Making History

Podcast #3 Making History 4.28.2006

2006-04-23T04:51:00.000-07:00

Making History Podcast 4.28.2006
Direct Link to Podcast #3 (22 minutes)

Segment #1 What I have Learned so far..

Segment #2 Teacher Toolbox
1. Strive for Five Sample and Strive for Five Key (MS Word Documents)
2. Review CD's - Powerpoint, United Streaming, and MS Producer 2003
3. NYS Regents Review- Exmaple of web based video clips for Government Review
4. The Presidents DVD from the History Channel - A panoramic look at the personalities who have occupied the Oval Office.

Segemnt #3 Links for US History Campaign Ads for the Classroom

The Living Room Candidate - Thee American Museum of the Moving Image has examples of television commercials from presidential elections.

EASE History - A rich online environment that supports the learning and teaching of US History. Hundreds of historical videos and photographs are currently available in EASE History
Direct Link to EaseHistory Tutorial

Segment #4 Cool Historical Facts
Local History: Abner Doubleday birthplace - Ballston Spa, NY
CSPAN: Booknotes - Add these titles to your toolbox for great US History ancedotes
Wikipedia entires: Abner Doubleday; John Scopes; William Jennings Bryan

Direct Link to Making History Podcast #3

Please feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments or observations at rhengsterman@bscsd.org

The Evolution of an occasional Blogger

2006-04-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

I am coming to the close of my first academic year as a member of the blog and podcast nation. What a interesting journey. True to form, the moment I embrace any new technology or software I create more work for myself trying to figure out how to incorporate it into my daily routine. This point is not lost on my wife. When I emerge from the basement on a caffeine induced experiment with Audacity, she will patiently ask me if I have finished painting the fence. She is all about the bottom line and I enjoy the fact that she keeps me grounded. She is supportive of my efforts. For example, she encouraged me to create a blog post about how I painted the fence. I could include brush stoke techniques, the color of paint I used, and a JPEG of the finished project. Go get'em tiger!!!

Here is a complete history of my blogging career. You may notice that most of my blog and podcast action takes place around school breaks and holidays.

October 23, 2005 - My first blog post from my SociologyEchoes blogsite.
October 26, 2005 - I rename my Sociology Echoes site The Human Zoo because I forgot the password to Sociology Echoes. I then realize you can create multiple accounts for one user name. Brilliant!!
November 30, 2005 - I make 2 posts to www.thehumanzoo.blogspot.com
December 26-27, 2005 - I create several new blogger accounts and begin regular posts at http://historyshack.blogpsot.com. I spent most of my time trying to come up with a catchy name for my blog and podcasts. This became time consuming because many of my choices were already taken. So I decided to connect my blog site name to my class website historyshack.com. To make things a little more confusing I decided to call my podcast " Making History"
January -March 2006 - I created 17 drafts or posts to my blog. Basically just things that are going on in my classroom and some elementary observations. Nothing earth shattering

March 17, 2006 - I produced my first podcast "Making History - The Spoken Word" I sound monotone and need to stop using the word fantastic.
April 12, 2006 - I celebrate my son Alex's second birthday in blogstyle!!
April 14 -20 2006 - During April break I decide to take my blog and podcast in a different direction. I have found the trifecta - a catchy name for my podcast, an available blogspot site and an available gmail site. Now I am officially in business. Scheduled Debut May 1, 2006
April 20, 2006 - I produce my second podcast. It is actually a months worth of spoken word recordings mashed together. I am very close to fine tuning the process.

I am now going to finish painting the fence

Words of Wisdom from the Boss

2006-04-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

The following link was passed on to me from one of our first year teachers here at Ballston - Mark Trazskos. Mark teaches Global History and Economics and between creating lessons, evaluating students, and adjusting to the bureaucratic nuisances associated with the daily grind he does not have the time to create a blog. In due time he will become a valuable contributor. Bruce Springsteen (Class of 1967) was recently inducted into the Freehold High School Hall of Fame. Although he was unable to attend the ceremony, his mother accepted the honor on his behalf. She read the following statement:

"I'd like to thank everyone for the honor. It's especially nice coming from my hometown and my old alma mater. It's kind of funny, really. I spent my years at Freehold Regional pretty much as an outcast and at best a very mediocre student. I would probably have been voted 'Least Likely to Succeed.'

