"Found" Character Description

Last night you read several chapters out of the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Your goal for the 10 Spot is to create a "found" character description. Use the designated chapters and find at least three quotes (direct words from the book) that uniquely define one of the characters in the book. Write a brief explanation after the quotes telling why you chose them. I would prefer that you not choose literal descriptions that someone makes of a character. (ex. She was smart and had brown hair.) Here is an example of how it should be formatted:
ex. Christopher
"So I tore the piece of paper up and threw it away." (ch.3 pg. 3)
".........."
" ........."
I chose these lines from the book because they show...

1st period- Chap. 2-5

3rd period- Chap.7-11

5th period- Chap. 13-19

7th period- Chap. 23-29

When you finish, visit the Wikispace and search through the new Tech Tools.

The New 10 Spot

Choose one of the following questions to answer. Please include the number of the question to which you are responding:

1. Most of us have been in a situation where we made a promise that we were unable to keep. When were you disappointed because someone made you a promise that they failed to keep? Or when did you break a promise that you made to someone else?

2. All of us are works in progress with a long way to go before we reach our full potential. In what skill or area are you still working to make progress?

3. Everyone has problems or challenges to overcome. What obstacles are you proud to have faced and conquered?

How to comment like a king (or queen!)

Seniors '07 welcome to our blog. This week you will be asked to comment on our blog as well as other blogs on the web. One of my favorite bloggers, Vicki Davis, created a great post regarding the ins and outs of commenting. Heed her directions. These are gold when it comes to blog commenting etiquitte.
Cool Cat Teacher Blog: How to comment like a king (or queen!)

Thank you for reading

This is a thank you to all of the bloggers out there who contribute to the knowledge base. I am thankful for those that became pioneers and continue to blaze a path for eager educators and students. Thank you to the parents who believe in teaching moderation and responsibility with technology rather than cutting off the source. Thanks to all of the school systems who encourage, promote, and drive technology with students and teachers. Forward thinking, 21st Century "evangelists" are the people who will guide our students and our future. Thank you (please forgive me if I forget you):
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Cathy Gassenheimer
John Norton
Alabama Best Practices Center
Mountain Brook City Schools
Jan Rogers
Kathy Sierra
Anne Davis
Vicki (Cool Cat) Davis
Wesley Fryer
Will Richardson
Darren Kuropatwa
Alan November
David Warlick

Welcome to English 12

Hello Seniors! Welcome to our classroom BLOG. This is the central nervous system of our class. You will use this to as a vehicle to let your voice be heard. Add comments and browse around to see our progress last year. I have big plans for the blog. Join the Blogosphere.

It keeps going, and going, and going...

Dog days of summer continue here in Alabama. As I sit and watch the news, I see the effects the heat is having across the country. There are brushfires, heatstrokes, and power outages. Even technology is feeling the effect because MySpace went down for a few hours this morning because of a power outage affecting its servers. Between these real events and having seen Superman Returns this summer, it has become more evident to me how much our country has become reliant on electricity. I know that seems like a given, but think about the technology that runs everything now. If our power source is out, our technology is crippled. What do you think about this? Are we too reliant on technology? Are we too spoiled with gizmos and luxuries that run on electricity?

A Need for More Reflection

As I have learned so much about blogging over these past few months, I have contemplated branching out with these blogs. I am taking the lead from blogging pioneers. They have their class blog and a professional blog. I will now devote this blog just to my classes since they have made it such a great site for discourse and discussion, and I am working on a professional blog called It's All Geek To Me (teach2geek.blogspot.com). This will inspire teachers to use their current great practices and turbo charge them with technology. Please join me there and reflect on teaching and best practice in 21st Century Literacy Skills.

True Confessions

Ok, I know as an English teacher I should not admit this but I must...

I never really read for pleasure until after I was out of college.

There, it is out there for the world to know. I am not happy about it, but the truth is that I was in a four year AP feeder program in high school and had a prolific social life (yes, cheerleader/athlete in small town school). My teachers did not have the wisdom to give some choices for reading. We read the classics, which I never fully appreciated until college, and I had a hard time maintaining an interest. I did not like to read and had no intention of being a lifelong reader. Rather than give my life history, I will get to the point of this rant. I am up at this indecent hour right now because I cannot quit reading. Is it the latest John Grisham novel? No. Is it the latest Nicholas Sparks romance novel? No.

