Because I said SO

Make a difference

remember… Children + Technology = America’s Future!

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I have enjoyed viewing most of the videos. They are categorized into subject and/or topic.
Enjoy!

Here is the link for the list:

I just finished my second Science lesson using DE’s new Bill Nye’s Great Discoveries videos. I just love them. They come with lessons for the teacher including an experiment for each video. My students are engaged and even enjoy learning about Polymers and Nano-Technology. It is definitely worth checking out if you have not already.

With that said, he also has a web site worth checking out:

http://www.billnye.com/

This morning was wonderful. A beautiful sunrise over the cool, crisp Northern Rockies. Deer wandering in the field across the street. My favorite coffee was brewing and I was eating delicious honey-nut oatmeal. I was excited for the day ahead. Ready to teach a lesson on compounds and mixtures and actually excited about it. Little did I know what I had in store for the day. When I finally made it to school, everything was normal. Teachers working busily to make copies and prepare for the day. Students wandering the halls, trying to be unnoticed so they could stay inside, away from the cold weather. Then as I came closer to my room, the smell hit me. I went near the door and I felt heat and saw bellowing steam pouring out of underneath my door. I unlocked it and my automatic lights turned on to a steam-filled room with temperatures somewhere in the 90′s. I threw my bag down and screamed “HOLY CRAP, HOLY CRAP, HOLY CRAP!!!!” I then, ran straight to the office and begged for some help for an EMERGENCY. It may seem a little dramatic but I had cords and outlets on the floor in the water! I was very worried. I have A LOT of new technology in my room that is near and dear to me, not to mention I basically remodeled my room this past summer with new carpet and all. Thankfully, winter break is upon us and I have time to salvage what I can. They can fix the pipes that heat my room with hot water during break also. My biggest worry is my PRECIOUS SMARTBOARD!!! I use it everyday and use it with DE at least twice a week. I can only hope and pray to the Good Lord and ask for his blessings during this time of year. I can truly say that all I want for Christmas is my ROOM back!

Take a look below…
click here to see a quick video of my classroom

This past Thursday, I received a surprising heavy package. I had no idea what it was until I opened it. Inside was a nice Thank You note from Kim Randall. My 2nd period students were treated to a wonderful COOKIE surprise. These cookies were HUGE, I probably should have cut them in half. Then I thought, how often do we get to truly indulge in such a selfish splendor. I am glad that I chose to gave one HUGE cookie to each student. Here is the thank you video and slideshow I made in honor of this unforgettable event.

I am finally back to blogging and updating after a few weeks away from computer problems. While I was offline I discovered:

1. how much I rely on my computer
2. that I should ALWAYS BACKUP my work
3. keep precious digital pictures on a site like flickr as well as saved on an external hard drive
4. that I will never treat my electronics as I once did (I can truly be abusive)
5. I hate paper… anything!

So glad to be back!

Last year I did a project (named after my Golden Retriever Dozer) where Dozer Jr. spent a day at each student’s house. The students filmed his experiences, as well as, wrote a diary excerpt. We posted our final work on the following site: http://sites.epals.com/bakkenblog/

The students had to learn the following to complete the project.

• How to run a Sony HandyCam
• Upload to Windows Movie Maker (and inadvertently learned about codecs)
• Edit in Movie Maker
• Upload videos to YouTube and TeacherTube
• Write a diary entry
• Use proofreading skills
• Type diary entry in Microsoft Word and use editing tools
• Learn about basic blogging skills
• Insert Hyperlinks from their diary entries to their videos

My students say that this was their favorite project of the year. I am looking forward to continuing this endeavor with my class this year.