Welcome to the community!

I have enjoyed reading your blogs. For someone who does not like to write you have plenty to say - and you say it well. I teach technology now, and I taught elementary gifted math/science for years so many of your comments and rantings sound familiar. Your descriptions of how to start wikis is what I was looking for -thank you -I got so much more.

Hi Nancy, Thank you for the infomation on robotics. With limited time (and so much I want to do) with 5th graders, how many class sessions are needed at a minimum? Maybe this is not something I want to offer in classes, but in computer club instead.

Hi Nancy,
You most certainly can use anything you see on my wiki. I'm a "digital packrat" and have collected stuff along the way and linked it to my wiki to keep track of it. I use my wiki as a tool to help me with professional development. Anything you see, I've collected because I've seen it on blogs, teacher websites, or other social networking avenues. Be my guest. I'm glad you found something you can use! I updated it constantly, so keep checking back.

Yes, I'm involved in video in the classroom, you can see our projects online at http://www.videointheclassroom.com

I've podcasted, blogged, mailinglisted, grouped, wikid, but this ninging has just begun. Classroom 2.0 is my first and, goodness where have I been? Hard to understand how I missed it, sinice I'm on this dang computer everyday doing my teaching, personal, and artsy things. Anyway, no I haven't joined gifted ning yet, but I'm going to check it out, for sure! Thanks for telling me about it. Will you be my friend?!

Thanks! and Yes! Every year I try to set up another classroom elsewhere in the state, world, or country, and for various reasons, we don't connect. I would love to do some collaborations. One of the things we do is decide how average we are by comparing our data via graphs and surveys to other people, kids and adults alike, to get into sampling, "average", etc. By the time they've reached 5th, 6th grade, they're fairly adept at graphing, but I believe there's a wealth of information interpretation to do by these kids. My idea is to compare our morning attendance graph of data, make decisions about how good a sample we might be, what might change the results (time of year, location in country, etc.) and compare each other's data - also adds to the sample. Other things we do is follow a NFL team through their season, leading into work about states, cities, probabability, weather patterns, etc - it's rich with motivation and connections to what they're learning at higher levels of thinking. Anyway, if this might interest you, let me know. I'm open to any sort of other ideas, too. I love the idea of collaborating with a long distant buddy somehow.

You'll be very busy the first few days, and my kids don't return until the 4th, so there's time to marinate. I'm very impressed with your blogs and contributions! It's a different kind of challenge, isn't it? (Our program is aptly named Challenge, but I don't think they meant ours!)

Weekend guests, then I'll get back to you! Your pirates unit sounds like so much fun - what a motivator. I've worked in teams since it became important to do, at least since the mid 80s and have been excruciatingly lucky to have the most wonderful team partners who share the same expectations and vision, while having different sets of strengths. It's great when it works, isn't it?

Hi, Nancy,
I discovered your class blog today and am fascinated. I'm trying to decide which blog to begin using with my students. Fortunately or unfortunately many are blocked by our district server. Thank you for sharing so much online-- your comment about focusing more time on your kids and less on presenting really resonates with me.

Thanks,
Lee Ann

Lee Ann Spillane
The Reading Writing Center
University High School
http://www.laspillane.org

I've tagged you for a meme: http://mizmercer.edublogs.org/2007/08/17/schools-20-meme/

You have had the great fortune of being tagged in a meme exercise. Tim Holt has tagged you from his blog entry at: Byte Speed
http://web.mac.com/timholt/iWeb/Byte%20Speed/Tim%27s%20Blog/CDE6B5A5-D739-49C9-8E49-41B5240EF2B9.html


The rules are simple. Write a blog entry on the subject “Eight Things You Don’t Know About Me.”

1) Post these rules before you give your facts.
2) List 8 random facts about yourself.
3) At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names, linking to them.
4) Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged.


Then Tag eight of your blog friends.

I think that these used to be called chain letters. Now they are called meme exercises. Funny how technology changes things!

Anyway, you can read my “Eight” at the above address, and get the full rules as well.

Enjoy! I’ve shown you mine, now you show me yours!

Tim

Thanks for the comment on post about being blocked by the tech dept. I appreciate your suggestions. The only way I will invite the students to join from home is with the approval of my principal. He is a tech guru himself.

Hi Nancy! I'm not a fan of his, but I have seen him from time to time.. Booyah was just something my buddies and I used to say.. just felt right to type it to get some emotion in the wording.. hehe

This is my 4th year teaching, not exactly sure if that makes me really new.. I surely feel like I still have a ton to learn (hopefully for the rest of my life)

I would love to collaborate! I see that you are in Kansas. Let's put something together. Any suggestions are welcome, as this year will be my first venture into the world of online blogging. I already have a CBM page that I will be (constantly) developing. Delete Comment

Nancy, I have shared your blog and the school website with some of my colleagues at TappedIN, and they loved them. I also introduced these sites to my nephew, a senior at Hayden High School in Topeka. He was very impressed. I thought he would be when I saw the book reviews and other "stuff" on the blog.
Thanks, again!

Nancy, I really have enjoyed your links on the "Definitive Guide" discussion--I think you have "been there, done that", in a system that people like me are still trying to introduce others to the process. Thank you for supplying your resources!
I would love it if we can guide each other to help us bring a safe and exciting online experience to bear for our kids--and I am in a unique position in a nonprofit, rural school, of being the only person around who decides. I don't have a district, or other, body making policy. I have parents running the gamut from no tv or computers at home, to no restrictions and no fear about their students' online lives.

