3-2-1 DONE!!!!!!!!

3 Things that I learned.....
For the first time in my short education career I was introduced to Moodle. I have often heard of teachers that used Moodle in their classroom with great success. But for me it was just something that I had heard about. I found it to be very useful for this class and a good way to keep up with what I need to do and what we went over in class.
The second thing we used that I found to be helpful was Symbaloo. I now have symbaloo as my homepage on every computer I have.
The last thing that really stood out to me and was helpful was all the things that we use for iPads. I do not have an iPad yet but when I get one I feel like I will be prepared.

2 things I have questions about?????
How would an administrator use Edmodo successfully with his school?
Where in the world does Google Hangout play a factor in anything? It hardly every works and is not reliable.

1......
The one thing that I will use when I become an administrator is the google documents. I found that to be a time saver and easy for the staff to respond to. It would be an efficient way to get feedback.

#29 The People in my Cohort........

I have really enjoyed this graduate school process through Samford. I have had the opportunity to make thirteen new friends who I feel very close to (even Matt, and Mike when he is here). The people in my cohort are great educational people who I learn a lot from. Since we are from all different levels the discussion have often been very informative as well as entertaining. I often get home from class and tell my wife about the crazy things that we talk about and the funny things that are said.

Since we are half way through this process I thought it was important to share my appreciation for the people who I now call friends. I appreciate all of you and having the opportunity to grow professionally with such a fun group. We are all so different but when it comes to the class we are a family and argue like one too. I appreciate all of you and will miss you when this is over. I won't miss Matt but I will the rest. "Statistics SAY" we will all be great administrators. Right Dena?

#28 Student Choice

When an assignment says that it is "Student Choice" the first thing that pops into my head is to choose not to do it. That is a choice, right? Sometimes I think this concept can be a great option to promote self reflection and critical thinking. Student Choice is empowering the student to take an interest in something that they like instead of what the teacher likes. Or you can be like me and just choose to write about the concept to fill my blog requirement. Just kidding Vicky!!! The student choice has required me to be creative and the sad part is that I have a lot of useless things in my head that I could write about for your entertainment but instead I chose to ramble on about Student Choice.

BYOD #27

I like the idea of BYOD in schools if the curriculum supports it. BYOD would only work in my classroom if the kids could bring in power tools to support the curriculum. But I do see how this practice could be useful in a lot of classes. The major problem I see with this is that we can't distinguish between the student using it for school or playing games and being distracted. Devices can be just as detrimental to the learning process as it can be helpful. I still think it is the only viable option for getting new technology to the masses when we cannot afford to buy it for the school. What do we do for the students that do not have a device to bring or internet access on the device that they have? Do we tell that kid that they can;t participate?

#26 Being a fan

I have a big problem with people who call themselves fans but have never been to or even know where the school they pull for is. I also can't stand fans that refer to everything about their team as "WE". A few weeks ago while standing in a gas station on a Saturday waiting to pay for my gas a nice lady wearing an Auburn shirt said "War Eagle" to me since she saw my Auburn hat. I returned the courtesy because I knew what she meant by it. See as an alumni of Auburn University we use that phrase as a way to greet other people that are alumni. We call them War Eagle moments and I have shared them all over this country and in foreign countries. It is something special for Auburn people and really a great feeling to hear it when you feel like you don't know anyone else.

After we had exchanged War Eagle quietly to each other multiple Alabama fans screamed Roll Tide at us. This is where I have issues with some fan bases. We were not screaming our battle cry out to them to annoy them or out of pride for our school. Fans need to act with class to represent their team. Trust me, I understand the rivalry and the hatred that both schools have for each other as well as anyone. At the end of the day you can still act like human beings and respect each other. WAR EAGLE!!

#25 Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship is something that needs to be taught as part of the curriculum every week. Students need to be taught how to use technology to protect themselves on the internet. I see many cases each week where students are in arguments with other students at school about something that was said on a social media site. Recently there have been cases of students taking pictures of other students and posting them on the internet with negative comments. People do not understand how something that they perceive as harmless can really hurt someone else. Cyber bullying is growing faster everyday. A lot of the times its not just the students causing the problems. Parents are involved in cyber bullying too.

