Beth's Class Blog

Why Care About Water?

2013-11-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

After viewing the video and reflecting on the video about water levels on Earth are going to rise over the next 100+years, share some of your thoughts on this issue. You might wish to discuss what you see as the biggest concern, things we can do now to help reverse the damage, and things that you can do as an individual to help with the water shortage issue. Please explain how you think these issues will impact you in your lifetime.

REMEMBER---type your reply in a Google Doc then copy and paste the text into the reply box on this blog. This will protect you in the event your post doesn't save properly.

Importance of an Education

2013-10-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Malala Yousafzai is a brave young woman. She takes education very seriously. What are some things you learned from listening to her? Why do you think many American students are not as passionate about their education as she is? What could we do to improve the school system in our country to make it more appealing?

Feared or Loved?

2013-09-02T20:12:00.001-07:00

In The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli says, “it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness (lack of character) of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”

This advice was intended for political leaders, but it can be applied to a number of situations. In your response, you must make an argument for both sides then explain which approach you believe is most effective.

You will have at least three paragraphs that are 4-5 sentences in length. One paragraph will be about why being feared is better than being loved. Another paragraph about why it is better to be loved than feared and then a final paragraph where you explain which one you believe is more effective AND why you believe this to be true.

Chipped

2012-11-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

Read this story about a student in Texas who is refusing to follow a school policy that has students wear a name badge that contains an electronic tracking chip.

If you are in my afternoon classes (Monday/Wednesday) then you must make a case FOR the school and why wearing the badge is a good thing. If you are in my morning classes (Tue/Th) then you must make a case FOR the student and back up her reasons why it is not a good thing to wear the badges.

Your reply should be at least one FULL paragraph or at least 6-7 sentences in length. Your arguments need to be valid, not "this is stupid" type of comments.

Blogging

2012-03-24T19:35:00.003-07:00

Write a reflection in which you include the following points. Your reply will go on the class blog AND you will copy and paste it on the "Blog" page on your Google Site. You also need to link to your blog on the "Blog" page of your Google Site.

What does it mean to you to know that when you blog your audience can potentially be anyone in the world?
How do you see blogging changing the way you communicate within the classroom?
Pretend you have the opportunity to explain to teachers how blogging can make learning more relevant. What will you tell them? What suggestions would you make for ways you could use blogging in the classroom?

A Different Path to Educational Success

2012-02-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

"Finding a Different Path" from Nebraska Loves Public Schools

What people are saying about VALTS

I have had the privilege of teaching at VALTS since 2005. If you follow me on Twitter you will often see me tweet things like, "You know what I get to do today? I get to teach!" I am truly passionate about teaching and making a positive difference in the lives of my students. I can count my "bad days" at VALTS on one hand.

VALTS is an alternative school which is under the direction of ESU13. Districts participate in VALTS by purchasing seats. Students attend classes at VALTS, but they are still considered students in their home districts. They follow the credit requirements of their home schools. Students earn credits by taking classes at our school, working, and taking college classes. Once they meet the requirements they are eligible to graduate and earn their diploma from their home district.

We just learned our school might be in jeopardy when Scottsbluff, the owner half of the seats at VALTS, announced they are exploring the option starting their own alternative program. While it is depressing to consider the notion that VALTS might have to close its doors at some point in the future, it is important to acknowledge that Scottsbluff has the obligation to make decisions that are in the best interest of all of their students. I sincerely hope that VALTS can still be part of their overall plan to meet the needs of their students.

Both current and former students are taking it upon themselves to use various social media outlets to share their personal stories of how VALTS changed their lives. I am trying to aggregate all of these testimonials in a Google Doc which is linked just below the video at the top of this post. I'm only sharing posts and stories that are positive. Negativity does nothing but create rifts during a time when we all need to work together to find a solution.

Within an hour of hearing about the possibility that their school might close, one of the students made a Facebook group and another one started a Facebook page. A current student who feels very strongly about out school created this moving video.

