A Must See!

Studying the American Civil War this year has been even more fun than usual because of increased publicity surrounding the 150th anniversary of the war.

I practically jumped off the couch last night when I saw this trailer for an upcoming documentary to be aired on Memorial Day on the History Channel. Executive producers Ridley and Tony Scott describe the film as an information-packed documentary, looking at the turning points, strategic decisions, technology, and little-known facts surrounding the battle. It was developed in collaboration with Civil War historians and reflects on hundreds of individual accounts of the battle.

Feelin' some pride!

As a teacher, particular things occur throughout the year that make you proud. Those events stay with you forever, and make every bad day worth the frustration. Today, on the most unlikely of days--one of those such events occurred, and I was reminded of another from the past.

Currently, the state MSP tests are being administered at Mill Creek. My 90 students took the first of the two writing tests today. As any of my former students would know, I have some pretty high expectations when it comes to taking your time and putting forth a heck of an effort on this test. Students today didn't disappoint, as 15 of them were still in my room taking the test after the bell to go home rang--that is 6 1/2 hours of writing. The other 70 worked throughout the day, understanding the importance to putting out their best effort. My students made me proud today. I won't forget this day for that reason. While I know it wasn't fun day for them, it was a honor to see them work so hard.

Then, to top it off, I received an email tonight from a colleague containing a link to a blog by a former student. In it, she reflected on her experiences in the KTA, and on a yearlong project her class orchestrated during the 2006-2007 school year:

Especially in 7th grade, everyone knew what was basically going in each other lives, and our teachers were like part of our family. We made so many special memories together, and I'm talking about everyone! No one was hesitant to talk to each other, and we had this mutual care for one another. Together as a whole KTA, we also made websites and got together to help saves lives in Africa from Malaria by donating/selling mosquito nets, and make a difference around the world with our technology. This was a year long on-going project, and it was called Nothing But Nets. We made podcasts, and put pieces of writing, blogs, games, and etc. all made by our own students, put onto our very own website.

Thanks, guys. For today...and back in the day!

Rethink/Refrom/Rebuild Education

Well, we started off the school year answering the question, "What do you want your ideal school to be like?"

Now, the Kent School District Strategic Planning Committee is asking the question, "Think about the ideal school system. What would be important for our school system to do to meet the needs of students and all other school system customers and stakeholders?"

This post is to prove that this question is being asked beyond Kent. Check out this link to a new website sponsored by Bing from Microsoft.

http://www.letsredu.com/

In a nutshell, REDU stands for rethinking, reforming and rebuilding education in the United States. The goal of their site is to create a destination where educators, parents, and students can engage in ongoing conversations about improving education, be inspired by reform stories, and make a difference by creating change.

Open House Humanities Presentation

Each year, we do our best to give parents a glimpse of what is happening in the classroom everyday. Here is the 2010-2011 Open House presentation for the Kent Technology Academy Humanities program.



If you are looking for the Computer Programing Open House presentation, it can be found by clicking here.

The Challenge

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity, and optimism. The power and intelligence of kids are so often overlooked. As an adult, I still need to be willing to learn from children and young adults. Together, we can make the world a better place.

To my students of the 2010-2011 school year, I ask you, what can WE do to create change? How can YOU make this school year the best you have ever had?

Media in Education; Part 2

After posting the entry Media in Education, I began thinking of the this video shown during the opening of the 2010 VisFest Awards Ceremony. Created by students, it does an amazing job of explaining what visual literacy skills bring to the overall classroom experience.

Media in Education

Edit: The embedded video seems to be somewhat inconsistent. If you are having difficulites accessing the video, click here.

Media in education is often misunderstood or not used correctly. On June 9, 2010, Jeff Thungc and I presented to members of the Kent School District Information Technology Leadership Team on this topic. This portion of the presentation focuses on how media is demanding a change in the way teachers reach students, and the results of such changes.