Teacher Education and 21st Century Skills

The end is just the beginning

©

This past Saturday marked the final offering of training by the University of Guam for the Gateway to Technology program.  The end is just the beginning though as the new school year is getting under way.  My understanding is that over 1,000 public school teachers participated in the training over the past 5 months.  Although there are obstacles yet to be faced, I hope that this is a productive year with many advances made.
 
For my part, I'd like to thank all of the teachers I've met during training.  It isn't easy switching roles and becoming the student, but you all did a great job.  I am energized by your enthusiasm and willingness to learn new things.  This blog has accumulated over 150 posts which is remarkable in that short period of time.  Please take the time to read through the past posts and leave comments for the authors.  I will add new posts to this blog from time to time.  I hope many of you are starting your own blogs, but if you would like to pick up the digital pen again, I can always add you on as an author of this blog.
 
I've received a lot of positive feedback on the Gateway to Technology resource site we used during training.  Many of you have inquired how long it will be available online and the answer is as long as you need it to be.  If you haven't visited it since your training, you will find that I have made some adjustments.  The major changes usually stem from the plethora of tech resources there are to share with you.  I've continuously added content throughout the site but you'll find most of the expansion has taken place on pages for Ethics, Safety, and Additional Resources.  I've added an Announcement page which I'll continue to update as I receive news to share with you.  Additionally there is an Action Plan page where I list some points for you to start the year off with.  In the future, I would like to add a page that provides examples of your achievements.  I would appreciate it if you would share the address for your new website, blog, or perhaps a lesson you used.
   
It is of my understanding that additional technology training will be offered in the future.  Some of it should relate to the new equipment which will begin arriving in the next months, and I believe more advanced training on specific techniques will be presented as well.  I hope I am able to provide more professional development for you.  I would like to present some model lessons and provide you with support as the year continues.  Build your support network with teachers nearby and from afar.  Stay positive and don't get discouraged.  I hope this is a transformational experience for you and your students and I wish you the best of luck.

So New to blogging and learning how to put a blog together...

I am so amazed at young people today, they are so entrenched in technology and don't even realize it.  From texting, Facebooking, and blogging, oh my goodness.  I hope to use some of these forms of communication to help my students learn more about the subjects I teach as well as themselves.

I can see how being anonymous is a good thing for the student, but I also see how this can be a bad thing.  I hope to get more ideas on how to optimize the use of technology in the classroom.  I have so much to learn...


 

Technology in Classroom

While teaching in California I had three Macs and a cd reference collection. My problem was that I could not print as there wasn't any ink or the printer was offline. The computers were always going down because the district tech person kept loading incompatible software. After time it wasn't worth the effort. I look at Singapore and other countries' math and they all use books. The difference is that the books are a base and the teachers knowledge fills the majority of the class time. I feel we all have to work every year to improve our presentation. Part of presentation is the effort to make the material relevant for the students. Technology can be used for this but in GDOE we know that the tech is going to be stolen or will break down quickly. The lighting in the rooms are not set up and we often don't even have a screen for an overhead, or an overhead let alone computers. We all hope the STEM and laptops work and don't break down for years but...

Integrating Technology in the Classroom

Ten years ago, the internet is limited on what it could do and who used it. Most people have heard about it but do not know how it's used. Today, Teachers use internet at home and in school. Teachers even use a wide variety of resources from the internet to prepare for their lesson plans. As a Math Teacher, I enjoy accessing different kinds of materials I can use for my classroom may it be a lesson plan, practice and guided tools to assessment tools. Another way I integrate technology in my classroom is the use of Powerpoint Presentations and projectors. Unfortunately, not all our students have access to computers at home, which makes it difficult for me to engage them in an interactive technology setting. Nevertheless, I am planning to utilize our Computer Center and teach them how to use online sites for learning. Photo Source.

Gateway - After Class: Classroom Technology

Gateway - After Class: Classroom Technology: My first year experience as a teacher was in one of the private schools on Guam. I was exposed to a variety of new technology, including a s...

Technology in the Classroom

I'm teaching 8th grade Math at FBLG for the past 13 years and I was probably one of the first teachers who introduced powerpoint in the classroom. At first the kids were very attentive, but I found out that even visual kids have certain saturation points, so I will always make it a point to show powerpoint lessons only for about five minutes, followed by discussions, then another five minutes of ppt, then discussions. The only thing that really gets in the way? The lighting in the classroom- we only have one switch and everytime I have to use ppt, I have to turn off the light and that's when trouble always happen- in the dark. Preparation is another thing. It takes hours to prepare a lesson in ppt. I tried other online lessons, but our internet service doesn't allow for a smooth operation, just like what we're experiencing here at UOG. If GDOE wants technology in the classroom, then they should be able to provide us with a better, faster internet service and electronic equipments that can cope with all the technological advancements teachers are supposed to acquire and learn.