As an alternative education teacher, I have always been curious about what causes so many students to drop out of school. Since the vast majority of my students are "at-risk" I respect and value their insight and expertise on this topic. On at least two dozen occasions since I started teaching at VALTS, I have asked my students what factors brought them to my school. They usually look at me with a puzzled expression then go on to explain that nobody has ever thought to ask them something like this. What they have to say is not always easy to hear, but they are brutally honest and their answers help explain why so many students simply quit. It is our students that can provide the answers to fixing what is wrong with our schools.

Identity Day!

2012-01-23T13:19:00.001-08:00

VALTS students are in the midst of preparing for a very special event. On the afternoon of March 1 the students are going to participate in our first ever Identity Day. I learned about this idea from George Couros, an educator in Canada. The idea is really very simple. Students select a topic that they care deeply about, they create a project around this topic, and then they share what they have made with the school community. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about my students and for them to get to know each other better. This event also serves as a reminder that learning should focus on the students.

We are going to open up our event to parents and the principals and counselors from the local area schools. I hope that it is well-attended. My students have selected some really great topics to share.

If you happen to be in the area on March 1 from 4-6pm please stop by the Harms Building.

More examples of Identity Day

Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?

2011-11-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

During the last couple of weeks the media has covered a story from Penn State regarding a coach who has been accused of sexually abusing a number of boys over many years.

We will discuss this event in class using the following resources:

Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
Penn State Scandal: Timeline of sex abuse scandal that has rocked Happy Valley
A blog from Omelas State University that I will share in PRINT ONLY. The language is too strong to share so I had to clean it up, but it is a very well-written perspective.

Once we discuss this in class your job is to write a response to the following questions which have been taken from the NY Times post:

Tell us how far you think responsibility extends for leaders like Joe Paterno.
Do they generally have a moral obligation to take action in cases that do not necessarily fall under their specific authority? Or is that too high a standard?
Is it enough to have major achievements and a great deal of respect?
Or does leadership carry with it higher responsibilities?

Google Search

2011-07-09T19:48:00.002-07:00

If you were like most people you more than likely familiar with using the Google search engine. Chances are you were also not conducting the best search possible because you just weren't aware of how to do a more efficient search.

Take a few minutes to reflect on what you learned about searching during this unit. What are some things you will do differently from now on? Did you learn anything from this unit that you will share with your friends or teachers to help then navigate the web more effectively?

Cloud Computing and Google Docs

2011-07-06T14:15:00.001-07:00

Take some time to think back on what you have learned about cloud computing and the impact that services such as Google Docs can have in the typical classroom. Reflect on the following points:

Knowing what you know now about cloud computing, what will change about the way you work with documents, pictures, and other types of files?
Will you be more likely to use Google Docs?
Pretend like you are having a conversation about Google Docs with a teacher. What do you tell them to convince them that Google Docs will help improve communication and collaboration with the students in the school?
How do you see a tool like GoogleDocs allowing the classroom to extend beyond the physical walls of a classroom? How can it allow students and teachers to communicate beyond the classroom?
Please share any other thoughts you have regarding GoogleDocs on this blog post. I'm looking for your reflection over what you have learned about GoogleDocs over the last few weeks. I'm most interested in hearing about how you would apply this knowledge to your current and future classes.

Social Bookmarking

2011-06-20T14:17:00.001-07:00

Diigo is one of my favorite digital tools. Now that you have become acquainted with it I would like to hear your thoughts. Please touch on each of the following points in your reply:

How do you see Diigo helping you become more organized?
What is the most useful aspect of Diigo to you as a student?
What is one way you would use Diigo in a class that you are currently taking?
Think of a lesson or project that you have done at some point over the last few years. How could Diigo have been incorporated to make it easier to share information or to share resources with people in your group? Be specific.

Google Sites

2011-06-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Now that you are familiar with the wonderful world of wikis (Google Sites) it is time for you to reflect on your impression of these tools. Write a reflection in which you talk about the following points:

Explain in YOUR words what a wiki is and how it works.
What is your impression of wikis now that you have had time to get familiar with them?
How can you see this digital tool changing the way you complete assignments in traditional classes?
If you could help one of your current or former teachers use this specific tool in their class which class (not teacher!) would it be? How you would have them use it in an assignment or project that you did for them. Explain your reason for this selection.

