Merry Christmas to All

I wrote in my Christmas cards to check out my blog.  So I better write my Christmas letter here.

This year is a replay of last year.  I went did the same trips as last year, which were going to Adventurous Christian in the Boundary Waters with our high school students.  Then this summer I traveled with these kids to Wyoming for our annual trip to Lone Tree Bible Ranch.  I finished up my last classes for my Media Specialist degree, so now it is on to student teaching for the spring semester.  Yippee I am down with classes!

As I am writing this, I am sitting at the "hall" at Orange Grove RV Park on Christmas day.  We (Mom, Dad and I)  just finished our Christmas dinner and will return for the evening meal for the replay of lunch.  We arrived down here at 11:45 pm last night after two long days of driving.  We were ahead of the winter storms again this year, so only ran into rain.  It is good to be here.  The sun is shining and the wind is blowing.  I can run around with just a sweatshirt on.  I will head back to the snow on the 4th of January.

May you all find the joy of Christ's birth a reason to celebrate and be thankful for all the things He brings into our lives whether it is for the first time or an instant replay.

Christmas Mexico Style

Final Assignment

My Technology trend paper is going to focus on the overall impact technology has had on education.  The future of technology depends on teachers.  If teachers do not learn how to use the new technology, the students will never learn how to use the technology correctly.  After all that is what we have been doing in this class.  I am glad that I have been introduced to some of these new things.  I look forward to trying to incorporate these ideas into the classroom setting.  I think Media Specialists can lead the way with starting to teach students about some of the newer technology.  We may have a little more time to play with the technology than classroom teachers.  The strain that classroom teachers have to get students to pass state mandated testing takes priority for them.  If I can show teachers that some new technology might help students to pass these tests, I think teachers will jump on board.

GoFish Guys giving their reason for Christmas

Why is there a T in Christmas?

Out of the mouth of a first grader.  This was his question to me today.  He was looking at a book title and noticed that there is a T in Christmas but we do not pronounce it, so he asked.  I was able to give the answer because I heard it a while back.  People used to go to mass on Christmas morning and they called it Christ's Mass.  Things were shortened and it became Christmas.  So I was glad that I could share that answer today.  Christ is still in the hearts of little ones.

New look for the Christmas season

I thought it was time to get a new look.  I loved the leaves, but now that we are getting ready for Christmas I wanted a new look for this place.  My school work is winding down, and my social calendar is filling up with things to do.  I am glad that my Christmas shopping is done!  Here's to the wonderful time of the year... Christmas.  I am so glad and thankful that I know and understand the True meaning of Christmas.

Newsletter News

My ideas for the newsletter are to talk about who will be playing in the coffee shop, Magic Express, and generate some more interest for this new venture.  I will talk about some of the newer books and try to generate some interest from more people in my book banter article.  Stocking Stuffers is an idea for students to bring in gently used books for a book exchange before the winter break.  Then there will be the Techno Tools that talks about Technology and safety on the internet.

Getting into the spirit of Christmas

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Brochure topic

My brochure is for a once a month coffee shop, called Magic Express.  The last Friday of every month the coffee shop will be open in the media center.  There will be a featured artist each time that provides entertainment for half an hour.  Students will be able to purchase breakfast items and sit and chat with friends.

Masks Skit

Inservice topic

My topic for the inservice is the new database the school has purchased.  This database is Encyclopedia Britannica Online.  I want the teachers to know how to use this database because this encourages the kids to use this new resource as well.

Media Web site

For one of my classes I had to create some web site. I had the privilege of of doing the Media site for Monticello's Middle School.

Here are the links.

This links you to Monticello's Middle School website. http://ms.monticello.k12.mn.us/

Click on the Media button to get to my pages.

Here is the direct link the the website
Mr. Hermerding's Media Page

High School students have American Pride

I was hunting around for school and found this awesome video by students. I thought I would share it with all of you.

