Title:  My Plan of Attack

Date Due:  Friday, September 2 (1:30)

Search the TAFE and Educators Rising websites.

• Search for contests and competitions you are interested in doing this year.
• Save the file or files of the contest(s) or competition(s) you are interested in pursuing for competition. Save in either Dropbox or Google Drive.
• Also, add the links of the contest and competition files on your blog post.
• On your blog - you will need to write a narrative of what you are thinking of doing for competition. If you competed last year, reflect on what you did and what you will do differently this year.

Include the following in your discussion:

• List steps to get started ...
• Copy a hyperlink to the pages (contest or competition) you are interested in doing. (bookmark those pages as well)
• Individual, team or class project - who will be working with you?
• What you will need to be successful?
• How long do you think it will take you to achieve your plan? (include time requirements in your timeline)

Welcome to a New Academic Year!

Academic year 2016 - 17 is in full swing.  It's a year that will provide much excitement, present opportunities for many, and close the high school chapter of our seniors' lives. 

I wish all of you the best as your journey takes you closer toward the day you have your own classrooms!  I encourage each of you to take advantage of the opportunities placed before you.  Try to make the most out of every situation.  Look for ways to make  yourself known to the people that may hire you in the future.  Make yourself shine while working with others who may be your colleagues some day.  Use the talents and gifts you have to make this the best experience ever!!!

Blog due May 9, 2016

Title:  Interview Preparation
You've filled out the application and have been invited to the interview.  How are you going to make sure that you shine in the interview and come across as the best candidate for the job? By preparing, of course!

Read through 15 Popular Interview Questions Answered for teachers.  Select 5 and write the responses you would give to those questions.  Be sure that your answers are not canned or contrived. Make sure that your interviewer can feel your passion and the "heart and soul" you bring to the job.

Blog rules apply.  Scoring is as follows:

25 pts. - Writing quality
25 pts. - Writing conventions
25 pts. - Media sources - link to blog, link to source, and one other.
25 pts. - Interesting format and layout.

TITLE: Book Study, Part 1 - The Smartest Kids in the World

TITLE:  Book Study, Part 1 - The Smartest Kids in the World

Due:  Friday, May 5

You should have completed the first part of the book study chapters one - four.  What did you think about what you read?

Which of the three students do you most relate to?  Explain why and how you view this?  What was significant to you about this student?

What was your opinion of the different types of schools in the three countries?  Which do you think would be the best in the United States and why?

Finland

South Korea

Poland

Click here and listen to an interview from NPR with Amanda Ripley

As always, use the rubric for best results.

Due - Friday, May 5 .  

Tech Tools Livebinder

Title:  Livebinder

Add the link from the class Livebinder that contains all of your Tech Tools reports in it.

Here is the link.

http://www.livebinders.com/edit/index/1985434?tabid=9654ea11-3d13-d2ef-ad7f-a6300129c01f

Here is the embed code:
<a href="http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1985434&present=true" target="_blank">Click here</a> to open this binder in a new window.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://livebinders.com/play/play?id=1985434&present=true" height="500" width="95%">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe>


Click here to open this binder in a new window.

Blog Due March 24, 2016

Title:  A Visit to the Perot Museum

Been there, done that!  You had an opportunity to visit the internationally acclaimed Perot Museum in Dallas, TX.  Share your knowledge with the world as you create a digital story about your experience.






Follow the directions given on the Perot Field trip assignment document on the class wiki.  When finished, EMBED (not link) the digital presentation on your blog with the proper heading.  Add a caption or explanatory sentence describing what your readers are about to view.

Blog Due February 26

Title:  Creativity Counts!

Our own Lindsey Zimmer recently got to attend an Edshift conference in Los Colinas with other BISD educators.  She was able to listen to a presentation by Sir Ken, witness an artist create drawings as he spoke, and sit on a panel of students with Sir Ken to discuss the state of education in their schools.

Use headphones to listen to the video below.   Sir Ken Robinson is a well renowned author and educator.  His TED Talk offers perspective on the controversial topic of killing creativity in children.

While you are thinking about what you will be teaching your own students in the coming weeks, think about what you are doing to encourage creativity.   Are you developing it or are you killing it? 

What is Creativity?
Why does Creativity matter in Education?
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt as if a teacher didn't let you be creative? If so, explain.
Have you ever had a teacher that let you be as creative as possible? If so, explain. 
How do we fix the problem(s) described by Sir Ken Robinson?

Your answer should be written with complete thoughts and phrases.  

You should give intelligent well-thought-out answers.  You should also write in complete, grammatically correct sentences.

Sir Ken Robinson's Website.  Click here

Sir Ken Robinson on TED Talks

Remember to follow blog rules:  Quality of writing, mechanics, presentation, multimedia, deadlines.