in the front seat

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about teacher classroom websites.  A number of people have asked me about creating their own classroom site.  We all seem to struggle with the same beginning questions  What type of information should I post online?  What if I don't know html?  What on earth is html?  Would it be easier if I subscribed for a service?  How much work will this be?  WHERE ON EARTH DO I BEGIN! These are all good questions, that unfortunately, when answered will lead to many other good questions.  The important thing to remember is not to let yourself get overwhelmed.  If you commit to maintaining a classroom site, than stay with it. This will be a multi-year process and you will change your mind and design. Begin by spending a few weeks bookmarking teacher websites that you like.  Don't limit yourself to your grade level either.  There are a lot of good teacher made sites that you can learn from outside...

Before updating and revising my class website I like to visit other teacher's sites.  These I've found these to be some of the best teacher classroom websites. Elementary (K-5) Mrs. Zider's Website - Grade 1, created using TeacherWeb Mrs. Pearce's  Classroom Website - Grade 3, child friendly graphics and resources Mrs. Renz's - Grade 4, She has pages for Parents, Students, and Teachers Mrs. A's Reading Room - A more mature look, free site created using Weebly Mr. Coley.com - Grade 5, THIS IS A MUST SEE SITE, for more information read Mr. Coley's Website FAQ page Mrs. Patton's Website   - Unsure of the exact grade, but she appears to be a co-worker of Mr. Coley Middle & High School (6-12) Mr. Langhorst -  Grade 8,  Highly developed American History site.  This site uses the district's hosting tools and a blog among other tools. Ms. Ward - High School English, this site was created using Ning and Blogger The Physics Classroom -...

I started a project last weekend and wanted the font the “Google Font”.  I eventually found that Google uses a modified 3D version of Catull BQ.  If you like this font and want to download it visit " Google Community " post titled " I Own Catull " by Honest Bob .  If you download the file, I suggest you, save it to the desktop for easy access. To add Catull to your list of available fonts you will need to add it to the “Font” folder.  Type “Font” in your start menu search bar and drag the downloaded file into the “Font Folder”.  

The Woonsocket School Board recently passed a resolution to make 60% mastery a passing grade.  If you listen to the Board's reasoning, it sounds pretty simple.  According to, " New Graduation Requirements Make First Passage " by Sandy Phaneuf , an article posted on the Woonsocket Patch , this decision will raise WHS's graduation rate from 63% to 70%.  That sounds good for the city.  Right?  Let's not even comment on the fact that the Board is trying to raise the graduation rate to the 70% mark because that is more acceptable.  Instead, let's think about this in the larger context.  Over the last few decades, educators, policymakers, journalists, and parents have demanded higher standards for our schools.  We worry about the future competitiveness of our economy because our students are not learning.  By all means, lower the minimum passing grade.    Would anyone want a teacher who only knew 60% of their subject?   Would an...

According to a confidential national survey, 74% of students admitted to cheating or knowing someone who cheated in school.  This is a highly disappointing number.  Teachers work, not only to teach their students a specific subject but to promote a sense of honesty and integrity in their students.   When a student cheats they fall short of both goals.  The act of cheating represents three ethical wrongs: cheating=sneaking+lying+stealing.  First, a student plans how to deceive a teacher.  Second, a student carries out the act putting his or her name on another person’s work.  Last, a student hands the work in calming to have done the work.   Other studies have shown that most teenagers experienced the desire to cheat.  Many who do, have tried once or twice. Oftentimes feeling guilty or shameful, they do not attempt it again.  However, some of those who succeed, continue to cheat, eventually feeling trapped in the need to...

A recent study published on the Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicinal online journal reported that teens who are addicted to the internet are more likely to have relationship problems, aggressive behavior, and become depressed.  Internet addiction is a type of "process addiction" -- an addiction to an activity or process such as gambling and spending money.  Don't confuse this with a substance addiction, which involves the ingesting of a particular substance.  Both types of addictions can have serious side effects in a persons life and relationships.  While sociological studies like this are not an exact science, this does make sense. Michael Gilbert, a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, studied this issue.  He suggested that the main cause in this process addiction, and the consequent negative social behaviors, lies in the fact the internet isolates and alienates the user. This is a problem for i...