Using Technology in the Classroom

Teaching Reading in middle school is a challenge. To capture students' attention, teachers must be very creative in their strategies. Simply reading a selection followed by class discussion is not enough to get students engage in learning. The use of technology helps capture their attention and motivate them to learn. I've used PowerPoint to present my quarter and genre units in order to give students colorful visuals that spark their interests, thus, encourage learning. I plan to use TeacherTube in my classroom to facilitate reading. My students can read and watch a poem and put an image to the events on a short story selection.

Supplements to spice up your Teaching!

I too am a strong believer that the textbook is not the only material to teach with. I find myself skipping through chapters to find what is best to teach to my students that week. A great part of my weekend and after school planning is using other books and materials that I have acquired and searching the internet. I usually find a great quote or story that also becomes my starter for a lesson with the Chicken Soup series. When we sit with our team teachers, we share lessons that have been successful.


I enjoy going over my lessons with my daughters who are 17 and 19, and getting their opinion and feedback on what they think about it. They also share what they enjoyed as students in class and what made learning fun. I try to take into consideration, what is the "in" thing.

When I hear that a teacher can not teach because there are no books, it drives me crazy! I always tell them the newspaper, magazines, the library and the internet have lots of great lessons. The more I use things other than my content book, the more I get students to participate and motivated.

Using Technology

I currently teach language arts and have been a middle school teacher for 12 years. Once our school got out of the DI program, I was able to do what I wanted in the classroom. Within the last four years, I transitioned from the chalkboard to using PowerPoint, but even that got monotonous. When students do essays, I use the "old school" style of the overhead transparency projector. Students can see what and how I write as I guide them through the writing process.

I would like to use updated technology to better reach the students and keep them more interested in my class. Google docs sounds like something I could use with them when they write. I could read what they are writing and comment on it instantly. I would also like to show them more videos about grammar lessons instead of me telling them or giving them information. Lastly, I would like to try an alternate to PowerPoint. I think the program is called Prezi. It looks interesting.

Of course, this will depend on me really learning and trying these new things, and the school system giving me the necessary tools and support.

Teaching and Technology

I believe that there should be a balance between textbooks and the use of other materials to present concepts. I am currently teaching 6th grade Social Studies. I find that many of the materials in the textbook are new to the students as many come from various schools that implement a reform program different to traditional programs. I use the textbook as a guide and find that many of the pictures and visuals in the textbooks are excellent. However, I use technology to present and recap through Powerpoint presentations and videos. We connect to the outside world through the internet. Many of our students are tech savvy and many of them enjoy putting together projects through movie maker or PowerPoint. These are just some of the things I'd like to incorporate. There are lots of sites such as teacher tube or youtube that have videos that help bring Social Studies to life. When we talk about early civilizations, I want to show the students a short clip of the discovery of the iceman as well as some pictures of cave drawings so they can connect the material learned in the text. I don't limit myself to the text but I do use the text as a resource to meet the content standards mandated along with other resources such as the newspaper.
I'm happy that we are moving into a more technological phase with the use of ARRA funding, but we need to make computers more accessible to students. It's hard to expect students to do research online or to blog or podcast when with our demographics, many of our students live without power.

Technology in the classroom

There is so much information that can be used by teachers in the classroom.  I never realized there was so much.  It is a shame that we can not access it.  Hopefully, before the year is out, we will be able to have internet access in our classrooms. 

Some uses of technology in the cooking class would be:

• Using technology to visit different cooking web sites.
• Making a portfolio of recipes made in class_include recipes and photos of products.
• Prepare a cookbook_have each student send in their contributions.
• Make a video demonstrating a cooking technique.
• Watch a show on the  food network and write an evaluation.

This is just a fraction of what can be done.  There are so many possibilities.

The Idea of Computers Replacing Textbooks

I do use textbooks to teach subjects such as Science, Health and Social Studies. I don't limit myself to just such a resource, though, but I could say I do use the textbooks a majority of the time during my instruction in these subjects. The issue I have about using textbooks is that the content is just too "dry" to keep the students engaged during the lesson. It would be ideal if there would be enough computers available in the classrooms, even if just enough to have students pair up. In addition, the availability of internet access would be a bonus, as well. This would allow students to become more interacted and engaged during the lessons. Students may even possibly get a better feel of the lessons by virtually experiencing the content being taught. So, ideally, I believe student learning would improve in subjects such as Science, Health and Social Studies, if computers and interenet access were more available in my classroom. Unfortunately, such an idea still seems far from becoming a reality.... in my classroom, at least.

Classroom Technology

My first year experience as a teacher was in one of the private schools on Guam. I was exposed to a variety of new technology, including a smartboard, a mounted multimedia projector, and e-books for each classroom. It was a great opportunity to be able to have almost all of the technological advances that is not expected in the first-year of teaching experience available for most teachers.
When I transferred to the public school system in 2010 to one of the newly built schools, I was expecting more resources available for me and my students. However, this was not the case. Despite the fact that I had two computer systems in my classroom, I was not able to use either one of them because neither one was working. I had to use my personal netbook to access the school's grading system and even do the daily text processing tasks and check out a multimedia projector from one of three that were available in the main office every time I needed it.
Being exposed to two different kinds of school arenas, I was more determined to really apply what I learned in my technology class from UOG to my own classroom. If I could make a wishlist, I would have a smartboard, a multimedia projector, and e-books available for my classroom. I do know that there are electronic versions of our textbooks, but we also need codes to access them through the internet. These are basic things that I would change in my classroom. I'm not asking much, am I? I'm just asking enough for the benefits of my students.

