Wendy Says

Hello, Teachers! Can you believe that it’s already well into May, and the academic year is already over for some of you and almost over for the rest of you! Now is the time to think about what tools worked well for you and which ones should be discarded, particularly with regards to your class website. It doesn’t seem to matter how much tweaking you do, as there is always something that can be improved or replaced for better functionality. Throughout the teaching term, you discover things that you don’t like, but once the semester is up and running, you have to stay with what’s there to avoid unnecessary confusion for your students. 

Ask yourself some questions, such as these:

•  What did like? Why?
•  What didn't I like? Why?
• Was I able to perform the functions that I wanted, such as posting pictures/videos?
• What do I want to do on my website?
• Are there ways to encourage parents/students to look at the website?

In most cases, you already have a mental list of many of these things, so now is the time to write them down. By seeing them on paper, it is much easier to sort them according to the types of solutions that are necessary. 

• Are there technical problems that prevent you from performing tasks?
• Are you suffering from inadequate training on how to use your website?

It doesn’t take long to analyze your website, and it is worth the effort to pinpoint those things that you like or don’t like. By doing this at the end of the semester, you are in a better position to find the solutions you need so that you can be ready for the next semester. 

This is my first academic season writing this blog, and now I am asking you for any suggestions of topics you would like to see me address. My goal is to make this a meaningful place where you can find help and answers to your situations, as well as learn about tools to make your job easier and more efficient. Teaching is a difficult job on its own, and if I can contribute in some way to making things easier, then I have achieved my goal.

I look forward to hearing from you!

It’s March already, and many of you are either on Spring Break or about to be. Unless you’re located in one of the few areas that hasn’t experienced much of a winter, you’re still buried under several feet of snow and undoubtedly feeling that the groundhog froze solid! Just seeing the temperature get above freezing is a big thing, but soon, the wildflowers and daffodils will be popping up to remind us of warmer days ahead.

Everyone is familiar with You Tube, but there may be some of you who aren’t familiar with Teacher Tube. I remember it being a place where I could find videos on a variety of topics that were designed to help me in the classroom, both physically and virtually. Now, it has mushroomed into something that I have had to take time to study, all the while trying to keep my jaw in place!   

Teacher Tube has become a complete virtual community that reaches out not just to teachers, but parents and students as well. This site launched in 2007 as a You Tube for teachers. In 2009, Audios, Docs, Photos, and Collections were added as additional resources to Videos. In 2014, Teacher Tube was able to integrate all these tools for use in online classrooms created within the site, greatly ensuring security and safety for its users. Each online classroom is a private place in which the teacher is able to create lessons utilizing all the tools and teaching aids that have been made available on the site, and it even uses a Learning Management System that allows the teacher to create tests that can be instantly graded. 

This sounds like an innovative approach to combining such LMS tools as BlackBoard, Angel and WebCT with You Tube to allow you to create your unique learning environment. The classroom is also accessible on any mobile device, thereby increasing a higher percentage of participation from wherever the student might be. This is available for any level of grade or specialty—there are no restrictions when it comes to learning.

What does something like this cost? 

1. Free: Offers a limited package of space, but no email support; must contend with ads. 
2. Teacher Tube Pro--$29/yr. Offers full functionality of all tools, LMS, email support, design, customization, and more.
3. Teacher Tube Campus Pro—Must contact for pricing. Designed to be used by schools, districts, and universities; networking capabilities. Offers complete use of all available tools as well as unlimited data. 

You do not need to set up a classroom to be able to use the other video and audio tools, so take advantage of everything you can—it’s free! Teacher Tube’s mission is to make a teacher’s life easier by offering tools that increase as well as enhance creativity and efficiency, again for free. Teacher Tube welcomes you to look around as much as you like and find out for yourself what a great resource this is. Enjoy!

Happy 2015, teachers! You’ve survived the freneticism of the holiday season, and now, the New Year is officially here! I have always felt that this part of the school year is the most challenging, as there are fewer distractions due to holidays and breaks, and it seems to last much longer than the first part of the school year. This is the perfect time to learn about a tool that many of you already have in your classroom but are only casually acquainted with—the Smart Board.

