Ready or not...here we come!

Well, school has officially begun. We have spent the last four days at my school trying to get the year off to a positive start. Schedules seem to be somewhat finalized, and students seem to be settling in. The first day I pulled the ten students we hoped would take the Globaloria class from their extra period (math enrichment), and I tried to "sell" the class to them, so they would, in turn, "sell" it to their parents. I was very excited when they returned to school the next day with signed permission forms and excited faces. All ten have decided to stay in the class, and all were given parental permission. The first day, we had no internet. The second day all students were able to complete their surveys. We have spent yesterday and today exploring the games on the wiki and talking about what features they like and dislike. I am very happy with my group. They are articulate and confident. Even though all aren't extremely comfortable with technology, all are willing to try with enthusiasm. I don't think we could ask for a better start!

Anticipation

As the first day for students swiftly approaches, I feel I'm moving at a frantic pace. There is so much to do. Thursday and Friday including several inservices/workshops which didn't allow for as much time to get my classroom ready. I have five other English classes to think about, in addition to Globaloria. I keep making myself notes on post-its because there is so much still to do, both in room readiness and general preparation. The start of this school year seems as if it going to be a bit more of a challenge than usual, but hopefully things will settle into a manageable pace once we get back into the routine of the school day.

Wow....

So much information....our thoughts are racing. We know where to start, and we have developed a pacing guide/course schedule through the first week of January, 2009. I am sure we will have to edit this schedule as we start working with our students. Still, it is a relief to have a starting point. I think we are at the point where we just need to jump in and start swimming.

Globaloria Educator Workshop (August, 2008)

Yesterday Karen Rucker and I came to Charleston and spent some time trying to catch up with a tutorial on being the student. Lee and Steward were gracious enough to spend the afternoon helping us get somewhat up to speed since we could not be here in July. Today we are participating with the full group learning how to implement this program into our school. I have to admit...it's very overwhelming; however, I do see the potential and feel that this can offer so many opportunities to my students. I need to concentrate on the small steps and the task at hand rather than the big picture which encompasses what we will accomplish during this whole year. This will keep me from feeling so overwhelmed. I think that staying focused will help me maintain a strong level of enthusiasm.

Getting started...

As a teacher who wasn't able to attend the Fairmont training, I am focusing on trying to be ready for trainings in Charleston next week. As I explore the Educator's wiki, I am constantly amazed at the creativity of what I've seen. It is a challenge to thoroughly explore the information and possibilities. I can't wait to see what our students will do with this phenomenal tool!