Tech Savvy

I've been teaching for 10 years and throughout most of those years, I've been using the required text and presentation books to teach. Our school has been implementing the Direct Instruction Program. It's such a conveniece having the materials and resources readily available for myself and my students each day. Teachers needed to read a script and students would need to reply, with a correct response. Everyday, that's all I did! When we would have content, my students and I would get so excited. We felt content was a way of releiving ourselves from the monotonous DI program. Well, after my 8th year into teaching, I decided to make a move and teach the Gifted and Talented program. I needed to teach using a variety of teaching methods and the G.A.T.E. program would allow me to do so. The use of Technology was introduced to my students and they had learned the basics. I'd like to present more lessons using powerpoint and utilize the useful resources that were presented to us during the Gateway to Technology course. I'm positive my students would enjoy our lessons more.

Technology in the classroom

I'm a Kindergarten teacher at a school that implements the Direct Instruction Program. We teach using a textbook and follow a script. The program lessons are repetitive and students respond at signals. Some of the program works especially the reading where kindergarten students can read before entering 1st grade. The only thing I would change is deriving from the script that includes technology use in the classroom. I could scan the words or pictures and put it into a projector and have the computer read it. That would get students engaged into the program. If only we have the technology available for us to use. I wish each classroom on island has a set of computers for each student. :)

The hour is late, so it is somewhat difficult for me to get into a long conversation about anything. If I was to comment about anything, it would be about my students. I teach the 6th grade, so at this point of the year, what we have in reality is 5th graders in a 6th grade classroom. Academics are at this time poor...and behavior is even worse. However, I believe this to be true only because we as teachers have not yet had the chance to work our magic on our students. Once we start to influence them; motivate them; show them what we want and expect of them, their academics and behavior will surely improve. They will then start to head in the direction of a productive citizen.

Not really sure what I am suppose to do here...but I was here!

What I Would Change

My classroom could certainly use more computers as it is difficult to teach "technology" with one laptop and two old PCs from home. I definitely plan on beefing up my lessons with better Power Point presentations by adding more elements. My students already use Face Book and You Tube at home but would benefit from using Google Docs. Face Book and You Tube are censored by GDOE and I am glad because I worry about the appropriateness of much of what they are exposed to on those sites. I have even had some uncomfortable moments and unexpected search results with students using the internet in the classroom. And teachers are always searching for new ideas, better lesson plans and lessons so networking with other teachers will certainly be productive. So I plan to spend a bit of this weekend on the Classroom 2.0 site and Teacher Tube.

Transitions..

I recently transferred from a Direct Instruction 5th grade classroom to a "Metgot" standard based school. The transition from a 'textbook' driven curriculum to one with more "freedom" has been a challenge. I am currently establishing a teaching routine for the year. I currently have access to a wide variety of 'tech' tools in school, from projectors to a full internet ready computer lab (which is currently unavailable, but operation at this time).

I am currently teaching a 2nd grade class and I am taking this course in hopes of finding other innovation ways to incorporate technology into my class. I have started a reading routine for my children to incorporate more structure, but i would like to utilize more visual presentations presented in various ways to stimulate my students. I am thinking of various slide presentations to text to speech applications.

Integrating Technology in my class

In my classroom, I suppose I've been more traditional in my style of teaching. The students are familiar with the routine of reading the agenda on the board, and participating in the discussion of the lesson. We are in a block schedule so I try to get the kids involved as much as possible. I may have them do problems on the board, read problems out loud, answer my questions, etc.
I would like to have more technology in the classroom. My ideal classroom would have a computer in front of every student. I feel technology would be very useful for math classes. I could take them to websites that have videos that teach them concepts, like fractions, for example. High school students are very weak in basic math skills and most have a hard time passing Algebra 1.
Presently, I am teaching Precalculus. I'm teaching them how to use the graphing calculator but I don't have the technology to display what I'm demonstrating on the screen. So, for now, when I demonstrate on my graphing calculator, I have to put it in front of each student so that they could see what I've done. I definitely need technology in my classroom!

New horizons

Image via WikipediaI think one of the best things about teaching is that every day is different. I can't imagine being in a job where you have to repeat the same task over and over. In a way, though, that is precisely what many of us do.


The problem is when teachers get tied to textbooks and other materials; they present the curriculum the same way year after year. Yes, it can be efficient and save time in preparation, but the curriculum doesn't have to be presented identically each year. Technology allows an infinite number of resources for you to enhance your instruction and engage a greater spectrum of learners.

