Education, Stading Style

This is an interesting slide show of technology that is pretty much done, given the nature of the world today.  Have you used any of them lately?

22 Obsolete Everyday Things

I’m done using half of them, and probably could add more if I had an iPad or iPhone.  That time time will come, though, I’m sure.

All of the documents you could possibly want (and more) are located at this website:

http://www.fur.ly/582w

You don’t even have to navigate away from that site to access the materials!

How cool is “The Cloud?”

I think I got it to work. You have to look for someone to host your RSS feed, like feedburner.com…

Answers Below Zero

(and someone tell me how to add an RSS feed to this site!)

Here’s how we peer edit in Middle School.

Peer Editing.

I’m applying for an educator account at animoto.com. I already have a personal account…it really is the coolest video site out there for ease of videos!

Not that I think students can access this on the school’s network, but I’ll post a video of my kids anyway.

http://animoto.com/play/rSzjzeTychzndMwuvodr2A

Y’all know I’m out of the classroom more than Mrs. P. Well, this last time was for the Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE) conference in Anchorage.   And let me tell you what, I promise there will be some new things coming for you in class. In all my classes.

I read this tweet yesterday…#ASTE was great! My butt is tired and my mind’s awake! Give me a few days, and I’ll let you in on what I think is some pretty cool stuff.

(http://tinyurl.com/4pnapwd)

I am a bad blogger. The people who are good at this write several times a week. Maybe my PDCA should be to blog once a month.

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I want to let you know, my Middle School Students, that I FEEL YOUR PAIN. About writing. (But it isn’t going to change me from being the Citation Nazi for the rest of your school career.)

I told you in class how I found a story I’d started like three years ago, and actually had the urge to finish it. So I’ve been writing on it. And it is hard! I have these ideas and images and plot elements in my head, but then it comes to put it on paper and it is nothing like what I’m seeing. For example, the main character shares some very significant news with her best friend…and the best I can come up with is

M. stepped over and hugged her. “Ah, I’m sorry. But girl, your life is messed up.”

T. returned her hug thankfully. “You’re not kidding.”

There should be a LOT more emotion in that.  A lot more description.  And yes, mine is a rough draft that I may never take to a final, publishable copy…but still, I want to say more and I  just end up with boring words.  Really…M. is furious at T. for the position she’s put herself in, but knows that there’s no way for T. to change things.  And she just steps up and hugs her.  Awww.  (eye roll)

So I feel your pain.  We asked you to write a Historical Fiction piece.  Some of you really got the objective of the assignment and produced a good product.  But I saw others of you just hate the assignment…because writing good (historical) fiction is hard.

I’m not sure I have any earth-shattering encouragement or reassurance for you (or if you even want any from your teacher) but I’m going to type them anyway.  You will be writing for us for the next four to five years and if you dread it as much as a Senior as you do now, we haven’t really done part of our job as teachers.  So here’s what I think will help…

Mrs. Stading’s Encouragement for Writing Fiction

1.  If you read fiction, you’ll get better at writing fiction.

2.  The more pre-planning you put into your stories, the easier they will be to write.  (Honestly, the plot map — you know,  that line that looks like a mountain? — is SO helpful.  Do it.)

3.  Give yourself time to THINK on what you are writing.  Don’t wait until the last minute.

4.  Find some way to put your personal interests into your writing.  (Admittedly, I’m going to get bored if every story you all submit is somehow related to basketball.  But if it makes you a better writer, I’ll get over it!)

5.  Collaborate about your writing.  Read it to a peer…or three, especially your peers who are readers.  Bounce ideas off someone who is interested in what you are writing.  (My sister is like, just get that story done already, as many ideas as she’s been hearing…she wants to read it.  I told her she’d read it sooner if she typed it up for me.  I haven’t heard back from her since then. :-] )

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Fiction writing doesn’t go away — you’ll be writing a myth soon — let’s learn how to do this better together.  I’ll keep at my story if you’ll strive to better writers in yours.  Deal?

This is a middle school assignment.

The winning letters are on this website.

Work hard!  Win us some money for school!

Click below for our impulsive technological moment.

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