We're Back and Better Than Ever...

Greetings!

I have to say, that after being off the air (or web) for almost 6 months, I thought that this blog was dead. But I have had several people in the last few days ask why they can't read the blog any more. So here we are.

I think I want my first post to focus on Wiki's. At first glance, they can seem trite and worthless. But as a teacher, I am now the owner of over 15 of them. I use them for everything from private student writing forums, working with an published author across the country, providing a resource to parents at our school, and more. I would like to link you to my classroom wiki. If you have never seen a wiki, take a break from this article, and click HERE.

Welcome back. As you can see they are a wonderful and easy (and by that I mean, easy to setup, easy to promote, and medium on maintaining.)

Another great example of how to use one can be found HERE.

As an educator, the possibilities of Wikis are endless. Want to hear something even better? Wiki's can be FREE for educators. If you are an educator and agree to use your wiki(s) solely for educational purposes, wikispaces.com will give you an upgraded account for free. This means no ads or other garbage clogging up your professional looking wiki. Simply click HERE to get started. Again, read the agreement carefully before you submit anything.

If you are worried about people viewing class pages and students names, etc., you can set your wiki to private. That allows only the people you want and invite into the site. It won't show up anywhere else. To get around the problem of creating accounts for each of my students, I created a class username and password. All students can log in with it. Then each student has their own page on which they do their assignments. Everyone can work at the same time as long as they are on their own pages. I absolutely love it.

If you have questions, concerns, or want more information, leave a comment and I will get back with you, or I will answer your question.

Happy Wiki-ing.

Speak Like A Pirate Day- Sept. 19th

Ok, so there is a holiday for everything under the sun. When I ran across this special day, I KNEW I had to celebrate it. You should too! It is SO fun. You can check out my wiki page for lots of links and downloads or go HERE.

The thing that sets this holiday high on the list is the fact that it can be used in so many curricular ways. To speak like a pirate, you have to know what verbs and adjectives are to understand how to "be speakin' like one". Creative writing is also a breeze with this holiday. Have the kids make a pirate ship battle script. Write it out. Act it out. There are songs to sing, poems to read, short stories, long stories, picture books, and even disturbing YouTube videos by the creators of this glorious day. To download all the needed supplies use this page.

I also have my kids make toilet paper tube pirates or parrots and then write a short story about which ever they have made. These are 6th graders and they LOVE it. You could even do a pirate ship milk carton.

Don't forget to let your kids have fun playing a piratey game in the computer lab on the 19th. Here is a fun one (download it for free):
Cannon Blast

I hope these resources get you started on your way. Good luck on your voyage-
Leave comments of questions if you have any.

Arrrr...Be Ye Gettin' To Work on the Best Piratey Holiday Around...

Just Teach It...