What I Have Learned from Blogging 101

I have enjoyed learning about blogging.  Before this class I knew that blogging was kind of like online journaling. Now I see that not only is it similar to online journaling, but that there are so many other features to a blog!  Bloggers can add so many features to their blog, and using Blogspot really allows users to be creative.  I can see myself using blogging as an educational resource for the parents of my students. I think they would appreciate being kept up-to-date on activities and lessons throughout the year.  I can also see myself using a personal blog for family and friends to view.  I look forward to viewing other educators' blogs and learning about what they are doing in their classroom.  The possibilities are endless and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for blogging and me.

Classroom Expectations

At Leonard Lawrence and in my classroom, we have 3 general expectations that all students are expected to follow.  Many of my classroom rules fall under one of these. They are:

Be Safe

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

I teach the Boys Town Education Model to my students, and each of the Social Skills fall under one of these expectations.  Because these 3 are school-wide expectations, it is consistent everywhere in the building and with all staff members.

10 Picture Tour- Crescent Beach Resort. Okoboji, IA

We recently took a short trip to Okoboji, IA. We stayed at Crescent Beach Resort (http://www.crescentbeachlodge.com/) and had a fabulous time.  We recommend the place to anyone and here are a few pictures that will help you decide for yourself.

The front of our Crescent Beach room.



Inside our room. Comfy queen beds.



Very spacious rooms! (Enough for practicing gymnastics anyway) Nice kitchenette too!



Looking out the back door of the room.  Great view and FUN water trampoline and Rock-It.



This is the back of the Resort taken from the dock.

This is the nice boating dock for loading/unloading or swimming and fishing.

Great picnic tables in the shade right outside the rooms.

The canal next to the Resort provides for some terrific fishing.

Crescent Beach also has a private playground/park for kids to enjoy.

A nearby attraction is Arnolds Park. Easily an entire day's worth of entertainment!

Introduction

Hello. My name is Colleen Hosick and I am a 5th grade teacher in Bellevue, NE at Leonard Lawrence Elementary School.  This blog will hopefully have several purposes.  One purpose will be for the parents and family members of my students to keep up-to-date with what we are learning and doing in class on a regular basis.  Another purpose will be for me to share lesson plan ideas, classroom management strategies, and other resources with fellow colleagues.  I plan to gain ideas and strategies from other teachers as well.

I have been teaching since 1999.  I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with my Elementary Education degree.  After teaching a year of 6th grade, I moved down to teach 5th grade and have been loving 5th grade ever since.  After my first year, I also decided to start a Masters degree program.  Two years later I graduated with my Masters in Technology in Education through Lesley University.  The tricky thing about technology, as we all know, is that it is constantly changing; getting better, and faster, and smaller, and soooo much cooler!  So although I have that Masters degree under my belt, I feel as though I constantly need to continue learning about the latest technology innovations.

I love learning about new websites, software, programs, gadgets and devices.  It is a challenge to keep up with them all and utilize them regularly, but it is my goal to bring what I learn into the classroom.  I am comfortable on a PC.  I think MACs are very cool, but I don't have one, therefore I'm a PC girl.  In my classroom I use the AV Rover Cart on a regular basis.  We use the Clickers about once a week, mostly for assessments.  I have a website that serves as a resource to parents.  They can access many informational documents that I give out at the beginning of the year and find out about upcoming events.  I also have websites and other resources that parents and students can use at home.  I try to share some of the students' work through the website as well. 

So hopefully this blog will succeed in serving the purposes I mentioned above.  I look forward to learning more about blogging and technology in general and sharing it with you!