Stop Bullying: A Call To Action by President Obama

President Obama: It Gets Better!

Change Has Come...the First Technology President!

What Are President Obama's Plans for Schools and the Use of Technology?

At 12:01 P.M. on Jan. 21st, the White House website got a brand new look...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/

As you can see, the Obama administration is planning to use blogs, slideshows, and weekly video addresses to communicate with the American people. This is yet another reason why our students should be exposed to and participate in these types of mediums in school.

One page that I found particularly interesting is President Obama's technology agenda. In addition to appointing a Chief Technology Officer, Obama has some very clear goals for technology in this country as well as the use of technology in education. If even a few of these goals are reached there are huge implications for students, teachers and administrators.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/technology/

How can you begin to prepare yourself & your students to communicate in this environment of CHANGE?

A few ideas for beginning tech users:

1. Make sure that you have a website that you update daily or weekly.
2. Find a blog that is of interest to you (there are thousands out there) and begin reading it everyday. Leave a comment every now and then.
3. Make sure you are requiring students to cite their work anytime it is not their own. Even if the citation isn't 100% accurate every time, it is important that students are in the habit of citing work.

A few ideas for intermediate tech users:

1. Look at your own website. Does it communicate the messages you want to send to your students and their parents? Revisit the site's purpose.
2. Make sure you cite work that isn't your own. Model best practices for the students and point it out to them so they understand when & why you cite work.
3. When teaching opportunities arise, talk to your students about using technology privately and safely. As technology becomes more pervasive, our students will need to hear messages about safety & privacy over and over again, not just once in a while.

A few ideas for advanced tech users:

1. Start to post student work on your website. You can make almost anything digital through scanning and photographs.
2. Start a blog for your class or for yourself. As you use blogs in class, make sure to model appropriateness and teach students how to comment constructively.
3. Make a short video (like the weekly address) introducing yourself to your students & parents. Post it on your website.

Thanks to my friend Geordie Paulus for sending me this information!

President Obama Addresses Comments from an ELMS Student!

Last week, John King, the host of CNN's State of the Union and network reporter, came to Elkridge to interview one of our students who will be attending the Inauguration of Barack Obama. Shortly after the interviewing Melvin, John King had the opportunity to interview the President-Elect and he shared a comment made by our very own Melvin.

Here is what John King asked President-Elect Obama:

KING: I spent some time since the election with a young boy named Melvin Thomas. He’s 14 years old, lives just outside of Baltimore, African-American. He says, if I was visiting with him a year and a half ago and said, "Who’s your hero?" he would have said without blinking, "Michael Jordan." If I asked him today, he said, "Barack Obama." And he says, "Barack Obama’s going to change the country." He thinks you’re going to create more jobs. He thinks you’re going to help stop people from hating black people. What’s the burden you feel there and the responsibility to kids like Melvin Thomas?

Mr. Obama addressed Melvin's comment and said:

OBAMA: Well, first of all, I hope that — part of what my election gave to Melvin is he can shoot for the stars. He can go as far as his worth ethic and his — his imagination takes him.

And what I also hope is that not only me but all of us take responsibility for the millions of Melvins out there. There are so many young people with so much talent.

OBAMA: Well, I think that part of what we have to do is make sure that our school system works. Part of it is all of us as parents taking responsibility. Because government can’t do it all. And what Melvin is going to benefit from, hopefully, is some good policies from my White House, but I also hope he’s going to benefit from parents who instill in him a thirst for learning, that he has a community that is supportive of the idea that there’s nothing wrong with black boys, or any American child, hitting the books before they worry about whether they’re popular or whether they’re worrying about their sports. I think that the idea that each and every one of us has responsibilities to the next generation is one of the things that I want to communicate, both on inauguration day and throughout my presidency.

To see the interview, click here
(You will need to scroll down the page to see the segment featuring Melvin)

ELMS Student Has Front Row Ticket to the Inauguration

ELMS Pride!

On Wednesday, WJZ-TV (Channel 13) visited ELMS to interview one of our 8th graders. Melvin, an 8th grader and student leader here at ELMS, has received a front-row ticket to President-Elect Obama’s Inauguration. He received this honor by being selected to attend a national youth leadership conference this past summer. In addition, Melvin and his family were featured on WBAL TV on Tuesday evening. If you missed seeing either of these news stories and would like to view them, here are the links:
http://wjz.com/seenon/presidential.inauguration.2.868899.html http://www.wbaltv.com/video/18015218/index.html

Congratulations Melvin!