Backing up Time Machine on MacBook

7 Things You Don't Know About Me...

It seems that in the last week there has been a trend (meme) on many social networking sites of tagging people to share "7 Things You Don't Need To Know About Me". I am now tagged and feel the need to keep it going. Kind of like a non-chain letter...

So...here are 7 things your really don't need to know about me, but now you will

1. I am a self-taught unicycle rider

2. I can juggle (only 3 items)

3. My father things he is Tevye (Fiddler On The Roof) because he has 5 daughters. I am the 5th...the movie never says what happens to the last daughter!

4. My husband and father are both Shrine Clowns

5. I am on the board for the State of Nebraska Holocaust Commemoration

6. I have lost 50 pounds in the last year

7. I have a serious addiction to Diet Pepsi


Okay. That's just a bit of T.M.I. for you. Now I throw down the challenge to a few others:

Beth Still
Jennifer Kraft
Nedra Isenberg
Amy Cordova
Meg Griffin
Teri Rossman

2nd Semester is coming!

How has this happened so fast? Seems like just a few weeks ago we had shortened days due to heat...Now, we shiver with the north wind!

I have high hopes for the new semester. These hopes include change. During the winter break I have had time to look back at the school year and see that I could do some things better. Some related to students, some with teachers.

On the student side I would like to take more time to individually conference and chart/graph progress. This is something my SPED team is using for goals and objective tracking; but, I would like to expand that for areas not covered by IEPs. This could be assignment completion, blurting out, etc. This requires extra work on my part but the benefit is worth it.

As far as the teacher side, I can not communicate enough. The students I serve have multiple needs which require many accommodations and modifications. My downfall is with non-core class teachers. We call them academic connections. I am not in any of these classes as a co-teacher and therefore may not be as quick to pick up on needs of both teacher and student. Since we do not have common plan time I need to find other times such as before/after school to check in. Maybe weekly email? Not sure, just know I need to make it work!

So there you have it...I am a work in progress. I am most certainly NOT perfect.

Shall we Wii?

Okay, now that I have your attention...
What does a teacher do when she is sick and not at school? After heading to the doctor and getting a prescription, she heads to the drug store. While waiting for the prescription to be filled there is ample opportunity to see what's new.

Pictured is my latest find. I bought a wireless game. Yes, it is similar to a Wii...but the price does not have as many spaces on the place value chart (very teacher-like comment, huh?).

My plan for this system you ask? Um, well, at the time I did not really think past the cool factor. I base out of the "resource room" at our school which is like a study hall for students with various academic, physical, or emotional disabilities. Kids were VERY excited to see what it could do. As soon as the first game loaded I knew I would need a plan for use. At this point I am thinking of having sticker charts for positive reinforcement. I give daily grades on a 1-4 point basis for work effort. Maybe this would help?

No matter how they earn time I know it will be fun. I have already tested the system out on 2 students. They didn't want to leave school!
Here is a quick clip of one of the students bowling:


Let me know if you have any ideas for use. I am always open for new suggestions!

Social Networking Possibilities

Recently I have had conversations at school and within my Professional Learning Network (PLN) regarding the use of social networking services such as Skype and iChat. I have tried to carefully listen to both sides of the discussion...

Pro: Imagine the possibilities for students to connect to peers across the country and world to learn from each other. Personally, I would like to have students practice fluency, interviewing skills, and just plain structured socialization practice. I am sure there are many more in which people could name...

Con: How is this technology secure? How can it be filtered to protect our students? Is the bandwidth adequate for such an endeavor? Will students abuse the technology when they are at home by chatting without parent permission or knowledge that they have set up their own accounts? Many things to consider and quite valid...

So, what am I to do? That is where this post comes in to play. I would like to hear what you think about using video chat with students. Chime in!