Teaching students to protect themselves from fraud is just as important as teaching them to be nice to each other on the internet. With the click of a button someone can steal your identity and wipe your bank account clean. Schools need to teach kids to be responsible with this amazing power they have called the internet.

#24 iPad and SPED

I think iPads in special education are awesome tools. My wife is a sped teacher and she has downloaded tons of apps on her iPads that are educational. She uses it to remediate students for the grad exam with great success. This year I saw her use it with a deaf student to communicate when her sign language skills were not enough. The student was able to show her what he needed using the ipad. I have also seen them work great with students with autism. I cannot explain this phenomenon but it works. I guess it may be that it does not force them to interact with someone and the touching of the screen calms them. I am not an expert but I do believe that iPads are more important to special education than the general education population.

#23 I think parents need to get control of their kids.

I think that teaching high school may be the best form of birth control out there. The idea that my child could possibly act like the kids today do scares the crap out of me. When I became a teacher I made the assumption that kids acted like I did. I was obedient and respectful when I was at school and dared not step out of line. I grew up with the 90 or die rule. Which basically meant I better have all A's or I was grounded. Today's youth don't seem to be concerned with their academic prowess. I told a student that if he did not do his work that he was going to fail. To which he replied " I don't need this credit to graduate anyway, so fail me." I hope parents are not sending their kids to school for me to raise because I have no parenting credentials or experience. I am a great uncle but that is because my nieces are two and it does not take much to keep them entertained. Where have the old school parents gone? Whip your kids people. Set high expectations for them to achieve in life.

Flip the classroom

I like the idea of the flipped classroom because it would give my students more time to work on projects in the shop. It seems that by the time we get started on something we have to stop and clean it up. However I do see some drawbacks. What do you do with students who do not have a computer or internet access at home? Where do these flipping teachers find the time to make these lessons? I seem to stay busy from sun up to sun down everyday and do not have time to record a lesson after hours. The flipped classroom sounds to me like having two jobs. As teachers we barely get paid for the 8 hours we are at school. I cannot imagine what my hourly rate would be if I had to go home and teach another 8 hours. Flipping could be useful for special lessons but I don't see how it is feasible for lots of lessons.

#21 I am a hero and a parol officer all in one

This past week I got to experience the ultimate Monday. As I was making my rounds picking up students on my bus a fight broke out in the back. I was forced to slam on the brakes and run to the back to break up to grown boys beating the tar out of each other. This may seem like a common thing to most bus drivers that drive the roughest kids in their school but for me it was the first fight I had on my bus in my six years of driving. The boys were neighbors and fighting over an XBOX that one of them had stolen and not cut the other one in on when he sold it. Yeah I know, they are real winners and in my class too. Well anyway, this started the week off with a bang. That afternoon a student from another bus choked on a piece of candy and I had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the young man before we pulled off of the campus. All in a days work I guess. Controlling the criminals and saving lives. Hard to believe that all of this happen and I did not even wear my cape that day.

#20 Barriers

The problem with technology in education is that we have to many barriers in our way. We have funding issues that don't allow us to buy the needed technology. Then when we get the technology we are so protective of what the students can do with it that we really don't let them explore all the things that it is capable of. As teachers we are not given the proper training on how to integrate the technology into the curriculum (present class excluded). The main barrier that we face is the fact that we don't know how to use it to produce results. We can buy every kid a laptop or ipad and it does not mean that their test scores are going to improve. It just looks cool in the newspaper. We need technology that produces results.

