Students and real time blogging

In many schools, getting students to write daily is difficult or possibly important. But what if we make them the story-tellers of the school?

First we've got to get them to be observers, gathering lots and lots of details, sights, sounds and smells. A chemistry class where a lab is going on becomes a story:

VISUAL: A flash of blue and yellow fire lighted Mrs. Egbert's desk as she demonstrated how two chemicals put together created one that was combustible but that on their own were not.

SOUND: Students gasped at the brightly colored flash and SMELL noticed the harsh smell of the two chemicals. ACTION Senior Edward Stevens lined up at Egbert's desk to get the supplies he needed to replicate. He smiled over at junior Ellen Enders who waited beside him as part of his team. Two others waited at their lab table.

SOUND: (An audio quote) "I always like it when I get to play with fire. (Edward) (Laughter) "I just have to make sure to stand back. Remember the paper you caught on fire the last time," (Ellen)

While five teams prepared to perform the lab, Mrs. Egbert walked the room, moving items to safety and asking questions to make sure each table knew what was to happen.

Within minutes, each group had successfully ignited the chemicals and were laughing at the fun.

If we can get them to get the sights and sounds, writing a blog should be the next step.

Judy Babb
West Mesquite HS
Mesquite, Texas

#tweetingfromschool

Since not all my students have access to phones with internet access, we'll have to approach social media in a different way.

Let's guess that perhaps 50 students will have cell phone access. We'll ask each of them to post three or four times daily, depending on their teachers' approval. We'd like at least one of them to be academic with not more than two about a single class. This should include a photo, if possible.

For example:

#WMHS #Biology #goodlearning What do you get when you cross a white duck with a mallard? A little bit of both. What else can we mix? #genetics

Other tweets could be about what they see on posters of upcoming events or what the counselors are working on now. Or what offense is landing the most people in ISS.

On weekends, multiple big plays and scores would go out.

Judy Babb

West Mesquite HS

Are we carrying changing our history too far

With the decision to remove the Rebel and Confederate flags from government building, the rest of the history of the CSA is being discussed. Many articles, columns and blogs have discussed it. Facebook and other social media folks have commented.

This was my response to articles in the Dallas Morning News and other online media:

Statues were pulled down, photos doctored, history books changed. That is the legacy of the Soviet Union as people fell out of favor. History was altered as if it had never happened. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

Please understand I am FOR the removal of the Confederate flag and the Rebel flag. They stand for many as symbols of hatred and division and racism. They should not be flown over any of our statehouses or public places. They are evil.

But we have gone way too far if we start taking down statues and portraits of generals who fought for the south. They were not evil men. They may not have even agreed with what the fight was about--state's rights or slavery. Still they fought valiantly for their country and countrymen.

Statues are part of our history, just as the memorials on the Washington Mall. They have been a part of our country's history and they document what happened. A statue does not say you have to agree with their beliefs.

The same is true for history books. We can and should acknowledge the War Between the States was heinous. Add fact but allow the reader to reflect on the meaning.

It is time we get our heads out of our rears and use them for thinking rationally. Let us not be those who erase history but rather acknowledge it happened and that many good people fought on both sides.

My two cents.

Judy Babb 

West Mesquite High School

Media literacy for those who have none

Although I thought I was done, I'm glad to blog about news literacy. In my Title I school, it is a more than difficult concept. Almost no students have a newspaper delivered to their home or watch the news. Many don't have internet at home and if they did, other things would distract them from doing it. The majority use their cell phones for music and for texting and SnapChat.

To have any form of media literacy, I must be the source and the one who convinces them there is a reason to care.

My goal in Journalism I and Newspaper is to have a topic a day. For example, in the DFW area, a number of school superintendents have turned over. Our district is one of them. Ours was due to a retirement. Dallas ISD was pretty much run out of town. Stranger too, DISD brought back as an interim one who left the district after being offered and then excepting a superintendent job in Atlanta.

I'd have the students do research on superintendents and what the job entails. I'd have them research our new person and then see what problems have happened with other superintendents. Then I'd have them decide who they would need to interview to best tell the story of our superintendent and interview the superintendent about his vision and projects.

