October Entry
Antonym Antics: September 1998 
Second Grade 
We used this lesson plan that was put on the web.  We started off with the large group activity.  The children loved acting out the different opposite words.  There was a lot of laughing and our cerebral palsy child enjoyed the activity very much.  He loved the lights going off and on for opposites of off and on.  He also liked in and out when we went out to look at the flowers and in when we got back to work.  Our small group activities with the fishing game also went well once we got the groups established.  More thinking needs to be done in this area on my part.  Trial and error is always a good thing I guess.  I grouped some very highs with some very lows and that did not work.  It seems to help by grouping medium with low and medium with high.  The children loved the card game and I was very proud of how well they cooperated together.   The last activity was the Three Bears Rap.  The children loved this activity the best I believe just because it is a rap.  They do in on the playground.  It was fun to change the words in the rap.  They did this in table groups.  They reworked it on a sheet of paper that I had copied it on.  They then chose one person from the group to read it to the class the way that they had changed it.   There were some that did not participate very much; I had to encourage that.  (That happens in any cooperative group activity, I believe.)  All in all I think it was a good lesson. 
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November Entry 
During the month of October, we have been very busy with our new computer system.  They children are very receptive of the lessons we have been doing on the large screen.  We have worked on the Internet some this month.  They especially like the disney.com site and the nickjr.com sight.  We have worked on reading as a group some of the stories on these sites. 
We have all had a turn with our Pet taking him home.  We will be sent him off to Texas. We gave him a going away party along with chips and cokes.  We sent a UT shaker with him and a book about Tennessee with him.  It was a coloring book that we put together as a class.  We hope that the children in Texas will enjoy learning about our state flower, bird, tree, and flag.  We know that the children in Mrs. Rogers’ class will enjoy this little brown bear from Tennessee.  We will hear from them soon.  We have sent them an e-mail informing them of his send off.
We have been using Drew in our class some this month.  He is a Cyber Ambassador from fifth grade.  He came in once last week.  He help of group of four boys learn how to insert a picture in a Halloween story that they had written together.  The children really enjoyed working with Drew.
I hope to get to use him more next month.
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December Entry
This has been a fast and fun month.  I had to change from the original Lesson Plan that I downloaded, because I did not have access to the book.  I looked for it in the bookstore and could not find it.  I could have ordered it from the Internet, however our librarian at school said that she would order it but it would be a little while.  I went back to square one and went to the Internet to find another lesson plan.  The one that I found was much better than the first one I found.  This lesson reinforced everything that I have covered in class over the last few weeks.  The lesson used the Story Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel.  It focused on the story on The Lost Button.  The objectives covered thinking skills, vocabulary that has been introduced with the Character Counts program, mathematics using attributes and the Venn Diagram and Character Attributes.  I followed the lesson plan that was given and the children loved the lesson.  There were so many things in this lesson that it was just a mix of so many different skills.  The children worked individually as well as in groups.  I loved teaching this and will use it again.  I was very pleased with how everything just flowed with this.  I gave the children manipualives to use as well as grouping activities, which I have found that my group this year loves.  This is a second grade level activity, but I think third graders would love it too.  Attributes are very hard and the more activities that you can find the better.

We made our first newspaper this month.  We did two for the month of November.  The first one that we tried did not work very well because I tried to do it whole group.  I lost the children’s attention.  They became very restless so I stopped for that day and decided to regroup.  I thought about how to make this work.  We brainstormed as a group and talked about four things that our class has been working on.  I then assigned groups to work on each story together.  They wrote a report with one being the writer and the others giving the report.  Each group then brought their report to me and decided as a group what picture to put with their story.  They all loved seeing their name in print.  We sent these home with their folders on Friday.  The parents really enjoyed reading them.

I have been using Drew in my classroom on Tuesday mornings.  He comes in during his activity period at that time which is a free time for him.  He came twice this month because I hate to take all of his free time from him.  He is a former student of mine and he knows how things work in my class. He took right off with the children.  They loved having someone older to work with.  He has a list of children he is helping use the Word program to write stories.  I had him help a couple at a time and then they printed to stories out to take home.  He also helped show a few of the children who weren’t sure about some of the programs on the old 486 models.  These were programs that he used when he was in my class three years ago.  It is good to have older children work with younger ones. 

