Teacher's Corner

Focusing more on reflection and development… Focusing more on reflection and development…

I have noticed that I have been procrastinating way too much lately.  I haven’t... 

Wow, back to high school… Wow, back to high school…

So, I went in for an interview today at another high school.  Oddly enough,... 

Update on syncing: Orb 2.0 and Dropbox Update on syncing: Orb 2.0 and Dropbox

Yesterday, I had posted about using Dropbox to sync my computers and have complete... 

Sync LPs and supplements for free! Sync LPs and supplements for free!

I had tried an experiment with this and I thoroughly loved the results! For the last... 

Reading Notes and cognitive strategies… Reading Notes and cognitive strategies…

I often use these when I read a new story or novel in the classroom.  I used... 

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Lesson Plans & Projects

“I Am” poem revisited… “I Am” poem revisited…

I am actually going to use the “I Am” poem with my students, despite the fact... 

Video Writing Prompt: No matter what language is used… Video Writing Prompt: No matter what language is used…

How the words are used is the most important! In order to drive this message home,... 

My Name, My Self Unit My Name, My Self Unit

I love learning about how students were given their names and the different stories... 

Teaching foreign languages through Harry Potter Teaching foreign languages through Harry Potter

Well, this is a great way to tie in a different language through literature! ... 

Robert Frost :: Blog Project Robert Frost :: Blog Project

When I was at CSN, I was given the opportunity to create an online project for my... 

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Current Events & Issues in Education

LV: “Why leave out ‘American’ Christmas? LV: “Why leave out ‘American’ Christmas?

This was printed in the Las Vegas Sub newspaper today.  I find this quite interesting and even submitted my letter to the Fifth grader’s assignment to report on winter tradition in another country angers his mom Tiffany Brown Holly Sweetin is questioning why “American Christmas” was excluded from a wintertime tradition assignment in her... [Read more of this review]

Journalism: A dying subject among high schools? Journalism: A dying subject among high schools?

I am a pen and paper type of girl.  Well, okay, I am a writer by laptop sort of girl.  Either way, I am a writer by heart and trade.  Since working in a high school the last few weeks, I have gained the understanding that some types of writing are starting to fly out the door when it comes to high school students and their potential to... [Read more of this review]

To have textbooks or to be digitally bound to text… To have textbooks or to be digitally bound to text…

It is a hard concept for me to grasp as of late.  I know more and more school districts are attempting to go to the digital forms of textbooks in order to save on paper, money, and ultimately prepare students to be able to use such tools.  But I have a struggle with this notion that giving a student a laptop with all the necessary software... [Read more of this review]

Listening to Latinas: Barriers to HS Graduation Listening to Latinas: Barriers to HS Graduation

To help keep girls in school and on track for success, the National Women’s Law Center and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund went straight to the source: Latina students and the adults who work with them every day. Our report, Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation, explores the causes of the dropout crisis... [Read more of this review]

My digital footprint and my personal life… My digital footprint and my personal life…

Today’s #edchat discussion made me think hard about how I am actually portrayed online.  More importantly, how I truly want to be portrayed online.  I already think before I post, most of the time, but do other teachers do the same? The online world of the Internet opens the doors to society even bigger than it did for teachers 20-30 years... [Read more of this review]

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My Portfolio

Examples of student work … Examples of student work …

The next thing I want to target within my portfolio are actual examples of student... 

Components of an Effective Lesson Plan template Components of an Effective Lesson Plan template

Well, our district has finally told us that we all have to use one specific lesson... 

My senior portfolio… My senior portfolio…

I presented this portfolio to my peers and professors in the School of Education... 

The idea behind the portfolio… The idea behind the portfolio…

Yes, even a portfolio can be online.  I have not a clue as to why not! Think... 

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PLN :: Professional & Personal

Tech & Learning Conference :: Digital Learning Environments Tech & Learning Conference :: Digital Learning Environments

OMG! I know, I normally do not write in text-speak, but that is the only way I can... 

PLN & Collaboration: Google Wave PLN & Collaboration: Google Wave

Well, let’s get waving! Google has finally allowed more invites to be passed... 

NINGs as PLN tools… NINGs as PLN tools…

If you have not a clue what a NING is, you are missing out!  NINGs are social... 

Building my PLN :: Webinars and Online PDE Building my PLN :: Webinars and Online PDE

Many often wonder if it is even useful to learn online.  Being a recent graduate... 

#edchat :: Digital footprints of teachers #edchat :: Digital footprints of teachers

Here are the last 100 tweets on this topic from today’s discussion in Twitter.... 

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My Teaching Reflections

Time to crack down and enforce! Time to crack down and enforce!

My classes are becoming a little too comfortable with their grades and behaviors in my class.  I mean, I am pretty flexible when it comes to being a smart ass (as long as it isn’t rude or condescending toward me or their peers), and I have consistently reminded bother verbally and written dates on the board of when things are due. The main problems... [Read more of this review]

One semester down, one more to go… One semester down, one more to go…

Well, I put in the last of the grades for the first semester in on Thursday.  With that in mind, I dusted my hands off of the first semester for this school year.  Despite only being there for the second quarter, I have found that my students are just not into learning.  Their grades throughout the quarter reflect this.  However,... [Read more of this review]

The dust is starting to settle… The dust is starting to settle…

In my classroom, anyway. My students are FINALLY adjusting to me.  Again, more so the sophomores than the seniors.  I still have some tweaking to push in with my classroom management, but overall the students are doing a lot better. For my sophomore classes, I have really turned on the tough love.  I have really been pushing them and... [Read more of this review]

Tough love! Tough love!

This has been my approach to the whole scenario of getting my students to bare down and get to work.  My seniors are fine, for the most part.  They are still jittery and still attempt to negotiate playtime when a little bit of work is done.  I try to remind them that they will not get this privilege in the real world or in college. ... [Read more of this review]

And the rebellion continues… And the rebellion continues…

Once again, I would like to REiterate that I am quite aware that these students had seven weeks of playtime.  However, playtime has been over for three weeks now, and my sophomores are still fighting against me! They don’t want to do the work that I assign, yet most of them griped about their first quarter grade today.  They told me I am... [Read more of this review]

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