tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231296332024-03-13T03:04:21.203-07:00Biblio addictDiane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-46819662940451790712014-07-28T20:52:00.001-07:002014-07-28T20:52:43.179-07:00The Baking Bookworm: Artichoke, Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Dip<a href="http://thebakingbookworm.blogspot.com/2014/07/artichoke-sun-dried-tomato-goat-cheese.html">The Baking Bookworm: Artichoke, Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Dip</a>Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-25083910297286912472009-03-01T19:46:00.001-08:002009-03-01T19:49:47.501-08:00March 1st,My daughter shamed me into taking up my blog again. She is taking off for South America in 4 months and wants to start a blog.<br />I have a blog and have not been keeping it up. Time to start over.<br /><br />I will try to post once a week.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-47813468599606010912007-07-19T11:44:00.000-07:002007-07-19T11:47:42.852-07:00SummertimeWow, its great to have some time to relax and find the bottom of my TBR pile.<br /><br />I have several projects to work on this July including cleaning my craft room and learning some new things. I really want to find out more about Second Life. Not that my first life doesn't keep me busy enough. I am just plain curious. I would like to see how conferences are being held there and how school districts are using islands there. Interesting times.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-53901900495479929832007-03-16T07:44:00.000-07:002007-03-16T08:47:44.413-07:00End of trimester 2So my goal for this trimester was to push my students' writing. One of the best ways I felt that I could do that was with a Wiki. We did two wiki projects. The first was research oriented with a partner. All of the students logged on to either a morning or afternoon wiki. For the most part I think they were successful. A few even took it to the next and used Bubbleshare to make a powerpoint into a flash object for the Wiki.<br /><br />The second wiki was a collaboration between my two classes. I think our students need opportunities to learn to collaborate. This was their opportunity to write an imaginative story. I do think that the collaboration was the weakest link, but it was the first time they had tried it without a face to face meeting. Some of their stories were quite cute, although the males seem to concentrate on war stories.<br /><br />Overall I think we have made a good start on Wikis and some of my students even got <span style="font-weight: bold;">it.</span> They realized that they could work on this project at home. It would be great if I could convince some of the eighth grade teachers to continue with this kind of project.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-41980813445054905932007-03-06T11:13:00.000-08:002007-03-06T11:14:32.264-08:00Wikis, Wikis and more wikisThis last week has been a wiki week. I showed a Powerpoint about Web 2.0 to our district class. I think it went over fairly well. The technology that we were working with was wikis, and there we ran into the problem. The first time I used a wiki with my students I did the navigation for them. This time I wanted the teachers to practice but forgot that with so many people working on the page it would kick people off or delete their work. What a mess, not my most successful moment. I hate when the application does not work seemlessly-my fault. These teachers are nervous enough without having problems. But on the other hand it does give them a chance to see how to go to plan B and to learn from it. I did send an e-mail telling the teachers that I learned from them and adjusted my lesson plan for my students the next day.<br /><br />My students are working on their second wiki project. I am not up to looking for another classroom to collaborate with at this point in time. Instead I thought that my 2 Core classes could work with one another. We talked about how you don't know people from other countries when you have to collaborate on projects with them. This would give them the opportunity to try to collaborate with someone else.<br />Each team had to choose a picture of a Greek artifact and write an imaginative store. The partners could collaborate and write one story. They could write the story from 2 different points of view in a conflict. The stories could be about different time periods with the object appearing in both stories. The wiki has allowed some of the teams discussions on how and what they want to do. It has been pretty interesting to see the directions the teams have taken.<br />The rough drafts are due tomorrow so we shall see how they work out.<br /><br />One of the students asked if he could work on this at home and I reminded him since it was online that it would be easy to do. They haven't quite taken the jump to see how it makes their writing easier using the wiki. I will be interested to know tomorrow who makes the leap.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-74551515926335157662007-02-16T12:31:00.000-08:002007-02-16T12:39:29.758-08:00Web 2.0 in our classMy students have done several blog entries. I notice this last time that it was much easier this time around. It is becoming automatic for them.