Even very young children have worries and feel stress to some degree. It is the result of expectations, perceived or real, placed on them from outside sources, and their ability to meet these expectations. Stress can affect learning outcomes, social development, and can lead to problems in a child’s adult life if not acknowledged and resolved.

The results of a survey conducted by KidsHealth^® KidsPoll can give us some insights. When asked, kids said their biggest sources of stress are the following:

• Grades, school, and homework – 36%

• Family – 32%

• Friends, peers, gossip, and teasing – 21%.

According to this poll,

About 25% of the kids surveyed said that when they are upset, they take it out on themselves, either by banging their heads against something, hitting or biting themselves, or doing something else to hurt themselves. These kids also were more likely to have other unhealthy coping strategies, such as eating, losing their tempers, and keeping problems to themselves.

But for some kids, feelings of stress, frustration, helplessness, hurt, or anger can be overwhelming. Without the tools to deal with their stress, they may react in harmful ways that don’t get to the source of the problem.

In many cases, teachers spend more hours a day with children than many of the parents. They are in a unique position to identify children who may be feeling an oppressive amount of stress. The following are some symptoms* that are experienced by children who are feeling stress:

1. Physical – headaches, stomach aches, vomiting, wetting

2. Emotional – fear, irritability, sadness

3. Behavioral – crying, nervous tics, losing temper

4. Interactions with others – withdrawing, teasing and bullying, extreme shyness

What can you do, as a teacher, to help your students cope with stress?*

1. Help your students talk about what’s bothering them. Offer each child a few minutes of one-on-one time each day to talk about their feelings.

2. Provide time for physical activity. Try to build it into teaching time.

3. Encourage healthy eating.

4. Teach relaxation skills such as remembering and imagining pleasant situations or experiences.

5. Use gentle touch in an appropriate way. It’s a powerful stress reliever.

6. Teach your students that mistakes are okay and admit it when you make a mistake.

7. Be clear about rules and consequences. Always follow through but be sure you have the facts first.

8. Teach ways of handling difficult situations with talk and role play.

9. Tell or read stories to kids about dealing with stress.

10. Be a role model by handling your stress in a healthy way.

Competition for grades, popularity, and approval create stressful situations for kids at school and at home. Be sure you’re doing what you can to alleviate stress and support not only the academic success, but the well-being of every child in your classroom.

*Adapted from Taking Charge of Stress, Iowa State University Extension

Look up “notetaking applications” on Google, and you’ll find plenty of options to choose from – many of them can be used offline or connected to the Internet – and all of them are multifunction. Although we don’t endorse any particular application, some of the most popular include

• Evernote^®

• Ubernote

• Notefish

• Springnote

• Zoho Notebook

With notetaking applications, students can keep resources they need to complete a project, stay organized, or plan a presentation in one easy digital notebook. They can use it to simply jot down ideas or organize complete group projects that allow multi-person access. Not only can they save text files, but they can also record or save audio files, photos from their local computer or linked to the web, video files, and web links. These applications are also great for keeping to-do lists, reading lists, and reminders.

Since each student has his own preferences, he may prefer one application over another for a number of reasons, but notetaking with one of these easy-to-use and generally free applications provides a number of benefits, especially to those who are organizationally-challenged:

1. Organization – Instead of leafing through numerous pages of a paper notebook, students are able to keep notes, photos, audio and video clips associated with a particular topic or project in one place. No longer can your students say, “I know I wrote it down somewhere. 

2. Portable – Most notetaking applications can be accessed through mobile devices, allowing students to add ideas, photos, and new content to their notes from anywhere anytime. Get rid of the old excuse, “I didn’t have a pen.”

3. Network Storage – Since notes created with these software applications are stored online, hardware problems are seldom an issue. Students simply log on to an Internet connected computer to access their information. “I lost my notes because my hard drive fried,” is no longer a valid explanation.

4. Sharable – Notes can be shared with a group or can accommodate multiple users. This is a huge benefit when working on group projects and when collaborating with students who are geographically distant. “I couldn’t find anyone to take me to the group meeting,” will no longer be a reasonable reason for non-participation.

5. Familiar Interface – Students are able to type, drag and drop, clip, and copy or paste content for later access. “I just couldn’t figure it out. It was too complicated,” no longer applies.

Best of all, when you encourage your students to use notetaking software, you are teaching them to take greater responsibility for their own education and reinforcing 21st century skills to help them achieve academic success.

At ODYSSEYWARE, our online learning environment supports the development of digital skills while delivering rigorous and relevant content to students as they progress through lessons at their own pace. We encourage teachers to support their students in establishing efficient notetaking habits that last a lifetime.

