Thing 5 - Eating my words....

Ok...I went to the Urban Plant help page and figured out how to set up events. Urban Planet creates both a list of due dates and an interactive calendar. Yeah! Now I just need to figure out how to make my website "pretty".

Thing 5 - My web page

Here is my website: http://harding.spps.org/Jamie_Thompson.html

Leslie gave a great class at Harding on Urban Planet. We were up and going in no time. Now I just need to sit down and add all my content.

I used to have a page at www.teacherweb.com. I'll have to say that I really liked it because it was easy to customize without having to know html. It was $30/year & much easier to use than Urban Planet. It had an amazing calendar function and the ability to send out email updates to students and parents with the click of a button. Hopefully, I can make my website more functional with some advanced training and creativity. So, Leslie, we are looking forward to your next visit!

More on Thing 4 - "WhatShouldIReadNext.com"

"Library Thing" reminds me of a great website I came across called www.whatshouldireadnext.com. You enter the books that you have enjoyed reading, then it gives you a list of books that you would enjoy reading next. You can also exclude books. Love it!

Thing 4 - You Gotta Love those Librarians

Libraries have always held a special place in my heart. When doing research projects in high school, I did feel overwhelmed by the number of resources at our public library. But once I dug in, I felt I had all the resources I needed to do a thorough job. Now, whatever sense of "overwhelmingness" I had among the stacks pales in comparison to doing research on the internet. At least there was a finite end to the resources at the library. Internet research requires far more picking and choosing. I think our students need help dealing with feeling overwhelmed also. Perhaps we should construct more assignments that are scoffalded...using just 1 databases, then 2, then 3, etc. I've always had great experiences with librarians and have been amazed at how quickly they can find information.

Power Standards-Power Session

Today was a professional development day at Harding, part of which consisted of "unpacking" the science 9 scientific method standards in student-friendly language. The laptop & projector made it incredibly easily. Everyone was thrilled with how productive we were. I pulled the standards up on my computer, expanded the font, and projected then on the screen. I typed as everyone spoke. It made it so easy to discuss each person's ideas and the wording of each SWBAT. We finished the entire standard in less than the time alloted. Normally, our frustration at trying to edit a document together tends to spur us to further vent about the standards and why we are doing what we were doing. But giving everyone a place to focus made it extremely clear and productive. There were fewer fights, tangets, and vent-sessions. We actually left happy with one another. Thanks metronet!

What the Terminator taught my kids about quarks...

Today (well, 2 weeks ago, but I couldn't get into blogger), I did a lesson on subatomic/fundamental particles. I have almost all of my atomic structure notes on power point now. So I did the notes on quarks (up, down, top, bottom, strange, & charm) on power point. As part of the powerpoint, we had pictures of particle pathways in bubble chambers, linear & circular accelerators, and the equipment at CERN in Switzerland. I even credited the pictures I used...quite miraculous for me! We then connected to the internet to see pictures of the inside workings of an accelerator and to get a sense of their relative size...huge! Finally, I played a clip from the Terminator 3 DVD on my laptop. Although "Hollywoodized", the scene in which the terminator is chasing the hero through a circular accelerator is a pretty good representation. OK, minus the blinking neon lights. Also, the scene emphasizes the use of strong magnets. (The terminator, made of metal, sticks to the accelerator when it is turned on and the magnets are activated.) Goofy, but memorable. Could I have done all of this prior to getting this equipment? Sure. In fact I have, but it was like running a circus...flipping between the overhead projector, a borrowed LCD projector & laptop, and cueing the VCR repeatedly for this one scene. With the metronet equipment, it took about a 3rd of the time in the end, and I was able to show and explain more. I felt like having the equipment I need to do a good job is respectful of both my time and my students' time.

Aha! Finally got into blogger...

Hmm...I'm not sure why but today was the third time I had a really hard time getting into blogger. The site? My internet connection? Who knows? But I tried again this evening and haven't had any delays so far. So I am behind on my blogs....