Monday, October 8th

Homecoming Week is now a memory.  I enjoyed seeing all the students get dressed up and excited for the week.  I felt the spirit of Verona especially on Friday when nearly every student was wearing black and orange.  The pep rally was fun, the parade always fun, and the game in the evening was cold, but fun.

Our student teacher has begun teaching my eTechnology course.  I forget how hard that is to take over someone else's class as the tone and atmosphere has already been established.  He is doing a nice job, and I wonder if it would be better if I left the room?  He is good at conversing with the students and having discussion.  Some areas to focus on would include pacing, small details - like lights, size of the projection on the screen, and checking in to make sure all kids are understanding.  This class has a good mix of abilities, some really bright kids and some who need more instruction, that is always a challenge.

Desktop Publishing:  Students have been working on a digital camera project and their portfolio covers.  I like seeing the creativity of the students.  This week has gone pretty well, students have been working hard on getting all their projects in and I like to see them helping one another.  We'll be having our second quiz next week.  I do need to learn how to make a quiz in Moodle.  I'll add that to my to-do list.

eTechnology:  We have been continuing our work in Excel, students have been working hard and helping one another.  I have a student who likes to appear as an expert in technology, however, he hasn't turned in much work.  I talked to him, and all students, the other day about the progress they were making.  It did seem to motivate him to turn in some of that late work.  As I explained, let the world know how smart you are.  I think the transition from my teaching to our student teacher taking over has gone relatively smooth.  I am considering having the students provide feedback for him in a future blog post.

Mac Applications:  After a bumpy start, our eBook project is under way.  I am really excited to see the finished projects that the students have created - they have some great ideas.  I especially like the projects that are personal to the students.  I will be exploring how to share these as I have some learning to do.

I have some odds and ends to do:  my PDP, which is late, some meetings for students, reading a book on summarization, and trying to keep the balance between my work life and my personal life in check.