Sexting and Its Implications

2011-03-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

Read this article from the NY Times.

We are going to discuss this article on the class blog so that each of you has a chance to think through this issue. This is an issue that impacts so many students that I think it is necessary we take the time to take a deeper look at how this act could ruin your life.

You need to write at least a two paragraph response in which you share your thoughts on this topic.

Personal Responsibility

2011-03-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

I like to begin each new quarter with a great discussion to help us get to know each other. As I was trying to think of a topic I came across this blog post on CNN Student News. Here is what the post says.

"Beginning this week, some chronically late students in the Boston area will begin getting automated wake-up calls starting at 6:15 a.m. Some like the idea and believe it could get more students to school, more of the time. Others think school officials are going too far.

We're curious to know who you think should be responsible for getting you to school on time."

What do you think about this? Write a response to this idea using correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Your reply must be at least 5-6 sentences in length.

Just a suggestion....Write your post in GoogleDocs then copy and paste it in here. There have been numerous instances where you will try to post your reply and it is lost. This will save you time and frustration down the road.

President's Back to School Speech

2010-09-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Since Barack Obama was elected, he has given two speeches to students. The first was a year ago and the second one was just last week. For some reason there is some controversy that surrounds these speeches and many districts around the country strictly forbid teachers from showing them.

Your job is to watch the speech President Obama gave on September 12, 2010 and write a blog about it. Your blog needs to cover TWO areas. The first paragraph needs to simply be your reaction to the speech. Write about things like what you learned from it, the message you think it sent, how well it hit home with you, etc. The SECOND paragraph needs to focus on what you think about district forbidding teachers to show this speech. What message does this send to not only our students, but to the rest of the world?

As always I suggest you type your reply in Google Docs then copy and paste it into here. Use name/url and include your first name and your last initial.

Freedom of Speech Gone Too Far?

2010-09-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the article about a congregation at a church in Florida. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? What do you think the purpose of this demonstration is? Is there a more productive manner in which this group (and others) could pay tribute to the victims that were killed on September 11, 2001?

Remember this is a space where you are free (and encouraged) to disagree, but you must follow the AUP guidelines when doing so. All comments on this blog are moderated which means I must approve them before they are published. I will NOT publish anonymous comments. You must use your first name and last initial.

Blogging in 2010

2010-05-05T13:46:00.001-07:00

I am an avid blogger. I have been writing my own personal blog for about two years. I have found that it is a great way for my to share my thoughts and ideas with an audience that used to just consist of my colleagues that worked in the same school as me. People from all parts of the world read my blog and from time to time they even leave comments. I have a widget on my blog that allows me to see where visitors to my blog are from. There is one on this blog as well.

Blogging is a very powerful way for students (or anyone) to share their ideas with the world. I prefer it over discussion boards because we can vastly expand our audience on a blog. Discussion boards exist inside our classroom and are "closed" to people from the outside. Discussion boards have their place, but to truly help you be a global learner you need a global audience with whom you can interact.

There will be times during the year that I post discussion questions on here for you to ponder. Since I will use this blog for my two online classes as well as my face-to-face students the questions will usually be general in nature and not so much subject specific. The best blog posts are the ones that do not have right or wrong answers, but ask for you to take a stance. If there are any topics that you are just itching to discuss please let me know via email and I will see what I can do about giving you a platform to use to post your thoughts. I am also open to letting you "guest blog" on this blog as well. This means you will write a post and I will have your peers respond to you. Obviously, there will be guidelines that you must follow if you were to do this.

What are your thoughts on sharing your ideas and interacting with people that you don't know? What are some of the benefits of hearing a wide variety of ideas? Please write a minimum of 6 sentences in response to answer these questions. You need to select Name/URL when posting. Only use your first name and last initial. More than likely you do not have a URL so don't fill it in. Also----I highly recommend you write your response in Word then copy and paste your reply and save it just in case.