The problem I wanted to address in math was the apparent futility in assignments. Students aren't particularly thrilled to hear that they are learning a concept so that they can perform another concept on the following page. I'll spare you from my full rant, but suffice to say that I wanted to provide students with relevance and disassociate math with pencil-pushing.  I don't want students to feel that their subject is bound between the covers.  Certain traditional elements of instruction are important, but they don't define the subject. I use technology to present math in a different way and in a manner that accommodates a wider range of learning styles. Technology allows me to take students away from the textbook and shows them problems where they really exist. I rotate some of the material that I use so that I'm not using the same thing every year and I'm constantly looking for more ways to do things differently.   I feel technology enables me to consider the differences in my learners and avoid cookie-cutter instruction.  I can adapt assignments more easily and alter my methods of assessment.  

I'm not saying it is easier for the teacher; it takes time and effort, but I feel energized in what I do and that I am proactive in my profession.  The textbook is not the number one tool for the 21st Century learner.  Cut yourself free and explore what's available with technology.

Conflicting Speech

Here's another StoryCorps 9/11 animation.  One thing to consider when you share YouTube with students are the text comments that follow the videos.  You wouldn't think anyone would have anything negative or profane to say about the video below, but sadly you'd be mistaken.
Even though this video is embedded in the blog, a viewer can connect to YouTube by clicking on the YouTube icon in the lower right.  Many terrible comments are posted with the most innocent videos by people called "haters".  My belief is that most "haters" are teenagers.  Perhaps, instead of avoiding these comments, we should address them with students.  Freedom of speech is a protected right in the United States, but it's sad to think that our service people are dying for thoughts like these.

9/11: Dedicated To Those Who Protect and Defend Our Lives

If I had only a few minutes of life left to live and could make a phone call, I would make a phone call to the ones that mean the most to me.  I would call home to my husband, my six children and my grandson.  To my husband, I would tell him that he has given me the best years of my life and that I he will eternally remain "my love" even when I am gone.  To my children, I would tell them that they have always been the number one driving force in my life, my motivation and my most proudest accomplishment.  I would want them to know that God never closes the lines of communication between children and parents, .... I would tell them that I will forever love and be with them.  I would stay on this life line just hearing their voices, ......... for as long as I could.

I dedicate 9/11 and this section to those who protect and defend our country, our freedom and our lives.  Most especially to my husband and my son who bear the United States of America uniform who uttered the most selfless words:  "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Organic Act of Guam against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear the true faith and allegiance to the same.  I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the governor of Guam and the orders of the officers appointed over me,  according to law and regulations, so help me God."  Their promise which embodies the attributes of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage is the epitome of "putting others before ones self".

I dedicate 9/11 and this section to them because without such selfless people, I would probably loose sleep thinking about scenarios such as "what if I had only a few minutes of life left to live and could make a phone call...."

Tribute to 9-11 and soldiers

It was a sad day for the world. We remember the ones who died and the ones who are fighting for us. We've got to keep strong and pray for those in battle.

Thank God

Two more days for this Gateway!

9/11 Guam

As for 9/11, I can only recall the morning call from my mom telling me to turn on the televison. I could not believe that could happen to the United States. It has never been done before. It made me realize that this time it was real. This is not some movie to make you think what if this happened.

My son was in elementary at the time - 1st grade. He made a poster describing his feelings. He was sad about the people who were jumping off the building.

I am glad that we remember and are able to express our feelings no matter what age.

In Memoriam

I remember being abruptly awaken at 3 a.m. It must have been an emergency since I wake up at 4. My friend, Grace, from FL was crying, asking me, "Where's your sister?" I said, "Home, in D.C. -- no wait -- she's on a plane. Why?" She had told me about the twin towers, and told me to turn on the T.V. I said I had to call my parents. First, I called my sis' home phone, then, her work nos., then, her cell. All dead. Finally, I called my parents and asked if my sis had called. It was then that I cried. They said they hadn't heard from her yet, as my sister religiously calls my parents in the morning and in the evening, local time. My parents assured me that they would call as soon as I heard from her. I told myself that if she didn't call by 6 a.m. here, I won't go to work. Just before 6, I got that call. The first thing she said was, "I hear you want to talk to me." She was so nonchalant about it that I thought I was being silly. She told me she was in a conference with her colleagues in a hotel. Once the towers were struck, my sis and her group had been sequestered in that same ballroom -- all communication lines blacked out. There was frenzy in and out of the hotel. After a few hours, everyone was able to call their loved ones. My sis told me, at the last minute, she decided to drive instead of fly. She promised she was okay and would call later, as she always did.
Later when she called, I found out that my uncle was at The Pentagon. He had just said his goodbyes to his colleagues and was riding the shuttle to the Pentagon annex. Minutes later, he heard everyone scream and point at the building; it had just been struck, as well. He started to cry: the side that had just been hit was the area of his old office. More importantly, he had literally just said his final goodbyes to his colleagues and friends.
As the cliche' goes, "Life must go on." A week later, my parents were on a plane to D.C. to see my sister, as scheduled. Three months later, I was on a plane to NYC en route to Paris to meet up with my best friend. She had suggested we meet at Ground Zero, which I flatly refused to do. I had seen the OK bomb site in '95. "We'll just meet in Paris, as we're supposed to do."
My parents told me after 9/11, just before leaving to see my sis, "If it's our time to go, we'll go. No sense in delaying the inevitable."
However, the people in the World Trade Center and its vicinity didn't have to go. For this, we will always remember them.