The reading I cannot "put down" is blogs! I am addicted. I am a Bloglines addict. Although I read now for pleasure as well as professionally, I find that the immediacy of information offered by blogs is so wonderful. Now remember, I am not talking about MySpace blogs or people's personal rants. I am referring to blogs by professionals, teachers, companies, and colleges that offer information that pertains to my profession or interests. Become a lifelong reader and add blogs to your repertoire. Along with newspapers and magazines, blogs should be your major source of up to date information in the world of .... whatever topic you are interested!
I must go to bed. I will post and link to some of the fabulous bloggers contributing to my knowledge base, but in the meantime look at my cool blogroll. I just learned how to add that. See you in the blogosphere.

Hey, thanks for entering the Blogosphere!!

It's summer and hopefully my class blog will be visited by teachers during summer workshops. Feel free to browse through the archives and scroll all the way down to see what is there. Also, visit my other blog used for pocket pc comments. Here are just a few Cool Tools I have tried out this year with my classes:

The Blog (obviously):
Our class pilot project with pocket pc's: http://247pocketpc.blogspot.com
My new professional blog: http://teach2geek.blogspot.com
The blog associated with a blog presentation at AETC: http://classblogpresentation.blogspot.com

The highlights from the blog you are reading now:
Some of my favorite posts with student comments-

• Science, Ethics, and Religion… Oh My! March 10
• Blog Challenge April 24
• Research Papers… Hot or Not? February 8
• Off topic but on Life February 13
• Tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow… January 24

The Wiki:

• http://teacherblogs.wikispaces.com (collaboration for teachers)
• http://mtnbrookseniors06.wikispaces.com (my class wiki for projects)
  

The Podcast and Video Blog: http://mrscaldwell0.podOmatic.com

Online Quizzes (Quizstar): http://4teachers.org

A Reflection...

Wow, my first year here at MBHS has come to an end. I have been teaching for a decade. It is hard to believe. I have seen good teachers come and go. I have seen teachers get fired up and get burned out. Through ten years of teaching, I have learned many valuable lessons. Because my house holds two teachers, education and the "business" of the teaching profession are often the topics of conversation. My husband and I have had conversations over dinner that include topics such as: bus/lunch duty, secretary squabbles, roach infestation in a classroom, "Johnny" continues to fail all of my tests, "Suzie" told me today that her mother has cancer, my point guard is not a leader, my head cheerleader has an eating disorder, my principal takes me for granted, transfer of allocation forms, lunch money.... and the list goes on.

I love teaching. Most teachers don't do this job for the money or the respect (because we usually don't get much of either). We do it for the love of our subject, our students, and our desire to make a change. It is a passion that we cannot explain. We are counselors, facilitators, parents, leaders, doctors, advocates, secretaries, custodians, motivators, and experts. The other stuff.... because there is plenty of the other stuff (see list above), is just the layers we have to peel through to get to the real job.

Since summer is here, I would like to open this blog up to teachers (and students if they feel the need) to share their thoughts about teaching, learning, school policies, etc. Ask questions, add your experiences, give advice.

The first question I would like to pose is this- What would you consider a "Professional Learning Community"? Forget the book definition of this and tell your perfect school community. Where does it start? Who is involved? Define roles, explain expectations, give philosophy... I think the only way we can truly see ourselves and our schools as institutions of PROFESSIONALS who promote LEARNING and foster COMMUNITY, we must decide what our own notion of this is.

I know that you don't have much time right now, but imagine this blog being a portal to extended "lunch talks" about stuff you need to talk about. Click comment and write your thoughts. You can post anonymously ... if you choose (which would be best) you can include your first name only at the end of your comment. You don't have to create a Blogger account to comment. Just click comment and type away. This will be open to teachers of schools around the state and the world (world wide web!), so what you say may be exactly what others need to hear.

Reflect... you know you need it. Have a great summer. I will see many of you soon.

Graduation Day!!!!!

