Get SEATed

I’m tired.  It’s been a long week.  We started with state standardized testing on Wednesday and I concluded testing my group today.  I’m always glad when the testing is done. 

I don’t mind giving the test.  It’s just all of the rules and regulations that must be adhered to throughout the week.  Test security is such a major issue.  It is certainly important, but exhausting.  Everything went great for our school and there were no problems with the whole process, so at least there was no stress from any trouble. 

As a reward for the hard work of the students, we were able to reward them with some time outside during the last hour of the day.  They played volleyball, football, baseball.  Some sat around and relaxed in the shade.  Clear, blue skies…70 degrees…slight breeze blowing…it was a great way to release the stresses of the week. 

Now we have to wait several weeks to find out the results and that will be a whole new stress of its own, but the students did seem to work hard overall.  Of course, that doesn’t guarantee high scores, but it’s much better than having them make no effort at all. 

I have been swamped lately.  For the last two or three weeks, it seems as if things have been going nonstop.  Tutoring, prom, end of the six weeks (today), state testing (starting tomorrow), etc, etc, etc.  It seems as if there’s always something to do. 

In the time since my last post – which produced the best discussion of any of my posts to date – I have been meaning to sit down and write my next entry.  Of course, something always comes up.  Procrastination is a bad habit of mine and I tend to just keep putting things off until the next day.  As I’m sure you know, that can be a vicious cycle because there’s always a next day. 

For my fellow procrastinators out there, take a moment to think about why it is that we do this.  Doesn’t it actually make life harder because you end up having everything pile up at one time?  I’ve written before about how I let papers pile up rather than grading them sooner.  It would make sense to do a little at a time.  Usually, I just can’t seem to shake putting things off. 

This month was something of an exception though.  As part of the tutoring service that I work for, I have to complete assessments of other tutors’ work.  Most months, I let those assessments build up until the end of the month and then I have to complete 6 or 7 each day for the last few days of the month.  At about 40 minutes a pop, it can get rather exhausting.  For March, I made myself stick to a steady pace.  Each day, I completed a couple of assessments and today (the last day of the month), I only had one left to do.  I must say that this method was so much better.  I did not have the pressure of completing so much work at the last minute. 

Let me challenge you for the month of April.  If there is something that you normally put off doing, try completing it on more regular basis.  It might be hard to stick with a schedule, but don’t just say that you’ll do it tomorrow.  I think that at the end of the month, you’ll be a lot more relaxed. 

Thanks to Betty for letting me know that I should get back to posting more often and stop procrastinating. 

Last night, I was reading a news article about a teacher placing advertisements on class tests, handouts, etc. 

A few months ago, I remember reading about the same thing happening somewhere else.  At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to it because I figured it was just an isolated incident.  Now I see that it’s not as isolated as I thought.

In these times of lower budgets and cutbacks, is there any harm in having a kid-friendly, relatively small advertisement on a handout or test paper?  The argument is there that it could be distracting to the student trying to take that test, but couldn’t that be said about any number of things in a classroom setting? 

I would think that it could lead to some great discussions, especially in an economics class.  Too many of the students that I teach everyday have no concept of what it takes to run a business, create (and pay for) a yearbook, etc.  As far as I’m concerned, I see more positives than negatives on this issue.

What are your thoughts on this topic?  Is it something you do or have tried in the past?  Is it something your school or district would allow?

Tonight, perhaps about the time you head off to sleep, NASA will be launching the Kepler spacecraft into orbit.

In a time when things look bleak here in the United States, we send up a new, powerful telescope to search for signs of other Earth-like planets in hopes of finding exoplanets filled with water and, possibly, life.

In my post Little Green Men, I wrote about the possibilities of life existing outside of our planet.  This Kepler mission is going to shed a lot more light on the number of exoplanets that are out there and bring our understanding of them to greater heights. 

