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http://www.learningismessy.com/

Updated regularly,
pictures and interesting to look at, easy to navigate and

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Plenty of resources and examples

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It's a brand new year and it is time to clean house a bit and bring back my very favorite writing topic:
Technology Tips.

My first one of the new school year is about a newish feature to your very own Google Drive called:
Workspaces

The idea behind workspaces is to create an area inside your drive (much like a folder) where you can quickly access a set of documents, spreadsheets, drawings, etc. Anything you can create under the "create" button can be added to a single workspace and then you can quickly access those files from your main Drive page.

The idea is to help you create a space that let's you "find what you need faster"

To access this space simply click on the "priority" section under the "new" formerly "create" button

Then click the "create workspace" button, give it a title and begin adding files to the workspace. You can choose up to 25 total files to have in a single workspace and you can add and remove them form the work space at anytime after.

The use cases for this function are entirely dependent on your working style and needs. I find it very useful to have a single work space for a set of files I access on a regular basis but may get lost amongst the "most recent" files floating at the top.

Check it out today in your Google Drive, and send me a tweet letting me know if you'll be using this feature and if so how it helps.

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It's a brand new year and it is time to clean house a bit and bring back my very favorite writing topic: Technology Tips. My first one of the new school year is about a newish feature to your very own Google Drive called: Workspaces The idea behind workspaces is to create an area inside your drive (much like a folder) where you can quickly access a set of documents, spreadsheets, drawings, etc.

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The Wise Owls- Tales from an Ag Ed Classroom

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The Wise Owls- Tales from an Ag Ed Classroom

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http://ohioagteachers.blogspot.com/

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But I digress!

This blog contains classroom assignments, (what appears to be) articles of the week, and a collection of student blog titles.

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Have a great life!

000m607 73
0456-1203-6470-4432 96
4398 80
Applejax52 84
Bean 85
Billsmafia 86
Botswana 97
C333333 86
Cantaloupe23 82
Caramel corn 100
Chain Z 87
Cool97 80
Dat boi 82
Dudley 88
El diablo 87
Fblr 78
Fish 90
Grass 87
Grimm brother tale 94
James king 94
John Cena 70
Lemur 87
Maezie 74
Not me 89
Paul Blart 98
Peachy 89
Pianomanatee 88
Richard Nixon 94
Shanaynay 81
Skool_ball2016 89
Skoooball 18 92
Soccerfighter13 79
Tennis 26 80
That's so Raven 81

The average score was 92. Nice work! Have a great summer!

21 pilots 96
A0101 100
Alfred Reed 93
Alpha 1 98
Alpha 3 94
Amarissa 94
Apha 2 81
Ben Dover 81
Big buffet boy 27 98
Blue 98
Cat woman 92
Coco 96
Creative code name 95
Cupcake 123 91
David Bowie and Freddie Mercury singing "under pressure" in heaven 92
David Bowie 80
Delta 1 94
Duck 1960 93
Eileen Dover 93
Estella Havisham 94
Fuzzysocks 72
Geodude 82
Goat cheese 98
Jenny 92
Kinkajou 100
Kiwi 98
Mary had a little lamb 98
Microwave 123 93
Ms Lovett 93
Music 42 95
Myrtle beach 98
Nabi 96
Nardocci 4lyfe 91
Og33 92
Oreo 87
Prince Royce 93
Reed 90
Rocky 98
Sierra boggess 91
Soymilk 84
Spruce 9 94
Squid 94
Sularium 96
Summit1g 72
Taylor Swift 96
The tank 13 92
Tyrone 90
Uhyuu 94
Versace 86
Vscolover 98
Vscostud 96
Yuki 95

This is your final AoW for the year, and it was suggested by Emily G in period 4.

Your thoughtful response is due by Thursday, 5/5, 11 p.m..

This week's article was recommended by Kelsey in period 1.

Your response is due by Thursday, 4/23, 11 p.m..

PIB: In small groups, you spent time figuring out Mr. Wemmick and Mrs. Pocket. Charting details associated with each, then making inferences about their personalities and point in the book. We will discuss Mrs. Pocket tomorrow. Read 34-36 for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last day for period one's second reader response.

Eng 12: You began a T chart on the view of sex in the novel, for the party and for the proles, both from the point of view of the government or the people. Continue with that focus as you read Book two, chapter 3 for tomorrow.

AoW 20 due Thursday for all.

PIB: Small group discussions of chapters 29-30. Read 31-33 for tomorrow.

Eng 12: A quick review of events in Chapter 1 of Book 2. Read chapter 2 for tomorrow.

AoW 20 due for all by Thursday night.

