So I was accepted into the program and began my journey.  I was terrified.  What if I had gotten in over my head?  Demo?  Oh my gosh. I can’t possibly tell these teachers something they don’t already know.  I can’t write and I have nothing to contribute to the learning of these people.  They are all good writers.  They all sound so much better than me.  Oh my, what have I done? 

But then things started to change.  Maybe it’s that process that Peggy keeps talking about.  I still don’t think of myself as a good writer, but I am seeing improvement.  I love what I write-most of the time.  But I know how to edit and revise.  Now that I feel more confident, I think I will be able to teach my kids how to write.  I will be a good model for them. I can’t wait to have my own journal and write with them.   I am loving my new found confidence.

I am a good teacher.  I love what I do.  I love to teach my children about life and the world and the academics that they are required to know.  This love of teaching makes me an avid learner.  I never want to stop learning.  There are so many things in life that I need to know.  I will never know them all, but if I am to teach my students, then I need to keep learning things for myself. 

I am also looking forward to sharing my new information about best practices with my fellow teachers at school.  Teachers are great at sharing information and I have many things that I want to share with them.  I have learned things this summer that can apply to every teacher in my building. 

I am ready to head back to the classroom with all my new confidence.  I know how to teach children to write 3-5 sentence paragraphs, but that’s boring.   Writing is exciting.  The confidence and skills I have learned these few weeks of my summer vacation will guide me in being a better teacher for them.  I will still have to use the textbook series that is required by my school but I will incorporate new techniques in with it.  

The pieces in my portfolio are truly me.  Each piece reflects my way of thinking and my way of expressing myself.  The two pieces that mean the most to me are the Mentors and Scrapbooking.  Scrapbooking is the deep revision piece of the Mentors piece.  These are emotional pieces about people I care about deeply.  I would not have been able to tell these people my feeling face to face and I think these writings should tell them how I feel.  I chose to do Scrapbook because I had never attempted to do a poem.  I needed a way to make my step-father an important part of my portfolio because he was an important part of my life.  Mentors is an emotional piece.  I cried while I was writing it and when I was revising it.  I needed to tell those people how important they are to me.   Scrapbook is a piece that is written, not only to honor my step-father, but as a way for my son to remember this important man that he might not remember otherwise.  

The first draft of the personal writing came from a sacred writing.  I read it several times and decided it was the one that I needed to devote a great deal of time to revising.  I added many details about some of the people that were mentioned in the original piece and deleted one of the people in the original piece.  I needed to focus it more about who is my mentor.  

From that I developed the poem.  I did many revisions to that poem because I wasn’t sure it was good.  I wasn’t even sure it was a poem.  I took the advice of my writing group and Laura Treacy Bentley.  I liked having their input and the final result is due to their input and comments.

The professional piece of this portfolio, What is Teaching,  is an explanation of why I teach.  I teach because it’s who I am.  I have always wanted to be a teacher and I could never imagine being something else.  I love every aspect of my job, even the conferences when things are difficult.  Teaching keeps challenging me to reach down and find what it takes to do my job the best I can.  I chose to include piece in my portfolio because it is another aspect of my life that needs to be explained.   You can’t know me without knowing I am a teacher.

The ethnography is an explanation of the events on July 2, 2009.  I wrote it in the form of an I-Search paper, a form of research paper that I had learned about in Megan’s demo.  It is a form of research that allows the student to research and learn more about a topic of their choice.  I think it’s a great idea and I am looking forward to finding the book that she recommended for elementary teachers that relates to the topic.   I enjoyed doing the ethnography because I got to be creative and it gives people who read my blog an inside glimpse of what happens in a typical day of Summer Institute.  People will get to see how good the days are for the fellows and leaders.

My demonstration document is an explanation and a summary of some research about using technology to enhance writing.   I chose this topic because I find technology very exciting.  I have made it my personal crusade to get all students using some sort of technology on a regular basis.  I know a great deal of teachers feel that they cannot incorporate technology because it is too hard.  I want to tell everyone that it’s easy.  I want students to be ready for using computers for school and not just game playing.  I am glad I tackled this document.  I now have the proof that things like blogs and wikis work and are useful tools in the classroom.  I am ready to talk to administration and to any nay-saying teachers.

