From Room 36

'Twas the Night Before School

2010-08-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

'Twas the night before school.... Ok, I'm not feeling creative enough to finish that. As I stare down the last few hours before the first day of school, the same feelings and emotions seem to rattle around my brain every year. I remember when I was a student, the nerves and the excitement bubbling just under a cool, calm, exterior. Laying out the clothing the night before. New, but not too new, trendy, but too trendy. A million thoughts and questions racing through my brain about teachers and classes. I saw that very same look in the eyes of my children tonight.

The start of this year is little different for me as I have a student teacher in my classroom. Student teaching a necessary and productive evil. I've been at this long enough to have forgotten more students than I can remember, but I still remember every little incident from my student teaching experience. I recall stories about kids or about something they wrote. The same events have happened repeatedly over and over through the years, but that first time when a kid "gets it" is a pretty cool feeling and makes you realize you have one of the coolest professions in the world. Although the start of the year is different this time around, all of those same feelings and nerves remain.

My youngest will be in Kindergarten, a goal she has strived for years to reach if one really needs to strive to be five :-). I remember watching her cry when her sister started school and she couldn't because she was two years too young. Now is her time to be filled with wonder. Racing home and repeating the words of her teacher verbatim and placing her on the same pedestal reserved for the worlds greatest minds. It will be the same reactions her sister has had the last two years. They are both blessed to have talented and energetic teachers once again this year.

So here is to a good first day. One that will be filled with excitement and nerves, exploration and discovery, and hopefully more great memories.

Favorite Ed Tech Tools LiveBinder

2010-07-06T01:47:00.001-05:00

LiveBinders is one of my favorite tools for keeping organized.It's a 3-ring binder for the web.

Favorite Ed Tech Tools

Initial Thoughts on the New Edmodo App

2010-06-30T17:29:00.002-05:00

Edmodo has released their new app for iPhone/iPod Touch and is available in the iTunes App store for free. My initial reaction is wow. It blows the mobile website out of the water for ease of use and its ability to communicate with users. Communication is where this app shines so far. Since I'm on summer vacation, there are some things I haven't been able to try out, so this isn't really a full or complete review. Users do not have access to the more advanced features like the library, the ability to upload files, or being able to grade assignments on the app. You can't access the calendar either. Users do have the ability to view uploaded files though. I would love to see a more full featured version, but at this point I'm fine with what it offers. The only gripe I have is a little one, and it may just be my sometimes finicky first generation iPod Touch, but the app doesn't appear to work in landscape mode to read posts. It does however work in landscape mode to type a note or reply. I don't have access to an iPad to see how the app works and looks on that device. If the development of this app moves as rapidly as the website and service as whole and becomes full featured, it will quickly catch on as how teachers and students access Edmodo. Edmodo initially bridged the gap between social networking and education. This app is a step forward towards bridging the gap between mobile computing and classroom instruction.

Download the App from the Apple iTunes Store

A few screenshots

Jim Hill Literacy Camp 2010

2010-06-22T17:23:00.001-05:00

Guest Blog Post on the Edmodo Blog

2010-06-11T16:55:00.000-05:00

I was asked by Jeff O'Hara at Edmodo to write a guest blog post about my Edmodo experiences. Here is the link to the Edmodo Blog, but I figured why not post it here too. Don't know why it was easier to write for someone's else blog, when all I ever do is post videos to my own. Haha. Oh well.

I started using Edmodo in late fall of the 2008-2009 school year at Jim Hill Middle School in Minot, North Dakota where I teach 8th grade Language Arts. After spending just a few minutes “playing” with the service and seeing the capabilities, I quickly realized what an invaluable tool this could be to my classroom. I immediately liked the social network interaction Edmodo provided. It was more rapid than what we had previously used. Discussions and running dialogues occurred in an open space and when needed a student and teacher could have a private conversation too. I liked the ease of uploading, sharing, and exchanging files. I liked the fact that I could put an assignment there, grade it there, and the kids could get their results and feedback there. The notifications feature allowed not only for myself to learn of new posts, but students too. Parents could easily access the public page for their child’s group and receive information also. One stop, ease of use, I was sold. I was not the only voter though, as with any classroom integration, students’ reactions would be the ultimate test.

