Patrick Coleman

test post

2009-10-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

6th Period Chemistry Average Atomic Mass Question

2009-10-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Using the data table provided by your Chemistry Teacher (the dashingly handsome, always amusing, highly intelligent and all-around fascinating Mr. Coleman), make a comment underneath this post in which you answer the following questions:

1. Which of the isotopes listed are the same element? Explain your reasoning.

2. Explain why the mass of each isotope is not a whole number.

5th Period Chemistry Class Average Atomic Mass Question

2009-10-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

6th Period Chemistry Class

2009-09-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Please add a comment .. you need to include your name.

5th Period Chemistry Class 2009-10

2009-09-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Please leave a comment here and include your name so I know that you've found my blog and we can add each other as followers.

3rd Period Physical Science 2009-10

2009-09-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Please leave a comment ... include your name.

2nd Period Physical Science 2009-10

2009-09-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

Please leave a comment .. make sure your comment includes your name.

1st Period Physical Sci. 2009-10

2009-09-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

Please add a comment here, can be very simple .. just a simple "Hi" along with your name is fine.

8th Period Chemistry Class

2008-12-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hello 8th Period Chemistry ... welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. Today I want you to do two things, first simple leave a comment for this post, it can be something simple like "Hi Mr. Coleman, here is my comment".

Once you leave a comment I want you to try and add all other students who leave a comment as "follower's". This is easy to do, simply click on their blog name on my "comment page" it will take you to their blog. Then click on "follow this blog", then confirm that you want to follow it. If you have any questions, ask me ... I'll be floating around the room.

Physical Science Class - Seasons

2008-12-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Today I want you to explain what causes the seasons to change on planet earth. Take pride in this assignment. Dr. Howard Gardener asks each Harvard graduate this exact question on graduation day & only 5% get this right. Please post this answer as a comment underneath this post, so simply click on "comment" (look lower right hand side underneath this post), and enter your answer.

Are you smarter than a Harvard Grad? Fear not ... even if you don't get this right it still places you on par with 95% of Harvard's graduating class.

Mr. Coleman

3rd Period Chemistry Class comment here!

2008-12-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

Hello 3rd Period Chemistry ... welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. Today I want you to do two things, first simple leave a comment for this post, it can be something simple like "Hi Mr. Coleman, here is my comment".

Once you leave a comment I want you to try and add all other students who leave a comment as "follower's". This is easy to do, simply click on their blog name on my "comment page" it will take you to their blog. Then click on "follow this blog", then confirm that you want to follow it. If you have any questions, ask me ... I'll be floating around the room.

1st Period Chemistry Class Comments Here!

2008-12-16T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hello 1st Period Chemistry ... welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. Today I want you to do two things, first simple leave a comment for this post, it can be something simple like "Hi Mr. Coleman, here is my comment".

Once you leave a comment I want you to try and add all other students who leave a comment as "follower's". This is easy to do, simply click on their blog name on my "comment page" it will take you to their blog. Then click on "follow this blog", then confirm that you want to follow it. If you have any questions, ask me ... I'll be floating around the room.

Mr. Coleman

Energy Transfer

2008-12-05T07:28:00.001-08:00

OK folks, this is your first official assignment for blogging. Your goal is to simply list the 3 types of energy transfer that we talked about in class, define each one & give an example of each one.

You are to do this on your own blog, with the title "Energy Transfer".

I will be checking your work starting Monday night ... so if you do not finish in class, you can work on it over the weekend. If you do not have internet access at home, remember you can visit the Euclid Public Library and use their computers, or simply make sure you finish in class.

Good luck & good blogging to you all!

Mr. Coleman

Physical Science Class

2008-12-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

Hello 4th Period Physical Science, welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. We will be using and integrating blogging into our class from this point forward.

Please leave a comment so that I know you've found my blog and know how to leave comments.

Go Cavs!

Final 571 post

2008-07-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

I'll take a couple of things from 571 this summer, but primarily I enjoyed working on the synthesis paper assignment. I've been slowly gravitating towards "assessment" as something I want to focus on over the next couple years of my career. This past school year I dramatically altered how I manage my grade book switching to a strict outcome-based format that is centered around a very tight 0-1-2 rubric. Basically every assignment is broken down into several "standards" or "outcomes" and students either earn a 0,1 or 2. It has dramatically altered the behavior of a large percentage of students for the positive .. and is easily the one strategy I've implemented that had the largest impact.

