girlwithalessonplan:

Click the link above and sign up for a free account.

I use mine for school.  It’s so easy to work on something at home, save it to the dropbox, and immediately access it at work.  With the printing issues I had today, I could easily go to dropbox’s website, sign in, get my stuff and print it from a different computer.

I also sync this with dropitto.me for students to turn in homework.  

Like I said, I only use mine for school.  I don’t put heavy, personal information in mine (cloud services are a risk like that).  

Click the link and DOOO EET.

I echo everything GWALP says here! I don’t know how I did things before Dropbox. Do you know how many times I left my flashdrive in a school computer? Also, I love Dropbox because when I edit docs on my computer at home, they automatically update “in the cloud” and I don’t have to re-transfer them.

Source: girlwithalessonplan

24 August 80 girlwithalessonplan Permalink

talesofan8thgradeteacher:

As the school year approaches for me, I always start to get nervous. I work very hard and always try to do my best, but I still worry about a multitude of things.

• Am I prepared? Am I ready to meet every day and challenge head on?
• Am I growing as an educator? Can I be doing more to develop as a…

Source: talesofan8thgradeteacher

23 August 14 talesofan8thgradeteacher Permalink

I’ve been drawn to the Room for Debate forums on NY Times recently. Although the arguments aren’t necessarily the moth earth-shattering, I always appreciate reading about differing opinions, and this topic is increasingly relevant in today’s education world.

9 April 1 Permalink

thebusinessofeducating:

This story is brilliant. One of the remarks I hear all the time from non-educators when talking about paying teachers is the “number of hours teachers work.” People say that teachers only work 5 days a week, from 8-3 with summers off. What a cushy job! Those people are correct in that we only interact with the children from 8-3, M-F… But what people don’t see is the numbers hours spent away from the students. They don’t see the time spent grading 130 essays. They don’t see the time spent researching and lesson planning, or PowerPoint creating. On top of that, people do not realize how many teachers have to work 2-3 other jobs to make ends meet, not to mention summer work in their “time off from teaching.”

This brings me to the story: teachers doing their prep and grading work in public. Give people the chance to see how much work and effort actually goes into teaching. I easily out worked my wife when she was working full time as a nurse, doing 3 x 12 hour shifts for 52 weeks, but made a whole lot less money. No one ever told my wife, “Oh, you only worked 3 twelves this week” or told her that nurses should be making less because they get 4 days off each week.

Maybe then the public will start to appreciate what teachers do behind the closed doors of their classrooms when the students are gone. Maybe they will come to realize that teachers are not robots or baby sitters. Maybe they will realize that a free public education is not free.

Maybe.

I was about to post this story (although I was going to post this article) when I came across this post. Hopefully moments like these can spread throughout the nation to educate the public about the work teachers do after they leave the school building (or the long hours they stay in the building after the final bell rings).

Source: thebusinessofeducating

28 March 42 thebusinessofeducating Permalink

I, on the other hand, love teaching.  I do.  I don’t like the politics of it — not just the governor (though certainly that), but the jockeying to see who is going to teach what classes, the infighting that says if So-and-So’s department has an extra section of Such-and-Such, then there is one less section for Social Studies.  But the students are great.  If there is “Little Effort” in my class then I try to get a little more, and I try to explain the consequences if it is not forthcoming.  I try to engage them, try to make them laugh and learn at the same time.  Some days I succeed better than others, but I try.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m blowing my own horn, because the thing is, I’m not special.  I don’t think I do anything different than any other teacher in my building, in my district, or in my state.  Teaching is a calling as much as it is a job, and I will keep doing it to the best of my ability for as long as I can.

If people in this and other states find me greedy, or overpaid, or underworked, I’ll keep teaching.  If Governor Walker and the Radical Republicans have their way and this horrible bill passes, I’ll keep teaching.   With this blog, I will cling to the embers of my righteous rage, and will eventually fan them back to flames, because even though my dad is more than a decade gone, I still can’t stand him thinking I would put in “little effort.”  I just have to get through Finals Week first.  Right now, I’m teaching.

This is the end of a blog post written by a teacher in Wisconsin. Click the link to read the beginning.

26 March 19 Permalink

Whether lawmakers can fulfill his wish to approve a bill by the end of summer remains unclear. The education law - enacted in 2002 under then-President George W. Bush - addresses issues including school performance ratings, standardized testing, teacher quality, academic standards and equity for the poor.

Consideration of whether it should also address other controversial topics, such as teacher merit pay and public vouchers for students attending private school, could complicate what is likely to be a prolonged debate.

14 March 20 Permalink

These consistent moments where we learn to overcome the personal and professional adversities we face with our students and find the humanity within them is often what makes or breaks our teaching careers. We can go about our business collecting paychecks, learning the latest jargon, flicking tech gadgets at each other until the next one comes out three months later, but until we see the humanity in the work we do, I don’t believe we can truly be effective. We have to approach the job with a love for the people you work for; that tends to overcome the other nonsense around your job.

13 March 12 Permalink

Stephen Lazar offers solutions to the problem of teacher turnover. I had posted his “Part I” to this as well; he provides links to all parts in this post.

I have been thinking long and hard about a way to solve this problem that does not cost more. In times of falling budgets and layoffs, I know any idea that costs more will get little traction. Unfortunately, I cannot think of a single solution that will not cost more at some level. If we value the education of our students, we need to be willing to pay for it. I hope there will be commenters more creative that I am.

Studies have shown that the number one reason teachers leave is not because of low pay, but rather because of poor working conditions. These solutions aim specifically at improving the working conditions of new teaches. These strategies could be used in concert or individually, but all of them would make new teachers more successful, and therefore, more likely to remain in the profession.

11 March 6 Permalink

educationalrap:

Advise the Advisor is a new program to help senior staff at the White House stay connected to the American people.

Providing our nation’s students with a world-class education is a shared responsibility. It’s going to take all of us – teachers, parents, students, philanthropists, state and local governments, and the federal government – working together to prepare today’s students for the future.

This week, Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council and one of President Obama’s senior advisors on education policy, is asking for feedback from parents, teachers and students about what’s working in their communities and what needs to change when it comes to education.

You can add your voice to the conversation by answering one or all of the following questions:

• Parents: Responsibility for our children’s education and future begins in our homes and communities. What are some of the most effective ways you’re taking responsibility at a personal and local level for your child’s education?
• Teachers: President Obama has set a goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. How are you preparing your students for college and career? What’s working and what challenges do you face?
• Students: In order to compete for the jobs of the 21st century, America’s students must be prepared with a strong background in reading, math and science along with the critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity needed to succeed in tomorrow’s workforce. How has your education prepared you for a career in the 21st century? What has worked and what challenges do you face?

Go, teachers, let your voice be heard!

Source: whitehouse.gov

10 March 37 educationalrap Permalink