http://www.thinkfinity.org/
This website embodies ALL of the "This We Believe" characteristics. I was impressed with the website and will log this site into my brain for future reference. It has so much to explore as educators, parents, community leaders, and all other stakeholders. It provides a place to locate lesson plans, professional development, blogs, discussion boards, resources, just about anything one could need. I really liked the tab labeled at home and afterschool. It provides different interactive websites for educational games, suggestions for technology use, and so much more. This site is not just for middle school but can used for other grades as well. With all the wonderful resources available on site, it helps develop individualized instruction for each student. If a child needs lessons or resources on a lower level it is there, or if a child needs a challenge it is also there. There is even a place to search state standards. The entire website is easy to navigate and detailed even the most technology challenged person could use. This is a one stop shop for any needs needed as an educator.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Exploring a Webquest
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/grant/explorers/
As one of my fellow bloggers stated in an earlier post, I too was unsure as to what a webquest truly was. Now that I have seen a few on the internet and even read a webquest about what a webquest is, I have a very clear understanding of how cool they really are!
This particular webquest focuses on social studies, in particular a project that involves the research and understanding of various explorers and their contributions. The webquest is set up in a manner that is very easy to follow, and the teacher has done a wonderful job in stating clear goals for the project. This lets me know that the teacher is prepared to teach her students, which follows the This We Believe characteristic of educators valuing young adolescents and being prepared. The fact that the teacher used a webquest for the project also connects to TWB by using multiple learning and teaching approaches. The teacher could have easily not used a webquest and handed this information out in a packet in class. However, this teacher took the time to think about the process of the project, set up the webquest, and make sure that the students had all of the resources they needed available to them. The rubric is also posted, which lets the kids know what the teacher is expecting of them and what they need to do to be successful on this project. I also love how detailed the teacher is in the roles of the members in the group, as well as the basic directions. Instead of having to repeat yourself in the classroom, students can go to the webquest and reread the directions before coming to you for clarification. This helps them to become active learners.
I love the idea of a webquest! It incorporates technology, mulitple disciplines, and gives students the opportunity to work in groups and individually. It hits on all the key elements that we have studied in our reading that make a successful middle school. While it would take a little work on the front end, webquests would be extremely beneficial in a middle school classroom. I can't wait to create one for my 5th graders!
As one of my fellow bloggers stated in an earlier post, I too was unsure as to what a webquest truly was. Now that I have seen a few on the internet and even read a webquest about what a webquest is, I have a very clear understanding of how cool they really are!
This particular webquest focuses on social studies, in particular a project that involves the research and understanding of various explorers and their contributions. The webquest is set up in a manner that is very easy to follow, and the teacher has done a wonderful job in stating clear goals for the project. This lets me know that the teacher is prepared to teach her students, which follows the This We Believe characteristic of educators valuing young adolescents and being prepared. The fact that the teacher used a webquest for the project also connects to TWB by using multiple learning and teaching approaches. The teacher could have easily not used a webquest and handed this information out in a packet in class. However, this teacher took the time to think about the process of the project, set up the webquest, and make sure that the students had all of the resources they needed available to them. The rubric is also posted, which lets the kids know what the teacher is expecting of them and what they need to do to be successful on this project. I also love how detailed the teacher is in the roles of the members in the group, as well as the basic directions. Instead of having to repeat yourself in the classroom, students can go to the webquest and reread the directions before coming to you for clarification. This helps them to become active learners.
I love the idea of a webquest! It incorporates technology, mulitple disciplines, and gives students the opportunity to work in groups and individually. It hits on all the key elements that we have studied in our reading that make a successful middle school. While it would take a little work on the front end, webquests would be extremely beneficial in a middle school classroom. I can't wait to create one for my 5th graders!