PIB: In small groups, you discussed the current reading. Read 29-30 for tomorrow.

Eng 12: You did Journal 6 and we discussed some topics from Chapter 8. Read Book 2, ch 1 for tomorrow.

AoW 20 up for Thursday.

Today was the deadline for all work for the third quarter. If you were absent, and you absence is EXCUSED, I will accept your work on Tuesday. If UNEXCUSED, I will not accept any more work. Stay on top of things for the final quarter.

PIB: A brief AoW discussion and a look at topics in GE from chapters 20-25. Read 26-28 for Monday. M-F will be days for RR #2 from period one. Monday is the deadline for all work for the third quarter.

Eng 12: A brief AoW discussion, then reading time. You must be through page 104, ch 8, for Monday. Monday is also the deadline for all work for the third quarter.

Julia in period 2 recommended this article as it relates to discussions going on in our district right now about revising the school's policies on digital technology usage.It is a three page article, please read it all, and write your response on any angle of the article.

In case you're like me, BYOD, I think, means Bring Your Own Device.

Responses are due by Thursday, 4/14, 11 p.m.. This will be the first AoW of the final quarter.

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Have a great life! 000m607 73 0456-1203-6470-4432 96 4398 80 Applejax52 84 Bean 85 Billsmafia 86 Botswana 97 C333333 86 Cantaloupe23 82 Caramel corn 100 Chain Z 87 Cool97 80 Dat boi 82 Dudley 88 El diablo 87 Fblr 78 Fish 90 Grass 87 Grimm brother tale 94 James king 94 John Cena 70 Lemur 87 Maezie 74 Not me 89 Paul Blart 98 Peachy 89 Pianomanatee 88 Richard Nixon 94 Shanaynay 81 Skool_ball2016 89 Skoooball 18 92 Soccerfighter13 79 Tennis 26 80 That's so Raven 81 The average score was 92.

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http://edutech4teachers.edublogs.org/

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Another example of a student blog as an example for students to model their own after

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reThink Your Classroom Culture

Join more than 15,000 educators as you rethink and renew your classroom culture by focusing on your students. Learn how to shift your internal paradigm from teaching ELA curriculum to teaching the kids who are sitting (standing or table surfing...) right in front of you. Learn how to create your own engaging lesson plans and units and/or start with our resources in our free email community.

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Join more than 15,000 educators as you rethink and renew your classroom culture by focusing on your students. Learn how to shift your internal paradigm from teaching ELA curriculum to teaching the kids who are sitting (standing or table surfing...) right in front of you.

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" Shakespeare's vision of the world is essentially pessimistic "

Is this true? Ultimately does the play exhibit a lack of confidence in hopeful outcomes? Does evil prevail over good? And what position does the play adopt with regard to cosmic justice?
God/Gods/Divine & Cosmic Justice
We often hear characters hopefully appealing for God's/the Gods' protection & support but this is juxtaposed with the defeat of these hopes & bleakly negative outcomes. For example, in the final scene, Albany cries out " the Gods defend her " - then Lear comes in with the dead Cordelia in his arms i.e. the Gods fail to answer their pleas/prayers. So this is an essentially pessimistic outlook alright.

Gloucester has no such faith in divine intervention to protect the virtuous, instead evoking cruel Gods who delight in human suffering and reward people who are corrupt. He bleakly observes: " As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport ". He feels there is no divine justice, but at this point it is no wonder that he gives way to despair - he's had his eyes plucked out and is suffering the loss of his beloved child Edgar. Interestingly, by the end of the play, he has changed his view and prays to the ever gentle Gods... so the person who had the least faith at the beginning of the play has the most at the end. Confusing.com

Other characters, such as Edgar, believe that the Gods reward good and punish evil: " the Gods are just, and of our pleasant vices make instruments to plague us" "t hink that the clearest Gods ... have preserved thee "
Suffering in the play:
Another way to think about the level of pessimism Shakespeare's play exhibits is to consider the extent and extremity of the suffering and pain the characters endure (lots of pain; lots of suffering!) and to ask whether or not this suffering is completely out of proportion to their flaws and failings (abso-bloody-loutely-yes!). Life is so awful for Lear that Kent sees death as a blessed release for him: "He hates him, that would upon the rack of this tough world stretch him out longer"

However, it's important to remember that whilst their suffering is extreme, Shakespeare frequently and repeatedly points to the redemptive effects that stem from these experiences of suffering - compassion, pity and consideration for others. Through their suffering, Lear and Gloucester become better men!

So while his vision of the world is frequently pessimistic, it is not exclusively or unrelentlingly so.