There are eight less formal writings in this e-portfolio.  The first three are based on technology experiences.  I was able to work on digital storytelling a little more this summer.  I had done some of it a few summers ago and I had worked on a story in one of my graduate classes.  It is such a fun way for everyone, students and adults, to express themselves.  I know that the laptops in our school have Windows MovieMaker so I am ready to do this with my second graders.  All it’s going to take is one project to make the other teachers want to do this with their students.  I am glad I had a chance to review my skills with this application.

The piece about ch. 1 and 2 of the book Wikis, Blogs, and Podcasts was fun.  I like the discussion that was brought about by this book.  I liked the book because it addressed topics that I enjoy.  The quotes I chose tell how I feel.  I feel that it is time to use these and I also feel it is time to teach our students how to filter inappropriate Internet content.   Our students need to be learning what is good information and how to find credible websites.  Filters on our computers is counterproductive.  But, that is why I enjoyed this book and doing this assignment.

Blogging is a great tool for class.  I have used it with my students and I fully intend to use it with my students this year.  This piece addressed the blog that we used for SI.  I like this blog because it keeps me in contact with the people I have formed bonds.  I worry that I will not be able to improve in my writing abilities, but knowing that blog is there will help me feel close to the ones who have supported me so far.

I chose to write about my 12th grade research paper for the demonstration piece because it was the one I related to the most.  As you read it, you will figure out my feelings about old style research papers and how excited I am about the I-Search form of research papers.  I remember that class vividly and I think that may be why I had the notion that I couldn’t write.  I assumed all writings were to be informative, like research.  I never knew that writing could be about what I think and feel.  I would be excited to do research if it was about a topic I wanted to learn.  I don’t want to go back to that way of thinking.  I know I will have to continue to research, but now I have an enjoyable way to teach my students to research and write.

The last three pieces are ones that I chose to include because they are what I created on my own.  There were no prompts.  It was just me and my writing.  

The first one is based on a piece of abstract art that is in the Huntington Museum of Art.  I wondered around the museum and found this piece and I loved it.  It’s called Green Likes Mauve-1972 by Helen Frankenthaler.  I saw what seemed to be the mouth of an alligator as the animal was gliding through the water of a bayou.  I loved writing from the perspective of an animal that was on the shoreline.  I don’t know what kind of animal it might have been but I am sure that any animal would feel the way it did.  I was able to put myself there, in the bayou, and think like an animal.  I really enjoyed writing this piece.

Trapped was created on accident.  I was getting back into my car after having dinner with a friend.  I had opened the back door to put my things in the backseat and the moth flew in my car.  At first, I was frustrated because I didn’t want to be driving with that insect flying around the inside of my car.  After I let him out the other door, I wondered about how he felt.  The idea to write the story from his perspective came to me so fast and the story just flowed out of me.  Again, writing from the perspective of the moth was enjoyable.  It made me think a little more than just telling what happened to me, the human.  

The last one, The Deafening Silence of My House, was another emotional piece.  I had a great deal of feelings going on because my son was gone and I had to write.  I learned to write my feelings down and not to stop until they were all out.  I felt so much better after writing that one.  

I am a writer.  Everyone is a writer, it’s all in how you approach it.  If I could say that I learned one thing personally, it would have to be to just write.  Don’t edit as you go, let your emotions go.  It will happen.  As a professional, I know that I can teach my children to write anywhere in my curriculum and that they should not be afraid to write either. I am excited about this new discovery!

I was flying around enjoying the warm sunny summer evening.  I was seeing some yellow buttercup flowers that I would like to have investigated.  They were so big.  The green leaves that were under them looked very tempting-soft and delicate, like they’d be a good place to land. Everyday,  I try to take advantage of living in this small wooded town and the many lovely items in nature that it has to offer.  

