After 11 years at my school, we finally obtained a computer lab with 17 desktop computers to use. We struggled for so many years to assemble mini-labs using grant computers and donated machines. This year my library was equipped with 8 Dell PC's which replaced the nine year old iMacs. Instead of a variety of screens, techniques, and operating systems I am finally able to teach the entire class simultaneously.

For those of you who have had equipment, this isn't a big deal. Those of you with bare bones equipment can rejoice with me.

I have still managed to work around and create some pretty impressive things with students over the past 11 years. Now though I can turn the technology instruction over to the classroom teacher and have more time for individual students to work on machines rather than partnering.

What was the first thing I taug...Read More

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Shh! Don't tell anyone, but every year when I begin putting all of the books away, I actually talk to the books. It's the real reason why I don't mind straightening alone the 3,000 plus books that are currently checked out and being returned this week. If you were to eavesdrop, you'd hear this:

Well, Principal from the Black Lagoon! I thought you were long gone and hightailed it out of this school. I haven't seen you in so long. All of the other faculty members kept coming in and out. Where were you?

There you are, Franny K. Stein! I knew there were more of you out there somewhere. I kept showing the students on ...Read More

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Is anyone out there creating lists of games for teens to play online? How about creating lists for parents and librarians? Sure, I know they're out there. But where? Many of the "cool sites" I see come from my sons racing in with a laptop to show me or emailing me screen shots. 

#2 son tells me that he thinks Middle-School kids will love to play Mabinogi.com because it is a fantasy world that protects you from nasty stuff. I'm still checking it out myself.  If you know anything about it, let me know. 

There are videotutorials, guides, maps, and more. #2 son keeps reassuring me that I don't have to battle. In fact, I can even create music to make the others happy. ...Read More

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Being the mother of 4 boys, I spend my Mother's Day in unique ways. One year it was bowling, one it was playing putt-putt golf, one year seeing the movie "The Mummy" until #4 son got scared and we had to go out in the hallway. This year I'm playing games with my sons online. Two are on Army bases working away, two are here in the house doing projects for school, but all of us are playing online games. 

#4 son prefers CounterStrike and Steam
#3 son chooses Runescape
#2 son is playing Mabinogi and writing up a post for you about it
#1 son loves CounterStrike and Day of Defeat
I choose Si...Read More

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"Hey! Ms. Chen! You're like a rockstar!"   Yep! to the students of my elementary school autograph day is like "being dismissed from school and not having to go home." For thirty minutes half the school takes over the hallways while teachers stand at their doors and autograph yearbooks. Then they swap and the other half races out. Since so many students can't afford the yearbooks, our company sends autograph pages for teachers to distribute so they can still participate. 

So, how do I make this a teachable moment? This year everyone who wanted my autograph also received my message

KEEP READING! 
Ms Chen

Not only did I sign, b...Read More

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Today is the last day of checkout and A.R. testing at my school. Today is the very last chance for our 4th graders to ever check out and read some of these titles. I am in a panic at the thought of how much they have yet to read and learn. Did I show them that one special author or title that might make a difference in their lives? 

I want to teach them so much more. How can this be the end of the year already?

As the 29 classes here rush in for one final checkout, can I convince them of my love of literature and learning one last time? Will they remember how much I love and respect them as they advance? 

Pressure!

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We have been learning how to use our FLIP camera and MovieMaker software to get a movie downloaded, edited, uploaded, and broadcast within ten minutes. This was one of our first attempts during the Nashville Art Crawl in April. If the video doesn't pop up, I'll send technical support to the rescue in the morning (that's you, Dan!).

Enjoy the video simply because it captures how immense his largest koi is. Also, if I were you, I'd turn off the sound because it wasn't great. Now, the hair!!!! Michael Tyler and I both had fabulous hair that night so feel fre...Read More

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Snagged this picture of Julie O'Brien, Hermitage Art Teacher and guest reviewer here from her school website. Thought you should see who's talking to you today.

Gulliver Snip

By Julia Kay

Henry ...Read More

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 Julie M. O'Brien, art teacher at Hermitage Elementary School in Nashville, TN, shares her perspective as to why books sometimes need a second read. 

Minji’s Salon by Eun-hee Choung Kane/Miller Book Publishers

...Read More

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Julie O’Brien, art teacher at Hermitage Elementary School, Nashville, TN shares today's review of 

Hannah Duck
Author/Illustrator: Yamamura, Anji
Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Hardcover $15.95 
ISBN: 978-1-933605-74-6
Ages: 4 - 6 
Country of Origin: Japan.

Charming. That’s the word came to mind as I read Hannah Duck. The art teacher in me was dazzled by the illustrations, which...Read More

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Techie Tisch is allowing me to share this information on the ChickieWicki she and Karen created for Karen's students. Don't you love the questions little ones ask? Techie Tisch also shot several little videos of her chickens to answer some of the students questions. Here's Tisch:

A little over three weeks ago I loaned an egg incubator to my friend Karen.  I also set her up with some eggs from my flock of chickens so she could do a unit about hatching chickens with her kids from school.  She's a librarian and a terrific one. 

The past three weeks she has read books to the students about hatching chicks, they have read and researched how to set up the incubator and even ...Read More

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Norma Fox Mazer's powerful writing left me so uneasy in her latest book The Missing Girl that I have taken a month to write. Wow! What a psych thriller! The alternating points of view of the many characters involved keep you off-balance as the predator becomes more and more disturbed. If you a...Read More

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