Lusher Charter School: Educational Utopia
http://lusherschool.org/
While looking at middle school websites for this blog, I suddenly remembered the Lusher School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Back when my husband was still my boyfriend, he went to law school in New Orleans, and I used to visit frequently. He lived in a neighborhood Uptown called Carrollton, and while walking around this neighborhood, I used to see the Lusher Charter School often. I was struck then by what a beautiful, sweet little campus they seemed to have. At one point I saw them engaged in what turned out to be their annual crawfish boil, which looked like a great community builder!
When I checked out their website, I was really in awe of their organization. The website above covers the entire Lusher community, which consists of a Lower School, a Middle School, and a High School. Most of the sections on this website will have subsections on their middle school, so as you click around, you get a feel for how committed these folks are to their students.
There were tons of hallmarks of a quality middle school: team teaching, block schedules, project-based learning, etc. All of this indicates that their curriculum emphasizes active, purposeful learning. In addition, they have a huge emphasis on exploratory, which I think is lacking in a lot of public schools. Kids can choose to do dance, music, theater, visual arts, whatever they like. They even have a program called Art After Hours, in which professional artists from the community come in to do a variety of art with the kids from 3:45-5:30. (So there's partnering with the community). They are also partnered with Tulane University, and their high school students can take courses there for credit FOR FREE. Talk about community partnerships! Oh, and speaking of staying after hours, their teachers all have "office hours" twice a week, where they stay after school to help students who need it. Talk about instructors who value young adolescents and are committed to educating them! Oh, and their entire curriculum is vertically aligned, since they are one organization from Kindergarten through grade 12. They have a specific section on their middle school and how it is purposefully designed for the developmental needs of that age group. Oh, and parent involvement! Every parent of every student is automatically a member of the PTSA. Their website has a parent section describing numerous opportunities to get involved.
This website made me want to quit my job, move to New Orleans, and teach at Lusher. Much of their mission statement matches almost word-for-word with "This We Believe". If you'd like to see a work of educational art, please check out this website!
While looking at middle school websites for this blog, I suddenly remembered the Lusher School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Back when my husband was still my boyfriend, he went to law school in New Orleans, and I used to visit frequently. He lived in a neighborhood Uptown called Carrollton, and while walking around this neighborhood, I used to see the Lusher Charter School often. I was struck then by what a beautiful, sweet little campus they seemed to have. At one point I saw them engaged in what turned out to be their annual crawfish boil, which looked like a great community builder!
When I checked out their website, I was really in awe of their organization. The website above covers the entire Lusher community, which consists of a Lower School, a Middle School, and a High School. Most of the sections on this website will have subsections on their middle school, so as you click around, you get a feel for how committed these folks are to their students.
There were tons of hallmarks of a quality middle school: team teaching, block schedules, project-based learning, etc. All of this indicates that their curriculum emphasizes active, purposeful learning. In addition, they have a huge emphasis on exploratory, which I think is lacking in a lot of public schools. Kids can choose to do dance, music, theater, visual arts, whatever they like. They even have a program called Art After Hours, in which professional artists from the community come in to do a variety of art with the kids from 3:45-5:30. (So there's partnering with the community). They are also partnered with Tulane University, and their high school students can take courses there for credit FOR FREE. Talk about community partnerships! Oh, and speaking of staying after hours, their teachers all have "office hours" twice a week, where they stay after school to help students who need it. Talk about instructors who value young adolescents and are committed to educating them! Oh, and their entire curriculum is vertically aligned, since they are one organization from Kindergarten through grade 12. They have a specific section on their middle school and how it is purposefully designed for the developmental needs of that age group. Oh, and parent involvement! Every parent of every student is automatically a member of the PTSA. Their website has a parent section describing numerous opportunities to get involved.
This website made me want to quit my job, move to New Orleans, and teach at Lusher. Much of their mission statement matches almost word-for-word with "This We Believe". If you'd like to see a work of educational art, please check out this website!
