Category: The Challenge

THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2011

I admire and appreciate everyone that has participated in The Challenge the past 4 years (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010). I look forward to doing more good together this holiday season, too.

—————

(Repost from 11/08/2009)

I’ve written posts encouraging educators to get students actively involved in service education. I’ve shared the rationale for implementing service activities in the classroom and suggested some resources to help us get started.

Your feedback and encouragement back in 2007 prompted me to take this a step further. Rather than simply encouraging teachers (in general) to do this I’m now challenging you (specifically you) to start a service activity in your classroom. 🙂

The holiday season is upon us, so I think it’s a great time to talk about service and initiate a project with your students.

Here’s THE CHALLENGE.

  1. Kick-off a service activity in your classroom.
  2. Make us aware of your project.
    • I’ve dedicated a new section of the blog to this activity and added a permanent link titled The Challenge to the main menu. This allows us to to share information, photos, videos, and provide links to personal/ class blogs, wikis, websites, etc. where we can learn about each other’s projects and share resources and ideas. You can post your information by:
      • Leaving it in the comments in The Challenge area.
      • Emailing me a link to your project blog, wiki, site, etc. that I’ll add to The Challenge area.
  3. Keep working on your project and enjoy all the wonderful things that will surely come from it.
  4. Share. Share. Share.
    • Let’s use The Challenge area, Twitter, Plurk, Skype, etc. to provide updates by which we (including our students) can all follow each other’s progress.
    • Please tag all related materials and resources with thechallenge

Let’s make the world a better place. I CHALLENGE YOU!!! 🙂

Resources

Here are some great resources to help you get started.

Event Tag: thechallenge

THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2010

I admire and appreciate everyone that has participated in The Challenge the past 3 years (2007, 2008, 2009). I look forward to doing more good together this holiday season, too.

—————

(Repost from 11/08/2009)

I’ve written posts encouraging educators to get students actively involved in service education. I’ve shared the rationale for implementing service activities in the classroom and suggested some resources to help us get started.

Your feedback and encouragement back in 2007 prompted me to take this a step further. Rather than simply encouraging teachers (in general) to do this I’m now challenging you (specifically you) to start a service activity in your classroom. 🙂

The holiday season is upon us, so I think it’s a great time to talk about service and initiate a project with your students.

Here’s THE CHALLENGE.

  1. Kick-off a service activity in your classroom.
  2. Make us aware of your project.
    • I’ve dedicated a new section of the blog to this activity and added a permanent link titled The Challenge to the main menu. This allows us to to share information, photos, videos, and provide links to personal/ class blogs, wikis, websites, etc. where we can learn about each other’s projects and share resources and ideas. You can post your information by:
      • Leaving it in the comments in The Challenge area.
      • Emailing me a link to your project blog, wiki, site, etc. that I’ll add to The Challenge area.
  3. Keep working on your project and enjoy all the wonderful things that will surely come from it.
  4. Share. Share. Share.
    • Let’s use The Challenge area, Twitter, Plurk, Skype, etc. to provide updates by which we (including our students) can all follow each other’s progress.
    • Please tag all related materials and resources with thechallenge

Let’s make the world a better place. I CHALLENGE YOU!!! 🙂

Resources

Here are some great resources to help you get started.

Event Tag: thechallenge

THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2009

I admire and appreciate everyone that has participated in The Challenge the past 2 years (2007, 2008). I look forward to doing more good together this holiday season, too.

—————

I’ve written posts encouraging educators to get students actively involved in service education. I’ve shared the rationale for implementing service activities in the classroom and suggested some resources to help us get started.

Your feedback and encouragement back in 2007 prompted me to take this a step further. Rather than simply encouraging teachers (in general) to do this I’m now challenging you (specifically you) to start a service activity in your classroom. 🙂

The holiday season is upon us, so I think it’s a great time to talk about service and initiate a project with your students.

Here’s THE CHALLENGE.

  1. Kick-off a service activity in your classroom.
  2. Make us aware of your project.
    • I’ve dedicated a new section of the blog to this activity and added a permanent link titled The Challenge to the main menu. This allows us to to share information, photos, videos, and provide links to personal/ class blogs, wikis, websites, etc. where we can learn about each other’s projects and share resources and ideas. You can post your information by:
      • Leaving it in the comments in The Challenge area.
      • Emailing me a link to your project blog, wiki, site, etc. that I’ll add to The Challenge area.
  3. Keep working on your project and enjoy all the wonderful things that will surely come from it.
  4. Share. Share. Share.
    • Let’s use The Challenge area, Twitter, Plurk, Skype, etc. to provide updates by which we (including our students) can all follow each other’s progress.
    • Please tag all related materials and resources with thechallenge

Let’s make the world a better place. I CHALLENGE YOU!!! 🙂

Resources

Here are some great resources to help you get started.

Event Tag: thechallenge

The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson

(Repost from 08/21/2007)

I challenge you to complete this mini-lesson and consider the questions below.

Lesson

Watch the video below about the crisis in Darfur. (A free download of this video is avaiable here.)

Play Darfur Is Dying, a quick mini-game that simulates aspects of daily living in this region.

