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"If you'd have asked me two years ago to turn the computer on, I probably would have had a difficult time achieving that task," fourth grade teacher Shannon Graham admitted. But then, Graham participated in a course designed to help teachers learn to better utilize technology in the classroom and she found MySchoolOnline.
"I designed The Golden Graham Virtual Classroom as a tool to help keep my students and their parents informed about school-related issues and activities," Graham told Education World. "I wanted to spotlight my students' writing, and keep them updated about homework, spelling words, weekly vocabulary, the calendar of events, and classroom routines and procedures."
The parents of Graham's students loved her site. They began logging on each day to see the latest news, and soon she was hooked! Graham next designed Teacher Helpers, a page of links to Web sites she considers the very best sites for educators. In Class Procedures, she shares ideas about classroom management, and several "monthly folders" offer lesson plans, craft ideas, and projects for important events and holidays. Graham created Web Design 101 to teach "newbies" like herself simple HTML code and cut-and-paste Java Scripts. "It's like designing bulletin boards for your classroom out in cyberspace," she explained.
"My favorite pages are the ones that spotlight the children's writing," said Graham. "They allow me to show the world what talented and creative students I have." The class favorite is the Adopted Fairies page. Graham designed this page to help relieve the stress of standardized testing. "My children are lucky because we have adopted some very special fairies that bring us magic cookies sprinkled with brain dust," she said. "These special treats make all my students smart cookies for the week of the test and beyond." Article by Cara Bafile |
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