Khan Academy in my classroom

A few days ago, two students were sent to my room for misbehavior in the regular classroom. As the students looked at me, I thought I could handle the situation in one of two ways.

Option A:  An immediate lecture on respectful behavior.

I paused and stared into their eyes and could see the frustration, bubbling over like a pot with a tightly-fitted lid.

Option B: An impromptu lesson to ease the tension.

Without further hesitation, I pulled up a Khan Academy  video on 3-digit addition with regrouping and was amazed at the attention it beckoned. After the short video, I wrote a series of addition problems on the board and said "Go." Keep in mind, both students have difficulties with completing assignments due to a general lack of motivation, rather than a lack of ability. As I walked between their desks, I smiled with satisfaction as the boys began changing their negative behaviors and learning a new skill at the same time. The three of us spent 20 minutes reviewing their work and providing feedback. At one point, the boys checked eachother's work and explained why the totals were correct/incorrect.

I suppose I lifted their tight-fitted lids and turned down the temperature a bit. After about an hour, I took the boys aside to discuss appropriate classroom behavior. Now, if only Khan Academy had some behavior videos;)

Graphing

The students participated in an introductory lesson on graphing today. Using a pre-made worksheet, the students learned how to complete a bar graph. To further the lesson, I also incorporated the SMARTBoard software to summarize the graphing results. After the students completed the worksheet, the class worked together to color the bars of the graph on the SMARTBoard. I found this graphing website which I would like to use in the near future. I was thinking about filling plastic eggs with M&M's and having students complete a graph of the different colored M&M's. I am sure the candy would make the kids happy and provide a source of motivation:)

Efficiency

Technology is suppose to make life more efficient...in a perfect world. It looks like my family and I are nearing the end of a cellular phone contract. This is a true blessing, as our cell service is inconsistent. Dropped calls, broken up phone conversations, inability to retrieve voicemail messages and no service at all are daily problems in our household. Researching a new company, plan and phone options is dizzying. Can I mention, expensive? Fees for activation, fees for data and fees for texting bundles add up to a used car payment. I am taking a step backwards and looking at the big picture. I need my phone for emergencies and a picture or two from time to time. The iPad has solved the issue of accessing web-based information while I am away from home. What I need is a usable cell phone that will keep me in touch with family, friends and co-workers. All the rest is fluff. I suppose my efficiency is simplicity.

Khan Academy

60 Minutes featured a story on Sal Khan last week regarding Khan Academy. A not-for-profit organization "with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere." By incorporating video tutorials and practice sets in the areas of math, science, humanities and test preparations (SAT, GMAT, etc.), Khan Academy has found its way into public education in the state of California. Khan Academy attempts to provide students additional instruction in academic areas at home or school, while allowing teachers to track and facilitate students' learning in the classroom. Khan Academy also provides opportunities for differentiated instruction by allowing students to move on from mastered lessons and embark upon new lessons. All the while, the Khan Academy provides teachers with data collection software to notate student progress. Teachers love data!

On a personal note, I shared this site with my daughter, a high school junior, who is tackling Trigonometry, Algebra II and Chemistry II this year. She was excited about this resource due to the ability to re-visit instruction and also learn differing ways for problem solving. The fact that this site is FREE and available to my children is amazing!!!!

Dreamweaver...where have you been hiding?

Dreamweaver brought back some memories of last summer as I worked on a website project for the Web Design course. Hours upon hours spent developing that website through XHTML coding consumed a large portion of my free time. When I began the current project for this course with Dreamweaver, the ability to type in text and have it translated immediately into XHTML is a tremendous asset. I am not saying I would have used this as a tool for supplying me with proper coding in the Web Design course, but perhaps as a tool to check my work. I remember spending a week trying to solve an issue, which was remedied eventually by a small mistake (either a bracket or semicolon). Dreamweaver is a lovely tool and one that I may purchase for myself in the future. Are there other web authoring tools, which are more economical? If so, please share:)

Spring Break

It looks like the students and I made it to Spring Break. With some nice weather in the Missouri forecast, the vacation time will be a lovely break from the typical work week. This time off gives me time to work on projects for my graduate classes (Dreamweaver project, Capstone, Foliotek project and the comprehensive exam). While I have numerous projects going at once, I have been conscientious about pacing myself and not getting behind. With half of a semester left, I need to remember to keep my eyes on the prize...graduation! Don't get me wrong, this week will not just be all work and no play. Family time and getting out to do things I love are just as important:)

Class Dojo

I was at a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support conference today. Among the many things the presenters shared with us, Class Dojo, was a particular highlight. This online behavior tracking tool is a eco-friendly way of tracking student behavior. Instead of using sticker charts or paper-based tools, this online version offers teachers a resource for tracking behavior, which can be portable especially with the use of mobile devices (iPads, Smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.). The program allows teachers to use the default settings (seen here) or modify the settings to the teacher's preferences.

The behaviors are entered by the teacher by clicking on the student's name and entering the appropriate behavior.

As you can see above, Bradley Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Natalie Portman each have earned a postive behavior note. Information can be reset or changed as needed. Reports can be generated by class or by individual student. 

I think this tool is a wonderful way to stay organized and to share information with parents, other cooperating teachers, administrators and the students themselves. Incentive programs can be built around this system, allowing students to be rewarded for positive behavior. I love the online format, the report generating capabilities and the portability of the program through the use of mobile devices.

One week left in 3rd Quarter

This past week, I spent a large amount of time ensuring I had completed quarterly assessments and graded papers. With the end of the quarter on Friday, the classroom has been a busy place. The students impressed me with how much they have learned, thus far. I am looking forward to continuing the momentum and finishing the year strongly.

Spring Break is less than a week away, therefore I plan on using some St. Patrick's Day activities in the classroom this week. I think the students will enjoy this. Here are a few links:

http://mediashare.discoveryeducation.com/mediashare/index.cfm?event=pushFile&guidAssetMediaFileId=86ba3794-237d-0719-0c89-9614f4795b6a

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/st.patricksday/games.htm