The End of the School Year

The ending of a school year typically brings shrieks of joy and excitement from students and teachers alike. It’s getting warmer and harder to keep the attention of students who would rather have extended recess all day long. Who can blame them? Sometimes I’d rather have recess too! For some teachers, this is the time of year when they can wind down and relax. Take a few months off and recharge their battery for the next school year. Relax. Sit by the pool. Read books for the pure enjoyment. Sleep in.

For other teachers, summer recharging means going to class!! Some teachers actually recharge their internal batteries by going back to school. Taking classes, attending workshops, and learning about new methodologies and strategies for improving their classrooms and their students learning. Interesting concept! I think the misconception is that students stop learning over the summer vacation. They don’t. Their learning experiences change from books and classrooms to zoos, parks, pools, friends, and vacation spots. Teachers really aren’t any different. Instead of being in front of the group, they are sitting in classrooms learning about something new or changed. Instead of lunch or bus duty or faculty meetings, there are conversations with other educators about what works.

For every teacher who takes classes, reads a book about education, works collaboratively with colleagues about the upcoming year, thank you! You are helping to restore teaching to a more glorious position! Too often, teachers and schools are put down because of a flawed system. Red tape, hoop jumping and other pitfalls prevent teachers from doing an effective job.

So, if you’re sitting around in your classroom after a very busy, warm day, wondering how you could possibly have the energy to sit in summer classes and attend workshops, fear not! Believe me, attending those workshops, sitting in classes, even reading a book about education will give you renewed hope and enthusiasm for the coming year! And it’s an added bonus that you are changing the perception of schools and teachers. You’ll be proud that you took the step and accomplished something positive for your students and yourself!

Event Based Learning Meets Great Technology Integration!

Our junior high science teacher picked out two modules of Event Based Learning for her science classes this year. The 8th graders studied physics, mathematics, design while working through the "Thrill Ride" module. The "Thrill Ride" module is explained as:
Thrill Ride! allows students to explore Newton's Laws of Motion and other basic physical science concepts in the context of amusement parks and roller coasters. A contract to design a ride for a new amusement park provides students with a reason to learn. And as with all Event-Based Science modules, much of the information that students need is provided in the pages of Thrill Ride!. However, more information is needed. Information from the Web about real amusement parks and ride design companies will add to the authenticity of your study.
They studied numerous physics concepts, researched, designed, and ran many different trials of their own "Thrill Ride". There were roller coasters, water rides, ferris wheels, bumper cars, swinging ships, and the ever dangerous, dead-drop ride. Students spent time developing their ride, noting the laws of physics evidenced in each ride. They created safety brochures to give to potential riders and they had to make sure they had put safety features in place for their rides. The most important part of this event based module was their connection to the topic. They will be visiting an amusement park as part of their class trip and they will be expected to take part in many different activities related to their curriculum while they are at the park. They were highly engaged throughout the process and the learning of the physics concepts that took place was amazing!
Not wanting to be left out, the 7th graders were fortunate enough to get to complete the second module purchased "Survive!". From their module:

Survive? allows students to explore concepts related to animals, heredity, diversity, survival of the fittest, and evolution in the context of the discovery of deformed frogs in Minnesota.

In Survive? students play the roles of scientists who have been sent to explore a newly discovered island and report their findings and predictions in the form of a museum exhibit.

They have become scientists who are exploring where frogs were found with deformities and their job is to find out why. They are making use of a class Ning, in which they have assumed the identity of their scientists and are communicating the results of their research to the outside world. They are posting pictures of the animals they are finding and their job will be to create a museum display that will be visited by the rest of the school. As part of their classroom Ning, they will join different groups of scientists looking for answers to the deformed frogs.
The most amazing learning is taking place. Their teacher was concerned that they wouldn't learn the concepts that she wanted science-wise, but they are certainly proving her wrong. They are using terminology that indicates they are learning the desired concepts.
The most difficult part of this interactive learning is how to effectively assess that everyone is doing their part and keeping on track. We've developed a rough rubric that will allow for us to check each part making sure they are all completing the requirements of their task!
As a note, the class Ning is remaining private even though students have created "alternate" identities of their scientists.

Microsoft Helping Send Teachers To NECC!

Microsoft is offering scholarships for teachers to attend NECC 2009! As part of the application process, they are asking educators to explain "how Microsoft can help you teach better?" I'm not sure there is any easy or correct answer to that question. I think that Microsoft could offer the tools to help in my student's learning. Right now, students at the 4th grade level who are studying Ohio history are using MS Word to create posters about inventors. Students use Microsoft products to create presentations, videos, timelines, web pages, graphs, stories, and many other products!

Still the most important part of planning a lesson that uses technology is knowing that using technology is appropriate for that lesson! Using technology because you have it isn't always the most effective way to teach a lesson or "get" a concept through to your students!

Teachers must know the curriculum they are teaching and understand how Microsoft products can help them in teaching their standards!