Alright. As many of you may have guessed, I am not going to be able to hit 100 classes by Monday. I have just found out that I am going to a neighboring town to visit some relatives and I will be there all day. Then, on Sunday, I will be hanging out with all of my relatives that day as well. So, basically, my whole weekend is class-free. What do we do now?
Well, we simply have to go to the next goal. Our next goal is to have 200 classes by July 12th. Now, this will not be easy and I will probably need some help. That assistant's position that I mentioned earlier is still available, so feel free to send me a message! I already have a planned vacation for the week of June 28th, so no classes there. So, that leaves me with 18 days before my deadline and I have 138 classes to go by then. So, 138/18 = 7.222222. Thus, I have to teach about 7 classes per day until then. This will probably not happen, but I will try my hardest to make it happen!
But, even with 7 classes per day, I will still be about 12 classes short from my deadline. But, I can make that up pretty fast. It is and will be getting much more difficult to do this, but by God, I will try! So, I am very sorry that we cannot celebrate my 100 classes on Monday, but I will try to get them as soon as possible! :)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Let's Take This In The Other Direction!
I have been talking about this project for quite a while now and it is the main focal point of this blog. But, what I would like to do is actually talk about the blog itself. This will just be a quick overview on the things that are going on around here and what you can do to help me out.
1. FOLLOW! - In almost every blog post that I put up, I have always said to take a look and follow my blog here. Why I would like you to follow my blog is so that I can create a larger audience and so I am not talking to myself here and nobody else is listening or reading at all. On the right here, it says "Fans of Teach 1000!". Please look at this and see if maybe you would like to follow us. You can either follow by your Google Friend Connect through your Google account or if you are already a member, you can just sign in from there.
Once you follow Teach 1000!, you will have unlimited access to all of the posts that we put up, every update that there is, and anything else that you need! So, please do not hesitate to follow us!
2. Comment! - The vast majority of readers leave a blog without leaving a comment or contributing to it in any way. In every blog post from now on, I will always invite comments to the posts! If you are a new guy and don't know how to comment at all, please visit this link here! It will change your life!
If I see that someone has made a comment to a post that I have written or maybe it is a particular question to something else, then I will reply to it immediately! When you comment, then that helps me as a blogger and as a person on how I can improve this blog and in what I do with it. All that I'm saying is do not be shy. Please comment! :)
3. Participate! - I have seen many people that come to blogs and again, do absolutely nothing! If you would notice that there are some widgets on the right hand side of this blog, such as the "Visit These Pages!" and the "Donate!" button. You can just click on those and they will take you to fantastic new lands. If you see a page entitled, "The Origins", then that will show you how this blog was created and what the purpose of it is. If you see a page entitled, "Classes", then that will list all of my upcoming classes that you can enroll into and it even lists all of my previous classes that I have. (Back to #2. If you have a comment on a class that I have or a particular teaching style that I use or anything, please comment!)
You will also see a "Donate!" button on the right hand side where you can put your 2 cents or whatever you have into our blog here and it will be used for numerous school supplies and to make this blog and e-teaching even better than it already is! :)
So, I just have 3 simple requests from you: "Follow, comment, and participate!" This project cannot happen without your support and it will not be complete without your support! So for the good of e-learning and -teaching, get involved! :)
P.S. If you have a comment, please post it below.
1. FOLLOW! - In almost every blog post that I put up, I have always said to take a look and follow my blog here. Why I would like you to follow my blog is so that I can create a larger audience and so I am not talking to myself here and nobody else is listening or reading at all. On the right here, it says "Fans of Teach 1000!". Please look at this and see if maybe you would like to follow us. You can either follow by your Google Friend Connect through your Google account or if you are already a member, you can just sign in from there.
Once you follow Teach 1000!, you will have unlimited access to all of the posts that we put up, every update that there is, and anything else that you need! So, please do not hesitate to follow us!
2. Comment! - The vast majority of readers leave a blog without leaving a comment or contributing to it in any way. In every blog post from now on, I will always invite comments to the posts! If you are a new guy and don't know how to comment at all, please visit this link here! It will change your life!
