Thursday, October 20, 2011

Earth Science week 11

We are beginning a chapter the really gets to the nuts and bolts of earth science.  Everything we have covered up until now has been setting up for this!  We will focus on Alfred Wegener and what he saw that lead him to theorize about continental drift.  After providing evidence, we will discuss the difference between continental drift and plate tectonic theory.  We will wrap this up with discussing the drive mechanism for plate tectonics as well as the evidence for seafloor spreading.



For your alternative assignment, answer ONE of the following two questions.

1, Why did continental drift theory get rejected?

2. Explain how mountain chains could be the same mountains from one continent to another.

Remember to answer questions, simply email me your responses.

jpfister@warren.k12.in.us


Lets have a great start to the second interval!

Monday, September 12, 2011

What I have learned week 3

Facebook is an impressive tool.  This being said, it is similar to any other online tool for education, it has the possibility of acting like a double edged sword.  In the event that something is misconstrued, there can be many questions raised about the integrity of the teacher.  Now more than ever the public opinion has the highest demands while the respect for our profession remains minimal.  The profession that I once loved is becoming a side show for nothing but testing.  While our leaders would like nothing more than to cut our pay pensions and power to negotiate, they hide behind the curtain of lies stating all is in the name of education.  My only problem with this is if the government truly cared about education, then why do I still have 30 kids in a lab class with only 28 desks?  The government cares more about money than education and until their mindset changes, I fear public education getting worse.  While many individuals applaud the government for cracking down on mediocre teachers, it seems every time a story breaks on education within the news, it is discussing a situation involving inappropriate behavior.  One teacher costs everyone their job.  While Facebook might be an invaluable tool, because of all the tip toeing, no teachers at my school district are allowed to have Facebook accounts with students past or present. 

Monday, September 5, 2011

Week 2

This week I have learned about some wonderful ideas in incorporating wikis and making them useful.  With the idea that something can be created with the use of collaborative efforts all while being helpful to my students engage into newer technology simply proves how greatly technology is advancing education.  The use of wikis has pushed the boundaries to outside the normal classroom walls, allowing for more engaging access to knowledge with students that have access.  Many of my students have data on their smart phones and are discussing how exciting it is to get hints on homework assignments online.  I have also learned that while these technologies with reward also come with great sacrifice in not only planning, but for students who do not have access to internet, this creates a horrible unfair advantage.