There has been a lot of talk about “merit pay” for teachers. I’m not here to debate the idea but I can tell you it has existed for years. I know because I have received it. You might wonder just how much I got. Well, it hasn’t been monetary. I hope this post is a bit more colorful than bragging about incentive money. For me, merit pay comes through watching kids “get it.” Let me elaborate.

This is my audio visual desk where I do most of my teaching from. I also use a Mobi to travel around the classroom and control the laptop as well as the LCD projector remotely. These are all great tools but without a lesson plan strategy like EDI and a daily plan of what I plan to teach and assess, the fancy gadgets mean nothing. That’s why I treat every day as an achievable goal. I sketch out the focused objectives, aka standards, I will teach through explicit direct instruction, focusing mainly on guided practice. After I assess through the use of whiteboards, I can see who is getting it and who needs more guided help. At that point, the ones getting it, in theory 70% of the kids, go to independent practice while I take the struggling ones to the side where I have a large whiteboard and a kidney table.

As you can see, the “audio visual” equipment is not my primary tool for teaching. The most effective tool is knowing what they will learn and how they will show they know it. From there it is pretty much like washing clothes: Wash, dry, rinse, repeat. This is a simple vignette of what I and millions of teachers do every day. Sure, some do it differently than me but if you are true to your intrinsic values, you are always inventing, creating, revising. If you do it right, the kids advance. In my opinion, the thrill and satisfaction of that is the best “merit pay” of teaching.

A while back I blogged about the people from whom I learn the most. Tonight I want to talk a little bit about the bloggers from whom I learn the most. Blogging as a genre, hobby, art form, or medium, whatever you wish to call it, is an umbrella over a wide wide array of writing “types.” Which ones do you learn the most from?  I have my favorite “types” on my Google Reader.  I spend a lot of time (my wife often tells me too much and she’s probably right) trying play my part in the game. I think of it as my “contribution” and whatever I do in my life I always aim to do right by my contribution. Anyway, as I peruse blogs and read posts out there in the vast nothingness, I learn what I like and what I don’t. I thought I’d list 5 and 5: 5 blogger “types” (no need to name names, though names exist!) that I glean things from and then 5 types that teach me what NOT to do.

First, Bloggers from whom I learn the most:

1. Writers of short posts. Long posts, unless they are very well constructed . . . bore the hell out of me and I rarely finish them. If the title isn’t “amazing” then I will prboably move on before I even reach the end, ergot the point, of the post.
2. Writers with a “#### you” attitude. The rugged individualist has always been my arch-typical hero in modern culture. The day I lose my attitude, is the day they’ll be lowering my casket into the ground. I identify with other bloggers who share that perspective.
3. Bloggers with original layouts.
4. Bloggers who post often.
5. Bloggers who comment on my site and re-comment when I visit their blogs. Also those who respond in the form of a comment to comments on their posts.

TIP: Usually you can go back to check replies to your comments on other blogs by checking their “subscribe to comments” box. Sometimes they don’t have that feature. In that case, I have a dedicated folder on my bookmarks list where I save links to posts I comment on. This makes going back much easier and much more probable.

Second, Bloggers from Whom I learn what generally NOT to Do:

1. Any blog on monetization, seo, or “how to grow your traffic.”
2. Angry bloggers that never come up for air.
3. Pity party posters.
4. Careful bloggers who explain too much.
5. AND . . . (of course you had to know this was coming) OVER-THE-TOP AD WIDGET FOLKS. (sorry, just callin’ it like it is!!!)

*If anyone feels personally attacked by this post, please don’t. I write posts of all these types. None of us will ever be perfect at this but I’m aiming at perfection anyway!

What is C.A.N.? Simply put: I rank my blogs based on three criteria: backlinks, visitors, and dollars earned. This helps me assess value and set goals. C.A.N. breaks down as: C: circulation (# of backlinks) A: analytics (# of visitors) N: net (# of dollar earnings)

Data:
C: (via Alexa)
damienriley.com 145
rileycentral.net 137
dynamitelessonplan.com 66
blogwithdamien.com 27

A: (via Google Analytics)
damienriley.com 2,680 Visits
rileycentral.net 333 Visits
dynamitelessonplan.com 224 Visits
blogwithdamien.com 58 Visits

N: via Paypal and bank payment in the given month.
Paid via Paypal (Linkworth, Blogsvertise, Text Link Ads) 118.60
Adsense 11.30
Total: $129.90

