Tuesday, November 30

A boy took a teacher and a room full of classmates hostage yesterday in Wisconsin. Read the full story here. Last week we practiced our lock-down drill. We have never had to go into an actual "lock-down," but it is good to have a plan in place. Put yourself in the hostage situation in Wisconsin. What would you do in that particular situation? How would you react? What can be done to ensure this does not happen again? Did you read the comments after the article? The one I found humorous was to arm all the teachers. I can tell you this, if it comes to the point where teachers have to be armed in the classroom, I know one teacher, namely me, who will be retiring.

The end of the semester will be here before you know it. Interim reports are due this week. I will work on getting papers graded and returned to you. I will be grading blog posts on Thursday. Make sure you have responded. In order to receive a "5," you need to answer the blog completely using formal language (capital letters, correct spelling, no abbreviations, complete sentences.)

After you have finished with your blog post, your next podcast assignment is to record an informational podcast. There is a handout with complete instructions on the desk in the front of the room. Help yourself.

Assignment for Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Good Morning/Afternoon! You need to continue to modify your All About Me presentation. Add text to your slides. If you have too many objects on the slide, you may have to delete some of those objects to make room for the text. Once you have your text added, animate your presentation. The presentation should run from start to finish without any clicking.

Reminder: Classroom rules are in effect. Absolutely no texting and no iPods (or equivalent).

Distracted Drivers

I was listening to the radio on the way to school this morning, and one of the news stories was about how many accidents are caused each year by drivers that are distracted. Distractions include texting, talking on the phone, changing the music and eating. I'm guilty of doing everything but texting. Are you a distracted driver? Do you think there should be a cell phone law in Coshocton?

Our driver's ed instructor, Mr. Yurjevic, was diagnosed yesterday with APL Leukemia. This type of leukemia is very treatable. He is in the hospital and will undergo 15 days of intense chemotherapy. Mr. Yurjevic has taught many of you to drive. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to send him a card, here is his address:

The James
Attention: Greg Yurjevic, Room 1041
300 W. Tenth Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210

Don't have a stamp? Bring a card to school, and I will make sure he gets it. It is going to be a rough couple of weeks for him. I am sure that he would appreciate hearing from his former students.

Technology Making a Difference

This article in The Coshocton Tribune tells about a high school in Cincinnati that went through some major changes. Read the article and give me your thoughts.