Timeless Message

This was sent to me in an email and I thought it was patriotic in a nice welcoming way (not over-the-top) and is rather timeless.

 

Posted via web from Mr. Bruce's Musings...

A (not quite) Two-Year-Old and Her Puzzle

Below is a video I recorded this morning of my daughter Carmen putting together a very old puzzle. Her mental representation of what the pieces create is solid and she is able to place them where they belong without error - she even makes a joke about one at about 2 minutes: "Does it fit there?" And then she giggles, "No!"
 
One thing I've learned is to never be too surprised at what Carmen is learning, because she amazes me every time. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILO7wYPE3Vc
 
As a side, I also missed a video/picture of another great moment from this morning. Carmen was sitting at the piano plunking the keys and singing her ABCs when she paused and turned the page of the music book above her. She looked at the page and turned to me to say in an apprehensive voice with a matching expression, "Oh, that's a toughie." It was a great moment and I am still chuckling at it.

Posted via email from Mr. Bruce's Musings...

Skype an Author Into Your Library or Classroom - Skype An Author Network

via skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com

Toward the close of this past school year, I had the pleasure of connecting my classroom with another U.S. History classroom in Liberty, MO, using Skype. The teacher, Eric Langhorst, and I configured two half-hour sessions in which our students could discuss recent topics of study.

The impact of that opportunity was amazing. Word spread instantly though the district about what my students did in class and I still hear from people how "cool" they thought that was.

"Cool", although it certainly was that, does not adequately describe the event in its entirety. The instructional implications were far greater. By helping to smash the barriers that enclose learning within the four walls of the classroom, students are able to see how technology should be used in the school and learning.

This wiki, the "Skype and Author Network", is a fantastic project that deserves attention. By allowing students to connect with an author and discuss their book as they are reading makes a lasting impression and solidifies learning that has taken place and opens unique opportunities for enhancement.

The technology required to facilitate this activity is within reach of nearly every classroom I have seen. All a classroom needs is a computer with high-speed Internet access and a web-cam (these can be purchased for $25). For a more enhanced experience, a LCD projector can be used for a larger display, but is not required.

Our students are surrounded by an increasing ubiquity of technology that is advancing at an increasing rate. Teachers do not need to know how to use it all and apply it seamlessly in their lessons for them to participate in the growing trend, they must simply seek simple applications with lasting effects and demonstrate for their students that technology is not just for entertainment and leisure, it is for learning, too.

Posted via web from Mr. Bruce's Musings...

Next Year's To-Do List

Recently, a colleague and Twitter-user, @icmcwaffle, Tweeted, "I'm ready for next Wed. when this school year will be complete...time to look at possibilities for next year..." How true!? Naturally (for me anyway), teachers reflect at a school year's close and wonder what improvements can be made to achieve more the following year... Given the parameters in which a teacher is placed and the continuity between past and future school years, this may differ. However, I believe it to be helpful to consider some change that will likely lead to facilitating a more successful school year than the one that is now at its close.

Personally, I see change forced upon me as I move from 8th grade U.S. History to our high school to teach 9th grade U.S. History -- teaching the same students I have just finished with and picking up after the Civil War where I am leaving off this year. There are apprehensions I have for such a move, and while I am not completely excited for it, I cannot help but recognize the amazing opportunities this provides for me and my students.

Given the level of mutual comfort that I will enjoy with my students and the ease of transition that will occur for them and me, I should be able to implement a greater degree of change and strategy for classroom function and technology use. The following is what I'd like to do next year.

Thinking Like a Historian

This framework was adopted and trademarked through a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin Historical Society and the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater under Nikki Mandell and Bobbie Malone. It develops the process of historical inquiry in students and utilizes five categories of historical thought. I was able to construct a "Beta" version of this process mid year with my 8th graders, but it failed to provide the substance I desired. Starting this at the beginning of the school year and creating a procedural knowledge will create the return-on-investment I desire. View the website for more.

"This Day in History" Classroom Homework Calendar

Begun during the course of the past school year, I'd like to emphasize and promote the use of a class calendar to which students create and contribute daily elements from class. On our class wiki in Wikispaces, I created a calendar structure where each day is a link to a new page. Students can post notes, reminders, handouts, etc, for anyone absent. Check it out here; remember - not fully implemented.

Student Pages in Wikispaces

Another thought popped in my head over winter break this school year and I had to get it started. Due to a recent push toward signifying which state grade level content expectations are being me by each assignment, I desired to include the students more. I create a template page with all of the GLCEs in a table with empty cells to the left of the GLCEs. Students can create a page for themselves at the beginning of the year to which they can post the work that demonstrates their understanding of that GLCE by putting a link to it in the empty cell to the left. We did this to a reasonable degree this year, but still many with nothing. Hopefully teaming (below) will help with this. Let me know what you think.

Fliggo

A a teacher who desires to spend more emphasis on media creation, the largest obstacle is what to do with the videos. Fliggo creates a YouTube-esque platform that users/members can post media to and share. That is an ideal situation for embedding these files within our wikipages or elsewhere. See it for yourself.

Teaming

Having spent so much time with my students will allow me to have an increased command of their personality, character, and preferences; what cliques exist, and who participates in various activities. Given this, I can deliberate over students and successfully generate teams of four into which the students will be responsible for all work, activities, and participation. Teams would be responsible for all work and participation of its members; all absences and attendance would be handled at the team level; competition can be commonplace, emphasizing quality and exhibition of academic performance; failure rate can be non-existent. As a result, I can emphasize the state high school content expectations rather than grades. Have a peek at my "Handbook"; it is a work in progress.

That seems like a good list. For now...

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Nearly Two Hours I'll Never Regret

As a teacher of American History, I am also, and always will be, a student of the same. I never tire of acquiring a greater understanding of our collective history. Whether it is reading an historical non-fiction text or articles from journals and periodicals such as Smithsonian, I am at leisure when expanding my conception of various topics in American History. 

Over the past twelve months I have been working with a group of other teachers as benefactors of a Teaching American History grant through the Battle Creek Public Schools Consortium. We have been studying Emancipation as a turning point and the Civil War as the vehicle of emancipation and have become "plugged-in" to various readings and resources, both online and offline, to help develop a greater and deeper comprehension of the period. 

Once such resource led me to the Teaching American History Podcast. Rather than a podcast in the traditional (is it too early to use that term?) sense, it is more a series of lectures by some of the great minds in historical research. The lectures range in lengths and topics, all intended to strengthen teacher understanding and therefore better history education.

The lecture/podcast that serves as the subject of this post is titled, "The Causes of the Civil War" and is given by James McPherson of Princeton University. He is the author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, a pulitzer-prize winning recollection of that crisis. The title of the lecture seems to be rather aggressive considering the scope of what caused the Civil War. 

At well over 1.5 hours, this lecture clearly reinforced content I had previously known, but still was able to lift subtle nuances of my understanding working behind the scenes to generate new comprehension of the turmoil in Antebellum America. From the role of women, to the Constitutional argument of secession, McPherson paints a nearly perfect portrait allowing the listener to relate a greater understanding to his or her students.

This lecture, as mentioned above, is part of a series of podcasted lectures available on the Teaching American History website or through iTunes. Students and teachers alike will find anything they need for some summer refreshers in their content area.

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