Happy Homecoming/Happy Halloween/Happy Teaching

Happy many things.

It is Homecoming week here at my school; many girls (and boys) walking around with mums bigger than their bodies on today! Also Halloween--had to take away a mask last class period. Distractions, distractions! How do we teach with so many distractions?

What is distracting to one is not distracting to another. In all my classes, we are using computers and Web 2.0 tecnologies to enhance the learning experience. For example--in my Sports Marketing Class, they are working on a big 9 weeks project; 12 different assignments. My cooperating teacher has posted the whole assignment on a "wiki"--it's a web based technology, like wikipedia. The students are actually creating this project on the web--you can see it at http://springwoodshs.wikispaces.com/ and by navigating under S & EM Project, then the Team Pages. Is it distracting for them? NO!! They love using all of the new technologies; they are better at it an more interested in it than a lot of long time educators, and they are all (well, most)working very hard.

No, it is not your traditional paper and pencil make a poster activity. It's innovative! I am learning so much from my cooperating teacher about keeping things new and fresh in the classroom. But there are many teachers aout there who would not attempt a project like this, out of fear and something new. Also it is "a distraction" for the students to have internet access, according to some teachers. What if they are on My Space? Facebook? You Tube? At school? Bad?

Picture this--in my Business Education Independent Study Class they are partcipating in an internet based global project called Flat Classroom http://flatclassroomproject2008.wikispaces.com/, based on the book "The World is Flat" by Thomas Freidman. As part of this project, they have created a social network (called a Ning) that looks a WHOLE lot like Facebook--the kids immediately relate to it, and are using it to connect with other students in the project all over the world. See it at http://flatclassroomproject.ning.com/ Bad? No--REALLY good!

So a long story to make a point--"distractions" can be positive. And what is a distraction to you or me is an educational opportunity for someone else.

Here's to all of life's distractions