Teacher’s Corner

The SchoolRack website can be built up by typing into the text box directly or typing a document in “Word” and copy-and-pasting it into SchoolRack.  I have tried it both ways and each has it’s advantages and disadvantages.

For example, if you have a lot of tabs in your “Word” document, the formatting does not always maintain itself in SchoolRack.  If you want something to be lined up underneath each other, it is usally better to just type it into SchoolRack.

Your SchoolRack document can always be copied and pasted into a “Word” document.  This is what I usually do.  I type my original document in SchoolRack, spruce it up with color fonts and color highlights, then copy it into a “Word” document.  This way if I teach the same class next year, I can make minor adjustments in “Word” and just paste into SchoolRack.  At the end of each semester I copy and paste everything from SchoolRack into a Word document for reference for the following year.

One thing that does take getting used to when typing in SchoolRack is that the return actually double spaces.  If you want a single-spaced return you must hold down the “shift” key when you hit “return.”

When I highlight something in SchoolRack that is my way of announcing to the students that there is an upcoming test or quiz.  They know that if they see something highlighted that they should pay special attention to this.  I’ve even developed a color-coded system for my students.  For example, when they see blue highlights they know that a vocabulary quiz is coming up.  Green highlights represent a chapter test.  The list goes on.

It is also possible to insert graphics, animated and not, in order to add some character to your entries.

Just as there are many modalities in teaching, there are many ways to use technology in the classroom.  I remember a decade ago the extent of technology in my classroom was an overhead projector, and a roll-in television.  Nowadays, the list of equipment available for the classroom is endless, if there’s money to spare.

Fortunately, my school has a fair amount of equipment for me to choose from.  Granted, not every teacher uses what is available to them, but some do.  As a result, the students at our school receive a top-notch education with hands-on experience using sophisticated equipment.

I must admit though that after having taught for over 3 decades, change doesn’t always come easy to me.  However, I have been trying to take advantage of the wealth of resources available to me.  For example, the newest addition to our equipment, the document camera, is an amazing tool in my classroom.  The best way to explain its use would be to describe it as a modern day overhead projector.  Instead of having to make transparencies it is possible to place a worksheet, test, or any paper by the camera and have it exhibited to the class.  It is very compact and can fit in a book bag, and can come in handy in many ways!

Also, in my math classes, I now use PowerPoint presentations to teach difficult concepts.  Along with printouts that I hand my students, I present the lesson, using a more detailed, animated presentation and have the students take notes on their slides, adding the information as we go.  I must admit, it is tedious work creating these presentations, but once I have them I can use them repeatedly.  It sure beats writing the same thing on the board 3 or 4 times a day!

In my experience, the time spent leveraging technology in the classroom has been well worth it.  I’ve come to realize that technology is here to help and whenever I hear about a new method I think of ways to introduce it to my class.  Like SchoolRack, one of the more recent additions to my classroom.  It helps keep my students (and their parents) informed of what’s happening in the classroom at any time so they can tune in to what I have to say outside of the classroom.

My SchoolRack homepage

Those are just some of my thoughts and experiences — please share any technology insights that you might have or lessons that have worked well for you.  Let’s share ideas for our students to reap the benefits!

Every person has things that they prefer to do over other things.  Our students are no different in that area.  The difference lies in the fact that, as adults, we are usually able to better manage our time and complete the tasks that are less desirable to us.  Most students have not yet developed this innate capability.

We all try many different things to motivate students.  Extra credit, brownie points, read an extra book, report on an article, do a problem on the board, these are all typical examples of trying to get students involved.  Sometimes we have to think outside the box, which isn’t always easy for many of us.  We need to try to develop some new, innovative ideas that will attract the students.  Truly I am an ‘old-fashioned’ teacher and believe that the responsibility lies with the students. They are the ones that should want to learn.  However, if I live solely by that rule, the reality is that I will be miserable in the classroom.  I need to break my routine and be more creative.

I have tried a variety of things, ‘homework excuse notes,’ ‘homework passes’, ‘interventions’, etc.  Students have to fill out a ‘homework excuse note’ every time they did not complete their assignment.  When I collected five per student I called home and read the parents the excuses!  ’Homework passes’ are earned by the students when they complete a certain number of assignments, consecutively.  The pass allows them to be excused from one assignment…of their choice!  At my school we have an “Enrichment” period every day for 40 minutes.  It’s basically a study hall, but students can go to other teachers’ rooms to get help.  I have done ‘interventions’ with students by assigning them mandatory “Enrichment” periods to get the extra help that they are not seeking.  None of these ideas have worked with every student, but each one did have an effect on some of the students.

