Justin Tarte's Blog – December 2010 Archive (8)

Educators making a difference...

I recently asked principals and administrators across North America one simple question: What do you love about your job? Here are the responses I got...and I must say, they are pretty awesome. Enjoy!

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Added by Justin Tarte on December 30, 2010 at 11:54am — No Comments

"The Blind Side"

A few days ago I had the opportunity to watch the movie The Blind Side. As my wife and I sat there watching the movie I couldn't help but notice how "into" the movie we were. This was not the first time I heard

of the movie, however it was the first time I could watch the movie in

its entirety. At my high school we watched a short clip of the film as

part of a Character Education lesson during our…

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Added by Justin Tarte on December 27, 2010 at 2:32pm — No Comments

How do we define learning...?

I will start this post off by saying you will not find any answers here.

At best you might be more confused than when you started. This year

has been the year of change for my German students and myself. We have

been pushing the envelope when it comes to technology integration in a

foreign language class. Overall, I can honestly say things have been

going quite well. Students seem to be actively engaged and interested,

and most importantly they have taken… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on December 27, 2010 at 2:29pm — 1 Comment

Life of an Educator: Top 5 blog posts of 2010...

I started this blog on June 14th, 2010. For the last 6 months this blog has provided me the opportunity to share and collaborate with some of the best educators in the world. I have been able to take my self-reflection to the next level, which in turn has hopefully made me a better educator. This blog has been influential as I embrace the concept of 24/7 professional development...anytime and anywhere. For the members of my PLN and the readers of my blog, I thank you for your support and…

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Added by Justin Tarte on December 19, 2010 at 9:14am — No Comments

The Dream Fulfiller

"Hey... Don´t ever let somebody tell you, you can´t to something. Not even me... Alright? You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period." (Christopher Gardner)

Every day educators around the world have the…

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Added by Justin Tarte on December 19, 2010 at 9:02am — No Comments

The first step toward a digital portfolio...

My German 3 students are doing a lot of things they have never done in school before. They are taking part in an experiment of sorts...an

experiment aimed at increasing student interest and engagement levels

through the use of technology. Most importantly, I am learning right

along side each and every student of mine. Together, we are stepping

outside of our comfort zones with the hope of growing and learning

through sharing… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on December 4, 2010 at 6:40pm — No Comments

5 ways to encourage fundamental change...

This post stems from the thoughts of @gcouros' most recent post Is Change the True Barrier? Change has been and will be for the foreseeable future the most

pressing issue in our schools, our communities, and in our society as a

whole. George's question was simple: What is holding us back...is

"change" at the heart of the problem, or is… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on December 4, 2010 at 6:38pm — No Comments

Recognizing the shining stars...

Today I had the opportunity to speak with one of the members of my high school's custodial staff. This particular team member is assigned to my

classroom. Though we are almost halfway done with the school year, I

have regrettably not spent much time talking to this person. Today was

my chance...

It was so nice to speak with the person that is responsible for making

sure my classroom is ready to go for the next school… Continue

Added by Justin Tarte on December 4, 2010 at 6:35pm — No Comments