Blog a Month "sharpening the saw"

#blogamonth

I stopped by the school this morning to attend a summer professional development opportunity that our school offers on a weekly basis. Mr. Badura, our technology integration coach, hosts/moderates an hour long session, called The Breakfast Club on various topics throughout the summer. He mentioned the #blogamonth challenge and I thought it would be a great way to get back into blogging. 

Summer Growth Plan #1

My first goal for this summer is to attend as many Breakfast Clubs as possible.  always has great information prepared and makes a concerted effort to make sure he doesn't just sit and talk. He allows us teachers to question and explain, which is great because then we learn what we want to learn rather than what he thinks is important. I have found that I am confident about most of the topics and some of the information is below my level. However, the main reason I want to attend is to spend time with Mr. Badura. He has such a passion for teaching that I always leave more excited about teahing than when I got there. His excitement is contagious and he is a real asset to our school. No matter what the topic is supposed to be, he finds a way to excite me about something new. 

@mrbadura

Summer Learning Goal #2

I don't want to gush too much so I'll limit myself to one more Mr. Badura shoutout. He is also offering individualized instruction where we can meet with him to work on whatever we need to. 

My goal is to create a website for myself so I can post information and resources there for my students, their parents and any science teachers that are interested. 

Summer Learning Goal #3

I teach 11 units throughout the semester. I would like to get 1 professional in each area to talk to my students. I always am concerned that my students will think they hate science because they don't like me, my teaching style, or their classmates. That's why I try to expose them to other scientists, who are way cooler than I am, so that their natural love of science can overcome their dislike for me. Here are my units and what I have set up so far.

Summer Learning Goal #4

Someone (who I won't mention by name) posted these 5 goals for the summer. 

I am planning on doing every other one starting with the first one. 

Summer Learning Goal #5

My final goal is to regularly check twitter and zite for articles that would fit in my units. I want to get my students reading about science in a setting they would be in after high school which are internet articles.