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Hey Karen I don't have any "AMAZING" tech tips to kick off the year off hand, but I think some others have some ideas that might inspire you. There has been a couple of discussions on integrating tech and some different approaches. David has a thre…
August 4
Thanks Kim I am starting the process of forwarding to my people. If everyone sent it to their science teachers and to at least one teacher else where, they would get plenty of people to provide good solid feedback.
July 16
The ISTE unplugged site has some great info. I noticed a project on the e-pals teacher ambassadors project. This might give people some more ideas on collaborative projects. Each project has a description, video and samples of student work. Pretty…
July 13
OK Davilla, Let's get some ideas out there. I need to get some new connection ideas for my students. Connecting classrooms from different schools is wonderful. It helps students see that other kids are just like them, even if they live elsewhere. T…
July 13
I like to leave videos with the substitute teacher. I will do quick movies explaining the lesson and drop it off on the school computer with a flash drive or put it on my website. One advantage of putting it on the computer is that the sub still has…
July 8
I used to connect to other classrooms when working with the "JASON Project". We used to have a teachers forum group. It was a great place to look for partner teachers who also wanted to connect classrooms. The group also provided a forum for discuss…
March 20
So, how are the Science Fairs coming? My school fair is next week so my students have been busily taking butcher paper and covering cardboard boxes and used display boards for their projects. Activities like science fairs may function differently a…
March 19
The most important thing is to consider the purpose and use of the changes. How will it be use? Why do you need it? Will there be any accountability tied to this? Our report card has the letter grade (A, B, C ,D, F), but we also have citizenship an…
February 28
Christie, I want to commend your efforts to assist in the transition process. As a 7th grade teacher in a 7-8 school, I can see the need to articulation between our schools. There are sometimes unique needs at each site. Where Tom's school has the…
February 17
Are you seeking ways to better serve your students who are not native English speakers? Have you had success working with ESOL/ELL students? If so, this group is for you. Join to learn and share strategies for helping these students succeed.
February 3
So, does anyone encourage their students to move on to regional science fairs, like the Intel ISEF?
January 11
Thanks for the article. I'll need to add this to my file. Great example of using a wiki in science, Tommy. Years ago I used to do the Junior Solar Sprint. We were completely limited by kids needing to be in the same class at the same time to be abl…
December 14, 2009
I have been doing school science fairs for many years. It sounds like ours is similar to Sandra's, just on a larger scale. This year, we are looking at four full-time teachers coordinating our fair with over 600 students. Over the years, our depart…
December 14, 2009
Are you looking at running a district-wide science fair or a school site fair? I have been doing science fair at my sites for 16 years and can share how we handle that, but at the district level you need to coordinate and disseminate information in…
December 9, 2009
Interesting question, Ron. I would love to find what websites people are using as well. I am lucky that my school district subscribes to a web portal system that I can share information on. We used to use SchoolCenter, but now we use SchoolLoop. Ea…
December 1, 2009
Thanks, Todd, you take great notes! Rick Wormeli's closing keynote was fun, energizing and informative. But, I really liked the end. The focus on what happens after the conference. Although he jested about us leaving the conference rejuvenated and…
November 17, 2009

Profile Information

Which best describes your position?
Classroom Teacher (preK-12)
What discipline(s) do you teach?
Science, Other

Karolee Smiley's Blog

Karolee Smiley

Session Archive: Tech Talk on Wikis

On August 19th, I moderated a Tech Talk on Wikis through Elluminate. The Tech Talk was recorded and is available for viewing online. The NSDL wiki has recorded versions of all the Tech Talks and links shared by the group. During the presentation, I provided an overview of wikis, the rationale for using wikis in education, some possible ideas of how they can be used in the educational setting, and an o… Continue

Posted on August 20, 2009 at 10:00pm —

Karolee Smiley

WICR - Collaboration

Collaboration is one of the main skills that employers are looking for that many people seem to lack. The last research I heard, the number one reason people were fired was their inability to work well with others. Collaboration skills are essential for almost all professions, but we rarely talk about teaching it. It is not always something that comes naturally and we assume that everyone know how to work together. Like reading and writing, people need to know how and practice the skill.
Another… Continue

Posted on July 18, 2009 at 11:47pm — 1 Comment

Karolee Smiley

WICR - Inquiry

Inquiry is essential to AVID, College Readiness and Science.

