Preparation is the Key

When preparing for any project or class, the success or failure lies in the preparation. When I spend extra time, really evaluating what I think the kids will be asking, when I prepare myself to really understand the software, or when I know exactly what I want the kids to get out of doing the project, I am successful.

I find that after I teach a new software and let the kids start to use it, I really enjoy working with them. I have the opportunity to conduct teaching while walking around. It also allows the kids to ask their neighbor for assistance on a question before they ask me. So the kid who knows the answer becomes empowered. It's just the time necessary for the kids to become "proficient" in the software that sometimes is challenging.

In those situations, I find it really valuable to let the kids do the teaching. This week my 6th graders were instructed to try and figure out how to insert hyperlinks into their Google Sites pages for homework. I opened up a page at the next class period and 3 students each showed their classmates a different way to add a hyperlink to a webpage.

I would also like to apologize for the tardiness of this post. From Friday afternoon through Sunday early evening, I was travel 3 hours each way to Frankenmuth (Christmas Wonderland) for a professional development conference and association meeting. The topic was on integrating the latest learning standards from the American Association of School Librarians, the 21st Century Standards for Learners. It was a very good experience and I brought several ideas back to my district plus one of my colleagues attended, so we were able to discuss immediately items that came up. Then Monday, I led my 4th-5th grade running club after school and had to attend a union meeting after that until 830. I kept up on my reading, but not the posting or writing so much.