Classroom Blogging

I think using blogs in a class to create excitement about writing is a great idea. For many students writing is a chore. I know that I enjoy writing on a computer better than on paper because of the ease to erase or move things around. Responding to a blog doesn’t seem as daunting a task as sitting down to write a paper. I like the idea that Julie Siporin had about having her third graders respond to Jefferson Bear’s questions (Collaborative Literacy article) The students weren’t threatened with feeling like their teacher was grading their thoughts because they were talking to a stuffed animal. When Brookover (Why We Blog)mentioned internal blogging for a department to keep communication open, it sparked an idea for me. I think a Media Specialist could keep a blog for people to read about the daily interactions in the Media Center. You can post about new books and have a short book talk about some great titles and people can read about this at home or while at school. Teachers can get behind this and even mention it in their classes very quickly. Having students and teachers post comments about the books is a great way to generate interest in literacy without it being yet ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT. The Talkback Project brings up a good point of administrators being able to see how collaboration became an important part of the students’ lives. The administrators and public are able to get a glimpse into a classroom without being intrusive. I think they are able to get a better picture of what is happening within the classroom by reading a blog. Students do not have to fear being watched, unlike a formal observation by a principal or administrator who visits the classroom. We all know how students and teachers can freeze up when being observed. I think it would be a great idea to send out an email inviting school board members and administrators to visit your blog and even post. It would be a simple way to create involvement by everyone in a low key way.

Blogging seems to be the “it” thing right now. Kids used to write in journals or diaries because they were the thing to do. But just like everything else journals have gone digital. Is this good or bad? I am not really sure. I think in some ways it is good to be digital and people can keep up with what you are doing. In the article Collaborative Literacy they state “Blogs are websites that allow individuals to create personal webpages of text, pictures, graphics, videos, and other multimedia with the same ease as creating a word processing document.” In starting my webpage I have found this to be true. It has been fun to create something that you can get started with my clicking on a background, clicking in a box and typing, and then hit the create button. Bam, you have a blog. I do have some concerns about blogging that Brookover addresses in her article, “consider why you will blog, the time commitment required, the scope of topics, whether or not to allow public comments, and how success will be measured.” I think that there is a time commitment that is easy to fulfill at the start of your blog, but later on the passion for posting can diminish and the blog becomes stagnant. As a teacher you need to think about how you will measure success or student progress along with the purpose of the blog. I think that we all need to be realistic about trying to integrate something new. Just as Witte talked about with her Talkback project, there will be some problems and the learning curve is sometimes steep. But we have to keep in mind the purpose is getting kids to be engaged in learning.In this day in age it means we need to embrace technology not run away from it. I plan to use technology and the internet to improve the way I engage my students. Hopefully this will spill over to other teachers as well.

Summer's over?!?

Where has the summer gone?  These 3 months fly by so quickly.  I am not quite ready for the school year routine.  I am glad that I adjust to the routine rather quickly.  It is a harsh reality when that alarm clock goes off so early each morning and my feet have to hit the floor to get ready for a new day.  I know that I am enjoying my last weekend of summer without the pressure of things that need to be completed.  I have to keep telling myself to take things one day at a time as well as one project at a time.  I hope that you have enjoyed this Labor Day weekend doing fun things.  This picture is from the Rose Gardens in Duluth.  It was taken a few years ago, but it reminds me that we are coming to the end of rose growing season.  I always hate to see that come to an end.  I love to go out on my day and smell the roses that I have growing, they always smell so good.

Is prayer important in your life?

I have a friend that sent me the following quote:

"Prayer alone will overcome the gigantic difficulties which confront the workers in every field."

This photo is of Chapel in the Hills in South Dakota.  It is a beautiful spot that inspires prayer.  I have had the pleasure of visiting this place the last two years.  I also know that prayer plays an important part of my life, and when there are difficulties in my life prayer calms and soothes my soul.

Here's to blogging

I am excited to enter this new world.  While part of this blog will be for a class, I am hoping that I will be able to exchange some ideas with people and have some fun at the same time.