Pam's Blog

Pam - thanks for sharing you're blog on skype. I have been in state testing HELL for two weeks solid, so I have been reading up on the chats I missed. Pam's proved the usefulness of this format at the high school level for sure.

Top Ten

If you can add one to each list below I would appreciate it.

Top 10 Reasons to Blog


TOp 10 Reasons to Podcast

Week 11 Reflection

It's hard to believe that week eleven is here! I was suddenly inspired to write this tonight, since our topic is the use of interactive games - and my husband received the gift of a Playstation 3 tonight.

I know that at my own school there has been huge debate on the benefit of using games as motivators to instruction. Some teachers are ardently against it, and some go full blast for it. We had a very creative teacher at our school who did a good job of balancing the use of games with other strategies, and since his departure the support for this concept has dwindled.

I think games are beneficial when used as a motivating tool and as a method of review. The issue becomes I think when teachers try to use games, or any technology, to replace instead of augment instruction. The issue becomes as well how to use games to keep an entire class engaged.

Saviors

Thank you'all so much for our chat the another night, and to Susan for the example of KAM 2. I am back to writing again on it, and I have a better clearer vision of what the finished product needs to be.

Week 10 Reflection

For some reason, I feel motivated to get this done early this week. I am really beginning to feel the pressure of the end of the term, especially because my kids take their state test in 10 days - so the pressure is double on to match last years scores.

This week's topic has reminded me what I often take for granted - that technology is not equal everywhere. Some of us say "blog" and people cheer, while in other districts they actively detour people from using such cheap and easy types of technology because they don't see the benefit of it.

Week 9 Reflection

Its starting to approach the end and I feel like this term has just been a whirlwind. This week, I won an award for my county for Conservation Teacher of the Year, my husband got promoted, I worked on the site team that earned my school status as a AVID Demonstration Site School after grueling visit today, the only one in our state, and I play my first "real" concert this weekend.

I have been trying in between all this to wrap my brain around LCM versus LMS. To me, a LCM is like windows vista versus LMS which is like windows 95. They are relatives of eachother, share many common functions, but one has evolved more than the other.

Can you all help me out with this?