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.  

Blog Due Friday, February 5, 2016

For TAFE State Participants Only

Title:  My State Teach Tomorrow Summit Highlight

Write a brief overview of your favorite highlight of the TAFE Teach Tomorrow Summit.  It may be about a featured speaker, the competitive events, a group activity, the talent/hypnosis show, the hotel experience, or anything that occurred during the trip to Houston, Texas.  Include why (or why not) you would recommend this experience for your fellow TAFE members who did not participate.

Reminder:  You must have a link to the blog prompt, a link to a related source (such as the Teach Tomorrow Summit on the TAFE website, and another media source; there are pics from the Summit on the RST Server)

Next, write a formal letter to Dr. Linda Anderson, Director of Career and Technology Education for BISD, thanking her for her support of TAFE at the State Teach Tomorrow Summit.  Her financial support covered the coach transportation, hotel costs, registration fees, meal money, and more. 

Be sure to follow the guidelines for writing a proper thank you letter.
Click Here for Thank You Etiquette

Print your letter, sign, and turn in. 

All Other Interns 

Title:  My Daughter, Malala

While TAFE members are competing in Houston, they will be viewing the movie, They Call Her Malala, in a private viewing.  You will get a perspective of this story by viewing the TED Talks below:

"Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for advocating for girls’ education in Pakistan, and recently became the youngest Nobel Prize recipient in history. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, a Pakistani educator, explains that education gives girls in developing countries an identity and is equivalent to emancipation. He describes the power of Malala’s advocacy, and his message of not clipping her wings resonates with educators who understand that every child deserves access to an equal education. Yousafzai reminds educators of the value of their work and instills the power education can give to a child."



In Texas, there is ongoing discussion about who deserves a free public education and who does not. Should US citizens be the only group allowed a free public education?  What about children who immigrate illegally?  Explain your stance on the situation.  Are there any parallels between education for women in Pakistan and education for immigrants in the U.S.?  Discuss.

Remember, blog rules apply.  Meet the media requirements.

Blog Due January 19

Title:  Fold It!

Last week you learned about some basic (and some advanced) ways to fold paper to help students make visual sense and organization out of information.  

ASSIGNMENT: 
Using information (TEKS) that your students are learning, create a foldable activity that is grade appropriate for your site school classroom. This should be something you could actually use in your classroom.

• Include the following in your post:
• Name of foldable activity
• Topic/TEKS covered
• Materials/supplies needed (Be specific such as paper color, etc.)
• Write specific, detailed directions on how to create the foldable activity.
• Write detailed instructions as to what the students are to do to complete the assignment.  Go beyond the cutting and pasting.  What are they to do with the information?  What are they to learn from it?  If your description sounds like busy work, chances are you missed the point or you need to redevelop the activity.
• Include a picture of the finished product.  You may make a sample.  
• Remember:  Blog rules apply.  See first post.