From the desk of Mr. Walters

Working on an animoto for back to school night that sums up what goes on in my classroom. It's proving more than a little difficult... Computer Info. Tech .

. .. I'm milling over a quote this week and trying to decide whether I want to internalize it... It may force me to use this venue for less ranting This is true joy of life-being used for a purpose that is recognized by yourself as a mighty one ... instead of being a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. - George Bernard Shaw That's profound stuff...

Disclaimer: This is for the purposes of generating discussion within a community of teachers. It does not reflect the views of any school districts implied within. One of the primary complaints I hear from teachers about integrating new technologies and 21 st century skills into their classroom is that while administrator say they want to see these things, District or Network policies often prevent their use. When teachers try to make changes to these limitations, they meet little real support. Frustrated, they return to their classroom bubble and break out the composition books, colored pencils, or overhead projectors. Blogging is a perfect example of this frustration voiced by many teachers. Originally, we in the education community were given Edublogs.org as the official answer to our desire to have students blog.  Signing up students with no email account was difficult, but after discovering a somewhat shady work around using gmail, teachers were able to sign up classes. Ed...

Hey Peeps, Long time - no post. As you may or may not know, I teach seventh and eighth grad CIT.  My class is essentially charged with the mission of providing a transition point between the Elementary "Computer" classes and the High School's Business, Technology, & Graphic Arts departments.  A lot of students want to do things with computers for a career, but most are confused when they see the HS course selection guide for the first time and see no category for computer classes.  They're really floored when they see that "Technology" means "Shop" Anyway, needles to say, my favorite part of my curriculum is the Introduction to Design, which introduces: Graphic Design - Art Department Photography / Photoshop - Technology Department Web Design & Publishing - Business Department I'm always looking for new resources with which to challenge & inspire these kids. Most of these make use of the Adobe Creative Suite.  If you don't...

Recently posted by the ftc: http://www.onguardonline.gov/pdf/tec04.pdf Thinking about providing it on my class portal for parents. Thoughts?

Though, I am a complete newbie at the art, I consider myself an aikidōka, or Aikido practitioner.  Every Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday, barring illness or family emergency, I go to "our" dojo and subject myself to the teaching of the Sensei. I enter the dojo, and remove my shoes at the door.  After changing into my Gi, I make a standing bow to enter the mat.   A few minutes before class time my classmates and I warm up and formally seat ourselves ( seiza ) along the Shimoza in quiet meditation to rid our minds of the day's problems and prepare for study. As I sit, practicing deep abdominal breathing, and taking in the smells, sounds, and sights of the moment, My peripheral vision notes my my instructor as he makes his way onto the mat.  He seats himself facing the Kamiza , slapping back his hakama as he does so. We formally bow in, a process which ends with our saying "Onegai shimasu," Loosely translated "Please give me your instruction." Al...

My Quest This last October, Lanette and I had a discussion about my increasing lack of physical activity. I used to work out somewhat regularly at a local health club that shut down suddenly amid much controversy . Though I am not in the worst shape, walking into a gym or fitness club feels like giving a speech in my underwear to me. It doesn't matter whether anyone is looking at me or not, I feel like an impostor when I walk into a health club. The new place my wife works out just wasn't doing it for me, and I felt ever more awkward when I went there. In the midst of our discussion, a light went on in my head. I've dreamed for most of my adult life of taking a Japanese martial art, at least one on this incredibly broad and inclusive list ( note: broad and inclusive used sarcastically here) . Kenjitsu Iaido Kendo You see the unifying theme here? Basically, I wanted to "play Samurai", and this workout deal was my "in". I shared this list with L...

A little background.. . More often than not, over the last year, when I go online looking for a book, I seem to perpetually find myself facing no options to buy it new from the company I went to in the first place.  Typically, I'm using Amazon, and I get the message that I can buy it from some third-party seller, who may or may not be reputable.  I've assumed, perhaps erroniously, that it's just because I'm looking for old books that weren't that popular. A recent experience Recently, I finished the last book in the Tales of the Otori, and I decided I want to read the prequel, "Heaven's Net is Wide", which came out in September of '08.  That's las Fall, kids.  Anyway, once again, the standard buying option is not available! http://tinyurl.com/ykwrtyu While looking at this, somewhat in disbelief because i know this to be a popular series, I did note that the Kindle version was available.  Further investigation revealed many other titles I'v...