Blogs on Upper Elementary (3-5)

Back in 2005, West Virginia embarked on a bold effort to reinvent public education. The vision was ambitious, especially for a rural state with a high poverty rate. "We're not tinkering around the edges here -- we are completely transforming every aspect of our system," then-Superintendent Steven Paine told Edutopia in the early years of the initiative. To make change happen, the state Department of Education enlisted a willing group of partners: West Virginia teachers.

As the end of the year draws closer, it is important for all teachers to start evaluating how things went. One part of this evaluation should be the use of technology. Much as a teacher will look back on the lessons that worked and did not work, it is just as valuable to look back on the technology tools that were effective and ineffective. As teachers, it's important to try bettering our craft, and reflection is one of the best ways to do this. Here are five steps to help make the technology reflection a bit smoother.

While some who hear the term "identity safety" automatically think it means protection against identity theft, that actually serves as a good analogy. A colorblind environment, where differences are left "at the door" is a form of identity theft.

As we close in on Earth Day 2012, it seems fitting to reflect on the school's dual role in environmental protection.

Like all entities, schools have an environmental footprint. Those in the school generate trash. They use energy for heating, lighting, photocopying and so on. Schools are cleaned using chemicals that have environmental impacts. The list continues.