"My only advice to teachers and the administrators would be to keep your eyes on the ones that don't fit in. They're the ones thinking out of the box and reimagining this place we live in... our hometown. You never know where they're going. "So, thank you once again and please show my mother a good time. Without her I may not have survived Freehold Regional High School."

"Go Colonials!"

http://www.backstreets.com/

Podcast #2 Making History 4.21.2006

2006-04-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

Direct Link to Podcast #2 4.21.2006 (16:07) 15.5 MB

Podcast #2 Shownotes - You heard it here last....

Introduction Music: Blue Mountain Boogie by Mark Scott LaMountain and the Blue Thunder Band from the Podsafe Network: http://music.podshow.com

Segment #1 Rural college pushes iPod use for lectures
The campus of Georgia College & State University boasts traditional college fare: spacious greens, historic architecture and a steady stream of students with the familiar white headphones of iPods dangling from their ears.

Segment #2 New York State Computers and Technologies in Education - Conference March 22, 2006 http://www.nyscate.org/ NYSCATE includes educators and educational administrators. Their mission is “to inspire and empower learning communities to envision and implement technologies for the purpose of improving student achievement.”

Bloglines: Free news aggregator http://www.bloglines.com/about/

Will Richardson's Blog http://www.weblogg-ed.com/

What every educator needs to know about Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms in one handy (and if I do say so myself, smart-looking) volume. Written for young teachers, old teachers, soon-to-be-teachers, administrators, heck…anyone who wants to learn more about how the Web is changing teaching and learning.

Segment #3 Classroom Experiments - Test Process Pocasts

The Test Process podcasts website provides a personalized summary of each of our class unit tests http://www.testprocess.blogspot.com/

Segment #4 Comments on Jackie Robinson Day April 15th 2006: n April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. In celebration of the most momentous day in baseball history, Commissioner Alan H. (“Bud”) Selig declared April 15 “Jackie Robinson Day” in perpetuity.

Additional Links from Segment #4
Jackie Robinson Foundation: http://www.jackierobinson.org/
Teddy Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington from Wikipedia.org
Baseball Hall of Fame http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/

Until Next Time....

Celebrating Alex

2006-04-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

I would like to take an opportunity to celebrate my youngest son's 2nd birthday. Alexander Hengsterman was born April 12, 2004. Much like his namesake, colonial luminary Alexander Hamilton, baby Alex is a fighter. Born with Down Syndrome and three congenital heart defects Alex survived his first open heart surgery on April 19th 2004. After a 30 day stay in The Albany Medical Center's ICU, we returned home to nurse Alex back to health and get him strong enough for open heart surgery #2 on December 7th 2004. During our 45 days in the Albany Medical Center we witnessed firsthand the Intensive Care Unit's doctors and nurses work around the clock the give Alex a chance to celebrate his first birthday. It is impossible to put into words the depths of our gratitude. It doesn't seem possible, but two years have passed. If I could turn back the clock to April 11th 2004, knowing what I know now, I would not change a thing. An extensive network of family, friends, co-workers, therapists, doctors, and nurses have become what Stacey and I refer to as Team Alex. One little boy the focus of so much love and appreciation. As part of Alex's birthday celebration I plan on personally calling, writing, or e-mailing Team Alex and letting them know how much I appreciate what they have done for my little guy. I will start with his big brother Jackson - a caring and compassionate five year old who has embraced his role a guardian and protector of Alex. He models this behavior after my wife Stacey - the captain of Team Alex :). I am blessed on so many levels. I thought it would be nice to get that on the record. Happy Birthday Alex!!!!

March Madness

2006-03-27T18:10:00.001-08:00

How nice it is to weave a little history into our March Madness conversations. I was able to incorporate the recent success of George Mason's basketball team into my mundane Monday morning welcome. Here is what I shared with my classes on 3/27/2006

Point#1 Reviewing Colonial History: George Mason 1725-1792) has been called the "Father of the Bill of Rights" and a major player in the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Ironically, he did nor sign the Constitution because it did not explicitly outline protections of individual rights. Later, the Constitution would be modified to address these concerns.