I decided to start small by setting up only one class on a Monday, an Advanced 8th grade Language Arts class. “Good kids,” who would also be understanding and patient if things went off track or failed miserably. The sign-up process was fast, simple, and in a matter of minutes students were busy changing their avatars. Once we were up and running, discussions and sharing were taking place seamlessly, it was obvious Edmodo had passed the student test.

As word spread to my other classes about Edmodo, it didn’t take long to realize every class was going to want to be able to try it for themselves. By Wednesday of the same week, I had 6 groups (classes) registered and actively using Edmodo. The results were the same as with the first group.

Those initial six groups gravitated towards Edmodo and as the year progressed it became the main source of our online electronic communication and a collaborative workspace in our classroom. We held discussions, shared links, turned in a number of reflective pieces of writing, and used the embed feature to publish completed projects for classmates to see. Not only did it pass the student test, it had taken on a life of its own. Edmodo became a verb in our room the same way Google had for search a few years earlier. Students appreciated that it was “our space” and not necessarily shared with other classes or the rest of the world. A sense of community was forming around the groups.

The spring of the year brought Edmodo 2.0 and a whole new set of features that students gobbled up. Edmodo 2.0 brought SMS and Twitter notifications, and a document reader that could read the most common documents we posted right within Edmodo. The service didn’t stop there, though, and added more features for teachers too. It was becoming apparent that Edmodo wasn’t going anywhere and that Edmodo listened to the wants and needs of teachers and students alike.

As the year ended, and it came time to archive the groups for the summer, students bemoaned the fact that they may not have a service like Edmodo next year as they moved into the high school.

Over the summer Edmodo continued to evolve and improve and I looked forward to the start of this school year and using Edmodo with all of my classes again. The student reaction was much the same if not more excited after hearing comments from previous students. Students immediately commented on how Facebook looks like Edmodo or vice versa. The Social Studies teacher I team with jumped on board using Edmodo after hearing the positives from students and exploring it for himself. Students now had two classes taking advantage of the service. Within a few weeks, under pressure from the students, the Math teacher on our team joined as well. The move for both of those teachers was a positive one and something they were glad they did. Both plan to continue to use the service in the future.

The 2009-2010 school year brought a few new challenges and a few new uses for Edmodo. Our school was hit this the fall with an outbreak of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu). We had a number of students who were forced to stay home for days and in a few cases weeks. Edmodo allowed those students to still communicate with their classmates and teachers. They took advantage of knowing the lesson for the day along with any files, links, and even discussions were available to them. They liked that they could ask questions and get help not only from me, but also their classmates.This was something the parents of those students also appreciated.

This year I used Edmodo much of the same way we did the previous year in my classes, but I took greater advantage of the features of Edmodo. Our school started its own Twitter account for school announcements. Twitter is a service I love, but it doesn’t really excite middle school students much. The information in those tweets was pertinent though, so I used the RSS feature in Edmodo to be sure my students wouldn’t miss out. We used the poll feature as a springboard to discuss controversial current event articles. We also used the embed feature considerably more to bring other tech tools into our space. We used it to embed Google forms that we used for surveys and quizzes. We embedded our classroom Google calendar. Wallwisher, Glogster, and student made media projects, as well as YouTube videos often found their way into the groups using the ability to embed content.

The new use for Edmodo this year came from a need of our school literacy committee, of which I am a member. For a number of years, and with moderate success, we have conducted after school book clubs for students.These clubs faltered not from a lack of student desire to participate, but from the limited amount of time our students had available. A large percentage of our students participate in after school activities and are unable to meet with a traditional after school group. Enter Edmodo. We decided to move our monthly book clubs this spring to an online format using Edmodo. We conducted ten simultaneous book club groups for our students each month using Edmodo. Students loved being able to discuss the books online and took advantage of sharing and embedding related resources for their book. Along with being able to participate in book clubs using a computer to access Edmodo, members who had an iPod Touch or an Android cellphone were able to participate using yet another new feature, the Edmodo mobile website.