I’d spent all day flying around-dodging these big monstrosities that kept trying to hit me, cars and trucks that kept coming at me no matter where I’d fly.  They were relentless.  They kept coming at me very quickly.  Another peril in my day-the robin that swooped down from out of nowhere and tried to gobble me up.  Got away from him, just in time though.  Thanks to the gray tomcat that tried to get him. I’ll have to remember to thank that cat the next time I see him. 

In between these near death experiences, I managed to taste the sweet nectar of some honeysuckle and rest in the cool shade of an oak tree.  My napping had reenergized me and I decided on one more short flight before turning in for the night.  And that’s when I became trapped.

As I flew toward the buttercups, something very shiny and red caught my eye.  I flew close to and saw that it was a car.  It wasn’t coming at me so I felt safe.  I was enjoying my flight and before I could stop, the door of the car opened.  I flew through the car and  SMACK!  I crashed into the window of the other car door.   I could see the outside but no matter how fast or where I flew, I couldn’t get away.  I tried to fly up the window and down.  To the left and to the right.  My wings fluttered quickly.  My furry body was starting to sweat.  Panic ran through all of my body.  What if I never get out of here?  Why can I see the outside, but can’t get there?  What if I never have a chance to thank the tomcat?  Where is that tomcat?  I need him again.

That’s when I saw my hope.  I saw a figure in a purple shirt come around the corner.  The figure opened the door.  I quickly flew out of there.  I could feel the breeze and humidity again.  Sweet freedom.  

I returned to my home in the woods.  No cat or bird in sight so I settled down for a night of sleep.  As a moth, I know I should be out and about during the evening hours, but I have had enough adventure for the day.

The first problem to tackle was the TV issue.  We are a family of couch potatoes and the no TV thing was just too much to think about.  However, one call to customer service brought more bad news.  The receiver was having issues and a new one needed to be sent.  In just 2 FedEx delivery days, this problem would be solved.  However, that’s 2 days without TV.  And in my house, that’s too long.

The TV thing was only an issue for my husband and me.  My son was going to be at camp for a whole week.  This was the second bad thing about my day.  It was Father’s Day.  What a way to have to spend this day.  It’s supposed to be a day for the family to celebrate together, but we were taking the child away from the family on this day.  But we knew he would have a good time so we put our sadness aside, put on a happy face, and made the three hour drive to the campsite.

Once our son was safely deposited in the mountain encircled camp, we began the long journey home.  We knew there was no television, so we had to make plans for when we were home.  A stop at Blockbuster brought a DVD rental-my husbands choice.  I had to work on my demo so he chose one he wanted to watch, “Gran Tourino”.  This movie ensured that there would be noise from the television.  But the inevitable happened.  The movie ended.  The quiet managed to work it’s way into our house.  It was deafening.  

There were no sounds of our son breathing.  There were no sounds of his sock footed feet as shuffled down the hall to go to bed.  We decided to go to bed.  But we turned up the radio a little louder so that we didn’t have to listen to the lack of sound coming from his bedroom.  I remember the days before the child.  We ate, watched TV, went places, did things.  But I don’t remember any of the specific things we did.  

I dread going home all week.  There will be no one to greet me.  No one to hug me or ask a million questions that I have already answered a million times.  Maybe the TV receiver will arrive and then I will at least have the noise of the television.  But it won’t be enough to cover the silence created by the absence of our child.  Friday can’t get here soon enough.

I have used the blogs in my classroom.  I love doing this with my kids.  My second graders, even though slow typers, love to put their thoughts and ideas up on the Internet.  They love the fact that they are working like big kids.  I, of course, have told them that big kids do this and they just think they are big stuff.  My favorite part of it is the fact that I am introducing the parents to something new.  Many of these parents don’t know about these things so they are learning along with their children.  Blogging is something that the students are going to have to know how to do in the future, so starting now will make it easier for them.

The e-portfolio really doesn’t change my blog too much.  I like how it organizes my writings.  It makes me more responsible for getting pieces up so that I won’t be working like crazy when it’s time to get all the posts organized.  I think the e-portfolio will be a great way to show people what I have accomplished and all the works I have written.  I could use this format for my students as a way for the parents to view their student’s work.  I am not confident in the whole idea of portfolios so I would just use it as a way to showcase the work rather than use it for grading purposes.  It could be a way for the parents to share the work of their child also.  I might give that a try this year.  Thanks for asking that question!