Welcome to Bob Courtway Middle School
http://bc.conwayschools.org/index.html
When searching for a MS website, I wanted to first look at the one I went to. Once I got there, I was very into it, and found myself piddling around for a good while. The website was very easy to follow, and I felt like everything that needed to be on there was.
The fieldtrips that students had taken on the website were to very respected community places, and I love how the website publicized that for all to see. (View archived news) This was including community partners with their school.
Also on the website, I found amazing parent information (View parents). Parents were definitely kept in the loop at Bob Courtway and they already are informed as much as possible for the upcoming 11-12 school year. TWB standard discusses involving family invovlement, and any family question was easliy answered on the website. I also saw several times where the website stated for more questions to call the office.
Overall, the website was very informative to me and was very inviting. It was also fun for me to spend some time looking at it, thinking back to when I went to school there about how much had changed.
When searching for a MS website, I wanted to first look at the one I went to. Once I got there, I was very into it, and found myself piddling around for a good while. The website was very easy to follow, and I felt like everything that needed to be on there was.
The fieldtrips that students had taken on the website were to very respected community places, and I love how the website publicized that for all to see. (View archived news) This was including community partners with their school.
Also on the website, I found amazing parent information (View parents). Parents were definitely kept in the loop at Bob Courtway and they already are informed as much as possible for the upcoming 11-12 school year. TWB standard discusses involving family invovlement, and any family question was easliy answered on the website. I also saw several times where the website stated for more questions to call the office.
Overall, the website was very informative to me and was very inviting. It was also fun for me to spend some time looking at it, thinking back to when I went to school there about how much had changed.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
All the Cool Kids Do Grammar Webquests
http://imet.csus.edu/imet5/koreen/imetsites/282/index.htm
My experience with webquests is extremely limited. Specifically, it is limited to one; a pitiful little quest I designed myself after having read an article on how cool webquests are. If we were to compare this current webquest to mine in terms of art, mine would be the crayon-scribble you hang on the refrigerator that your child tells you is a dog. This Grammar Webquest, however, would be the Mona Lisa. Or at least Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (sorry Picasso).
The beautiful thing about this webquest is its organizational structure. It is neatly divided into sections that take the student step by step through what they must do. It also requires the students to work in groups to create a presentation based on their findings in the webquest, which has the benefit of extending the learning, empowering the students, and using additional teaching methods (cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching).
I think an educator who used this webquest would be involving the students in active, purposeful learning, using a variety of teaching methods, making the curriculum relevant to students by implementing technology skills, and creating a general atmosphere of empowerment as the students take charge of their own learning and are in turn responsible for presenting the material to their class. The webquest even provides the students with resources on lesson planning, sample power point presentations (the end product of the webquest), and a self-evaluation tool. For the teacher, they include both modifications for special needs students and extension activities for advanced learners. I will certainly take it as my model for webquests from now on, and I encourage you guys to check it out as an exemplary model.
My experience with webquests is extremely limited. Specifically, it is limited to one; a pitiful little quest I designed myself after having read an article on how cool webquests are. If we were to compare this current webquest to mine in terms of art, mine would be the crayon-scribble you hang on the refrigerator that your child tells you is a dog. This Grammar Webquest, however, would be the Mona Lisa. Or at least Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (sorry Picasso).
The beautiful thing about this webquest is its organizational structure. It is neatly divided into sections that take the student step by step through what they must do. It also requires the students to work in groups to create a presentation based on their findings in the webquest, which has the benefit of extending the learning, empowering the students, and using additional teaching methods (cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching).
I think an educator who used this webquest would be involving the students in active, purposeful learning, using a variety of teaching methods, making the curriculum relevant to students by implementing technology skills, and creating a general atmosphere of empowerment as the students take charge of their own learning and are in turn responsible for presenting the material to their class. The webquest even provides the students with resources on lesson planning, sample power point presentations (the end product of the webquest), and a self-evaluation tool. For the teacher, they include both modifications for special needs students and extension activities for advanced learners. I will certainly take it as my model for webquests from now on, and I encourage you guys to check it out as an exemplary model.