I checked out The Magic School Bus Exploring the Ocean program.  I only used it during center times.  I did not use it as a teaching tool this month only as a fun way of learning by doing.  The children enjoyed it because it was something new.  I really did not take time to work with the program much.  The children guided their way through it quiet easily.  I liked the graphics and sound.  I am a fan of The Magic School Bus and will use it again in the spring when we do our Ocean Unit in Reading.
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January Entry

For the month of December we worked hard on many things as well as had lots of fun with the holidays.  We finally heard from our  Pet Exchange,  Bear Bearman in Texas.  He is doing well and we understand that they have been upgrading the system at their school.  We look forward to more e-mail from them during this month.  We continue to enjoy taking TechBear home each night and he has had some wonderful adventures while in Tennessee.  We will probably send him home soon. 
We did not have very much luck with using our Cyber Ambassador this month.  It was very hard for him to find time to come to our class.  We may have to check out using a few more students as the year goes on. 
The students are using the Magic School Bus Explores the Ocean program this month.  They have used it as a center activity for this month, however we will be incorporating it into our reading program for the month of January because we will be doing a whole Unit on Oceans and sea animals.  I think it was a good experience for the children to get acquainted with the program before we use it as a whole group.  More to come on this.  We will read the stories Henry’s Wrong Turn and Swimmy this month.  We know that this will be very interesting.
During the month of December I used the Power Point Program to make four presentations to go with our Children’s Musical at my church.  I am very excited report that we were invited to do the Musical WWW.ChristmasOnline.Com at our school.  It was a musical about how to use the Internet correctly and in an appropriate manner.  The Power Point Presentations went with the songs.  The children of our school were very receptive of the musical as well as the slide show.  You could hear the oooos and ohhhs as the program went up.  It was a very exciting time for me as well as for the children involved.  One teacher told me in our school that she could not think of a better way to introduce power point to our school as a whole.  I was very happy.  Power Point is a powerful program that can really get the point across.  I can’t wait to use it with my children.  We did not make a class newspaper this month.  We will try to make at least two during the month of January. 
We have been teaming up with my son’s class this year to e-mail one of his classmates that is homebound.  The students in his class take turns, e-mailing this child once or twice a month.  My students help them with the typing and then they send the message together.  The children are all enjoying this.  The whole class came in at Christmas and sent a Christmas card to the child.  After they left my class wanted to send a card also.  So we sent Christmas cards to her as well as our guidance counselor and principal.They really enjoyed getting to vote for the choices of what would be on the cards. 
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February Entry