Do you have an innovative idea that you use?  Please share your ideas with us.  Remember, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel if you have something that works!

Many schools are placing an additional emphasis on reading and writing in their curriculum these days.  This is a direct result of API scores and standardized testing.  I think it is safe to say that any educator would agree that if a student cannot read or write well, they will probably not perform well on any test, let alone a standardized test!

When I first began my career as a math teacher, back in the 70’s, I had the mindset that the students would learn to read and write in their English classes.  Not that this doesn’t occur in those classes, but I’ve learned over the years that all of us can help in this endeavor, no matter what course we teach.  Having made this discovery after many years of teaching, I sought out teachers with whom I could collaborate and develop projects with.

For several years I worked with a guidance teacher and an English teacher.  We developed the “I Search” paper.  The guidance teacher would talk about careers, colleges, etc; the English teacher taught a unit on research papers and how to write them; I had the students write a 3-5 page paper on how mathematics related to the career that they had chosen.  They could include all aspects of math:  what they should take in high school, what they would need to take in college and how math would be used in their career on a daily basis.

In most cases the results were impressive.  I had one student that wanted to be a musician write an incredible paper relating math to all the difference chord types, cadences, etc.  It was absolutely amazing!

I want to encourage you, maybe even challenge you, that no matter what subject you teach, incorporate writing into your class requirements at least once a week.

It’s hard to believe that half the school year is over!  (Maybe even more than half for those of you not on the West coast.)  Well, the semester is always a good time to make some changes.  If you don’t have your SchoolRack website up and in full swing, this might be a good time to do so.

Send home a short note, reminding students of some old rules, as well as any new ones.  You can include your SchoolRack website and any other pertinent information.   Just remember, be sure to keep your site up to date…that always seems to be the toughest thing to do.  I suggest that you start by planning the whole week out at one time.  Remember, you can always make changes as you go.  Ideally, and I’m speaking from past experience, inputting a month at a time is always nice.  Even if your initial entry is just a rough outline, there’s something to be said for just sitting down and doing it!

Aside from beginning SchoolRack, another thing I’ve always have to deal with at the semester is those students that go into the second semester of a course with a D or an F in the first semester.  This has always been a struggle for me. I teach college prep courses at the high school level and I believe in the concept that every student has a right to fail, but I don’t believe in setting them up for failure in the second semester.  This year I am working with two other teachers who will be providing some extra help once or twice a week, out of the kindness of their heart I should add.  Maybe hearing the same concepts from a different person might help motivate these children.  I’ve done the usual interventions such as contacting parents, sending home notes, speaking with the students, etc.  I’m always looking for new ideas….any thoughts out there?

I have discovered, as have all of us, that students do not always provide parents with complete and accurate information regarding homework.  This is another way that SchoolRack can help the teacher help the student!  At the beginning of the year when I send home my class rules and ask for a parent signature, I also ask for phone numbers and a parent email address.  Not all parents will have email addresses, but as the years go by more and more parents are becoming technologically savvy.

I have approximately 200 students and I have 500+ hits weekly, on the average, to my SchoolRack website.  Parents love having the opportunity to verify what their child is telling them, especially when they get a progress report with a low grade and discover that they have been ill-informed.

Additionally, the website gives the parents your email address.  I don’t know about you, but I would much rather reply to an email then have a conversation on the telephone!  Get your parents involved with SchoolRack.  Both you and the parent will absolutely love it!

Well, hopefully you are up and running on SchoolRack.  I just wanted to give you a few more pointers on how to get the most out of the site.  One of the features is the calendar.  I have found this to be quite useful for posting due dates that are coming up.  I also use it for future test and quiz dates.  This way the students (and parents) can see what is going to be due at a glance, instead of having to scroll through the material in the “Sections and Entries” category.  If you are putting dates in different months, you will notice that the font changes.  It looks a little funny when you are creating it, but on the actual website it looks normal.  The main idea here is to let you distinguish between the different months.

The “view statistics” feature is always interesting to check out.  It let’s you know how many people have checked out your site.  Additionally, if you have multiple sections, it will let you know how many people have looked at each section.  This way, if you have listed sections by periods, you can notice if one period in particular is not accessing SchoolRack and have a little “talk” with them!   :-)   I usually use the “reset all” on a weekly basis so that it gives me a clearer picture each week of how many students are using the site.  I get an average of 500 hits a week; some weeks more, some weeks less.  It does take a while to get the students used to using it, but once they do, it’s wonderful!

I teach on a block schedule, so many times I do not give the exact dates that we are having a test or a quiz.  I do not want to tell the students the wrong date.  Consequently, I always tell them to check SchoolRack.  Most students are really good about this.  Occasionally one or two students come in unprepared for a quiz, but they get the idea quickly enough.

