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I read on TeachersCorner.net about keeping records for every student no matter what: their absences, their tests, their grades, problems you've had with them, conferences, calls home etc. With 5 week reports coming up, I know that there will be at least 1 parent that I will need to call. It's so crucial to have the information to back up your points when talking to parents. That way, you have specific examples of instances you think are worth mentioning. Parents will find it harder to argue with something you say when there is concrete evidence of that fact, right in front of them, that they can actually see and read for themselves.

Helpful Networking Group

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/forums/

I've actually been using this forum since I started college as an education major. They have great ideas for lessons as well as forums where you can ask for advice or give it. I'm currently helping someone out who is writing about certain experiences for teachers. It 's a great tool. It also has a few categories in the forums that are just for fun, such as the "warm fuzzies" category. Only nice or funny things can be placed here, and it helps sometimes for those days when the kids drive you crazy! A lot of these people have been in my shoes as a young teacher and their advice is invaluable.

Social Newtorking-Analogy

A learner is like a a computer. There is a base model to start with. It has your tools that are necessary: a power cord, a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor. It also has certain programs that all computers start out with: an internet program, a Word program, a few games. Soon however, there are updates that must be installed on that computer to keep it running as best as possible. Alterations may be made, depending on the needs of the person using the computer. Perhaps more memory is added in order to make room for graphics for design. Perhaps gradebook programs are added on for the teacher to keep track of her grades. Maybe a new game is added for the gamer- a newer and better one than what he had. The latest and greatest invention in computers is essential. If you bought a computer this year, chances are that it is, or soon will be, in need of updating. It is already outdated. Today's learners are evolving so fast that they are constantly being "updated" by the world around them: people, experiences, school, their own thoughts, feelings and actions. "Constructivism assumes that learners are not empty vessels to be filled with knowledge," but all students come with something to start with, something to build on, something to contribute, like the base model computer. As educators, we intertwine the knowledge we are trying to pass on to our students with what they already posess in order to create meaning.

Parental Involvement

I can't wait for my first Open House this year. My goal is to get a blog ready for my students, and their parents, to use by then. In any teaching situation, but in an alternative education one especially, parental involvement is crucial. I've had some parents in the past who have been incredibly uncooperative, and that makes my job so much harder. I think that by getting them involved as soon as possible and as much as possible, I will have their support and their help later on.

Due 9/7/08

Three ways I can use a blog in my classroom:

1.) Daily journal entries; 5 points each; response to a quote or idea I may post. For extra credit, students may respond to their classmates' posts.

2.) Ideas for celebrating Spanish holidays: I can post a holiday that we will celebrate in class and students can respond to how they want to celebrate and sign up to bring in food, drinks, music, etc.

3.) Post an article that students should read, and respond to, to be ready for class the next day.