Intervention for Gifted Students:

This is something that our district struggles with. We have students who do well on state-standardized tests but whose attendance and behavior issues make it a challenge for those students to well in class. This story on the blog is a very sad account of one student, Kevin, who struggled and was unable to receive the help within the public school system and within his family get the supports to be successful in school. This story made me realize what a responsibility we have to our students to a make sure they are successful.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/intervention-gifted-students-ben-johnson

The Importance of Internet Safety:

This article was key in talking about internet safety when it comes to teachers and the responsibility that we have in keeping them safe online. There is some train of thought that speaks of keeping students safe online from door to door, from the time they leave their home to the time they come back home. However, this can raise some concerns with PDAs and cell phones which all access the internet. So while a student is on the bus, who should be held responsible for what that student is doing online. I think that as educators we must teach them how to stay safe. However, here is something that needs to be said for parents stepping up to the plate and being held accountable for their kids safety. Both parties need to be held responsible for the safety of our kids online.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-importance-heather-wolpert-gawron

Unlocking Mastery Learning:

This article was all about personal learning pacing things out at an individual students' pace. We spent most of the day today as a District School Improvement Team talking about differentiated instruction. The information in this article is very similar to what we spoke about at our team meeting. Differentiated instruction is a huge part of student learning. It makes no sense to keep advanced students back who are ready to move in. On the other hand the students who need to take more time need to be moving at pace that is right for them. That is part of unlocking mastery learning.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/unlocking-learning-mastery-terry-heick

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/open-letter-to-writing-instructors-lauren-griffin
This blog opened my eyes to all of the tools that we use as educators in order to enhance student learning. I was keeping a mental tally of all of the tools that I use in my own classroom such as portfolios, rubrics, etc. I think that this was a great reminder of why we do what we do, in order to make our expectations clear to the students so that they can learn the best. It was a great way to reflect on my practices this year and look at what I want to practice next year.

Looking back on the school year:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-year-end-review-lisa-dabbs
This blog offers three useful Web 2.0 tools to unpack student learning this summer. I cannot wait to dive into some of these tools and start playing with them! I love Symbaloo, such a great user friendly tool to help kids keep track of important tools on the web. After reading this blog I will continue to explore the web and now it will be the focus of keeping my students learning this summer.

How to Make Consequences Work:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-to-make-consequences-work-richard-curwin
One thing that stood out to me is that how we implement consequences is more important than what those consequences are. Consistency is key when it comes to discipline and consequences. I find myself guilty of this occasionally. I find myself asking some of my well-behaved students to quiet down while some of the more difficult students will immediately fill out a responsible thinking sheet in order to get their behavior under control. That is something I have realized and will continue to work on in order to have a more consistent behavior plan in my classroom.

Hi my name is Amanda, and I'm a  Google addict. I use it daily wether on my Iphone, laptop, or desktop. Within the first 2 weeks of class my students know that if I don't know an answer to a question they can wallk to the computer and Google the answer to share with the class. I tell them that half the battle is knowing where to look, and for most of us in this genration, Google is where you look! However I had no idea that google made so many changes and was so dynamic! This article opened my eyes to what a huge system this really is, and for me a very valuable teaching resource!

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/52-changes-to-google-in-april-smarter-local-more-relevant.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29&utm_content=Google+Reader