Stardate Wednesday, July 24, 2010

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"I need a book."
"How do I turn in an assignment?"
"When is the assignment due?"
These are just a few of the questions I have been answering in earnest for my online class.
It took me an hour to grade the first assignment for ONE student. Time to problem solve and streamline the online grading experience.

The students have been remarkably polite and motivated. Yes, I know this is just the first real week, but, all things considered, not a bad start.
I really want to see how the students respond to this form of intervention. One thing for sure, I don't miss the classroom management issues.
That's all for now. Good night and God bless.
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Online Adventures in Learning: Stardate July 13, 2010

Image by takomabibelot via Flickr

Today is day 5 of my online teaching experience. So far it has been more about getting the kinks out of the system than about actually teaching.

 The startling thing is that most of the students, high school age, are not very tech savvy. I guess it's a bit of a myth that all humanoids under 20 something innately know and understand all things Internet.  Of course this is a summer school class for students who did not earn a passing grade in English need to take. So, maybe this is the not-bound-for-MIT crowd...

I will say this, as the students have come on site to pick up their textbooks they have all been polite. I guess the online environment at least takes out the class clown element.

Day 1, Day 2

This week I began teaching my first on-line class. Well, so far the on-line teaching experience has been more off-line than on-line. But, I think that we are working the kinks out as we go along. I think providing students with access to classes on-line is a great tool for learning.

The biggest obstacle thus far seems to be getting the students programed into the class. A fellow teacher figured out a way for the us to enroll the students ourselves. Fun, but time consuming.

I will update as we go along and try to get a few of my colleagues to post their experiences. 

It’s good to be a Father.

One of the great issues of our generation is the value of men as fathers.  A lot  of people view men down as superfluous sperm donors. Women, so they are told, do not need men to raise their children.

On the other side of the coin, many men act more like boys. They do what they want to do, not what they have to do. Many men do not take responsibility for their children. They are too self-absorbed to love anyone but themselves. They are just boys in men’s bodies.

But, here’s to you fathers who understand that love is the proper balance of affection and discipline; keep loving, one day they will understand. I believe there is a special group of us who deserve special recognition, the blended fathers. Blended fathers are men who marry a spouse with children, sometimes referred to as an instant-family. I don’t like the term step-father because of the negative connotations. Men who can navigate the emotional minefield of not being the biological father and still love their children are truly heroes in my estimation.

Two thing I learned from my (blended) father: Do what is right even when it hurts because your reputation is worth more than money and never make fun of anyone less fortunate than you (he had a younger brother who died of polio) because how would you feel if you were in their place?

So men, be the father your children need, they will love you just because you tried.

That’s what I say. What about you?

TGIF

Thank God it’s Friday because:

·        It’s not Thursday (a la Ground Hog’s Day) (4/16/10)

·        Only 9 more left (including today) and tomorrow I get to watch my son race his pinewood derby car with the big boys ;) (4/16/10)

·        Only 8 more left and I’m tired of apparently being the Dean of Bonehead U. (4/30/10)

·        Testing is over & I will be hanging out with adults(5/14)

·        I took the day off (5/21)

·        Only three more Fridays left and even though it’s a furlough day, it’s still a day off. (5/28)

·        It the last one of the year. Culmination was great. Now to go enjoy my family. (6/18/10)

The online moodleverse

Well, I have begun taking an online class about teaching an online class. I have taken an online calss before, but, this will be my first time teaching one.So far, it has been interesting but overwhelming. I guess that is good for me to know how my students might feel when they take the class.
I will try to keep Hey You Teacher updated as to the progress of my  students. Right now I am learning the basics of life on the moodleverse. I hope to upload this post.

Using the reports tool is my current topic is. I plan on using the reports tool to both monitor and assess my students.

Good luck and good learning.

Obama's Race to the Toilet

Obama’s ‘Race To The Top’ Slows To A Crawl

by  Donald Lambro

06/09/2010

Barack Obama’s $4 billion education gamble that he has dubbed “Race to the Top” isn’t turning out the way he hoped, rewarding just two states so far, producing many plans but implementing no new reforms and raising political suspicions the administration is playing with a marked deck.
The idea behind Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s brainchild is to wage a high-stakes lottery competition that will reward states who can come up with innovative reforms to boost student achievement with huge payoffs, courtesy of the beleaguered U.S. taxpayers.

www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37401&page=1&viewID=1450517