8. Technology affecting learning

I use MathXL in my math classes.  What's awesome about it is that kids have to answer questions correctly, but they get multiple tries and there are tools that provide help.   It seems to keep students who would tend to be lower achieving more engaged. This is part of the topic of my research paper and I'm looking forward to researching its impact. 

4. Best Practices

All teachers love playing Jeopardy - at least some form of it.  I have finally figured out a good way to make it work that keeps all students engaged.  I randomly form teams of 3 to 4 students and play Jeopardy through a powerpoint presentation.  When a question pops up every student must work the problem on his/her own paper.  I use a countdown timer then each team flashes an answer on a whiteboard, and I award points accordingly.

I've always struggled with assigning students a grade for this .... until now.  Each student must work every question and turn it in at the end of the game.  Every student that does this will get a 50/50.  If their team wins I create a separate assignment and they receive a 100/100.  Second place gets 75/75 and third 60/60.  Everyone gets 100% but the winners get a bigger 100%, not awarding grades above 100% helps prevent inflation.   Awarding first second and third place prizes keeps everyone in the game even if one team jumps out to a lead.

The kids love it and I love it!

5. Emotional Saturday

November 28, 2009: Ole Miss - 25, LSU - 23.

This was the last date in which Ole Miss won a game versus an SEC West opponent, until last Saturday, October 13, 2012.  So, late in the fourth quarter, when Ole Miss linebacker Mike Marry intercepted Auburn quarterback Clint Mosely's pass and ran it back for a touchdown put Ole Miss up by 21 points, my emotions caught me a totally off guard.  All of the heartache, all of the pain, all of the despair, there was still always a hope that the Rebels would stop the downward spiral.

Yes, Auburn is very down, perhaps the worst team Auburn has put together in my lifetime.  Despite this, hope that the Rebels have turned things may actually be actually be coming to fruition.


Aside:  I attended Ole Miss' last SECW victory over LSU with my father - the last college football game we watched live together.  I didn't think about that until I wrote this entry, bringing back very fond memories ... including Les Miles spiking the ball with no time remaining on the clock to preserve the victory for Ole Miss.  

2. Why do I want to be an administrator?

So, right now I'm working on my administration degree.  I feel this switch to the "other side" could be a lot of fun, and I think I could make a strong impact on student learning.  The only issue is every time I think about why I want to become an administrator, I can think of three times as many reasons why I do NOT want to be an administrator!  It's a pretty scary step, and it's a question to which I am still trying to find answer.

3. Investments

I recently listened to a discussion about financial investments.  Strategies were shared, advice was given, and none were too afraid to brag a little on themselves.  I just sat and listened, but it made me think, "What am I invested in?"

After thinking about it I realized I had some solid investments to be proud.

I teach high school math. I invested over 10 years coaching a over 1000 kids, but now I mainly invest in two commodities: coaching my two sons' soccer teams (ages 4 and 8). While short term returns are difficult to measure in wins and loses, the long term investments are very promising. This is a direct result of my father's investment in me. Although my father passed a couple years ago his investment has split several times. The hope is that my sons will continue this investment opportunity to their children.
I'm not sure if this makes me part of a Ponzi or pyramid scheme, but I sure am having a lot of fun doing it.

1. Welcome

To my blog!