As Rosh Hashana (the Jewish new year) draws to a close the start of a time of reflection begins in earnest. Over the next week (culminating with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement) Jews across the world will be analyzing their deeds, thinking of wrongs they have caused, and working to repair damage that they have done. I usually use this time to critically reflect on my practices as a human being and decide on actions I want to take in the future that will make the world better. It may sound like a harsh proposition but much like the weekend allows us to take a break from the "daily grind," these days provide some with a chance to really wonder if our path in life is what we want it to be.

Obviously a part of my reflection relates to what I do and see on a daily basis in my school. It relates to what I read in the newspaper about education policy. It relates to what I hear about new evaluation systems that might deem me an unsatisfactory teacher if I cannot get my students to increase their test scores by certain percentages. All these ideas swirl in my head until I get dizzy with them.

One aspect of life I always return my thoughts to is that human beings are inherently flawed creatures and that we need to remember that when interacting with each other. If we demand so highly of one another and get completely disappointed to the point of isolation when we don't measure up, we will not survive the way I think we want to. On the other hand, if we don't demand highly enough, we will slowly lose ourselves to the entropy of the universe.

The picture I am painting may seem bleek but I choose to think of it as an opportunity to repair what needs fixing; to collaborate on projects that make a difference; and to remind myself that if I don't enjoy what I am doing, chances are the people I am working with (be they fellow staff, students, parents, and others) probably aren't either. If more people had that perspective I truly believe fewer problems would exist.

Shana tova u'metukah (have a sweet and happy new year)

I was quite fortunate this past weekend to attend the Google Geo Teachers Institute in Washington, DC and so I want to share some of what I learned about two amazing tools that I had not thought of before for such great educational purposes: Google Earth and Google SketchUp.

Google Earth: Right off the bat I need to tell you that this piece of software is not just for finding directions from Point A to Point B and seeing a cool fly-by. The way Google has crafted this program it integrates so much meta data, pictures, links, stories, etc so it becomes a great educational tool. Of course you can use it for math and science lessons to analyze distance, height, calculate areas, etc. Additionally (and this is one I had not thought of or heard of before) you can use it to project the path of a story and provide more context to its plot through things like Google Lit Trips. You can overlay photos and data onto terrain to see what volcanos need to be monitored actively. You can see 3D models of the Roman ruins across Italy. And you can embed audio/video/links into any placemark you make. Basically, if you play with it, you can figure out a use for your classroom.

Google SketchUp: Beginning as an off-shoot of Google Earth and now its own design medium, this program provides an easy-to-use 3D modeling tool that students/teachers can use to explore/measure/mimic things in real life. We spent time creating a dog house and back yard from scratch and using pre-fabricated models in the 3D warehouse. Then we geo-located a firehouse in Washington, DC and used the Google Streetview version of its front to add texture to its outside. One of Google's Super Modelers, Beryl Reid, explained how she guided her students into designing her town in 3d and getting the models accepted into the official 3d warehouse as well.

So, in a nutshell, these tools are great resources for any teacher of any content area. I highly recommend you spend time watching tutorials and experimenting with them to familiarize yourself but do not hold back in sharing with your students. Last year I gave SketchUp to a few students and they came back a month later to have me judge them on the house plots they had made - all without any instruction from me! Don't let your lack of knowledge hold them back!

This one might be obvious but it was still amazing to me how many of my students had the prior knowledge necessary to have higher-level conversations about math-specific topics. Instead of worrying about lower level skills and taking days to teach a math class how to properly graph a scatter plot, today my students interviewed each other, collected data, and plotted points without flinching. One of the most difficult concepts - how to set up correct intervals for each axis - was a breeze to them. Last year I spent two weeks making sure every student knew how to set up a graph so that all points would be plotted.

Again, I am not certain where this disconnect comes from - I am just noticing it thoroughly. The major outcome for me means that my classes can complete more interesting activities (I think) because we are not bogged down in the basic skills.

This might seem like an advertisement for the basic skills movement in mathematics but I don't think it is, mainly because when I talk to my students about how they intuitively understand these concepts they explain it rationally, using real examples, and without difficulty. For someone who learned a skill through rote memorization, he or she would not be able to answer in the same way (at least that is what I think). 

So how do we make sure kids in neighborhood high schools master the prior knowledge before they are too far behind? Isn't that the questions. Creating supporting structures from pre-K through college is definitely a good idea (here's looking at you, Harlem Children's Zone) but I think we need to do this on a public school-scale. I just hope we don't get bogged down in the politics of it all.

Before I begin this blog entry - a quick plug for my Chromebooks project. I recently received a matching donation of $1500 (and potentially more). If you can donate to this project to help support computer use in my classroom, please do so soon. The best way is to send a check directly or you can use the ChipIn widget to the right (there will be a 3% if you do). Any donation can help. Thanks!

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For those who do not know I recently made the transition from more neighborhood-type schools in West Philadelphia to a magnet school local south of Center City. It has been an interesting change and one that I want to examine as I work there. Last weekend I was chatting with a friend of mine about the differences and we came up with a short list. This series is going to be diving into that list to explore what it might mean. First up on the list: obesity.

Until I had that conversation, I barely even thought about anything physical relating to my new students aside from the fact that they have more diverse skin tones than schools in West Philadelphia. But, when I thought more deeply about their physical shapes, I noted one major thing: these magnet kids are thinner!