“Anyway”
Author unknown

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable
Be frank and honest anyway.
People favor underdogs but will follow only top dogs.
Fight for some underdogs anyway.
People may need help, but may attack you if you help them.
Help people anyway.
What you spend your years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyaway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

“Dream Big”
Author unknown

If there were ever a time to dare,
To make a difference
To embark on something worth doing
It is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily –
But for something that tugs at your heart
Something that is worth your aspiration
Something that is your dream.
You owe it to yourself
To make your days count.
Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.

Dream big.

Know, though,
That things worth doing
Seldom come easy,
There will be times when you want to
Turn around
Pack it up and call it quits
Those times tell you
That you are pushing yourself
And that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
Determination and the right tools,
You can do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect
And let your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power
Of the human mind
Of doing something that makes a difference
Of working hard
Of laughing and hoping
Of lasting friends
Of all the things that will cross your path
Next year
The start of something new
Brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible
There is only one you
And you will pass this way but once.

Do it right.

May God bless you and guide you on your journey! Mrs. C

Poetry from-
http://members.accessus.net/~bradley/Graduationpoems.html

Podcasts are here!!!

One last grasp for technology...

So how do you use technology in your life? When you sit down at your computer, what are your favorite sites?(Please be responsible in reporting this fact!) What technology (whether equipment or site/software) can you not do without?

For me-
email (Outlook has good features)
Mozilla Firefox Browser (very cool tab feature)
The Blog- of course
Mapquest
mp3 player (I know it is not an ipod... I thought you guys were buying me one!)
iTunes
Sonic Foundry Audio editor
Homestar Runner (If you don't know, just Google it)
4teachers.org (online tests and rubrics... hmmm)
allrecipes.com
www.myspace.com/caldwellrocks (don't make fun- keep in touch when you graduate)
my laptop (I love the Mac!)

Picture Story... What were you thinking when your class did this?

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Book Talk

What is the best book you have ever read? Why was it important to you? What made you connect with it?

Advice to Freshmen

Use this post to leave your advice to freshmen. They are leaving the junior high and will be entering sophomores. Tell them things you wish you had known at that age- about academics, social life, activities, etc. Use this opportunity to leave your mark for others to follow.

Let your voice be heard... literally.

You know me and new tools. Thanks to The 21st Century Learning Project I get information about new tools all of the time. I know you guys are thinking, " So that is why we have been in techie overdrive all year!" Anyway, there is this wonderful tool. It is called Vaestro (pronounced like "maestro"). Of course, I created a channel for us and I want you to record your message on it. Keep in mind that this is the WORLD WIDE WEB. Your opinions and ideas should be maturely and creatively stated without making you (and me, MBHS, your family, etc.) look stupid. The topics are pretty open. Please leave your mark. Let your voice be heard!

CLICK THE CHANNEL LINK BELOW IN GREEN:

The Tiny Kingdom Meets the World

If you don't have a microphone or you don't have time, just comment here and give

ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2006!

Prom... ahhh, what will you do all day?

What a concept... our prom is tonight, so the seniors stay home and spend all day getting ready. I am doing some good quiet work here today.

If you had the whole day with absolutely nothing pressing that you had to do, what would you do to fill your time?

By the way, this picture is an example of the "Duck Tape" prom attire contest.

Blogging on the go

Sorry I have not updated in a bit. The countdown is really on now. Four more real school days until senior exams. If you don't count senior skip day (Prom Friday), then only 3 days!!! Amazing how time flies. Here is a great link to how to blog with the Pocket PC.

AvantBlog « Projects « Dented Reality

Yearbooks

Ahh... yearbooks. I know that there are many unusual traditions here at MB, so enlighten me on this one. At many schools students sign each others' yearbooks. Is that a tradition here? Even if it is not, let's pretend. Sign someone's yearbook here. It can be someone in our class, a teacher, a sibling, a junior or sophomore, your choice. Keep it clean. Say something meaningful, since you have a bit of time to consider your writing.

Example:


Pam,
Thanks for sharing your room with me this year. I am glad you put up with my messiness and found ways to ignore carts of computers, swords and cauldrons, and the purple boogers on the ceiling (thanks Jimbo). Your advice and good judgement have been essential to my first year at The Brook. I will miss you next year. Have fun in that new career!
Thanks,
Brandi