What about the question of whether or not good conquers evil?
Good v's Evil
Does the decency and selflessness of characters such as Cordelia and Cornwall's servant (who tries to prevent them from plucking out G's eyes) outweigh the horrific inhumanity of characters such as Edmund and Goneril?

Can we argue that all efforts to be GOOD ultimately fail?
eg Edmund tries to save Cordelia but fails
eg Lear decides to help the poor but it is too late, he is no longer powerful

Clearly, we can. And it has to be said that the concluding scene is hideously grim as Kent declares "All's cheerless, dark and deadly"

Nonetheless, evil is defeated - it is shown to be self-destructive (Edmund, Goneril, Regan) and Edgar and Albany remain to restore social and moral order in the future.

So what can we conclude about Shakespeare's vision? Well, ultimately this is a tragedy. The final lesson Lear learns is ultimate grief. He reaches a nadir of absolute nothingness, complete and total despair. Nothing can dislodge the haunting image of a distraught father holding the lifeless body of his daughter from our minds.

Theme of blindness:
Lear is emotionally blind: he cannot see Cordelia's true love for him & banishes her.
Through his madness he gets perfect vision, realises Goneril and Regan's wickedness and Cordelia's loyalty but it is too late. Lear's blindness ends up costing Cordelia her life and consequently Lear's own.

Gloucester exhibits a less wilful blindness: after all, he was tricked. He was too willing to believe Edmund without even speaking to Edgar - he behaved rashly and jumped to conclusions.
As Gloucester's eyes are plucked out, he learns to see. It is not until he loses his physical sight that he realises how blind he has been to the truth. Although blind, by the end of the play he has achieved a clearer vision of the world.

Ultimately "Eyes aren't the source of sight in the play, it is knowledge that leads to sight and further insight in the play" (I'm not sure where this quote comes from and google ain't telling me - perhaps those wonderful notes Patrick Murray used to write on each of the Shakespearean plays)

Who else is blind?
Albany to a certain extent, is blinded by his love for Goneril. It takes him quite a while to see her for what she really is. Her unfaithfulness, discovered in a love letter to Edmund where they plot to kill Albany, makes him stand up against her authority.

There's a gradual dawning realisation that those who see don't necessarily see things clearly. And somehow this is seen as a general reflection of the state of the nation and the corruption inherent in this society. As Gloucester wryly observes "Tis the times plague when madmen lead the blind".

Nonetheless, the more BLIND Glouester becomes physically, the less blind he becomes emotionally and psychologically - initially he's betrayed by Edmund. He's a poor judge of character. He sees people not for their inner qualities but for their outward show. But he embarks on a journey into self-knowledge.

Lear is the same. He's blind to the truth at the beginning. He demands obedience and immediate gratification from everyone. He's rash, he doesn't like people questioning him and going against his wishes. But like Gloucester, he embarks on a journey into self-knowledge.

Traumatised, both endure great hardship. As a result, both become better people. They have grown morally, and recognise their failings and mistakes. Ultimately they become patient and compassionate human beings.
Transformative power of suffering:
Can suffering make us better people? This is one of the central questions Shakespeare tries to answer in this play. So what's Lear like at the beginning?

He's King- he has absolute power and authority. He's been flattered and obeyed all his life. People told him what he wanted to hear. He has no true concept of how to judge a person's love for him - he must learn that "actions speak louder than words" but he doesn't understand this at the beginning. He's arrogant, intolerant, rash and unreasonable.

Lear is easily insulted and used to getting his own way. Anyone who goes against him becomes a victim of his violent rage, curses and threats and his cruel, unjust punishments - for example he disinherits Cordelia. His immaturity is profoundly evident - he measures love by grand speeches not kind acts.
"Come not between the dragon and his wrath"
Ironically, as he has given away his kingdom, he still measures his own value by looking at the number of followers in his retinue, and by what he owns and possesses.
His punishment of Goneril is out of all proportion to her crime - he curses her with infertility, a big deal for a woman who has a kingdom to pass on to her heirs!

ONCE HE GOES OUT INTO THE STORM - he goes mad, loses his sanity - this change from respected King to beggar is too much for him to bear. Through his suffering and experience, the major changes occur.

He learns not to judge people by what they possess, because he himself has been stripped of everything. He realises that everyone sins, that he himself has made mistakes but he still feels he didn't deserve the treatment he got from his daughters.

When he sees that the fool is cold, this is a significant turning point: he now notices the needs of others "Poor fool and knave, I have one part in my heart that's sorry yet for thee" act 3 scene 2.

