Oct
29
I May Be Nuts, But…
October 29, 2007 | 2 Comments
..some 6th Grade boys approached me last month with the idea of starting a lunchtime blogging and podcasting club. After procrastinating as long as humanly possible, I finally agreed.
We had our first meeting today, and while I was thrilled to see that 12 kids showed up, I was somewhat disappointed that none of them were [...]
Oct
29
Bloggers in My World
October 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It seems like my immediate circle of friends, neighbors and colleagues have discovered the blogosphere and I am having so much fun getting inside their heads and hearing about their personal and professional lives. Here are some of the newest blogs in my community:
Loose Parts: Our twin sons’ preschool teacher recently launched [...]
Oct
27
It’s Elementary Kids, Working Web 2.0 With Grade 3-4
October 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Here’s a link to another terrific presentation from the K12 Online Conference, given by John Pearce of Geelong, Victoria, Australia:
http://k12online.wm.edu/its_elementary/player.html
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Oct
26
Using Web 2.0 Tools in a Grade One Classroom
October 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I was peeking around the super-cool K-12 Online Conference website, and I stumbled upon a fantastic session given by Kathy Cassidy from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. As the title suggests, she describes the ways in which she is incorporating blogs and other tools into her teaching. Here is the link to her conference session, here [...]
Oct
26
Upper School Teachers Adopt Classroom Technology
October 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Over the summer, we continued the process of creating a standard classroom technology setup in our 4th-8th grade classrooms. Almost every classroom now contains a permanent mounted LCD projector, DVD/VHS player, stereo tuner, speakers and lectern. In a growing number of classrooms, we have also installed interactive whiteboards and document projectors. Teachers’ feelings about this [...]
Oct
19
Deprivatizing Teaching
October 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Why don’t we get into each other’s classrooms more often, to learn, observe, consult, grow, advise, mentor? Is teaching an inherently solitary endeavor? I certainly don’t think so, but I am a member of a new committee at school that is exploring ways in which we can rethink the concept of “teacher development” at various [...]
Oct
17
Tickle Me ELMO
October 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment
We have begun experimenting with document cameras this year, and have been really happy with the Lumens DC-155 XGA Digital Visual Presenter model (seen at left) we’re putting in place all over campus. (ELMO is another popular brand — the name stuck since our new one’s red!) The coolest use I’ve seen thus far has [...]
Oct
16
Bringing the Computer Lab into the Kindergarten Classroom
October 16, 2007 | 1 Comment
In January 2006, I wrote a post entitled “The Demise of the Computer Teacher,” wondering aloud about whether the entire format of the tech coordinator’s job should change. Almost 2 years later, the MCDS Kindergarten team and I are piloting a new model for Computer Lab this Fall, in which I go to the Kindergarten [...]
Oct
16
Doug & Richard are Amazing Too!
October 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
We have two other fantastic Kindergarten teachers at MCDS — Doug and Richard. Both are also veteran teachers here, and as I discussed in the previous post, the whole K team had an incredible trip to Reggio Emilia two years ago that is helping to redefine how they teach kindergarten at Marin Country Day [...]
Oct
1
The Amazing Janet
October 1, 2007 | 2 Comments
One of our Kindergarten teachers, Janet D., was a self-described “technology timid” teacher for many years. She is a veteran Kindergarten teacher, who went with her team to Italy 2 years ago to study the Reggio Emilia method of early childhood education. As a result of that life-altering trip, they are revamping their entire kindergarten [...]