I really would like to have this wonderful classroom2.0 braintrust helping me consider all the things I need to, and keeping my kiddos safe, as I try and bring them experiences some of them will get no-where else. It's so encouraging to know that you, and others, have broken the ground for us, first.

Nancy, you share so much with us, I wanted to return the favor. For my Blog Action Day post, on my n2teaching blog, I wrote about a rare Monarch Migration event. The beautiful pictures were taken by a local Journalism teacher whose husband has a Monarch Watch Waystation. This Monarch roost stretched over a mile near the Neosho River. http://samccoy-n2teaching.blogspot.com/

Thanks--I'd take a look right now but of course your blog is blocked by the district, I'm sure it contains subversive material!! I've had it unblocked and will take a peek when I can.

Dan is a young high school math teacher and an excellent writer and blogger. Here is his presentation archive. I think you'll be able to find some good stuff by scrolling down and checking the titles. http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?cat=24

Hi Nancy - you might be interested in this photo
http://classroom20.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=649749%3ABlogPost%3A63238

Thanks for the link - I could only get the thumbnail at http://connections.smsd.org/veterans/reception_photos.htm, but it's delightful!

Nancy, We're about 12 weeks into the class. I have a mix of 6th, 7th and 8th graders. The span of skill levels is quite broad, but everyone is up and doing personal research projects using Google, Grokker, Inspiration, Powerpoint, Word, Excel and MovieMaker. I teach mini-lessons on individual software features and on Sean Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. After Thanksgiving we will study the sixteen Career Clusters and the students will complete a career planning research project that will be shared with their parents. In the spring we will also discuss and blog about themes from The World is Flat and A Whole New Mind. This has been a pretty ambitious project, but I think I am learning more about how to structure the class each and every day. I should have a solid syllabus by the end of this first year. Have a great holiday season!

Thanks Nancy- everyone has been so helpful and let our new teachers discover answers together- with little input from experienced teachers- they have grown so much already!

Nancy, I've just discovered I'm afraid we can't be friends.

'Twas reading your kids CSI site (excellent!!) and wandered over into your school info, and then to a map of Shawnee, and low and behold, well, it looks like you almost certainly are Royals fans. Not that we have any qualms with the good people of KC, who almost certainly are friendly and gracious fans, but...
IMHO, it was not the Red Sox or the Yankees, or Detroit who kept the Indians out of the World Series; it was the Royals, who year in and year out the Indians just have an unnaturally hard time with.
So, Thbbbbt!

My 5th grade teacher is interested in the blog idea. Her interest level is sky high as well as her stress level (TESTING). Blogging is a new idea for her, but she's always willing to tackle whatever I throw at her.

Keeping parents informed is so much easier on the front end!

Just read your blog post about ages on myspace, etc and wanted to share that I shared my concerns with my principal about finding numerous 6th graders on myspace with ages listed from 16-28 and her response was to do nothing except possibly provide her with names for future use. any thoughts? Are you reporting if you find this?

We will be hosting a Moodle Meet on Jan. 4th from 9-12 in Northbrook, IL at the District 28 offices both in person and online http://moodlemeet.ning.com. We look forward to meeting, hearing, and sharing with Moodlers, Moodler wannabes, and Moodler maybes.
Laurie Korte

You seem like a veteran in this collaboration.

Question: How did you find the conversation on the "introduction" forum?

Peace,

Wow, you seem busy! Thanks for taking a few minutes to send a shout my lil' ol' way.

I will learn how to get the replies to comments sent to my email. I love the learning!

Be in touch.

Thanks Nancy for such a wonderful sharing. Good ideas.
I welcome you to join Passionate teachers group http://passionateteachers.ning.com as from your blog I got an insight of a wonderful way in which you are making a difference in the classroom.
Good teachers are very rare.

Regards
Rashmi

Looking at the picture of the boy in Africa reminded me of the kids in Haiti. I just returned New Year's Day from a mission trip to Haiti. I was astounded by the number of people who have cell phones there! They have so little material things yet they have discovered the cell phone.

I watched a little girl play "Jacks" with rocks. They are so creative! I wish I could tap into that creativity with my own Kindergartners.

Hi Nancy,

I just wanted to let you know that I have just started a social network site focused on content, not technology. The site is called Teacher content. After conversations with Steve Hargadon, with whom I am doing a lot of work, we decided that Classroom 2.0 is really about the technology. We wanted another site devoted to teachers teaching content. My hope is that content teachers who have not previously used technology in the classroom will join the site and thereby become more likely to use technology. I'm hoping that you will join me in this effort. The address is: http://teachingcontent.ning.com/

Thanks for your help.

Andy

Hi Nancy,
I have a step-by-step- guide for Alice on my site. http://computerkiddoswiki.pbwiki.com/Alice+Programing It is called Alice Step-by-Step. I put it together with screen shots and text from the Alice Programming book. This year they put out a brief addition to Learning to Program with alice-much less expensive. I bought it at Nerd Books I haven't put together a rubric yet.
I also exchanged email with Alice form Scratch and Squeak. He said they are putting together a anotr set of tutorials for Squeak. The Squeak Tutorial on the OLPC computers is much better.
Second semester here so I have anentire new set of Junior High Kiddos. I got my blog started at Blogmeister

Hi Nancy,
I have been trading emails with Alan from squeakland. I asked if the tutorail for squesk that is on the XO could be downloaded for windows. He mentioned that they are in the process of putting together several more tutorials and are interested in feedback from teachers so I thought I would pass it along to you!, in case you wanted to email him any suggestions