August 2009
1 post
Transformation →
Yesterday, I began my new job in Berkeley County School District in Monks Corner, SC as their Teaching American History Grant facilitator. A huge transformation from being a technology curriculum…
July 2009
4 posts
Reflecting the Writing Process →
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Invitational Summer Institute is in the third week at CCU. I am sitting in the back of the classroom listening to an awesome spotlight presentation by one of our…
Writing Collaboratively in Real Time Seperated by... →
Today I was reading a blog post by Bud Hunt. He is a teacher-consultant with the Colorado State University Writing Project and blogs regularly at http://budtheteacher.com. In his July 16th blog…
Blogging the Day… →
I am blogging the day at Coastal Carolina University in the second day of the open Institute of the Coastal Area Writing Project. We have writer and teacher Katie Wood Ray helping teaching us how to…
TLN Resource Retreat →
I spent the last four days in Lake Tahoe with some the greatest innovative people I have ever met. Around 30 national writing project teacher consultants gathered to create resources that we can go…
May 2009
5 posts
being behind….. →
“the tendency of classrooms in high-poverty areas to focus on teacher-directed instruction with drill-and-practice being the primary activity of the learners. This learner-passive environment all…
Demands of the new age we live and teach… →
I found this video over at Dangerously Irrelevant… Very powerful
To Meet the Demands of a New Age from Steven H on Vimeo.
Honor the process, not the product →
In writing you have to honor the process not the final product. I think that is why I like the concept of blogging because I know deep down it is not a final product from my perspective. But I…
What if we….? Rethink Church →
I have just finished reading the Interpreter, the United Methodist Church (UMC) publication. The recent issue expanded upon the them “What if we…Rethink Church?”. It focuses on the term Church…
Returning… →
During Spring break I decided to take a break from Blogging on the Bay. I have taken a break from reading over 50-60 blogs a day. I have not even looked at my RSS feed since Spring break. I keep…
April 2009
2 posts
A voice in the wilderness….. →
I am working for tomorrow as I celebrate it as my last day this week. I have nothing to report for my blog post. Over the last two days my school district has been providing updates about the…
A week’s end….. →
I am ending the week on sad note. I just learned a few hours ago that my EETT Competitive grant will not be funded for next year. Out of 42 proposals 12 were chosen to be funded for next year. In a…
March 2009
22 posts
Digital Storytelling →
Since Monday our enrichment class has been working on a Book Talk. The school’s media specialist introduced this genre of creating in class and shared many book talks that have been published on …
the “Cloud” →
I remember hearing the term cloud computing in the year 2000 at NECC in Atlanta and thinking what a wonderful concept. My first introduction to cloud computing was learning about using thin client-…
Technology Liaisons Network Resource Development... →
It is time to do some selfish bragging. I am traveling to Lake Tahoe along with another Coastal Area Writing Project leader to attend the Technology Liaisons Network Resource Development…
Successful Coaching Experience →
I started a draft about my experience at PHES. I was sharing the story with my colleague who is the reading coach for my home base school. PHES has been such a positive experience working the staff,…
CAWP: a day at brookgreen gardens →
Last Saturday the Coastal Area Writing Project hosted a day at Brookgreen Gardens for teachers of writing on Saturday, March 14, 2009. I work with this group as the technology liason. The day…
Looking back through the day… →
Yesterday I spent part of the day at another elementary school where I work once a month. I had requested to meet with teachers during their planning time and obviously the administrator for what…
Reflecting through the day →
I sat down beside a teacher who wanted to create a page of labels with students last name followed by first name on the top line and the second line would have grade and school. She knew she had…
Interwrite Pad →
I have always taught in a high poverty schools. I am not sure I have ever been in school where the majority of kids come from affluent families. Waccamaw Intermediate School was great. This school…
Time →
I just left Waccamaw Intermediate School at Pawleys Island. I met with two faculties to do a thirty minute presentation in fifteen minutes to share with them about the Proviso 1.25, SC Technology…
Reflecting through the day…. →
Enrichment class was a blast today. Actually the last two days have been great. The last two days they have been writing a folktale. They used word processing to start and finish their writing and…
Getting things done →
Teachers at one of the elementary school where I work had to complete a proficiency level for their goals based evaluation. Their deadline for having this complete is next Friday. Therefore,…
The Genteel Teaching of America’s Poor →
From the PEN Weekly News Blast on March 6, 2009
Not all schooling is equal. In too many schools, too many students suffer an education of drill and memorization but are deprived of high-level…
It’s the teacher at the root of the problem…. →
