Education A to Z: N for Nominate an Innovative Teacher

Continuing on with my blog series: Education A to Z, I am up the letter N. It is with great enthusiasm that I encourage parents and students alike to nominate an innovative teacher that they know for the 2007 Disney Teacher Awards. What are the Disney Teacher Awards? Every year The Walt Disney company, in support of education, holds a contest in which people can nominate a teacher that has made learning fun, is a creative person in the classroom and has inspired students to be the best while engaging them in learning. Does this sound like a teacher you … Continue reading →

Education A to Z: G for Great Schools

As a continuation of my A to Z Education blog series I am continuing today with a neat site I found that allows you to find great schools! Well, actually it is more along the lines of comparing schools in your area to each other in hopes of finding the one you think is great. As a teacher who is concerned about where her children are educated, this site, Great Schools, is one that I see as nothing but helpful. Matter of fact, if and when we move again, I plan on putting this site to good use. What do … Continue reading →

Online Learning

Many K-12 schools are realizing the importance of utilizing online learning opportunities to enhance their current curriculum, integrate technology in the learning experience and enhance computer/technology skills. Educators realize the importance of being technologically literate so much that in a few years, taking a high school course online in Michigan will be a mandatory graduation requirement. In California some elementary classrooms schools are trading in traditional textbooks for a custom-built digital curriculum in history and social studies. The program, utilizes online learning, multimedia, audio, text, and traditional classroom activities designed to meet the varied needs of individual students. In a … Continue reading →

Finding The Right School For Your Child

Selecting the right school for your child has become a big business. Schools now have marketing budgets that help pay for advertising, open houses, and pencil’s and post it notes embellished with the school name and slogan. In the state I live in, schools of choice give parent’s an option to move their child to another public school that is not in their district. All of the private, public and charter school options can be overwhelming for parents trying to make an informed decision for their children’s education. Fortunately in this shoppers market there are some good resources that can … Continue reading →

Classroom Technology-Interactive Whiteboards

Advances in technology have made learning more interesting and fun. No offense teachers-we know you never get the credit you deserve anyway. During a recent school tour a community representative asked a group of students who were showing off their new learning lab what they liked best about it. The majority of students said they now enjoyed learning math, but did not like math at all before the lab. The community representative sagely stated that the teachers were still doing most of the teaching but the computers were getting the credit. Today’s technology in the classroom should be viewed as … Continue reading →

Desktop Learning Technologies

Education has certainly come a long way over the past 100 years from the one room school house to interactive classrooms. Technology has created a plethora of electronic devices to help make learning more global, interesting and fun. At the forefront of the revolution are the steady old desktop computers. K-12 students who have a few of these computers in their classroom that are hooked up to the internet have an advantage over other students who do not have this tool. The internet can offer so much depth to what students are learning through their textbooks or via teacher lectures. … Continue reading →

Online Learning

The first distance education program was offered in 1728 in America with schools in Europe (Gilbert 2001, 18). I would imagine that sending papers over the Atlantic would take months. Boy has distance learning come a long way! In today’s information age, online classes for specialized certificates, four year degrees, and masters programs are plentiful. Now students and instructors can live and work in different regions, but can still attend class together in “real-time.” Online learning is evolving and is no longer available only to college level students. Many online schools and courses are now available for the K-12 student … Continue reading →

No Child Left Behind Hoax- Now Coming to an Email Near You!

Well, now it is official. No Child Left Behind is so embedded in the American educational system that an urban legend has been spawned about it! If you are part of a parent/teacher network, a community education group, a watchdog group, or receive e mails about education in general, you are likely to have received this ridiculous piece of hogwash. These hoaxes take on a life of their own, so please be careful before you pass it on. Please take a look at the commentary about the actual policies in the above link. A response from the Department of Education … Continue reading →

Everything’s Up to Date in Mississippi – Technology Connects Parents to Schools

In Hinds County, Mississippi, parents can now log on to their school district website and receive an update on their child’s grades. They can also monitor attendance records, in case they suspect their son or daughter might skip school. The ability to involve parents doesn’t stop there. The district is also capable now of sending parents text messages on their cell phones as well as e mail alerts concerning absences, disciplinary problems, and academic weaknesses. The program is developed by Software Technologies Inc Home. It enables the district to offer a service which makes life easier for both teachers and … Continue reading →

Collaborative Teaching Through the World Wide Web

School districts are understandably careful about allowing students to network with one another on the internet. But the web is a great resource for connecting teachers to one another’s ideas, and to share students work and perspective. With careful monitoring, it can be a safe and rewarding experience. Tapped In http://tappedin.org is a great place for teachers to network with each other, and to involve students. Teachers take responsibility for their students online through the site, and agree to monitor their accounts and adhere to standards set on the site. With ongoing funding from The National Science Foundation and Sun … Continue reading →