June 28, 2007 by jmmblake.

Ok…calling all Twittheads, coming to a conference room real soon- Cmd-B will now open up a list of folks tapping the keys as they Tweet their hearts away.  If you have your laptop out and you have updated to the latest version of Twitterrific, you will notice your friends avatar image will have a white outline.  Does anyone worry about this but me?  I am still not sure I will try installing Twitterrific on my classroom iBooks.  If so, it will be setup on a special user account which is not available to students all the time.  For example, I my install Twitterrific on a user account for use during a specific technology part of the class. 

On second thought, I need to check our district’s Internet Use Policy.  I do not think they will allow students to use Twitter.  AIM is blocked already.  “Disruptive” technology strikes again.

Version 2.2 - TBD

WWDC Special Edition

New Features

• Twitterrific now scans for other users on the local network using Bonjour. When your friends are “close by” their avatar image will have a white outline. You can also use Cmd-B to see a list of all people on the local network that are using Twitterrific and their last tweet. Hopefully, this will be effective in environments where Twitter users are in the same physical space (such as WWDC.) Thanks to Jack Dorsey for the idea.

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June 21, 2007 by jmmblake.

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June 17, 2007 by jmmblake.

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Define Class Rules (a.k.a. Classroom Procedures)

The discipline committee must decide what sort of rules will be enforced school wide. Try to limit these rules to about four or five. I think that it’s easy to enforce a handful of rules that everyone knows and can even spout off the top of their heads; but when you get so many rules, that no one can remember without looking at the paper then you will have too many rules for everyone to enforce. My own school developed these rules. All rules should be stated in their positive format and not in negatives, i.e., instead of don’t hit people, we found a way to say this by our second rule:

1. Be in your assigned seat ready to work when the tardy bell finishes its ring.
2. Keep hands, feet, books, and objects to yourself.
3. Speak courteously to your teacher and fellow students.
4. Follow the teacher’s directions.
5. Bring only those items which are essential to the educational process.

The class rules should be posted in every classroom and referred to often.

These are fine classroom rules.  However, just posting them on the wall does not insure they will be followed.  I have students that are learning disabled in reading.  They could care less about a “stinking” poster on the wall.  So, as part of our school’s discipline policy, we spend class time teaching what these rules. Instead of calling them rules, I prefer the word procedures.  Also, in our school, we do not have warning bells and tardy bells, but we may add them this coming year.  I personally have to program our school’s bells and when the power blinks, our bells shut down and they have to be reprogrammed.  So, before we go to tardy bells, someone is going to have to purchase one of those continuous power supply or backup batteries. [note to self: remember that.]

The hardest part of classroom procedures is for the teacher to get the students to buy into the system.  They have to see that you mean business and you are not going to let them slide if they do not follow the procedure.  If I let them get by with it one day, and then send them to the principal the next day, then chaos rules.  For me, instead of just posting the list, I use a flip chart and conduct a brainstorming session and just ask my students what the class procedures should be, if we are going to be in this classroom all year together and end up with all level threes and fours on our EOG tests and everyone passing to the next grade.  I teach middle school, grades 6, 7, and 8.  I have my list of procedures already formulated on paper so when students come up with something like- “bring paper”, then one says “bring ya pencil”, and one might say “bring your notebook”, I list all these. After brainstorming, I ask them to look at the list and give them 2.5 minutes to discuss the list with the student next to them and see if any of the items on the list have anything in common.  The items listed above all fit nicely under procedure 5. Bring only those items which are essential to the educational process.

Here is the next big important step I have found that works for me: Thumbs up, thumbs down, and I am not sure.  After the class has found commonality and formulated our list which is usually very close to the one above, we vote.  Thumbs up if you can live with all the procedures, thumbs down if you can not, and thumbs sideways if you are still not sure.  Polling the students helps them see that everyone else knows they know the procedures.  If a student is trying to be cute, and gives a thumbs down, or really does not want to follow the procedure, then the discussion of why we are in school, what are your career goals, what would your mama say will not help.  I simply ask the student to spend some time with me after the class so we can talk.  If I have a student that is authoritative defiant, they just want to pick a argument, I have to remove them from the group.  I have experienced students that want to try to win every point of the discussion and I have a prearranged signal with my school counselor.  I have a phone in my classroom and I hit the three keys to his extension and just say, “could you please give me some time”.  This means our code for come to my room and look for a student about to snap.  You might ask well how does he know it is your room?  Our phone system has a sort of caller id. 

So, what is the purpose of writing a blog post about classroom rules/procedures?  I am not doing it for my readers, this is for me to reflect and share.  If you read this and think this is nothing neither fresh nor blending-edge, congratulations.  If you have a new middle science teacher and you want to help them but do not have the time, email them a link to my blog.  If you have constructive points you want to add, leave a comment.  If you think my little classroom management reflection is worthless, keep your comments to yourself and have a nice summer. 