If I see that someone has made a comment to a post that I have written or maybe it is a particular question to something else, then I will reply to it immediately! When you comment, then that helps me as a blogger and as a person on how I can improve this blog and in what I do with it. All that I'm saying is do not be shy. Please comment! :)
3. Participate! - I have seen many people that come to blogs and again, do absolutely nothing! If you would notice that there are some widgets on the right hand side of this blog, such as the "Visit These Pages!" and the "Donate!" button. You can just click on those and they will take you to fantastic new lands. If you see a page entitled, "The Origins", then that will show you how this blog was created and what the purpose of it is. If you see a page entitled, "Classes", then that will list all of my upcoming classes that you can enroll into and it even lists all of my previous classes that I have. (Back to #2. If you have a comment on a class that I have or a particular teaching style that I use or anything, please comment!)
You will also see a "Donate!" button on the right hand side where you can put your 2 cents or whatever you have into our blog here and it will be used for numerous school supplies and to make this blog and e-teaching even better than it already is! :)
So, I just have 3 simple requests from you: "Follow, comment, and participate!" This project cannot happen without your support and it will not be complete without your support! So for the good of e-learning and -teaching, get involved! :)
P.S. If you have a comment, please post it below.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Help Wanted!
Hello!
Upon further review of this project, it looks like that I may need some help with it. I cannot keep spending hours upon hours everyday, scheduling classes for the next day or taking a look at what I will be covering with that class. That is why I am asking for some assistant who will speak with me and help me out a bit. Your job will basically entail telling me at which times would be best for me to hold classes, co-hosting some classes of mine, notifying students of upcoming classes or possible cancellations, and possibly scheduling classes for me at the appropriate times that I give you.
Now, you need to know that this job is simply volunteer work and that is basically all that I am doing here. I am teaching nearly all of these classes for free and with that, I would like you to know that you will not be getting paid. You will only have the great knowledge of knowing that you have helped someone to achieve their full potential and to help hundreds of other students as well. Also, you don't really need any prior knowledge or credentials to take this job, but just the commitment of doing it (and a Skype account where we can talk!).
If you would like to apply for the position, please leave your information in the comments section or you can email me directly at ablair2391@yahoo.com. The absolute best way to contact me would be on Skype at the address of austinteacher. I really do hope to be working with you soon! :)
Upon further review of this project, it looks like that I may need some help with it. I cannot keep spending hours upon hours everyday, scheduling classes for the next day or taking a look at what I will be covering with that class. That is why I am asking for some assistant who will speak with me and help me out a bit. Your job will basically entail telling me at which times would be best for me to hold classes, co-hosting some classes of mine, notifying students of upcoming classes or possible cancellations, and possibly scheduling classes for me at the appropriate times that I give you.
Now, you need to know that this job is simply volunteer work and that is basically all that I am doing here. I am teaching nearly all of these classes for free and with that, I would like you to know that you will not be getting paid. You will only have the great knowledge of knowing that you have helped someone to achieve their full potential and to help hundreds of other students as well. Also, you don't really need any prior knowledge or credentials to take this job, but just the commitment of doing it (and a Skype account where we can talk!).
If you would like to apply for the position, please leave your information in the comments section or you can email me directly at ablair2391@yahoo.com. The absolute best way to contact me would be on Skype at the address of austinteacher. I really do hope to be working with you soon! :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Very Good Weekend!
Wow, I had a really great weekend! Friday night, I went to go see a comedian with a couple of friends and he was absolutely hilarious! I was rolling on the floor hysterically! Saturday, I was swimming all day with friends and family, so I took a break there and Sunday, I went to go see the new film, the A-Team which is based off of the TV series of the same name. Let me tell you right now that if you are considering watching it, it is action-packed and LOUD! But, it really is a great movie!
But, now that my break is over, I have to get back to work here. I have scheduled some new classes for this week which you can see and enroll in on the Classes page (ALWAYS CHECK THE CLASSES PAGE!!!). I took a bit too long of a break and I am now a bit behind with my classes. As I said, I want to get done with my first 100 by the time next Monday comes around, but it will be a bit tough. I have 7 classes tomorrow, 6 classes Wednesday, which just leaves 28 classes left. So, Thursday - Sunday, I will have to do at least 7 classes per day if I want to make that 100. I am cutting myself very close, but I must press on..
I have also been rethinking this project over and over again in my mind and I have figured that once summer ends and the school year comes back around, I will not have time for about 6 or 7 classes per day and I won't be able to get it done. Thus, I have come up with a bit of a new calendar. The object of this is that I will teach 8 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on all of the other days, I will be teaching 5 classes. Once the school year comes around (1st day on August 25th), then I will try to teach 4 classes after school and 6 on each day of the weekend. If I keep up with this schedule, then it would look something like this:
July 12 - 200 Classes Down!
