Blogging !! or BLAHH BLAAHHH BLLAAAHHH

Ok, so I have wondered for a long time now, why are we blogging.  How is this going to help us with our teaching skills.  Why don’t we just write papers and send them in on Blackboard like all of the other teachers do.  I don’t think I was the only one thinking this, but maybe I am.  Well, I think that I just figured out why.  So Nate, correct me if I’m wrong, but it is to learn even when we are not taking classes.  For instance, the article I received from Tappedin, I would have never read had I not been a member of that group in tappedin.  It is also a great way to get a lot of great information that is out there on the web without having to do all the leg work (so to speak).  Ok, some of this I figured out earlier and some of you are probably thinking, you big idiot, I figured that out months ago.  Hey what can I say, I’m slow.  But I think I finally got the big picture when the article came to me and I didn’t have to do anything but click on the link.  I also got an overview of the afticle before I clicked on the link to make sure that was what I wanted to read. It is a time saving mechanism to help us be more informed with less of our time involved.   Thanks Nate, to bad it took me a year to learn.  Ohh, one more thing I have to tell on myself about.  I remember Nate saying last semester that he hoped we kept blogging.  I thought to myself, what is he crazy, I’ll never blog on my own without an assignment.  Now, after my AHAAA moment, will be keeping up my blog in the future.  I may not blog like I am now, but I will be reading and commenting on other blogs of interests and posting to my blog anything I find good.  That way everyone can lean more and I can look back at my blogs to find any article that I need when I need it.  Well, better late than never!!

Making it relevant

I was emailed this article from the Tappedin group I’m a part of and it seemed perfect for what we are discussing.  You can read the whole article here.  The article is about a different way of teaching math.  Some teachers are teaching  Social Justice Math.  The teachers are relating all their material to the world around them and what is going on currently in the news. On several occations the students took more action like marching in the “take back the night” march and providing mathematical facts to why an incineration plant shouldn’t come to their town.  This article also talks about how some people feel that it is an unacceptable way to teach math.  I think that it is a wonderful way for students to become successful members of society and learn about math at the same time.  I feel that students today don’t have the same mindset as we did as children.  The students now only think about how they can get what they want.  It seems that they are only interested in doing anything if it will benefit them in some way.  I am surprised daily at the lack of respect students have for each other, me, and themselves.  I happened to mention it the other day with another teacher in my classroom who chimed it to agree that students are very disrespectful toward teachers now.  I would like to think that I am respectful towards them and have earned their respect, but it is hard to tell if I have or not by the students actions. But I have gotten away from the point.  The article seems to have a firm grasp on a class that could not only teach math, but could allow the students to feel connected to their community and America.  I feel we could really use a good dose of American Spirit in our schools today. 

Snow day

I am off again on another snow day.  At this rate I’ll still be in school in the middle of June.  I am falling behind.  I just wanted to make sure that it is normal to be so far behind you don’t know what to do first.  I have been reading the book by Papert and discussing it.  I hope that is what we are supposed to do.  I have not seen anything new on the course documents in blackboard to do and I have several projects I am working on for the 2 PD’s that are comming up that I have gotten homework in.  I get his way just about this time every semester.  It is half way throuhg the semester when I begin to wonder if I got myself in over my head.  Then, after I complain and blog about it, I feel better and go on with my assignemtns and somehow get them done.  I hope that the getting the assignments done everytime works this semester since I am in a really big hole this time.  Anyways, I was just complaining a little.  Hope everyone else is doing well and on top of things.