One of the things I find most frustrating from my kids is their inability to question. Their questions tend to be vague or low-level. One of AVID's essentials is using Costa's levels of questioning and helping students understand level 2 and 3 questions, so they can ask them as well as answer them.
I always tell my kids that they can identify the level of question depending on where the answer is found.
-Level one questions are answer… Continue

Posted on July 18, 2009 at 11:21pm —

Karolee Smiley

WICR - Writing

Looking at the Writing component of AVID, there are many strategies to help students be successful in written communication.
First, writing, like any skill, takes practice. But more than just practice, there needs to be feedback, so that one does not practice mistakes. AVID has a variety of activities to allow students to practice writing in their content area courses (besides English) and receive feedback. I'll start with my list of activities from the week and try to remember more as I think o… Continue

Posted on July 16, 2009 at 9:46pm —

Karolee Smiley

AVID Summer Institute

This week I am at the AVID Summer Institute. For those who are unfamiliar, AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and was a program developed over 25 years ago to help students become successful for the road to college. Interestingly, in times when there are huge budget cuts, the AVID conference is sold out. As expensive as this program is, it is supported because of its proven success. It is one of the only programs that has documented success in overcoming the achievement gap… Continue

Posted on July 13, 2009 at 9:30pm — 6 Comments

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At 10:42am on August 24, 2010, Mabel Gailor said…
Karolee,

Thank you for the detailed welcome, I'm eager to explore all the great things this site has to offer. As a new teacher, I'm always trying to improve and I think this site will be instrumental in helping me become a better teacher.
At 12:41am on August 18, 2010, Kathy King said…
Hmmmmm, didn't even think of it yet! I have to find out when it is first! If Brent will send me I will go!
At 4:39pm on July 19, 2010, Dorothy Dwyer said…
Thanks so much.
This is a fabulous site.
I do quite a few labs during the year - I teach eighth grade integrated science and technology. I am just looking for general hints on how to be two people at once. I seem to spend a lot of time preparing, cleaning and correcting. I end up cleaning at the end of the year on my own time - but the only way I've seen to get around it is to just demonstrate and forget the labs. I won't do that. I have classes of 30 for 55 minutes with no passing time. I am supposed to watch the halls during this zero passing time. I get students to clean as much as possible. It doesn't always work very well.

I have had only one to two ELL students per year. I am trying to get a job in California (I need to move from Massachusetts to CA) where I know that I will have more and need more skills - just in general for the moment. I have a Massachusetts certification but not one for California yet.

Anyway - I'm sure that I'll get some good information here. Thank so much for welcoming me to the site.
Dorothy
At 10:08am on June 9, 2010, Currie Renwick said…
Karolee, Thanks so much for your warm welcome! Things are just calming down at school, so I am looking forward to getting to know our ning over the summer. Look forward to talking again, Currie
At 7:37am on May 31, 2010, John Green said…
Thanks for the very detailed welcome info - much appreciated :)

Looking forward to actively participating.
At 8:49am on May 26, 2010, Tonya Gay Briggs said…
Thank you so much for the welcome and info! I look forward to getting more involved soon. Today is the last day with my students this year, so although I am glad, I am a little sad to see them go! I hope you have a great summer! Thanks again!
At 2:13pm on February 25, 2010, Christie Williams said…
I would love all of the information that I can get on the middle school site I am working on. Please get with your team and send me as much information as you can! Thanks! Christie
At 9:56am on February 15, 2010, Jessica Fries-Gaither said…
Hi Karolee,
I was very excited to see you quoted in the recent NSTA Reports! Congrats, you wonderful wiki women!! :)
At 11:06am on October 29, 2009, Laurie E Sison said…
Thank you for the welcome.
I am a K-8 certified teacher with MAEd.
I was laid off from my job and am working on a math/science endorsement (possibly science only)...
I am in the beginning stages and so I am in that confused state!
Thank you again,
Laurie
At 6:25pm on October 17, 2009, Lucille Causi said…
Hello Ms Karolle, I want to thank you for your warm welcome. I adjusted my page, in addition to teaching English, I am also a Science and a Math Teacher. As a Special Education Specialist, I teach different subjects throughtout the day. I am trying to obtain a smartboard for my classroom, and i am willing to work hard to learn everything possible in the field of technology. Being a new teacher in the 21st century, it is important to be up to date with technology. I have a laptop computer that I use at home and at the school, and I am looking forward to using this portal for future references. I look forward to hearing from you in the future,
I hope you have a nice day,
Lucille
 
 
 

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