Gulf Coast Disaster

What conversations are occurring in classrooms that are addressing this situation? Please submit your ideas, lesson plans or comments on how you have considered this catastrophe. More importantly, how have the students responded to this situation? I look forward to hearing many great comments.

Hurricane Blog responses

Like many of you, the images of Hurricane Katrina still haunt us to this day. Why wasn't more done before, during, and after the hurricane? I visited post-Katrina New Orleans, LA, in March of 2009 and was still amazed at the work still left to be done.

Working with Shawn Bell, a 7th grade science teacher from Farmington Middle School, we developed a space for students to share their comments regarding the impact hurricanes can have on a community. This assignment was only one part of a larger project.

There were two resources the students had to read and to listen to before they could write their responses. The first was a podcast from NPR and the second was a poem. The link is provided below, along with the poem. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments as well.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13999598

Coin Drive

by Janet S. Wong

There’s a coin drive going on at our school

for children hurt by the hurricane.

Teacher says, “Handful of dimes is fine.

But only give if you want to share.”

Momma says, “Those people should have known.

Should have done more than they did to get out.”

Poppa says, “Look how those people stole.

Criminals. Animals, them. Their kind.”

I saw the pictures, too, myself.

People with nothing, no cars, for sure.

Swollen old ladies could barely walk.

Crazy boys with stolen guns,

but also daddies grabbing bread.

I saw the pictures, too, myself.

So many bodies floating, dead.

Waiting, water creeping up,

up past neck, past mouth, past eyes.

How long did they wait for help?

I feel proud for the fifty cents

I put today in the coin drive jar.

I feel proud that I can say:

I saw the pictures for myself.

ETC 2009

Hello! Thank you for visiting my blog. I do hope your experience at the ETC was just as valuable as mine.

The ETC is a great event! What a wonderful opportunity to learn about new technology, how to integrate technology, and exchange instructional strategies from various teachers through out the four state area.

If you were in my 21st Century Notebooking session, then I told you about this site along with my PBWorks site. All my attachments are found on the pbworks site; you may click on the link below and it will take you there. It is found on the right side of the page in Educational Links as ETC 2009 TechTalk. The actual link is also listed below. Please feel free to look around my site, post a comment or question, or borrow ideas to assist you in your classroom.

http://techtalknwacoop.pbworks.com

Have a great school year.

Jacob Hayward

Going Green!

Hello All!

Kermit the Frog used to say "It ain't easy being green."  Well, as a color, I suppose that is true.  But as a way of life, I think we can make is easy.  In the May 2009 Education Update issue, Willona Sloan discusses how schools and districts can turn their schools "green" on the smallest of budgets. This article defines what a green school is, the benefits of a green school, and simple tips to becoming a green school.  

Ms. Sloan does a great job describing the effects of a "sick" school building on student achievement and teacher performance.  I think many times we do not consider the physical element as part of the learning environment.  Going green and using "alternatives to toxic chemicals, pursuing green building and maintenance practices...and teaching students to be stewards of their community..." (page 6) can move schools forward to becoming environmentally friendly to our planet.

So my question to those who read this post is this, "What will you do differently at the start of the new school year that can have a positive impact on our planet?"  There are many green strategies that can be implemented.  It can be as simple as turning off lights when you leave a room to as complicated as building LEED schools.   

Have a great week!

Technology in the Classoom

Hello all!
This week I am with the TIE cadre learning more about how to use technology in the classroom. If you are not familiar with TIE, it is Technology Infused Education. It is a cohort of teachers throughout the state who come together and learn about technology and its impact on student learning and instruction.

I have some great information and will post and add links as I learn them!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Cinco de Mayo!

21st century classroom

Hey gang!
I was reading and do some research about how students could be learning in the next couple of decades. It got me to thinking about how a classroom of the future would look like. Would it be like the Jetsons? Or Star Trek? Or still like the Flintstones? Share your thoughts of what you think the classroom of the future will look like.

Awesome Blog Spot

This is Joe McClung's blog spot that he has created for his classroom.
I invite you to explore his site and see how he is engaging students in his classroom.
Joe is a colleague of mine from Missouri.

http://mcclungsblog.blogspot.com