Today our President announced his education plan but sounded like more of the same. It boils down to the teacher and what the teachers is doing. I heard more rhetoric of the same old and I was…
It is time to take notice! →
Thursday, my wife left to join several of her Converse College friends for a girl’s weekend at the beach. Friday, afternoon, I get two photos within a few minutes of each other on my Blackberry of…
Reader’s moments, clickers, promethean boards, and... →
I have gotten in a habit when working with students I start my workshop/presentation/lesson off with I think Kelly Gallagher coined as the Reader’s Moment. I take about 3-5 minutes and share…
The Game of School →
From The Game of School by Robert Fried:
If we are fortunate enough to be raised in a home where love of learning is celebrated and modeled before our eyes, we may come to school well…
Reading/Writing Enrichment Class →
I have not written about the reading and writing enrichment class lately. I have intended to continue write about what is happening on a daily basis but time and other responsibilities took time…
Great Quote →
From The Game of School by Robert Fried:
Little by little, grade by grade, we find our selves relating school more and more in a way that sharply contrasts with the energy, purposefulness, and…
Timing and weather…… →
It looks like the weather has improved, but it is really cold. I was amazed at the attendance at church this morning with the massive downpour of rain and the dropping of temperatures. People came…
Another Monday….. →
It is a Monday. Today I am visiting teacher technology ePortffolio and writing comments. I have read many great ideas that teacher are using in their classrooms but who are taking on a traditional…
Weather signs →
The weather forecast does not look promising today. Rain is coming down steady and there is the possibility of snow flurries tonight while the upstate of South Carolina and other parts of the…
Standards and testing! How about passionate... →
We want at most for our kids to have a compelling passion to learn and our present public education system is failing at that miserably. I see it and hear it daily. Today on this Saturday was no…
February 2009
20 posts
Coastal Area Writing Project Engages an Audience... →
The Coastal Area Writing Project (CAWP) hosted a digital storytelling workshop. Julia Pressley, teacher consultant, and Bill Gaskins, Technology Liaison for CAWP led the event. Julia…
Wish Me Luck →
Today my project manager and I finished with the writing of “Data+Assessment+Technology= Achievement” grant project. The grant means job security for me. It will mean I will have a job next year….
South Carolina Technology Proficiency →
I am glad the week is winding down. The week has been fast and when a week is fast you know it has been busy. Monday, I met with the faculty at Georgetown Middle School to talk with them about SC…
The Game of School →
From the book The Game of School, Robert Fried
Far too much of the time our children spend in school is wasted. …
Most of what they experience during school hours passes over them like the…
Weekly Round Up →
Cool Websites for Teachers!
Virtual Knee Surgery: http://edheads.org/activities/knee/index.htm
Virtual Hip Replacement Surgery http://edheads.org/activities/hip/index.htm
Crash Scene…
Journey to Freedom: A History, Reading, and... →
Karanja Crews, a high school teacher in Jefferson Oregon, created a board game workshop to help his students learn black history, reading, writing, philosophy, and a slew of other subjects, all…
ABC Reports on Board Games →
Donald Dennis helped me discover a blog called the Purple Pawn . The Purple Pawn blog focuses on games. I am glad to find the blog after being introduced to so many board games on Thursday…
Reading and Writing Enrichment Class Continues →
February 19, 2009
The theme of the day is Where I Am From and thanks to George Ella Lyons for writing that great poem with the world for us to share it and model such great writing. I gave…
“Technology, Games, and Literacy” →
“Technology, Games, and Literacy” workshop deemed a success even though we had only five parents in attendance. We had at least one parent three of the attendance area schools except for…
Trying to keep up… →
So much is coming up in the next week and I am sure I am not using my time wisely today. Tonight I am facilitating a parent workshop for parents from all four schools with Mr. Donald Dennis with the…
“snapshots” and “thoughtshots” →
Today in writing workshop we explored “snapshots” and “thoughtshots” in writing personal narratives. These sixth graders were introduced to both these terms through a process of brainstorming and…
Compelling Videos for Change →
I am pulling ideas for a presentation I am giving to a teacher forum group next week. Which video…
More Compelling Videos for Change →
Mobilizing our education system- some thoughts →
I started reading the book Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed by Hugh B. Price. So far Hugh helps you thing through the crisis of public education is in this country just in the…
Daily Ramblings →
What should I blog today? Today I have been in meetings and spent a couple hours on writing the grant for my job for next year. I am finally at a good point and feel confident in getting it done.
…
The author’s chair…..and my ramblings →
February 6, 2009
Today I got to in the famous chair and be an author and read my poem to the class. Today was fun and I became a member of the junior snickers club,
I enjoyed sharing my writing,…