Similarly, when he meets Poor Tom/Edgar he feels sorry for him. The reality of what man is without possessions and flattery is shown to him "Is man no more than this?" and he is shocked! He is turning away from focusing on his own needs, and finally realising the needs of others, of the basest beggar...he realises that as King he had a unique opportunity to ease their suffering but failed to do so "I have ta'en too little care of this!" He now cares about his subjects "Poor naked wretches...that bide the pelting of this pitiless storm" - but sadly, it's too late.

By the end of the storm, wild and mad, yet wiser than he has ever been before, he realises how prone to flattery and lies he once was: " they are not men of their words. They told me I was everything, tis a lie "

The extent of the change in his outlook and personality is most evident in that fact that he is able to accept defeat and the humiliation of imprisonment with a positive joy. His priorities are now straight - he wants to spend time with his beloved daughter and beg for her forgiveness "we two alone will sing like birds i' the cage and ask of thee forgiveness"

He now knows who to trust and how to love and from this is able to acknowledge his own errors - "I am old and foolish".

Sadly this change comes too late, which elevates Lear to the status of tragic hero and which deepens the pervasive sense of tragedy which permeates the final moments of the play.
Theme of family:
The play revolves around the destruction of Lear and Gloucester's families.
Both banish loyal children and reward the wicked ones with their inheritance.

Parental anxiety about their children's love permeates the outlook of both men and they are both wracked with doubt, convinced they cannot rely upon the natural bond between them and their children.

The calamitous consequences for the kingdom of familial collapse are everywhere evident in the play. Families are not caring, supportive institututions. Brother pitted against brother, sister against sister. Mistrust, dishonesty and opportunism seem to dominate.
Other themes and sub-themes in King Lear

Inheritance & Greed

Family values

Kingship - responsibility, authority, power, privilege

Mental breakdown & madness - actual tempest, external & internal

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" Shakespeare's vision of the world is essentially pessimistic " Is this true? Ultimately does the play exhibit a lack of confidence in hopeful outcomes? Does evil prevail over good? And what position does the play adopt with regard to cosmic justice?

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Great up to date articles and videos
Teacher resources

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

The benefits of movement in the classroom aren't limited to younger students. Pairing new words and concepts with gestures or dance moves locks in understanding-and active brain breaks prime students to learn even more.

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A free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education.

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Relevant to current events in the district

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I remember being endlessly entertained by the adventures of my toys. Some days they died repeated, violent deaths, other days they traveled to space or discussed my swim lessons and how I absolutely should be allowed in the deep end of the pool, especially since I was such a talented doggy-paddler.

I didn't understand why it was fun for me, it just was.

But as I grew older, it became harder and harder to access that expansive imaginary space that made my toys fun. I remember looking at them and feeling sort of frustrated and confused that things weren't the same.

I played out all the same story lines that had been fun before, but the meaning had disappeared. Horse's Big Space Adventure transformed into holding a plastic horse in the air, hoping it would somehow be enjoyable for me. Prehistoric Crazy-Bus Death Ride was just smashing a toy bus full of dinosaurs into the wall while feeling sort of bored and unfulfilled. I could no longer connect to my toys in a way that allowed me to participate in the experience.

Depression feels almost exactly like that, except about everything.

At first, though, the invulnerability that accompanied the detachment was exhilarating. At least as exhilarating as something can be without involving real emotions.

The beginning of my depression had been nothing but feelings, so the emotional deadening that followed was a welcome relief. I had always wanted to not give a fuck about anything. I viewed feelings as a weakness - annoying obstacles on my quest for total power over myself. And I finally didn't have to feel them anymore.

But my experiences slowly flattened and blended together until it became obvious that there's a huge difference between not giving a fuck and not being able to give a fuck. Cognitively, you might know that different things are happening to you, but they don't feel very different.

Which leads to horrible, soul-decaying boredom.

I tried to get out more, but most fun activities just left me existentially confused or frustrated with my inability to enjoy them.

Months oozed by, and I gradually came to accept that maybe enjoyment was not a thing I got to feel anymore. I didn't want anyone to know, though. I was still sort of uncomfortable about how bored and detached I felt around other people, and I was still holding out hope that the whole thing would spontaneously work itself out. As long as I could manage to not alienate anyone, everything might be okay!

However, I could no longer rely on genuine emotion to generate facial expressions, and when you have to spend every social interaction consciously manipulating your face into shapes that are only approximately the right ones, alienating people is inevitable.

Everyone noticed.

It's weird for people who still have feelings to be around depressed people. They try to help you have feelings again so things can go back to normal, and it's frustrating for them when that doesn't happen. From their perspective, it seems like there has got to be some untapped source of happiness within you that you've simply lost track of, and if you could just see how beautiful things are...

