Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Return to Blogging

So I started this blog a while ago (March 2011 to be exact) because I was giving a talk to the other faculty members at my school about how awesome Aviary is and the associated Google Chrome extension.
I didn't update it again until December!!
Then I started a series of posts to show how I create custom comments and send out emails to many sources based on Google Doc Forms. (An awesome way to create customized student comment based on a variety of factors. I hope none of my former administrators are following this blog!)
I never finished them since I found an easy script to do it.
Then I started making a lot of posts once the WolframCDF player came out because I had a web outlet for the trove of Mathematica lessons I have created over the years.
That also was a hit and miss campaign.

Now, some of my favorite Twitter peeps are trying to get more math teachers blogging about their classroom and running a "hazing" program that I volunteered for!

And....I didn't do the first post on time.

Now in my defense, I just moved halfway around the world (again!) for a new job at a brand new school where the building was finished the day before students came AND I am now teaching 6, 7, 8, and 9th grade math!! The youngest classes I have taught before were 8th grade honors students in my Geometry classes, so I am in for a big change.

No longer am I looking for great extension problems for my Linear Algebra students or making Mathematica demonstrations for my Honors Calc kids. I am going to be trying to keep a bunch of middle schoolers excited about math.

I need to be more organized and this blog is going to help me follow through on that...starting now!
I just did my first day activities based on some great ideas I stole from a bunch of great teachers, I will blog about it soon, so tune in to see if you were stolen from (I will give credit and links ;)!!