I have enjoyed using ICQ this month in my class.  The children think that it is so neat that we can talk to another class that is right beside us without seeing them.  We have chatted with Mrs. Walker’s fourth grade class on several occasions.  I also like the freedom to get a file to someone within a matter of moments.  I was able to send my January and November Journal entries to Connie at the Tech Center in a matter of minutes.  We also have talked with an eighth grade class that my friend teaches in White Pine. I have also used ICQ to send sound files to my house. 
Due to an exception class load for him, I have had a hard time getting my Cyber Ambassador to help in my class.  We hope that this next month will be a better month for him.
We continue to take Tech Bear home each night.  He is our pet exchange bear.  The journal entries have been wonderful and these will be priceless to Mrs. Rogers’ Class in Texas.  Tech Bear has really enjoyed Tennessee.  I think that we will be sending him home this month.  We will have him a going away party and send gifts with him back to Texas.  This has been a great experience for my children.  I have watched them develop a great sense of responsibility with this little bear.  They have been very fair about who gets to take him home, by using a boy girl method.  They have come to care for this bear very much.  They have shown respect for one another by listening to the stories about Tech Bear, when the children bring him back each morning.  They have shown that they can be trusted to take the bear home and bring him back on the next day.  I have very good citizens in my class.
My students have really enjoyed using the Internet to find fun places to learn.  We download characters from the Maurice Sendak’s Series Little Bear this month.  This was found at http://nickjr.com/.  The students made puppets with the color pages and then in-groups of four wrote a puppet skit.  I typed it up for them on Word and printed it out.  They then took the skit and practiced it with their group.  They really enjoyed coloring, creating and practicing the puppet skits.  Then the big day came for them to do it for the class.  We had one afternoon of puppet skits.  The children were very interested in this project and the show went very well.  I have also been working with a few of my students on teaching them how to use Microsoft Word.  I have been amazed how well they have picked up on how to insert pictures as well as move and resize them.  We must work on keyboarding skills of course, but I know that will come in time.  I have been very please with the group that I have worked with.  I look forward to working with more of my children on this project this month.  I know that they too will pick this program up quickly.  We have been using our Accelerated Reading Program in our class this year and the children are really enjoying it.  I have watched children who you had to beg to take a book and read it the first six weeks, go to the ones who can’t wait to get to the library to exchange a book so that they can take another test.  The idea of having the computer to themselves is one incentive as well as a class incentive program that I have that involves gumballs in a gumball machine.  I have watched my student who was struggling at the first of the year to read, improve very much.  I have watched the ones who read very well continue to read well and become more expressive in their reading.  It is a wonderful program that really encourages excellence in Reading.  I have also started to use The Star Program to assess my children on their ability level.  It is nice to have when talking to a parent about reading progress reports. 
We have only had time to work on one class newspaper as a whole this month.  We reported on a Reading Adventure Program that we have started in our class.  We go once a week to a Kindergarten and Transition class once a week to read.  We did this newspaper as a whole.  We voted on the pictures that we would use in the paper.  We have a new digital camera at our school so the children were very excited to see their picture on the screen.  The children gave their ideas and we put them with the pictures to form the newspaper for this month.   We have used several ways in the pass to work on the newspaper.  One month we worked in-groups of four to report on different things going on in our class.  One month we worked in-groups of two.  I felt that it worked much better in-groups of four, because some children with just two children in them had a very hard time.  The whole group procedure works well too, except we did not get to use everyone’s ideas.  We will continue to work with this next month to see which way works best.  We plan on taking a trip to the local newspaper soon and I know that the children will enjoy reporting on that.
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March Entry
During the month of February we have really worked with many of the PowerPoint presentations that we have downloaded from the Cyber Exchange web site.  The children get very excited when we download a new one.  I give them plenty of opportunities to work independently with the presentations when it is computer time for them.  They enjoy working together and they pick the wrong answers sometimes just to hear the sounds.   We work together as a whole group when I introduce the presentation and then I allow them to work independently with them.  I have also started teaching them how to make the power point presentations.  We are in the process of making one as a group. We have chosen to do a presentation on a story that is in our reading book called Angel Child, Dragon Child.  I have the children working in-groups of three on what to put on their slide.  This will take a few days, but I think the children are really enjoying learning this new program.  I have also used power point to make a presentation to go with a video I have made to present at a conference on Peaceable School.  The power point worked wonderfully with the opening of each scene in the video.  I will make the presentation of the video this week at the conference. 
I have used the school’s laptop on several occasions.  I used it over Christmas to make do a PowerPoint presentation for our children’s musical at church.  I also used it to take home over the weekend a few weeks ago to show my sister how to use power point for a presentation she had in a class at school.  She is a freshman in college.  I have used the laptop to work while my son had basketball practice.  It is a wonderful asset that we have at our school and I am glad that I have the opportunity to use it when I can.
We are about ready to send our Pet Exchange home.  The experience that this little bear has given to the children has been wonderful.  We have e-mailed our partners in Texas and they have been enjoying our bear also.  We are planning on sending Tech Bear home the second week in March.  We will give him a going away party and will send him home with gifts from Tennessee.  We receive Bearman back the children will take turns taking him home each night until the end of the year.  This has given the children a good ongoing written language experience that has lasted all year long.
We are going to resister for the Great Easter Egg Hunt.  I haven’t told the children about this project yet.  I know that they will enjoy visiting all the websites and looking for the eggs.  We will start the project on March the 5th.  I will report on it next month.  This should really be fun.  I am excited about doing it.
I feel so blessed and fortunate to have all of the technology in my classroom.  I have been able to assess student achievement more this year that any other year that I have taught.  I have used the Star program to assess what reading level each child is on.  I have used this to help with referrals for an S-team at our school.  This is a team that assesses weather or not the child needs testing for further services.  The Star Program has also helped me to know exactly at what level to let my children read accelerated books.  The Accelerated reading program in my room is a big hit.  The children are ready to get on the computer in the morning when they walk in the door and I have to make them leave in the afternoon at bus call time.  I also have started teaching the children how to use Microsoft word.  They all had an opportunity to write a short story insert a picture and print it out this month.  They were so excited to take that story home. 
We have produced two class newspapers this month.  I put the children into groups of two.  They reported on different things.  We used two different formats.  One was the standard format that we received at out Cyber Exchange training sessions.  I also used the newsletter form from Microsoft Publisher 99.  I like this format very much and will use it again.  One group of reporters downloaded pictures from the Internet to go with their story.  Another group used the digital camera to take pictures of an interview that they did.  The other groups inserted pictures from clip art that we have.  I feel very successful doing this.  The children and the parents love it!!

