Happy New Year to all!
It has been a while since I’ve made an entry here, and so much has happened since then. My class size was reduced because we were bursting at the seams ( and some of us still are). Our school has grown, and has well surpassed the original estimates of enrollment. My class has taken 2 fieldtrips, including a trip to the office of Hill & Usher for a Holiday celebration. They were thrilled to get to see a real business office, and the goodies were a treat too. The wonderful people at Hill & Usher donated a very nice digital camera to our classroom. Be sure to check our class blog to see the how the students are using it to enrich their learning.

As we are about to return from our winter break, I have to take some time to reflect on how great the year has been so far, and to plan how to keep the momentum and excitement going. I have truly fallen in love…with the SmartBoard. I can’t imagine going back to teaching without it. My students have started blogging, are learning keyboarding skills, and have learned how to beam information using handhelds, in addition to all of the traditional curriculum. One thing that I plan to do is to keep this blog updated to help myself, and possibly others. The other thing that I hope to do for the second half of the year is to turn over more control of the learning to the students. I have developed a science webquest, Dig It Up, for one of my classes for my Masters that I will try with the students. But most importantly, I plan on slowing down and reflecting more, and enjoying the moments.

Here we go!