Been back at work now for two days. Mentioned to the students about blogging and using lots of different technologies in the room - their responses ranged from looks of boredom in having to use the computer and oohs and aahs about having a world wide audience look at their work.
The Smartboard has not been installed yet, so my lessons on Internet safety that I had put together with Ros will have to wait a few days. But this does allow time for discussions about what the students already know. I decided to use a lot of the cartoon clips from Cyberquoll which was developed by the Australian government. Some great worksheets and follow up activities including storyboarding - I’ll see what the students come up with as a way to create a video.
A very wide range of ability levels in my class this year - I was about to give away some of my teacher reference books for lower ability and younger students but I have had to drag them out again to use this year. The students have worked well for two days - been helpful towards each other, polite and courteous, a few chatterers but overall a great start to their year.
I spoke to the principal about using blogs in the room and as long as I had parent permission, separate from the school’s computer user agreement, then it was OK for me to use them. Some other teachers have asked me about blogging and will be interested in the way students use them and the difference in their attitude towards writing this year. I gave the students a brief introduction to our blog pages just before I gave them the notice they would have to bring back to class; their keenness is shown in that I have had 20 replies to my blogging notice, while only seven replies are back about school computer use.
My niece and nephew spent a day setting up the classroom last week. They do this every year and it only costs me a bit of money and lunch at the “Golden Arches”. Desks and chairs are set up, posters and pictures put up around the walls of the room, card kits used in the room are sorted into the correct order and all the teacher equipment for the five grade 6/7 classes are sorted and sent to the teachers’ rooms - blu tac, scissors, cardboard, pens, textas etc. Those necessities for everyday life in the classroom.
As part of our agreement with the Education Department we have to do professional development for at least one day before school goes back. This year there is a big push on using the “First Steps” program which originated in Western Australia nearly 20 years ago. It has been updated and revised and is a great program for reading and writing. We looked at the writing program in our PD day and it reminded me of my years teaching in the primary school - charts in the room, creating word lists, describing the steps for writing a great piece of work - then I looked around my middle school class - there were the charts and the steps for good spelling and writing. Once a primary teacher, always a primary teacher!! Despite having taught through to grade 9, I always have charts and posters on the walls of my room.
Exploring the wide world but within the safety of our own backyard.