SchoolRack is an awesome tool for the classroom.  It helps students, teachers and parents communicate via the internet.  I am a firm believer in holding kids accountable and making them responsible, in part, for being aware of the requirements of my classes.  This is where SchoolRack comes in handy.  When a student is absent, they know that they are to look at the SchoolRack site to determine what they missed in school that day.  They know better than to come to me and ask me “What did we do in class…I was absent.”

So, let’s begin.  Once you have logged in, you will be on the SchoolRack Dashboard.  On the left side of the page you need to click on “Design Website.”  There you will need to select a theme for your site.  Pick your favorite color or possibly even the color of your school.  You will also need to pick a title, heading and a subheading.  My heading states:  “Welcome to Mrs. Howe’s Homepage” . In my subheading I have written my classroom motto:  “Some people make an excuse, others find a way.”  Have fun selecting a style and design that best fits you.

Now you are ready to start inputting your material.  Click and ‘Sections and Entries” and add all the sections that you will need.  Click on each section, individually, and input your material. I will admit, the first time that you do this it is a bit time-consuming.  However, if you teach the same class year after year, you will be able to use the same material and just make changes.  Some teachers choose to list weekly assignments, others do monthly.  Personally, I have all ten months of the year set up.  When I first started, I typed in my syllabus in SchoolRack.  When I was finished I selected the entire page, copied it and pasted it into a Word document and saved it on my computer.  The following year, I was able to make minor changes without having to retype the whole thing.

It is also possible to type your schedule into a Word document and then cut and paste it into SchoolRack. Formatting with tabs can sometimes pose a problem, so don’t get too elaborate with your Word document.  You will notice that if you type in SchoolRack, when you hit the ‘Enter’ (return) key the document will double space.  It is possible to single space in SchoolRack.  The trick is to hold down the ‘Shift’ key and the ‘Enter’ key at the same time.

Well, I hope that helps you get started.  Next time I will talk about some of the other features of SchoolRack.  If you have any questions be sure to let me know.

Now that all of us are back to school, how can we use SchoolRack to make our lives easier?  Well, with a little organization, we can place a lot of the responsibilities back on our students!  Now there’s a concept!

SchoolRack has made my life much easier in relation to my expections from the students.  Now, when a student is absent, they have no excuse for not knowing what was accomplished in class during their absence.  Not only that, parents can check the website to see exactly what homework there is.  Now, when their child says that they have no homework, the parents have a way to verify this.  Also, if a student forgot to write down an assignment they are not as stressed, because they have an easy way to find out what that assignment was.

I teach in a block schedule environment, so I have duplicate due dates for projects, tests, quizzes, etc.  I have told the students (and the parents) from day one that I will not announce exact dates of tests and quizzes, because I do not want to make a mistake.  Students know that they need to check SchoolRack for these items.  It might take students a few weeks to figure this out but, believe me, they do.  Inevitably I will say, “Don’t forget to study for your test for next time.”  However, the responsible student that has been checking SchoolRack has already been studying in anticipation of the test, and not waiting until the last minute.

Next time I’ll talk a little bit more about the actual features on SchoolRack.  If you have any questions, feel free to send them my way.

Welcome to Educator’s Corner!
This blog has been set up for me by SchoolRack — a website where you can sign up for a free classroom website or blog — and is dedicated to helping you set up your free website, build it, and make it more effective.  With a community of over 25,000 teachers, SchoolRack has set up this blog to bring users together and to share and learn from each other.  That said, this blog is a crucial first step in building a community around SchoolRack, and I feel this will be a great place for discourse and new ideas for your website!

My name is Susan and I plan to share some helpful thoughts and ideas as I update this blog.  I’ve been using SchoolRack for several years now for my classroom and absolutely love it!  Not only does it place some responsibility on the student, it helps to keep the parents in the loop as well.  And that’s just the beginning!

Let’s get started
This blog is not about me but about the community of educators using SchoolRack.  This can be a forum for us to work together, share ideas, and build a community for us all to benefit from.  I will often post tips, suggestions, and other worthwhile things to do with your SchoolRack website.

I’m excited to get started — we can make this a fun place for all of us and learn while we’re at it!  Here are some things you can do to help us get started:

1. What are your interests? What would you like to see covered here?  Anything you’d like to tweak on your SchoolRack website?  Leave a comment about it below and I’ll do my best cover it on the blog!
2. Subscribe to Educator’s Corner by entering your email address in the textbox at the right of this page or via an RSS reader.  Also, you can bookmark this page so its handy whenever you want to revisit.

Stay tuned and see you around!