Blog Post # 13: Book Report

Book Report on "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire", by: Rafe Esquith

In the book, "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire", Esquith is using fire to refer to passion. Teach with passion! He explains how hard it is to stay passionate and keep excitement in the classroom, due to the state education bureaucracy. The dreaded standardized tests. The preparation for these tests have made a lot of teachers put a halt to the creativity that they use in the classroom. In chapter 6, he demonstrates how to help your students improve there scores by making it fun. He teaches his students that, "anything worth doing worth is doing well". They take testing seriously despite the affects it has had on our nations students. His students also do very well on the tests. The study tactic he teaches is to create the same environment that you will be in while taking the test. If you are having a math test, don't just simply read the chapter, work out some questions that are like the ones that will be on the test. Don't stay up all night studying either, being rested will also help improve your test score. He goes on to explain consequences, and test taking skills.

He also teaches more than just the basic subjects. He teaches morals, respect, and believe it or not the joy of learning. Truly going the extra mile for his students, he expects his students to follow rules because it is the right thing to do not just because they are told to do it. It's also not good enough to do the right thing just to avoid punishment, or to impress a teacher. His students are taught the importance of doing the right thing even when nobody is looking. Simply because it is the right thing to do. There are different levels of thinkers, Level I Thinkers: The I don't want to get in trouble thinkers. Level II Thinkers: The I want to a reward thinkers. Level III Thinkers: The I want to please somebody thinkers. Level IV Thinkers: The I follow the rules thinkers. Level V Thinkers: I am considerate of other people thinkers. Level VI Thinkers: I have a personal code of behavior and I follow it. It is Esquith's goal for all of his students to reach level VI, although he knows that it is impossible. It is very rare that you find someone who has gotten to this level. So, if he encourages one student he has made a difference. He knows of students that have used these levels of thinking to succeed. He also knows students that he thought were on the right track and has later learned that they were not. This doesn't mean he has failed that's just the way it is.

Esquith's, "We can do better" mentality is the force behind his madness. He has set an amazing standard for all teachers. In this book he takes the art of teaching to the next level, he stays true to his mottoes, "Be Nice, Work Hard!" and "There Are No Shortcuts". This book is the perfect guide for teachers, students aspiring to be teachers, parents, and anyone else who is concerned with the future of our children. I personally have learned lessons that I will not only use in my classroom but I will also use them with my children. I am very thankful for this book. It has encouraged me to not only be a level VI thinker, but I also have a different outlook on life and my future. I am not surprised at all that this was one of "The New York Times Bestsellers".

Project 15: SmartBoard Presentation Part 2

Progress Report for Final Project

For the final project, which is project #16, I am in a group of three with Jillian Lazzari and Amanda Ellenburg. We are going to make a short movie demonstrating how to use technology in the classroom. The purpose of this movie will be to show future teachers how use different technology in their classroom everyday. We each will play a part in the movie. Lindsey will play the part of the teacher. Amanda and me will be students. We will use a smartboard, an iPhone, Twitter, Google, and a Podcast in the video.

Blog Post # 12

Blog Post #12:
Read Cherra-Lynne Olthof's Blog Post: Giving Up Control in Your Classroom.
Also, watch the video posted by: JustListen2011 "Brainstorming My Senior Project".
Think about how excited these students are and write about your thoughts.

Mrs. Olthof is letting her students take control of the lesson planning for a change. They decided on Mythology as the core unit. She asks them: “So what is it you want to learn in this unit anyways?”
Of course, after asking 20 grade 8 students this question, she was given many different ideas. They worked on it and were able to narrow down to two general questions.

1. What is the difference between a myth and a legend?
2. What makes up a “good” myth?

She then asked them, “Whoa, how do you answer that?” On their own they decided they would need to research, read and gather data, and in small group discussions and large classroom debate they would use critical thinking. After all of this, she asked "And then what?" They decided they could write their own.
"And then what do we do with them?" she asked. They weren't sure what to do next, so she encouraged them to publish them. She asked how they would like to publish them to a potential audience of 6 billion people, she proposed putting them online.
The students are extremely excited about this unit, they own it and are ready to dive in. They are currently working on this project so the finished product is not yet posted. I will stay tuned, I can't wait to read them.
After reading a little about Mrs. Olthof, she is excited about being a teacher in the 21st Century. She understands that as a learner in this century you must gain knowledge of technology, and it is her responsibility to bring it into her classroom.

In the video by JustListen2011, "Brainstorming My Senior Project" the student talks about how excited she is about being able to make the decision about her senior project. She tells listeners how she got so wrapped up in talking about her topic that she was five minutes late for her next class. She is very excited about being able to take control of her learning journey.

C4K Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog

I have enjoyed exploring Mrs. Yollis' Class Blog. She is extremely talented and it is clear that she is an amazing educator. She uses Skype to it's full potential by allowing students to communicate with other students around the world, face to face. They had a class to class discussion with a classroom in Australia. They compared America to Australia by asking each other questions and sharing facts. I think this is a much more effective way of teaching that just reading from a book. It's exciting, fun, and memorable.

Her blog is extremely organized and very educational. She also has fun widgets on the sidebar for extra enjoyment. The joke of the day is especially cute. Another nice feature of a blog like this is ability for parents to access there children's work at their convenience. It gives them the opportunity to see inside their child's educational journey, and it keeps them up to date on upcoming events. As a parent I think this is a wonderful tool.

