Bad Teacher: A Review

This weekend I went to the beach with a five other ladies in the same Secondary English Education program. While we were having our vacation, we decided to catch the newly released flick Bad Teacher. The film stars Cameron Diaz as a character who embarks on the field of teaching simply to earn a few bucks. Her co-stars include Justin Timberlake, playing a creepy substitute teacher and Jason Segel as a likable gym teacher.

First let me warn you. It is rated R and it certainly earns it's restricted rating. And overall it's quite an awful film. The only slightly humorous parts are shown in the trailers, as is the practice of most lack-luster movies these days. After seeing the film I think what bothered me the most, besides Diaz's breathtakingly annoying performance, was their portrayal of teachers. At one point in the movie Diaz asks Jason Segel's character, "What went wrong in your life that you became a middle school gym teacher?"

Even though it had a lot of potential, the film did deliver on one part of it's title: BAD. So, to make up for it, I have compiled a list of teacher-must-see movies and they are as follows:

1.) Dead Poet's Society. If I could steal any cinematic portrayal of the first day of class, it would be this one. So. Good. Plus Robin William's performance is impeccable. Diaz, take note.

2.) Waiting For Superman: Nothing but an inspirational documentary film about the present state of our education system. A must see if you are entering or participating in any aspect of education.

3.) Freedom Writers: I hear this is a classically "teachers make a difference" movie. Honestly I have yet to see this film, but I hear it's always on the top of any teacher's list.

4.) Finding Forrester: Okay, I know it has my last name in the title, but really it's such a wonderful movie about writing, reading, and authorship. It might be a little obscure, but trust me, it's a winner.

5.) School of Rock: This movie is just plain fun. Rock 'n roll. Guitars. Students. Enough said.

6.) The First Grader: This movie is a true story of a villager in Kenya that wants to go to school even at age 84. I haven't seen the film, but just by the trailer alone it looks as inspiring as it appears. I'll let you know what I think after I see it for myself!

Happy movie watching!

Hiatus

Hey everyone!

So I apologize for the hiatus on this here blogola but between 3 summer classes and working 2 new jobs I kinda got behind around here. Now that we have an apology out of the way, it's time for NEW technologies! I know. So eager, aren't you?

I took a class on Elizabethan and Shakespeare literature this summer. We read a fascinating article about the possibility of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I meeting, and having a friendship of sorts. To coincide with our discussion on the article I made the video below using BLABBERIZE. Another site similiar to the one I used is called Fotobabble (it leans more toward a PhotoStory set up), but personally I thought Blabberize was a lot easier to use. If you haven't checked out this site, then you should. It's absolutely hysterical AND a great way to engage some of your less enthused students. I've thought about using Blabberize for character analysis as well.

Enjoy my video. And yes I did all of the voices myself.

Teach Me How To Study

My pre-teacher buddy showed me this video made by students in at a Charter School in Los Angeles. It's absolutely AMAZING! Enjoy!

Contxts

With the site Contxts.com you can text homework assignments to your students for FREE! If this is kosher with your school policy, this is an excellent way to remind students when assignments are due. The site was originally designed for business professionals to exchange business cards through text messaging. Essentially it is the same as texting your contact information, except it does not reveal your phone number.

All you have to do is enter your first and last name, create a username and password, and provide your number and email address. Next you add your homework to the "Your Txt Card" box. The "Txt Card" box only allows 140 characters, either you can send multiple messages or keep it short! Once you enter your information, click submit!

Then the site will give you directions to tell your students how to access the text messages. It will say something along the lines of "tell your friends to txt msforrester to 50500." Once my students text "msforrester" to the number 50500 then they will receive the homework assignment!

Now you can send reminders or homework assignments to your classes! How cool is that!?

Qwiki

A few weeks ago I found this awesome site, Qwiki.com that shows images and plays audio concerning information on just about anything you can think of. I thought this would be a great way to introduce some background knowledge before entering a literature unit. So, in light of the holiday, enjoy this Qwiki on Easter!

View Easter and over 3,000,000 other topics on Qwiki.

Siftables

This is so amazing that my brain almost melted. Really.

MIT graduate student, David Merrill worked on these small computerized blocks that interact with one another. Watch the video below to see these ingenious blocks work together, and how they have the possibility to impact education.

Mixbook

Earlier in the semester, one of my classmates introduced us to this awesome FREE online resource called Mixbook.com. Essentially you upload photos and images to create your own digital photo book. The site also lends itself to educators where you can work on a year book for your class or school. For the edu edition, Mixbook provides free collaborative classroom tools, a secure online environment to promote interaction between students in your classroom, including a discount if you wanted to print books that your class creates!

I think this would be an excellent way to show case student writing, especially if you printed the book at the end of the semester. Perhaps you could use Mixbook as a presentation tool for students to work on their background knowledge before a literature unit. Also, while looking into Mixbook, I came across this blog from a teacher who highlights technology in his classroom. It's an excellent place for some innovative ideas, be sure to check it out!

Mixbook is easy to use and will excite your students to participate with this online scrapbook! For a 30 second demo on how to use Mixbook, watch the video below!