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June 14, 2007 by jmmblake.

NORTH CAROLINA SIX POINT LESSON PLAN

Subject: __________________________________

Teacher: _____________ Date: _______________

Performance Objective (Including learning and behavior):

Activity Description of Activities and Setting Materials and Time

I. Focus and Review (Establish prior knowledge)

II. Statement (Inform) of Objectives

III. Teacher Input (Present tasks, information, and guidance)

Tasks-

IV. Guided Practice (Elicit performance)

Assessment and Feedback

V. Independent Practice —

VI. Closure (Plan for maintenance)

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June 13, 2007 by jmmblake.

Not much on my mind this morning.  Just read a blog post that got me thinking.  Eric Rice asked on his blog “what advertiser would you just die to have?” Well, my initial thought was this is a positive way to thinking about all the horrible banner ads our school’s Internet content filter blocks.  While blocking those unwanted advertisers with Flash banner ad games and other “bandwidth leaches”, I still have a dream advertiser.  Still, I have not opted for ads on my blogs.  I have read posts for fellow educators that have commented that the ad revenues from Google have not been enough annually to purchase a cup of coffee.  If bloggers are lured into working for the these ad agencies- buyer beware:  If it sounds to good to be “not true”, it probably is.

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June 13, 2007 by jmmblake.

Our school district’s delegation flies out of ILM on the day Apple and AT&T launch- June 29th.  It would be  fun to watch the lines or lack of lines at the local AT&T /Cingular Store, but I would rather be on my way to the conference.  It has been ten years since I have last attended this International flavored event.  The world was a much different place.  But, the changes are similar what I experienced in Munich, Germany, in 1978.  Soldiers/guards with machine guns and dogs were a real shock for me to see back in those days.  I had never seen anything like that except in photos from my father’s WWII photo albums and on TV and history books.  I thought I had gone back in time to a place run my Hitler or some fire breathing maniac.  ‘Why does this airport need guards with machine guns?’ I asked.  Someone said it was because of the terrorists that kidnapped the Israeli Olympic team and killed 17, during the ‘72 Munich Olympic Games.  Airport security is a sign of our times, much like the buzz around the launch of the iPhone.  The iPhone has already begun to change AT&T.  On their website, I noticed that they are offering Refurb Blackberry Pearls for $29.99 with 2 year contract.  It knocked the breathe out of me.  Talk about making changes– the fear in the marketing boarders on Gorilla Warfare.  Dramatic events change the way people conduct business.  

As an amateur podcaster and amateur blogger, I would am planning to record sessions, and conversations with fellow conference attendees.  This conference may mark a dramatic event for our school district.  Along with two of the five schools in our LEA will have new principals next year as the result of retirements.  Our superintendent is new as well.  Put all these together and they generate an environment of fear and or great opportunity.  It all depends on which side you are on.  In education, this tagline hits home with me– “Change is not necessary; survival is not mandatory.”  If you don’t think things should change, then you miss the opportunity to grow.  I look forward to change.  I have learned that it is a major pain to have to teach the same children year after year.  They are tired of me as well.  They are ready for a change.  The question is, will they take advantage of the situation.  Will our teachers step up and take advantage of the conference to learn new ideas and bring them back to their schools and classrooms?  I think so.

As part of my podcasts and conversations with our district’s delegation attending the Model Schools Conference the end of this month, I will be keying in on change.  I plan to read the book- “Who Moved My Cheese” to refresh my understanding of the issues involved in change.

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June 6, 2007 by jmmblake.

Has NCLB made a difference in my students’ learning– No.  The only things I can point to in my classroom that have changed are attitudes and lesson plans.  I know now that math and reading are all that count.  So, if I want to teach science, I must have a positive attitude that math and reading are worth the extra effort.  When I watch students that struggle with reading lab activity instructions, I realize why they can not complete the task.  When they are trying to plot a graph of motion generated by a sound probe, and they do not understand rates, fractions, decimal numbers, x-y coordinates, and measurements in SI I know they can never understand the science concepts. 

My lesson plans have also been changed by NCLB.  In order to prepare students for high-stakes testing, the last grading period of the school year, science has been basically removed from my classroom.  Instead, my science lessons are really math or reading, with a little science sprinkled on.  I am not complaining here, just stating the facts.  Test scores are King.  If my students do not do well on reading and math, our school faces the prospect of mounds of paper work. 

So, if you are reading this, this is my two cents worth, NCLB is leaving science behind and in the near future, America will pay dearly for this horrible boondoggle.  But what do I know, I am just a teacher.

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