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April Entry

I have not had very much luck within the last few weeks with my Cyber Ambassadors.  There are two children in our school that are Cyber Ambassadors.  They have had so many extra-curricular activities that we haven’t had much luck getting them to come into our class.  They both are involved in band and the only other extra time that they have available is during their fifteen-minute break period.  We will continue to try to link up with them before the end of the year. 
I have used the laptop a few times to work on PowerPoint presentations.  I take it with me to the ball field while my son is practicing.  It is nice to have while I have a few minutes to work on the power points at home or wherever.  The children are enjoying the PowerPoint  presentations.  They will be working on their own PowerPoint s this last six weeks of school. 
We have been working on our class web pages during the last few weeks.  The children love typing their own stories in on the web and then looking at it after we upload it.  We almost have everyone online.  We will continue to design pages for our class.  They will work in-groups this next six weeks to add more things to our page.  It is a very exciting time in second grade.  I let them type the stories in their own words and the stories are priceless to me because it is how they think and sound things out.  The parents have also been very pleased with the web page.  It excites them to see their children’s work on the web.
We did not make a class newspaper last month. We were really focusing on working on Terra Nova testing and worked on our Internet project with our journals as well as getting our web page uploaded.  We plan to make one during then last six weeks. 
We will be sending our bear back the first week in May.  We have contacted our class in Texas, however we haven’t heard from them yet to get the physical address to send Tech Bear too. 
We have used technology in our class to reinforce skills taught in class. Each child is at a computer every day.  There are five computers in our class.  They work on various programs from reading, math, science, writing and spelling.  They love the programs in our class.  On one computer this last six weeks they have taken turns making posters to print out.  They then color the poster and write a story about the poster.  The program is Print Master.  They have been using Microsoft Word to write stories and print out pictures.  We have sent birthday cards to parents and other children in our class using the web site www.bluemountainarts.com.  The parents really love getting a card online from their child.  We have also found a neat link to Grandpa Tucker, which helps us with rhyming and silly songs and poems.  The site is http://www.night.net/tucker/ this is a fun one to check out.  Second graders love it.  They are really making technology a part of their world, which excites me. 
I have been interested in integrating technology in my class for a long time, but this is the first year that I feel like I have really made a difference in teaching.  I have used technology every day this year.  We are working at our computers off and on all day long.  I used the large television screen as much or more than I use the chalkboard.  There is so much information out there that goes with our every day lessons in class.  If we are curious about something we go to our computer and we can find the answers.  We will continue to use the computers, laptops, and digital cameras to make learning more fun that we could ever imagine.  I feel very good about the progress that has been made in my class this year.  It has been a good year.
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May Entry
This year I have used our computer everyday for instruction as well as enrichment for my children in my classroom.   Each week on Monday when I introduce our spelling words for the week, I use the Grolier's Encylopedia program to give pictures, definitions and sometimes even videos and sounds of the words.  In the past years of teaching, I have had to use books and tapes from the school library as well as a class dictionary.  It is so nice to be able to get everything from one source.  They children respond very well to this.  We usually put pictures on a page created from Microsoft Word and that gives them a visual aid for the week in spelling.  My scores have improved in spelling this year as far as the first time test.  I usually have more than half of my students pass the test the first time taken.  I know that it has been from using this type of instruction and use of technology that has helped these scores.  I use the Internet in Reading to surf for authors of our stories in our book.  We have been able to find a page for most of our authors this year.  It is nice to read what they say and where they are coming from while we are on the story that they have written in our reading book.  We also use the Internet to find sites on the location of where the stories take place.  This in turn links them to activities that in the past they were not able to experience.  We use the Word program to write stories and sentences for English.  The children like to see where their mistakes are by using the spell check.  It lets helps them to see how to proof read a document, which is something that I never have had success with until this year.  They can’t see it by themselves but with the help of the computer they are learning.  We have used the Internet to find fun sites to reinforce what we are doing in Math also.  I usually show them the site and then they are able to go there during free time.  This helps to provide practice on the skills being covered in Math.  In the past I have used center games, which I do still use, however; it is nice to have a place where the skill is used and there is not a big mess to clean up.  We have also used the computer to do science and social studies.  One of their favorite programs is How the Body Works.  This is so much better than just looking at a picture or video.  It shows how the body works and it helps to see what is going on inside their own body.  The excitement is fun to watch.  This year has been a very productive year in my class and I really feel that access to all the technology is the key to this productivity.

