Let me tell you about a new project happening in my system that I am rather excited about.  It’s called Talladega County’s 21st Century Learners project.  The project was started by a group of teachers from Talladega County who have been involved in a project with the Alabama Best Practices Center on 21st Century Learning.  Sheryl Nussbaum Beach has been working with teachers from Alabama for the past three years.  This particular team of teachers is organizing the same type program for our local school district.  A mentor team has been established to facilitate four sessions second semester.   The team members are Robbie Stewart, Amanda Spurling, Kim Knight, Karen Pemberton, and Jennifer Barnett.   The first training session is January 2nd and I have been asked to be a co-presenter on blogging.  The first training session will cover blogs, wikis, web tools, and web wonders.  These first sessions are designed for high school and middle school, with elementary to follow in the fall.

At this point, I am unsure of the number of teachers across our county that will be involved.  Every school is sending a team of teachers, so regardless of the number, the impact of this initiative will be felt system-wide.  It’s exciting to see this happening.  Two schools within our district are part of the 21st Century Learning initiative of which Sheryl Nussbaum Beach has helped to implement.  I have often lamented the fact that my school was not a part and that I had “missed the boat” on this opportunity.  Thank goodness it is coming full circle and I have the chance to participate to some extent.

 It should be a wild, fun-filled, education ride.  I expect loads of dust to be stirred up across the county as we go.  I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Technorati Tags: blogging, education, 21stcentury, bestpractices

Here there are, the bloggers of Watwood Elementary School:

Kindergarten -  Mrs. Green,  Mrs. Harris,  Mrs. Humber

1st Grade – Miss Carpenter,  Mrs. Dennis

2nd Grade – Mrs. Logan,  Mrs. Ritchie,  Mrs. Shaw,  Mrs. Stewart

3rd Grade – Miss Arrington,  Miss Clayton,  Mrs. Harris

4th Grade – Mrs. Cockrell,  Ms. Smithwick

And my own, Watwood Media Center.

Please visit their blogs and leave them a comment.  We all know how much a little encouragment can do for the receiver!

Technorati Tags: education, blogging

Without further delay, let me share the new blogs with you.  First, Vickie Green created a blog for parents and sudents.  Her tag line, “Come soar with us as we grow”, is featured on a template with a bird perched atop a tree.  You can visit her blog at http://vgreen.edublogs.org

Sonya Harris created a blog for parents and students, as well.  Her blog can be accessed at http://2cats.edublogs.org

And the final kindergarten blog comes from Beverly Humber.  Mrs. Humber’s blog features new pictures from our recent author visit.  Visit her blog at http://bhforautigers.edublogs.org

Thank you, teachers!  For taking on this new project and not being afraid of embracing this Web 2.0 tool.  The very essence of being educators causes us to continue our own learning each day.  We must continue to learn in order to prepare our students for all that lies ahead of them.  While blogging may be a  new tool to you, it is already old news for some of our students.  I was reading a post by David Warlick over the weekend where he states that he often has to remind himself that technology is anything created after you were born.  Learning to use computers and their programs is often looked upon as “work” for us.  Our students see them as objects of “play.”  Let’s capitalize on their play and work toward learning together.

Technorati Tags: kindergarten, blogging, web2.0

Now second grade springs forth with a blog!  Second grade teacher, April Shaw, approached me a week or so ago about starting a class blog.  With a little bit of work, we’ve gotten it up and running!  I’m so pleased to see how blogging is spreading across our campus.  You can visit her class blog at ashaw2nd.edublogs.org

Congratulations, April!  I commend you on stepping up to the plate, dusting it off, and hitting one out of the park.  Our school now has blogs in grades four, three, and two.  Watch out first and kindergarten!  Here I come!

Technorati Tags: blogging secondgrade

Let me introduce you to yet another blog spawned at Watwood.  Kim Smithwick has created a blog to use with her fourth grade class.  Her blog’s purpose is to provide an interactive forum for her students.  So far she is posting weekly questions to which her students respond.  You can visit her blog at http://kimsmithwick.edublogs.org

In contrast to her blog, the blog I introduced in the last post will be used as more of an informational stop for parents and students about the happenings in Emily Harris’ third grade room.  My media center blog also has the informational purpose, yet some posts are designed to prompt responses from the readers.

As I share these blogs with my readers and the faculty of my school, I urge you to find the blogging purpose that works best for you.  Use blogs in the way or ways that are most beneficial to you and your students.  Regardless of the purpose you choose, blogging is easy, fun, educational, good for the environment, and (I feel I must warn you) addictive!

 Jump in and give it a try!

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, thirdgrade, fourthgrade

Here it is – the first blog from a teacher at my school that was spawned this year from my encouragement!  After a short lesson on Edublogs and setting up a blog, Emily took the bull by the horns and set up her blog over this past weekend.  I’m so proud to see the effort she has put into it, and I can’t wait to see how it impacts her classroom over the course of the school year. 

Notice her header.  The picture of the grass symbolizes her tag line of “growing together.”  Creative, huh?  I applaud her in taking the first steps of growth!

You can visit her blog at http://mrsharris.edublogs.org

 On a side note, this was my first attempt at taking a screen shot and trying to insert it as a picture.  I had a difficult time making the picture fit so the whole shot could be seen.  I eventually managed to squeeze it in, but distorted the picture in the process.  Is there a better way to do this? 

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs

I think I have discovered a great answer for that question in the following video found at Teacher Tube.
Download Video: Posted by rachelboyd at TeacherTube.com.

Technorati Tags: blogging, teachertube

 After devoting so much time to this blog, I saw that I had sorely neglected my school media center blog.  I do hope to use it much more frequently this year.  It was in need of updating and a little TLC.  As I was debating what to do with it, a teacher approached me during her planning period today and asked me to help her set up a web page or a blog.  I quickly introduced her to the simplicity of blogging and we have tentatively set a date to create her blog tomorrow afternoon.  I must admit.  I don’t know how to set up a web page.  The HTML code and other “stuff” always intimidated me.  That must be why I love blogging so much.  It is so easy!  Well, needless to say, since I was going to help her create a blog, I needed to get mine updated quickly.  I have since changed the template, written a new post and added one of edublogs new widgets.  The blog looks better now, but I’ll probably continue to piddle around with it.

 So it begins.  My first blogging victim, volunteer, whatever you want to call her is soon to fall victim to my tutelage.  Wish me luck, and look out for the dust!