Point #2 Post Game Press Conference http://gomason.cstv.com/ Coach Jim Larranaga used a quote from William Jennings Bryan when talking about his team's historic victory. Coach stated :" Destiny is not a matter of chance, its a matter of choice" Nice work coach

I am pulling for GMU

Test Process Podcast - An Experiment

2006-03-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

For my next podcast I decided to create an audio "test process". I have several students staying after school next week to give it a test run. If you would like to check it out go to my new blog at: http://testprocess.blogspot.com/ Please keep in mind this is 14 minutes of your life that you can not get back. :(

Stay tuned Making History Podcast #2 will be up next week. I went to see Will Richardson speak at the NYSCATE conference http://www.nyscate.org/ so I have plenty to share with my audience (3 at present)

Later

Podcast #1 Joining the Revolution 3.17.2006

2006-03-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

At long last I have put togehter my debut Podcast: Podcast #1 Making History -The Spoken Word 3.17.2006

Podcast #1 Shownotes:

My class webpage www.historyshack.com
Ballston Spa CSD www.bscsd.org
The Jime Rome Show www.jimrome.com
Classroom Blogging: A Teacher's Guide to the Blogosphere by David Warlick
David Warlick's Blog http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
Podcasting: Do-It-Yourself Guide by Todd Cochrane
Free Podcast and Audacity Tutorial http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/
PODCAST HIT LIST:
#1 Eric Langhorst http://speakingofhistory.blogspot.com
#2 Talking History http://talkinghistory.oah.org/
#3 Ed Tech Talk http://edtechtalk.com/

Direct link to MP3 Podcast #1 of Making History (15 minutes)

Until Next Time...

More Reflections from 2006 Campus Tour

2006-03-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

A quick review of the Ballston Spa High School social studies department 2006 campus tour. Our tour takes advantage of local colleges that invite speakers to their campus. So far the 2005-2006 tour season has been an elighting journey(Comments on each stop in previous posts)

#1 University at Albany 11/21/2005 (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
#2 Siena College 1/18/2006 (Congressman John Lewis)
#3 University at Albany 1/24/2006 (Frank McCourt)

CURRENT STOP (reflections to come)
#4 University at Albany 3/15/2006 (Kareena Gore Schiff)

AP Prep Update

2006-03-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

As part of a post on January 24th, I gave a brief run down of some of the books I was reading/listening to in preparation for the AP US History course I will be teaching in the fall of 2006. Here is an update:

9. Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. Great read. I can never get enough of TR. I still have to decide on which book to read for TR's early years.

10. An Empire of Wealth by John Steele Gordon (http://www.johsteelegordon.com) This book was quite a find!! It does a great job laying out the debate over the gold standard (Chapter #14 "Cross of Gold") I haven't read this cover to cover but from what I picked up between Chapters #11-#14 I plan on finishing it this summer.

11. Woodrow Wilson by H.W. Brands - I liked this better that Brands' book on Andrew Jackson. Provides some great insight into the personality behind the President and how it shaped his policy.

More to come...

Mock Trial Season Ends

2006-03-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Every year I assemble a crew of brave individuals to participte in the NYS Mock Trial tournament. In late November I hold an informational meeting for willing particpants and hand out our case before Christmas break . The tourney is coordinated by The New York State Bar Association. The tourney (January to March) provides students "with hands-on opportunities to further their understanding of the law, court procedures, and our legal system, while honing their speaking, listening, reading, and reasoning skills."

This years case focused on a traffic fatility that was a direct result of an inattenitve teen driver. Each team that particpates in the tourney has to prepare to argue both sides of the case (prosection and defense). We were fortunate enough to make it into the County semi-finals before losing to Galway CSD. The team is loaded with underclassman who have all expressed an interest in returning to the courtroom next year.

US History Film Series

2006-01-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

A group of US History teachers at the high school recently joined forces to promote a film series that complements class discussions and content. This after school program takes place in our high school library from 5:00pm to 7:30pm and students are extra credit options after viewing the film.

