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This video shows the importance of cameras on school buses and how they hold everyone accountable, help the driver focus more on driving rather than constantly having to monitor children through the mirror and how the cameras act as a silent witness in observing and reporting student behavior on the bus.

I think it is an awesome idea to put cameras on school buses because just like the driver said in the video, it is impossible to properly monitor the students while trying to watch traffic as well. As a child, there was always something going on in the back of the bus and when the driver asked what happened, no one saw anything! Therefore, I think cameras on the bus is a great idea to help ensure student's safety.

You can't go wrong with cameras on a school bus. The summer following my freshmen year in high school, I would ride the bus to summer school everyday. The bus picked us up from what was considered to be one of the worst neighborhoods in the community. Everyone that rode that bus got along with one another very well, however there was still bullying going on. The bullying was not student to student, it was student to bus driver. That poor man endured so much harassment from the students that after about 2 weeks he quit. Students would throw things at him while he was driving (paper, candy, you name it). I don't see how he got us to school and back alive with so many distractions. No one got in trouble for the way the bus driver was treated because there were no cameras on that bus. After he quit they sent a new bus to pick us up, it did have cameras. That was the end of that. I think this video was short and straight to the point. It is much more safe for everyone to have cameras on the bus.

Web video created and narrated by educational maverick Sir Ken Robinson. In it, he explains, in a student-centered way, why it is crucial for teachers to embrace technology in the classroom.

I think Sir Ken Robinson's ideas about the curriculum were right! One thing he mentioned that stuck out to me was about the divergent thinking being the essential capacity for creativity. He stated that there were several possible answers instead of just one. He used the example of the ways to use a paper cup to support his ideas. He explained how knowledge deteriorates over time when students become "educated". He says that what is considered as copying or cheating is referred to as collaboration in the environment. I think society is constantly changing and some aspects of the curriculum may need to be modified to meet those needs but not completely. I think with the changing curriculum, students and teachers are so overwhelmed by the emphasis placed on standardized testing that it is difficult for learning to occur in a fun, relaxed environment, except in lower grade levels where the students are still excited about learning. I agree with Sir Ken Robinson in saying that we can meet the future by doing the past, when the stakes weren't so high and so many students weren't being medicated, learning could occur in an environment that wasn't divided!

Joshua, I am so glad you posted this video! I think that all educators need to watch this video simply because it is real. Technology should be essential in the classrooms today's simply because it is what the students see and use when they are not in school. Think about how many students have cell phones, Ipad's, Ipods and video games, we should be taking into consideration these things to strengthn education. I agree with Jessica on the divergent thinking--we sometimes forget that no 2 students are the same so their perspectives on learning and life will be totally different. I think a lot of times we do want the "perfect" classroom but the truth of the matter is we have to consider all learning styles. Students learn best from each other and group work is something that Sir Ken made a point in his presentation. In this course we talk a lot with each other SO that we can learn from each other so why not implement this same learning style into the classrooms?

This website provides power point presentations about interactive science notebooks.

I was interested to read this article about interactive notebooks. We do science notebooking in our school. I try to modify it to a lifeskills level. I like the idea of vocabulary briefcase. I also like the comment about teachers should only write in blue or black ink. I think that it is important that the students doesn't think it is being "graded" that way they aren't afraid to share ideas.

My school is a large advocate of interactive notebooks. I like them alot for math it makes students have to show ownership for their notes. From this article I enjoyed reading about the vocabulary brief case. I think I will try to modify that idea for math. :)

This article offers detailed tips and ideas on methods for combining the benefits of the age-old social studies project, timelines, with the advantages provided by computer technology. Modernizing old-fashioned-yet-effective classroom assignments is a great idea.

A Teaching blogger's dream is about to begin. Someone once said that until something is shared it is just and idea that no one cares about. Blogging in Education is really getting popular now. Many teachers now have their own blog. Hussey, T. (2010). Create your own blog. Indianapolis, Indiana: Pearson Education.

Helpful for anyone who wants to create an educator's blog. I am thinking of using it this semester.

It is important with the blog to follow fair use and the following article shows how to do that: http://www.ehow.com/list_7397165_fair-use-copyright-laws-teachers.html It would seem that fair use is including information with apa citations, not too much information and credit. But the jury is still out on this.

This article discusses the role that computers play in the school and in children's social, emotional, and physical development. Technology is on the rise and as the year's progress, computers are being provided for students in the classroom. The question is does using technology in school raise students achievement. For the younger students computers were most effective on student learning when the teacher would use them for high thinking skills. Computers used in 12th grade history reported the more that students used computers outside the classroom their performances were higher on test scores. This study suggests that schools that provide technology applications should provide training for students to use these applications. In conjunction, schools should provide basic computer skills for students so that they can improve in their content areas.

I like the idea of providing technology training to students. It amazes me how many of my students don't have basic computer skills. I usually spend a lot of time just teaching them how to use a program.

This article talks about the characteristics of pbl, the reasons to use pbl, examples of pbl, and more. It serves a a great framework on how to get started.