My school chose writing to be the focus of improvement when we first found out that we were going to have to go through the accreditation process.  While our children wrote well and did well on the writing assessment, we knew there was a great need to improve.  We adopted an English textbook series, Shurley English, which had a writing component built into it.  There is nothing wrong with this program, but I felt that I could further enhance my instruction of writing by using technology.  There is a time and place for paper and pencil writing, but I knew that my second grade students enjoyed using computers.  This led me to try to find ways that I could make the writing process more exciting for my students.  The students have truly enjoyed the blogging and responding through wikis.  In my research, I found a quote by Miguel Guhlin that sums up the reason to use technology to enhance writing for all students “To thrive in the global economy, children must be connected and learn to coordinate their work via the Internet”  (Guhlin, 2006)      

Needs Assessment

The content of my Demo will show that writing can be accomplished in many ways.  Students need to know how to write and the use of blogs, wikis, digital storytelling, and use of pictures can be ways that students write.  I have seen students get excited about writing using technology because they knew they were going to use a computer.  Students know how to use technology, they are not afraid of it.  They live in this digital world.  In order to make learning for them and for them to make the learning their own, teachers can use technology tools like computers, websites on the Internet, and other hardware like cameras and cell phones.

Learner Analysis

The student population these activities are geared for is second grade.  These activities can be used across the curriculum.  Before I started using these techniques, students were using the five sentence paragraph form of writing.  I would show the students how to do an opening sentence, three supporting sentences, and a closing sentence.  I would also stress the need to use capital letters, proper punctuation, and correct spelling.  These paragraphs were the same every time.  The topic may have been different, but the writing was predictable and that got boring for me as well as for them.  After implementing these techniques, the students have been able to write with more freedom.  This freedom has allowed them to use words in a better manner, express themselves more freely, and feel more confident in their writing skills.  They focus on what they are writing about and they produce better work.  I think the use of computers as well as the wikis and blogs have made them feel more comfortable because that is what they are used to using every day.  

Instructional Objectives

I will demonstrate ways to enhance writing with technology.  I will show how my students have used wikis and blogs as a form of writing for in-class projects.  I will also discuss ways that pictures can be used by students in a variety of writing project or assignments.  These activities are designed to improve the writing skills, grammar, word usage, punctuation, of my second grade students as well as keep them up on the latest forms of technology so that when they get older they know how to use what is out there. 

Strategies, Practices, and Theories

 As I was reading the introduction of Literacy Moves On by Janet Evans, one thing stuck out as to why teachers need to incorporate technology.  She asks the question, “And how often do we integrate their interests in the school curriculum making them part of the teaching and learning process?” (Evans 2005)  The strategy of incorporating technology into the curriculum to improve writing is one that can make students better writers.  The students we are teaching now and the all the ones to come after them are digital natives.  We, as teachers, need to be making the learning for them, in their mode.  Their mode is digital.  The use of blogs, wikis, digital storytelling, pictures, and web quests are all ways that will foster writing and learning and technology. 

Materials

The students will need pencils, paper, computers with Internet access as well as the Microsoft Office suite of productivity programs.  They will also need digital cameras and the USB cords for uploading the pictures onto the computer.  All of these items are available at school in my classroom.  My students have access to the computer lab and a class set of laptop computers that can wirelessly connect to the network in the building. 

Implementation/Activity

For all the projects I have done with my students that I will be demonstrating, the students have done some of the work in class and some of it at home.  If there is a trade book associated with the project, the reading is done at home.  The blog and wiki entries are also done at home.  If a student is not allowed to do the blog or wiki, then the response is still done at home but on a piece of paper.  Any activities that involve Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Publisher are done in class.  I do not allow the students to transfer work from school computer to home computer and back to prevent the transfer of viruses.  I set deadlines for the work to be completed. 

