Hooray March is Almost Gone!!

             I can't believe how fast time goes by! Anyone who is a teacher is feeling a sense of jubilation, because March is almost gone. It is the longest and dreariest month of the year (no breaks and bad weather). This month was a lot of fun in my classroom. My students did a research report on their wikispace page (link is located on blog). These reports came out really awesome.
            The students were required to read a novel about a famous woman and do some additional research on her. Then they had to type the information into the wiki. Next they had to do a slideshow on their person using www.slidelicious.com . Then they had to create a works cited page using www.bibme.org.  You should check them out!!

I also learned a bunch of useless information about food from various sources:
Groaking is watching people eating in the hope that they will offer you some.
Pound cake got its name because the original recipe called for one pound of butter.
M&Ms stands for the last names of Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie (candy makers). The candy was developed so soldiers could eat sweets without getting their fingers sticky.
Cashews can help prevent tooth decay.

Challenge for my students

Play the game at the bottom of my blog. It is a geography game that tests your knowledge of the world. If you beat or match my Travel IQ of 100, I will give you extra credit for social studies. I only ask that you try and don't get too frustrated. The game is a lot of fun!!

Message from a friend

This website has tremendous potential. It can be used for a variety of activities. The website is at the bottom of the picture.

Brain Test

A friend sent me this really neat color test. Visit the link and see how well you do:

http://www.humorsphere.com/fun/8787/colortest.swf

SS Lesson Idea

I just visited a fun website that places a picture of a person and places it on an image of a person from any year you choose. It is quite addictive and funny, and can be used in an educational setting. The site is www.yearbookyourself.com. It is a site that could be used for a social studies lesson on the lifestyles over the years, or could be used for language arts for creative writing. I think this site can have many different applications.

Hopefully, my students will get a big kick out of this site and it will jump start their creativity.

Weekend Thoughts

Wow! What a beautiful weekend; I'm so glad I was able to go out and enjoy some of the great weather. It was really nice being able to go to the park with my wife and dog for some relaxation.

Oh yeah, I also found another neat site for students: www.magmypic.com
The site is just for fun, but I suppose teachers could use it for literature; students could create an avatar based on a character, or draw a picture and scan it onto the computer, and then use the website. Teachers could also use pictures with this website as picture prompts to spark some creative writing.

Also, another great website for students or teachers to use "provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box." http://museumbox.e2bn.org/index.php

My Personality (According to Typealyzer)

Today I visited a site that supposedly analyzes your personality via your blog. This is the website http://www.typealyzer.com/index.php?lang=en

Here is what it said about my personality:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

Things That Make Me Happy

Last week, I did not have the best week. As a matter of fact, I was really grumpy, because of all the negative stuff that was happening in my life. My computer crashed; which really stinks because I use it all the time for work and grad school. My garage door opener broke; which also stunk, because I had to continously move my wife's car in and out of the garage.

One of the major things that got me through the week was my puppy. She always makes me smile. Even though I was grumpy, as soon as I came home to her tail wagging and tongue licking, my face broke into a smile and laughter. It's amazing how my dog, Baci, can turn my bad mood into one of happiness.

It is the little things in life that can truly make a bad day do a 180 and create a great day!