It probably an event that would never be repeated, at least in our life time.

I have never been put in a situation like those that perished during the 9/11 episode; However, I think that if I have to make my last call prior to my permanent departure form this Earth, I would most likely call my wife.

A prayer for the lives lost...

My family and I were stationed in Michigan when 9-11 occurred. The day started out like any other day. I woke up early to get ready for my job that was about an hour drive from where I lived. My husband and kids were still in bed when I left for work. At that time, I was teaching art to grades 6-8. I worked at a very prestigious school in Michigan. It was a private middle school for all girls'. There was nothing different about this particular day. I taught my first period class...I can't really remember what lesson I was teaching though. It is very sketchy right now. But I do remember that I was on my prep period and I was grading some artwork. Suddenly one of my co-workers came to my room to inform me that a plane had just crashed into one of the twin towers. We immediately turned on the television in our room. We then saw the second plane hit. My first thought was how are my children and my husband. I quickly called my husband at work and then I called my children's school. We were released early from school and I immediately went home. My husband had picked up our kids since he was closer to them. That day was a very somber and scary day. My heart and prayers went out to all those who lost their lives because of this tragedy. Our school was closed the next day, but my children still had classes. I spent the next day, Sept. 12th, my anniversary, sitting on the couch watching the news and on the bottom of the screen, there was a rolling display of all the lives that was known to have been lost from this tragic event. All I could do was cry and pray for them and their family.

A terrible night

Image via WikipediaI remember clearly the night the towers fell.  It happened around midnight Guam-time; I was awake but I wasn't watching TV.  A relative from the East coast called and told us to turn on the television.  At first I thought it was a small plane that had collided with the tower - what else could it be?  Then more footage became available and the situation appeared more dire.  But when the second plane hit the other tower, it was clear that this was much more than an accident.  As the events unfolded on that terrible night, I felt as though reality was slipping away.  The thing I remember most of all was holding my newborn daughter and thinking what sort of world did we bring her into? 

Related articles

• In their own words: Readers remember Sept. 11 - Sioux City Journal (news.google.com)
• 9/11...a day we'll always remember (run4joy59.wordpress.com)
• 9/11: Never Forget (cryliberty.wordpress.com)

REMEMBERING 911

     Coming home late from celebrating my sons 15th birthday, we switched on the television and saw the twin tower billowing with smoke. It seemed that every channel was focused on this disturbing picture. “What’s happening?” my husband asked. We all stood riveted in front of the television and listened as the CNN news anchor announced the shocking news that a plane flew into one of the Twin Towers. I went into my room for a few minutes only to hear my families shocked gasps! I hurried out. It was a shocking site to see. I watched as they replayed the scene on the television. You could hear the anxious speculations in their voices. I watched the scene repeating as another plane crash into the second tower. I remember a cold and clammy feeling of dread and fear. My trembling lips whispered “What’s happening? “. as I held on to my husbands hand. He looked at me steadily and replyed "I don't know? ".
The decision to keep my children at home or send them to school was weighing on my mind. My husband made the decision for me. “We shouldn’t let what happened scare us. Send the kids to school, everything will be fine”.
     Ten years have passed and that dreadful and ominous day is a sad memory to us. What is so distressing, is every year my son has to share his birthday with the haunting reminder, of one of the most tragic and unfortunate events that America has experienced.

Remembering 9/11

I remembered waking up to the radio alarm informing the listeners of the attack on the World Trade Center by terrorists. When I arrived at work, everyone was talking about it. I remember speaking to a social studies teacher who woke up early and recorded the scene. Her lesson plan changed that day as a result of the attack. September 11, 2001 was a day when both students and teacher’s attention was on the World Trade Center. It was later that morning when I was able to watch the video of the attack which brought tears to my eyes. One of the greatest impact this world ever experienced occurred that day.

Remembering September 11, 2001

I awoke to the sound of the people shouting and chaos, I soon realized the TV set was on. At first I thought it was a movie, then I realized my husband was watching CNN. As we watched the events of that terrible day unfold before our eyes, we were in shock. I sat beside my husband; we were glued to the scenes of the tragic sight of the twin towers being hit by planes and then collapsing in front of our eyes. It was hard to grasp what was happening and how many lives were lost, families shattered, and a whole country paralyzed with fear and pain. Little did we realize how much that day would change our lives and the world forever.