My experiences and the experiences of my students with Edmodo have been incredibly positive. Unlike other tools I have used with my students, Edmodo was built with teachers and students in mind from the start. The strength of Edmodo is in its ability to adapt to any class, course, club, or situation. The service satisfied our needs from the start for a communication and collaboration platform, but has become so much more. It has continued to grow and improve and I know more teachers in my building and within our school district as a whole will be using Edmodo next year and in the future for the same reasons.

Thomas Scheeler
8th grade Language Arts
Jim Hill Middle School
Minot, ND
Twitter: tscheeler

Rory Sutherland: Sweat the Small Stuff

2010-06-10T22:15:00.000-05:00

The entire talk is rather good, but I really see the connection to education and not only business and government at the 8:50 mark to the end of the video.

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution!

2010-06-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of the TED talks and in particular the ones given by Sir Ken Robinson. He gets it and throws in a healthy sense of humor to boot.

You Tube Tools for Schools

2010-05-13T16:07:00.000-05:00

Steve Jobs to Nike: "Get rid of the crappy stuff."

2010-04-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

As we move forward in our PLC process and develop our essential learnings, I think this video is pretty relevant. I think some days the same could be said for some of our students, but education is not like a business and we have to keep them all. I'll keep it positive and just think of the curriculum.

A Different View of the Oil Boom

2010-04-21T22:58:00.001-05:00

Did You Know 4.0

2010-04-09T15:48:00.000-05:00

Celebs Come Out to Support Education in California

2010-04-08T11:19:00.000-05:00

Hot for Teachers w/ Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green from Megan Fox

As I view student posts tonight this poem came to mind. "The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI

2010-04-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

John Wooden on true success | Video on TED.com

2010-03-25T00:22:00.000-05:00

Henry Jenkins Interview Short (He gets it)

2010-03-07T22:01:00.000-06:00

Online Book Clubs

2010-02-26T16:32:00.000-06:00

As of today, our school online book clubs are now up and running. I am pretty excited to see how it goes the first time around. Previously clubs met face to face after school, which was successful, but limited the participation of seventh and eighth graders who were involved in after school activities.

We decided to use Edmodo as our platform for discussion as a fair number of students are familiar with the user interface. Edmodo also allows groups to take advantage of posting polls, sharing files or video clips, and of course threaded discussion.
Each group consists of a nice mix of students in grades 6-8 and one group discussion leader. Each book club will "meet" for one month and then students will have the opportunity to join and participate in another group.
I think we have a nice selection of books to start and I hope school monies or a sponsor will be available to expand the list very soon. Our current list includes Woods Runner, Among the Hidden, The Boy in Striped Pajamas, The Lightning Thief, and The Hunger Games.

Any suggestions for future titles?

Techno Teaching: Featuring Edmodo from ABC 7 in Chicago

2010-02-09T23:07:00.000-06:00

Google Buzz

2010-02-09T13:52:00.001-06:00

Rethink?

2010-02-01T22:37:00.001-06:00

Who wants $5?

2010-01-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

In Honor of Apple's Next Big Announcement

2010-01-26T21:10:00.000-06:00

Gever Tulley on 5 dangerous things for kids | Video on TED.com

2010-01-25T14:37:00.000-06:00

I know I should actually find time to write, but between all of my activities right now it just seems easier to share instead.

Gever Tulley on 5 dangerous things for kids | Video on TED.com

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

2010-01-24T01:24:00.000-06:00

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Voicethread

2009-10-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

I received permission to purchase two classroom licenses for Voicethread. I have heard many positive comments from my PLN on Twitter about this tool. I have several ideas on how we are going to be able to use this tool in our class. Watch for Voicethread in the next couple of weeks.

The Direction We Should Be Moving

2009-09-29T22:11:00.000-05:00

Day one

2009-08-27T19:27:00.000-05:00

The first day of school is always an exciting one. Today we worked on making sure each student had a working edutech e-mail address and went to the library to select books. On Friday, as with everyday, we will start class by free reading. Each student must read one book per month and at the the end of the month complete a one-pager (from Readicide). We are also going to start working with edmodo and completing an embedded student survey. Lots of tech early, but it kind of lays the ground work for what tools we will be using this year.

