TED Talks Kinda Rock

Inspirational TED Talks are wonderful to watch.  Amy Cuddy, in her TED Talk, "Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are" would be wonderful for a Speech or Theater Class.  She shares a story of perseverance and courage.  It is incredibly informative and could be easily used in any class setting.

Body language is extremely important and just as important as what actually comes out of our mouths.  My Theater classes could definitely benefit from this video.  Nonverbal communication is essential when my actors and actresses are portraying their lines to the audience.  They have to actually do more than sound convincing; they must look convincing in order to suspend the disbelief of the audience.

Amy Cuddy brings up an amazing point - "Fake it until you make it."  When high school theater students try out for parts in a play, they may earn a part where their character's personality is completely different than their own.  Although they may have no idea how to successfully portray traits of their assigned characters, if they follow the, "Fake it until you make it," mentality it may be an easier transition.  They will be more successful.

Amy Cuddy also brought up a good point of body language in general - how we sit, how comfortable we are with ourselves, etc. has a powerful impact of how we are perceived by people around us.  I think my theater classes could turn this video into some sort of field study and do further independent investigating.

Pinterest Addictions

I am addicted to Pinterest!  I absolutely love using it for classroom ideas.  I feel like I am a very visual learner and Pinterest helps keep good ideas organized.  I have created both personal and professional boards.  It is an awesome catch-all place to find all sorts of great ideas - from tips on using my iPhone to recipes to classroom management.

This will mark my very first year ever of being Yearbook Sponsor, in addition to my head theater responsibilities.  I need to be incredibly organized next school year, so my stress levels stay manageable! Pinterest helps me do this - especially when it comes to Yearbook ideas.  Since I have multitudes to learn, I have found awesome ideas via Pinterest.

In regards to education, Pinterest has allowed me to find ideas on how to make cool Language Arts posters, helped me with lesson plans over novels, etc.  I have even found project ideas for all sorts of English-related subject matter.  And it's all very visual, which is important for me!

When I first started using Pinterest a year ago, I mainly used it to find recipes, DIY project, and cleaning tips.  The educational aspect never really crossed my mind, for awhile anyway.  Once I stumbled into the realm of educational materials available, I was hooked!

I am a somewhat sporadic Pinterest user.  I need to make a more valiant effort to log in more often.  And not only pin good ideas, but USE them more!

I also love the option to create Private Boards.  I used a private board when I was organizing a surprise birthday party for a friend.  I found great resources without sharing them with the entire Pinterest world.

Pinterest is a great tool that any teacher can use!  I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Classroom Badges of Honor

I have easily thought of ways to implement the first two Summer Tech Challenges into my classes, but I just don't "get" classroom badges.  I feel like they may have value with a little younger crowd, but I am unsure how they'd be taken with high school students. Would students find value in them?  I just don't know.  Maybe I will have to do a little trial experiment with them and see how they are received.

Anything that increases student motivation and ownership, gets two thumbs up from me.  I am unsure if Class Badges will do that.  But, maybe they will and for that reason, I will give them a try! I will teach Theater I, Yearbook, English 10, and Basic English 10 as well as direct the One-Act, Winter, and Spring Plays.  I think out of those classes, the Class Badges may work the best in my Yearbook class.  I feel like I could use the Badges as goals for my students and every time they meet/exceed a goal, they’d earn a badge.  

The only badge system I think I’ve participated in is Four Square, an app on my iPhone that lets me tell my friends where I currently am checking into different locations.  At first, I thought the Badges were kind of cool and I remembered I tried to get as many as a could.  On Four Square, they were awarded for doing different things like visiting a pizza parlor, flying in an airplane, attending a concert, etc.  I kind of lost interest in the badges after I acquired a quite a few of them.  

Class badges will have to be something I try out with my classes.  Who knows - maybe they will help my students stay motivated!  Stay tuned...