Missing the Synergy

Tonight, for the first time in a much too long, I have taken advantage of time, time to be a techie-geek and, in doing so, I have discovered several Web 2.o tools that, if I knew about them, I had forgotten.

In discovering them, I wanted to share, wanted to share with my Classroom Redesign Team, a team that had that energy last summer when we spent five days together, a team that should meet again and share, for sometimes, that face-to-face meeting creates the most synergy.

Listed here are a couple of my finds via my Google Reader (thanks to the time Mother Nature via a couple of snow days):

1. Dabbleboard: functions like a whiteboard
2. Wall Wisher: not sure! Working on this one...looks cool!
3. Audio Owl: site housing audio books

The first two tools are thanks to HRMason at Teacher in Transition, who gives credit to Twitter for finding Dabbleboard. I, too, love Twitter and should spend more time there lurking for the latest.

What tools might you share with me? That's right, synergy can only be created when we work together!

A Lesson Learned, Part 2

This continues a series of posts about lessons I learned as a teacher of a 1:1 classroom during the first semester...

Surprisingly, not all students like computers. Surprise! Several of my students really struggled with the use of the mini laptops this fall. I suppose I assumed that because we were using technology...hands on technology...that each student would be excited. Not so.

Some of this lack of excitement simply was the result of laziness...lazy ears, to be precise. For if they ever quit listening, they were behind. Thus, the positive here? Yes, they had to be even more attentive and, thus, were being held more accountable.

I have a few students who do not have Internet access at home, which resulted in more stress for them, for they often felt like they were behind the rest of the class. To compensate, I allowed, of course, extra time for them and opened my room before school and during lunch and wrote many notes for students to work in my room during their study halls. I REALLY appreciate the work ethic of these students! Just wish I could channel some of that energy into students who need a little more want-to!

Initially, I had a few students request that we return to "books." I soon learned that the desire to return to the "old" way was usually due to the lack of computer experience. As the semester progressed, I did not hear this request anymore. I like to think that maybe this was the result of their enhanced technological skills. I hope so.

For on January 5, the journey continues!


Also posted at Treasure Chest of Thoughts.

A Lesson Learned, Part 1

This past semester, I immensely enjoyed having 1:1 computers in my classroom. To put this in perspective, this addition has, with a doubt, been the most beneficial change in my classroom setting…ever. (Thanks, Lisa Huff and Debbie Miller, for you did to make this happen!)

While I learned many to-do’s and not-to-do’s ever again, I would like to discuss this particular enlightenment first: Yahoo and Google do not communicate like I would prefer.

Here was my initial dilemma:

1. Having created my class blogs using my personal Gmail account, I began having my students submit their assignments to this same email.
2. Then that email account became overwhelming…as my students emails intermingled with my personal emails.
3. Thinking I was solving my problem, I then created another Gmail account for submitting homework.
4. No such luck, for problems continued to arise. Because I could not have two Gmail accounts open on my computer at one time (I was having to log out of my personal Gmail through which I had created my class blogs and open the homework email to confirm receiving assignments), I created another email for submitting homework using Yahoo, thinking that would solve all my problems, for then I could have my blogs and the homework email running simultaneously.

My troubles continued, though, as many of my students created documents using Google docs (which I strongly encouraged). My first lesson I learned here is that I had to have my Gmail account open to be able to access shared Google documents. If I did not have one of the Gmail accounts open, then, of course, Yahoo could not communicate with Google.

The straw that proverbially broke this teacher’s back was my once again struggling to find an email that a student had submitted. Very stressful to find an email that you were fairly certain that a student had never sent…only to find he/she had! I decided no more of this! Over Christmas, I made a decision: switch back to my Google email for submitting homework and create new blogs (via that same email account) for each of my classes (linked below…remember, at this posting, they are still in baby stage).

• English 11
• Pre-AP English 10
• Yearbook
• Newspaper
  

Now, I will be able to access both the blogs and the homework email account to verify as the students submit assignments…very nice to project through the LCD the list of emails I have received as confirmation that I have received work in a timely fashion.

Another feature that I appreciate about Gmail is that once I enter an email into Gmail, the omniscient Google remembers it! Very nice!

Problem solved? I hope so!

Can you think of a better solution to this concern? Please share your thoughts and ideas! All are welcome!

Also posted at Treasure Chest of Thoughts.