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What is Reading Comprehension?

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This past week I met with a sales representative for Accelerated Reading. It left me with a feeling of Big Business taking over our educational job of creating a lifelong passion for reading. The above slideshow resonates with my personal goal to take reading comprehension to a deeper level with my library media center visitors. When PreK-5 students come to the Cub Run LMC for literacy lessons, I hope to give them tools that will assist them in making sense of the text at a personal level.

Creepy Spider and Fly Eating Tree Frog

Community vs Classroom

I have such a deep passion for creating a sense of community in our schools versus just rote learning in our classrooms. The 21st century is calling me to guide elementary students on the global learning journey. With the connectivity that is available at our fingertips, I must not be afraid to open my students to the real learning opportunities that are currently available.


Best wishes to our journey of lifelong learning!

--mj

In Honor of Earth Day

Last Tuesday, my third grade students hosted a Discovery Courtyard Walking Tour to celebrate wise use of our environment. It was a thrill to see the students taking ownership of our mini micro-habitats.



Parents and grandparents were treated to our "Secret Garden". Teams shared insights on the Prairie Grasslands Region, Solar Power Project, Desert Plateau Region, Woodlands Region, and Pond Ecosystem.



The Mountain View Elementary Discovery Courtyard has been a project in the making over the last eight years since the school opened in 2000. It has earned the National Wildlife Federation's Schoolyard Habitat honors. Students are eager to engage in outdoor learning projects in this Discovery Courtyard setting.




--mj

21st Century Library Media Center Here I Come!

On Tuesday night, the Rockingham County School Board approved my new position as library media specialist for the new Cub Run Elementary School. It was an honoring experience to be the first hired staff member that the principal chose to make for this school. The library media center has become an essential learning hub of the 21st century school model. I instantly felt goosebumps as I read Joyce Valenza's well wishes warmly stated in my Facebook inbox. Her "Manifesto for 21st Century School Librarians" gives me focus and vision as I start getting bids from jobbers for the Opening Day Collection.
Doug Johnson posted a blog about "Not Your Grandma's Librarian" He made reference to the Scholastic Administrator article, "Meet Your New Library Media Specialist"

One of my Twitter friends, technolibrary, shared this great YouTube link.
Here's an innovative library media specialist that I can use as a role model.




Now it is time to begin plans for the creation of a warm exciting place for lifelong learning.

Get a Voki now!

I feel surrounded with such positive energizing professionals in my learning network.
Thanks for cheering me on in this new endeavor.


top photo taken on 2/11/08 by Margo Jantzi

Poetry Pizzazz using Voice Thread

Our After School Enrichment students are enjoying using Voice Thread to post some of their favorite poems. It is great to use this tool as a way of collaborating between my two schools. Hey Jude has a collection of links for using Voice Thread on her del.icious account.






Marshall School Cutural Identity Voice Thread


Voice Thread Link to "Poetry Pizzazz"

Teachers Teaching Teachers on Ed Tech Talk about Voice Thread possibilities in the classroom. It features the co-founders of Voice Thread, Ben Papell and Steve Muth

Feel free to browse the poems my students have already featured. They would love to hear your thoughts and responses to their favorites.

---mj

Jigzone Experiment

--mj

Meme 8 Random Facts

As a glad you're feeling better campaign

for Jennifer Dorman, here goes my first attempt at a meme.

Photo credit: Claudecf

Some rights reserved. See here

First, the Rules:

• Post these rules before you give your facts
  
• List 8 random facts about yourself
• At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names, linking to them
• Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged

Here are the eight facts:

1. I spent the summer of 1986 traveling with the Continental Singers. When our singing group was at the border to enter Romania, the guards took all our speakers and instruments. We had three concerts done all in acapella.

2. Growing up with seven brothers has helped me grow thick skin and a BIG heart.

3. I did my first geocaching today.

4. In middle school I played the accordian and received a trophy for my rendition of the Julida Polka.

5. My forensics speech that took me to the state finals was all about the Intelligence of Hogs.

6. My husband and I spent three weeks biking across the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

7. I grew up in Michigan. Our Mennonite family raised sugar beets, navy beans, corn, alfalfa, beef cattle, and swine.

8. My favorite Bible verse is Micah 6:8, "God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."


I'll tag anyone that reads my blog and has the time and inspiration to Meme 8 Random Facts.

Go for it!


--mj

Family Virtues and Values from Home

My family photo from our reunion


I love the Desmond Tutu quote, "You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."


