Teaching the way students learn…

Used w/ Permission through Creative Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-naped_Amazon.jpg

Fear can be powerful.  As I have previously shared with classes, there are very few things I am really afraid of.  One of the things I am truly afraid of us birds – parrots, cockatiels, crows, pigeons, you name it.  I once remember going to an open air market in Venezuela where there was a photographer.  He placed a bird on my shoulder and I freaked out!  It was not a pretty sight.

So, by now you are asking yourself, “Mr. Woods, where are you going with this?”  The answer is quite simple.   Often  teachers encourage students to step outside their comfort zones.  We are famous for prodding students to do something that they don’t feel like doing.  People may not want to do something because of the fear of failure, for lack of interest, or simply because they are afraid to take a risk.  During the past two days, I faced something I fear worse than birds – the dentist!

I have two crowns on my front teeth.  One of them came off on Saturday.  I had to have it replaced – I looked like Dracula!  Knowing that I hadn’t been to the dentist since Bill Clinton was President, I went to where my old dentist’s office was and made an appointment.  Monday my two front teeth were fixed and I even made an appointment to go in today to get my teeth cleaned.  I even learned a few things!  Your mouth is a crucial area in which bacteria can enter your body.  So, I will have to do a better job with taking care of my teeth.  Secondly, I learned about oral cancer and its causes.  My dentist used a light in my mouth to see if he thought I had any form of cancer – I was clear!

My message for today is simple…..do something you are afraid of!  Even if it is uncomfortable and scares you to death!  Have a great Spring Break!!!

WELCOME BACK TO 2011! We have started off this year at a record pace! Since we have returned this year, Mrs. Renzette (for all my 9th graders who have her and me in class) and I have been working feverishly at launching a new project. As we mentioned in class, we are not only the ONLY high school but the ONLY class at that high school to have a class set of iPads to use with our students!

I got my iPad given to me as we started Winter Break in December. Mrs. Renzette got hers when we came back a few weeks ago. The point of the project is to see how the use of iPads in the classroom effect student performance….that’s a lot of adult talk for “Hey….do these things really make a difference if kids use them?” While we have just started the project, I am very excited about what we have planned for y’all!

Mr. Shoemaker and Mrs. Renzette Introduce the iPad Project

On our first day we learned about how the iPads worked, discussed how we would use them in class — including how to keep them in working order, how to get them at the start of each class period, and how to save your work on them.

Mr. Shoemaker from Educational Technology at our District Office was very kind to join us and help Mrs. Renzette and me out!  We have never done something so “cutting edge”.  Mr. Shoemaker is coordinating the iPad Pilot Project for several schools.  A big “golf clap” to him for all his hard work!!!

REMEMBER:  All students need to return their SIGNED iPad Pilot agreement and 1941 (photo release) forms ASAP.  Everyone will be required to have a form on file in order to utilize the iPads in class.

So you ask yourself…..WHAT’S NEXT?

We are going to explore the oceans and the continents on our iPads very soon.  Mrs. Renzette and I are so excited!

Congratulations to each of you for completing your first (Keynote) project with Mr. Shoemaker.  You made us proud!  You guys make us proud!

Welcome back to 2011!

First, I hope that each of you had wonderful Winter Break! With that being said…..let’s get back to work!

Today’s blog post contains a few reminders! REMEMBER! You can follow our class onTWITTER. My Woods’ Classroom Twitter Account is: @MrWoodsClassFL Twitter is a form of “social media that allows users to communicate using small messages that are 160 characters or less. To Learn MORE about Twitter, click HERE! Twitter is cool in that it requires to create messages that get RIGHT TO THE POINT! I mostly tweet about things in science that interest me — like space, hurricanes, etc. There is a TWITTER FEED on the right hand side of this blog ——> it allows you to see what I have tweeted lately! I wanted to remind you of this — since I too have forgotten about our Twitter Account

There are many AWESOME AND EXCITING things coming in the next few weeks! I can’t believe how much more awesome and cool our class is going to become in the following weeks! Again, welcome to 2011!

Mr. Woods

Our solar system does some AMAZING things! Winter Solstice is when there are equal days of day and night — and it is the official start of winter. We will learn next semester that an eclipse is when a planet (usually the earth or the moon) blocks our view of another solar body (moon / sun). Last night there was a Lunar Eclipse….where the Earth came in between the sun and the moon. Tonight is referred to as a “Winter Moon”. We’ll talk more about this in January — but for now, enjoy this video!’

Being a science teacher, I am always intrigued by “sciency stuff”. Today I found something that is TRULY MAGIC! I needed to do some cleaning, so I decided to get some supplies! So….I went to Target and purchased a MAGIC ERASER (c).

My friends told me “Be careful! You’ll start using it and won’t know how to stop!” So…why am I sharing this with my students? Well, simple. It seems that the Magic Eraser is made of Melamine foam. According to Wikipedia, it has been “I… used for over 20 years as insulation for pipes and ductwork, and has a long history as a soundproofing material for studios, sounds stages, auditoriums, and the like. The low smoke and flame properties of melamine foam prevent it from being a fire hazard” …. and there’s more!

Wikipedia’s explanation of how the Magic Eraser works is FASCINATING!

Read THIS interesting article from Wikipedia to learn more!

SCIENCE IS MAGIC!