Active Learning - The Only Option For the Middle School Student
http://ezinearticles.com/?Active-Learning---The-Only-Option-For-the-Middle-School-Student&id=2646972
In this article, I found myself just continually nodding my head--a yes nod! Daniel Yordy is a very avid believer that the middle school student shouldn't just be 'sitting at their desk' but rather making things, exploring, and getting dirty. He feels very strongly that the repetition students got academically in elementary school is not appropriate for the middle schooler; nor "college prep."
Daniel Yordy's main point throughout this article I felt like was that student's cannot understand or find what they are, until they are given the chance to embrace it. He never knew he was a teacher until he took a chance, and tried it out. Yordy feels that project-based learning is the best way to go, and that through those projects students may find their passions, where bookwork could never give that.
One of the NMSA TWB characteristics says that students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. If Yordy's articles was a teacher's passion as well, there would be lots of hands on project based learning going on in that classroom. We all know we remember what we did, it's the experience that counts....
In this article, I found myself just continually nodding my head--a yes nod! Daniel Yordy is a very avid believer that the middle school student shouldn't just be 'sitting at their desk' but rather making things, exploring, and getting dirty. He feels very strongly that the repetition students got academically in elementary school is not appropriate for the middle schooler; nor "college prep."
Daniel Yordy's main point throughout this article I felt like was that student's cannot understand or find what they are, until they are given the chance to embrace it. He never knew he was a teacher until he took a chance, and tried it out. Yordy feels that project-based learning is the best way to go, and that through those projects students may find their passions, where bookwork could never give that.
One of the NMSA TWB characteristics says that students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. If Yordy's articles was a teacher's passion as well, there would be lots of hands on project based learning going on in that classroom. We all know we remember what we did, it's the experience that counts....
Hale Middle School Website: Making Middle School a Little Easier to Navigate
http://halemiddleschool.com/
As everyone in the course knows, there is a wide range of middle level websites to be sorted through on the world wide web. In my quest I came across Hale Middle Schools site, which is very easy to navigate and full of great information about their school. Hale MS is located in Woodland Hills, California near LA. The first page of the site is well organized, and lists current information for parents, students, and staff. On the first page of the site under News and Announcements, I noticed that they received a grant from Exxon Mobil through a locally owned Exxon gas station. This is a wonderful gift for the school, and shows that Hale MS is meeting the NMSA This We Believe characteristic of including community and business partners in the growth and improvement of their school. As I navigated through the website I also found that they have many clubs for the students to participate in. While most of these activities take place during the lunch hour, kids are still given the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities which would fall under the TWB characteristics of supporting students health and wellness through school-wide programs, as well as having students personal development guided by an adult advocate. The clubs or activities offered appear to appeal to various interests ranging from Mariachi to Stars Wars. Hale MS is definitely making an effort to reach all of their students. Enjoy the site!
As everyone in the course knows, there is a wide range of middle level websites to be sorted through on the world wide web. In my quest I came across Hale Middle Schools site, which is very easy to navigate and full of great information about their school. Hale MS is located in Woodland Hills, California near LA. The first page of the site is well organized, and lists current information for parents, students, and staff. On the first page of the site under News and Announcements, I noticed that they received a grant from Exxon Mobil through a locally owned Exxon gas station. This is a wonderful gift for the school, and shows that Hale MS is meeting the NMSA This We Believe characteristic of including community and business partners in the growth and improvement of their school. As I navigated through the website I also found that they have many clubs for the students to participate in. While most of these activities take place during the lunch hour, kids are still given the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities which would fall under the TWB characteristics of supporting students health and wellness through school-wide programs, as well as having students personal development guided by an adult advocate. The clubs or activities offered appear to appeal to various interests ranging from Mariachi to Stars Wars. Hale MS is definitely making an effort to reach all of their students. Enjoy the site!
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