<br /><br />Our Wiki project went quite well. Several of the groups made powerpoints. We figured out that we needed to upload them to Bubbleshare so we could change them to flash and put them up on the Wiki. The conclusion to the project was to blog about how they did.<br /><br />We will do a second WIKI project at the end of the month. I will need to have the students log on individually so I can keep track of who is making the changes. This may add a complication to them that they will have to step up to. My two core classes will be working together on one WIKI so we need to keep tabs on who is doing what.<br /><br />My district class of teachers will be working with a wiki next time. I think they will love it.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-76250004256583171892007-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:002007-01-02T15:48:28.119-08:00New Year-New BeginningsMy new resolution is to post at least once a week either here or on my school blog. If I expect my students to write then I must lead.<br /><br />I have been quite busy putting together the course outline for our district class on integrating technology. I think I would have made a great media specialist since I enjoy finding information.<br />FURL makes t so easy to find all the posts I have saved for this class. Part of my dilemma is I don't know what the skill level is of my students. Several of the other technology leaders will be teaching some of the classes so I don't want to step on their toes and plan. My tech leader is still pushing us to use Moodle, but I don't find the interface very easy to use. It doesn't do what I want it to do or I haven't figured out the correct way to use it. I'd love to use a WIKI. We shall see how it turns out.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1159220794638172192006-09-25T14:41:00.000-07:002006-09-25T14:46:34.646-07:00September openingWe have started our classroom blog after many stumbles. Some of students have uploaded their haikus to the blog. We hope they will be able to start commenting on each other's this next week.<br /><br />Presently I am working at the tech cadre to learn some new technologies for my students. I am excited to learn about the Google notebook and all of its uses.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1151018998526394322006-06-22T16:24:00.000-07:002006-06-22T16:29:58.536-07:00School is over. Summer is here.Sometimes I feel like a little kid, anxious and eager for school to be out.<br />Now truthfully as an adult, my Summer may have started but I am as busy as ever. We leave on vacation next week so maybe reality may hit me then.<br /><br />I still have two more mornings at work to do some prep for the Summer Institute. I am not sure if my mind has rested enough to be able to make the leap and do what is necessary for this class.<br />Maybe a relaxing weekend could help.<br /><br />Good news though..... my daughter got hired as a first grade teacher in small district. I could not have handpicked a better principal. She is very lucky and I know it will be a great experience.<br /><br />So many more blogs to read...Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1149547118042250132006-06-05T15:24:00.000-07:002006-06-05T15:38:38.063-07:00Evaluation for the second set of Lit Circle BloggersDid I learn from this second set of bloggers? And how. They found more creative ways around not blogging than I could have thought possible. Three of the groups found the messaging on Nicenet and had to be led kicking and screaming away from it.<br /><br /> Some of the groups were working really well for the Lit Circles and some had some interpersonal difficulties as is typical with middle schoolers. I think we could have done better if it had been earlier in the year. I am not sure if they would have benefited by reading a novel together and using it for Lit Circles with me picking the groups.Working with their buddies was too distracting for some of the students. The lack of maturity in some of the groups also showed up in their blogging, minimal effort all around. These two groups had some definite problems with absent group members.<br /><br /> On the other hand I found several of the groups ran themselves very well, made adjustments when needed and had a great time with the blogging.<br /><br />I think I will try this next year as a group blog with my other reading students. I think if I do quite a bit of modeling we might make it a success.<br /><br />So plans for next year will include continued work on blogs, creating a wiki for my core class and playing with podcasts. I need to think how I can integrate those into my plans. In the meantime I will keep reading the various education blogs to help me get some more ideas.<br /><br />I need to start planning for the Summer Institute. We now have a waiting list! Wow!Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1148586937180092712006-05-25T12:44:00.000-07:002006-05-25T13:13:19.233-07:00Junior High vs Middle School teacherI am very proud to be a middle school teacher versus being a junior high school teacher. What is the difference you say? I think it is a focus on the student rather than a focus on the content. That is my big problem with "No Child Left Behind" We are looking at what we can stuff in their heads rather than how much they have learned in a year's time, and what is getting in the way of their learning. With middle school it could be any of a number of things that have effected their test score on that particular day.