Edutopia - April/May 2008 - (Page 12)

SageAdvice {the question} WHAT IS YOUR DREAM TEACHING ASSIGNMENT? My dream teaching assignment is the one I hold. I get to work with other teachers and their students to improve their knowledge of computers and programs designed to improve teaching and learning—twenty-⇒rstcentury skills for twenty-⇒rstcentury teaching and learning. We collaborate on lessons, and I am there to co-teach, if necessary. My only worry is that I will eventually make my own job obsolete. Debra Krah CFF technology coach Montgomery Area School District Montgomery, Pennsylvania I’d like to conduct a Leadership 101 class to at-risk minority males and females ages 12–15. We are losing bright and intelligent minority students to the streets, drugs, and gangs every day, especially in the inner city and rural communities. This class would focus on inspiring these students to recognize and reach their potential as successful American citizens. Tyler Whittenberg Eighth-grade social studies Southeast Middle School Hopkins, South Carolina Develop a virtual school that encourages global participation so students can learn from one another’s cultures. Children from all over the world would attend the same school, work on collaborative projects, and use technology to do so. I would also love to travel to various schools in the United States and abroad to help develop and design educational-technology programs. Finally, in the summer months, I would love to be able to afford to travel to poverty-stricken areas and help build schools with my family. Lisa Smith Media director Eastside Elementary School Cody, Wyoming To teach (or maybe to beam) the mathematics of science from the International Space Station. I’d show an extreme application of math in real life—what my students enjoy most. I’d challenge our next generation of children to dream big and beyond, and most of all to appreciate our planet Earth. This is the only way we can prepare them to be leaders of future generations who can clean up our messes and keep our Earth blooming. Tamara Wolpowitz Mathematics teacher International School of Verona Verona, Italy Take ⇒ve ⇒fth-grade students in an RV crisscrossing North America and learning history where it happened. William Chamberlain Fifth-grade teacher Noel Elementary School Noel, Missouri Teach learning-disabled kids without having to spend more time doing paperwork about the time we spend together than the actual time we spend together. Sharon Helman Speech-language pathologist Oakdale Middle School Ijamsville, Maryland A class where everyone wants to learn and is willing to work. Avi Ornstein Science teacher Bulkeley High School Hartford, Connecticut I would want to teach preservice teachers during their ﬁnal semester before graduation. Our topic: classroom management. I would show them how to effectively manage their classrooms with empathy, high expectations, communication (verbal and nonverbal), and strong relationships. Pam Spencer Assistant principal Avery Elementary School Cherokee County School District Canton, Georgia {what do you think?} What kind of tech support do you have at your school? Send responses, and suggestions for questions, to sage@edutopia.org. View more responses at www.edutopia.org/sage-advice. (Responses may be edited for length and clarity.) GETTY IMAGES 12 EDUTOPIA APRIL/MAY 2008 http://www.edutopia.org/sage-advice

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Edutopia - April 2008

Edutopia - April 2008 Contents Up Front Feedback Dispatches Sage Advice Ask Ellen Head of the Class Cool Schools Design Reinventing the Big test The Daring Dozen Heart & Soul Pop Quiz: Jack Prelutsky

Edutopia - April 2008

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