Ready, Set....Should Be Ready in a Week

2009-08-17T17:52:00.000-05:00

I was excited to get some work done in room 36 today, but I have now learned it won't be ready for another week. I guess they still need to remove supplies and clean. They used it as the supply room. That gives me just a couple of days before the students come to get ready. Yikes! It is going to be very busy next week.

Testing Cover it Live

2009-07-29T15:28:00.000-05:00

Test

edmodo 3.0

2009-07-29T14:44:00.000-05:00

I am getting really excited for the release of edmodo 3.0 and maybe even a little more excited for the premium features that will be released later this Fall. Edmodo has really changed the way I do things in the classroom and how I communicate with students. I think students enjoy the gui too.

Getting the Itch

2009-07-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

I have to admit it....I'm getting the itch to get back in the classroom. I might have to start working in my classroom during the evening a few nights just to scratch it.

Summer

2009-06-06T16:18:00.001-05:00

Summer vacation is finally here. Time to recharge the battery for next year and figure out what I will be doing differently next year. For the first time in several years I will not be found in summer school though. I am taking a much needed break and doing something different. I am working for a weed and soil sterilization company. We spray weeds and sterilize soil so that nothing will grow. Most of our work is with the oil industry around well sites and terminal stations. Very different work from what I do from August through May to say the least. Hope you all have a great summer. Take care and we'll see you next Fall.

Time Flies

2009-04-30T22:29:00.001-05:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Students are still working on
their Me Projects. We need to spend a little more time editing next
week and will probably end up printing paper copies to do it. I wanted
to avoid using paper, but I think we need to. They are sharing their
writing, but not taking the time to help each other. Typing this post
on iPod Touch. I like my full qwerty and tactile feel of my BlackBerry
keyboard much more. The iPhone isn't for me I'm affraid.

Sent from my iPod

Projects, Etc.

2009-04-14T23:36:00.001-05:00

The writing portion of our "Me" project is moving along. We have been peer editing using Google Docs, but I think students are too concerned with their own work and just giving quick feedback. We need to be more meaningful and helpful. Editing needs to be not only about content, but finding and correcting grammatical mistakes.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

New Teacher

2009-04-05T17:28:00.001-05:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to sit in on the interviews for a new 8th grade Language Arts teacher at our school. The quality of the candidates exceeded my expectations and all represented themselves very well. Jim Hill is a wonderful place to work and I am sure that's why we had such highly qualified and motivated applicants.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Trying out Vlingo on my cell phone

2009-04-03T23:17:00.001-05:00

Vlingo is a free application for BlackBerry cell phones that is allowing me to speak this blog post. I can see where this would be practical for use while driving or taking notes. The application allows you with the push of a button to record voice to text SMS messages, e-mail, voice memos, and several other functions.

*** Composed with vlingo for BlackBerry. http://www.vlingo.com/voice

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Let the Fun Start

2009-04-02T17:10:00.001-05:00

Students started using iWeb and scanning pics today. I think the size and scope of this project is finally starting to hit home. We have a third of the writing completed and will be half done by the end of next week. Excited to see it progress as we have never tried it this way before.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Me Digitally

2009-03-31T19:45:00.001-05:00

We are a couple of weeks into the project now and finishing our third chapter/web page of writing. We are using Google Docs to have the students peer edit their writing. I have been peaking in on a few drafts out of each period and so far so good. Mr. Webb is connecting scanners in my room as I write this and in the next few days we will start working on the iWeb portion a bit. I am going at a little quicker pace, but I want to allow for any tech issues that may arise.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Recovery Week

2009-03-29T15:34:00.001-05:00

It took me the whole week to recover from my vacation, but that doesn't mean we slowed down in class. The week started with Mr. Webb sharing with our class how to use and more importantly save iWeb pages to the server for our "Me...Digitally" project. All of the writing for the project will be done using Google Docs and peer edited using the collaboration feature . The entire project with the exception of the assignment sheet will be done paperless. In addition to having the finished page uploaded as part of the district website, students will receive a cd copy of their project.