Our debur film "Glory" provided students with an opportunity to see an award winning film about the 54th Massachusetts to complement our student of the Civil War. We had about 35 students show up for the early evening showing.

Our most recent undertaking "Dances with Wolves" has a much lighter turn out because it had to be rescheduled twice and finally landed on a mid term week. We also had to fast forward through some of the scenes to keep the feature under 3 1/2 hours.

The next films slated for our series include:

"The Wizard of Oz" ( 3/8/2006) as a parable for the Populist movement and "Cinderella Man" (4/25/2006) for our study of the Great Depression.

Gearing Up for AP

2006-01-24T21:09:00.000-08:00

After 12 years of teaching Global History, Participation in Government, Economics, Sociology, and United States History I have been presented with an opportunity to take on a couple of AP United States History classes for the 2006-2007 academic year. I decided to begin my prep work for rigors of an Advance placement course by attending a local AP forum at Colonie High School on October 28th. It was a nice chance to get together with AP teachers to discuss how they approach the course and exchange resources. I also put together a hotlist of books I wanted to examine further. As of today I have read or listened to (via www.audible.com ) the following books (in order)

1. Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
2. John Adams by David McCullough
3. 1776 by David McCullough
4. Andrew Jackson by HW Brands
5. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
6. War, Terrible War by Joy Hakim
7. Nothing Like it in the World by Stephen Ambrose
8. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

Next Up: Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris

I put together a list of comments and lesson ideas, but that is for another post.

Reflections from 2006 Campus Tour

2006-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

STOP #3 University at Albany 1/24/2006
Our latest stop on the 2006 Campus tour took our team (three strong - Myself, John DeGuardi, and Mark Trazskos) to the SUNY Albany for the latest installment of the visiting writers series featuring Frank McCourt. Mr. McCourt was here to speak about the third installment of his memoirs - "Teacher Man." His book tour will be tasking him around the planet, including stops in New Zealand and Austrialia, so we were exicited to hear him speak at UAlbany. Mr. McCourt spoke for about 40 minutes to a standing room only crowd of teachers, students, teachers, professors, retirees and other interested townsfolk. He poked fun at his meteoric rise into the world of literary celebrity and how being on TV changes everything. After reading "Teacher Man" I found myself reflecting on my first decade as an educator. More on this in a later post.

During the Q and A, Mr. McCourt spun some humorous tales and passed on words of wisdom drawn from his time as a writing teacher in the NYC schools system. Stories about endless encounters with former students drew the loudest laughs, but his advice to teachers new to the profession is worth repeating. First and foremost, Mr. McCourt told the audience to "love what you do." We all know everyday is not going to be whistle while you work (no job is), but love and passion for your profession can pull you through many of the inevitable dark days. He also stated that high school teachers "are dead without a sense of humor." I couldn't agree more with that one. I try to surround myself with people who take their job seriously, but can laugh off some of the daily non-sense we inevitably encounter. I will leave you with a quote John DeGuardi, our Social Studies department chair, pulled out of the Albany Times Union in an article about Frank McCourt:

"Teaching isn't clear cut like being a doctor, where you operate and the patient gets better or worse. Or a lawyer, where you win or lose the case... As a teacher, you just do your best, keep poking away at it and hope."

STOP #2 Siena College 1/18/2006
We had fantastic opportunity to see a Civil Rights Icon when John Lewis spoke as part of Siena College's Martin Luther King, Jr Lecture series. I was joined for this adventure by social studies department members Dan Hornick, Ray Toohey, John DeGuardi, and Roger Bubel. Mr Lewis spoke of his early years in the Civil Rights movement, his relationship with Dr. King and how leaders combined the teachings of Christ and tools of Gandhi to usher in an era of sit-ins, freedom rides and protest marches. As he spoke I was constantly thinking that Mr. Lewis was center stage in the Civil Rights movement at 23!! Food for thought...a quote from a unknown source: "What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others is, and remains for eternity."

