teaching portfolios

I have seen a couple e-portfolios and what I picked for a poor one is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sv3HA0A5ag&feature=related.   This is just a video of the teacher talking through her written portfolio.  Not really interesting at all.  Although the knowledge is there there is nothing that would keep someone involved in her video.  Very boring.

I thought that this second link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TjzMneWatk&feature=related
This was more along the lines of the examples that were shown in the articles that I read.  A more in-depth look at the teacher and her work.  I really saw this as a useful link.

Smartboards.......How much fun?

Well I have had my fair share of experiences with interactive whiteboards.  Some good and some bad.  When I used to teach in another area, I felt that I was in another world.  I had no idea what I was doing.  There was no one to help me and I was afraid to use it.  So I continued to use the normal white boards until I got some assisitance.  For years I would see others do it but had no real definite way for me to get used to this kind of technology. 


As the years progressed, I saw the different ways to utilize the white boards and saw the fun that I missed out on.  I really want to master ways to make learning fun because I chose to teach a boring subject.  Social studies can be a chore for most people and as much as I love the subject, I cannot change what has to be taught.  But I can change the way things are delivered.  Hoipefully I can make the best of my knowledge and have the students in mind when using this technology. 

Our Bullying project

Lisa and I came up with bullying in the classroom.  The idea came to both of us because of the growing concerns we both have with student attitudes.  Cyberbullying is a growing problem between teens in school.  With the growing suicides in the country due to cyber buillies and bullying in general.  It was great for us to work on the editing software in movie maker.  I think I had the most fun playing around with importing scenes and cutting a pasting the material for the project than actually filming.  I love hands-on things and this was great for me.  Allowing myself to get immersed in the project will help when I try to incorporate this with my students in the future.

Video in the Classroom

As a person in the classroom everyday, I have seen the great importance of video as an extra resource to the lesson plans.  These kids are visual learners and lets be honest, they do not like to listen to the teachers voice all that much.  When you remember the times that we were in school.  Lectures were not very fun either.  So why teach the same way.  I am helping create an employabilites curriculum and the problem with this is that there are very few resources that coincide with career.  So I looked at the mass media and noticed that shows like "The Apprentice" and and other shows that come on everyday are a great help.  Kids remember the things they see much more than the things we say or read.  It may not be the best in lasting impressions but they work and make kids enjoy learning more.
I like the usage of videos in the classroom, it provides a very good outlet for presentation in the classroom.  There can't be a better option otherwise.  In History, I would use the opportunity for kids to be able to make spoof skits. like in Saturday Night Live.  This would give the kids a chance to learn the concepts and have fun.