What will you do different next year?

Over the past week or so, I have had a lot of time to think about how I use technology in my classroom. I am helping to create the Computer and Technology Literacy curriculum that our 7th graders will use in our district, and in so doing, have had to look at what I use in my own classroom.

My findings? I do use more than the average teacher, but I don't do nearly as much as I would like. I think for next year, I am going to try to do even more. How you ask? Just by a little creative thinking.

Here are some of my ideas for next year:

• I am teaching a tools class - a fundamental skill-building class. I plan on using online time management applications to help them track their projects and such.
• I also plan to show them how to keep an online portfolio, as well as online storage tools, so that "I saved it at home" is never an excuse.
• For my French students - we do weekly dialogues, or speaking tests. Instead of having them perform them live, what if they had five minutes in class in which to record it? No notes - just them and a computer? I think that could be powerful - and easier for me to grade, too!
• For my psych students - I did a wiki with them, but I think a weekly blog entry might be great for them to really think through what we are doing in class - not to mention make sure they are paying attention.
• Again for psych - what if we did a cell phone poll in class? Totally anonymous, and totally fun!

I'm sure there are more, but that's what I've thought of so far. What about you? Do you have any great plans for next year?

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Summer, Education, Technology

Okay, I'm back....or am I?

So this was a great deal longer than a 'brief' hiatus. I did, indeed, finish my Masters.  I stand now at the end of that educational road, but am wondering where I should go from here.  In terms of my education, I could become certified in educational technology, or go for me PhD. in educational technology.  Or, I could go totally crazy and become certified to teach something different altogether.  

Likewise, I stand in a similar situation regarding my blog.  I want to be innovative - to bring up thoughts and ideas that are different than what others have thought to ponder before.  Perhaps this is just year-end burn-out still talking - maybe I'm full of ideas that I haven't even come up with yet.  Or, perhaps, I am placing too much pressure on myself to be an innovator.  After all, I can be an innovator in my workplace by spouting out some of the different information that others have been touting for the past five years.  It all depends on who your audience is.

Some of my least favorite student projects have been those where it is obvious that the student has just tried too hard to impress me.  Perhaps I am doing the same thing, here.  

At any rate, I am back, and I will be posting.  If you have any topics that are of interest, please let me know.  Also - I am beginning to lay out my consulting schedule for next year.  If you want me to come into your school/district, please email me at sroustan [at] fhps [dot] us.  Happy summer!

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Random, Summer, Technology, Blogging, Edublogosphere

Plans for Summer, Part II

Okay, so I'm procrastinating again, so I am blogging (as per usual). I was re-reading some of my old blogs, one of which was this list of what I had planned for this summer, as of June 11 (while I was still grading and in school). Now that it is the 20th of July, and the new school year is rapidly approaching, I thought I would look at this list again, and see how much I have accomplished. Join me, won't you?

1. Sleep. I don't do enough of that during the school year. Hmm...this is a nice goal. I wish that I could say that I have done more of this, but if anything, I am sleeping less. But, one can always dream, right?
2. Family. Enough said. Yes, I have done a lot with family this summer. Both my husband and son have had surgery, so we are having a lot of family time. I mean, a LOT.
3. Tennis. I am helping with some camps this year, so I thought I'd throw that in here. Yes, I am doing a lot with tennis. Planning for the two seasons that I coach, and coaching the kids in camp. Camps end in 11 days, so I am currently playing/coaching at least 4 days a week. Yay!
4. Laptops and Lattes (or possibly other beverages that start with "L"). I'm very excited about this one. A colleague of mine came up with the idea, and I love it. We are going to get together on Wednesdays and discuss ways of integrating techology into our classrooms. We are going to discuss Web 2.0 stuff, Moodle, podcasting, Gizmoz, and much, much more. I am SO excited about it! What a great idea - and what a great thing that would have been, too! Yes, I know that we still have a lot of time left, but I don't know whether this is really going to happen or not. We'll see. There is still plenty of time left for this.
5. MAHETC. That would be the Mid-Atlantic Handheld and Emerging Technologies Conference in Salisbury, Maryland. I will be one of the many presenters there, along with the likes of Tony Vincent. It is going to be so great! I fly out for MAHETC on Tuesday, and I am nowhere near ready, but I'm excited nonetheless. I couldn't get to NECC, so I'm hoping this is a good second. I am geeked to do this - I have not yet presented outside of the state of Michigan, so this will be great!
6. (Real) Mobile Technology. As I am preparing my mobile classroom, I am trying to come up with ideas on how I can still integrate technology without having the classroom as my crutch. Right now, I have closets filled with stuff I've purchased - microphones, headphones, wires, etc, but I also haven't used it as much as I should. Now I need to reorganize myself and create more opportunities for technology while not having them in my closet for emergency I-have-five-minutes-left-let's-do-a-podcast integration. :) Ah, yes. I'm still trying to decide how best to organize myself, and I still don't know where I will be classroom-wise, so we'll see. I think that I need to re-organize no matter if I am in one room or 50 - technology needs to be planned in, not punted.
7. Psychology. Now that I am switching gears, I would like to re-vamp the old curriculum and do more online-type stuff. Any suggestions for good online resources for psych? Let me know. Yes, I am working on this, slowly but surely. I am revamping, but it is taking longer than I thought.
8. Presentations. I am drafting a new version of "Beyond Podcasting", which I am going to do at MAHETC. I am also creating a few new ones, such as "Classroom 2.0", "My Top-Ten Web 2.0: The Stuff I Can't Live Without", "Blogging 101" (unveiling at MAHETC), "Get a (Second) Life", and "Emerging Technologies: Why This Stuff Isn't Going To Go Away". Most of my presentations are about an hour long, but I can adapt them into workshops as well. Again, if you'd like to have me speak at your school/district/conference, please email me here. Yes, still working on this as well. I am redrafting BP and writing Blogging 101, which HAVE to be done by the end of this weekend (no pressure) for MAHETC. I was supposed to submit for a conference this fall, but I haven't done so yet. Let's hope I still have time!
9. Second Life. Yes, I dink around on there, but I really am doing a great amount of PD on there as well. I have met quite a few people that I consider to be good friends, and we have some great discussions on there. And yes, I want to come up with ways to use SL in my curriculum. HAHAHAHA! Yeah, not so much. Now that I have a laptop, though, I'll probably dink around a bit more. We'll see...
10. Reading. I read a lot of blogs, and I read a lot of magazines, but not a lot of books/e-books. While one of my projects for sure is to read the last Harry Potter (shut up - you know you want to read it, too), I want to read more about emerging technologies in the classroom. Please email me if you have any great suggestions. Yeah...not so much. I've read a Stephen King short story, and I've re-read the 6th Harry Potter book, in anticipation of the new one releasing tomorrow(WOOT!), but nothing tech related...yet...

