Em's Ever Evolving Erudition

My reaction to Doug Johnson’s article is “easier said than done.” I like many of the points he makes. The internet is a teachable moment with students. The fact is that the internet is a fast growing part of everybody’s life. It is accessible everywhere with the invention of smart phones. Our society is hyper connected. Students are definitely going to be exposed to the dangers of the internet, along with the benefits. It would be a great mistake to not teach appropriate behavior for our digital lives. The internet allows a degree of anonymity that can allow people to act irresponsibly. They believe that their words and actions cannot be assigned to them, giving them a green light to misuse the internet. As the suicide of that girl after the mother cyberbullied her shows, adults are guilty of bad internet behavior. It is of the utmost importance to teach all appropriate behavior. My concern is about policy. To get federal money, schools are required to have filters. This will take...

I think I’ve written this assignment about five times now. Each tool that I look at I think, “ah ha! This will be my golden nugget!” I do a little write up while exploring the site. But I decide to check out another tool and the excitement begins again! There really are an overload of fabulous tools out there for us to use! The tool that end up really winning my heart was diigo (www.diigo.com). I know it was discussed a bit in class, but I had never heard of it. I actually went to it to start bookmarking some of the great tools that I had been looking at. When I signed up, I realized that this was the golden nugget I really was looking for. I’ve used delicious and honestly wasn’t all that impressed. It was nice to have websites cataloged in a cloud for me to be access from any computer, especially since I tend to do homework anywhere I find time: home, work, library. But other than that I never really got into any of the other features. Right away diigo’s website is organized i...

Reading GLE: RHS 14: Analyze and interpret author’s craft (citing evidence where appropriate) by… • Demonstrating knowledge of use of author’s style or use of literary elements and devices (i.e., imagery, repetition, foreshadowing, personification, hyperbole, symbolism, analogy, allusion, rhyme scheme, soliloquy, dialogue, or use of punctuation) to analyze literary works. Music GLE: APHS 16: Students make connections between/among the arts and disciplines outside the arts by… · Explaining how elements, artistic processes, and/or organizational principles are used in similar and distinctive ways (e.g., form, tone color, balance, unity and variety, texture, harmony, etc.). History GLE: H&SS9-12:13: Students analyze how and why cultures continue and change over time by… Analyzing and evaluating ways in which culture in the United States and the world has changed and may change in the future. My interdisciplinary unit would combine poetry and jazz and history. While studying the Ha...

Top Ten Reasons to Collaborate: 10. Keeps you on your toes. 9. Ensures that your library is the center of attention. 8. Forces the techno-phob teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. 7. Refreshes stale teaching. 6. Lightens the heavy load of project based learning. 5. After all the practice playing SIMS, you get to create a real world perfect learning environment. 4. Demystify the notion that you are the wizard “behind the curtain” by empowering teachers with new skills. 3. Finally get the “modeling” career you’ve always dreamed of, but get to model successful real world practices instead of fashion clothing. 2. Get President Bush off your back by increasing test scores. 1. Use the most valuable resource in your library: YOU! ** Would not use this language while talking to my principal, but just use it as organizing my thoughts. Nay-sayers might say: Its hard to work with others. It takes up too much time to plan a collaborative lesson.