As you become more familiar with each student’s personality, learning style, and motivators, you realize the importance of remembering that each is an individual. How can you possibly be optimally effective with so many different needs to be met?

You care about kids. That’s why you became a teacher. If you didn’t, reaching each student simply wouldn’t be important to you. While there are many suggestions from many experts for maintaining healthy student relationships throughout the school year, you many find the following easy-to-remember acronym helpful.

Show students you CARE!

• Communication

Clear communication is a two-way street. On one end, it’s important to be clear and concise when explaining lessons, rules, and expectations. When you communicate clearly, students have a roadmap for their own success. At the other end is listening. For many years, teachers have taken center stage communicating downward to the masses. When we listen, we may learn not only what our students are longing for academically, but what they are saying, hearing, thinking, and doing. You may be surprised at what you can learn from them.

• Authenticity

The mantra of the digital generation could easily be, “Get real.” With little interest in privacy, the self they show you in the classroom is the self you can find on their Facebook status, their website, and their Flickr photostream. They have little care for privacy and are quite okay being who they are on and offline. It stands to reason that they can easily see through any phony façade you present to them. Show your wisdom, wit, and your serious side. When you “get real,” you build trust, bring humor into the classroom, and your students know you care.

• Respect

Creating an environment of respect in your classroom provides your students a secure and positive space to learn. When students feel free to give their best idea without criticism and make mistakes without ridicule, their collaborative skills grow. Self-esteem, essential to lifelong achievement, is nurtured, and learning becomes exciting. Best of all, respect grows. Those who respect each other also begin to respect the space, belongings, and time of each other. They respect the school, the community, and finally the world they live in. Now that’s something worth learning.

• Experience

No matter how detailed your plans are, there are days when lessons get derailed. Be flexible and learn to accept these times as windows of opportunity for learning. When you are actually present in the classroom, you will experience the unexpected. This is where instruction meets practice. When you take information out of the book and make it a living, breathing experience, learning happens. In fact, it may be a fun to jet off course just because it feels like the right thing to do on a Wednesday. Don’t always be ruled by the lesson plan. Lead with your heart, and you will encourage a love of learning.

Throughout the year, you will face situations that challenge the relationships you have forged with your students. If you CARE, many of these situations will be more easily resolved, at-risk students become less risky, and you can rest assured that you have given them your best effort.

While we have all been told the importance of changing our passwords, most of us don’t do it often enough. We log on to so many sites, that creating another new and strong password that we will have to commit to memory is just not appealing. Appealing or not, it is important to change your password regularly. The longer a password stays the same, the more likely it will be discovered by a malicious user who will then be able to wreak havoc in your life.

If you have changed your password, the next step is removing the old password that is stored in your web browser. Here’s how:

Firefox^® (2 and 3):

While you are on the Firefox Start Page, from the Tools drop down menu choose Options. Click on the Security tab at the top of the window and click the Saved Passwords button. This will bring up a window that shows all of the sites for which Firefox has saved your password. Find the ODYSSEYWARE site and user name on the list. Highlight it blue and click the Remove button. To finish up, click the Close button on the Saved Passwords window, then the OK button on the Options window.

Internet Explorer:

Unlike Firefox, Internet Explorer^® will not all you to remove only one stored password. This process will remove stored passwords for all websites.

IE 7: While Internet Explorer is open, from the Tools drop down menu choose Delete Browsing History. Click the Delete passwords… button, and then click Yes on the confirmation box. To finish up, click the Close button in the Delete Browsing History window.

IE8: While Internet Explorer is open, from the Tools drop down menu choose Delete Browsing History. Make sure Passwords is checked, then click the Delete button.

If you haven’t changed your password, take the time now to ensure your online security and remember to follow the simple steps listed above to remove old passwords from your stored list.

Most teachers would agree that students do better when they take good notes, regardless of whether students are in a traditional or an online course. As the fall term begins, the time is right to help your students develop the habit of taking good notes for their courses and for life.

• The act of taking notes can help students focus on specific material discussed during a lesson.

• When students put information into their own words in notes, it helps them understand the concepts and uncover any areas that need clarification.

• Notes help students remember things better.

• When rewritten or copied, students have a chance to review information a second or third time which helps retention.

Many ODYSSEYWARE teachers promote note taking and require students to keep a notebook for their courses. Many prefer physical notebooks to online note taking applications, but both methods can be effective if properly used.

