Hello Jessica K. and Carly S!!

Hi! My name is Sam. I live in Maine and I am 19 years old. I have a mom and dad, two sisters, and four nieces. Both of my sisters are older than me and they are both married with daughters. I also have a lot of pets! What is your family like?

I like to spend time with my friends and I love to take pictures! What do you like to do for fun?

I am going to school to become a teacher. Do you like school? What is your favorite subject?

ACTEM Conference

1. SMARTboards
I love these! I had heard of them but I had never seen one before. They seem great! They allow students to be active in the classroom and the teacher is able to transition seamlessly between lessons. The SMARTboard seemed like a fantastic way to incorporate technology into the classroom and still have the teacher lead the class.
http://smarttech.com/

2. Senteo Student Response System
This was a really new idea to me. The presenter allowed us to use this system so that we could get an idea about what the system actually was. This remote control system eliminates paper and pencils and allows students to get excited about test taking. It also gives students instant feedback on their test results and gives them a great sense of accomplishment.
http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/Senteo/

3. Geogebra
This was a great way to incorporate technology into math. I know that I am not the biggest fan of mathematics and I would have loved something this helpful when I was in elementary school. It seems like a great way to include technology in the learning process. I also like the idea of putting Geometry and Algebra together.
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/

4. Jing
Jing was an interesting way to test students or to at least see that they did their work and how they did it. It allows students to capture what they do for math work online by recording their work and their voice so that they can explain how they did what they did. This seems like a good idea, but I do not think that I would use this in my classroom.
http://www.jingproject.com/

5. Literactive
This was one of the presenters favorite websites that are designed for students. I love this website!! I really like the idea of using technology to help students learn how to read or just read better. I think that reading is the most important thing that students need to learn and technology is something that students love to use. So why not combine them?! Using technology to help students read is a great idea and this website seems like a love of fun!
http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp

6. CREST
This project-based learning was a really interesting idea. This involves having teachers and students be involved in the learning process and deciding, together, which projects they will work on. They also focus on local industries and work on projects that are local so that the students are involved in their communities.
http://crest.islandinstitute.org/

7. Iknowthat.com
This website is great in the fact that it allows students to use the internet (which is something that they use daily, anyway) and still be able to learn. They learn through interactive websites and have a great time while learning.
http://www.iknowthat.com/com

8. Magnetic Poetry
I love magnetic poetry! I had this in my class when I was in elementary school and everyone loved it! I actually had it in my classes all through high school. To have it online is really cool, but I really prefer magnetic poetry in person. it just seems more fun and there are so many things that you can do online that are like magnetic poetry, so this is definitely something that is better not virtual.
http://www.magneticpoetry.com/magnet/

9. Curriki
This is a really great resource. It had lesson plans and student worksheets that I can use and I know that I will be able to use this resource mutliple times throughout my career.
http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome

10. My Reaction to the Conference
I really enjoyed this conference and I think that going to conferences when I have my own classroom will be very worth while. For my first conference, this went very well. I learned a lot of valuable information and I received a list of websites that are going to be very useful to me when I have my own classroom.

Colonial New England Webquest

My overall interest in this webquest is to have students study Colonial New England.

1. Build a city!

1. Topic: Have students explore how cities in Colonial New England were established.

2. Grade Level: Sixth Grade

3. Task: The King has ordered that a new city be developed in New England. You and your partners must design this city and get it up an running to please the King. Good Luck!

4. Roles (at least 3):

   1. The Architect - You design all of the buildings in your city.

   2. The Mayor - You establish all of the laws in your city.

   3. The Treasurer - You decide how much money goes to what areas of your city.

2. Be a colonist.

1. Topic: Research the daily lives of the colonists and use this information to help you in your quest.

2. Grade Level: Sixth Grade

3. Task: You are living in Massachusetts and all of the taxpayers are getting frustrated with how they are being treated. How are you dealing with this? What is your reaction to the way that the King is treating you? Write a journal entry and express your feelings.

4. Roles (at least 3):

   1. The Wealthy Man - How is your mistreatment affecting you? How are you dealing with this?

   2. The Poor Man - How are you dealing with the way that life is?

   3. The Wealthy Woman - What are doing during this difficult time? How is everything affecting you and your husband?

   4. The Poor Woman - How are you coping with this? What going on in your mind?

   5. The Wealthy Child - How is this affecting your life? Are your parents acting differently?

   6. The Poor Child - What is going through your mind? How are your parents doing?

3. Extra! Extra! Read all about it! (I think that I'm going to do this one!)

1. Topic: Research what colonial newspapers looked like and use this information to assist you while you write.

2. Grade Level: Sixth Grade

3. Task: With the rise in frustration of the taxpayers, violence is starting to erupt and people are starting to gather together and brainstorm ways to change this. As a member of the newspaper team, you must gather as much information as possible and put together an article that exposes the feelings of the colonists and what we plan to do to stop this!

4. Roles (at least 3):

   1. The Journalist - Interview someone of importance and write an article about him or her. Tell us about where they stand politically and why they are important.

   2. The Editor - It is your job to compile all of the information that your co-workers gather, proof-read it, and set it all up on the pages so it is visually appealing.

   3. The Photographer - Go along with the Journalist, the Classified Captain, and the Sports Spectator, and take pictures that can be added to their sections. Make sure that they are fitting and capture the moment!

   4. The Classifieds Captain - Gather all of the advertisements and put them here!

   5. The Sports Spectator - Go around and gather as much information about sporting events as you can.

4. Career Exploration.

1. Topic: Look into some of the careers during colonial times and research one of them.

2. Grade Level: Sixth Grade

3. Task: You are a colonist in New England and you have had a successful career ever since you came to America. What is your job? What do you do? How do you do it? How much money do you make?

4. Roles (at least 3):

   1. The Blacksmith - Tell me about your job. Write a blog about what you do.

   2. The Seamstress - What do you do? Show me some of your fashions.

   3. The Banker - Tell me what you do. Show me what your money looks like.