C4T Teacher #4 Summary Post

Beth Still

Nebraska Change Agent- Beth Still


I read Beth Still's blog for this assignment. The first post I read and commented on was about Skype. She wanted to get ten people, the most Skype allows, on a Skype video conference all at once. I told her that I thought it was a great idea. Also, I told her that I really liked how she was trying to take full advantage of the technology of our time. When it was over, she let me know how everything went. She said, "We had up to 7 cameras live at one time which was really cool. Four time zones were represented! However, there were major issues with the call kicking people out. The amazing part of all of this is knowing that through Twitter  I will always have people to turn to when I need help."

The second post of Beth Still's that I read was about how adjustments lead to major improvements. She explained how out of her thirty-eight students last semester twelve of them did not get credit for her course. The main reason for this was the quarterly project they had to complete. If they did one step wrong, every other part was affected. She decided to change it for the next semester. They started the project the first week of the semester, so they wouldn't have to do it all at once. The students aren't allowed to go to the next step without completing the one they are one. This allows them to work at their own pace. She also explained how she is trying to do more to build good relationships with her students. She seems to genuinely care about the success of her students. I commented that I thought it was very encouraging to hear stories like this one. I told her that I thought it was a great message being sent. I also said that I could tell that she is a very dedicated teacher. In her post, she posed the question, "Do I care too much?" She said that she didn't think so, and I told her that I don't think educators can care too much about their students' education. It's only when they don't care enough that it becomes a problem.
the lengths she would go to help her students.