I see my seven brothers carrying on the family virtue of hard work and achievement. Our daughters are able to see the power of their roots when they visit their cousins. It is inspiring to see how we are finding niches of service in our various communities. I'm thankful for the gift of family connections and support.


--mj

Green Thoughts

Environmental issues are getting a lot of media attention. A high school girl in our school district created a fabulous public service announcement about "Trail Etiquette".
I love her use of iMovie to share a powerful multimedia message. What a great way to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award.





Another reason I'm thinking so many green thoughts is that our daughter is traveling with the EMHS Discovery 2007 group. Their web site will give you an insight into their deeper learnings about land stewardship.

"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. ... A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of land."

—Aldo Leopold in 'Land Ethic'

--mj

Collaboration with Claymation

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to learn the beginning steps of creating a claymation movie using iMovie. The deepest joy came as I had a chance to collaborate with a fellow teacher at my school. We commented about working together more in the future. If we had more shared planning time during the school year, this would become a reality. My vision for the coming school year is to strive to collaborate more with classroom teachers. It is a tricky goal. At our elementary level, there are few moments that we can find for shared planning.




How have you found creative ways to collaborate in the school setting? I'm eager to hear ideas from others.

Literacy Learning using Digital Storytelling

Embedded below is a movie clip of the digital stories that my First, Second and Third Graders created. I saw them edit and revise their storyboards and scripts since they knew they were going to have a real audience.

I like what Bud the Teacher said in his blog,

"The change comes when we begin to realize the power of sharing the information, of making the walls more transparent."



The Learning and Laptops blog features ninth grade honors students as they explored the BIG question, "What does literature say about human beings?"

Emotions come to the surface as I witness literacy learning at its most real and meaningful level.

mj--

Students Discovering Symmetry and Congruency in the School

My first graders used their digital cameras and iMovie software to capture examples of symmetry and congruency in our school.

Pay Attention

Please take a few minutes to watch the movie clip that I found on Teacher Tube: "Pay Attention". It motivates me to make sure that I create our students' curriculum that is appropriate to their current needs.






Teach Me More About...

* A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy
* Using Google in the Classroom - Google Tools Podcast, Google Docs Podcast, Internet Survival Tools
* Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships
* Blogs (Social Software in the Classroom)
* Wikis
* Podcasts - Podcast Creation Guide (Apple), How to podcast
* Geocaching Games
* Google Earth
* Webquests
* E-Portfolios
* Virtual Manipulatives
* Cellphones in the Classroom
* iPods in the Classroom

The life long learner is open to making her classroom more appropriate for the students that walk through her classroom door this fall.

An additional nugget for reflection: Shift Happens



The enhanced, revised, expanded, etc. Did You Know/Shift Happens video from Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod:




--mj

Finished products: PSA using iMovie

Here is what my students created using iMovie software.

Public Service Announcements


I enjoyed seeing the students apply their writing skills as they wrote drafts of their scripts.
Limiting the clips to 15 sec. caused a lot of discussion about what are the main ideas to cover in the message.

Attending the Northeast Discovery Educators Conference in Valley Forge was my place for inspiration. I love to integrate technology into our learning in real life ways.

Public Service Announcements

My students are currently working on creating public service announcements. These are the topics that they have developed so far: 1. Bike Helmet Safety 2. Healthy Snacks 3. Seatbelt Safety 4. Internet Safety 5. Test Taking Tips 6. Environmental Awareness


It is exciting to see them type up their scripts and edit their storyboards. Now as we edit the video clips, we are trying to make them more clear, concise and convincing.

I'll be eager to see their finished products.

Warmly,
Margo

Grant Ideas Needed

Today I researched possible grants for enhanced technology integration at the two schools where I work as a gifted ed. teacher. Does anyone out there know about possible sources of funding for technology tools and student projects?
If I'm going to reach my students' learning needs, I need to get funding to assist.

Please send me any ideas for public school grants.
MJ

LifeLongLearner...begins a new chapter

Howdy out there.

I'm looking forward to using this site to interact with educators and students. What new thoughts and inspirations are on your minds?

I have more questions than answers:
How can I make learning real for my Challenge (Gifted Ed. students K-5)?
How can the integration of technology into the curriculum really make a difference?

I've just been at a five day Discovery Educator Network Regional Conference. Now I'm so inspired to incorporate new ideas and techniques into my lessons.
Thanks to Aaron Smith for his inspiring workshop on blogging.
Warmly,
Margo
Map Track
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