As stated in the article, we’re not sending Kepler up there to find aliens.  We just want to find where they live.  I find this whole topic fascinating.  As a science fiction fan, I dream of the possibilities (and probabilities) of alien species roaming the galaxy.  In the not too distant future, I hope to see science fiction turning into science fact. 

The more technological advances that we achieve, the farther out in the universe we’ll be able to see.  The farther we can see, the more we can learn.  Isn’t that what science is all about?

So as you drift off to sleep tonight, let the thoughts of strange, alien planets fill your dreams. 

Let’s hope this launch fairs better than NASA’s last one that ended up in the ocean. 

I’ve been looking for a new set of websites to peruse for science, education, and technology news.  One of the first things that I look for is the layout.  I want something that I can look at quickly and pick out the newest information. 

One such site that I’ve come across is Technology & Learning.  It includes a ticker section of current news.  There are also sections for tips, blogs, and forums.  All of these sections include the latest postings so that you can catch up quickly since your last visit. 

The “Put to the Test” section gives several reviews of various products that could be used in the classroom.  Reviews are added every couple of weeks or so. 

If you already know about and use this site, feel free to share your thoughts on some of the best features it has to offer for those looking to incorporate more technology into their classroom. 

If you have never come across this site, I hope that this quick review is something you’ll find useful.  Let us know what you find on this Technology & Learning site. 

I never really enjoy grading a stack of papers.  I think I put it off for so long because I hate sacrificing a perfectly good red ink pen in the neverending battle of good versus evil. 

In any given stack of papers, I do have a few that are perfect.  Those are the hero papers.  They are filled with complete, correct answers.  They are peace loving and would never dream of drawing first blood.  My red ink pen doesn’t have much to worry about with those.  

Unfortunately, they are too few and far between.  The villain papers make up the majority of the stacks.  They are always looking for a fight and aren’t afraid to show off their battle scars, dripping with the life essence of my red ink pen.

I give them back to the students, but do they care about the hardships that their lack of effort have put upon my red ink pen?  No.  They look at the gory mess that has befallen their paper with no more than a passing glance.  Apathy rules the day. 

After a two hour grading battle, for which my red ink pen has only sporadically trained, it lays down on the desk completely exhausted and drained.  It did not ask for this abuse, nor is it deserved.  I wish the students would realize that they’re not only hurting themselves, but my red ink pen as well, when they don’t do a good job with their work. 

How can I get it through to them that their futures, and the life of my red ink pen, are hanging in the balance?  I don’t want to have to show them the remains of an empty, lifeless red ink pen, but it may come down to that.  They need something to shock them into reality when the threat of failing the class for the year is not enough. 

I dream of the day when the bloody battles will end and peace will reign through the classwork, once and for all.

I had to have a “sit down” meeting with my yearbook staff this morning.  In most cases, when we have this kind of meeting, it’s just to discuss a big decision and I want to get input from everyone. 

Today, that was not the case. 

Here’s the situation…we need another $5k – $6k to pay off the books when they come in at the beginning of September.  Most of my staff is made up of seniors.  My seniors have about two months before they’re done.  Once they’re gone, I won’t have much of a staff left for the year.

Panic mode is starting to set in.  Not for them, mind you, but for me.  As adviser, it’s my responsibility to make sure that everything runs as smooth as possible.  Right now, the ride is a bit bumpy.

Back to this morning’s meeting.  I had to let them know that the procrastination that they’ve become famous for has to end.  They need to get out there and sell some business ads.  They have to get word out to the students about how great the book will be and get the books sold.  They have to get rid of the excuses about why they haven’t done this or haven’t done that. 

After telling them that they either get it in gear or we won’t have money to pay for this book, I think they realize I wasn’t playing around.  For the next two months, I’m going to have to be on their backs making sure that everything falls into place. 

Don’t get me wrong, I greatly enjoy working with this group.  We have a good time and they produce great work.  I’ll just be glad when I see the day our yearbook account has a 5 with a few zeroes behind it.