STOP #1 University at Albany 11/21/2005
Including our most recent visit with Mr. McCourt, our traveling road show heard Doris Kearns Goodwin speak about her latest book "Team of Rivals." As a teacher of 11th grade American history, the November 21st tour date was a must! I have always been a fan of Lincoln and can read just about anything about him, but Doris humanizes Lincoln while capturing his political instincts that led him to build his cabinet from his political rivals for the 1860 presidential nomination.

Thinkwave.com

2006-01-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Some Will, Some Won't, So What

I have been posting my grades on-line through using a program called Thinkwave. For a small fee ($7.95 per month) you can post your grade book on a secure internet site and create individual student and parent access codes in minutes. I asked my principal if he would fund this experiment and he agreed, purchasing the program and a two year subscription. It took me a nine inning Red Sox game to figure out the software import my rosters and publish to the web.

Some quick observations:

1. I have my gradebook linked to my webpage www.historyshack.com to increase traffic to both. Truth be told, your thinkwave site can serve as a class webpage full of links, announcements and handouts. That is a pretty simple and powerful web presence.

2. The program allows you to include comments next to the recorded grades. This is a great feature!! I leave individualized notes, reminders, or additional directions for each student. When students or parents access the grade book, they see both the grade and my comments. After awhile patterns begin to emerge.

3. As a teacher mentor at the high school, I try to make sure all of my mentees are aware of the different types of grade programs out there. One of my mentees ran with my Thinkwave suggestion. Garry Preece (HS MATH) loved the idea and took the time to experiment with the program. By the end of the 2005 academic year he was up and running on the web. He was so jazzed up about the program he convinced five other math teachers to follow suit. He also has taken the lead in establishing a web presence for the entire Math department at Ballston. Check it out http://www.bscsd.org/teachers/hsmath/ Nice work G-Unit.

I showed several staff members the program and gave them a brief overview of the software. Some smiled politely and moved on. Some were interested, but were intimidated by the thought of learning another software program. Some flat out told me there was no need for such a grade program because half of our student body doesn't have access to computers.

My thoughts...

I listened to a podcast from Edutopia.org http://www.edutopia.org/php/radio.php that featured Marco Torres and info on"Student run film festivals." When asked how he responded to teachers who weren't as eager as he was to implement new technologies he repeated the words of a teacher mentor he had crossed paths with.. "some will, some won't, so what. " Nicely stated. I decided to repeat that phrase whenever I get a negative reaction to a suggestion. Here is a funny aside. A teacher who had no interest in my five minute tutorial last spring recently asked me If I had heard about the new on-line grade program the Math department was using. She was setting up a meeting with a member of the department to discuss the program. I asked if I could tag along, because I am always interested in learning about cutting edge software :)

One of my goals as a classroom teacher is to promote accountability. I have worked hard on creating an on-line environment where students have access to materials whenever they feel the need. I like the fact that I do not have to hold their hands on this. I have it plastered all over my classroom..."Do the work, pass the course" Some will pass with flying colors, others will make it by the skin of their teeth. I know at the end of the day, they all have access to the same resources. The number of students that do not have access to a computer at home, have access to nearly 400 computers at the high school. Where there is a will, there is a way.

One interesting thing that has happened since I have been posting grades on-line is the increased foot traffic into my office to make-up quizzes and tests. If a student is absent I record and zero and make a small note about scheduling a make-up, and then I usually forget about it until they show up for their make-up. This has cut down on my chasing down students and it has put the responsibility on them. Win, Win.

Downside: Slight learning curve, subscription fee, potential pesty parents

I'll be back

Why I Blog (and why you are reading this)

2006-01-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

When the opportunity presents itself I blog. When the opportunity presents itself if read edublogs. When the opportunity presents itself I contact fellow bloggers for collaborative purposes. So far the opportunity has only presented it self around school breaks and long weekends. Husband to Stacey, father to Jackson and Alex, teacher to students at Ballston Spa HS, blogger to an unknown audience. However...

In the year 2006 (news years resolutions coming Feb 1st) I will be able to collaborate with teachers all over the planet by virtue of this small piece of real estate in cyberspace. To understand and appreciate why I enjoy the "process" let me illustrate the power of collaboration before the proliferation of the blogosphere...

