SMARTBoard

The SMARTboard was installed at the end of last week. I came in over the weekend to rearrange the classroom and to tidy up after the "construction." The bits and pieces of training I received over the past 5 years is coming in handy and I am attempting to use the board as often as I can in class. I am working hard to incorporate the practical uses for educational advancement that the board offers. Many would prefer to have it available for drawing and posting personal messages, but I have resisted such requests. Thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement in raising funds and awareness for technology in our schools. Your work is paying off with all of the materials and training we have. I will have a class devoted to using the SMARTboard on Dec. 1. Your children and I are learning together.

Update for the week

We worked on ALEKS on Tuesday in the Library Computer lab. Everyone is making progress on the program. If you have time it is a good compliment to homework for students to work about 20-30 minutes per week at home. I will plan to have a class session devoted to ALEKS twice per month. We are hopeful that the class SMARTBOARD will be installed soon. There is a packet for homework this week. It is about the relationship of fractions and decimals. There have been some questions in class and we reviewed the decimal equivalent for fractions. 5th graders will be on a trip Thursday. We will be together again on Friday.

Conference Time

I appreciate the time you have taken to come in and conference with me about your child. 5th grade provides a lot of opportunity and time for growth as we embark on the journey toward middle school. As mentioned in conferences and probably by your child we are using ALEKS. This is an on-line program that uses assessments to analyze student understanding of concepts. Students may spend time working on problems and use the explain feature if they are uncertain about any particular item. I can access an online data resource that provides me with the improvements made over time as the student uses ALEKS. The homework for the week of Nov. 3rd was minimal to allow for children to use ALEKS. This week Nov. 10 there will be a homework packet to reinforce the work on fractions and decimals. We are over half way complete with the unit and hope to finish by the end of the week. Thanks for your continued support.

Wisdom Project

Check out this site:

http://www.wisdombook.org/

A former parent sent this to me. I think it is a thought provoking video.
Enjoy!

Other Happenings

The first quarter has been very exciting! The groups are doing a lot. 4th grade math is moving into decimals. We are looking at what decimals really are and how to identify decimals and the use of decimals. In Integrated Studies the 3rd and 4th graders are doing the culminating events for the novel All the Way Home by Patricia Reilly Giff. We hope to have a picnic to commemorate the Mrs. Warniki picnic in the book. Each student will select their own projects to complete in the next few weeks.
The second graders have finished the book Bunnicula and we are making podcasts to demonstrate fluency in reading and creativity in the production.

Wow How Time flies!

Happy Halloween! The first quarter is over and we are into the second quarter of the year. In 5th grade math we are doing fraction. The use of multiplication facts is important for use of fraction renaming and common denominators. In Integrated Studies we are continuing to read Clader Game. We made a mobile for the Gala. The mobile is an extension of the novel. We are all looking forward to reading some more of the story and finishing the book.
We are video conferencing with the 5th grade math class at Tremont. Mrs. Ostrowski (the Gifted Intervention Specialist) and I have shared problem solving puzzles. The students have helped each other solve the problems. We are having fun with our video buddies!

September

September is beginning very hot and very busy. We are working hard to review math and dig into new books and fun! After the long weekend we need to clear out the cobwebs and get our brains back in gear. It will be a fun week!

Some Time in Baltimore

To add to my summer fun I am spending a few days in Baltimore at UMBC to watch the UA Men's Lacrosse team at Brine/STX Camp. We go to 3-4 games per day in the hot sun. The lacrosse is good.

Confratute 2008 Update

It has been a busy week. I have been going to strands (classes) on a variety of topics. I have learned more about podcasting, animation, using technology to enhance learning and Schoolwide Enrichment Model. The Renzulli Learning System is another interesting technology research product that looks very promising. The day is filled from 8 to 5. I am excited to bring back all of the interesting things I am learning!

Confratute 2008

I am currently attending the 2008 Confratute at UConn in Connecticut. It is a wonderful experience. I am learning about e-books. Reading and gathering e-books as well as making e-books!

Happy 4th of July

Today I have a few minutes to update. I have been learning a lot about new websites, wikis and blogs. The Wright 3 Wiki is going well and we are currently trying to secure a date when we can all meet. I just spend an hour in the ER getting stitches for a cut on my hand which occurred while I was cutting melon to take to a party for the parade. Rain, Rain go AWAY.........

Sunny Days

Visiting Southern California has been an interesting experience. It really is sunny everyday. In addition I am continuing to stay on east coast time so I wake up very early in the morning. It is nice to go out and walk for a long time and not worry about the weather or needing to be anywhere soon. The seafood is tasty and we are going to Huntington Beach today. Surfer capitol! There is even a Surfer Walk of Fame!

June 23, 2008

The wiki for the Wright 3 is getting a lot of use. Students are getting on and sharing ideas about any patterns or codes they are finding. I am excited about the use of the Wiki

Building Sites for Students

Today I added the Wright 3 link under Mrs. Boyle's Websites. We can add information about the book and the characters. Let's be sure to sign our posts so we know who has responded.

More on Wikis and Blogs

This summer I am taking a three day course on Web 2.0. We are working to learn more about wikis, blogs and interactive use of technology.

Wikis and Blogs at COSI

Today at COSI I learned about Wikis and Blogs. I was taking a class through ITSCO. I was able to practice making Wikis and blogs. Mrs. Hinkle and Mrs. Slater were taking the class with me. We learned a lot!