For this reason I was eager to further my understanding of some of the latest "assessement" applications during my work on the synthesis paper. I really like the Caret site and ended up using it quite a bit for my 581 and 575 sections as well this summer.

Well .. I guess that's it for 571. I have some minor revisions to make, but other than that I think the "hay is in the barn" as my dad would say.

Good luck to all of you!

pc

Digital Divide

2008-07-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

The digital divide refers to the widening gap between people who have regular access to digital and information technology and those who don’t. The effect of this gap promises to compound an already economically polarized society of the “haves and have nots” by also potentially limiting a population segments ability to “participate”, further their education goals, and even function in modern day society. For example, computer-based democratic participation could result in someone’s inability to even vote.

As a school district, it is our moral responsibility to be proactive about taking steps to insure our students aren’t victimized by this growing phenomenon. My specific recommendations would include:

1. Establishing each school building as a high-speed wireless campus.
2. Purchase 1 wireless mobile laptop cart for every 300 students for teachers to sign out and use in their classrooms. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation welcome grant applications for this very purpose.
3. Establish “TRT’s” (technology resource teachers) with each school building to help teachers and students troubleshoot through their various applications. As we all know, even the best technological applications have their “glitches”, it is important that qualified personnel are in place to help guide everyone through both the peaks and valleys of technology integration.
4. Allocate funds/ write grants for the purchase of “Promethean” boards for teachers who prove they have the aptitude for, or are willing to be trained in how to use this hardware.
5. Move technology into the “core” portion of our school districts curriculum. The reality is that for all of our current students, mastering technological applications won’t be “elective” for them. We cannot provide students the “option” of being on the wrong side of the “digital divide”.
6. Establish a timeline for eventually mandating that students submit a portion of their coursework digitally in selected courses.

These steps will require a commitment on the part of the district, some belt tightening of the districts budget, and most importantly a pro-active mentality with regard to insuring our students don’t find themselves on the wrong side of the “digital divide”.

The primary obstacle will be funding, however it is important to keep in mind that many of the fiscal costs associated with implementing these recommendations are primarily of a “start up” nature, and that there are ample grant opportunities to help offset a good portion. My initial formal recommendation would be to bring in a grant-writing consultant to sharpen our districts focus with respect to fundraising/grant-writing.

ED TECH 571 - Trends in Ed Tech Post

2008-07-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

A passion for me, and a cardinal reason that I remain excited about education after 10 years in the field is the challenge of narrowing the achievement gap. As a result an ed tech trend that I feel is important as well as interesting is provided affordable web access for the masses. The link below discusses some of the possible solutions to this problem.

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/issuebriefs/ib7.htm

Along the same lines would be another trend, the leveling of power that web access provides. Today … almost anyone can publish a book, a song, or even a movie. You don’t need to be backed by major studio’s etc. This link discussed this trend as well as 5 others to watch.

http://www.eschoolnews.org/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=42098&CFID=7849030&CFTOKEN=16165061

ED TECH 571 - Definition Post

2008-07-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Reiser’s article, cemented for me a strong believe that I’ve held since some of my first days running a classroom. Adaptability to change is among your highest priorities as a professional. At different times and eras of instructional delivery in this country, “educational technology” has come to mean many different things. A critical idea to me (although cliché) is that the only constant in education should ideally be change. Reiser’s discussion, especially the last couple pages where he sorts through the “evolution” of the different definitions for educational technology, is highly relevant in my opinion. What is currently encompassed with the phrase “educational technology” will one day be out-dated and inappropriate.

Something else that resonated with me is the “secondary” role that instructional media should play to instructional design. At the end of the day, what research has proven to make the furthest strides in actual improvements in achievement, are sound design techniques. Utilizing the latest media “bells & whistles” as a supplement to proven design methods should be something any educator sees as vital to student engagement and achievement. But the emphasis that instructional media’s proper role is supplementary to design is an idea that I’ve found to be strongly backed up through practical experience in the classroom.

My definition of educational technology is the use of cutting edge instructional media and communication technologies, as an enhancement tool for an outcome-based design process.

Internet Safety Acknowledgement

2008-07-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

Young chemists ... please post a response to our chemistry class internet safety rules acknowledging that you read them and will follow them for the 2008-2009 school year.

ED TECH 575/571

2008-07-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

First official post to my very own blog .... yeah!