At first, I'd try to explain that it's not really negativity or sadness anymore, it's more just this detached, meaningless fog where you can't feel anything about anything - even the things you love, even fun things - and you're horribly bored and lonely, but since you've lost your ability to connect with any of the things that would normally make you feel less bored and lonely, you're stuck in the boring, lonely, meaningless void without anything to distract you from how boring, lonely, and meaningless it is.

But people want to help. So they try harder to make you feel hopeful and positive about the situation. You explain it again, hoping they'll try a less hope-centric approach, but re-explaining your total inability to experience joy inevitably sounds kind of negative; like maybe you WANT to be depressed. The positivity starts coming out in a spray - a giant, desperate happiness sprinkler pointed directly at your face. And it keeps going like that until you're having this weird argument where you're trying to convince the person that you are far too hopeless for hope just so they'll give up on their optimism crusade and let you go back to feeling bored and lonely by yourself.

And that's the most frustrating thing about depression. It isn't always something you can fight back against with hope. It isn't even something - it's nothing. And you can't combat nothing. You can't fill it up. You can't cover it. It's just there, pulling the meaning out of everything. That being the case, all the hopeful, proactive solutions start to sound completely insane in contrast to the scope of the problem.

It would be like having a bunch of dead fish, but no one around you will acknowledge that the fish are dead. Instead, they offer to help you look for the fish or try to help you figure out why they disappeared.

The problem might not even have a solution. But you aren't necessarily looking for solutions. You're maybe just looking for someone to say "sorry about how dead your fish are" or "wow, those are super dead. I still like you, though."

I started spending more time alone.

Perhaps it was because I lacked the emotional depth necessary to panic, or maybe my predicament didn't feel dramatic enough to make me suspicious, but I somehow managed to convince myself that everything was still under my control right up until I noticed myself wishing that nothing loved me so I wouldn't feel obligated to keep existing.

It's a strange moment when you realize that you don't want to be alive anymore. If I had feelings, I'm sure I would have felt surprised. I have spent the vast majority of my life actively attempting to survive. Ever since my most distant single-celled ancestor squiggled into existence, there has been an unbroken chain of things that wanted to stick around.

Yet there I was, casually wishing that I could stop existing in the same way you'd want to leave an empty room or mute an unbearably repetitive noise.

That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was deciding to keep going.

When I say that deciding to not kill myself was the worst part, I should clarify that I don't mean it in a retrospective sense. From where I am now, it seems like a solid enough decision. But at the time, it felt like I had been dragging myself through the most miserable, endless wasteland, and - far in the distance - I had seen the promising glimmer of a slightly less miserable wasteland. And for just a moment, I thought maybe I'd be able to stop and rest. But as soon as I arrived at the border of the less miserable wasteland, I found out that I'd have to turn around and walk back the other way.

Soon afterward, I discovered that there's no tactful or comfortable way to inform other people that you might be suicidal. And there's definitely no way to ask for help casually.

I didn't want it to be a big deal. However, it's an alarming subject. Trying to be nonchalant about it just makes it weird for everyone.

I was also extremely ill-prepared for the position of comforting people. The things that seemed reassuring at the time weren't necessarily comforting for others.

I had so very few feelings, and everyone else had so many, and it felt like they were having all of them in front of me at once. I didn't really know what to do, so I agreed to see a doctor so that everyone would stop having all of their feelings at me.

The next few weeks were a haze of talking to relentlessly hopeful people about my feelings that didn't exist so I could be prescribed medication that might help me have them again.

And every direction was bullshit for a really long time, especially up. The absurdity of working so hard to continue doing something you don't like can be overwhelming. And the longer it takes to feel different, the more it starts to seem like everything might actually be hopeless bullshit.

My feelings did start to return eventually. But not all of them came back, and they didn't arrive symmetrically.

I had not been able to care for a very long time, and when I finally started being able to care about things again, I HATED them. But hatred is technically a feeling, and my brain latched onto it like a child learning a new word.

Hating everything made all the positivity and hope feel even more unpalatable. The syrupy, over-simplified optimism started to feel almost offensive.

Thankfully, I rediscovered crying just before I got sick of hating things. I call this emotion "crying" and not "sadness" because that's all it really was. Just crying for the sake of crying. My brain had partially learned how to be sad again, but it took the feeling out for a joy ride before it had learned how to use the brakes or steer.

At some point during this phase, I was crying on the kitchen floor for no reason. As was common practice during bouts of floor-crying, I was staring straight ahead at nothing in particular and feeling sort of weird about myself. Then, through the film of tears and nothingness, I spotted a tiny, shriveled piece of corn under the refrigerator.