<br /><br />I would certainly want a qualified teacher teaching my child. On the other hand I want a teacher who cares about what my child is learning, are they making progress and whatever else is going on. I think at this level a good teacher can teach most any subject, if you follow good teaching principles. It is not so far away from elementary school where the teachers can & do teach every subject. (Can you tell that I am elementary based?)<br /><br />This rant started because of proposed changes in our groupings of students. The suggestion/dictate came from outside of our school. (Not that I don't believe in change, but only if you can prove to me that it is in the best interest of <span style="font-weight: bold;">all </span>students.) I believe it has been resolved but, we shall see who has the power.<br /><br />At one point I was thinking that maybe retirement can't come any too soon if this is the way my school is leaning. I love teaching students all kinds of things including integrating the technology. I learn so much from others and I want my students to continue to have that opportunity. I love learning from my students too.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1147383508580124822006-05-11T14:38:00.000-07:002006-05-11T14:47:34.953-07:00My Evaluation of Literature Circle Weblogs<div class="audblog"><a href="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/117635/356141.mp3" class="audLink"><img src="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/images/audioblogger.gif" class="audImg" alt="this is an audio post - click to play" border="0" /></a></div>Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1147382127092800602006-05-11T13:52:00.000-07:002006-05-11T14:52:51.826-07:007th grade students Literary Blogging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7988/2363/1600/nicenet.org.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7988/2363/320/nicenet.org.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The first group of 7th graders have completed their Literature Circles' weblog on <a href="http://www.nicenet.org/ICA/class/conf_start.cfm?anID=15842DC3-14B5-4FFE-87E8B934245B5769">Nicenet.org</a><br />The students chose their own books that had to be at least 200 pages.<br />They decided on how many pages to read for each meeting according to the 4week calendar that I had set up.<br />Each week they were required to do at least one blog from a choice of two blogs.<br />I tried to have a couple of evaluative type blogs so they could evaluate their groups and how blogging was going. They also had to blog about their books (literary elements.)<br /><br />This week I started with two others groups using Literature Circles and weblogging at Nicenet.<br /><br />FYI-The parent group at our school did gives us full support especially as I mentioned the idea of online classes as the future goal of these students.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1146177244836504322006-04-27T15:28:00.000-07:002006-04-27T18:49:46.973-07:00Evaluation time for Lit Circle BlogsThis next week is when my students get to let me know what worked and what didn't. I have asked for feedback along the way and it looks very promising.<br />My evaluation of the project is that it is doing exactly what I hoped it would. I have asked literary questions for my students to discuss. All but one student has really jumped in and worked hard on accomplishing their tasks. What is even better is that they are talking the talk and thinking about their reading and the characters and the conflicts. Reading what the students have been writing has really made my day or even week. I love it.<br /><br />So it looks like we are a go for two other groups. They start the second week of May. I think my students are very excited.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1144183567806778932006-04-04T13:37:00.001-07:002006-04-04T13:46:07.806-07:00Techno crazyWell I have done it. I have convinced my principal to allow me to use some blogs @ nicenet.org with my students. I convinced him that we will do all we can do to keep the students safe.<br /><br />I read Will Richardson's book over Spring Break. What an easy read, compared to some of the techno manuals I have tried to read. It convinced me to really try it. I presented to our district tech committee and they were willing to let me pilot the program. Hooray<br /><br />On Thursday I get to try out a Smartboard Airline and document camera. We are doing a demostration for our K-12 administrators to show them what we'd like to have a teacher's work station look like. I hope my brain can take all of this new learning. Actually I am very excited.<br /><br />My readers will be so stoked to be able to choose their own book for literature circles and then have an actual online discussion about their books. I just hope the non-tech kids like it.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23129633.post-1141083682348297952006-02-27T15:37:00.000-08:002006-02-27T15:41:22.356-08:00GlommerIt is only Monday and the new books come out tomorrow. I keep track of the new books coming on Amazon. Sometimes if I can't wait to get them I will cancel my order and run to the nearest store. That still leaves me with a blue Monday waiting for them to be on the shelves tomorrow.Diane Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.com0