Remebering 9/11

I was getting ready to begin the day when the Twin Towers were hit. It was about 10:00 am when I made my way into the family room. My aunts were glued to the television set, I thought it was odd that they both were home this early, but didn’t bother to ask for their reasons. I walked over to the older one and asked if she had heard from my grandparents (she had dropped them to catch a flight to LAX earlier ). Her eyes were watery and she said,” We’re under attack.” I looked over at the t.v. and saw the scene of the World Trade Center crumbling down. That afternoon I drove through the streets looking for anything that was open. Most stores were closed, children had been sent home from schools, and parents were rushing home to be with their families. By night the entire block was lined with American flags hanging from the side of garage doors.
At work the next morning, people were solemn but kind. The tragic events of the day before had united us. We were no longer strangers in the hallways or faces without a names. Instead a community faced with uncertainty, fears, and concerns that no one had the answers for.

What I remember

I remember going to work. We heard about what happened. Was a shock. Unbelievable. Several teachers had been able to watch CNN and the breaking news. The footage seemed to continually run. The scenes of the planes flying and hitting the twin towers, the plumes of smoke, people on the streets below trying to shield themselves and running for cover. Some people just standing and looking up, as if in shock.
I remember a couple of fellow teachers coming to my classroom at different times. They were both looking for safety pins. I had several sets. They were surprised I had so much. I asked them what they were going to do with them. They said they needed to do something. Have the students do something creative and in commemoration of the tragedy which had occurred. Then they left.
The students who had come into my class were talking about it. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen any of the footage. My lesson plan for the day, pushed aside. I ended up having a class discussion about what they had heard, some of them had seen it on television. They had gone to the library, where our librarian had been watching the news. Some of the students had asked, "Why would these terrorists do this to the World Trade Center?" While others asked, "Will they try to do this to us, too?"
I explained to my students there were still people around the world who don't have liberty or freedom like we do. And more often than not, we, who are free, don't always appreciate what we have. And those who don't like this, will do what they will to change this for their benefit, their gain. They may not perceive what they do as being wrong, but just and right. Violence isn't the solution.
There was confusion, fear, anger, hopelessness, and frustration expressed by my students. They were frustrated because they felt strongly, what had been done was unfair. Innocent people and children had been killed, injured, lost. If someone, or group could do this to the United States, then what about us? A fearful, dreadful thought. I asked them what they wanted to do. How could we help? What would be possible solutions to this problem? They wanted to help.
We decided to start a penny drive. Whatever monies we collected, we'd send off to help those who were affected by this tragedy. My class wasn't the only one who came up with the idea. I found out other teachers and students on our campus had the same idea. So we ended up pooling our monies.
When I got home, I watched the news. I was shocked and horrified by the images, the recorded messages from some of the passengers on the airplane, cell phone conversations sound bites that were shared on air as part of the news footage.
The following day, in my teacher's box, I found safety pins with beads threaded through them in red, white, and blue. I was told to put on the pin in a sign of courage and solidarity in the face of adversity. As a way to express our sorrow. We held a moment of silence at our school. Students, staff, and teachers put on the pin for several weeks. For those who didn't have a pin, they wore layered ribbons of red, white, and blue on the upper left side of their shirts, blouses, or uniforms. Some wore both pins and ribbons.
The few ribbons given to me by my students, had deteriorated to the point where I don't have them anymore. Although it's been many years and all those lives were lost on that tragic day, they are not forgotten. Even though I don't know their names, have never met any one of them before or their families, I still remember. I still wear my pins. I still conduct the moment of silence.

My Last Phone Call

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What a tragic day it was....

Gateway to technology response "If I had one phone call to make before I die..."

I was given two options: 1. Write about what I was doing during 9-11 ( I don't remember) or 2. Discuss who I would call if I was in the same situation as those who passed during the 9-11 attack.

I choose: "If I had one phone call to make before I die; who would I call..."

I would call my beautiful and brilliant daughter. As a single parent I had no problems deciding who I would call. The hard part I found was trying to figure out what I would say (mind you this is not the thing you would want to think about in a class full of people (sniff sniff) especially if you soft hearted like me, but because I have a billion and one things to do when I get home I am writing about it now).

I would tell her… do you remember when papa passed and you were worried that you will never see him again and your heart hurt so bad, but sometimes you have those moments that you feel him by your side. And he’s always there with you because you carry him around in your heart always. Well if ever I am gone I will always be by side your side, I will always believe in you, have faith  in you, and love you.

 

We remember

Gateway - After Class: I can do this

Gateway - After Class: I can do this: I haven't been fond of computers since I last worked on dial-up internet service in 2001. Computers were just a tool to compose a syllabus o...

I never thought I'd be blogging. In fact, I never thought I'd be doing anything with the computer other than simple wordprocessing and changing fonts and colors. With this class, just learning the basics, I realize many of the projects I needed to complete had been in my computer and at my fingertips the whole time. I started this class with the intent to apply the basics and some spreadsheets since my family also does spreadsheets. Now I can do my own spreadsheets and make my own charts. I thought I'd have to hire my former students for life(!) just to do spreadsheets. What's more: I have a project with 3 other people who have hectic schedules, as well. Now we can edit each other's work in real time rather than attempt to meet to complete the project. Many thanks!

