Jess+L.

Day 1

I teach 4th grade in the North Penn SD at Walton Farm Elementary. Last year I had 29 kids, this year I had 28 and as of last week I'm down to 27. I love teaching fourth grade because the kids are excited to learn and willing to try new things. They are quite chatty this year and keep me on my toes, but they all have different personalities that keep our class interesting. I use a cooperative learning approach where the kids sit in pods. We rotate pods occasionally so that every child has the opportunity to work with others who have different things to bring to the 'table'. I am fortunate to have a smartboard in my classroom. Technology is our present and future and having a smartboard with several classroom computers allows me to expose my children to new ways of learning and assessing. In December I started a class moodle site where my students can interact with one another in a safe environment. We use forums, post projects, share ideas, and practice vocabulary. Soon they will learn how to upload assignments. In addition to being a mentor to a new teacher, I am also on our Olweus committee. Just last week we had our big school kick-off last week.

I am a mom to a 4 year old boxer named Bruiser. He has tons of energy and is really like our child. He might even sleep in our bed. He has the greatest personality. When we come home he chases his tail - we think he has phantom tail syndrome. He howls only when he hears sirens outside. Boxers are the most wonderful breed of dog and we look forward to owning another.

5 (new technologies to share)- edu.glogster.com, xtranormal.com, titanpad.com, prezi.com, pictlits.com 4 (ideas to share with others)-concept of bottom-up and top-down, edu.glogster.com, diigo.com, google docs to share in rela time 3 (principles of UDL) -recognition networks, strategic networks, and affective neural networks 2 (changes in your teaching to reach all learners in the digital age) - consider alternate ways to present learning, design alternate assessment choices for students 1 (BIG idea) - edu.glogster.com to present new information

DAY 2

What is UDL? UDL is, very basically, differentiated teaching where the lessons are designed around various technological tools. UDL is how teacher's should be instructing their students in the 21st century.

5(new technologies to share)- comicbeliefs.com, google.sky.com, worldwidetelescope.org, edutopia.org, bibme.com 4 (ideas to share with others)- comicbeliefs.com, google.sky.com, worldwidetelescope.org, edutopia.org 3 (principles of UDL) - differentiated instruction, focus on one unit or several lessons and not all, 2 (changes in your teaching to reach all learners in the digital age) - focus on several lessons or a unit and not all, comic strips 1 (BIG idea) - using google products for science

Day 2 continued

5 - wikispaces, blogging, flip videos (careful with format), thinkquest, yogabbagabba.com 4 - wikis, blogging to answer questions, videos on yogabbagabba, presentation tools 3 - multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement 2 - use teachertube or schooltube paired with photostory, generate blog questions as homework 1 - just differentiate

Yet another...

5 - i will integrate many of the sites I have found and recorded in the past two hours 4 - I will share this list with my colleauges 3 - UDL principles are the same as above 2 - see #5 1- see #1's from previous 5,4,3,2,1s and see #5

Sat 2.26.11 5 - blabberize, wonder wheel, webmath.com, livebinders.com, answergarden.ch 4 - I will share the above resources and prezi 3 - UDL principles are still the same 2 - include novelty and grabbers using things like blabberize and voki, I will model other presentation tools like prezi 1- see #2

Participants in our wiki include include PAL students, their parents, teachers, and principals. We need to think about guidelines for using our wiki responsibly so everyone feels comfortable viewing our site.

What are some issues we need to consider? What are some rules and guidelines we need to follow? We will keep a list of rules here, which may change as we use our wiki. If you have any suggestions, contact me and we'll discuss it with the PAL groups before adding it to the list.

1. Never use someone else's user name and password. Ever. Even with their permission. Keep your user name and password private.
 * Wiki Rules: **

2. Only positive comments may be posted. If you accidentally post a comment and regret it, simply contact Ms. Dunbar via email, in person, or by phone and she will delete it immediately.

3. Only post comments that have a purpose. Your comments can compliment, make a connection, or ask a question.

4. Please do not post critical comments about anyone's personal page, including spelling, grammar or personal information. Give your suggestions privately in person so embarrassing comments are not posted for everyone to see.