2011

It has been a long time since I last blogged. I have not completed my Masters program as well as an online teacher certification. Last week, I was in Sunny Florida for a few days and returned to some very cold weather. A lot has transpired since I last blogged. In the classroom, we are doing more each week with our wiki sites. Students are now embedding video into their presentations, and they have created some amazing powerpoints and prezi presentations. It always amazes me how quickly students pick up on technology. In the classroom, I now have a webcam! Skype just got hooked up and I look forward to using that as well.
As far as my outside interests, I have been playing some good hockey with my buddies on a nice outdoor rink. On top of that, I am still coaching my sons league. When I have time, I have also been out cross country skiing and on Friday, I did some downhill skiing. People complain about Wisconsin winters, but if you get out there and do stuff, it is not bad at all!

Plants

We are starting a unit on plants this week. Although it might sound boring, it isn't. We will combine a wiki project along with our reading to spice it up.
On a personal note, I completed my last graduate class last week and am very excited to be able to focus on more interesting and exciting things for a while.
I am glad to be back after our Thanksgiving break!

Ending Photosynthesis

We are finishing the chapter on Photosynthesis and writing a job application for the job at the Photosynthesis factory.
This week I have started work on something called Edmondo. It is another web based site where I can post assignments and students can send them directly to me once they are completed. I look forward to discovering more about this web 2.0 tool.

Camp Anokijig

Last week was a very busy one. There was a lot to get in so that I could teach up at outdoor ed. As much as I enjoy teaching canoeing and archery, I always miss my current students. Keep in mind that next year I will be up there with you guys and girls. You will understand when you see how amazing it is up there.
This week should be fun with the sharing of all the science projects. Hopefully everyone will get them done by Tuesday.
This last week I was able to learn some more interesting online programs that I hope to use in the near future.
Look forward to podcasts, and webcam recordings soon.

This weekend

Here is a cool opportunity for something different to do this Saturday!!


http://www.riveredge.us/default.aspx?id=89

Check it out!

The week

This has beem an interesting week. My son won a medal for his run at the Pumpkins in the Park! I just signed up for another web based graduate class and I am sure to learn some more technology that I can being to the classroom.
I have been sore since Saturday since I also ran the Pumpkins run and won a medal for my time in the 5K.
Stay healthy, stay active!
This week we will continue to learn about cells and classification. We will also have our first day in the computer lab where we will be working on a wiki space.
There is also a great speaker joining us to discuss bullying in school.

Test review

What is an endoscope?
Why are pesticides used?
Know the difference between the following:
Observation
Inferring
Classifying
Quantitative vs Qualitative observations
Manipulated variable
Predicting
Making Models
Skepticism What should it be balanced with?
What does an engineer do?
Why are graphs helpful?