Terry Smith's Comments

Oh- and I wanted you to know that I took your advice and uploaded my IDU from last semester onto curriki. Eventually, I will try to create my own blogspace with all the stuff that I've created and used. I know that other sites that I found like that were very helpful to me! Just wanted to let you know! Thanks!

Yes... Teaching all content areas to seventh graders has made life interesting... and busy! They're a hard group to engage and entertain...

You know, we've never talked about video conferencing. To my knowledge, we do not have a camera for the computer in our classroom. However, I'm certain someone does... I mulled over the idea in my mind of having my seventh grade class video chat with my fifth grade class from last semester, discussing junior high, the transition, advice, etc. I haven't gotten that far in my quest, honestly! So, to answer your question-- I don't know!

Hello Terry, it is a small world. I think you worked with our grade 4 and 5 students this year on the es1001tales project and that you may have sat in on my online PD session at the Innovations Showcase. Is that correct?

Hi Terry,
I enjoyed your photo on the English Teachers Ning about a rock as a toy. We just started a unit on rocks and minerals, focusing on exactly what your students were doing - classifying the three types of rocks. Perhaps we could have a video conference with some rock samples collected in our local environments (we are in coastal Connecticut), and have the students describe (and show) the rocks so the other group can use the information to classify them. Let me know what you think.

Hi Terry. I was wondering if you have any high school contacts who would be interested in participating in a nationwide SAT Vocab Video Contest @ MIT university. You can view contest details at BrainyFlix.com Please let me know. Thanks!

Hi, Terry. Thanks so much. So, is a virtual volunteer someone who assists others with technology, having to do that from afar?

Thoughts?

Mr. Smith,

Could you tell me more about what a "virtual volunteer" is and how that plays out in Nairobi, Kenya? I am very intrigued.

Can you tell me more about your successes with taking 4th graders to Taiwan? I saw your post on Teaching China and Chinese site.

Hello there, i'm a school teacher/founder from Nepal. I run an elementary school for poor family rural children. I'm Govinda by my name. if u find me like minded person plz mail me at gopisu@gmail.com

Hi Terry,

Let me start by saying thank you for responding to my request for possibly starting a Darja Club. I am aware that service project can take a life of their own and there seems to be a shortage of great cause to support. Having said that I think we may have come across a strange coincidence, because it sounds like the school you are working with may be very near Daraja.

I found this from Jason's blog:
we approach the Turning Point Trust compound. Turning Point is Daraja’s first sister school. This is also the compound where the dream germinated and grew.

The founders of Turning Point, Jon and Jo Parson, literally began serving porridge to the children of Mashimoni for whom food was an unreliable luxury at best. It has since grown into an incredibly successful, bustling experiment in social assistance. Children from several tribes, including Kenya’s two largest and most adversarial, the Kikuyu and Luo, attend class together, eat at least two solid meals each day together, and perhaps most importantly get to play together. I am not sure if I can stress just how important play is for the children of Kibera. Life can get so desperate in the slums that many of Kibera’s youth...

As you can see he too will be working with Kikuyu tribe. I am not too sure ho close it all is, but we may overlap.

Anyway, I am following you on Twitter and whether or not this works out, I hope we can be in touch and perhaps work togther this year.

Besides running my online class, Intrepid Classroom, I will be teaching K-5 ESL. Best of luck and let's see if we can't maybe make something happen.

Thanks Terry. No wasn't involved in any of the organisation. It ran really smoothly I thought. Was thrilled to have been invited.
Helen

Hi Terry, thank you for commenting back. Please do keep us in mind. We signed up for an iEarn account but aren't sure we'll be able to make the connections we'd like to.
~T

Hi Terry, sure, I'll answer your questions. You can email me at julia.parra@gmail.com or skype me at princessjulz.
:)
~julz

Hi Terry, Thanks for joining the XO group and contributing your photos to the Reinventing PBL Flickr group.Lovvve the monsters! My colleague Suzie Boss blogged about your great monster project here: http://reinventingpbl.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-big-is-your-classroom.html

Hello from Waycross, GA. I am a technology teacher of K-5th graders. I see every class once a week for about 40 minutes. I am trying to get them involved in collaborative projects with other elementary kids in the US and beyond. Maybe we can skype sometime.

Take care,
Jim

We're still at about the same place, but I know from one of my graduate classes this fall that I am not the only one in that place. I do think, and probably need to say it, that I don't think badly about my administration or my school district for their reaction. I've had comments that people think my discussing this issue reflects negatively on the district.
I disagree, although I truly believe that we need to find a way for students to access these tools and use them. Certainly, those with access at home are using them outside of school! But, more importantly, the access to the technology and having the opportunity to show what they know to others is a very powerful tool, at least for my students.

I am amazed at how many elementary schools actively engage their students. I hope this will translate into high school and university classrooms. We know that the lecture method is inefficient, but we are so imprinted with learning/teaching this way.

Hi Terry, nice to see you here, I remember the monster project well, I also remember being so impressed with the different activities you and your students take part in, I'm still not sure where you find the time for it all :-) susan

Welcome -glad to see another elementary teacher.