For the demonstration, I will begin by discussing what drew me into trying to incorporate technology into my curriculum.  I will discuss why using technology is a good way for students to students to write and that teachers can use these methods to enhance what they are already doing in their classrooms.

I will then discuss the ways I have used blogs, wikis, digital storytelling, pictures, and other types of technology with my classroom.  Along with the discussion of what I did, I will talk about the advantages of these activities and what research has found when teachers use these.  I will also discuss some potential problems that could come along with these.  I will also discuss the ways I assess these projects and what I have learned about using rubrics with my students.

To finish up my demonstration, I will ask the members of the audience to write about ways they have used any of the applications I discussed or if they have thought of a way that they could use any of these in conjunction with a lesson they already teach.

Assessment

I have used rubrics to assess the work of my students.  I have stressed the importance of proper mechanics such as capital letters, punctuation, and spelling.  I also require my students to write in complete sentences in all the writing they do.  Because they are so young, the rubrics have been very simple.  I give each child a copy of the rubric at the beginning of the project so that they know what to expect.  On the blogs and wikis I do not grade spelling and punctuation because I allow the parents to type the answers that their child gives.  Because they are not good typists yet, I do not want them to get bogged down with hunting and pecking.  I want them to focus on the responses to the questions that I pose rather than the technical things right now.

Conclusion/Evaluation/Reflection

These forms of writing with technology are very adaptable to any age group or curriculum area.  A preschool teacher could use pictures to have young children retell a story in order.  A third grade teacher could use a webquest to have students write a persuasive paper to someone convincing them to recycle.  Middle school and high school students could work on a project that covers two subject areas, such as social studies and English, and compare The Great Depression and our current economic situation.  These discussions could be done in groups on a class wiki.  This comparison and the learning could be used by the students to create a PowerPoint on how to prevent these things from occurring again.  There are many ways to use technology to enhance writing across the curriculum. 

 Annotated Bibliography

Byrnes, Julia; Wasik, Barbara A. (2009, June 22). Picture this: using photography as a learning tool in early childhood classrooms The Free Library. (2009). Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Picture this: using photography as a learning tool in early childhood…-a0198931265

          This article discusses ways that pictures can be used with younger children.  These ways can also be adapted and modified for older students.  This is a source of ideas for digital storytelling.  

Evans, Janet (2005). Literacy Moves On. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

          This book was a great source of information about incorporating technology in literacy and writing.  The author gives a lot of support to the idea of writing with technology is a way that students are good at and that we, as teachers should do more with the methods in which they are accustomed.  I enjoyed this book because it points out all the great reasons to use technology along with traditional methods. 

Guhlin, Miguel (2006, July 1). Blogs:Webs of Connected Learning. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from Tech & Learning Web site: http://www.techlearning.com/article/5966

          This article states reasons for using blogs in class and also discusses ways to use them for professional development.  The Tech & Learning website is a great resource for any teacher wanting to use technology in the classroom.

Zawilinski, Lisa (2009, May). HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking. The Reading Teacher, 62, Retrieved June 20, 2009, from http://www.reading.org/Publish.aspx?page=RT-62-8-Zawilinski.html&mode=retrieve&D=10.1598/RT.62.8.3&F=RT-62-8-Zawilinski.html&key=CCDB968A-B22D-4207-8ADA-D2AA065803D8

          Using blogs to create higher order thinking is a great tool for any classroom.  The author gives several examples of hot HOT blogging is useful in the classroom.  “The Reading Teacher” magazine has pertinent information about topics related to reading and responding.

Click on the link below to view flier for this presentation.

 flier

I sit in the tall reedy grass. It is a hot afternoon.  The bayou sun beats down on my fur covered body.  Fortunately I am small enough that the shade of the grass keeps me cool and protected because right in front of me is the green alligator.  I have been trying to escape from him.  He stealthily makes his way through the murky black water, creating very little wake.  If I remember correctly he does that so we shoreline animals don’t detect his arrival.

The dragonflies and other insects quickly move out of his way.  I don’t think they are worried about getting eaten by this creature.  They move out of respect for his grand size.  