#19 helping or hurting

I think technology is both helpful and harmful when it comes to literacy. Having technology at a student's finger tips allows them to gain knowledge from a multitude of sources rather than just one book in the library. Students have access to anything they want when writing papers and researching topics. The problem with technology is that texting and social media have ruined everyone's ability to write a grammatical sentence. It has not ruined mine because mine was not good before I got a cell phone. But today's youth are writing research papers with "u" instead of "you". They have resources at their finger tips but are struggling to translate it into a readable form. When is the last time you received a written letter from someone? I received one recently from a friend of mine that was in basic training. It was like I had received a written text message. All of the words were misspelled and the handwriting was barely legible. We as a society rely on technology way to much. I often ask why we even bother teaching grammar anymore because no one uses it.

#18 Recent Article

I recently read an article about how technology is taking over every aspect of our lives. How we as a society spend more time texting each other than speaking to each other. The importance of this article was to show that students learn better by reading the information digitally rather than hearing it from a teacher. It made me think about how we are always hearing about students having different learning styles. Technology seems to be turning the majority of them into the same. If I could teach my kids through their cell phones I would be a genius. But I cannot so I need to figure out how to use the cell phone to get their attention.

#17 Standards

Whoever came up with these leadership standards has too much time on their hands. I mean who comes up with these descriptions. No normal person can really grasp what they are asking for. The purpose of the standards should be to guide students to be better leaders. These standards seem like the state department wants to see how many hoops they can make us jump through. 62 standards seems like a bit much don't you think? It would benefit me more to to have a longer internship. Just a thought from a guy who does not like portfolios.

#15 Special Olympics

I had the pleasure a few weeks ago of attending the Special Olympics at Milton Frank Stadium in Huntsville, AL. This event is a very special event and one that is very close to my heart. My wife and I got to attend together and transport students from Buckhorn High School to the event. The day was beautiful and the students that were competing were extraordinary in every aspect. Both of us work closely with our learning community and have a passion for helping these students.

The amazing part of the day is seeing how the Madison County School Family came out in full force to support the students. I saw the superintendent, directors, principals, teachers, students, and maintenance workers stop by to participate. This says a lot about the people I work with and the people that make the decisions about the well being of our kids. Our bosses took time out of their day for a good cause and to have a little fun. Special Olympics brings out the best in all of us. It is something that I recommend everyone attend.

#16 Old Technology

What do we do with old technology? We first need to determine if the old technology is still viable or has a practical use for us. Just because the technology is deemed old does not mean that it can not still be helpful in the education process. Too many times we are quick to dismiss things that are useful because it is not the latest and greatest. If we find the technology to be outdated and of no use to us than we should look for ways to upgrade it or recycle it. I am sure that we throw a lot of good things away that others would die for. As an administrator I think that a policy should be established in the school that addresses these matters. I would create a rubric to assess the viability of the technology. Questions would include:
1. Does the teacher use the technology?
2. Is the technology helping to enhance learning?
3. Is replacing the technology cost effective and beneficial?
4. What does research say about the old technology?

#14 Edmodo

I have really liked what I have seen with Edmodo and the ability it has to connect students, teachers, and administrators. With  society's new found love of social networking having an educational social network seems like a no brainer. Edmodo has an app for the iphone that allows people to connect with each other and keep track of educational things going on in their classes at the touch of a button. With the ever growing need for instant information why would a website like this not be beneficial. Parents can connect to keep up with their children's assignments and contact the teacher. Questions can be posted for others to see and respond to. Administrators can see what is going on in the classroom and be able to see how connected their school is. Connect to Edmodo and connect your classroom and school to the community.

#13 Procrastination

What is it that keeps most people from staying on task and getting their work done? Is it the same things that our students face in our classrooms? Some people are very task oriented but most are just like me and struggle to stay on task and finish the work in front of me. I've learned that if I don't find the task relevant or pertinent that I place no priority on it and inherently wait to the last minute to get it done. Our students face the same things in school. They are not challenged enough to make the work pertinent to them or a priority. As teachers and educators I think that it is imperative that we change the way we look at assignments and grades and place the importance on learning rather than completing an assignment. If we make the information relevant the assignment will become of greater importance to the student and then the grades will come. So the next time we assign something we need to ask ourselves what is the goal of this assignment. The assignments mean nothing if they are not relevant.