July 29 - 300 Classes Down!
August 16 - 400 Classes Down!
August 24 (Day Before School Starts) - 453 Classes Down!
September 4 - 500 Classes Down
...and then I would just simply continue on. Now, if I make it to the halfway point of 500 classes by Labor Day Weekend, then everything will be good. I will have over a month and a half of leeway where I will be able to miss some classes and take a few breaks without fully overloading myself. But, like I said with the last schedule, this is just a guess and there is no guarantee that I will follow this exactly because things will come up and I cannot prevent that. However, I will try to stick to this as best as I can. But, for now, let's just see how this goes...
But, now that my break is over, I have to get back to work here. I have scheduled some new classes for this week which you can see and enroll in on the Classes page (ALWAYS CHECK THE CLASSES PAGE!!!). I took a bit too long of a break and I am now a bit behind with my classes. As I said, I want to get done with my first 100 by the time next Monday comes around, but it will be a bit tough. I have 7 classes tomorrow, 6 classes Wednesday, which just leaves 28 classes left. So, Thursday - Sunday, I will have to do at least 7 classes per day if I want to make that 100. I am cutting myself very close, but I must press on..
I have also been rethinking this project over and over again in my mind and I have figured that once summer ends and the school year comes back around, I will not have time for about 6 or 7 classes per day and I won't be able to get it done. Thus, I have come up with a bit of a new calendar. The object of this is that I will teach 8 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on all of the other days, I will be teaching 5 classes. Once the school year comes around (1st day on August 25th), then I will try to teach 4 classes after school and 6 on each day of the weekend. If I keep up with this schedule, then it would look something like this:
July 12 - 200 Classes Down!
July 29 - 300 Classes Down!
August 16 - 400 Classes Down!
August 24 (Day Before School Starts) - 453 Classes Down!
September 4 - 500 Classes Down
...and then I would just simply continue on. Now, if I make it to the halfway point of 500 classes by Labor Day Weekend, then everything will be good. I will have over a month and a half of leeway where I will be able to miss some classes and take a few breaks without fully overloading myself. But, like I said with the last schedule, this is just a guess and there is no guarantee that I will follow this exactly because things will come up and I cannot prevent that. However, I will try to stick to this as best as I can. But, for now, let's just see how this goes...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Almost There...
Well, I have very good news. We are getting very close to the 100 classes mark! WOOHOO!! What I am going to have to do to reach this mark is to teach about 5 classes a day. I want to hit it by our schedule that I put up earlier which is June 21 which is actually the first day of summer coincidentally!
I may also have found a pretty good teaching technique that I am quite happy with. What I basically do is before my class, I get the whiteboard all setup and prepared. I put up an introductory photo into the lesson that we are going to do (something that deals with the topic) and I put the class outline along with it. How I make up the outline is basically by selecting three or four main topics that we will be covering throughout the lesson.
Then, I make another whiteboard and put up either a picture, map, or something that will catch the students' attention. I then put up some key things that we will be learning when we come up to that whiteboard. The key is in remembering how you will teach the class and you have to make sure that it follows a certain order, otherwise it just doesn't work. I also do my regular lecture method and I add a few questions into the mix, so that I can make sure that they are paying attention.
Once we are done with all of our lesson and it's time to go home, I put up some questions on the last whiteboard that are basically just a review of the lesson that they have just witnessed. I then make it into a bit of a game where whoever answers the most question wins like a gold star or a free session on any topic or something like that.
In order to do this, a teacher has to find different ways of keeping their students involved and you have to know what exactly you are talking about. It hasn't even been 100 classes yet and I'm already talking like I know what I'm doing! :P
I may also have found a pretty good teaching technique that I am quite happy with. What I basically do is before my class, I get the whiteboard all setup and prepared. I put up an introductory photo into the lesson that we are going to do (something that deals with the topic) and I put the class outline along with it. How I make up the outline is basically by selecting three or four main topics that we will be covering throughout the lesson.
Then, I make another whiteboard and put up either a picture, map, or something that will catch the students' attention. I then put up some key things that we will be learning when we come up to that whiteboard. The key is in remembering how you will teach the class and you have to make sure that it follows a certain order, otherwise it just doesn't work. I also do my regular lecture method and I add a few questions into the mix, so that I can make sure that they are paying attention.
Once we are done with all of our lesson and it's time to go home, I put up some questions on the last whiteboard that are basically just a review of the lesson that they have just witnessed. I then make it into a bit of a game where whoever answers the most question wins like a gold star or a free session on any topic or something like that.