Darfur Is Dying

Discussion

  1. What is your reaction to this information and simulated experience?
  2. What, if anything, did you learn from this lesson?
  3. How might this activity be integrated with teaching and learning

Darius Weems: Inspiration for the New Semester

This documentary was shared during yesterday’s faculty meeting. I was struck by the courage and determination of Darius and by the care and friendship demonstrated by his eleven friends (Young men studying to become special education teachers). Together they are all making a real difference!

Darius Weems was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Darius had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia, because of the disease. “Thus, in the summer of 2005, with the help of eleven young friends, 15-year-old Darius set off on a road trip across the United States…in an RV and tested wheelchair-accessibility in America” (Source). Along the way Darius was able to see and experience many new things: swimming in the ocean, seeing the Grand Canyon, crossing the county line, visiting a roadside rest stop, and riding in a hot air balloon, just to name a few. The entire inspirational trip is shared in this award winning documentary.

Learn more about Darius’ ongoing cause and purchase your copy of the film, Darius Goes West, here.

Writing Letters to Santa: From the Headlines

Annual North Pole Effort to Answer Kids’ Letters to Santa Claus Wraps up
“There’s no price tag on joy,” he said as he and several volunteers folded return letters — a handful of more than 20,000 responses to children who wrote to Santa this year. “It’s just a piece of paper with words on it, but the people who come out and give of themselves during the busiest time of the year, all to provide a child, and sometimes an adult, with a smile is pure charity and kindness,” Gaborik said.

Helping the Magic of Christmas Live on
For something that merely started as a way to buy my sons’ their Christmas presents, this has certaily turned into something more. It shows me that there still is a certain innocence in our world and that we need to let children be children…

Please also consider being a part of The Challenge.

Suggested Reading for 12/06/2008

Our Newest Community Service Project – The Reno Bike Project Project – Just one of the many great things going on in Brian Crosby‘s classroom. Perhaps it will give those interested in The Challenge some ideas.

Seven Mistakes Teachers Make with Technology

So What Is the Future of Schools?

The Educational Debate – Tone Matters

To Sing with Soul

Why You Need a Personal Learning Network

Give until It Feels Good – Perhaps another idea for those interested in The Challenge.

I’m Thankful…

This post has been rolling around in my head for a couple of weeks but I didn’t get around to sharing it prior to Thanksgiving Day. I read Babbo’s Being Grateful Makes You Full of Greatness today and realized it would be good practice for me to go ahead and share some of the things for which I’m grateful.

I’m obviously thankful for family, friends, good health, a job, a home, our Savior, and all the other big and much more important things in life. This post is an effort to move beyond all of that and help me consider the countless other blessings in my life.

I’m Thankful…

  • for free Wi-Fi in public places like the airport in Charlotte, NC.
  • that there are often Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in the house.
  • when I can drive the speed limit the entire trip between home and work.
  • that we are no longer having to buy diapers!!!
  • for each person in my PLN. You’ve greatly impacted my professional development.
  • to hear that so many of my former elementary and middle school students are doing well in college and adulthood.
  • that the Mississippi State Bulldog community unanimously appreciates the character of now-former coach Sylvester Croom.
  • for the many Sonic Drive-Ins in the greater Memphis area.
  • that I won’t spend the Winter shoveling snow out of my own drive-way like my buddy Dennis.
  • for the many consulting opportunities and collaborations that came my way in 2008.
  • that this season of Heroes is really good.
  • for DVRs.
  • for hard-working and engaged graduate students. They are the reason I do what I do.
  • that gas prices aren’t so high right now.

THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2008

(Repost from 11/20/2007)

I recently wrote a post encouraging educators to get students actively involved in service education. In it I provided my rationale for implementing service activities in the classroom and suggested some resources to help you get started.

Your feedback has caused me to decide to take this a step further. Now, rather than simply encouraging teachers (in general) to do this I’m now challenging you (specifically you) to start a service activity in your classroom. The holiday season is upon us, so I think it’s a perfect time to talk about service and initiate a project with your students.

Here’s THE CHALLENGE.

  1. Kick-off a service activity in your classroom.
  2. Make us, the readers of this blog (there are hundreds of visitors on a daily basis), aware of your project before you begin. I’ve dedicated a new section of the blog to this activity and added a permanent link titled The Challenge to the main menu. This allows us to to share information, provide links to personal/ class blogs, wikis, websites, etc. where we can learn about each other’s projects and share resources and ideas. You can post your information by a) leaving it in the comments in The Challenge area, b) emailing me a link to your project blog, wiki, site, etc. that I’ll add to The Challenge area, or c) emailing me your information, files, links, etc. that I’ll post in The Challenge area.
  3. Keep working on your project and enjoy all the wonderful things that will surely come from it.
  4. Share. Share. Share. Let’s provide updates by which we (including our students) can all follow each other’s progress. Again, you can do this by clicking on The Challenge link in the menu, or by emailing me links, information, files, photos, etc. that I can post on Clif’s Notes for you.

Let’s make the world a better place. I CHALLENGE YOU!!! 🙂

Resources

Here are some great resources to help you get started.