Love::Teaching

Accidentally Organized – Will My Class Blog Cure My Scattered Brain?

coughlinlaura — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:17:36 GMT

Follow @CoughlinLaura I start every day with the best intentions, but hardly a day goes by that I don’t misplace or forget something – it’s just part of my personality – I’m scatterbrained. It’s something I accept about myself. Keys - Lost and Found by...(read more)

Twitter Makes Me Feel Like a Slacker

coughlinlaura — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:23:23 GMT

Follow @CoughlinLaura I started my Twitter account on June 10,2011 during a fantastic week of PD arranged by my school district. The presenter, Dean Shareski, said, “Teachers have not just an opportunity, but a responsibility to share what they’re doing,”...(read more)

The Need for Thinkers – My Adventure at a Big Box Store

coughlinlaura — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:56:23 GMT

Educators have been talking a lot lately about teaching kids how to think, not just giving them information, which is wonderful. Today I lived an example of just WHY we need to be focusing on bringing up a generation of problem-solvers (especially in...(read more)

“Times Haven’t Changed That Much” – First Day of School Memory from 1938

coughlinlaura — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:49:02 GMT

Follow @CoughlinLaura My grandmother, who was born in 1924 and will turn 87 in 2 days, read my last post and sent me a fantastic response! That’s right, my 86-year-old grandma who reads blogs and uses email to contact me began her response with the extremely...(read more)

Break Through the First-Day Jitters

coughlinlaura — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:35:15 GMT

Follow @CoughlinLaura I’m not talking about mine – although I know I’ll have them – I’m talking about the students’. I teach in a 7 th and 8 th grade building, which means that 50% of the students are navigating the building for the first time on the...(read more)

Geniuses… I Have a Class Full of ‘Em!

coughlinlaura — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:50:04 GMT

Follow @CoughlinLaura Wouldn’t we all like to walk into our classrooms on the first day of school and know that each angelic face staring back at us is a genius, just waiting to exercise his or her mental muscles and create amazing, thoughtful work? I...(read more)

So What Does This Have to Do With My Classroom?

coughlinlaura — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:30:08 GMT

Over the last few weeks I have been investigating Master’s degree programs because I decided it’s time to get started. After quite a bit of researching I found a program I am really excited about – a Master’s in Technology in Schools. So now begins the...(read more)

Ready to Get Ready? Use Prezi.

coughlinlaura — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:04:18 GMT

At the end of this week, my summer break if half over. Hard to believe, I know, but I am starting to get myself back into school mode and make some plans. One of the first things, actually THE first thing I like to have for my new students is some sort...(read more)

How Do We Get There?

coughlinlaura — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:55:31 GMT

I was scanning videos on Youtube and ran across the one below. Watch now and come back, or read on and watch when you’re done – it doesn’t really matter. Made in 2007, the creator says it was meant to “inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways...(read more)

Beautiful Buzzards – Why Middle School Students are the Best

coughlinlaura — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:54:49 GMT

Imagine the face you would make if your best friend called and told you that she had just dropped a 50 lb weight on her big toe. Freeze. That is the face people make when I tell them I teach middle school. The conversation usually goes something like...(read more)

Tech skills are life skills

coughlinlaura — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:17:18 GMT

photo by Ed Yourdon My children (1 and 5 years old) are often the most thought-provoking people I know. On the way to get ice cream last night I asked my 5-year-old son whether he wanted chocolate or vanilla. His reply? “It’s hard to decide. Let’s do...(read more)

Second Home

coughlinlaura — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:25:38 GMT

Before school started last year my department did a big push for having teachers organize their space thoughtfully, focusing on ideas from Spaces & Places: Designing Classrooms for Literacy by Debbie Diller . We all got a copy of the book, and a week...(read more)