All Students Receive "F"!! Sad Days Follow

Check this link for more information about this.

Words Will Break Your Spirit: Stop Cyberbullying!

A student of mine loaned me a book recently. The tagline on the back read "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will break your spirit."

I couldn't agree more.

Here's a great article about stopping cyberbullying from a great teacher who is online like myself.

Tell me what you think about it.

Stop Cyberbullying!!

Welcome To My New Blog!!

picture copyright 2007 Marc Gutierrez


Ok, it's not really new, but it has a brand new look and I've updated the links on the left with some new information. I made a snazzy new banner/header (see the picture with the pencils that says "G-blog"? That's a banner/header.

Here are some important questions you might be asking yourself right now:

What is a blog?

It's short for web log. Do a Google search for "What is a blog?" and you'll find all kinds of opinions and information on the matter. Some use them as diaries, others as places to post information, and still others to educate and teach.

Why do you have a blog?

To keep in touch. To write. To challenge my students and myself to continue writing. To post links to things I think are interesting or thought-provoking.

I like blogs because they encourage us to communicate in written form. Many once thought that the internet would be the death of writing as kids clicked endlessly and mindlessly on pictures, but instead it seems to have created an even bigger need for us to write. The quality of the writing may be questionable at times, but there's no doubt that being able to communicate in a written form is more valuable now than ever before in human history.

That's why I have a blog.

Do students have to blog?

Of course not. If I give an assignment that encourages students to post on the blog, the may submit their answers or thoughts in a written form and turn it in for credit, but if they have the ability and access, I'd like them to learn how to post comments.

How do I post a comment on your blog?

Here's a good link on how to post a comment.

I hope this helps. I will be sending home a form for students to get permission to post on the blog.

I moderate all comments, which means I have to see it and approve it before it is allowed to be posted. I will be posting basic rules for student posts, but I will never allow a student to post their full name or any personal information on the blog, nor will I allow them to post anything I find inappropriate.

Students can also post anonymously if it's just an opinion post (like the post following this one about video games).

This blog is for students in both my Digital Communications class and my Language Arts class. It is also for parents and other teachers who find something interesting or noteworthy. It's a great way to share resources that we find in the community and online.

Best Games Online?

There are so many different types of games out there and I have to admit with two kids I find it pretty hard to invest too much time...but summer is coming and I'd love to know what YOUR favorites are.

There are different categories of games too. Sure, I've heard of Runescape and World of Warcraft. WoW's so popular that at a teacher's technology conference recently they had the game set up for teachers to try.

Games are great for stimulating our brains. The flip side of course is that we spend TOO much time in front of our computer and not enough with real human beings.

Hmmm...food for thought. I'd love to hear your comments.

For now, why don't you share a few of your favorite games that are free online-based games.

I have two younger kids, so they enjoy simple coloring type games and things were they get to build various different objects.

I like Make-A-Monster. It's cute.

I tend to appreciate game sites with minimal advertising and more games.
Let's see what's out there.

:)

The Best of Books, The Worst of Books

One of the best books I've ever read was Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I loved the main character, Ender, because I felt I could relate to being the underdog and being bullied as a kid. Ender did things that I wish I could have done. He also did some things that I never would have done...which is what made the story very interesting. I loved how the story ended. It had a "trick" ending that I really didn't see coming. Great story.

Mr. Guiles
Period 3

Well, I wanted to kick off this return to blogging with a topic inspired by my visit to the library today. There's a contest going on at the San Dimas library that involves Middle School students choosing the WORST book they've ever read! I thought that was kind of fun, so I made my own blog entry to get this started.

As I understand it, they will offer prizes to everyone that enters and some sort of grand prize. See me if you're interested, but for now, I'd like to get some class involvement.

I'll give extra credit to all who give a paragraph response to the worst book you've ever read, or the BEST book you've ever read.

Here's how I want the post to look:

The worst/best book I ever read was by . In this sentence you will explain WHY it was the worst book you have ever read (or the best). Give more than "it sucked" or "it was awesome" as your answer. Explain. Give details.

Then put your first name and last initial and your period #.

Like this.

Joe S.
Per.1


Alright, writers. Get writing!

p.s. The book in the picture above is another of my favorite books, but not in the traditional story sense of books. It's a rhyming dictionary that helps me when I'm writing songs. It's helped me many a time when I was stuck looking for just the right word.

This Book Had No "E"s!!

Crazy!

Harry Potter and the Final Book Title!

Go here to read the latest about the final Harry Potter book.

I'm excited because I've been tracking with Harry since Year One.

Head on over to Mugglenet.com to learn more than you could ever possibly want to know about Harry and all the books and movies.

Dinosaurs for Sale! Anyone Want A Raptor?

We've all seen Jurassic Park and thought how equally cool and bad it would be if someone could create dinosaurs from old DNA. Does THIS put us one step closer?



image from http://www.narain.com/gecko/

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been home nursing a vicious cold for the last several days, so forgive me for not being there.

I had some time to think as I wandered the medicine aisles of Walmart and sat in the doctor's office I remembered that we had a day of thanks rapidly approaching, and I was so busy (and/or sick) that I hadn't thought about it.

I am thankful I have a place to live and sleep.
I am thankful for email.
I am thankful for a wonderful job teaching.
I am thankful for my beautiful, loving wife and my two amazing children.
I am thankful for those little plastic things on the ends of shoelaces.
I am thankful for this sore throat, because it helps me know that something's wrong with my body and needs to be fixed.
I am thankful for scraped knees, broken hearts, and tough situations that made me who I am today.

What are you thankful for?

Podcasting Resources 101

First, download Audacity and the Lame encoder. Yeah, it's totally lame, but totally worth it.
(The Lame encoder enables Audacity to export sound files as Mp3s).

Here's some advice on using Audacity to master your podcast levels.
Newsforge Article.

I'll post more as I learn more.

I'm home sick today, so I'm going to make at least one short podcast to show I can do it.

Here's a visual tutorial in the pdf format that can be used to get started in recording.
A Brief Tutuorial of Audacity.

At the bottom of this website are a few cool Quicktime Movies for some basic functions in Audacity. Check 'em out.
That Website.



Here's a GREAT podcast on the process from someone who didn't have any experience in the process. Also on this site is a link to the actual podcast.
The Website.
The Podcast.



These Podcasts had video (in the form of animated Powerpoints I believe) and gave the whole process, from recording the podcast to getting it published in iTunes. A must listen for any new podcaster hoping to get their show heard:

Pod-O-Matic


To record direct from an XLR type mic (the ones people use to sing or talk to an audience) you can now use THIS amazing device! A USB to XLR converter. I love technology! Love it.
Soundtech Lightsnake

The Lightsnake at Musician's Friend: 10 ft. for $39.
Another thing that does that as well: M-Audio's Fasttrack. $99 at Musician's Friend