Resistance to Technology

Why would a teacher resist using technology in their classroom? Its the greatest thing in education in the past 100 years. Could it be that the teacher does not know how to use or incorporate the technology? If I had a resistant teacher I would ask them why and determine how we can ease their concerns. From the conversation I would figure out if the technology was a good fit for the teacher and look to see if there are other options that would suit the teacher better. I would arrange for professional development to train teachers and show them how beneficial the technology can be if they give it a try. The most important thing would be to show them why we want them to use this and how we think it will help student achievement. Teachers have to understand that we are dealing with students much more technologically advanced than we are. They are different learners and we have to engage them differently. This video makes it very clear that we need to change our approach and leave the white boards behind.

Miracles happen every week

For the past few years I have been apart of something that has changed my life for the better. Once a week I help coach a baseball team for students with special needs as part of the Miracle League. We have a brand new ball park off of Bob Wallace. My team the Hot Rods are children from all over Huntsville but includes 4 students from Buckhorn. The purpose of this league is to give kids who have been excluded from sports a chance to play. When I started helping out with this program I never would have dreamed that it would be something that consumed my life. For a long time I have been one of those people that looked forward to College football season starting each year and lived for it. In the past 3 years I look forward to Miracle League starting more than football season.

I tell you all of this because I went down there to help in hopes of making a difference in someones life. Instead these kids have made a difference in my life. I have always encouraged my students to come down and give it a try if they have time. Many students have come down to help thinking it would be a one time thing and found themselves there every week. I have seen students graduate and still show up to play and help every week because it changed their lives. Miracle League is contagious and if you come once you will come again and again.

This past Monday we finished up our Fall season with a double header. The first game was a regular season game against another Miracle Team. But the second was versus the Buckhorn Varsity Baseball Team. The team came in full uniform to the surprise of the kids. Along with team came other student organizations that brought food for a celebration after the game. It was the largest crowd in Huntsville Miracle League history with students sitting everywhere. The Bucks lost 54-5 but after the game said that it was the best loss of their baseball career. Its amazing how special a group of students can be and how a school can come together to create memorable moments for everyone. The picture is of everyone from BHS that were involved. Go Hot Rods and Go Bucks

#10 Principal's Principles of Technology

As an administrator the idea of integrating new technology into the curriculum is a very exciting idea. With the excitement comes the fear of how to integrate it with great success. To integrate successful technology into the curriculum means that an administrator must have a set of rules that apply to the technology. I would first ask myself if the technology is backed by research and has proven results. Then I would go to the teachers and ask what they think of the technology and find out if they are willing to use it in their classrooms. If the teachers are not willing to use it then the money should not be wasted on it. Another principle would be is there professional development available to train the teachers to use it successfully. And then how would we measure the success of the new technology.

#9 The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round

Every teacher should be required to drive a school bus a couple of days a week. Driving the bus has given me a greater appreciation for students and the conditions that they come from. I have the pleasure of driving a route through the roughest neighborhood that feeds our school. It is not scary or uneasy cause at the end of the day they are all still just kids. These kids get on my bus everyday and I have learned that they have much better attendance than students from more affluent neighborhoods. Most of them live below the poverty level and come from homes that are broken. But these kids get on the bus with a smile everyday cause they are going to school. School provides them an escape from the reality at home. I have seen drug deals going down and people smoking crack on their porches. But somehow the students on my route ignore all the bad things that are going on around them and instead try to make something of themselves by getting an education. So remember before you judge a student and make assumptions about why they are the way they are you should take a ride on their bus and see for yourself.

#8 How can technology affect the learning process?

Technology has a great affect on the learning process. It can be an important tool to enhance the process and allow a teacher to reach students in a new way. Since all students do not learn the same way then it is ridiculous to think that we can teach them all the same way. I have some students who cannot stand to learn from the textbook and want to have their hands on the subject. I also have students who need to see it in writing and be able to read it themselves. Technology allows me to reach the students and engage them on multiple levels. The issue then becomes finding the technology that engages them and promotes thinking and learning. They use technology more than any other generation so the best way to teach them is to integrate what they use into our classrooms while introducing them to new things.

