Observing the American Dream

The following images are to be included with the lesson plan regarding the American Dream:

Living in a bubble

One of the interesting experiences about developing a blog for classroom usage is the nagging question "Am I doing this right?". Having the chance to explore how others use this type of technology doesn't necessarily answer this question, but rather open the door to a host of other questions. But it does reinforce the fact that blogging cannot be ignored in the classroom and that there appear to be endless opportunities for incorporating them into the curriculum.

What to do when not grading essays...

One constant in my life has always been golf. I picked up the sport at about the age of 8 by tagging along after my Dad. I played baseball, soccer, unorganized football, tennis, basketball and many others, but for some reason golf is the one that appealed to me the most. Perhaps it is its solitary nature. Maybe it appeals to an untapped creative side through the art of shot making. It might even be that the nature of the game befuddles even the strongest of performances and challenges your self-worth – that 68 could have been better if you would have made the putts on 7 and 15. Nevertheless, it is the one thing that I must regularly connect with in some way, otherwise my life seems out of balance. In some ways golf acts as a drug. Not as deadly as some, but the lingering effects on the mind can be arguably as damaging. You can ask my wife.

Seeing the past, being the future

One of the most important aspects to a freshman’s integration into a high school’s community is his ability to understand the school's heritage and find some aspect of this heritage that he connects with. To understand Lincoln High School, one must understand its history and tradition. Throughout the course of the first semester, we asked our students on a number of occasions to closely examine the cultural, academic and athletic traditions of Lincoln High School both in a historical sense, as well as in the present. By understanding and appreciating their surroundings, they, hopefully, began to develop an understanding of what they might contribute to Lincoln’s heritage.

Understanding the value

The further I explore blogging the more I realize the possibilities it holds for the classroom. The single greatest virtue that I see to this point is the interactive nature and flexibility it has when compared to a traditional web page, like a site created in Google Apps.

A Classroom Activity Outside the Classroom

Senioritis is real. I have seen it (and am currently still dealing with it – for five more days). When teaching a writing course that requires students to invest time, thought, energy and effort into producing written work, senioritis is not something that one typically willing invites into the room. Nevertheless, like dust bunnies, it is there and must be dealt with.

My intial attempt at a Blog

One of the initial reasons for exploring the process of blogging and determining to what extent it can be used in the classroom stems from the never-ending push to incorporate technology in the classroom. With such a strong commitment to creating 21st century learners, it would be foolish to ignore the technology that is available for students to extend and enhance their learning in a traditional classroom setting. Besides, a majority of students are probably already using some form of blogging in their personal lives and their familiarity with this tool would make it a comfortable addition to their academic experience. Another tremendous benefit to adding a blog to a traditional/required high school course is that it moves away from the emphasis on the learning that must occur in the seat and expands the learning opportunities to anywhere that the Internet can be accessed. With the nature of the majority of my students' schedules, this, I believe, would be a welcome inclusion to their learning experience.