Comments on: Now that the school year has ended … http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/ If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. ~ Charlie Parker Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:48:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: dogtrax http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2226 dogtrax Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:01:07 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2226 Lisa I am lucky, even though the schedule has its drawbacks. It's difficult to do more cross-curricular integration when you are teaching one subject and there is a pretty strict timeframe (45 minute classes) that don't allow for a project to be extended right in the middle of an inspired moment. But, overall, our focus on individual areas gives us more depth into our subject areas, we think. Lynn Yep -- that sentence says it all, I think. Take care Kevin Lisa
I am lucky, even though the schedule has its drawbacks. It’s difficult to do more cross-curricular integration when you are teaching one subject and there is a pretty strict timeframe (45 minute classes) that don’t allow for a project to be extended right in the middle of an inspired moment.
But, overall, our focus on individual areas gives us more depth into our subject areas, we think.

Lynn
Yep — that sentence says it all, I think.

Take care
Kevin

]]> By: LisaC http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2224 LisaC Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:54:47 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2224 So writing is all you are responsible for? I am jealous! I could do so many more creative things if I only had to teach one area. I get so bogged down with planning the art/music/drama/PE/IT/math/writing/reading/science/social studies that I find none of them are covered exactly as well as I would like. So writing is all you are responsible for? I am jealous! I could do so many more creative things if I only had to teach one area. I get so bogged down with planning the art/music/drama/PE/IT/math/writing/reading/science/social studies that I find none of them are covered exactly as well as I would like.

]]> By: lynnjake http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2222 lynnjake Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:29:22 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2222 Thanks Kevin. You said a lot with this sentence: "I don’t want to use the laptops for surfing for information. I want them to be Creators." That moved me to a different understanding of what you do. I'm looking forward to trying some things with my new seventh grade class in the fall, and I will remember that. Thanks again. Lynn Thanks Kevin. You said a lot with this sentence: “I don’t want to use the laptops for surfing for information. I want them to be Creators.” That moved me to a different understanding of what you do. I’m looking forward to trying some things with my new seventh grade class in the fall, and I will remember that. Thanks again.
Lynn

]]> By: dogtrax http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2221 dogtrax Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:05:27 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2221 Lynn We do not have a computer lab at our school. It was dismantled a number of years ago to make room for a regular classroom (mine, in fact). But our principal has worked hard to get grant money for rolling laptop carts and now we have three (the third -- a Mac cart -- arrived in the weeks before the end of our school year). I teach writing to all of our sixth grade classes and I have been working to find ways to make meaningful integration of writing into my curriculum. Our tech work comes and goes, depending on the unit that we are doing. But we do quite a bit of podcasting through the year, as that is a natural extension of writing with voice. The end of the year is when the digital book project and claymation comes around for us, and it is a struggle to find enough time to finish up projects. One student completed his digital book project on the very last day of school. Yikes. I find my role as a teacher is to show them some of the tools, and then let them go at it, with me wandering around, helping them here and there and encouraging them to explore. And to share with others what they have found and learned. Reflection is important, and I work that into almost every project. I am always amazed at what they do and how much tech captures their interest. I don't want to use the laptops for surfing for information. I want them to be Creators. That simple idea is really what drives so much of my instruction with them. Thanks for asking about it. Kevin Lynn
We do not have a computer lab at our school. It was dismantled a number of years ago to make room for a regular classroom (mine, in fact). But our principal has worked hard to get grant money for rolling laptop carts and now we have three (the third — a Mac cart — arrived in the weeks before the end of our school year).
I teach writing to all of our sixth grade classes and I have been working to find ways to make meaningful integration of writing into my curriculum. Our tech work comes and goes, depending on the unit that we are doing. But we do quite a bit of podcasting through the year, as that is a natural extension of writing with voice.
The end of the year is when the digital book project and claymation comes around for us, and it is a struggle to find enough time to finish up projects. One student completed his digital book project on the very last day of school. Yikes.

I find my role as a teacher is to show them some of the tools, and then let them go at it, with me wandering around, helping them here and there and encouraging them to explore. And to share with others what they have found and learned. Reflection is important, and I work that into almost every project.

I am always amazed at what they do and how much tech captures their interest. I don’t want to use the laptops for surfing for information. I want them to be Creators. That simple idea is really what drives so much of my instruction with them.

Thanks for asking about it.

Kevin

]]> By: lynnjake http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2220 lynnjake Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:37:44 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2220 These projects are incredible, Kevin. I'd like to know more about the logistics of doing all this. Organizing the kids to they manage to accomplish the projects. when you do them, how much of your class time is actually spend on digital projects, where you do them - is iti n your room, or does your school have a computer lab that you use. The nuts and bolts of such work. I'm so impressed! Thanks for sharing Lynn These projects are incredible, Kevin. I’d like to know more about the logistics of doing all this. Organizing the kids to they manage to accomplish the projects. when you do them, how much of your class time is actually spend on digital projects, where you do them – is iti n your room, or does your school have a computer lab that you use. The nuts and bolts of such work. I’m so impressed!
Thanks for sharing
Lynn

]]> By: Liza Lee Miller http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2219 Liza Lee Miller Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:19:30 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2219 Very impressive, Kevin. I love the way you integrated art, writing, and technology in so many subject areas. The kids must have been so inspired. Very impressive, Kevin. I love the way you integrated art, writing, and technology in so many subject areas. The kids must have been so inspired.

]]> By: dogtrax http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2218 dogtrax Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:18:35 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2218 I love your students' stories. How did they go about doing it? Can you give out some details? And tumblr does seem interesting. Any word on Space 3? Kevin I love your students’ stories.
How did they go about doing it?
Can you give out some details?

And tumblr does seem interesting.

Any word on Space 3?

Kevin

]]> By: George Mayo http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/2008/06/22/now-that-the-school-year-has-ended/comment-page-1/#comment-2217 George Mayo Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:24:19 +0000 http://dogtrax.edublogs.org/?p=819#comment-2217 Hi Kevin, I had the same problem. I had work scattered all over the place at the end of this year and spent a day last week putting every type of video we've ever made into a Tumblr blog. I'm going to use it to archive ALL video projects from here on out. Tumblr works great because it's super easy to embed video. It also offers an archive page that makes it easy to access video by date/year. Here's the link: http://ourmovies.tumblr.com/ As always, thanks for sharing Kevin! PEACE Hi Kevin,

I had the same problem. I had work scattered all over the place at the end of this year and spent a day last week putting every type of video we’ve ever made into a Tumblr blog. I’m going to use it to archive ALL video projects from here on out. Tumblr works great because it’s super easy to embed video. It also offers an archive page that makes it easy to access video by date/year. Here’s the link:
http://ourmovies.tumblr.com/

As always, thanks for sharing Kevin! PEACE

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