Love This Video!

Today I was reading David Warlick's blog and noticed this video.  I have to agree with him.  I wish more people understood the benefits of collaborative learning.  In my graduate work, I was asked to create my dream classroom.  My dream classroom looked exactly like the one in this video.  Comfy seating areas, along with round tables.  My tables were actually on wheels, but round too.   If kids can see each other when working together rather than sitting in rows and rows, it would make such a huge improvement in their learning environment.  If we could give those students technology to use in the classroom without worrying about "stranger danger" and showing their faces out on the internet, who knows what could happen within the school?  I hope it happens in my day of teaching.  I know it is happening in some schools but not nearly enough. 

Take a look at the web page for this video.  I love the comments.  That is what it is all about.  Great job!

Yikes.. It has been a while!

Where has the time gone. I say I am going to be better about posting to my blog and here I am .. 3 months have passed, and I am finally getting here! Well, since that time, a lot has happened, and I have some neat stuff to share. One of my students, Dylan, was featured on the edutopia.org website as part of the Digital Generation Project. What a great honor for Dylan. What a great kid!

I first knew of Dylan three years ago when he was only a 6th grader at my school, Gilbert H. Hood Middle School, in Derry, NH. One of my colleague's taught Dylan in his computer class and showed me the amazing website projects he was working on called the lil MDG's. I was blown away by the sophistication and creativity they displayed at such a young age. The global collaboration he displayed at such a young age is so inspiring to me. What also amazed me was the social conscience Dylan displayed. Truly inspiring! You have got to check out his website!

So, fast forward to January of this year. I was approached by a film producer and an employee of edutopia (Which is funded by the George Lucas Foundation), to be part of the filming with Dylan. I teach HTML website design and Dylan was in my class this trimester. Sure, this would be fun, I thought. What a neat experience! It was a real live movie scene, with lights, screens, and even a sound man holding a "boom"!

Take a look at the video. I think it came out pretty cool if I do say so my self. I can not be happier to be part of such an amazing student's display of humanitarianism and global concern. Dylan is truly a very special boy who is a wonderful role model for young and old alike!

Take a look at the video.