We have started working on the novel Stargirl and we always have some fun with that too. Hard to believe we are in the closing stretch of the school year. In a week or two I will sit down and plan things out all the way up to the last day. Amazing.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Snow Day

2009-03-25T00:33:00.001-05:00

I think this is the first time I can remember Minot Public Schools dismissing school once we have been in session. Weird. A few more inches of snow tonight, but we will have school on Wednesday. The funny part is the roads will actually be worse in the morning because the plows will not have done my street.

What a Big Monday!

2009-03-16T22:45:00.001-05:00

80s day was a smash hit. Very impressive 80s outfits and hair on many students. It was an even bigger hit for me personally. I found out that I will be attending the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championships in Minneapolis on Friday with Mr. Gerding and Mr. DeLorme. What a thrill for this coach, being able to watch NDSU in their first tournament against my favorite team the University of Kansas. I plan on setting up another mobile blog to archive my experiences and travels. I'm as giddy as a kid on Christmas.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Selection Sunday and The Week Ahead

2009-03-15T19:11:00.001-05:00

Well this is a busy week. Review for Anne Frank test on Monday with a worksheet and a flash based online Jeopardy game. I thought about using Notebook and my Smartboard, but the online one looks like fun.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Saturday Diversion

2009-03-14T08:36:00.001-05:00

Ah Saturday. Time to recharge the battery for the week ahead and what a busy week it will be. Had a great school party last night to kick off the weekend. Always nice to see students having fun and interacting with each other outside of the classroom and the student/staff volleyball tourney did that. Enjoy the day.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

That Thing

2009-03-12T21:21:00.001-05:00

"Hey, Scheeler, when is that one thing due." It is amazing how many times a day I hear this phrase. I need a tech solution. I keep an online calendar, so that's not it. I have thought of setting up a Google Calendar students and parents could subscribe to, but I don't know if they would check it.
It is not that they forget, they just can't remember. Now if they could subscribe to text message reminders and I could text a private group 24 or 48 hours before a deadline, that may work. I know I have a link around here somewhere for something like that.
Now for myself I am going to experiment with http://www.rememberthemilk.com

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

I'm Back!

2009-03-11T14:31:00.000-05:00

I survived today. The temp in my room was a scorcher today and I actually thought at one point my fever was coming back. Nothing an open window couldn't fix. Turned out there is an issue with the heaters. My room topped out in the low 80s.
Busy week ahead with the end of the nine weeks. With five feet of snow out my classroom window and -10 degree weather it just doesn't seem anywhere near Spring.

Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Tech Showcase

2009-03-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

The turn out was low, but the presentations were great. It is my pleasure and honor to work with such a great staff. I made it through the whole hour, but I am one tired dude.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Tech Showcase Prep

2009-03-10T17:40:00.001-05:00

Looks like I am going to be talking about glogster tonight. Short and sweet, which is good because my energy level is fading fast. I hope they have a good turn out of parents and staff tonight.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Another Sick Day

2009-03-10T12:10:00.001-05:00

Home for day two. Probably the right decision, I still can't shake the fatigue. I will be attending our PTA Tech Showcase this evening and plan on being back in school dead or alive on Wednesday. I might have to shoot off a blog post during the showcase tonight.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Sick Day

2009-03-09T13:42:00.001-05:00

I'm home sick today, which is no fun. Hopefully I will be back on my feet on Tuesday for PTA Tech Showcase.

First Mobile Post

2009-03-09T00:46:00.001-05:00

This is my first post on my new mobile blog. Posts will be short, 150 characters or less if sent via MMS. Longer posts will be sent via a cell phone using e-mail. Hoping for the best out of this experiment.

Mobile Blog

2009-03-09T00:18:00.000-05:00

The majority of the writing on this site will be done using my cell phone. Using a cell phone to create this blog will allow me to capture events, ideas, or moments in near real time. This will be an experiment in using cell phones in schools.