I can see the white, sharp teeth that stick out of his jaws.  He keeps his mouth open so he can grab a quick snack if one should become available.  His eye darts from side to side, scanning the area from the weak and unsuspecting prey.  

Although I know he holds no grudges against us shoreline creatures, he feels a great need to survive.  However, i do not wish to become the next meal on his path of survival.

I resist the urge to turn and run in the other direction.  Doing this would only draw attention to me and that could be a fatal mistake on my part.  So for now I remain absolutely still.  I wish I could warn the other creatures before it is too late; before those steely jaws are open and there is no escape.  I am hungry myself, but I am too scared.  There are tempting plants all around me, but if I make a sound, it could be my last.

So for now, I will sit here and wait for the alligator to disappear or forget about me.  Please, don’t anyone make a sound.

July 2, 2009

I was introduced to the I-Search form of writing today.  I find it very interesting so I am composing this ethnography report in the form of an I-Search paper.  

The topic I chose to research is the Summer Institute of the National Writing Project at Marshall University.  In doing my research I found that this is a group of teachers who are spending some of their time off during the summer to improve themselves and, in turn, improve their students.  I find this very admirable.  The students that will be having these teachers in the fall are incredibly lucky.  I wonder what made them come here in the first place?

The day started at 9:00 in the small conference room with all the fellows gathered around a long table.  They appear to have pens and paper ready for their first task of the day.  Someone makes note of a member who has returned after a three day absence.  I ask someone and find out that that person is Amy.   Everyone is happy that she’s back.  

The head honcho put a writing prompt on the board: My “mother” once told me….  Peggy, the head honcho, tells the group that it doesn’t have to be what your mother told you.  It could be your father, an aunt, your best friend.  I guess there has been some confusion about writing topics in the past because she also mentions that you can write about anything you want-there are no rules.  

Jill, one of the fellows, asks, “How long do we have to write?”  Peggy didn’t tell her how much time because she doesn’t want the fellows looking at the clock.  As I observed Jill, she seems content with this answer.  Maybe I will research more about the time thing in another paper.

The fellows wrote for 30 minutes.  When Peggy called time, everyones head popped up.  There were mumbles and murmurs of discontent from some of the writers when this time was up.  One of them even said, “I have to keep going.”  This writing must be powerful stuff. There is a discussion between Peggy and Beth, another leader, about Frank Lloyd Wright.  I think he might be something I need to research further also.

There were lots of pieces about moms.  The fellows wrote that their mothers had said things like look with your eyes and not your hands, don’t eat food on the toilet, breakfast is the most important meal, watch how you treat a man, turn the crock pot on at 2-no make that 7.  Mom’s also said wise things like don’t depend on a man, don’t pluck out that first gray hair because you’ll regret it, chores first, play second, and I love you.  There was one mom who is a nut job and one mom who is probably rewriting his paper as we spoke.  

There was the father who told stories and used great voices for the characters.  Somebody’s dad told horrible stories about a fire and dogs who had been put to sleep.  I do not want to research that topic any further.

There was one person who took Peggy’s advice and changed the prompt a little.  She wrote about a terrible teacher who told her not to be a teacher because she would hate it.  From all the research I’ve done, I think it is safe to assume that person’s teacher did not attend SI.

There was some high level discussion about the art of tattooing and the safe practices that should be noted before getting one.  I think I will definitely need to research that much more.

The next part happened at 10:15.  Shuang read the Ethnography from July 1, 2009.  She did a fabulous job and it was written as a story about all the fellows and their doings in Queen Peggy’s court.  Very well done, Shuang!

The group took a break.  It was now 10:30 and my research led me to learn that Megan was getting ready to do her demo.  A demo is when one of these fabulous teachers presents some of their research about a particular topic to the other teachers in the group.  I was excited to learn all that Megan had to say.

Megan began her demo at 10:40.  Her topic was the I-Search paper, the very reason I wrote this the way I did.  We started off by learning about the history of Megan’s research papers- the one about the cross-stitch seemed interesting.  We had to do a writing about one of two choices- a research paper we remember doing or one that the teachers had assigned to their students.  Everyone who wrote about the papers they did agreed that not much was learned by doing them.  Some of the teachers wrote about papers they had assigned and their frustrations with these papers.

