Hi! This is my 13th year teaching Spanish. Currently, I'm employed in Knob Noster, previously splitting time between the high school and middle school for 5 years before switching to full-time at the middle school. This year I was asked to take on an additional prep called High School Readiness Tools, which is a combination of many topics. It's a new class, required for all 8th graders. To be honest, I am still developing the curriculum; so far the focus is on technology and computer skills, digital citizenship, information literacy, and introducing tools such as digital lockers and homework drop boxes. I get to teach in a classroom with the oldest computers in the building (which I call "the dinosaurs"), and the students get lots of practice troubleshooting simple problems.
This is the 4th semester working towards my MS in Educational Technology; my plan is to finish in December of this year!! Last summer I completed 2 classes in 6 weeks, which was absolutely nuts! So, this summer I want to focus on my family and some projects around the house.
The last good book I read was written by the daughter of one of my high school friends. The amazing thing is that this young lady is currently a sophomore in high school. The book is called "Partal" and is very good if you consider the age of the author!
How cool that your friends daughter wrote a book! That is so awesome! You sound like you have a lot going on this semester! Good luck and have fun!
ReplyDeleteHola Kim!
ReplyDeleteHehe, ok, my Spanish is lackluster at best. How neat to develop your own curriculum, although I wager it's nerve wracking too. It's so nice to know someone out there is teaching the kids such topics. I just wish all schools had such courses as required education. So often kids get into trouble online because they don't have basic Internet social instruction and their parents won't/can't teach them what they need to survive in the inline environment.
I love children's literature, so I will definitely have to check out that book! Thanks for the recommendation! Welcome to the bloggy world!
Great to hear that a school requires a class like that--I believe they all should. I teach Computer Applications, which I would like to see as a requirement.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the 6 hours in 6 weeks. I did that last summer, and it was craziness! I got up early and stayed up late and worked nearly all day long to get it all done! Were you in the Research class?
That is so cool knowing someone who got a book published. I think it is also important that student learn all these small things about a computer before they graduate. The especially need to know the trouble shooting problems. Then they don't have to rely on a tech coordinator to fix things for them.
ReplyDeleteVery cool on the book and how exciting to be developing that special class! I hope it goes well!
ReplyDeleteHello, Kim. I also did the 2 classes in 6 weeks last summer and would suggest against it. It was madness although we both survived.
ReplyDeleteHow cool....on both the new class your teaching and on the young lady writing the book. I have always wanted to write a book...but I can never narrow down what topic I would want to write about!
ReplyDeleteSorry, but glad to hear that taking the 2 classes was crazy. My wife thought I should go ahead and do two classes this past summer. I wanted to fish and enjoy the summer. Glad I didin't after hearing from you guys. I'm gonna let my wife see this one..
ReplyDeleteHello Kim! What a nice start to your blog! It looks great!
ReplyDeleteI too, like many of us it seems, took two classes this past summer! It definitely is possible, but you have to have A LOT of free time to get everything done. The professors weren't joking when they said that we needed to spend around two hours a day on the class.
I am yet to read Partal but after seeing the website,I think I will give it a shot!