I don't claim to know why this happened, but when I saw the piece of corn, something snapped. And then that thing twisted through a few permutations of logic that I don't understand, and produced the most confusing bout of uncontrollable, debilitating laughter that I have ever experienced.

I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

My brain had apparently been storing every unfelt scrap of happiness from the last nineteen months, and it had impulsively decided to unleash all of it at once in what would appear to be an act of vengeance.

That piece of corn is the funniest thing I have ever seen, and I cannot explain to anyone why it's funny. I don't even know why. If someone ever asks me "what was the exact moment where things started to feel slightly less shitty?" instead of telling a nice, heartwarming story about the support of the people who loved and believed in me, I'm going to have to tell them about the piece of corn. And then I'm going to have to try to explain that no, really, it was funny. Because, see, the way the corn was sitting on the floor... it was so alone... and it was just sitting there! And no matter how I explain it, I'll get the same, confused look. So maybe I'll try to show them the piece of corn - to see if they get it. They won't. Things will get even weirder.

Anyway, I wanted to end this on a hopeful, positive note, but, seeing as how my sense of hope and positivity is still shrouded in a thick layer of feeling like hope and positivity are bullshit, I'll just say this: Nobody can guarantee that it's going to be okay, but - and I don't know if this will be comforting to anyone else - the possibility exists that there's a piece of corn on a floor somewhere that will make you just as confused about why you are laughing as you have ever been about why you are depressed. And even if everything still seems like hopeless bullshit, maybe it's just pointless bullshit or weird bullshit or possibly not even bullshit.

But when you're concerned that the miserable, boring wasteland in front of you might stretch all the way into forever, not knowing feels strangely hope-like.

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I remember being endlessly entertained by the adventures of my toys. Some days they died repeated, violent deaths, other days they traveled to space or discussed my swim lessons and how I absolutely should be allowed in the deep end of the pool, especially since I was such a talented doggy-paddler.

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Well organized, condensed without being cluttered, lots of information but well organized

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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When Tabitha Sanchez, a sophomore at Pace University, was in high school, she started a book blog for her English class. Today, Tabitha's Book Blog is a nationally-recognized blog that reviews dozens of major fiction works. At only 20 years old, Sanhez has not only received national recognition for her blog, but has also started a career in the New York publishing industry. Her story, among others, illustrates the power of student publishing as part of 21st century learning environments.

More and more schools are approaching learning through digital projects, providing students with daily opportunities to self-publish. In today's vernacular, publishing refers to everything from blogging to creating website content to sharing videos on sites like YouTube and Vimeo. However, others dee the definition of publishing as one that extends beyond online content. Jon Corippo, an Apple Distinguished Educator and director of Academic Innovation for CUE, defines publishing with a broad brush. Corippo has worked with hundreds of film students over the years and considers them published or publishing once they are entering their work into contests, partnering with public or nonprofit entities, and using social media and other platforms to promote their work. He explained, "Publishing and going public with your work is the beginning of the rest of your life as a citizen and a professional."

Student Content Creation: Self-Publishing in the Classroom

David Theriault, an english teacher at Huntington Beach Union High School, has been leading his students in blogging for the past two and a half years, and now considers blogging to be the most important work his students are producing. "Blogging allows every student to write to an audience," said Theriault. "We used to have students write to their teachers or maybe fellow students - now, their audience is truly public."

His students both appreciate and understand the impact of a public audience y seeing their content's high number of visitors and page views from over 100 countries. In some cases, Theriault's students have gained 500+ followers in a matter of months. Theriault's graduates have kept in touch, and tell him that their blogging experience has given them an advantage in their overall college success. He believes that publishing, though mediums like blogging, is crucial for authentic college and career skill-building.

"Blogging and publishing online are truly connected to college readiness, as well as lifelong literacy skills in the new economy," notes Theriault. "[Companies like] Google want to see what people are thinking, how they reflect, how they plan and how they create." He argues that these skills can be demonstrated through students' blog presence.

Student Publishing and Student Voice

When it comes to teacher's role in student publishing, some educators believe that their ultimate role is to promote student voice. Pernille Ripp, a veteran K-8 teacher from Wisconsin, believes that student voice is essential. Through medium's like blogging, Ripp says that students ultimately connect to the world and discover their own voice.

"We blog so that my students have a platform to help change education around the

world," Ripp said. "Once they establish their voice and see the power of publishing, it's amazing what kind of impact they can have." Ripp has created the Global Readaloud Project, as well as her own blog called Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension. If our goal in education is to empower students to take charge of their own learning, and for them to perform at high levels, having them publish professionally in a digital environment is essential. Students like Tabitha Sanchez can find their voice, expand their professional learning network (PLN) and begin their futures while in school.