Megan showed the fellows the theories and research behind these papers.  One of her statements from research was very interesting.  She said that Ken Macrorie, the inventor of I-Search, had said that all the years of making his students do the typical research papers had “contributed to the killing of human curiosity…”.  I agree with that statement.  When Megan had finished her demo, she was able to get some helpful advice from group members.  Great job Megan.  

Twelve o’clock was lunchtime.  Those teachers were very hungry.  Bethany’s mom made the delicious barbecue.  It was heated to the perfect temperature so her mother would be proud that she followed the directions for proper crock pot usage.  The cookies were a wonderful way to wrap up the meal.  Thank you Bethany!

Writing groups were formed at 12:45.  Each group went to their respective rooms for some talk about pieces they were working on for their portfolio.  I sat in on the group with Shuang, Beth, Mary Frances, and Anne.  They talked about some deep revision pieces and a variety of other topics.  They seem like a fun group.  I can see how the work they do together is of great benefit to them.

Another break was taken at 1:45.  Most of the fellows went back to their computers to enter some pieces into their blogs.  Once again, I am amazed at their dedication and hard work.  

Ian led the group in some technology things at 2:00.  This is a very sharp bunch of teachers.  They followed his presentation created on  HYPERLINK “http://www.prezio.com” www.prezio.com and then uploaded their digital stories to the Vimeo website.  He explained that he chose Vimeo over YouTube or TeacherTube because it was pretty and blue.  Not really.  He wanted to learn more about it and he couldn’t get YouTube to work.  So this one worked and it was easy.  Those are two very important criteria.  

Each fellow created a free account on Vimeo and uploaded their digital story to the website.  Once the videos were successfully uploaded, a link to each video was placed in the creator’s blog.  Ian’s plan is to collect them all and put them on one page.

Ian then reminded the fellows of their need to publish something to the eAnthology along with doing the exit slip for the day, and check to see if anyone posts comments about the pieces that are posted to the eAnthology.  

Peggy reminded all the fellows to bring $10.00 for the field trip to the Tea Room tomorrow.  They are going on a field trip-now that is some authentic learning.  Each person is to bring an artifact from their home.  It can be big or small or if it’s too big, a picture of this item can be brought.  

The videos slowly became available on Vimeo and the noise level in the room increased.  People were watching the videos made by the other fellows.  There was laughter and talk.  It showed the great bond that was forming between these teachers.  

The red SI tshirts were passed out.  They have a nice quote from Laura Treacy Bentley on them.  It says “In the becoming, I am transformed”.  There is a nice bridge on the back that represents the 3 states that come together to form the Marshall University Writing Project.  It’s a very nice shirt.

The day ended at 3:30.  The fellows slowly made their way out of the computer room.  Talking and laughing continued.  Some people stayed late to work.  I think the most important thing I have learned by doing this research is that a good teacher never stops learning.  I now know what drew them here in the first place.  It is the one thing they all have in common- the desire to be the best for their students.  What lucky students!

I can’t imagine doing any other job.  The seemingly boring routine of doing the same job everyday is just too much to think about.  I love the fact that every day is different.  I love the need to figure out the problems of my students and how to best teach them.  I love reading the same story every year because each year there is a totally different perspective from the children. 

Teaching is collaboration and flexibility.  I love to work with my peers.  They are a great resource of ideas about lessons or behavior modifications.  I love it when I can give ideas tothem.  Being flexible is a necessity.  Things in the classroom don’t always go as planned. 

In my second grade world, teaching is knock-knock jokes I’ve heard a million and one times, smiles about cookies, plans for birthday parties, and daily updates on what the family pet did last night. Of course there are tears when “she won’t be my friend” and gasps of horror when somebody hears the words “shut up”.  Yes- those are bad words in my world. 

But most of all, teaching is taking a child and watching them grow into something new, challenging them to see other’s perspectives, and feel everything about tlife around them.  Convincing them that there is a world out there just waiting for them to explore.

Then I can get into the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic.