The Discovery Student Center is an incredible tool for students, and it puts the power of digital media in the palms of their hands.  The only limit is your students’ imaginations.  Many Discovery Streaming users are aware of this fantastic resource, but I wanted to share how much my students love having their own accounts with Discovery.By setting up a classroom account, educators are able to create and assign lessons, explorations, investigations, projects, quizzes, writing assignments, and…See More

I love to use Discovery Streaming videos in many ways during my school week but I think one of the most powerful aspects of streaming is that it makes the topic “come alive”.  In math it is sometimes difficult to connect the concept to the real world around us.  Math is everywhere and in everything!  Discovery Streaming helps take the outside world, close up or far away, and brings it into the classroom.  One streaming video I use for math concepts is,…See More

This Voicethread presentation,http://voicethread.com/share/1204078/, is an overview of the Discovery Education Student Center for educators. The Student Center is a relatively new tool in the Discovery Streaming program and by setting up a classroom account, educators are able to create and assign lessons, explorations, investigations, projects, quizzes, writing assignments, and so much more. Students receive a user name and…See More

There are many thoughts about the effectiveness of homework. Many say that it provides reinforcement of concepts taught during the day, others say that it teaches discipline and organizational skills. Still others say that it is a complete waste of time. I’m not sure where I fit in with these opinions, but it isn’t up to me anyway. Our school district has a homework policy that I must follow. For third grade there needs to be 30 minutes of homework, 4 nights a week.I ran across an interesting…See More

I love to teach reading and writing, and I absolutely ADORE a book about teaching children how to write called, The Most Wonderful Writing Lessons Ever by Barbara Mariconda published by Scholastic Professional Books. It isn’t a typical teacher’s manual but well worth the read. (It’s my favorite professional book.) This book has grown into a full-fledged writing program called, Empowering Writers, http://www.empoweringwriters.com/. …See More

Folktales Around the World Virtual Field Tripthonus_u07a2_-folktales-around-the-worldTo access this virtual field trip you will need Google Earth installed on your computer.  The link above will ask permission to open this application.  When Google Earth is running, look in the navigation menu on the left side and open the Temporary Places under the Places tab.  Click to open…See More

I tell the students during the first week of school that I am not their teacher. Of course, this comes as a shock, and they wonder who it could be. Then I say that their teacher is in the room. Who could it be? That certainly gets them thinking. I’m just telling the students the truth about learning. They are their own teachers and always have been. I am only a coach. They don’t believe me until I ask them who taught them to talk, walk, and ride a bike? Parents encourage them, keep them from…See More

Since last summer, I have actively sought to create my own Professional Learning Network.  There are so many ways to continue our professional growth.  Consulting with fellow teachers, I began joining groups like Classroom 2.0 and setting up FaceBook and Twitter accounts.  The Discovery Educator Network and Second Life are my favorite ways to collaborate and learn from the best innovators in our field.  I was definitely in Utecht’s Stage 3,…See More