Search results matching tag 'blogging & technology'

Should I Keep My EduBlog Anonymous?

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:26:28 GMT

A reader writes:

I’m currently student teaching. I’m very passionate about music and music education. A couple of years ago I felt a sudden terror when I recognized I was nowhere close to ready to be a successful teacher, and I started delving into as much material as I could and doing whatever else I could (camps, etc) to get ready. Your blog was one of the first good, free resources I found, and I’ve been reading ever since. So first, thank you for your contributions.

This past summer I had a friend start a music blog, and I thought, “Wow, that’s a great idea.” I love to write, especially in reflection and with the goal of learning from...

Planning for Technical Difficulties: Knowing Your Backup Options

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:00:34 GMT

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, where recently she’s been researching different physical therapy assistant schools and blogging about student life. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

If your school is like a lot of institutions these days, you have to share resources and probably don’t have much in the way of educational technology. So when you get to spend time in the computer lab or use the interactive whiteboard, it’s usually well-planned and eagerly anticipated. However, if you’ve been teaching long enough to lose greenhorn status, you know about the scourge of the lab – technological failure. Even with...

In Demand Teaching Jobs and Degree Options

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:00:32 GMT

Brian Jenkins is a member of the braintrack.com writing team. He contributes content on a wide variety of college and career-related subjects, including information about high school teaching education programs and careers.

In Demand Teaching Jobs and Degree Options
In some areas of the country it’s difficult to find a teaching position because of large scale layoffs, hiring freezes, and dwindling student enrollment. Some areas have a surplus of elementary school and social studies teachers. One way to increase the chances of obtaining a teaching position is by entering a high-demand teaching field. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has forecasted a 17 percent employment growth rate from 2008 to 2018 for special education teachers, a rate which is...

Tips For Talking To Your Kids About Tough Stuff

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 12:00:54 GMT

Courtney Bishop is a lover of all things creative. She likes to write, and has an obsession with crossword puzzles. She’s recently started blogging, and you can follow her on Twitter @cbishopBG.

Kids and Parents are Both Human
The first thing that many people forget in regards to children is that they are miniature but complete human beings. They read people very well and are particularly keen when they know that something is being intentionally kept from them. In sensing both intuitively and by astutely observing the behavioral cues from the adults around them that something is awry, they are likely to feel a lack of control and a resulting sense of fear when the issue is continually kept from them. It...

Early Childhood Education: What Makes a Great Teacher

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:44:57 GMT

Courtney Bishop is a lover of all things creative. She likes to write, and has an obsession with crossword puzzles. She’s recently started blogging, and you can follow her on Twitter @cbishopBG.

There are many indisputable opinions from people who feel that great teachers are born, not made. Teaching is certainly something that most anyone can do; but teaching effectively and creating a thirst for knowledge in students is undoubtedly a gift that few people possess.

Early childhood education is a breeding ground for sparking enthusiasm and creativity in the minds of youngsters. The teacher is likely the one who initially exposes the child to new concepts and makes ideas clearer and brighter to their young minds. This...

Cut the Cord

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:18:38 GMT

For the first time since started my blog three years ago, I am going to be taking a break for at least a month. No writing, no checking stats, no emails, no nothing. In fact, I’m pulling the plug on my cable modem as soon as I finish writing this.

This is not just a blog issue, but I am going to be away from Facebook almost entirely for a month. In fact, I deleted Facebook from my phone a couple of weeks ago and noticed a substantial improvement to my productivity at work. My free time isn’t spent checking to see who else is slacking off at work, but rather in avoiding the temptation to slack myself. I’ve been visiting some of the...

Three Years of So You Want To Teach?

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:20:07 GMT

I am leaving tomorrow after school to go to the annual Texas Music Educators Association clinic/convention in San Antonio. I’m not taking my laptop with me and won’t be accessing a computer besides my iPhone, so I will be away from blogging for the rest of the week. I don’t want to spend a long time here, but I thought I would note that Thursday marks the third anniversary of So You Want To Teach?

This has been a fun project. I’ve learned a whole lot about web development, myself, teaching, and the art of blogging through the building and maintaining of this site. It has become more of a burden than I ever imagined, but I do enjoy the opportunity to share my...

8 Great Websites for Listening to Recordings of Band Contest/Festival Music

Anonymous — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:55:06 GMT

The world of band directing has changed over the past few years as a result of the increasing pace of technological development.

Back then
Contest preparation when I first started teaching way back in August of 2002 went something like this:

I began by digging through the CDs that I picked up each year at music conventions to find recordings of some of the band music that might be available. Then I picked up my copy of the UIL Prescribed Music List to see what was on the list. At this point, I went back to the recordings and tried to find whichever of the tunes I had on CD so I could listen. If a friend recommended a piece I couldn’t hear, they would send me a...

Simplicity In Life: Tying Up Loose Ends And Eliminating Stress

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:34:51 GMT

Look around you. How many unrealized plans do you see? How much unfinished business do you have sitting on your desk at work waiting for you in the morning? What about ungraded papers, unread emails, un-thrown-away junk mail?

Maybe paperwork isn’t your problem. Maybe it’s a half-finished basement, a bathroom renovation gone sour, a fence in the back yard that needs to be adjusted. Or you have bill collectors hounding you. Or you aren’t contributing enough (or anything) to your retirement plan. Or you are in debt out your eyeballs. Or you’re still lugging around that extra 5 pounds that you’ve been meaning to lose (or the 75 pounds that has grown as you’ve been ignoring it for the last decade).

Whatever the case, we all have...

Why I Removed Comments From My Blog

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:17:06 GMT

This evening, I decided to do something I’ve been toying around with since the summer. I finally deleted comments from my blog entirely.

Where it all began
I began this blog as a hobby back in the spring of 2007, shortly after I began to learn more about the potential that blogs held. Life was much simpler back then. For one thing, I taught 6th grade beginning band only. My obligations outside of school were minimal, and the amount of time I spent in front of the computer was similarly low. Life was much simpler back then.

I long for that again.

Where it has taken me
In the fall of 2007, I moved to the middle school where I became responsible for one of two performing bands. This shift...