Student Choice...Dog Bites

Yesterday I was going for a run in my neighborhood.  I have ran this same street at least 100 times over the past year. I was running in the middle of this neighborhood road to avoid some trash piled up on the side of the cub, and out of no where a Rottweiler came up behind me took a bite of my leg.  Luckily, my long pant kept him from getting a good hold of my leg, but I have a 4 inch bruise/mark to mark the spot!
Things I learned from this experience:
1.)  Buy some Pepper Spray....I was SCREAMING at the top of my lungs for help because the dog kept charging at me and no one heard me.  (Well, I think the old man on his lawn mower heard and saw me, but he didn't care enough to come help me....that's another story!)
2.)  Some people think that a 3 foot tall fence is sufficient for a Rottweiler, but its not!  Guess what, they can get out!
3.)  Run with a friend.  This isn't the scariest thing that could happen running alone, but I was pretty scared!
4.) Now I know why I see some of my neighbors walking with a big stick.   Maybe I should fore go the pepper spray for a bill club....or carry both!  
5.)  I am now constantly aware of dogs when I run!

I did report my bite to the proper authorities for the safety of children that live in our neighborhood.  My bite will heal, but this dog could have done some real damage to a child!

Flipped Classroom

I have had the opportunity to not only attend PD on the Flipped Classroom, but also see it in action with Ashley Hunter at MMS.  If I were still a regular classroom teacher, I believe this is a model I would use when teaching certain topics in Math (but not all).  Some of the benefits I perceive from this model are:

1.)  The teachers has more time to work on the skill with the students directly in the classroom because part of the  learning/instruction is taking place during homework time.
2.) Students (may) be more motivated to watch a short video and complete a couple problems, than complete a work page of 20 for homework.
3.) Teachers and students are making good use of technology through this model.
4.) Parents could watch the video and know what is being taught in the classroom.  Many parents would prefer a video over reading the textbook.
5.) Students Centered  NOT Teacher Centered

Here is a great video on the flipped classroom...

Student Choice...1/2 Marathon

On November 10th, I ran my first half marathon in Huntsville.  Some things I learned from this experience...
1)  I am not fast.
2)  I am not slow either.
3)  There are a lot of older people that run.  I hope I still enjoy running when I am in my 60's and 70's.
4) It gets hot when you run 13 miles, even when it is only 58 degrees outside.
5) However, even though it is hot, there is never an excuse to wear this...j/s :) However, he was faster than me!  Maybe the Cheetah shorts work!  who knows?!?!

Barriers of Technology in Education

According to
Below are some "Suggested Solutions to Problems" with Technology and the percentage of a sample population that chose the stated solutions...

I think from this list of suggested solutions, we can determine 3 barriers that exist.
1.)  Lack of Knowledge about Equipment:  Teachers need ongoing Professional Development.  Unfortunately, this is usually too costly, and instead they get a on-time professional development session.
2) Lack of Quick Tech Support and Maintenance:  Many systems sink money into technology, but don't have the manpower to maintain the equipment properly.
3)  Make Classrooms Similar:  Schools need to have a standard set of equipment in every classroom before branching out to new pieces of technology.

Does Technology Help or Harm Literacy?

Here is a quote I really like about this topic...
“I’m not going to say it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” says Elizabeth Kleinfeld, assistant professor of English at Metropolitan State College of Denver. “But it’s a thing for sure, and we have to deal with it in our classrooms, in our workplaces and in our relationships.” 

I think Technology has definitely changed literacy, but not necessarily harmed it.  I know some people are concerned about the lack of grammatical skills students have because texting has its own language of abbreviated words and random uses of punctuation.  However, I have been bad at grammar and spelling my whole life, and have only been texting for less than three year :)  I do think that texting, email, chatting, etc has lead to an increase in the amount of writing done by people on a daily basis.  It isn't formal writing, but people on a daily basis probably read and write more than the generations before us because of new technology devices that make communication ready at our fingertips.  

While I don't think technology has harmed literacy, I am a little concerned about our necks...
    

Zero-Tolerance Policies in Schools (Student Choice)

After reading the article from Dr. Spivey on zero-tolerance policies in school, I decided to do some further reading.  I can across a website (www.suspensionstories.com) that is dedicated to the reform of zero-tolerance policies in schools in order to stop the "school to prison pipeline."
Quote:  "Suspension Stories is a youth-led participatory action research project to understand the school to prison pipeline."
On their website they have a section entitled "Brain-Dead" and it lists suspensions of students where the situation for suspension is questionable (or ridiculous) by their standards.  I would be interested to hear the opinions of others on some of these cases.  Below are some links I found interesting.  Please feel free to comment :)

Main Website:  www.suspensionstories.com
Links below are copied from the website...
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5th grade student suspended over nasal spray
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7th grader facing 180 day suspension for yawning and accidentally touching a teacher
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Student Handcuffed and Arrested from School for Burping. Here is another article about this case.
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Students Suspended for Singing in Cafeteria
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9 year old suspended from school for sexual harassment after calling teacher cute
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12 year old boy suspended over bringing an inhaler to school
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Special-ed student Joseph Anderson, 7, handcuffed by cops at Queens school after Easter egg tantrum
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Student Arrested Over Spilled Milk
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Kindergartner Gets Suspended for Crying
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11 Year Old Arrested For Drawing a Violent Stick Figure At School
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In Fairfax Schools, Acne Drugs Can Get You Suspended.
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Student suspended for politely holding the door open for someone else
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In Mississippi if you post a rap song to your Facebook Page (not on school time), you may spend 5 weeks at an alternative school.