When asked about her blogging experience, Sanchez said, "I've gained a sense of confidence that I don't think I would have had without it. Blogging has also connected me to the publishing industry in so many ways. It's really nice to know that there are people out there who will read and care what you're writing about."

Are you a student or teacher who's interested in self-publishing? Look into free blogging platforms such as Tumblr, and Kidblog. See below for some resources for creating blogs to help propel your students' voice:

Blog Content Resources

* The Community Blog for Education Blogs
* 5 Best Blogging Tools for K-12 Teachers/Students
* David Theriault's Blogging Info & Blog Share
* Pernille Ripp & Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension
* 12 Free Apps for Student Publishing
* 7 Excellent Tools to Publish Student Work

Media Uploading Resources

* Vimeo
* YouTube
* TeacherTube
* Blip
* Flickr
* Google Drive

Author Bio:
Michael W. Niehoff is a writer for Inside USC Rossier, the blog for the University of
Southern California Rossier School of Education's online teaching degree. He has been
an educator, writer, and student advocate for 25 years. His areas of professional interest are project-based education and student leadership. Connect with him on twitter @mwniehoff.

Image source: Bill Selak

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Student Self-Publishing- An Essential Part of 21st Century Learning

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When Tabitha Sanchez, a sophomore at Pace University, was in high school, she started a book blog for her English class. Today, Tabitha's Book Blog is a nationally-recognized blog that reviews dozens of major fiction works. At only 20 years old, Sanhez has not only received national recognition for her blog, but has also started a career in the New York publishing industry.

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Be more dog

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Holy, cow! It's already November. It feels like only a few weeks ago I was beginning this crazy journey at Beaver Local High School. The 2015-2016 school year marks my seventh year as a public school teacher, but eighth total year teaching. I thought that by year seven, I had found my groove, but switching from WV to Ohio has been enough to push me out of my groove and into orbit. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as I am still totally out of my comfort zone (see my last post about the goal of breaking out of the comfort zone). But I am feeling a lot like the hamster on the week. My little legs are pumping and pumping, but I'm not always getting ahead of the rat race.

I haven't taught the literature I am teaching to my students this year since 2008 during my student teaching. We have come a long way since 2008, so I don't really have anything from then and I have been creating everything I'm using from scratch. This material creation has been exhausting, but so worth while. I have been pushing myself to think creatively on every single assignment. I have been pushing myself out of the box and I'm really enjoying the results I'm seeing from my students.

My sophomores just finished reading Antigone and my Seniors are about half way through with Beowulf. The first time I taught these difficult texts, my students really struggled. I remember teaching these the way my advising teacher did during my student teaching, and the students were checked out. This time around, I have worked hard to bring the text to life and it shows in the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation my students have shown of these texts. A coworker showed me the website Kahoot It. I have been using that to help us review. A student actually asked to take the test last week because he was so confident in his understanding of Antigone. That's something that has never happened in my career. I know when I give these kids the formal test, they're going to nail it because of the hard work I put into the planning stages of teaching. I typically revamp and create some new material as I go along, but I haven't started from scratch like this since my first year. I challenge you to throw your old material out and start fresh. It will bring a new and great perspective to the classroom.

My new school has a 1-1 initiative. Every kid has an iPad. Some take their iPads home, and some keep them in their 7th period teacher's room. Because of this initiative, I'm so excited to start blogging this week. We will begin by student creation on Thursday of this week. I plan to let the students create and experiment with their blog on Thursday and Friday. By Friday they will have to have an About Me Section on their page.

Stop back and check out our blogs next week! I'm so excited to get my kids writing and blogging.

Categories: Uncategorized

We are all guilty of over enjoying the comforts in life. We want the most comfortable bed, shoes, clothes, and car. We equate comfort with quality of life. When I first heard the idea that the greatest things in life happen outside of your comfort zone, I was a bit confused. Don't we work our whole lives to achieve comfort? Why would great things happen when I'm uncomfortable? I didn't really get it, but I'm not typically a risk taker. I've never climbed the face of a cliff. I panic at the thought of purging my material items and living in a trendy "tiny house." I don't have the need for speed, and I picked my car for safety and comfort over style ad fashion. Leave me in my comfortable bed while you risk life and limb in search of magic. I'll like your dangerous-feet-hanging-out-of-the-airplane picture on Instagram while snuggling with my puppy and sipping chamomile tea.

