Education Weekly: Should Teachers Have the Right to Bear Arms?

After reviewing the discussion forum, I realized how much this topic affects me on a personal level. Recently, my life was verbally threaten (as well as other students in my classroom) by another student.  There was even a detailed plan of how he was going to carry out his actions.  Legally, I discovered that I have no rights as a teacher and I can not take any action to protect myself or my other students.  Other than a short-term suspension, the student was allowed to return to the school and my classroom.  I am not able to have this student searched before entering the school and no actions can be taken until he/she brings a weapon or follows through with the threat (need to have probable cause).
My job as a teacher is to educate my students as well as provide them with a safe environment to learn.  I don't feel like I am able to provide my students with a safe environment to learn when students are aloud to make threats to shoot others.  Do I agree that staff should have the option to carry a concealed weapon in school, no, but I think the consequences for verbal threats should not be taken lightly.  Teachers should have the right to have students searched (at minimum) if they make verbal threats to harm others. 
  

ReadWriteWeb: Cellphones in the Classroom: Distraction or Tool?

After reading the article written by Audrey Watters about the concern of cellphones in the classroom, it made me think about the debate happening in our building over YouTube videos.  Teachers have been longing for the use of technology tools in their classrooms and a majority of the teachers in my building want to be able to access these resources for instructional purposes.  YouTube has been blocked for both teachers and students along with many other controversial sites on the Web.  Within our building teachers have been granted permission to use YouTube as an educational resources, but they will be responsible for monitoring student access.  While I am extremely excited to have this tool at my fingertips, I am also nervous about the liability to protect my students from the dangers it could bring.  So the idea of allowing cellphones at school may be a scary concept for educators.  While there are many potential uses for them in the classroom (calendar for homework documentation or calculator use, etc.), I feel the potential risks (privacy from photos, texting distractions, bullying, etc.) at this point out weigh the positives.

Edutopia: Learning Style

There has been huge debate over exercise and academics.  After having a Professional Development day this past Friday, I can relate to students needing movement to stay focused.  As an adult it is difficult to sit in a chair for hours and pay attention to the learning topic or discussion for the day.  So our students need to have time built in their day to release as well.  According to a survey conducted by Sara Bernard most people would agree that physical activity improves student focus.  Not every student has the opportunity or desire to have physical education as part of their daily curriculum, so it is up to the teachers to incorporate physical movement into their daily routine.  This may be an easy task for elementary teachers, so secondary teachers may have more of a challenge in front of them.  We have four elementary schools for our district and each of them have added exercise in their morning routine for students.  Does anyone have suggestions for secondary educators?

Education Week: School Start Times

It seems like the older we get or the busier our lives get, we get less sleep.  How many of us would benefit from just one more hour of lying in our warm, comfortable beds?  According to an article titled, "Canadian Schools Finds Later Start Times Means Better Grades" by Trish Crawford, they feel later start times are important for increasing academic growth.  In theory this sounds like a great solution, soI ask myself why don't we try this here?  While I think data could show that young adults are alert and eager to learn later in the day versus first thing in the morning, I still don't think this is the answer.  Even as an adult, if I know that I can sleep in an extra hour or two, I end up going to bed an hour or two later.  So if we push school start times back, I think this will just justify young teenagers to stay up a couple of extra hours playing video games.  I think we need to hold parents accountable for poor sleeping habits and turn off those video games!

Edutopia: Have Students Sketch to Kill the Prewriting Jitters

I can't say enough about WRITING.  This is a huge weakness for my students and for myself.  Being a special education teacher, most of my students are reading below grade level and therefore their writing abilities mimic their reading scores.  This article written by Todd Finley discusses a pre-writing strategy teachers can do to help struggling writers overcome "what" to write about.  The article suggest having students sketch out a picture to help with the "blank-page-syndrome."   I have used this strategy before in my classroom and for some it was a great tool to help them focus on a specific topic or a starting point.  Some helpful hints noted in the article were:  model an example first and to ask questions about the students pictures to get them ready to write. 

Read Write Web: A Future Without Personal History

This article written by a 16 year-old boy named Michael Moore-Jones talks about his experiences with technology.  A life full of Facebook messages, IMs, Skype, Twitter ....and so on.  He highlights how his generation's form of communication has always been using some type of digital medium. I couldn't imagine never writing a letter to a loved one.  As technology continues to grow and expand, will this replace our ability to communicate with others socially?  There is something to be said about making a personal connection with another person with face-to-face interaction.  While communication via email, IM, or texting may be faster, picking up the phone or connecting face-to-face builds trust.  If you ask me, there is no substitute for personal communication.  

Education Week: YouTube Video

After reviewing the article in Education Week titled "Alabama Student Punished for YouTube Video" by the Associated Press it made me view the advances in technology as a negative change.  Just when I begin to think that the power of technology is amazing, you hear another story about how the use of technology was abused and another person's privacy was invaded.  Technology has brought many great things to this world including advances in medicine, education, and modern day convenience of paying bills online or chatting with someone around the world.  Yet, technology has also brought negative influences into the lives of individuals and allowing students to use this tool within the learning environment can be extremely challenging.  Like many other tools, you have to teach young learners how to use it in a positive way and warn them of the negative effects. 

Edutopia: Development

I found the article written by Maurice Elias titled "Social, Emotional, and Character Development:  The Heart of Student Learning" helpful in justifying the struggles of at-risk students.  As teachers we feel the pressures that are placed upon us from the world to make sure every young adult has equal opportunities to become successful.  The ever so increasing demands of teaching content continue to increase as we continue to push more and more academic pressures on young learners.  As an educator, my job is to provide a fun and safe learning environment while implementing instruction that encourages students to develop and grow within their academic potential.  The question then becomes, how can teachers do their jobs when the basic needs of students have not been met in the home?  On a daily basis, students enter the academic arena without breakfast, clean clothes, a warm bed to sleep in, or a safe home environment.  If students' emotional and physical needs are ignored then learning will continue to take a back seat to education.  The solution to guarantee a chance for an equal opportunity for all learners is to first balance (equalize) their physical, emotional, and social needs first.

Read Write Web: Infinite Family's EzNet

After reading the article by Curt Hopkins titled "Virtual Mentoring Lessons the Burden on Kids in South America" it reminded me that there are so many kind-hearted people in the world.  When listening to the news, especially the recent events in Tucson, Arizona, you capitalize on the evil events that happen around the world.  Too often those events are highlighted and are given too much attention while those positive experiences are ignored.  The Infinite Family's EzNet is a tool used to strengthen and build positive relationships with trained mentors.  It provides South African teens with opportunities to share favorable experiences both socially and academically.  As I take what I have learned from this article into my teaching experience, I have to remind myself that my students view me as their mentor.  Their experiences in my classroom need to be productive and useful.  As I continue to invite technology into the classroom arena, I have to remind myself to not give up and seek support from my mentors and fellow colleagues.