After I get the concept that news does matter, I'll start having the students come up with a local, national and international story once a week with a minimum of three varied sources.

Judy Babb
West Mesquite HS
Mesquite, Texas

United Flight Meltdown

   After spending two days at the airport, I finally made it back to Hawaii. Long story short, I was scheduled to return on Tuesday afternoon, but after two mechanical issues and not having a crew to fly the plane, American Airlines canceled the flight at 8:30pm. Flights were rescheduled and I was booked on a 9:22 am flight on United. We were caught in the chaos of that morning and interviewed by the a local news station in Los Angeles. My son was frustrated, I had only two hours of sleep. The reporters asked how I felt about the computer shut-down and what should be done about it. I could not answer his question, and just ranted about my experience at LAX. I might have said some other things too, but since I did not have my first cup of coffee until 12:45 I can't recall much. I was in survival mode just to get through the line. Immediately after the interview, I had a flash-back to the simulation we participated in at the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute. I realized I was playing the part of the emotional nurse!

    Now that I am home, drinking coffee and reflecting back on the week I spent with inspirational professionals and the 35 dedicated teachers who all shared their knowledge unconditionally. As I unpacked all the resources from the institute, one in particular hit a nerve, the name tag. Yes, the name tag on the lanyard that we all wore to every meal and to enter the building to experience our next mission from Steve. The name tag that indicated we all have a need for some form of caffeine. The name tag that said we belonged to a group teachers dedicated to excellence in journalism.

   I can not help but wonder if I only had been wearing that name tag on the morning of July 8th at LAX,  would the reporter have offered me a cup of coffee first before interviewing us. By wearing the name tag, he would have understood that caffeine in my system would prepare my mind for a  meaningful conversation about my confidence with transportation in the modern era. Instead, the reporter got a human story about a mothers frustration trying to get her son home safely.

A hui hou

Michelle Obregon
Konawaena High School
Kealakekua, Hawaii

Balancing the Boss

     While listening to Kristin Gilger, I couldn't help but think about my friend who recently lost her life. She was the principal at a small school. We did not work at the same campus, and this allowed her to be frank and open with me about district policies and dealings with parents and staff.  She once shared with me that she feels her only function as a principal is fielding complaints and resolving conflicts. That no one ever tells her she was doing a good job.
   This got me thinking that a principals worth today is based not on their interpersonal skills, but on the data of students scores.  That todays principals seldom get positive feedback about the effectiveness of their leadership skills. Ever since my friend told me this, I try to make an effort to let my principal know that I thought either the implementation of a new policy is working and thanking them for their leadership in implementing the policy.
   Recently I told my principal that his idea of students selling school alumni products at a local store is working, and thanked him for his vision.  I also told him how proud I was of our students at a workshop, that they conducted themselves professionally. I told him it was his leadership in establishing an environment of learning and career readiness that prepared our students for the workshop. By informing him that his policies are making a difference lets him know he is doing a good job.
    I tell my principal he is doing a good job not because I am kissing-up to the boss, but because it is the right thing to do. Students, teachers and even the boss all want to know we are effective at our job or in the classroom. By telling people you value their work, it is then easier to give constructive criticism when the time comes. Having a balanced relationship with the boss will reduce tension at the workplace.


Michelle Obregon
Konawaena High School
Kealakekua, Hawaii

Editing with Google Docs

I am interested in using Google Docs a lot more with my students. I am wondering how you all use it. I can see how we could use it for yearbook, no problem, but it's really newspaper that I can see an issue. I'd like to be able to easily edit their papers using the editing marks. Does anyone have any tips/tricks for this?  I have kicked around the notion of using a drawing app to edit their work with a pen tool and then save it again so they can make the changes. I just don't like changing their papers in the doc because I want them to be able to see what it was and what I suggest that it become. The method that I'm doing right now is printing them, writing on them and then passing them out. The student then gets on the doc and makes the changes. Not bad, but, not all digital either.
In order to make this work, it probably just needs to become the culture of my room. This is difficult for me to establish because it boils down to consistency. It's hard to be consistent when you're feeling the pressure of deadlines. All that tends to go out the window.

Perhaps this guy could use Google Docs for grading as well!