Then I started thinking about risks and comfort zones within the classroom, and I realized I'm actually a risk taker! Stacy McNally may fear the risks in life, but Mrs. McNally will do anything it takes to improve and make learning fun. Mind. Blown. I'm not afraid to stand on a desk and sing a song I wrote about properly answering text dependent questions. I'm not afraid to send my kids on a scavenger hunt throughout the school for pieces of a puzzle to create the perfect thesis. I'm not afraid to start blogging with my students when all the other teachers in my building are still writing traditional essays. I'm not afraid to dress like a puritan woman and walk through the halls during class change to get my kids excited about what we are doing in class. I have certainly failed when taking risks. When I dress in costume and walk with (okay, maybe chase) my students down the hallway, they are mortified to know me. They call me crazy, but they are excited to come to class.

I spent the last six years of my career teaching in West Virginia. When we added twin baby boys to our family, being away from home didn't feel right to my husband or me any more. We needed our children to be raised with family. My husband started his job search first to bring us home. He was a police officer, so we thought he would have a tougher time finding the right job. We thought wrong. Within a month, my husband had landed an amazing job and was set to begin at the start of the year. It was one thing to talk about making this huge jump and moving back to my hometown. It was another to actually do it! I started getting my portfolio ready to present to a future employer. I filed my paperwork for Ohio certification, and eventually I had an interview at my dream school. I was hired and I will start teaching at Beaver Local High School in a few weeks. They have a 1-1 initiative which will allow each student to have their own iPad. Their new K-12 School is the most innovative school in the state (and I would venture to say country). I am so excited to begin this new journey.

Since beginning this transition to come back home, I have told myself over and over, "The magic happens outside of your comfort zone." I have taken this risk in uprooting my family and career with the faith that magic will happen. I am confident that my new school will allow me to blossom into a greater teacher than I could ever have imagined. I'm determined to continue to push myself until I am making magic in my students' lives every single day. I believe it will happen. If you're interested in seeing my journey to the magic, subscribe. I will keep you posted on the highs and lows of teaching outside of my comfort zone.

Categories: Tags: Life Lessons, Blogging, comfort zone, costumes, magic, risk taking, singing, teaching, text dependent questions Teaching

This morning, after dropping my twins off at the babysitter's, I was walking to my car when a neighbor was walking past with his dog. He was frowning and didn't look very happy to be out and about at 7am. He glanced over at me and I greeted him with a smile and a bright, "Good morning!" I didn't think much of it, as it's a pretty standard procedure for me to greet anyone I see. As I pulled out of the driveway and went along my way, I had to drive past the man. This time, I noticed he was smiling from ear to year. A few moments before that, he had looked miserable. Had my smile and words changed his perspective?

I attended a small college of national distinction in the hills of West Virginia- Bethany. What struck me about Bethany when I toured as a high school senior was that everyone seemed so happy. Professors welcomed us into their classes to show us experiments they were working on (I still remember the fruit flies and how the professor explained their breeding habits although I have long forgotten his name). Students smiled and said hello as we passed through the corridors of Old Main. Everyone made eye contact and greeted you with a smile as you passed. I actually wondered out loud if they had placed these people just for the tour, but our guide assured me that was just how people acted in that cheery little town. People were just generally nice and kind. Although this wasn't my only reason for choosing to attend Bethany College, it did influence my decision. Bethany's outlook on strangers also changed the way I went about my day for the rest of my life.

I always say hello and good morning when I pass colleagues in the halls. It's funny to me how many people will put their head down and not acknowledge someone passing just feet away from them. I'm as guilty as anyone for getting caught up in my own troubles and problems, but sometimes one little interaction can change your whole perspective. If I'm having a rough morning, a bright greeting from a colleague may change my mood and leave me walking away with a smile. It's only fair that I give that back whenever I can.

I try to greet as many of my students as I can by name in the hallways with a hello, a smile, and a question about how their English class is going this semester. Some of my students seem mortified that their teacher spoke to them in front of friends, but most leave walking away with a big smile. I hope they pass that smile and kindness on to someone else as they go. I really believe that a kind word can change a day for the better, like a harsh word can send a day into a downward spiral. I believe niceness matters.

I really have no idea if it was my words that perked the man up this morning, or if he was just amused by something his dog did. But it really made me remember that a simple greeting and a smile can change a person's world.

Categories: Tags: Life Lessons kindness, life, niceness, smile

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Holy, cow! It's already November. It feels like only a few weeks ago I was beginning this crazy journey at Beaver Local High School. The 2015-2016 school year marks my seventh year as a public school teacher, but eighth total year teaching.

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1) 2016 Rock Star Blogging with Google Sites - 2016 Rock Star Blogging

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It's A Long Way To The Top... Until It's Smooth Sailing

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May 29-31: Lab write up and completion of display