The semester is coming to a close...

It is amazing how fast this semester has gone. We are 72 days into the school year. I feel as if I am making some great progress with my little guys this school year. I am so excited about the implementation of my tech project. The kids are really enjoying the reading rods. One of my kids asks to play with them when it is his limited choice time. He likes to build words and then draw his own pictures to match the words. It is great to see him so excited. Thankfully it is more than just one student that seems to be enjoying himself.
Although I have not had access to fun tech tools, the kids are learning how to live without a computer in the class and they are happy.

Making progress...maybe

I am making progress on my tech assignment and cross my fingers but I think I am just about done with my critical issues paper. Between work and school I am really hoping that I can survive until the end of this semester. I am not sure what I was thinking when I thought I could manage taking 5 classes and work. Enough complaining, there is good news to share this week. One of my projects was fully funded on donorschoose.org. YEAH!!! I am so excited, I hope that it does not really take four weeks to get the materials. I really never thought that my projects would get picked. I am now a believer and I will be better at asking for things. It doesn't hurt to ask, the worst that can happen is that someone says no, but there is a chance that someone might say yes and in my opinion I am finding that the little chance is worth it.

52 days into the school year...

52 days already finished. I can't believe the school year is moving so quick. I feel that between school and work, I am losing my mind. I hope that I never have a semester that is this crazy ever again. I am making some head way on my tech proposal project. Yeah. I put in a proposal on donorschoose.org, I had my first donation yesterday. It was not a full proposal donation, but at least it is something and I am getting closer to getting my project funded. I am asking for donations in order to purchase a machine that will allow my students to build blocks that can be put into the machine and the machine will say the letter sounds and say the word that the students built. It seems like a really fun way to get my students more interested in increasing their reading skills. I will keep trying to find ways to get funding and hopefully I will be able to get my hands on a reading mentor.

Blogging Gone Wild

We have just spent the last 20 minutes or so trying to figure out our blogs. Comments are being lost and pictures are not showing up. I thought I was getting the hang of things and now I am not so sure. It seemed so easy. Have an idea, make a post, and poof it should be all taken care of. I am learning that it was not as easy as I thought. Hopefully in the end it will all work out.

Not to proud to beg...

I have survived the first quarter of the year, yeah. 44 days down. That would be 44 days without a computer, boooo. I am pretty sure that my district is not going to improve the lack of technology for my students so I have turned to begging. This past week I created two projects on donorschoose.org I am hoping that maybe someone will reach out and donate some items to my room. It looks as if they have a lot of success, so maybe my little guys will get lucky and we will get picked. I wish that I could create a whole bunch of projects, but you have to earn points to post, the only way to earn points is to get projects sponsored. I am crossing my fingers....

Not much to say this week...

It has been a crazy week at home, but nothing too exciting has happened at work. One of my kids started inclusion this week, yeah. He is spending an hour and a half in a general ed class for reading. I am still trying to figure out the best way to communicate with the teacher as far as progress and regular updates without being too annoying. I want her to know that I want to know what is going on and I am here to help, but I don't want to be a nuisance. Email would be so handy, but I can't check my email during the day because I have no internet. I can always write her when I get home, but I am a little annoyed at being expected to work on email items after my day is done. I spend so much of my time creating new activities and looking for new techniques, it would just be nice if they didn't think it was okay to just expect me to eat up more of my time.
My technology situation has not changed after eight weeks of school. Still no computer, no internet, still stuck in the dark ages. It is becomming a real hassle. I have IEPs to do and I have no access to the new SELPA forms. I sure do love my district :o)

How do I keep up?

It is funny that I am taking the tech course when I am stuck in the prehistoric ages in my classroom. It is the sixth week of school and I am still without a computer. To make things even more frustrating I am getting frowned upon due to my lack of technology. My school participates in online daily attendance. I have no computer therefore I cannot take my attendance online. It is not my fault, I cannot help it and yet it is an expectation that is being put on me. Each day my principal expects us to check our email at least once during the day, I can't. I can check the email before I leave for work in the morning, but information is not updated yet. Not only am I unable to take attendance, I am unable to print out IEP forms, fun worksheets, or parent letters. It has been a very frustrating start to what appears to be a very long year.
When looking for new technology to introduce into my room, I looked for items that did not involve a computer. It was a difficult search, but I think I found a fun new device. Now all I have to do it attempt to get the district to buy it for me.