Integrating Technology in the Classroom

Well, tomorrow I begin a new adventure that I know will benefit my students! Through Lesley University, I am starting a program to receive a Master's Degree in Educational Technology. This appears to be a challenging, yet managable, and extremely beneficial to my students course of study. My classes are on line, which is new to me. I have "classmates" who live all over the country and beyond: the Carolinas, Minnesota, Massachusetts and even Korea! My professor is from Las Vegas! (I'm not sure I'll make his office hours, but with email, all hours are office hours!)
I'll try to post from time to time all the cool things we're doing in class!

Yearbook!

The order forms for the school yearbook have gone out!  I would like to take a few moments to answer some questions.  The cost for the book this year is $17.  Yes, this is a significant increase, but the book is very different this year.  We have opted to go with Herff Jones and have our book professional printed in full color!  Students have seen the samples of these gorgeous books and are excited by the prospect of such a professionally bound annual.   

In the past, we have been able to offer families a 1/4 or 1/2 page ad space, but we will not be offering this in the 2008 book.   In order to keep the cost as low as possible, we needed to reduce page numbers.  By offering these advertising spaces, our book cost skyrocketed.   

For those who are interested in writing a note to their child, or this class, we are offering the opportunity to sponsor a page.   For $3.00 you can write a 75-character message to your graduate and it will appear at the bottom of a particular page.    Seventy Five Characters is a sentence about this long:

Congratulations, Elly! We are so proud of you.  Love, Mom, Dad, Tim and William.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.  We can explore the idea of returning to the 1/4 page and 1/2 page ads for future editions of the yearbook.   What other ideas do you have?  Let us know!

Free Rice!

A few weeks before our December break, a former student alerted me to Free Rice, one of the coolest websites I've ever seen! Free Rice provides the opportunity to increase your vocabulary skills and feed the hungry. Check out www.freerice.com to play. If you select FAQs, you can learn more about this neat program, but in a nutshell, when you get a vocabulary word correct, twenty grains of rice are donated to the United Nations to combat world hunger. NPR did a story on Free Rice, and references to it seem to be cropping up all over. Why don't you give it a try?

Eighth Graders enjoying To Kill a Mockingbird

The eighth graders are deep into 1930's Alabama right now as they work toward finishing our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird. We will end the unit by viewing the film starring Gregory Peck.
Some comments:
"I like it. I didn't really read it at first, but I like it."
"Chapter 28 is my favorite chapter!"
"I got so mad after the trial!"
Ask your eighth grader their thoughts--or better yet read it with them!
Happy New Year!