In order to do this, a teacher has to find different ways of keeping their students involved and you have to know what exactly you are talking about. It hasn't even been 100 classes yet and I'm already talking like I know what I'm doing! :P
Monday, June 7, 2010
Constructive Criticism
Well, I have taught a few more classes over the weekend and I missed a few due to my horrible internet. I swear that this computer needs to just die already, so that I can get a better, faster one!
Anyways, we had some very good classes this weekend, but along the way, I have yet again noticed that my students are starting to fade within the class. I listen to my recordings and every time that I do, I start to fall asleep. I need to quit with this lecture method or just find something better to engage my students with, but I cannot figure out what I should do. I know the subject, but not how to present it well enough.
I just had a class about an hour ago and I received some constructive criticism within the feedback of it. The person said, "Austin's class opening is always very intriguing, but somewhere down the line the power of the magical story is lost and the lesson turns into a normal history class. If he could just make the class more intriguing towards the end, I think it would be one of the best classes of history attended by me!"
I really can't say that I blame the person and I really do admire this person saying this. So, my class opening is great, but I need that little something to keep my students hooked on the topic and not falling asleep! So, with that in mind, I really would like you to please post something in the comments, email me, or something about what I can do to improve this teaching technique that I have. I will not be able to do 1,000 classes if my students don't like me or how I am teaching them!
So, please keep this in mind and I hope to hear from you very soon! :)
Anyways, we had some very good classes this weekend, but along the way, I have yet again noticed that my students are starting to fade within the class. I listen to my recordings and every time that I do, I start to fall asleep. I need to quit with this lecture method or just find something better to engage my students with, but I cannot figure out what I should do. I know the subject, but not how to present it well enough.
I just had a class about an hour ago and I received some constructive criticism within the feedback of it. The person said, "Austin's class opening is always very intriguing, but somewhere down the line the power of the magical story is lost and the lesson turns into a normal history class. If he could just make the class more intriguing towards the end, I think it would be one of the best classes of history attended by me!"
I really can't say that I blame the person and I really do admire this person saying this. So, my class opening is great, but I need that little something to keep my students hooked on the topic and not falling asleep! So, with that in mind, I really would like you to please post something in the comments, email me, or something about what I can do to improve this teaching technique that I have. I will not be able to do 1,000 classes if my students don't like me or how I am teaching them!
So, please keep this in mind and I hope to hear from you very soon! :)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer Is Here!!!
Hey everybody!
I'm so happy to be back here and I really did need that break to get some other things done and over with. If you have not noticed by now, I have added a few things to our blog here including a hit counter (which is already over 650!), a poll (which will have a new question each week), and a donation button. Now, with this donation button, you are basically just donating some of your money to me, so that I can do some better things with this blog and with some other things as well. You can donate from $0.01 to $1,000,000!
I am so glad that summer is here because I am finally out of school and I get to do some other things. I am going to have to juggle my golfing, hanging out, and teaching all together this summer, so that should be pretty interesting. Don't forget to follow this blog, so that we can get some more friends and also remember to put some feedback with these blog entries or something about the site.
So, that's about it for now. Go and take a look at the Classes page, where you will find some more upcoming classes that are posted online for you to attend and also remember to keep track of where we are. Our goal for now is 100 classes by June 21, so let's try to aim for that! Always keep your short goals that you can reach in mind, so that you can get to your long-term goals later. My two cents.. :)
I'm so happy to be back here and I really did need that break to get some other things done and over with. If you have not noticed by now, I have added a few things to our blog here including a hit counter (which is already over 650!), a poll (which will have a new question each week), and a donation button. Now, with this donation button, you are basically just donating some of your money to me, so that I can do some better things with this blog and with some other things as well. You can donate from $0.01 to $1,000,000!
I am so glad that summer is here because I am finally out of school and I get to do some other things. I am going to have to juggle my golfing, hanging out, and teaching all together this summer, so that should be pretty interesting. Don't forget to follow this blog, so that we can get some more friends and also remember to put some feedback with these blog entries or something about the site.
So, that's about it for now. Go and take a look at the Classes page, where you will find some more upcoming classes that are posted online for you to attend and also remember to keep track of where we are. Our goal for now is 100 classes by June 21, so let's try to aim for that! Always keep your short goals that you can reach in mind, so that you can get to your long-term goals later. My two cents.. :)
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