I worked on a lesson plan for Antonym Antics for reading with a friend.  Our coordinator uploaded the lesson onto the Internet.  I used this in class and the children really responded well to the lesson.  I have used several plans from different colleagues in this program.  Each has been a successful one.  I use the power point presentations for introduction of skills in Reading and Spelling.  I have used it for Math also.  I have found that the plans help to cut down on time searching here and there and everywhere to have a lesson to do in class.  It has been a real treat to be able to go to our county site and go into Cyber Exchange to find a lesson to use.  

I have used e-mail to communicate with various people this year.  We participated in the pet exchange program.  I would consider it a success however due to problems with upgrading at our pet exchange school we did have a difficult time communicating with them.  The children did enjoy having a pet to enjoy and write about each day.  We have sent him back and will continue to communicate with these children for the rest of the year.  I have also used e-mail to communicate with a couple of parents that are very busy with work.  We talk each week about how their child is doing in class.  I do not put grades in the e-mail, however I do tell them if there is a problem in any area. One parent has expressed to me via e-mail that this is so nice for her, because her hours run so late at night that she would never be able to make it to a conference.  This has been a real plus in this area of communication.  They children have also e-mailed parent’s birthday cards and Christmas cards via the Internet.  This is a very inexpensive way for them to show their parents that they care.  We will send Mother’s Day Cards also.  This is such a nice surprise to parents to receive this from their child.  I have used the e-mail to communicate with a friend overseas in the Netherlands.  She has e-mailed my class several times this year and told them about the seasonal happening in Holland as well as the weather changes.  She will continue to be an asset to my class this way via e-mail.  I have also communicated with my college roommate who is a teacher in Texas.  They children have asked her many questions which she has answered (most of them anyway). I feel like we could have NOT had as many experiences this year if it had not been for e-mail.  I have used ICQ to help communicate with the Tech Center, with questions on how to do things as well as where to get information.  It is so nice to be able to have our coordinator just a keyboard away when a crisis occurs.  I have also used it to communicate with other teachers in our school.  This has been a nice tool, because our school is so big that it may be days before we see someone on the other side of the building.  It is nice to be able to talk to them both personally and professionally.  I have also used ICQ to communicate with colleagues in this class.  It is nice to have them there to send files to or whatever.  I feel it has my job much easier and faster to get information here and there.