As we approach the end of 6 weeks.......

Somehow six weeks of this school year have already come and gone. It seems like the other day we were all coming back with our new teacher clothes getting ready for the kiddos. I think that it is important to reflect on the first few weeks of the year and see what is going right and what is not going so well.

My students are collection of characters that keep me on my toes everyday. I always thought I wanted the classes with all of the smart kids. This year I have realized that having the most academically minded students in class is not the best thing for my class. Yes I do think that it is important for students to be focused on their grades. But the kids I have the greatest success with are those kids that are struggling in their core classes. These kids are not interested in literature or math but in going outside and getting their hands dirty.

In these first weeks I have realized the importance of identifying what each kid is going to be good at after high school and building upon. I don't believe that everyone is meant to go to college and it is important that we try and develop a skill set for a student that will help them get a job instead.

So as I ramble on the things that are working are the hands on lessons that allow the student to do manual labor and develop new skills that will help them survive in the real world. I am teaching them to change light switches, fix their lawn mower, and repair sheetrock to name a few. These things are skills that you cannot learn from a textbook.

There are still somethings that we need to work on. I need to integrate more reading and writing into my lessons to develop that set of skills since they are just as important. I need to do a better job of planning and find new ways to reach all of the students. We'll see how it turns out in 6 more weeks.

Sustaining Technology

Having the latest and greatest technology looks great when you put it in the newspaper and on your website to show people what you have. But the more important factor is the use of technology to enhance learning and keeping it in use. The best way to sustain technology is to find technology that works with each classroom instead of purchasing things that teachers will not use. The technology must support the curriculum. Also the teachers need to have the proper professional development to allow them to be trained to use the technology. Innovations can only be sustained if they are viable options.

#5 Changing Gears from the First year to the Sixth

I began teaching 5 years ago on an emergency certificate with know clue as to what I was doing. My style was sporadic at best and at the end of my first year I contemplated doing something different. I was very knowledgable in the subject of agriculture but all my knowledge was not necessarily book knowledge. So I thought I should just follow the textbooks since that is what all teachers do. Right? The students were bored and to be honest so was I. Something had to change and change quickly. I was great at growing, building, and fixing things but not teaching them. The fifth year program I was in was great for teaching me reading strategies and special education issues but not how to teach agriscience. So I went to the administration and asked to take my program in a new direction. I was granted that freedom as long as I taught the reading strategies.

So in my second year I began to develop my style. My style was going to be to teach the students by working with them on developing skills that they could not get in any other classroom. We became a working class that produced results on everything that we were given. I was showing the students how to build, grow, and fix things the way I was taught. This seemed to be a great plan until the idea took off and I got a reputation for working well with difficult students and the counselors started packing my classes with more students than I could handle. Then my style change again and I was forced to rethink everything because my style was not suited for 30 plus students. I reverted back to my sporadic style and lost a lot of control with the students.

I have used many styles over the years with mixed results and mixed feelings. I thought teaching was a lot easier than this. I was lucky enough to marry a very good teacher who has helped me develop my own style and even with 30 students I am finding success. She has shown me the things that a teacher learns in a traditional education program. My style now is a mix of the working class and the traditional classroom instruction. There is not a lot of down time to get bored in my class. I have learned the importance of engaging the students every minute. Maybe this style will stick with me. I want to be a great teacher I am just trying to figure out how to do that. Never stop trying to improve.

#4 Technology in Ag???

Most people think of agriscience education as hammers, nails, plants, and animals. As true as this is when it comes to subject it is not that basic. Agriscience is the pinnacle of technology in all aspects of life. A majority of the advancements in medicine, food, transportation, and modern comforts we have today are a result of technological advancements in agriculture. So in my classroom I push to use the same technology that has made agriculture great. I have abandoned the lecture and preach approach for the hands on learning with the technology. In my landscape design class we use CAD design software to generate 3D landscape plans that allows the student to design the plan and then view it like a customer would see it. This same software work in my construction class to put students in the contractors chair and build a home from scratch.