I just took on the position of a 7th/8th grade math lab teacher and the person before me spent a lot of time using packets to teach the students material. I very quickly realized that this method only left the material in the students' mind for a day or two. So for the past week i've been trying to figure out exactly how to use methods of instruction like project-based learning. PLB is an amazing method that more teachers should be aware of, the only issue is that there seems to be a lot of planning up front for this to be a success. I've decided though, that if all that time of planning up front would help my students to KNOW mathematics, then it's worth it.

Reading the article and being a 7th grade math teacher I have realized that their are alot of teaching stratgies that could work if we had more time to actually focus on mastery and understanding. Alot of teachers are placed on calenders on what has to be taught. With the Texas curriculum being so data driven it has become hard for us to really use those fun teaching stratigies.

This article or column is written for people interested in project-based learning but are not sure exactly what it is or how to use it in their classrooms. It gives a good over view of the idea of project-based learning. Along with what the research says, the reality of implementation, and what a to do if interested.

This article focuses on how students fare when taking history courses from coaches or persons who might not have a strong history background. After one college student does poorly in a coach taught college history course, the author points out ways coaches can improve teaching history and become more effective teachers. The implementation of the Coaching History playbook was established to help Texas coaches who teach history improve their instruction.

Sounds neat. Learning how to coach coaches to teach is a good idea. After they can apply their craft to teaching, they can improve.

I love quizlet! These teacher- OR student-made online study guides allow students to access material and information anywhere with internet connection. And its use of different methods--flash cards-matching-GAMES!-quizzes--ensures all learning styles are addressed. This article (a thesis) studies and advises on the use of Quizlets.

Interesting idea for convenient and smart teaching!

This article contains an example of an innovative teacher tackling a complex issue in a way students will love and remember. That is, she turned a potentially tedious lesson on copyright and fair use rules into an opportunity for students to create scripts, lines, and act out their understanding of the subject!

Good idea. I like learning new teaching tips and tricks.

In this article, Lawrence Lessing, a professor of law at the Harvard law school looks at how the idea of copyright has evolved over the past century and implicates much copyright issues attributed to advancement in technology, particularly the internet. He suggests changing the law on how copyrighting is viewed and points out copyrighting laws must evolve as the digital age we live in keeps evolving.

As a history teacher, I love how Professor Lessing connects something like copyright law to the Constitution, and weaves us through the decades and centuries of change and development. I am always looking for ways to connect history, such as the passages and amendments of the Constitution, to areas that affect my students' daily lives. Copyright law is just such a thing for these kids, with all the electronics, technologies, and downloading they do. They will see the relevance immediately, and therefore focus better and and up learning more!

This article can benefit anyone who is an educator. We will all have students in our classroom with a disability and this article gives way to vary instruction and incorporate ways to make sure the student is learning the same as any other student. Reading IEPs thoroughly and knowing ways to modify curriculum for the student with disability is key.

This article explains some benefits afterschool programs offer to the schools and the community. It discusses how afterschool programs strengthen schools, families, and communities. The article emphasizes that a key part of developing an afterschool program is soliciting participation from many segments of the community.

As a former after-school caregiver, I know a little something about these programs. And I completely agree with the article's take on the benefits that stem from them. The fact that kids have a safe, fun, place to spend these hours amongst their peers and young-adult mentors...which allows their parents to spend that time working for those necessary extra dollars... which in turn helps a home's and community's stability...which creates stronger schools...which is the whole purpose!!! I saw this happen at schools completely geographically, ethnically, and economically different from one another, but the result was always positive.

Just like Josh I also worked for as a after school mentor. I to have seen all the benefits that after school programs have not only on the schools, but the communities as well. The school that I worked at had many students whose parents got off work to late and couldnt afford to send their children to day care for only a couple of hours. But because of this program that the school provided many parents were able to be at ease in knowing that their child was not only in safe place but around people that truly cared for them. The students got to participate in so many activities and even were invited back during the summer for a summer program. With this summer program students got to do so many activities and go on field trips to place they wouldve never gone to. This program was a huge success for this community in general and for the students as well.

This article talks about different ways teaming brings about success. Near the bottom of the article the use of vertical alignment teams are discussed. Good read!

Why not? The sky is the limit. We are only prevented to succeeding where we think there are no possibilities! This is really neat.

Wow! I did my Method's at this school and I thought it was phenomenal then, I can only imagine now. This may be an article that I take back into my school because we have a group of 4th graders who are missing skills. It is hard to get the students prepared for the 5th grade level when they are missing 2nd and 3rd grade skills. Today I was talking to a teacher about what the students are being taught in the 3rd grade and she did not know. I think that if the teachers are communicating with the other grade level they are more aware of what to expect the next school year. This may also promote colloboration with other grade levels so that many skills are not missing. I am sure this will benefit all teachers and make learning more effective. It is all about team work!

Shelly Frei, 2007. Using blogging and webcasting as tools for teaching and education of students in K-12 environments. She makes it clear that this is the future of education. Frei, S. et. al. (2007). Integrating technology into the curriculum: professional development for successful classrooms. Huntington Beach, CA: Shell Education.

Great book! Have been reading it lately for ideas!

This article discusses how interactive notebooks can enhance student learning. It also gives several good examples of how they can be used to assess student progress and understanding.