So, yeah. I guess my top-ten list of what I wanted to accomplish was overly ambitious. I plan on doing a lot of research before MAHETC this week, but otherwise with two boys who are still healing, I am pretty much family-bound for awhile. I will post when I find out cool things, and my postings will probably increase around MAHETC as well. So, thanks for reading. Please comment if you can think of anything that you'd like me to talk/think/explain/write about here. And, as always, I would love to come to your school/district/meeting/book club (???) or whatever to talk about teaching. I LIVE for this!

Happy Procrastinating! (I mean, summer!)

Technorati Tags:

Summer, Random, MAHETC2007, Education

Plans for Summer

My students have been talking about what they plan to do on their summer vacations, so I thought that I'd share mine.

Summer 2007

1. Sleep. I don't do enough of that during the school year.
2. Family. Enough said.
3. Tennis. I am helping with some camps this year, so I thought I'd throw that in here.
4. Laptops and Lattes (or possibly other beverages that start with "L"). I'm very excited about this one. A colleague of mine came up with the idea, and I love it. We are going to get together on Wednesdays and discuss ways of integrating techology into our classrooms. We are going to discuss Web 2.0 stuff, Moodle, podcasting, Gizmoz, and much, much more. I am SO excited about it!
5. MAHETC. That would be the Mid-Atlantic Handheld and Emerging Technologies Conference in Salisbury, Maryland. I will be one of the many presenters there, along with the likes of Tony Vincent. It is going to be so great!
6. (Real) Mobile Technology. As I am preparing my mobile classroom, I am trying to come up with ideas on how I can still integrate technology without having the classroom as my crutch. Right now, I have closets filled with stuff I've purchased - microphones, headphones, wires, etc, but I also haven't used it as much as I should. Now I need to reorganize myself and create more opportunities for technology while not having them in my closet for emergency I-have-five-minutes-left-let's-do-a-podcast integration. :)
7. Psychology. Now that I am switching gears, I would like to re-vamp the old curriculum and do more online-type stuff. Any suggestions for good online resources for psych? Let me know.
8. Presentations. I am drafting a new version of "Beyond Podcasting", which I am going to do at MAHETC. I am also creating a few new ones, such as "Classroom 2.0", "My Top-Ten Web 2.0: The Stuff I Can't Live Without", "Blogging 101" (unveiling at MAHETC), "Get a (Second) Life", and "Emerging Technologies: Why This Stuff Isn't Going To Go Away". Most of my presentations are about an hour long, but I can adapt them into workshops as well. Again, if you'd like to have me speak at your school/district/conference, please email me here.
9. Second Life. Yes, I dink around on there, but I really am doing a great amount of PD on there as well. I have met quite a few people that I consider to be good friends, and we have some great discussions on there. And yes, I want to come up with ways to use SL in my curriculum.
10. Reading. I read a lot of blogs, and I read a lot of magazines, but not a lot of books/e-books. While one of my projects for sure is to read the last Harry Potter (shut up - you know you want to read it, too), I want to read more about emerging technologies in the classroom. Please email me if you have any great suggestions.

Well, that's about it. I will blog throughout the whole summer, so please come, read, and comment. I find that I am much more passionate about PD (and teaching) in July than I am right now (again, I don't sleep), so you will probably see my postings increase around that time.

Have a great summer!

Technorati Tags:

Random, MAHETC 2007, Summer