Educational Discourse

For those who think I’ve started back to my workout program, you will be very disappointed, just like my wife! This is really about that euphoric state that teachers briefly enter when their marks are done and in.
I’m finished. It’s late, or early, depending on how you look at it. I’ve finally finished my marks and sent them in. As a teacher I was always burning the midnight oil the week before report cards trying to get as much done as I could. I always flop between planning and putting together new ideas, assignments and assessment and actually going through the assessment, especially of projects. The day-to-day things I’m not bad at but the projects tend to sit a bit.

Now, I haven’t really had time to reflect on this process but I do know that it was easier to go through their blogs/journals and provide feedback and a mark than a notebook or anything else I’ve used. Maybe because I am comfortable with a computer but I did this at various times during the day, three or four at a time, getting them done, with feedback in a day or two after each entry without really any trouble. I’ve been able to check their wiki work just as easily and, seeing what is happening, been able to pinpoint a few pairs who are having difficulty and a few that are having management problems and one that just is too busy with the dirtbike game. It’s the projects where I faulter. I’m still using all paper for these as they include maps, drawings, reports, scrapbooks, photoshoots and other such work. The oral reports are done because I have to do them right away.

Now, I don’t mind reading and marking. Once I get started, I enjoy reading what the students have written, looking at their drawings or pictures or comics or whatever they have decided to use and providing comments. However, I find that I’m always lugging around these papers and disks which sometimes end up being left at home on my desk or left at school on my desk. With the electronic media, I can read, comment and return them without worrying about them getting too beat up or worse (coffee stains are hard to explain!) I’ve been looking at YouRock to use instead of the posters and presentations and I’m definitely going to use podcasts for students to do oral presentations. I’m exploring a few video options so that students can use that format if they wish. These are much easier to handle plus students really do prepare much better for these than for our “Oral Reports” although when we do the “Daily News Cast” with _____________ the students seem to really get into it. Maybe it’s the cool coat and the funky glasses!

Because I am an administrator and I don’t have a regular classroom and I do like working from the lab, we have almost adopted it as our room. I am working on having our SmartBoard reconfigured so that I can begin using it again - we’ve had cord issues.
Yes, I’m rambling. I’m experiencing that euphoric feeling of completing my marking, finishing my marks and comments and for a short period of time, at least being nearly caught up with my classes. Of course, I’m a good two weeks behind on filing and other admin processes having had to arrange my To Do’s by: I’ll lose my job, Will be in trouble but employed, Will be in trouble if I ask when, Won’t be noticed unless I ask, Won’t be noticed and, my favourite, Someone actually has a job for this! I’ve done all the first category. I’ll get to work on the second and thrid this weekend.
Book Club Brief