I have the newest turf equipment that allows students to operate cutting edge mowers and sprayers. Students use apps on their phones provided by Dupont to calculate mixing loads and calibrations. Other apps we use allow students to identify weeds and possible treatment applications from their phone or ipod. I am trying to show them that the answers are at their finger tips and how to properly use it.

Technology is not just in the computer lab anymore. Its outside and playing in the dirt too.

#3 The Early Bird gets the Worm

As a teacher and a bus driver I get to see the school before it comes to life with students and long after they go home. This year I have begun to look at things differently and pay attention to the small details that make a school some place special. Long before the sun comes up I see the parking lot full of teachers' cars already getting the day started. I pass other teachers on the road heading to start their day. Seeing these things has made me realize that teaching is not a job, it is a passion. How many people show up to do their job hours before they are actually supposed to? Not many is what I have come to realize. Are they doing it for overtime or to get tenure? Well we know the answer about the overtime. But its not just new teachers that are there. There are veterans of 20 years putting their time in before the sun to make sure that they are ready to give their best. We work with great people that really care about what they do and the students they do it for. I'm proud to be part of a profession that is motivated by quality instead of money. I challenge you to show up early to your work because someone notices that extra effort even if you don't think so.

Why I want to be an administrator

Why do I want to become an administrator? It definitely is not for the money or the title. It is all based on the idea that I can impact a greater number of students with my actions. Sure, I am going to miss the teaching aspect of it everyday. But I believe that I can make a positive impact on the lives of every student in the school rather than my 90 plus students each day.

I grew up the son of a principal and a teacher. I saw my father change the culture of a school and make it one of the top schools in the system year in and year out. At the time I had no clue how big of an impact he was making on that school and community. As an educator now I can admire what he did and the long lasting impact he had on the teachers and children he worked with. He believed that everything he did was in the best interest of the children. He walked his own path and everyone began to walk with him and not behind him. He has shown me the good and the bad of education. He has shown me that one person can make a difference and that no matter where a student comes from that they are capable of achieving great things. I always thought that being an administrator was dooming me to dealing with negative things like angry parents and misbehaving children. Turns out that I can choose to make them negatives or turn them into positives.

Choosing to become an administrator is choosing long hours and stressful situations that are out of my current comfort zone. But I look at it as choosing to make a greater difference on a larger scale. So bring on the stress and the long hours. I'll see you at the door every morning with a smile on my face ready to make sure that school is everything that it should be and more.

First Real Blog Entry

Today we had a great speaker come to the school and speak to the students about having a plan for your life and that nothing is impossible. As much as it was for the kids it really struck home for me. I have never been much of a planner and have really just been a reactor. But in the past few years i developed a plan and so far it is really making a difference in my life.

The speaker talked about three important factors in a person's life and how the plan should be based on these three things. The first thing is the body and how you have to take care of yourself to be able to withstand the obstacles you face. In the past 4 months I started going to the gym and have lost a much needed 40 lbs. This has allowed me to do so many new things that my weight previously slowed me down. The second thing is my brain. I have been pursing a degree in administration and have learned so many new and great things that have made me a better teacher and a better member of the faculty. The last thing was relationships. I got married over a year ago to the best person I know and I am a better person because of her. She has greatly changed my previous plan but all for the better.

My plan has meaning now because it is shared with someone who supports it. I hope the students took something away from the speaker because I know I sure did. You never know what you may learn at school if you just listen.

Rain Rain Don't Go Away

Today has been full of rain and for the students it was dreary and gloomy. For me it was beautiful. As a turf manager at my school the rain is a wonderful thing. Grass benefits greatly from natural rain rather than irrigation. The students have not heard this lesson yet but I hope we have many more rainy days that I can use this as a positive instead of gloom and doom.