3 more days til spring break...

Is it really a break or a transference of time to another slew of work. There are so many little things to do I don't know where to start. Time is the enemy all of a sudden. When I chose my units to do for my practicum it was off last years timeline. But teaching the first practicum pushed my time line back and now I'll be lucky to teach the next one before it is due! Yikes! I have a reputation and sanity to uphold. I've completely stopped worrying about covering the SOLs, now I just want to get through my practicum.

I know we've been here many times, so much to do and way to little time. We've worked through it before, and will this time too. :) Besides, we all pass, right? :)

Life before... and after?... ITS?

Here I am sitting in a hotel room in Valley Forge, VA, working on my Practicum and Portfolio. What did I used to do on these hockey weekends before this class? It is at this point that I wonder how I'll get it all done, but know that it will happen. As cut backs and salary freezes happen at school there is more talk to "working to the contract". Our school is discussing stopping EPED pay. One of the school board members hopes we will just volunteer our time. Keep hoping. Suppose I should be happy I have a job. I'll work on that.
This will make you happy, our soft deadline for the first practicum was last weeks class. I missed it. I'm still fussing with it. Oh well. Anyone else having issues? I'm getting to the point where I just need to turn it in, but I don't want Priscilla to have to read garbage.

So this post was nonsense, sorry, not much to respond to!

Blogging lesson plans

Boy, do I love snow days. So I finished my two lesson plans today, now only the huge chunks left, like the practicum and portfolio....ugh. But as I was creating my blogging lesson plan, I am having a difficult time coming up with the exit experience part. So, since no one is really posting, thought I'd give you guys something meaty to chew on. My authentic problem is as a worker for antique roadshow you've decided to begin a blog on Depresison era artifacts. This will allow your patrons and fellow experts to learn and add comments. I've required students to post three entries with pictures, description of how related to era and a probing question. I've also required them to comment on three of their colleagues blogs. Sooo.... exit problem? I put down for now that we'd review them as a class, but I know that is way weak. Any ideas?

Blah on Blogging

I have been very bad with this blogging thing. Truthfully, I just forget about it. While I seem to be on the computer endlessly, my forays have purpose. My husband can wander, blog, search all night long until I drag his cold, dead body away from the computer. Not me. Get my work done. Oh well. Total digital immigrant. Think I'll ever change? The idea of twittering makes me twittery....

Data Drives me Crazy!

So, in module 3 we get to dig into some data, find a problem and create a solution. Struggle, struggle....

Our school seems to say, as they did today, "Oh, professional development day, go dig into the SOL test scores and figure out a way to bring them up a percent we determine."

We then stare at numbers that are often lacking in context or complete information and try to come up with a plan. I don't need to tell you how frustrating it is! I don't think our administration knows how to look at the data either, so they throw it down to us for solutions.

Normally our solutions are pretty generic, like adding more test vocabulary, or time line study, but without data follow up or training it doesn't seem to go far.

wiki or not to wiki, is it a question?

Thursday a friend who is currently working on the phd program for ITS came up to me to talk about wikis. My son is actually a student in her World History 2 class, so they have been doing all the cool technology applications we are currently studying. He was excited, well, as excited as a 15-year old boy can ever be, about the pod casts they just completed. So, anyway, we were discussing how to use wikis. It seems to me I keep trying to plug these things in as final assessments. Like we discussed creating a wiki for a chapter, where, like we are doing in class, everyone is responsible for adding on to pieces. However, do I want this as a research on their own part and fill it in or as a end review? I have contemplated introducing wikis to them by having them create a survival guide to my classroom for next years class. That might be fun and interesting for me to read!

Advocating

I am becoming a little concerned. I want to be a force for change, but I am worried over the responses of others and the time it requires. I just finished reading the advocacy article. I am a little overwhelmed with contacting policy makers and appearing on TV. Are you kidding? I am stressing about the faculty meeting creation.

I know it is all a step at a time and even if I take on something that I really believe it, TV appearances on Oprah are not pending.

Leading from behind

OK, so I am working on module 2, yeah, I know, overachiever. The final wrap up project is to create a faculty meeting hour on leadership. I am fuddled here. I have been brainstorming, but am beating my head against a wall. My problem? I have never been to a faculty workshop that I enjoyed or felt I learned from. I asked my colleagues today, and they agreed. One person said they'd been to a workshop where they enjoyed getting concrete things they could use in the classroom. But let's face it. Cynasism rules the day for faculty workshops. I am not asking anyone to solve this, more just looking to vent.

But here is a question/concern about teacher leadership. For this faculty meet thing the culmination is to be everyone volunteering to serve on some committe to improve this imaginary school. I can hear the complaints of getting more work out of us for no pay. And it isn't volunteering if they require it. I know I need to convince people that in the long run it will save them time and energy. Guess it is just challenging my brain right now.

Blogging about blogging

A couple of years ago a friend of mine dropped that she was addicted to this thing called blogging. She spoke of other blogs she read and commented on. I must admit it sounded like an online journal. One everyone, gasp, could read and comment on.
Early last school year, as our school went through some very public mistakes, an online blog came to my attention. Obviously one of our community members, he went on to air our dirty laundry and ask for comments. I was a silent reader of the information. It was a tad addicting. One day we went on lock-down, and I didn't know why. That afternoon I went on that blog and there it was! Better than the local newspaper. Of course as a silent member of the blog I was not yet part of the Read/Write web our text (Blogs, Wikis, podcasts...- Richardson) is bragging about.

I do remember, long ago, being part of a bulletin board on crafting. Somewhat similar concept?