While students are posting on other blogs, creating blogs of their own, researching, and skyping they are developing other great skills. These skills include but are not limited to: communication, typing, reasoning, organization, etc.

Mrs. Yollis' blog is still young, seeing how it was just created a year and a half ago. With this being so it hasn't stopped it from having over 72,000 visitors. I would love to have a class blog like this for my students. I look forward to following Mrs. Yollis' blog and seeing it's progress.

Blog Post #11

Little Kids, Big Potential By: Kathy Cassidy

In Kathy Cassidy's video, "Little Kids, Big Potential", her grade one students illustrate how they use the classroom webpage, blogs, Skype, and even Nintendog on Nintendo DS to learn in their classroom. They are so excited about learning! Not only are they excited but they are also proud of themselves. I can tell that they take pride in their work by watching them as they are explaining the different aspects of technology that they use, and why they use them. Her students are able to access their school work from home on the internet. They can show their parents and other family members what they are learning and what they did in school with just a click of a mouse. It's really amazing if you think about it!!

At my daughter's school, they do not have blogs, but they do have a class website. They type their journal entries every morning. They are able to choose any font or color and they post them to the website in their individual file everyday. It is shocking that last year she hated having to write in her journal every morning when she was keeping it in a composition book. Now this year, she loves it, something just as simple as letting them choose the font and color has made her look forward to writing. Interesting thought....

In Mrs. Cassidy's Skype interview with Dr. Strange, she explains how her technological journey began 10 years ago. It starts when she was given 5 computers for her classroom. This was enough for her first grade class to make a center. She created her webpage, so that she could start creating things for her students to do. Her students have been blogging for the past five years and she has incorporated videos into the learning process within the past two years.

The blogs are a portfolio of each students work. Mrs. Cassidy sends home permission slips at the beginning of school and takes precautions to protect the students identities. Unfortunately, we need to be aware that there are predators out there and we have to protect our students. A lot of people want to use this as a reason not to use technology, but that is not the answer. As teachers we just need to be educated enough to protect our students. Mrs. Cassidy never posts the students last names, she also never links a picture with a name.
Parents can use the website and blogs to stay up to date on their child's progress at their convenience.
I do agree with Mrs. Cassidy that if we are not using technology in the classroom then we are not only handicapping ourselves but also our students. I can't wait to come up with creative ways to incorporate technology in my classroom.

October C4K Summary

I read a post by Sienna a student at Point View School in Mrs. Lynne Laburn's, Room 3/Year 1 class. These students are between five and six years old, and I was amazed by Sienna's blog. I played a multiplication game that she had posted, it was very impressive. I even let my third grade daughter look at it and play, she wished she could make something like that at school.

My comment on Sienna's Blog Post:

Hi Sienna,
My name is Lindsey Gipson, I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I live in Mobile, AL, U.S.A. I am studying to be a teacher. The class that I am taking is teaching us how to use technology in our classrooms. Just like you guys use your blogs to help you learn.

Speaking of blogs I was checking yours out and I am so impressed. I played one of the times table games that you have posted. I bet using these tools makes learning much more fun. Keep up the good work! :)


I also commented on Raymond's Blog he is 12 years old, (in Mrs. Gregory's, period 5) and from a different school. I did not save the link to the home page, so I am also not sure where he is from. I do know that he is using his blog in his science class and science is his favorite subject. His post that I commented on was the periodic table. The layout of his blog was very impressive. I could get a few pointers from him I'm sure!

My comment on Raymond's Post:

Hi Raymond,
My name is Lindsey, I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. One of my assignments was to read and comment on your blog. I am learning the importance of incorporating technology in today's classrooms. It's awesome that you were able to post the periodic table on your blog. It seems like using tools like this would make it fun to do research and encourage students to learn. What do you think? Do you enjoy using technology in your classroom?

I used the selector ,"fruit machine", on Mrs. Gregory's homepage and was randomly assigned Jeremy from period 4 at the same school. I was very impressed by this student. He is wise beyond his years. I love his excitement for science, probably because I share the same excitement and can relate. I also read his post on bullies, and I was really shocked by what he had to say. I hope that I have students like him in my class, very good!


My comment on Jeremy's post:

Hi Jeremy,
My name is Lindsey and I am student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I randomly selected your blog by using Mrs. Gregory's "fruit machine" posted on her blog. I love how excited you are about science! I love it too, hopefully after these next two years I will be teaching science to awesome students like you. I also read your post about bullies. That is very good advice. I actually gave my daughter similar advice the other day. Standing up for yourself and making friends can work wonders. Most of the time people that are bullies are in need of some sort of attention, and usually a friend is exactly what they need. Great Job!

I was also assigned, Sohel, a year 3 student in Room 9 at Pt. England School located in Aukland, New Zealand. Her post was on Ireland with an animation of the Dublin Castle. She also included a drawing of the Flag of Ireland. Very nice blog.

My comment on Sohel's Blog:

Hi Sohel,
My name is Lindsey Gipson. I am a student in the United States at the University of South Alabama. Your post about Ireland is great! Isn't it fun to learn about the different places around the world? I like your flag of Ireland and your animation of the Dublin Castle. It is awesome to see students using technology to explore and learn. Great job! Keep up the good work.

Skype Interview