V.R.Burton’s Blog

This post was copied from my professional blog Last summer I took part in PBWork’s Summer Camp and learned lots of resources, tools and tips to use in my class. That was also the summer of my 1st Tweet. I say my first tweet because my PLN did not blossom and bloom until I began [...]

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Third Annual Summer Camp- Limited Enrollment It’s time for the 3rd annual PBworks Summer Camp – the ultimate way for educators to learn how to use wikis in their school. Summer Camp participants will learn the ins and outs of using PBworks, including how to build a secure student-led site, the best way to integrate [...]

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I have found links to my wikis and blogs on a variety of different sites.  I have installed a FeedJit widget on my blogpages and it allows me to see how people get to my sites.  It reports the URLs for the sites that fed into my site so that I can keep track of [...]

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Recently, my son received what I expect to be the first of many scholarship offers.  I say that I expect more because he is a great, smart, clean cut student who has never been any trouble.  He is a school teacher’s son and a school teacher’s grandson so as far as I am concerned certain [...]

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I have just put in my preferences for my travel itinerary for the ISTE 2010 Convention.  This trip is a gift (prize) from the wonderful people at Intel.  I am one of twenty educators who were chosen as winners of the Intel Inspiring Educators competition.  The prize is an all-expense paid trip to ISTE 2010 [...]

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Here is my new curriculum focus for 2010: Reading, Riting, Rithmetic and Rules of blogging, commenting and netiquette.   I should be lounging and vacationing but alas I am planning, preparing, delaying (I have essays to grade.)   2010 is around the corner and I am not ready.  There are tons of things that I [...]

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Okay, once again all hail Twitter.  I found out from one of my Tweeps about  Microsoft Office 2010 Beta earlier today and I have downloaded it and I am playing.  I am in lovvvvve.  (Hopefully the love will last but for now it is sweet like the honeymoon.)  So far I have sent two blog [...]

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Please do yourself a favor and check out.  TeachersFirst: Online Tools   Be sure to bookmark this site.  Here you will find a plethora of online tools to use.  You can find everything from rubrics, interactive graphic organizers, worksheet builders, letter writer generator, posters, and a “partridge in a pear tree.”  Peruse and enjoy. 

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Here is a great resource that will allow you to create an online binder for yourself or to share with others. The Knowledge Sharing Place – LiveBinders Gathering information to share? How do you pull everything together? LiveBinders is your online 3-ring binder  Live Binders allows you to compile tons and tons of resources together [...]

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I am currently enrolled in an Online course that explores the tools and resources needed to successfully collaborate with special education paras.  So far we are in week 3 and I have learned that I know absolutely nothing useful about collaborating with colleagues. Collaborating is similar to sharing and that is a concept that I honestly [...]

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I have an English I class in a Title One labeled school.  My school was threatened with corrective action and we are striving to develop lessons and activities that motivate and engage our student body.  The school is public and contains approximately 1200 students.  The student/teacher ratio: 25:1 and our student body is comprised of [...]

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I wish we would/could….

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Evaluation time.  Week 1 is over.  I have stacked, unstacked and restacked boxes filled with our new textbooks.  I have distributed books, collected books and ordered books.  I have met, hugged, kissed, greeted, disciplined and encouraged hundreds of students.  I am exhausted.  I have 3 ninety minute freshman classes.  I expect the year to be a [...]

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Educators should be evaluated on student progress – Related Stories – Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief: “Educators should be evaluated on student progress Accomplished Teacher® by SmartBrief 08/14/2009 Teachers should be compensated based on performance, but educators should not be evaluated on the results of a single test,”How silly. An educator being evaluated on his/her ability [...]

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Find more photos like this on Classroom 2.0

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RT @keisawilliams: I am so thankful for teachers who post their lessons this thoroughly. Saves me a ton of time http://tinyurl.com/dms868 # RT @russeltarr: Making elearning books using classtools: http://tinyurl.com/r4u7k5 # @MrWCunningham I don’t think that any of us have seen so many teachers. see you in morning # @MrWCunningham Fast learner Mr Cunningham. You [...]

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Monday I go to work and have a chance to attend MANY MANY MANY professional development opportunities.  I even have to host a departmental one.  What will the days hold for us?  How much of it will be useful and how much of it will be not so useful.  I hope that my meeting will have [...]

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I am grateful for this oppotunity to share. I have adapted a new mantra this year: Sharing is learning and teaching. Sharing is hard but it allows you to see yourself and be insightful. I have spent the last year taking online courses (Google Earth, Digital Cameras, Pod/Vodcasting, Discovery Education resources, Word Walls, Wiki usage, [...]

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What is new today that was not present 20 years ago? Well that is easy: blogs, social networks, wikis, webpages, numerous Web 2.0 tools, etc.  The business world is going to require that they use these tools so I feel that it is necessary to teach them using these tools.  The traditional classroom of desks [...]

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