Saturday, August 14, 2010

Working on the To-Do List

Well, I am slowly chipping away at the before school To-Do List. First up was the first day presentation of stuff.  I started off trying to do some of the cool stuff that @msgregson did in hers, but since I was still trying to figure out the program, I backed off after getting tremendously frustrated at times.  Maybe once I get quicker with it.  I haven't done seating charts yet, so that's not in there (but there is a page for it).  The second blank page is for the answers to my Day One Quiz Prezi.  Also, on the contact info page, there is a link to my high school's webpage so I can show them the easiest way to get to my webpage (if you really want to see it, DM me on twitter and I'll get you a link - I don't want it linked to here).

Day One PDF

So what's next?
Now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to put together my SBG explanation.  I haven't decided if I'm going to use Prezi again or just stick with the Smart Notebook software.  Plus, I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to put in it.  Thoughts or suggestions from anyone on what to put in/how to organize it?  Please comment. Thanks!

2 comments:

Matt Townsley said...

You asked about an SBG explanation. My advice: merely communicating the change is all you need to do on the first day. Assuming these ideas are all new to your students, it won't really make sense until after the first assessment. Leading up to that first assessment (in my experience), it is a good idea to have several ~5 minute conversations with your students about grading.
What does an A mean?
If you "get it" on Thursday and your friend "gets it" on Friday, do you think the two of you should receive the same grade? Why or why not?
When you ask your football coach why you're not getting any playing time, what does he tell you? (not "you stink" but usually, "you need to get faster" or "you need to throw/kick/catch the ball better.") Wouldn't it be nice if you received this same type of specific feedback in your classroom?

The only time I ever created an SBG presentation was for a workshop or conference...never for my students.

My $0.02 - wishing you the best as you begin the year!

Lisa said...

Thanks Matt. I can see where that makes sense. I assume if I go digging through your website that I'll find how you set it up with your students? I'm headed there next.

Thanks again for all of your encouragement as I've worked through this during the summer. I am excited about starting up the school year and looking forward to seeing how SBG makes a difference in my classroom.
--LMH