The Smart Board is the high-tech version of the old-fashioned white board. It looks like a normal white board, but this one is powered by your computer; this is technology at its finest in the classroom. I was using the Smart Board to help teach English grammar and medical transcription more than ten years ago, and even then, I could recognize its incredible capabilities in making learning an interactive and fun process.

By doing a simple Google search, I found some websites that help illustrate the Smart Board’s potential in the classroom.

•    Using Smart Boards in the Classroom--This site provides a good overview of the capabilities and possibilities of using a Smart Board in the classroom. It also allows you to subscribe to their newsletter to get free updates on tools and ideas for the teacher.
 
•    Smart Boards for Dummies--It seems that the older we become, the more hesitant we are about learning new technology. Thankfully, the people who have put together the “Dummies” series on practically everything you want to know, have done one for the Smart Board, part of which is posted online and takes you through step by step 

•    Smart Board Training--This site emphasizes how training is absolutely essential in learning to make the most of your Smart Board.

•    If you want visual training, go to YouTube and input “Smart Boards” into the search bar. You will find numerous useful topics that will help you to become more proficient in using this tool. 

Make this one of your New Year’s resolutions, to learn some new tricks on using the Smart Board. Don’t be timid--find out how it can make learning fun and interactive in your classroom. You can “read” a book together, perform fun language or math exercises, and play other interactive games on it. You can even save some of these in video format which allows you to post the link on your classroom website for your students to access from home.

Our young students are often more savvy than we are when it comes to technology, so let’s step up and show them how fun learning can be by using techniques they can relate to. 

Season’s greetings, teachers! Before this month is over, you will have finished the first semester of your school year. Each day has been filled with its own agenda, and now the holiday season is here in full force. Due to the cultural diversity in the classroom, new challenges have been presented to you on how to talk about them.

In front of many stores are the Salvation Army Santas, and inside places of business, you will find collection boxes for everything from food and toys to hygiene items. We are in the midst of the “giving” season, and what could be more rewarding than to do something for someone else? No matter what anyone’s circumstances are, it is possible to perform an act of service for another individual. The gift of self is a powerful thing, and this is a wonderful time to demonstrate the power of this principle.

What kinds of things constitute the gift of self? There are many gifts that do not require any monetary investment but rather, your time. It is so important for children to learn that they have the capability to make others happy by lending a helping hand, whether that be raking leaves, carrying a newspaper up to the door, or just being friendly with a cheery smile and a wave of the hand. I think we have all noticed that in general, people are kinder and more tolerant of one another at this time of year. What more valuable lesson could be taught than by pointing out to them that we could do this on a daily basis?

Let us all ask this question of ourselves and to our students, “Have I done anything nice today?” You might just start a revolution of “niceness” without ever knowing it, and those simple acts could change your world!

Hello, teachers! We’ve survived the mayhem of the beginning of a new school year, but now the holidays are right in front of us. It’s tough enough keeping our students’ attention without having to worry about pumpkins, turkeys, and candy canes! 

We’ve reached that point in the semester that I like to refer to as, “I wish someone…,” had told me about, had shown me that trick, or (my personal favorite) had taught me how to do that on the computer! Let’s face it—teaching is hard work, and anything that can make our job easier, we want to know about. 

The whole approach to learning has changed, particularly for the younger students. They start playing with digital toys in the crib, and by the time they’re five years old, they’re teaching us how to use our iPhones! It’s hard to compete with something that makes all sorts of fun sounds and has cute characters running all over the screen. If there was a way for me to morph into a video character…….well, we know that isn’t going to happen!

Being a great believer in taking advantage of what people much smarter than I have developed, I want to tell you a little bit about MyTeacherSite.org. If you’re reading this blog posting, then I know you’re already at the right place. Even if your school already has a website, you probably aren’t able to use it for your classroom much beyond contact information. What if you had a place to be able to post images of your students’ work where parents could see them? Imagine how excited your students would be to find their creations online! How convenient would it be to be able to communicate with your parents and students in one easy place without having to worry about those pesky paper announcements that always have a way of getting lost before they reach the parents? You could even post links to digital games that you want your students to play! 