There are a host of reasons why this particular group of kids might have fewer obese members but I think it is definitely a reflection on their backgrounds. Perhaps their families don't eat at McDonald's as often because they a) can afford not to, b) understand that saturated fat can be deadly, or c) they exercise more. Or it could be many other reasons, too. Maybe the 4 flights of stairs students have to climb in order to get to my room!

Whatever the reason is, it has an effect. The students don't tire as easily I've noticed (even though they get to school an hour before my students last year). They are able to concentrate and focus more quickly. They more consistently participate in sports teams. Or, to be honest, these effects could have nothing to do with their weight.

But when childhood obesity is focused on by the First Lady we should take a moment's pause to wonder why it is that neighborhood schools have fatter kids than magnet schools. And what we should do about it.

I try to make very clear to anyone coming into my classroom that I am a ridiculous teacher. Oftentimes observers will see me singing to various students or shouting out corny jokes across a quiet room. I do this for many reasons, including the fact that teaching really can be a performance career at times. 

That being said, I'm sure there are teachers out there in situations where the pressure and inertia of "what has always been done" is forcing them to resort to more traditional methods in their teaching. The standard "chalk-and-talk" methodology was how I learned in high school and I recognize that it has value, but my true belief is simple: if we want to make sure our children are succeeding in the world (and not just on standardized tests) we need to make sure they are enjoying themselves in schools. No, that does not mean we water down the curriculum. Yes, it does mean we refuse to just "cover" material instead of actually teaching it. And it definitely means we reevaluate what the purpose of homework is.

Tradition is a great thing and I value the experience of those who have been teaching for many years. At the same time, innovation is prevalent and lauded all over modern society. As educators we need to look into ourselves and figure out what that means for us, our interaction with students (who are very dynamic) and their parents (who might demand the traditional), and our curricula. 

For me, it means a big shift this year where I assign homework and let the students decide if they need it or not. I partner that with a standards-based grading system where students can demonstrate their mastery of something whenever they want (within limits). And I'm absolutely ridiculous in class so the students pay attention (and believe, me they do). 

What works for you?

I may have found the perfect school to work in: the kids are enthusiastic and greatly motivated by my corny jokes; the staff is interested and works very hard; and the administration has supported me greatly over my first week in the building. With that in mind I am pushing forward with my idea to bring Chromebooks into my classroom. Please read below if you want to support my student's computer use this year.

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As many of you know I recently transfered to a new school in the School District of Philadelphia. Transitioning from a school based almost entirely on technology to a more traditional building has been difficult. But, with some technology, I believe I can help. As I endeavor to improve my skills as an educator I have found that while I can be a "good" teacher in a traditional setting, I would rather be a "great" teacher in a technological setting. Using online resources allows me to connect my students to a network they would not normally know about and prepare them for a future that will require these skills.

So I am fundraising to get laptops into my classroom.

I have never done this before but I trust my network to help me when I am in need. If you can support this project or want more information about it, please visit this website. All proceeds will be directly used by me for my students. Please share this with anyone you think would be willing to read it.

My students and I thank you for your help.

A while ago I made a post about a system we were using at the High School of the Future called the Learner Log. I was (and still am) really excited about it - so much so that in my new school I brought an updated version with me! With the tremendous support of colleagues at SOTF we have created the Palumbo Portal, a page that we can access to keep logs of whatever happens to students, much like I described a few months back. I introduced it to the staff on Thursday and Friday and it seems that everyone wants it - talk about getting excited for a new school year!

With this new piece of technology spreading across to another school (at least) this year, it has gotten me thinking about what other systems might exist that could help make our jobs easier and more efficient so we can spend more time worrying about lesson plans and helping kids than the drudgery of filing cabinets. 

Free systems like Schoology or Edmodo have facebook-like interfaces and can keep track of attendance, grades, communication, file uploads, and more. Instead of making a separate blog for each class on various websites, these services provide them in one location. Instead of documenting everything on paper and wasting energy to recycle that paper years later (if it doesn't end up in a trash heap), we can digitize things so they are more easily and freely accessible. I plan on using Schoology this year with my students so that we all can keep track of things we need to.

But don't fall into the trap of thinking every new piece of technology is the "silver bullet" for your classroom. Really think about what it does and how it changes your interaction with students. For me something like Schoology will definitely provide more feedback to my students at a faster rate than it would without. It will save paper, of course, but it will also save students from the inherent disorganization some of them have. It is impossible to lose something you never physically have. Granted, that means I have to trust in the servers of Schoology to never shut down; but I have enough faith in them to keep them up.

I've also thought more deeply about the need to have an interactive whiteboard (IWB) in my classroom. More specifically, I don't need it. An IWB almost forces the attention of the class in one location and make me feel like I need to be standing next to it the entire class period. Instead, I made the decision to purchase the Wacom Intuos4 Wireless so that I can walk around my classroom and write on the projection on the board. This tool will allow me to walk around the room and share writing with my students as well. Instead of having to ome all the way to the front of the room to solve a problem, they can do it at their seats. Amazing.

These two are just two systems that I think will help keep classrooms student-centered and more efficient. More are always welcome. Good luck on a great 2011-2012 school year!