intriguing YouTube video

Take a look at this video called "Learn to Change, Change to Learn" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk
I plan to write about this video in light of my recent "anti-technology" research for my online class. I resonate with one viewer's comment on this video: "I'm sorry, but kids are not "researching", "collecting data", and providing "rich content" outside the class room via Twitter, IM, SMS, etc. I agree that the classroom needs to change and adapt to the changes in our culture and technological advances; but kids are fooling around on such mediums... not "collecting data." Yes, get technology in the hands of our teachers. Yes, reform and adapt teaching to today. But don't deliver a load of B.S. about what students are doing outside the class." (thanks to michaeltangen for this comment)
I am confused about my role as a parent in this world of ever-present and often intrusive technology. I get very tired with my son's obsession with his texting buddies. I miss the days when my sons were younger and we would play games or go on hikes instead of playing on our computers.
More later...

Zoho sheet

I looked at Zoho sheet from the perspective of a 6th grade teacher who is introducing spreadsheets to students who haven't explored this tool yet.

• Advantages: In the "welcome" sheets, I found helpful sample sheets on expense tracking and temperature conversion. Students can look at these sample sheets to understand the formulas used to calculate the data.
• In the "public" sheets, there are 1,238 pages of templates in a variety of languages ranging from rubrics for writing assignments, physical exercise data and financial spreadsheets.
• There is a "translation tool" under the product links which allows students to see how this web 2.0 tool is being used by a multi-lingual global community.
• There is a section on sample sheets for students to explore and a helpful page on "keyboard shortcuts" to use.

I plan to use Zoho sheet when I work with 6th graders on a NCTM activity about calculating population density, converting between square miles and square kilometers, and comparing population density of a variety of locations.

Work on Wikis

• The assignment to create a wiki dovetailed perfectly with recent events. Last week, I attended a state-wide Youth Court conference with 4 students. I created a wiki where I will post the notes I took during the 5 sessions we attended as a team at valdezyouthcourt.wikispaces.com. I will ask the students to add information to my notes in order to reinforce what they learned at this conference.
  
• I was frustrated by the process of creating a new page on Wikipedia for our elementary school. My page is currently being reviewed before it is added. It took many steps and assistance from my son and husband before I figured out how to capture this as a screen shot. I hope that this page will be approved by the Wikipedia editors so that students at our school can add information to this page.
  

To be or 2.0 be? Using blogs in the classroom

My goal is for students to be setting individual goals for their learning (based on clear academic standards) as well as sharing the questions they want to explore. Classroom blogs work well with idea-based instructional strategies to meet these goals. For example, when students blog about their essential questions and goals for a project to an authentic audience of their peers, then they are more likely to pose thoughtful questions and create a plan to follow through on their goals. The expectations for students can include higher-order thinking skills of analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing information found on their classmates' blogs. The power of blogs is the presence of a motivational, supportive audience for students' ideas and questions. Blogs are an excellent place for students to practice their persuasive, analytical and creative writing skills.
The instructional strategies that don't work well with the use of blogs include "close-ended" questions in didactic learning since this learning doesn't lend itself to analysis and a discussion forum. Blogs also bring up issues of access to technology, since some students will be able to work on the internet from home while others will need to have an alternative access to the internet, such as the public library or after-school access to school computers.
I hope to be a full-time teacher in a 5th or 6th grade classroom next year. I can see using a classroom blog as a bridge between school and the families who have internet access, since families who are able to participate in the blog will become participants in our learning community. My goals for our classroom blog will be on "the power of discussions" and practicing our persuasive, analytical and creative writing skills.

Eating what we are teaching

In our schools, are students eating in a way that matches what we are teaching about nutrition? If you feel strongly about the lack of nutrition in your school lunches, check out this video from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/king-lunch-video
Today I will request copy of our school's wellness policy, which was mandated by the Congress in 2004. All school districts with a federally-funded breakfast/lunch program need to have this wellness policy to cover nutrition and physical education at their schools. For more info, go to http://www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/
I am concerned about the food being served to our students in the lunch room and would like to see the students eating in a way that matches our teaching about nutrition. I know that it is a balance between what the students WILL eat and what is healthiest for them, but why are our schools still serving chocolate milk, tater tots, corn dogs,...?
The middle school I attended in Berkeley, CA is a wonderful source of inspiration for school meals that really nourish our kids and their lives. For more info, go to http://www.edibleschoolyard.org
One more video that I highly recommend on the Edutopia site: http://www.edutopia.org/night-global-village

A great WebQuest

Using the website, http://bestwebquests.com, I found an excellent WebQuest on nutrition for secondary students at http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/jcundiff/fastfoods/webquest.htm. I plan to use the structure of this WebQuest, "Living in the Fast (food) Lane" when I create my own WebQuests. I appreciated the final sentence of this WebQuest, "You made your OWN decisions, formed your OWN opinions, and presented your OWN argument. You're free! Doesn't it feel great? ” As teachers, we want students to be confident, thoughtful and independent life-long learners.

Using WebQuests and other computer-based instruction

I found a great WebQuest related to "food for thought" called "What Should You Be Eating?" at http://questgarden.com. The goal was for cooperative student groups to create posters about a healthy 5-day menu to post in their cafeteria. The students were required to include 3 meals from the school cafeteria in their 5-day menu, which creates an opportunity for students to reflect on the nutritive value of the school meals.
At the "Quest Garden" site, my search for WebQuests about the history of the first Thanksgiving resulted in 177 examples with helpful information about the grade/ content areas addressed and the reading level of the WebQuest. I plan to use these resources when I create my own WebQuest on this topic.
When creating computer-based resources like the WebQuests and StAIR projects (kiosk-style powerpoints), I need to keep these key steps in mind: building bridges between what students already know and the goals of the WebQuest or StAIR; establishing clear goals for the project; using student-centered learning strategies to gather, evaluate and synthesize new information (i.e. cooperative groups, scaffolding, etc.); selecting the most helpful resources for students; and gathering feedback from students and teachers in order to improve the project.

What are we teaching at lunchtime?

I recently read an article about healthy school lunches that included great internet resources: www.schoolfoodpolicy.com, www.thelunchbox.org and www.foodfamilyfarming.org. On "The Lunch Box" website, there's a link to the Lunch Box Revolution and 5 steps to support your school in an effort to serve healthy meals. These steps include requesting a copy of your school district's wellness policy (required since 2006), eating the food in the lunchroom, building awareness of this issue in your community, providing information to community members on the issue, and volunteering to help your schools make the change to healthier meals.
This is a social justice issue. In the words of Chef Ann Cooper, known as the Renegade Lunch Lady,"When you feed kids a diet high in sugar and corn syrup, they just can't think and if you're not well nourished you can't excel." How can we be effective teachers when we tell our students to make healthy choices, yet serve them heavily processed food such as corn dogs, tater tots and iced brownies?

Differences between web pages and blogs

I recently watched the movie, Julie and Julia, which illustrates the power of blogging. In the movie, Julie's blog was a place where she wrote about her progress towards a goal (cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook) and responded to her readers' ideas. A blog is very interactive. A web site is a page that can be accessed for information, with options for users to enter some select information. Our business website, www.currantridgecabins.com, allows us to receive lodging requests through the internet.