I use Word each day in class.  I use it to write letters to communicate with parents as well as other people in the school.  I use it to write stories with the children, and for them to write stories on their own.  I use it for one child in our class that has cerebral palsy to write in his journal. He will be given an assignment on what to write about.  He will then choose pictures to communicate what he wants to say.  His teacher’s assistant then gives him choices of what sentences should go with this picture.  They print out what he has created and she glues it into his journal for him.  This has given him an avenue to do work that in the past was very difficult to do, because the teacher assistant would have to use magazine pictures.  This was very time consuming for her and him.  I can not imagine not having access anymore.  It is very useful and important to me.  
I have used PowerPoint quiet often this year.  It has been a tool in introducing skills in Reading, English, Spelling and Math.  The children enjoy working the slide shows themselves.  I have used it for introduction of our program called Character Counts.  I have invited other classes in to watches these presentations which has been a real tool to other teachers in introducing a new word or concept.  I invite teachers who are not as blessed as me with this type of technology in their class.  For those who do have access I simply give them the diskette and say go to it.  Power Point is a very good tool, because it is fast and to the point.  I like it because it makes the presentation you do whether, it is a simple lesson in reading or a giant presentation to the faculty on an in-service subject, much more meaningful because you have sight and sound to back up your topic.  

We have made about four class newspapers.  We used the class newspapers to get information out to the parents about what is going on in our class and our school.  They took the paper home and read it to their parents each time that we published one. We have a story in our reading book about how to make a class newspaper.  By being able to actually make a newspaper of our own; it helps them to relate to the story in the book.  
We have been working very hard on getting all of our stories uploaded onto the web.  I have everyone’s story on except for about three or four children.  They get very excited when we get e-mails from people telling us that they enjoy our site.  This has been another very positive experience for the children.  I feel this has been a self-esteem building experience for them.  They feel important because they have something out they’re that everyone in the world has access to read. 

I feel that the staff development this year has been excellent.  I have learned more this year that any other year of my professional career.  I used technology in my class for a long time, but I did not know how to use in an instructional way.  I have learned how to do this.  I know how to utilize the Internet, as well as many other programs on my computer.  I know that all the information and techniques that I have learned this year will only help me to be a better teacher.   I continue to be excited about what new thing is coming next to make learning more fun for the children and me.

I have used the laptop to present PowerPoint presentations at several community functions.  This has enabled me to take technology into the school and local community.  The laptop gives me the freedom to work while away from school.  I have taken it home a few occasions to work on various projects.  It is a nice tool to use at home for those who do not have a computer.  I am looking forward to videoconferencing with the laptop also. 

I did not have much luck with my Cyber Ambassadors this year.  Both of them were involved in so many different extracurricular activities that it was hard for them to find a time to work with me.  I did have one Ambassador who came in a few times at the first of the year but as the year got going it was very difficult for him to come.  He has been involved in Gate, band, fifth grade newspaper as well as personal things outside of school.  It was very difficult for us to get together.  The times that he did come were very beneficial to my class.  He taught them how to load and unload a diskette and CD.  He also walked them through steps on how to get in an out of a program.  It was good each time he comes and I was pleased.  I only wish that he could have came more.  I do understand his commitment to other thing though.

Because of the technology provided for me this year I have been able to utilize the STAR program in my class.  This has been a real tool for me to access Accelerated Reading in the correct way.  It has also been a tool to communicate with parents on where their child is at in reading and ways to help their child to become a better student and reader.  I feel that this has helped my students to become stronger readers this year.  I have also used the Internet to find books to enrich my stronger students.  I have used it to evaluate what level the student is on in reading and have been pleased with the progress that many of them have made.  The access to the Star program has been good for me.

I think the most beneficial aspect of this program has been in how to incorporate technology into the curriculum of my class.  I feel that I am more confident in how to use the computer when teaching.  I am so thankful for what I have learned this year. It has given me an excitement for teaching that I haven’t had in a while.  It was something new and fun and fulfilling for my students.  I have also liked the chance to meet once a month to talk with others about what is going on in their schools.  This has been a very beneficial project for me.

I am always excited to go back to school to share with my friends what I have learned in class.  I am encouraging them to use this in their class also.  I have even encouraged my friend in the Netherlands to download ICQ.  I love sharing with others things that I know will make a difference in their classes.  I am encouraging all of my second grade colleagues to apply for Century 21 classrooms.  I would like to see everyone in my school get on the technological train.  

I wish that I could have a day at school to show the teachers there what I have learned here.  I try to go into their classes when they need help, but it would be nice to be able to practice what we have learned without interruptions.  Practice makes better you know.  I love sharing with my friends and next year we will have access to a computer lab where that teachers can go for staff development.  I can’t think of any way to improve this project here.  It has been wonderful and I appreciate the opportunity to participate

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