get me to the next gas station. I'm too stubborn not to get there, but it's starting to look like I may be walking a mile or two with the ol' gas can.
This profession is SO demanding and sometimes I just get overwhelmed. I'd really like to know what I can do to minimize the stress and maximize the learning. I've tried talking to some of my fellow teachers, but I think it's something I'm just going to have to figure out on my own. So, that walk to the gas station? Well, it may not have been what I had planned, but it'll work. I'm just getting some exercise with the gas I need.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Barrel of Monkeys or Bucket o' Pigs??
Anyone for bacon? How about dead piglets? Anyone? Well, believe it or not, I know quite a few people, teenagers actually, who are excited about the young swine-but not because they get to eat them. Trust me, NO ONE wants to eat these mini bacons. They're preserved in a solution similar to firmaldahyde that doesn't smell quite as bad, but definitely isn't going to be on the market as an air-freshener anytime soon. Still, my science kids are pretty geared up to get the chance to cut into them and do some exploring. I'm a bit anxious too, in an odd sort of way. I don't like the idea of something dying for science, but I'm not about to let their death's be in vain.
This whole mini bacon exploration is going to be at least a little exciting. There's nothing that helps cement your memories and data together like some good old exploring. I still remember the dissection I did in college, which was on a cat. I had issues with that because cats have been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. Yet, once I shoved the idea of the specimen in front of me being someone's beloved Fufu out of my mind, I was able to proceed with the mind of a scientist. Not surprisingly, I learned a lot about anatomy. I have the same hopes for my students.
Ya know, it's funny now looking back to the beginning of the trimester when I had my reservations about teaching anatomy and physiology. I wasn't sure how I could captivate the kids' interests and I needed a bit of refreshing on the content. Now, I'm proud to say, I can look back at this trimester and smile. I truly have had a good time teaching my students about body systems and functions and I think they've had fun too. I wish this class was an entire year instead of only a trimester. There's just so much to learn about and so many ways to tackle that learning. I'm thinking about having the kids play a little with Animoto once I've photographed their work. Then they'll have a solid product to put into their portfolios on this class-a product that they can really show to others to explain their exploration.
Teaching science has been quite the experience for me. I would have laughed at you if you'd told me I'd be educating our youth about A&P a few years ago. Now, I think about how just this afternoon I was carrying 2 large buckets full of preserved specimens out of my car and into one of our buildings. The image makes me chuckle, because I never would have thought I'd grow from playing "Barrel of Monkeys" to hosting a game of bucket o' pigs.
This whole mini bacon exploration is going to be at least a little exciting. There's nothing that helps cement your memories and data together like some good old exploring. I still remember the dissection I did in college, which was on a cat. I had issues with that because cats have been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. Yet, once I shoved the idea of the specimen in front of me being someone's beloved Fufu out of my mind, I was able to proceed with the mind of a scientist. Not surprisingly, I learned a lot about anatomy. I have the same hopes for my students.
Ya know, it's funny now looking back to the beginning of the trimester when I had my reservations about teaching anatomy and physiology. I wasn't sure how I could captivate the kids' interests and I needed a bit of refreshing on the content. Now, I'm proud to say, I can look back at this trimester and smile. I truly have had a good time teaching my students about body systems and functions and I think they've had fun too. I wish this class was an entire year instead of only a trimester. There's just so much to learn about and so many ways to tackle that learning. I'm thinking about having the kids play a little with Animoto once I've photographed their work. Then they'll have a solid product to put into their portfolios on this class-a product that they can really show to others to explain their exploration.
Teaching science has been quite the experience for me. I would have laughed at you if you'd told me I'd be educating our youth about A&P a few years ago. Now, I think about how just this afternoon I was carrying 2 large buckets full of preserved specimens out of my car and into one of our buildings. The image makes me chuckle, because I never would have thought I'd grow from playing "Barrel of Monkeys" to hosting a game of bucket o' pigs.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Technology is for the Dragons...
Last week I had my first meeting/training session for the E2T2 technology grant I'm partaking in. Our first session was long, but informative and interesting. I was introduced to several new products or tools that I can use in my classrooms. I haven't decided yet which resource or resources I want to use, or even which classes I want to implement them in, but I am getting excited about what's out there on the world wide web! The sites I'm most interested in are GoAnimate.com and Glogster. GoAnimate is a site that lets you design your own characters and cartoons and Glogster is like an online poster site. Both of these sites I could work into my art classes pretty easily, but the Glogster might be a nice tool for science as well.
Overall, I'm just excited to be a part of the E2T2 grant. It's going to make me a more educated and well-rounded teacher and it's giving me the opportunity to connect to the next generation on their playing field-the internet. It's going to take extra time, effort and energy to get all parts of this grant done, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't believe it was well worth it. And the newbie bringing technology to the dragons? It's about time I teach my students some new ways to operate in cyberspace.
Overall, I'm just excited to be a part of the E2T2 grant. It's going to make me a more educated and well-rounded teacher and it's giving me the opportunity to connect to the next generation on their playing field-the internet. It's going to take extra time, effort and energy to get all parts of this grant done, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't believe it was well worth it. And the newbie bringing technology to the dragons? It's about time I teach my students some new ways to operate in cyberspace.
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