Kaulbach's Modern World

The sounds of my daughter and her dear friend chatting in the kitchen gives me great comfort. I know that while I work away the hours each weekend on school related projects she is not being ignored, she is engaged and thoughtful. She is happy. But this weekend was different. Her dear friend was actually 1,500 miles away in West Palm Beach even as they baked apple crisp in the kitchen. FaceTime chat changes everything. Sunday was a slow day for us. I was cooking and baking to get ahead on weekly meals. A frost was on its way so I quickly harvested our backyard garden. Plums, apples, squash, tomatoes were piled around me when Kata's friend from Florida called. They play all summer while on vacation in Vermont. Kata set up the FaceTime and we all gathered around to wave and say hello. Usually the girls entertain each other by holding up their pets or zooming in on facial features. They both occupied themselves with coloring until Kata took out a kitchen knife and some of my apples. S...

Find What Works: What Works Clearinghouse Useful for why and how of reading assessment

Who is with me? I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer for a Google Hangout   with The Educator's Room ( TER ). Hoping to see follow up discussion #lancer1 on twitter too. Username: @WhitneyKaulbach. Here is a quick overview of how our schools- grades 7-12 will offer each student personal access to digital devices, the majority being iPads. Yes, I am spending oodles of time gaming, using apps and some official summertime professional development on my school campus.  Don't all teachers find a way to squeeze hours of work during vacation time?  It is a terrible disease- this devotion to learning. As teachers we need to prepare for the phase in period and then the full access period.  Fortunately I am part of an amazing social studies department or PLC. We get along,  we agree to commonalities while embracing our individuality.  Our principal supports teacher led professional development which is why we all showed up in a good mood today. My husb...

Ok, so we checked with NP at Fruita before we took off. They never say this but the rangers gave us a 100% assurance of no rain. The absolutely perfect day for slot canyons, novice style.  Consulting three maps, notes of a reliable biology teacher and tour guides, we pulled off onto Hole in The Rock Road and proceeded to navigate the 26.1 miles of straight dirt road to nowhere. Every write up assures that this is a rough paved road. By rough, they mean, no pavement. Our rental Kia jostled along without complaining. I eyed the 6 gallon reserve of water in the back seat and crossed my fingers as we passed a broken down jeep with a flat. We waved enthusiastically when a Ford pickup flew by with a tailgate of young bucks. It even lightened the mood when the road hump was hit dead on and the boys bounced up and into each other with great whoops and yeehaa. Devout Mormons built this road and it intrigued me from the moment I read its name. It does dump into a river but let's faced it, it...

Somewhere,enroute to Moab, I began to breathe easier. not only because the air is purportedly clearer but because the open sky, the long ribbon of highway gave me the perspective that, once again, my collected problems were small. The world is a big place and zipping 80 mph through Spanish Forks to Price, Utah helped remind me of this. 8 days of camping was a gift I could give my family. I worked for a week in Salt Lake City grading essays for the Collegeboard to pay for the trip. Other graders wondered if they should take on a similar venture next year. I say, go for it. We drove nonstop to Moab but camping along the Green River or in Price appeared tempting. Vermont friends on a similar trip two days ahead did not enjoy their campsite on the Green River but I still would try it if driving at night was a problem. Price was greener and less crowded, yet Moab was calling. We only drove the last 20 miles in waning light at 9 pm, heading right to our air conditioned cabin. Air conditionin...

Love this article on Decoding ! Ready or not, my rural high school is preparing to deliver 1:1 iPads to our entire middle and high school populations next fall. Furtive conversations abound in halls and at lunch gatherings as we debate the possibilities and traditional needs of classroom learning. There has always been a fine line between reliance on products that facilitate 21st century learning or teaching as salespersons for product placement. Are we building a service based society at the expense of academic learning?  What about our rural students? Does reliance on iPads alienate them or become enhancers their  talent? I’m wracking my brain over these questions; I dare not get the answers wrong.  My excitement and anxiety is compounded by my husband’s responsibilities for said project. He is the tech integrationist, a stand up teacher who sacrificed his classroom role to lead this initiative. We have much at stake in this, including a dinner date a year from...