Comments on: Finding A Rhythm http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2009/02/17/finding-a-rhythm/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:37:15 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Graham Wegner http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2009/02/17/finding-a-rhythm/comment-page-1/#comment-14106 Graham Wegner Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:00:27 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=678#comment-14106 @Joanne. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. I do think it is really important to lay solid foundations at the start of the school year but it is easy to feel pressure from other sources (parents, leadership) to be launching into the curriculum properly and get things like homework up and running. Sometimes, the eagerness to get to "business as usual" in the classroom can overlook important things like an agreed culture of learning between the students. Get that right early and they work together for each other - I'd never want to be the teacher that has the class working only to please me. They would never become life long learners that way. @Joanne. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. I do think it is really important to lay solid foundations at the start of the school year but it is easy to feel pressure from other sources (parents, leadership) to be launching into the curriculum properly and get things like homework up and running. Sometimes, the eagerness to get to “business as usual” in the classroom can overlook important things like an agreed culture of learning between the students. Get that right early and they work together for each other – I’d never want to be the teacher that has the class working only to please me. They would never become life long learners that way.

]]> By: Joanne http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2009/02/17/finding-a-rhythm/comment-page-1/#comment-14105 Joanne Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:35:27 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=678#comment-14105 I am a student studying Education to be a teacher someday. I appreciated your article because it proclaims truth. Even though you do not feel like you accomplished much or had not moved forward, the foundation that you were establishing was integral to how the rest of your year would go with the students. Establishing leadership and rules, consequences, rewards, and building relationships is something that my prof has been emphasizing lately. I am a student studying Education to be a teacher someday. I appreciated your article because it proclaims truth. Even though you do not feel like you accomplished much or had not moved forward, the foundation that you were establishing was integral to how the rest of your year would go with the students. Establishing leadership and rules, consequences, rewards, and building relationships is something that my prof has been emphasizing lately.

]]> By: Pam Thompson http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2009/02/17/finding-a-rhythm/comment-page-1/#comment-14086 Pam Thompson Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:59:45 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=678#comment-14086 Graham, this sounds like a post I could have written. I was just saying to my teaching colleague after school that I would have very little to report back to a parent at the moment, at least regarding academic skills. However, I so feel that the time spent in establishing relationships, building our agreements together etc has gone a long way. Being in a new school this has been an essential process. But I must get my head around some planning now, especially in the IB areas. Graham, this sounds like a post I could have written. I was just saying to my teaching colleague after school that I would have very little to report back to a parent at the moment, at least regarding academic skills. However, I so feel that the time spent in establishing relationships, building our agreements together etc has gone a long way. Being in a new school this has been an essential process. But I must get my head around some planning now, especially in the IB areas.

]]> By: Dan Hite http://gwegner.edublogs.org/2009/02/17/finding-a-rhythm/comment-page-1/#comment-14085 Dan Hite Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:39:47 +0000 http://gwegner.edublogs.org/?p=678#comment-14085 I was happy to discover your Open Educator blog today. I was unable to find an email link in your profile. I hope it's OK that I'm contacting you through a public comment. I've developed an educational program for Windows called SpellQuizzer that helps children learn their spelling words without the battle that parents often have getting them to sit down and write them out while the parents dictate to them. The parent enters the child's spelling words into the software making a sound recording of each word. Then the software drills the child on their words. It really helped my children with their weekly spelling lists. I would appreciate your reviewing SpellQuizzer in Open Educator. You can learn more about the program at http://www.SpellQuizzer.com. There's a video demo you can watch at http://www.spellquizzer.com/SpellQuizzer-Demo.htm. I'd be happy to send you a complimentary license for the software. Please let me know if you are interested. Thank you very much! Dan Hite TedCo Software I was happy to discover your Open Educator blog today. I was unable to find an email link in your profile. I hope it’s OK that I’m contacting you through a public comment. I’ve developed an educational program for Windows called SpellQuizzer that helps children learn their spelling words without the battle that parents often have getting them to sit down and write them out while the parents dictate to them. The parent enters the child’s spelling words into the software making a sound recording of each word. Then the software drills the child on their words. It really helped my children with their weekly spelling lists.

I would appreciate your reviewing SpellQuizzer in Open Educator. You can learn more about the program at http://www.SpellQuizzer.com. There’s a video demo you can watch at http://www.spellquizzer.com/SpellQuizzer-Demo.htm. I’d be happy to send you a complimentary license for the software. Please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you very much!

Dan Hite
TedCo Software

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