I can do this

I haven't been fond of computers since I last worked on dial-up internet service in 2001. Computers were just a tool to compose a syllabus or worksheets on Microsoft Word. Honestly, before taking this course, I almost wanted to back out. I'm glad I didn't. Part of the ESLRs at my school that motivates me to learn about computer technology is 'adapt to changing times'. After over a decade of teaching, I realize that it is no longer a choice to becoming computer literate. Each year students are becoming more tech savvy. As a teacher, you must stay ahead or at least be on top of things- this is one of those things. This course is a blessing because it provides me the foundation I can build upon to be a more confident computer technology consumer/user. Anyhow, I think for thirty days I would like to create a website/webpage that students, parents, and the local community at least can open and somehow interact on the latest fine art development at my school. It would be cool to skype to other middleschool art classes locally and abroad to share ideas and such. Wow! This is my first blog. Thank you.

World of Technology

I have never been adventurous when it comes to technology. I stick to basics to get the job done and I don't explore further for I somewhat fear that if I try things out that I was new at, I might just break the computer. My last Saturday classes really impressed me for there are just so many things in the wonderful world of technology waiting to be discovered and used. I know that technology offers so much to everyone, it is just the matter of learning how to use the tools. What we learn in class will make things so much easier for teachers and also will grasp the attention of the students. We live in the world of Technology and we have to learn all we can so we can apply the knowledge to our students as well as keep up with the times. I'm looking forward to learning more and by practice it will make me better at using the tools.

Si Yu'os Ma'ase.

The Wonders of Spreadsheets

For the next thirty days I would like to try and use spreadsheet across the curriculum. Before I took this class I associated spreadsheet to numerical use only. Therefore, I thought spreadheet can only be used in math. But I was surprised to learn how versatile is spreadsheet as a computer program. It is perfect for spelling, science, social studies and other content. My students will enjoy organizing data in a flash. Oh my the wonders of technology.

Learn and have fun using technology

I started using technology by enjoying the social networking such as Facebook, it's amazing meeting  or communicating with friends and relatives for  10, 20, or 30 years ago that I didn't hear of...It's also my motivation to learn more and open doors to learn how to use Microsoft  word and finally Excel..Gateway to Technology class introduced me to Excel or more knowledge/information that I really need to learn to meet the needs of my students and myself in this advance world of technology.I'm looking forward for every  Saturday class and sometimes I can't really catch up with my limited knowledge but more practice everyday helps a lot.I find it exciting and fun if I learned new things  especially when I was able to use it in the classroom. Now I promise myself to spend more time to practice and review the things I learn in your class everyday I'm sure in  30 days I may not be an expert but I will surely learned some necessary skills that I can independently move on.Thank you...

Going Green and Digital in 30 Days

For the next 30 days, I would like to put together a tech program that will enable my parents and students to access our lessons through a website where they could review what we learned for the day, watch videos that explain concepts we are learning in class, access e-worksheets,and  play interactive games that allow them to practice skills we are currently focusing on.  To do this, I will devote every single day (for the next 30 days) to search for links in the world wide web -- videos, worksheets, interactive games, journals, reading materials etc... all of which I will make accessible through a class webpage that my parents and students can visit. Using what we learned in word processing, spreadsheets and communications,  I will store ALL my lessons (lesson plans, resources, worksheets, grade books) in a digital format, so instead of carrying bulky books around, I can have it all stored in an external hard drive or a thumb drive ready to be used, updated and uploaded to our class website. My paper worksheets and homework assignments can be stored in thumb drives to be given to my students at the beginning of the school year.  To turn in their class/home work, they turn in their thumb drives or upload through our webpage.  No more reams of paper to burn and shred at the end of the school year.

Too much to do in 30 days?  Well that's a total of 720 hours... seems like a lot of time to me.

30 Days

I am going to challenge myself for the next 30 days to spend at least 45 min/day organizing info into spreadsheets/charts and to find more resources online to supplement teaching material. I have hopes that one day I'll have computers in the classroom for students to use, and that I will be having them do surveys and assignments.....and be able to have results once they click "submit". Before then, I need to start with something simple for my first 30 days, then eventually build up to something like creating a web page for the class or online lessons/homework.

The New Me In 30 Days

As a classroom teacher, I would like to challenge myself on how to use the little knowledge I learned in my Gateway Technology course. Honestly I'm still emergent but I'm willing to try my best to make a difference instead of being dependent to my husband doing my report always. I'm going to incorporate technology when I teach my lesson and be able to share my knowledge in technology with my students in order to make the lesson more interesting and worth remembering.

MY NEW ME IN TECHNOLOGY IN 30 DAYS

For the past lesson that I attended in your class I've learned a lot to improve myself in technology. Through the First and Second session that we went through I am a little bit independent to myself through technology. I will challenge myself more as days go on with in 30 days by incorporating technology in my classroom using all those things doing my report card , grading sheet and lesson plan that will improve my teaching strategy to motivate the interest of my children in the my classroom .