One way to support note taking by students is to create a “special project” within an ODYSSEYWARE course. Here’s how:

1. Go to Grading and click on student’s name. Open the course and unit.

2. Open up the Subject and Unit. You should then see the lessons, quizzes, projects, and test.

3. At the bottom of the Unit, click on Special Project to open.

4. You will see a message telling you to enter instructions under Edit Note, and Save Note.

5. Type instructions such as “Bring notebook to teacher for grading.” Click Save Note.

6. Block the assignment, so the student cannot move forward without turning in a notebook for review.

To enter a notebook grade under this Special Project:

1. Change Blocked to Completed. Click on Special Project to bring up the Student page.

2. Type the grade in the question’s Score box. (Note: If you do not see the Score box, click on F5 or refresh the screen, and then you should be able to type the grade into the box.)

By adding a Special Project, ODYSSEYWARE teachers can customize a unit to best suit the needs of each learner and incorporate off-computer skills in a digital world. It’s one example of how our online learning environment can be adapted to individualized learning plans.

Whichever method you require or your students prefer, there are learning benefits to taking good notes. You can have students create simple notebooks for keeping basic information, or require journaling or other specific activities by creating this sort of special project.

As for me, I will continue to use the pen and paper method. There’s something about the ability to use the margins to add a thought, the ease with which I can sketch quick diagrams, and the unstructured freedom of movement I get with a pen that makes it work.

Do you favor physical or digital note taking? If you use digital apps for this function, which do you prefer?

From time to time and for various reasons, it is necessary to change ODYSSEYWARE IP addresses. Schools using a proxy or content filter to restrict access based on an IP address will be affected any time this sort of change takes place.

To avoid any problems, we recommend filtering by domain (URL) rather than IP address.  Should we need to change IP addresses, there will be no action necessary on your part because the information will automatically replicate to the domain.

To put this practice in place, you will need the following domains. (Asterisks are wild cards allowing all subdomains.)

http://*.owotw.com

http://*.owotw11.com

Once you make this simple change, there should be no need to repeatedly adjust your filters to allow ODYSSEYWARE content.

By making this modification, you make it easier for students to keep learning and teachers to keep teaching.

If you have any questions about this tip, our tech support team is here. We want to ensure smooth interaction between every computer and every user. Online or on the phone, we make every effort to ensure that ODYSSEYWARE makes sense for teachers.

The good news is, in the digital age, you can offer students much more than vanilla. Think of it as two or three scoops with a cherry on top. By blending different curricula, teaching methods, and delivery systems, educators can create individualized learning environments as diverse as your students.

Many schools are already offering Rum Raisin, Mint Chocolate Chip, and my favorite Jamoca® Almond Fudge, schools like Clackamas Web Academy.

This free public charter school in Oregon serves 440 students in grades 1-12. Core courses are delivered online with ODYSSEYWARE to web-inclined Clackamas students. Students who prefer a more traditional model have the option of choosing a paper-based curriculum. This innovative hybrid model blends online and offline learning opportunities with on-site enrichment classes, support, and activities both at school and in the community.

I like the fact that we are able to customize courses for individual students.

- Clackamas Web Academy Teacher

ODYSSEYWARE recently conducted a case study that examined the scores of students participating in online courses at Clackamas during the 2008-09 school year. With an average score of 83 percent, students performed above average in both core and elective courses. One reason for the success may be the students’ stellar attendance records. While students at other schools with comparable demographics attend school an average of 90 percent of the time, Clackamas students, due in part to ODYSSEYWARE’s anywhere access, had a perfect attendance record.

At a time when many schools are considering offering a blended learning program, Clackamas Web Academy proves not only that it can be done, but it can be done well with good student outcomes.

Whether they prefer Pistachio Almond, Rocky Road, or Rainbow Sherbet, students win with more options when you offer a hybrid learning environment with ODYSSEYWARE as a core component.

What do you think is the appropriate learning blend, and what’s your favorite flavor?

The quality of teacher–student relationships is the keystone for all other aspects of classroom management.

Marzano and Marzano, Dimensions of Learning

To create relationships that nurture students and support learning, start with ABC.

A – Affirm

Students need to know they matter. Use the following tips to validate your students:

• Greet them as they enter your classroom. Introduce yourself and ask their name. Repeat their name and try to commit it to memory.

• Make eye contact. Let them know you really see them. Welcome them to the classroom.

• Shake hands or offer a pat on the shoulder. Acknowledge them as a person, not a number; as an individual, not part of a group.

• Be present. Distraction indicates that something other than being with them is a priority. Notice things about your students that will help you to understand them.

B – Believe

Not only do students need to know they have value, but they need to know there is someone – you – who believes in them. After your initial greeting:

• Let your students know what you expect academically. Assure them that they you know they are capable of success.

• Work together to establish classroom rules and consequences. When students believe they have a say in setting the ground rules, they are more likely to cooperate.

• Ask them what they expect to learn. Let them know that you believe they can reach their goals.

• Establish an environment of trust. While it’s important for students to know you believe in them, they must also believe in you. Let them know that your goal is to help them learn, they can come to you with any challenge, and that you will do everything within your power to help them overcome this challenge.