Reaching Our Potential

2010-04-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Watch the following video and then write your reaction to the following questions:

How do you feel after listening to Chris Lehmann?
What do you think of his idea for how education should be?
Chris says technology should surround students like oxygen. It should be invisible. What are your thoughts on his ideas about technology?
What do you think it would be like to be a student at the school where he is the principal? (Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia)
Do you think schools are dropping the ball by not allowing them to use technology that they own in the classroom? (cell phone, iPodtouch, laptops, etc)

Racism in America

2009-11-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

For the last few weeks while we have been studying the American West, you have seen numerous examples of how people have been treated differently based on the their ethnicity. Racism has been the root of so much violence and tension in American since the inception of our country. We have come a very long way, but racism is still a major problem. It exists everywhere in our society and it will probably never totally disappear.

Take some time and reflect on your thoughts on racism. Here are some points you can address: Why do you think some people are racist? How do you respond to people who are racist? Would you stand up for someone who was being treated poorly because of the color of their skin color or ethnicity? Feel free to share examples, but make sure the language you use is appropriate for school.

I expect a lengthy (15-20 sentence) response. Type in Word first then copy and paste (or highlight and drop and drag) into the response box. You must include at least your first name and last initial in the box for your name.

This can be a very sensitive topic. Make sure you do not write anything that will get you in trouble. You can be open and honest, yet be civil and polite.

*Please note that posts that have been removed have only been expanded on by the original author. I removed them so there would not be multiple posts by the author.

Social Media: Changing Communication

2009-10-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last couple of days discussing social media and how it has revolutionized education. After everything we have talked about how do you see social media changing education? Make sure you include an explanation of what social media is in your response.

President Barack Obama's Speech: Sept. 8, 2009

2009-09-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Student Privacy: CNN Student News

2009-09-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

One of my colleagues from Maine, Mr. Byrne, shared this link on Twitter earlier today. It is a story that appeared on CNN Student News about a proposed policy in South Carolina that would require students to share their passwords for social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

After discussing this in class please leave your some thoughtful comments. We would appreciate outside comments from other teachers and students.

Michael Jordan on Failure

2009-08-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Watch this short video and listen very carefully to what Michael Jordan has to say. After you watch it take a few moments to reflect on some of the times in your life when you have failed then write a response to these questions:
1. How do you define success?
2. How do you define failure?
3. Describe one time in your life when you failed.
4. What did you learn from this failure? How did you use it to help you become more successful?

Welcome to Summer School

2009-05-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to summer school and our class blog. I wanted you to get familiar with this site because I will ask you to post responses here from time to time. When you respond all I ask is you use your first name and last initial. This is a public blog which means anyone in the world can see it.

I would like to do sort of a quick "get to know you" post. You may not realize this but you have peers in this class from all over the Panhandle of Nebraska. In an attempt to foster a sense of community I would like you to follow my example below and list seven things about yourself that you do not mind sharing in a public forum.

Student Perspective: The American Education System

2009-04-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

I work at one of the best schools in the world. I have great students, a supportive administrator, and great coworkers. I have the freedom to develop and teach my own curriculum as long as my lessons follow the Nebraska Social Standards. Despite the freedom and flexibility of my job, I'm not immune from the occasional bad day.

A number of things have happened over the last couple of weeks that have asked me to question if I am really doing the best job I can for my students. I am always looking for new ways to teach and different ways to engage my students in the learning process. I am always pushing my students to use their knowledge to answer questions and I strongly encourage them to think for themselves in their quest for knowledge. Anyone who is involved in education knows that this is a pretty tall order! If you follow me on Twitter you may have witnessed my rant on April 21 about how the American education system has conditioned students to passively sit by while teachers tell them what they are supposed to think. It seems like at some point in time it was decided that schools had to treat everyone in a uniform manner which killed the creative and inquisitive side of students. I was curious about how my students felt about this so I asked them. They had a lot to say!

The essays are found here. Each essay has the first name and last initial of the student that wrote it. Please feel free to leave comments specifically for them on this post. You are welcome to leave general comments as well. Any comments and thoughts you are willing to share will be appreciated.