In the fall of 2002 I was invited to participate in The Points of VIEW project, a collaborative partnership of Time Warner Cable, Albany Division, C-SPAN Cable Network, Project VIEW of the Schenectady City School District and the National Council for Social Studies. Four local school districts (Ballston Spa, Amsterdam, Scotia-Glenville, and Schenectady) created a model for standards based social studies curriculum that utilized advanced broadband capabilities and state-of-the-art interactive videoconferencing technology. Cool geek talk for two of the hallmarks of education - creativity and collaboration.

As a partner in this project I met with the team at least a half a dozen times (subs were covered by the project) at the Schenectady Project View lab to sift through resources and give the project shape and substance. These brainstorming sessions were a rare opportunity to gather a group of social studies teachers to share their content knowledge and create vision for the projects ultimate outcome - a prototype program that focused on the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. I often looked forward to these sessions because this team of seasoned educators all possessed a passion History and infectious love of teaching.

Most of us have someone in our buildings who is "cut from the same cloth." They are a sounding board for new and innovative ideas and rarely dismiss your far out visions designed to engage your students. Well for this project I was lucky to be part of this team of collaborators who were truly excited to be fortunate enough to participate in the process.

In addition to our work at the project lab site we went on two fact finding trips - one to TR's Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay New York and the other was to Washington D.C. to visit the National Archives and the CSPAN headquarters. Imagine that - a group of social studies teachers on a guided tour of Washington DC!!!

After the project was complete and the resources were made available on the web, our team began to promoted the goods. We presented a program at the New York State Council for the Social Studies convention in Rochester, NY to discuss our role in the creation and implementation of the TR project. The team is pictured to the left ( L-R) Peter Sheridan, Scotia Glenville School District, John DeGuardi, Ballston Spa School District, Rick Hengsterman, Ballston Spa School District,Nick Petraccione, Schenectady City School District, Douglas Kaufman, Greater Amsterdam School District, Nick Sheldon, Schenectady City School District, Louis Schiavone, Scotia Glenville School District and Stuart Palczak, Greater Amsterdam School District. Great bunch to work with!!

I think Peggy O'Brien, executive director of Cable in the Classroom, said it best -
"When teachers invest themselves in creating what they teach and the way they will teach it, the dividends it pays is student performance exceeds all expectations."

Spotlight on Jo McCleay - Melbourne, Australia

2006-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

I spent some time this morning enjoying some caffeine and blog hopping through several teacher blogs. I ventured into The Open Classroom a blog maintained by Jo McCleay an educator from Melbourne, Australia. Two observations:

First and foremost, I am in awe of the number of educators who take the time and effort to publish their observations, frustrations, and pontifications to a growing of audience of teachers around the world.

Secondly, I wish more teachers new to the profession would take advantage of the "reservoir of wisdom" to counteract some of the infectious lunch room negativity that can consumes teachers young and old. Jo included thoughts from Bernard Percy found in the June 2002 edition of Converge. I thought were worth passing on. Simply stated ...

WHAT MAKES A GREAT TEACHER?
1. They have high standards and expectations that they won't compromise.
2. They dare to dream of truly making a difference in their students' lives.
3. They're the "restless" individuals, innovative thinkers. They don't want to adapt or conform to the world around them, when that world has limited expectations of what a teacher can do or achieve.
4. They challenge students to think differently, innovatively, and not merely adjust to their environment.
5. They're comfortable in a space with motion, action and innovative thinking.
6. They help students find their true purposes; develop their unique, special talents; and ensure they develop certainty in their ability to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.
7. They create space for students to find and develop belief in their own potential.
8. They create special, positive moments where a student has a realization or experience that positively affects his or her life, forever.
9. They seek the real barriers that prevent students from learning, i.e., helping students learn the skills, gain the knowledge, and develop their abilities to be problem solvers.
10. They never see the child only as a statistic or number, but as worthy of the recognition of his or her own individuality.
11. They strive to put and keep the joy in learning.
12. They're willing to find the magic residing in each child.
13. They're dream makers, not dream breakers.

Jo's blog has all the things I am looking for as I bloghop. Insightful content, valuable links, and sources of inspiration. Nicely done Jo!