C – Care

Simply stated, students generally perform better academically when they know a teacher cares about them and their success. They want to please.

• Be real. Tell your students about the real you. What is your favorite food? Students can tell the difference between genuine caring and lip service. Be yourself and let them get to know the real you.

• Listen actively. When students tell you about themselves, listen closely so you really get to know who they are.

• Observe. Watch for signs that indicate a student is struggling academically, emotionally, or personally. Be proactive.

• Get personal. Learn more about your students than their academic history. What do they like to do in their free time? Do they have brothers and sisters? How do they feel about their cat? What are they passionate about? With this knowledge, you can better adapt your teaching style to reach each individual student.

While every single student has different needs, you as a teacher are able to reach them and teach them if you allow them the space and the trust to open up to you. As the new term begin, remember your ABCs and create relationships that may last long after the school year ends.

While collecting data for the National Broadband Plan proposal, experts learned what many of you already know. E-rate policies are cumbersome and out of date. As a result, broad changes to the E-rate program are planned and will be implemented over time.

How will this affect your public school?

As the plan is implemented for the 2010-11 school year, the benefits* will be substantial:

• Streamlining the application and competitive bidding processes for telecommunications and Internet access in an effort to further reduce the administrative burden on applicants, while at the same time maintaining appropriate safeguards to mitigate potential waste, fraud, and abuse.
• Codifying the requirement that competitive bidding processes is “fair and open” to enhance the Commission’s ability to enforce its rules in cases involving waste, fraud and abuse.
• Simplifying the way schools calculate their discounts and conforming the E-rate definition of “rural” to the Department of Education’s definition.
• Supporting 24/7 online learning by eliminating the current rule that requires schools to allocate the cost of wireless Internet access service between funded, in-school use and non-funded uses away from school premises.
• Providing greater flexibility to recipients to choose the most cost-effective bandwidth solutions for their connectivity needs by allowing the leasing of low-cost fiber optic line from municipalities and other entities that are not telecommunications carriers.
• Expanding the reach of broadband in residential schools that serve populations facing unique challenges, such as Tribal schools or schools for children with physical, cognitive, or behavioral disabilities.
• Creating a new, predictable funding mechanism for internal connections so that more schools and libraries have the ability to use the most technologically advanced applications, including video streaming to the classroom, to provide superior learning opportunities.
• Indexing the current $2.25 billion cap on E-rate disbursements to inflation to maintain the purchasing power of the current program and enable continued support for high speed broadband and internal connections in the future.
• Creating a process for schools and libraries to dispose of obsolete equipment without running afoul of the prohibition on reselling equipment and services purchased using E-rate funds.

*Source: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-83A1.doc

While these changes make E-rate more user friendly, they also give educators the opportunity to find innovative improvements to the learning environments, physical and virtual, where children spend the majority of their time.

How do you use E-rate to improve technology and learning in your school or district? What changes do you believe would make E-rate more effective?

New research indicates what while many of the teachers in today’s classrooms are graying, a new breed of young and ambitious Gen Y teachers is flooding the market. Unfortunately, many are not staying in the classroom, but moving into better paying administrative positions or leaving the profession altogether.

In many cases, these men and women enter the profession with an ambition to make a difference, to be challenged, to be leaders, and to promote social justice. Within a few years, they are disillusioned and looking for opportunities where they might really make a difference.

Programs like Boston-originated Teach Plus Fellows Program appeal to these young and ambitious leaders. Enticing incentives draw and retain the best and the brightest. While they are passionate about kids and about their particular subject, what motivates them is a passion to improve society.

They are hired to teach in low-performing urban schools, offered a higher salary, and given data to analyze. They are given the opportunity to weigh in on policy decisions and connect in a societal way to the educational reform movement. Natural leaders, they want to expand their area of influence. Teach Plus teachers assume roles that enhance the scope of their jobs to include additional responsibilities such as working with superintendents on policy or serving as legislative aides.

In order to keep young and ambitious teachers teaching, studies suggest that more opportunities like this should be made available. Not only does this increase job satisfaction and ensure a strong teacher base for the future, but it also gives students in lower-performing schools highly-motivated, innovative teachers to support learning.

Gen Y teachers thrive on data and a need to make a difference. These teachers appreciate the data provided through online curriculum like ODYSSEYWARE. It allows them to analyze what works and fails on a student-by-student basis and is one tool that allows them to give opportunity to struggling students whose problems are not easily addressed in a traditional classroom.

If we really want to change the system, we need to learn to rely on this data-driven, leadership-minded new breed of Gen Y teachers and promote programs that give them the incentive to teach for a lifetime.