The Word of the Day....Keep it Real

Well, okay...it's more than one word.

So you look at the day that is ahead of you and you realize that it looks like a mountain. Lots of steps to climb and each looks taller and steeper than the one before it.

Daunting.

As you realize that you must climb up to get to your goal you think about the steps (no pun intended) to reach your destination. What causes an ever so slight pause? Is it the constant thinking that every step might be different? Perhaps you obsess with how you must place your foot....step by step....must it be in the exact same location every time you heave youe leg forward and then up? Should you use your hands, or even a walking stick to assist you? What if you don't? My gosh..what if the weather changes?

How is one to assess such a task?

Part of me is using this loose analogy to consider how to best address the needs of my students.

I feel in part I have been obsessing with how to assess the small things, yet trying to find a way to bring in some real world applications. I want to allow students to see how what they are learning is relevant...I want to prepare them for the year 2020 and beyond, when who knows what types of careers or jobs will be available to them.

I want them to find their passion. I need to keep it real. I need to stop and consider how to best assess how each student is doing in my classroom.

Keep it simple, keep it real.

And that's the word.

Colleagues...How do you keep it real in your classroom? 

Students....how can your teachers keep it real for you?

Drop me  a note...

The word of the day.... Ooh la la!

Ooh la la! For a 'Moment of Science' you can't beat this!

Carl Sagan once queried "How many rivers we had to cross, before we found our way...check out this video...

 

His take on us on our "Pale Blue Dot" and what we will become is mesmerizing.

After much hype (albeit on my part) students at my school watched along with the world as the Space Shuttle Discovery launched today on its final mission to the International Space Station.

What made this a neat experience was the number of classrooms that voluntarily stopped what they were doing to watched something remarkable.

In a day when we can watch any launch on Youtube, it was quite a spectacle to see as the astronauts suited up and were led to the cockpit of the Discovery....I watched them off and on through three different classes and each time shared with them what they were doing (and the most popular discussion point was noting how bodily functions played out as the astronauts were strapped in for the better part of three hours). The classes loved having the monotone speakers inform us of what was transpiring..it was backgorund info that was our soundtrack as we worked on projects relating to 'Body Systems' throughout the day...I loved it!


Technology allowed us to witness a launch for the ages....it was "ooh la la' in my books as there is nothing quite like seeing a launch firsthand, watching us zoom into space to asisst in whatever experiment/repair/restocking mission we may be on.

Go Nasa...go space...go us. Ooh la la!

And that's the word.

The Word of the Day...Stars

Well, about thirty minutes ago I brought my son and wife up to see the International Space Station as it soared over head.

On an evening when there were things being done and places to go, for a moment it was one of those memorable moments...when we all just stopped and held our collective breaths as something that we all have read about and seen pictures of finally seemed so real.

It was one of those moments when a blip of light represents so much, and made us consider for the briefest of moments how amazing everything around us truly can be....this definitely will be somthing that I share with my students in class tomorrow, and I will be asking for them to remark in the sheer volume of wondrous things are around us.

Every Thursday I make an effort to bring science into my classroom from outside my classroom. A topic in the news (helloooo Christchurch..this ought to be a good discussion), an image to be shared, a website to watch and most importantly, a chance to consider something that truly amazes us.

I would not have had the chance to view it if it were not for my PLN on Twitter....thanks to those who keep me informed, in touch and most of all, in the stars.

Stars above, stars online....stars.

And that's the word.

What amazes you? This is my moment of science today....Please share yours!

The Word of the Day....Enlighten

Well...I did it.

I entered back into the Blogging Arena with a brand spanking new blog. Not sure why, but it was a natural and seamless fit. I resurrected my old blog last week and had the students comment on a post titled "collaboration"...you can see it at http://nriemann.edublogs.org.

Since then, I have observed how other teachers on my Twitter PLN have used blogs, and I have to say that there is some good stuff out there.....I suppose the reason I got away from blogs was that I did not know how to connect a blog to student learning. I did find some success, but I felt that I was too much in the drivers seat, not enough student input....I drifted away and forged ahead in new directions.

Well, the neat thing is, those new directions brought me back here...new ideas, new ways to enlighten student minds.

The word of the day (and title of this blog) is enlighten. I want students to walk away from my room mentally exhausted as they were forced to think, dialogue and collaborate.

I want to enlighten my students.

How do you 'enlighten' your students? How do you use blogs (and for that matter) any form of technology to create an environment where students can be students and not things occupying space in a chair?

Please share your thoughts...I want to think, dialogue and collaborate a I never have before....

Enlighten...and that's the word.

Blogging Begins.......now.

Moments of Science coming soon...stay tuned!