Room 101

Son steals the show!!!

2008-12-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

It was the kids' Christmas choir song at church on Sunday, and the oldest (4 yrs.) is one of the many kids who is to sing. 2 choir mics are present and Micah decides that the mic is there for him. So he ends up singing a "solo" with about 150 back up singers.

The Holiday Season

2008-12-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

This past weekend sure was fun. I have never been out to cut down a Christmas tree. To be honest, I thought it was going to be a "wreck"--get the boys all dressed up in their wintery outfits (including me), load them up in the car, load up the tools, then drive an hour in the snow to get there, park, get out and walk around in the woods (or whatever) and then find a tree, cut it down, and then drag it back to the car.
Boy, was I ever wrong! Did I have to do all that? Sure, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had made it out in my head at all. Got there and threw the boys on the sled and dragged them around. They loved it. Found a tree that we all agreed to and then I opened up on that Scottish Pine with my lumberjack skills. Timber!!!!!
Then took the family on a 2-horse open wagon. We had to change the words to Jingle Bells, but the boys and wife didn't mind one bit.
It got a bit rough, when my oldest started crying on the last 5 minutes of the wagon ride that he was hungry. We then went inside and stood in line and ordered a pizza-filled pretzel. Micah ate it. Now this was a Christmas miracle. My oldest HATES anything pizza. But he was SO hungry he ate it with no complaints at all.
And then, amazingly enough, I ran into my old boyhood friend Bill Breeding. Luckily, we had met up recently and seen each other all grown up. If we hadn't, we probably would have passed by each other and not even noticed.
All in all, it was a good family trip.

Trip down Memory Lane

2008-10-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Holy, holy crap is all that I can say. I have been taking a trip down memory lane with old friends from Grace Brethren Christian School in sunny Ft. Lauderdale, FL. People I haven't seen nor thought about much in the past few years have all come flooding back into my life...thanks to Facebook. Man I sure was a handsome kid :)

Running for President

2008-06-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

I officially announce my candidacy for President of the United States for 2008. Currently, I am 34, but if elected I would be 35 and old enough to take the office. I will do you proud as I leave the best carbon footprint possible. I am NO environmentalist wacko but I am not out de-foresting as fast as possible either.

So vote for Dave in 2008!

He is 4

2008-06-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

After a ton of work, the wife and I got the party off without a hitch. The weather was nice enough. It didn't rain until later that evening, so people could swim and run around without any major issue. I am still in awe that my eldest is now 4. I am seeing how right parents are about how their kids and growing up is like small town--don't blink cuz you just might miss it!

He's Gonna be 4

2008-06-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. My oldest son is going to be 4 already. I think he was just born yesterday. What an awesome little boy.

The Upcoming School Year 08-09

2008-06-04T04:49:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to the school year. I am NOT looking forward to the changing to trimesters, however. The part about researching trimesters is the fact that all that I have looked into, no information can be found out about the "negatives" of trimesters. I see that those kids who excel are going to do fine anyway--whether it is 16 weeks or 12 weeks. It really is going to help those kids who struggle; it will be due to the whole "immediate remediation" thing. But those kids who are in the middle, who have to work hard to study and do well, they are going to suffer. More information being crammed in in less time does not sound good to me. Those are the kids I feel for.

But I do get to teach a class on World War II, so that will be fun!

Thing 23

2008-06-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

What a fun course. I never knew blogging could be so much fun. And it is a lot more fun when people respond--that's for sure. I wasn't sure of the "practicality" of much of this when Thing 1 started. How useful would this really be in the classroom? But I stand amazed and mouth agape. I see now some wonderful tools to help add some new elements to my classes.

I used the Google Docs in my Sociology class. The class has crash-landed on another planet and has to create a new society. They have to create governments, maps, education systems, etc. They were able to author their work in Google Docs. This allowed each member to be able to contribute to the writing when it was best for them. In the past, different members might have to come up with ideas, but 1 person ends up typing it all. NO LONGER! On a different note, I also create a Google Doc spreadsheet to keep track of my softball team's statistics. Each member can log in and correct their stats. They LOVE it too.

I plan on keeping up with 2.0 changes by continuing to use the tools that I have learned to use. As those tools change, I will change with the times too.

I plan on using blogs, Google Docs, and Wiki for my classes coming up in the fall. I think I will use a classroom and student blog. I will post certain types of things for Google Docs. And I am currently in the process of creating wikipages for each of my classes. I may even use youtube and such for supplemental portions of my class.

Thanks for all your hard work, RESA people!

Thing 22

2008-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well slap my hiney! My biggest complaints in Thing 21 are easily handled in Thing 22. Oh, if I had only read ahead. LOL.
I selected the video because it dealt with some topics from Developmental Psychology in a way that some of my students could relate to. I used Zamzar to download it. Worked very nicely. So now I know if there are videos that I want to use from YouTube, I can do it from home.

I selected a video about Crime Causation as a topic we cover in Sociology. Here is the video.

I also posted a comment on it.

Add comments to the video you embedded. Why did you select it? Were you also able to download a video?

Thing 21

2008-05-11T06:40:00.001-07:00

I like YouTube because I can find a ton of things on there. I like that there are so many things you can look through and use. I found plenty of videos that I could use for teaching and learning. I searched World War I, World War II, and Developmental Psychology.
The downsides is that you can find anything on YouTube. Things that are very inappropriate in a classroom setting. But the worst part is that YouTube is blocked by my school. There is no way (that I know of) that can be used to download a video for use. I can understand why some people wouldn't want their videos downloaded; however, it makes using this tool in school an impossiblity.

I embedded a video that I found that deals with Developmental Psychology in a different way.

Thing 17

2008-05-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Slideshare is exactly how it was described: YouTube for Presentations. I think this is a great tool. I hate to reinvent the wheel. When I teach World War I, for instance, why spend loads and loads of time creating a new PowerPoint presentation when I can borrow one that has already been done? Maybe tweak it a little here and there, but it saves time for sure. I loved the search feature and finding lots of relevant things there.
I think it will be useful in the classroom so you don't have to reinvent the wheel as I stated earlier, but it can also be a tool you could use with students. They could "finish" a presentation that you find on here. Or as a type of reward, have them post their presentations on here for the world to see. I would also use it to "google" a kid's powerpoint to make sure that they didn't plagiarize like some have done with papers.

Cinco de May falls on May 5th this year!

2008-05-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

For the first time in 365 days, Cindo de Mayo falls on May 5th this year. What an outstanding historic event we are witnessing. If I live to be 80, this will only occur 80 times in my entire lifetime! Absolutely amazing! I am so glad that I am alive to witness this historic event.

Thing 20

2008-04-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

RSS is pretty easy to understand. I love RSS and have. My opinion of it has NOT changed. What I didn't realize is that you can RSS a del.icio.us tag. That is AWESOME!!!!!!

I don't remember to check my feeds regularly. What I want to do is find out if I can get my bloglines feeds into my firefox toolbar. As my firefox, currently works, I can drag and drop an RSS feed right to the toolbar. So then I have a button on my toolbar that says Room 101, I click it and about the most 10 recent feeds are there as headlines. When the RSS is a part of my toolbar, it has become a habit to check them for sure.

Blogging has become an obsession though. Woo Hoo!!!!!!

Thing 19

2008-04-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

del.icio.us / dgoscinski
I have used del.icio.us in the past for searching for lesson plans. I have found a few other teachers who link to some good sites. I think this can enhance my productivity because I have used it before and weeded through those people I don't think are good taggers and searchers. I also like that I can pull up my favorites no matter where I am and don't have to worry about having the same computer.

I also like the idea of having students share sites for a project. For instance, if you linked this tool up with wiki for projects, it could really be helpful for students.

Another tool that I really love is called StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com). I think they took social bookmarking to another level too. What I like about it is that you can put in your interests and you can click their button and it will pull up a site based on your interests. You can then mark it with a Thumbs UP or Thumbs Down. But the site learns based on what you like and dislike and will tailor future searches based on that. IT does NOT speed up any searches, it just stumbles on a site it thinks you might like. But it is fun!

Thing 18

2008-04-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

I have been using del.icio.us for about 3 years now. I have always loved it and thought it was a great idea. I love the idea of socializing with other based on what we find useful. I love tags. They really help you find what you are looking for. Sometimes tags create overwhelming hits just like a google search, but I think it helps to root through a lot of the junk to get to what you want. And if you find someone else with similar interests, then you start to learn who the good and bad taggers are.

The article with 13 points, raises some great advantages and disadvantages. I think the best part is using each other to locate useful websites. The biggest disadvantage is that if a person is a poor tagger, then you end up spending just as much time wasted as you would have doing a google search. Also, I think people can purposefully mistag their items to take you to places you don't necessarily want to go (i.e. porn).

I think the most important thing you have to remember when tagging is using the most important words to summarize what you have. And remember that your tags, everyone is going to see. They are comments available to everyone, so be mindful.

Thing 16

2008-04-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hmm, reviews, reviews, reviews. Well firstly, I used the bubbl.us and wasn't all that impressed. The site was fine, it is just that I am not all that big on "mind mapping." I am more comfortable with outlining for brainstorming and writing, personally. Classroom or Personal--NEVER

Zoho Show, the presentation website, seems to be pretty nice. It can upload powerpoints, which I like, because I do NOT want to reinvent the wheel. I like that I can integrate my presentations into my websites. I don't buy the "anywhere, anytime" junk, however. Our school is not completely web friendly, so it won't work here as well as a machine-based presentation software. Classroom--Yes (maybe)

The calendar site is pretty cool. I like the idea of posting my calendars online, but it runs into the same google doc issues: having to have students create IDs and subscribe. In the end, I think it would just be easier to type the dates that students need to know and hand it out. Either--No

I liked Library Thing. I wouldn't use it with my students however. I don't really see how it helps them in anyway. I like socializing and letting people see my books, but honestly...who cares?!?! Classroom--No Personal--Yes

Trailfires...hmmm.... not sure the benefits of this, to be honest. Collaboration is nice, but this isn't really collaborating on much of anything. Either--No

I think I will use Knowtes for students to create study projects to share with the rest of the class and maybe the next generation that takes the class. I am going to explore this one A LOT more. Classroom--Yes

Thing 15

2008-04-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

In my professional life, I see using Google Docs for students to collaborate for the work they need. I just created a large group of files and folders for just such a purpose. In my sociology class, the final project is that the class has to create a new society on a new planet. They have to create customs, a government, a flag and its explanation, map and transportation, and educational system. I created a folder for each group, and the files in each folder for them to add to. I figure this way, they can maybe work together more. Rather than one student who gets the job of typing it all up, as a group, they can add their ideas and truly share the writing aspect more. We will see.

I also see using it with another teacher or two to collaborate on lesson plans and presentations. In the past, I have used other colleagues "notes" and I add the pictures to create presentations together. But it can become difficult remembering which presentation on my computer do I keep and which one do you keep? I see this as a way to to perhaps stop some of that.

In my personal life, I am not sure how much I would use Google Docs. I don't do a lot of "personal" typing. I am a little leery about keeping my taxes, for instance, online. I use Excel to do my taxes and keep track of business expenses. Google Docs could help with that. If I have an internet connection, as soon as I finish working, I could sign on and add that time to my spreadsheet.

The biggest issue that I see is having my students create google IDs, and then to email me so that I can allow them. It is a lot to try to keep straight. Have to get the students to do ONE more thing. Create a wiki account, create a blogger account, create a Google Docs account, etc. That is the beauty of machine-based (not web-based) office suites. 1 computer and you can do what you need. Web-based means you have to create accounts to so many different things. But it allows for collaboration much easier.

I also see misinformation as a problem. If one student doesn't know exactly what they are doing, and they post an incorrect datum on a spreadsheet, that will effect everyone else in their group. Or what do you do, if 2 students don't like each other? Billy types up something, and Sally, the last person there, doesn't like Billy, so she erases it. Or what if that is just Billy's excuse that everything he typed is gone, but he really didn't do anything. How do you prove it? Are there log in measures that allow me to police things like that?

Thing 14

2008-04-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

I see myself as a both a consumer and producer and even middle man. My plan as a consumer is to use podcasts to keep up on topics that are relevant to the subjects that I teach (history, psychology, and government). The middle man portion is to then pass on those that are worthwhile to my students in the said classes. As producer, I see myself creating studycasts as reviews for students. I also see having students creating podcasts as reviews of particular units. In the past, I have had students teach lessons to their classmates. I think podcasts could be used in a similar manner.

The obstacles that I anticipate is "server space" issues and "not everyone has access to a computer" issue. We really don't have a computer lab that is set up for podcast production. We don't really have a server that is set up for it either, although there are workarounds (i.e. hosting on a different site). But the biggest issue that I have run into with adminstrators in the past has been, "Well all of our students don't have access to a computer at home. If you require them to use technology, it isn't fair to them, because they don't have access at home." In the past, I laughed at this point. That excuse has been used EVERY time I have tried to assign my students something that has to do with technology. For instance, about 6 years ago, I made using Blackboard a requirement for my frenchman (freshman) classes. My prinicipal pulled me aside and said that I could NOT require my students to use it because they may not have a computer at home. I responded, "They need to know how to use Blackboard. When they go to college or the workplace, they will need to know how to use online learning systems. If they want access, they can go to the Media Center before, during, or after school; or they can use the computer in my classes." He was adamant that he wanted me to remove the requirement from my course. Of course, my principal won...in the sense, that I removed the Blackboard requirement from my syllabus, but not from what I tell the students. (hee hee) But in the podcasting case, my principal's objections are valid. Because we don't have server space or a lab capable of podcasting, it becomes difficult to make it a requirement for any course that I have. Although, the workaround in this case, would be to have the students create the content for the podcast and use my wonderful Macbook, one group at a time, to create their podcasts. Hmmmm....not a bad idea!!!!!!!!!!

How do you see yourself using podcasting - as a consumer? producer? both? Share ideas you may have for podcasting in your school. Discuss any obstacles you anticipate in your district.

Thing 12

2008-04-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/%7Eelanghorst/blog I loved the idea of a "studycast" as he put it. I had ideas of posting podcasts for my classes, and this is basically what I had in mind. I was thinking of using podcasts in conjunction with wiki study guides.

http://history.org/Media/podcasts.cfm
I also like the idea of using links to other podcasts for students to deepen their knowledge about something. When I teach AP Government, I plan on linking to a lot of podcasts for students to listen to a wide variety of political thought as well as links to lectures.

Which podcasts did you find interesting? Identify one or two podcasts and describe how you would use them in your teaching. (Be sure to include links in your blog entry to the podcasts mentioned.)

Thing 8 & 9

2008-04-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

What I like about this little thingamabobber, is that you could use the pictures that are used and spark some discussion about what pictures might have been used to spell this word.

I think the Montager mashup is cool too. I have always loved these types of tools. I think students could upload a picture and then they can select the theme that fills it out. Great Depression, for instance.

Thing 9
The phototrix website had some neat things to do, but EVERY time that I tried to upload a picture it would time out. I tried pics of various sizes and NO luck. I will never look like Uncle Sam from that place. I am SOOOO bummed out. Big Huge Labs has a magazine cover, however, it isn't a template. So I have to write Time magazine, rather than a Time cover and layout already being there. I love magazine covers. I have my students in my US History classes write magazines to summarize some era that we have covered. This site provides an easy way for them to make the cover. I really like the Big Huge Labs repertoire. Mosaics, magazine covers, motivation posters, movie posters, and trading cards can be a lot of fun and very useful in classes. Mosiacs are fun ways to put something together when the pics are from the same topic or era. You could have the students create "study skills" or topic specific key term motivation posters. You could also do movie posters and magazine covers to do similar projects. And for the younger kids, you could really have some fun with the jigsaw puzzles.

My favorite is the Hockneyizer. I love those commercials that use that with HP (I think it was). I spent most of the morning doing this with family photos.

Flickr Badge

2008-04-17T19:11:00.001-07:00

www.flickr.com

Go to goscinskigchs' photostream

Thing 7

2008-04-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

I can use pictures from Flickr as writing prompts to start classes or discussions. I have used similar ideas to have my students analyze photographs and tell me the "story" that they can see.

The biggest issues I can see facing this is pornography and copyright infringement. If you let students run free in picture sites, they are bound to run into inappropriate photos. I also see copyright infringement as a possibility. Perhaps some photos that students may load on Flickr or even wiki may be an infringement of copyrighted materials. In this digital age of "sharing" (whether it be music, software, photographs, or even term papers) is a major concern for me. Policing their activities adds a lot more time to all of this stuff.

Thing 6

2008-04-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

I chose this photo because I am going to be teaching a class on World War 2. Of course, there would not be a 2nd war without a 1st. This is a picture of trenches in France from WW1. What amazes me is how generals would order their troops to leave their trenches facing weapons like machine guns. And to continue to order it over and over and over and watch your men get slaughtered. Just amazes me.

Thing 11

2008-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to my wiki, wiki, wiki: https://room-101.wikispaces.com/
I made one spot where you can access all the classes that I teach (or have taught, or may HOPEFULLY teach again--so I want to be prepared).

Well it is basic web design (the text part of it anyway). Linking is easy and adding stuff is easy too. I think the wiki will be nice enough once I have some content started. I think I will get a few of my students in my class to add some of the content now for me and have a good skeleton outline, so that it can be useful when I start these classes in the upcoming years.

I really think this will be a great tool for some of my classes that don't use textbooks. It will allow students to share information easily and help get some great resources that I and future students can use.

A wiki differs from a blog, because no one else can edit my blog. It is more appropriate to use a blog, when the point is to be teacher-centered, or ME-centered. It would be silly to allow anyone to edit MY journal. It is better, when the content is the important thing, to use a wiki. I have so many ideas running around in my head. I will have to flesh it out later.

Thing 10--Out of order

2008-04-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

http://armstrong-history.wikispaces.com/Forming+A+Gov%27t+Immersion
This is an 8th grade US History wiki. Next year, I am supposed to be teaching a new class titled "World War 2." We will not have textbook. I thought wiki may be a great way to get information to my students and allow them to help me create the reading materials required.
I see the biggest hurdle as trying to find information and learning to use the tool itself. I don't want misinformation, nor do I want information that isn't cited properly. My biggest hurdle/fear is copyright infringement or something like that.
I think the best way to remove those hurdles is to make sure that I set clear guidelines for what can and can't be posted. I also think a good amount of time learning the wiki process will help too, so that I can pass that on to my students properly.
I think it will be worth the fight. I think it is a good tool for collaboration, study, and passing information on to the next group that would take the class.

All Things!!!!!!

2008-04-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

RESA hosts our internet connection for our school. RESA offers this 23 Things class. BUT RESA blocks almost all of the websites that we are supposed to use.

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thing 5

2008-04-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

I guess I ranted a little early in Thing 4. But it still applies.
I get the concept of RSS. It is excellent technology. I use it all the time when teaching and technology coordinating. I like, as I stated in my rant, to use RSS within my browser. I can easily add stuff to my bookmark bar. It is a lot fewer steps than bloglines.
I am a Mac fan and so I do a lot of my RSS based on Apple-related topics.
RSS can be a difficult concept for some to grasp right away - what questions do you have? What didn't work or doesn't make sense? How might you use RSS in your personal or professional life? Find anything in your searching that you'd recommend to others?

Thing 4-RSS

2008-04-16T07:54:00.001-07:00

I love RSS. I use it in my browser though. I really don't think that I like the bloglines site. Personally, in firefox, I like to click on my RSS feed and a little menu pops down and I can see the headlines or page names. If I am interested, I click it.
The bloglines, I have to organize it, then open the folder, then click the link, then it opens a page and I have to click another link. All that and I am not sure if I want to even open the site in the first place.
Granted, I am new to this blogline site. But it reminds me too much of Zangle. A lot of clicks to do a little bit of stuff.
I use foxmarks to sync my bookmarks between the different computers I use. Yes, bloglines will share my feeds with others, but SO what, honestly? If you wanna see my bookmarks, then sign up with del.icio.us and you'll basically get the same info anyway.
That's just my 2 cents.
RSS definitely helps sort through all the junk, but I want to use my time wisely too. And the jury is still out...although going to return a "guilty" verdict, I am pretty sure...on this bloglines thingy.

#3 Thing

2008-04-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Had to change the title to "spice" things up on here. LOL

My ideas about student blogging were to post discussion questions that they need to respond to; questions that are open-ended and will spur debate. I have used the discussion board portion of Blackboard before. I see this as a similar tool, that maybe seems a little more "now." I think that my students will react similar to the discussion board assignments: a little nervous at first, but getting better as the year progresses.

My concern is that some kids may not respond at all because of their lack of confidence in their writing ability. Turning a paper into a teacher usually assures them that their peers will NOT be judging them. However with blogs, it opens the floodgates to those who may respond. So old-fashioned writing (on paper) gives them a measure of anonymity that they sought comfort in. But blogging may force some to not participate out of fear of judgment by their peers.

I also see myself using a blog to vent to other teachers and whomever else may chance across my blog. I have always thought of going into standup, so now I can post my funny stories for the world to enjoy. But how do you properly convey sarcasm online??? I think that is the hardest question to me.

I also see it as a way to increase parental involvement in my classes and in their child's work. I think it will allow them an easy way to view the ongoings of my classes as well as keep an eye on what their kids do with all that time on the internet.

Thing #2

2008-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Why are you participating in 23 Things?
I am the technology coordinator at our high school and a teacher. I figured it would be silly for me to NOT take the class. I had heard the term "Web 2.0" but if you had asked me what it meant, I really wouldn't have been able to tell you. I love the ways that technology can help students to understand my subject too. So I hope to learn from this course to use the information as well as serve as a liaison for my colleagues.

What do you hope to learn?
I hope to learn some new ways to engage my students in my classes and subject area. In the past, I have had my students use the discussion boards in Blackboard. The idea is similar to using blogs, but I think this way may be better. It is less tedious to log into, and we will see if it is easier to maintain. I have also thought about podcasting as a new component for my classes. I hope to see if this class will help me to accomplish those goals.

What new insights did you have during Thing 1?
Well, I would like to podcast and possibly blog in my classes. I saw myself being able to podcast for homebound or absent students, as well as, being able to ask questions that require students to think. And then to have all of my students respond. Asking the question in class, you get a few responses and move on. Blogging, I think, will allow me to ask the same questions and get a LOT more responses.

How does writing on the Internet, knowing anyone could read it, change how you write or feel about writing?
I think that when you write for an audience it forces you to think clearly and write clearly. You know people are going to read it, and you want those people to understand the points you are trying to get across. I would like to get my students used to the idea of writing for an audience. I want them to understand that people do read their writing, and that knowing people will read it will help with that.

Welcome!

2008-04-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Room 101. I am a sociology, psychology, and history teacher at Garden City High School in Garden City, MI. I use the name "Room 101" for every classroom that I teach in (even though I am a "roamer."
Of course, my students ask me why I do it, and my response is for them to research it and look it up. It doesn't take too long before a student asks me if I got the name from George Orwell's 1984, which it is. The why to it is an open-ended question. Am I going to teach them to love Big Brother? Are they going to confront some of their deepest fears (and how history has dealt with others with similar fears)? Am I just being silly? Ah, the beauty of open-ended questions. :)