I’m fortunate to have a mobile cart of 30 laptops that is permanently located in my classroom.  I facilitate the virtual school classes that some of our students are enrolled in, so they use the laptops every single day.  This also allows me to use them frequently in my science class.  I’ve had students doing small and large research projects at times.

What kind of technology do you incorporate into your lessons?  Computers, smartboards?  Let’s hear some of the unique and interesting ways in which you’ve brought technology into student learning.

We have regional literary rally and science fair competitions coming up in mid-March.  The problem is that we’re having a hard time finding students who want to go.  Why?  Because both competitions are on Saturdays.  The students don’t want to take time to wake up early, travel to the competitions, and “waste” their Saturday.

I get upset when I ask a student to go to rally in physical science and the first thing they ask me is, “Is it on a Saturday?”  The same is true when a student who got 1st or 2nd place in the local science fair doesn’t want to move on to regional competition because of the date it takes place.  Now, if these competitions took place on a school day, we’d have a whole different ballgame. 

The blame doesn’t fall squarely on the students, though.  It’s in a teenager’s nature to want to sleep in on the weekend or not look “nerdy” by attending an academic competition.  Who am I really upset with?  The parents. 

It all starts at home. 

Too many parents these days don’t have a clue as to what is going on with their child’s schoolwork or activities.  Too many want to blame the teacher or principal when their child gets into trouble.  Too many parents just aren’t involved enough in their child’s school.

Why is there so much apathy in something that is so valuable?  A child’s education should be the top priority in a student’s life, but many parents don’t seem to see it that way.  Report cards filled with D’s and F’s go home each six weeks, but I don’t often get inquiries as to what is going on with that student’s grades.  If my child came home with something as low as a C, I’d want to know what the problem is and how to fix it. 

I’ve just never understood how parents can be so lackadaisical in this area.  I guess it’s easier for them to just say, “Whatever” rather than actually stay on top of the situation.  I’ll probably never know, but I sure wish that I could hold them as accountable for their child’s education as I am. 

In recent years, we’ve been hearing more and more about exoplanets – planets that orbit far away stars outside of our solar system.  In a place the size of our galaxy, there are bound to be a few planets out there and we’re getting better at finding them. 

Of course, the more planets we find, the more we wonder about whether or not these planets contain life.

Religious beliefs aside, it really is just a numbers game.  In just the Milky Way Galaxy alone, you’ve got billions and billions of stars.  If just a fraction of those have planets orbiting them, and a fraction of those are within the right distance and temperature, and a fraction of those…well, you get the picture.  That’s still a lot of planets containing some form of life.

An interesting article was written today on CNN’s website.  Entitled “Galaxy may be full of ‘Earths,’ alien life,” it reminded me of why I like looking up at the stars and wondering what’s really out there.  In the article, one study that is pointed out relies on technology to help answer the guessing game:

“Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland constructed a computer model to create a synthetic galaxy with billions of stars and planets. They then studied how life evolved under various conditions in this virtual world, using a supercomputer to crunch the results.

In a paper published recently in the International Journal of Astrobiology, the researchers concluded that based on what they saw, at least 361 intelligent civilizations have emerged in the Milky Way since its creation, and as many as 38,000 may have formed.”

Sure, these are just the results of a computer model.  We have trouble creating weather forecast models to tell us if it’s going to rain a few days from now, so how much credibility can we place in a model of a make believe galaxy?  Still, to have a computer model lead us to a conclusion that at least 361 intelligent civilizations are out there in the Milky Way is, at the very least, intriguing. 

On top of all this, keep in mind that there are billions of galaxies in the universe.  It’s impossible for us to fully realize the number of planets that are out there.

I’m not saying that little green men in UFO’s have come to visit us, but I do firmly believe that intelligent life exists somewhere out there.  Articles like this have always held a fascination for me and they always will.  My question is how long will it be before we find little green men out there?