University Opportunities

2006-01-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

As a department we have started to explore a variety of local workshops, presentations, and professional development opportunities for the 2005-2006 academic year. Since we are located in the Capital Region of NY State just north of Albany, we have several colleges and universities within a 20 minute drive of our high school campus.

Our first adventure was to the SUNY Albany Campus on November 21st to see Doris Kearns Goodwin speak as part of the visiting writers series (http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/vws.html). As a group we decided to read her latest book "Team of Rivals" before attending her 90 minute talk. She provided an interesting collection of insights and anecdotes about her ten years with Lincoln. Many of us were able to use stories from the book and lecture series in class discussion.

Our next adventure will take us to Siena college January 19th for The Martin Luther King, Jr. And Lecture Series http://www.siena.edu/mlk/2006Speaker/Lewis102005.asp on Civil Rights in the 21st Century with Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis.

After Mr. Lewis we will be returning to SUNY Albany January 24th to hear Frank McCourt about his new book "Teacher Man" and his 30 years as an educator in the NYC school system.

As a group we have been meeting after each field to discuss how we could use some of the information and observations in our classes. I hope to package some of these sessions into a podcast before the end of this academic year.

Onward...

Spotlight on Eric Langhorst - Liberty, Missouri

2005-12-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

I have been subscribing to Mr. Langhorst's blog and podcasts since September 2005. He is a leader and innovator in a variety of instructional technology applications. Mr L's class website contains tons of useful information and resurces for parents and students. His podcast do the same for interested teachers. Visit both of his sites and you will see what I am talking about:
Mr. L's Virtual Classroom and Speaking of History Blog/Podcast

As a result of Mr. Langhorst's efforts I do not walk on "untrodden ground" as I prepare for my first podcast in January 2006. I was able to link up with an endless stream of resources and info in three short months that will transform my classroom in 2006. As Thomas Friedman states in his book The World is Flat "They are just technologies. Using them does not make you modern, smart, moral, wise, fair, or decent. It makes you able to communicate, compete, and collaborate farther and faster." p.374

Bravo Mr. L

Spotlight on Marco Torres - San Fernado, California

2005-12-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

I recently listened to a podcast featuring Marco Torres a San Fernando High School teacher who created the San Frendando Education Technology Team (http://www.sfett.com). This site contains an amazing collection of student videos produced with iMovie.

The Marco Torres podcast was hosted by the George Lucas Education Foundation's internet radio show: http://www.edutopia.org/php/radio.php scroll down to the July 22, 2004 show "Student run film festivals"

Mr. Torres is the type of teacher who sees the value of digital story telling. The website includes everything from documentaries on sweatshops to inspirational stories of heartache and surivial. The Episode III movie titled " Frank Martinez" is a moving example of how students in todays high school classrooms can harness the power of technology to tell stories that are the relevant and esseintial fabric of every community. When asked how he recruited teachers on the staff to join the " revoltuion" he offered a realistic observation..."Some will, Some won't, So what" Bravo Mr. Torres and the SFETT Team!!!

Juggling Double Edge Swords

2005-12-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

In my first three months in the blogosphere I have been a passive participant soaking up information, anecdotes, and words of wisdom from several trailblazers in the arena of instructional technology. What a ride it has been. First and foremost, I am proud to be part of a profession with so many committed and compassionate educators who work their craft beyond the confines of the traditional school day. These are innovators and collaborators who are raising the bar for the implementation of new technology. Their passion is infectious.

For me this is a double edge sword. Podcasting and blogging are both relevant and accessible technologies. I recognize the need to begin incroporating these technologies as part of my regular classroom routine. But how? But when?

I have spent the past three months reading blogs and books on podcasting and blogging. I have also spent well over 100 hours listening to a variety of podcasts ranging from individual classroom teachers (www.speakingofhistory.blogspot.com; www.thetechteachers.blogspot.com; http://bobsprankle.com/blog/) to Tech savvy Collaborators (http://edtechtalk.com/; http://www.edutopia.org/radioshow.php/). I liken this experience to attending professional development sessions or conferences and engaging in conversations with participants over coffee and danish during the break. Excited about the exposure to new technological applications and eager to apply this knowlegde, ideas would flow freely. We couldn't wait to bring this info into our classrooms and then share the results.