Collecting Current Educational Materials

As a librarian, it is important to have current books, magazines, games, activities that are available in the library. Students need to be current with their learning so they will not remain behind with the rest of the world.

To try something new, I will collect educational materials to enhance learning such as CD games, books, periodicals, magazines, encyclopedia, etc.

I will stay focus and remain committed on this task. By end of 30 days, I'm sure my collection will be worth while since it helps students' learning.

Get Organized for 30days

The idea of trying something new for 30 days is a great way to keep a person focused on a goal. For me, I will try to organize the documents in the computer hard drive. I would start with a single hour to see if I could manage to keep this goal. The files in my computer are all scattered and very hard to find when needed, especially years of educational graphics and pictures. It will take tremendous amount of time and effort to make my files easily accessible. But day by day, I need to stay focus and get things done. This idea is simple but it's a real motivator.

Can Google Docs and Excel Simplify My Life?

Viewing the various features of Google Docs and Excel excited me so much. Imagine creating documents, labeling them in groups, adding spreadsheets, sending them to groups with and without the ability of their make changes to documents all in a short amount of time is indeed a worthy goal. Bridging communication in a flash:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtbl/2296803427/

Once documents are created, they can be stored and shared with the click of a mouse. YES!!!

Make a Difference in 30 Days

In our last session, we learned that Google Docs does a lot of useful tasks. One task in particular that has attracted my attention is the ease and convenience in sharing and collaborating Google Docs documents/ spreadsheets, especially since I often need to share records and documents with my colleagues. I still remember the hassle and long hours required when attaching these records via e-mails.
In these 30 days, I'll try creating Google Docs documents/ spreadsheets to share with my team members. I will also make some of these documents editable and some others not.

My something new for 30 days

I would like to research online every day for 30 days at least one resource which I can use in the classroom. The textbook used in the classroom is very informational, however, I would like to find material that would serve to enhance the classroom textbook. For 30 days I will find at least one useful resource daily, use it in the classroom, and compile the material in a binder. My hope is to find online material that will create a better understanding of my lessons among my students.

A 30 Day Makeover

I would like to challenge myself for 30 days in using technology, particularly in text processing.

We all know that students nowadays are technology oriented. I would like to dare myself to make my teaching more effective by using multimedia in my class. Through all these years that Ive been teaching, I have observed that the atmosphere in my classroom is different everytime I use a PowerPoint presentation. It is a very simple one but it seems to make a big difference. I describe it as a "pale look" PowerPoint presentation. "Pale look" because all that my students could see is pure text. But after one session in my Technology class, I learned that I can make my PowerPoint presentations more exciting and more colorful to the eyes of my student by simply inserting pictures, colors and a lot more. I'm looking forward to using more technology in my 30 day challenge so I can show to my students that even though I was a product of "the old school," I can be as technology oriented as them.

Procrastination solved in 30 days!

photo source

 Have you ever had a job that's so big that you keep putting it off?  One of my problems is that I add tech projects to my list of Things to do faster than I can complete them.  I've had one project for my website that I've been working on slowly for the past 3 months; it's a large project with a lot of problems that I need to solve.  The enormity of the task has intimidated me from accomplishing the smaller parts that I should be working on.

It isn't going to solve itself, so I intend on chipping away at it for the next 30 days.  I hope I can complete everything in that time, but if I can spend just 20 minutes each day for the next month I will be a lot closer to its completion.  It will feel good to have one less monkey on my back.

 

Related articles

• Guide To Procrastinating At Work (mancavedaily.newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Six Ways to Overcome the Urge to Procrastinate (startupprofessionals.com)
• If not now, when? (taerilynn.wordpress.com)

Ab Workout

My worst exercise would have to be the Ab Workouts. It is an exercise that targets the mainly the stomach and abdominal muscles. Since I started to weight train, I have always wanted the hard rock abs that shows without having to flex my muscle. I have been working my Abs for years but fail to see any significant results.  So I gave up. I later discovered that in order to achieve the ripped up chiseled abs I would not only have to be consistent but to also have a strict diet. Living here in Guam, it is not always easy to avoid the fiesta food. However, though after watching the Clip from Ted, It just clicked to me."Trying something new for thirty days," I thought about giving it another try. It has been day four, and so far I have been able to maintain doing 50 situps before I go to bed and watching my diet.I know that in the next couple of weeks though, it will get difficult to maintain my goal. Well, (Sighs)Gotta stay focused and motivated.

My 30 Day Challenge

I like the idea of trying something new for 30 days. I can experience new things a month at a time! My "try something new for 30 days" would be to create and maintain a blog about my experiences as an educator and first-time librarian. I have many stories to share about being on the front lines of educating students on Guam, most especially middle school students. I've never had a blog but I am an avid follower of several that help me to laugh at the end of a stressful day at school. I think that a blog would be a great way to reflect at the end of the day on things that went well or things that I would not want to repeat ever again!