I invite you to take advantage of the 30-day free trial to see if it works for you. Some schools subsidize the annual subscription rate, but even if yours doesn’t, it is still less than one trip to the school supply store. This site could be a “wish come true” for you!

Keeping a class website is a good way to keep your parents and students informed. But you need to remember that your site is the world's window to your classroom. Your audience, which includes your administrators, will form opinions about you and your abilities based on your website. To ensure the most professional site possible, keep these tips in mind:

• Maintain the site yourself. Many teachers have students maintain the class website. While giving students this invaluable experience is tempting, keep in mind that the site reflects upon you. Updating it yourself is the only sure-fire way to prevent any unintentional mistakes.
• Keep it current. Check in with your site at least once a week to remove old content and add new items. Seeing old information will turn your audience away and make them believe your site is not accurate and up-to-date. If your principal requires weekly lesson plans, update your site when you turn them in.
• Review your site each time you update it. It's not enough to simply make the changes. After changes are made, look at the site again to ensure that it looks how you intended.
• Check your grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Twice.
• Keep it simple. Flashy graphics take away from your message. Keep the graphics to a minimum to avoid distractions.
• Check your links. If you include links to other websites, check them frequently to ensure that they are still working, relevant, and appropriate.

If you would like parents and students to use your website regularly, it's important to stay on top of it. Keeping it current, reliable, and easy to read will keep your audience coming back for more.

What do you do to keep your class website updated? Please share! Remember, learning is not a spectator sport.

Have you been curious about how many people are actually visiting your MyTeacherSite? Well, today is your lucky day! You are now able to see the number of visits to each page, simply by logging in, scrolling down to the My Pages section on the left hand side, and looking at the number in parenthesis next to each page title. It is also included at the top of each page once you click on the page title to edit it, under the Navigation and Page Type, and is labeled "Page Views." Keep in mind that since this service was just added, you will only be able to see hits to your site since July 27, 2010. We hope you find this new functionality helpful!

For me, summer is all about relaxation. As teachers, we work hard all year long so we deserve a bit of rest and relaxation! Summer usually starts with some pool and family time, cleaning and organizing the house, and a few short road trips. But after a week or two I can’t help but start thinking about August.

It’s not that I mean to work during the summer. I really wish I could put it all on hold. But I like to reflect on last year and begin thinking about what I’m going do differently next year.

The World Wide Web is the perfect place to begin. I can work on my class Web site from the comfort of my own home, so I can pretend like I’m not working. No one will know, right?

This summer I’ve decided to give my class Web site a complete facelift. The first thing I’m going to do is change the background on my site. If you’d like to do the same, just complete these easy steps:

• Log on to your MyTeacherSite.
• Click on the My Profile section under the Site Management header at the left side of the page. Here you can change the page design, the title on the header of your page, and your security information.
• To change the page design, simply roll your mouse over the thumbnail images so you can view a larger version. Find the design you like and click on the bubble next to the design title.
• Once your changes are complete, click the “Save Info” button at the bottom of the page.
• To view your design changes, click on the link under “My Website” at the top of the page.

When writing a biography for your teacher Web site, it's important to keep your audience in mind. Your students and their parents and your colleagues and administrators will likely read it. Knowing this, keep your biography short, concise, and professional.

As you begin, think about the skills, background, and education that make you a good teacher. Sure, you love children. Why else would you choose to become a teacher? But go beyond that. What skills do you possess that you would like to pass along to your students? Maybe you were a child that struggled through your elementary years until you had that "ah-ha" moment and you want to ensure that your students have that moment.

Briefly explain your work experience. It's not always best to tout that this is your first year teaching. Instead, focus on experiences you have had that will help you in your instruction. If you are a seasoned professional, include the number of years you have taught at which grade levels.

Discuss your future goals, such as obtaining additional endorsements or national certification. Maybe you aspire to be a principal or to write a book someday. Ambition is good as long as it benefits your students and doesn't get in the way of their achievement.

It's okay to include some personal information in your biography, such as your family, but keep it brief.

As you finish your biography, be sure it isn't too long-winded. You can create a good, quality biography in a paragraph. Any longer than that and you may lose your audience. In the end, have fun with it and be sure your own personality shines through!