I have created several blogs since October and by no coincidence every one of my posts have been published on or around a long weekend (Columbus Day) or an extended break (Thanksgiving and Christmas). At last count I have five readers of my blogs. This includes three blood relatives, my wife, and a guy named Earl from Southern Michigan.

I am short on time, not short on pontifications....I have two young son's - Jackson 4.5 and Alex 20 months. I am involved with several ongoing projects at Ballston Spa High School - The Ballston Veterans Website www.ballstonveterans.com ; the John W. Taylor Research Project, and Community Conversations...more about these later. In addition to the projects I coach the high school Mock Trial team, mentor new teachers, lead NCBI diversity training, and moderate the newly formed History Club. Sprinkle in four sections of US History and two sections of Sociology and one class webpage www.historyshack.com you can see why I am juggling swords.

Yet I forge ahead. The neat thing about this process is my ability to revisit my early days in the blogosphere when individual and profession blogs are mentioned in the same breath as your e-mail address. For all my readers (that includes you Earl!) I plan on making several posts before I return from winter recess.

Stay Classy San Diego

Making History

2005-11-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

As an educator trying to keep pace with the ever changing landscape of the 21st century high school, I have embraced the opportunity to create and collaborate in the blogosphere. My journey began after being directed to blogger.com from a EdTechTalk podcast. A road trip to my in-laws in Rochester, NY (3 hours from the home office in Clifton Park, NY) turned into a six hour professional development opportunity as I listened to a variety of podcasts relating to education and technology. By the time I returned from my journey west, my head was spinning with potential applications for this emerging technology.

As difficult as it was to focus on one thing, I directed my energies into creating a blog for my Sociology classes at Ballston Spa High School. I invested about 15 minutes into creating a blog http://sociologyechoes.blogspot.com/.

My plan was to use the blog as a place for students enrolled in my Sociology classes to read, react, and reflect on the exercises and activities that they have participated in during the semester. After my initial time investment, I spent some addition time writing and then publishing my first posts. After I pressed "publish" I experienced a bit of dejavu. This was the same adrenaline rush I had back in 1999 when I created my first experimental webpages through Netscape Virtual Office and Homestead.com. I couldn't believe how simple it was to create a web presence. I spent the summer of 1999 learning and experimenting with Microsoft Frontpage and eventually built my own site www.historyshack.com. My basic web presence has grown into a mini-monster that is now the main platform for communication with students and parents enrolled in my courses.

Fast forward to 2005... I have created four blogs using this free service. Three of the usernames and password I have misplaced or forgotten. The Sociology Blog led to my Veterans Blog which led to my Community Conversations blog which almost led to divorce from my first wife Stacey. So I took a pause for the cause and re-evaluated my goals for navigating through the blogosphere.

Through further investigation,I discovered that I could create several different blogs under one username and one password. All of the catchy names and passwords I created during my first round of blogging were no longer available so I went back to the basics. I went with www.historyshack.blogspot.com. My students are already familiar with the name, so I think the blogspot will not be throwing anyone for a loop.

So in true Hengsteman fashion I became so charged up about this new technology I went on a caffeine induced dash through the blogosphere. I have now caught my breath and decided to take this blog thing in the following direction:

1. I will call the my blog "Making History" because in my mind this is what I am doing. It certainly not on par with the first radio transmission from Brant Rock, Massachusetts in 1906, but in my world it is close.

2. Working off the main blog I have created some blogs to support current and future projects. Theses blogs include The Human Zoo(Sociology); Ballston Common (project scheduled for February 2006); Ballston Veterans Blog (companion to ballstonveterans.com).

3. I also plan on incorporating Podcasts into each of these blogs. Sweet!!!

Some final thoughts: I am encouraged by the possibilty of altering the "learning landscape" for my students. I can not envision the directions that I will take these technologies (blogging and podcasting), but I can trace my steps (and mis-steps) along the way.

Until Next Time,
Mr. H

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-Tzu