The whole time growing up, I was known as a risk taker. The older I got, the bigger the risk and adventure I craved. However, once I got married, a lot of those adventures stopped. I still enjoy sky-diving, but the month long adventure trips into the wilderness in the summers are now a thing of the past. After getting married, I kind of “settled down” in a suburb of Atlanta, GA. However, with my company trying to expand into the Northern market, I get to go on an adventure once again. No, it’s not camping, hiking, rock climbing or even jumping out of planes, but it should be quite the adventure nonetheless. The expansion has me and my wife moving to Michigan. Okay, so moving to a place that neither myself nor my wife know anything about, doesn’t exactly scream adventure, but you have to understand, neither one of us have lived north of the Mason Dixon Line, mush less in the middle of winter. Anyway, like I said, neither my wife nor myself have ever lived in Michigan so we were forced to start from scratch. Luckily, I had a coworker recommend I look at http://www.direct.tv/direct-tv/Michigan/F/direct-tv-Flint/ for our cable service. At least getting out televisions working wasn’t too much of an adventure. Now if I could just find my wife a coat that is warm and “stylish”.

• All About Pork | Healthy Baked Pork Egg Rolls | SECRET AGENT MAMA Whenever I see the camera term DSLR I think of Mishelle’s website. She is gifted indeed and also with blogging. This is a beautiful trip through pork: recipies included.
• Enjoying Naked Juices Justin tells us about the Green Machine and other naked juices. they are really good for you and not as expensive as the perception says.
• I\’m a Cyborg, But That\’s Ok – Review Aidy takes on another “out there” film. I admire her for the independent and forign stuff she takes the time to review, very entertaining.
• Memories of Valentine’s Day Another sweet and relatable poem about the upcoming holiday at GEWGAW WRITINGS
• So Who Bought The Internet? I love how Derek compares the old internet to the new. He adds a healthy dose of sarcasm to make it fun.
• The Power And Danger Of Social Media | I\’m Just Sharing Some quite insightful points on social media: pros and cons, benefits and dangers.

This post is lifted almost 100% from my tunes site. I’ve had quite a history with music so I thought I’d set down the basic history of all that to fill you in. In addition, you can get music updates including free MP3 stuff over there. Have a read and head over there if you are interested or just bored.

Here’s a few lines from one of my songs, “People,”
“Been searchin’ high and low
Everywhere I mean to go hope I find someone real,
I wanna know how the people feel.”

You might say people are what music is all about to me. I’m a singer/songwriter in the high desert of California born in 1969. I’ve been a guitar player as long as I can remember. I think I learned my first chords from my dad around age 7. I played Kenny Rogers’ “Coward of the County” at my fourth grade talent show. Since then, I was hooked on the power of music. I witnessed the way it connected people like nothing else. I listened to albums over and over again to learn the guitar stuff I play today. There were many influences but The Alarm and REM are up there toward the top.

I played in my first band at age 16, the Resolution. After that experience ended, I did a lot of playing with the church. After that experience ended (and during at some points) I played with some extremely talented people through the years including Dave Sharp, Eric Stefani, and others whose names you might not recognize because they aren’t famous. All I have played with have influenced me though some more than others.

Now, I keep my music a little closer to my chest. I became a public school teacher in 1997 and have been doing that as my career ever since. I married my beautiful and supportive wife Sarah in 2002 and we now have 3 children: Brandon, Isabella, and Julianna. I still write songs though and post them on Youtube or here on my tunes blog. I play live once in a while but not as often as I probably should. I mean, a guy with a website showing off like that oughta get out there and be boo’d once in a while I figure. Well, if it were all that easy.

I am always thinking about music though and I go through stages of recording and posting new stuff to the web a few times a year it seems. Sometimes I detest the idea of going down to the local coffee house and playing to people who barely listen as they buy their lattes. Other times, that’s the only thing that I want to do! I may be funny that way but I guess I’m a little fickle about pursuing my music at the advanced age of 42. Once in a while I publish a “garage concert” online. These mostly happen in the Summer since I use my garage as a studio. The Winter up here is savage cold and I shake so bad out there the music sucks.

I hope to continue writing and for years to come but family, health, and teaching take a priority. Feel free to return here for music updates. I hope to keep putting new songs up here until I’m 80 or so. I get really excited when I write a new song or make a new video to share. Time will tell.

I have thanks and love in my heart for all who have supported me and my tunes through the many years I’ve been at it. I am still marching on, as the Alarm song goes. You can get the latest here on this blog about my music: what I am writing, recording, and where I am playing next. No imitators accepted (nor expected), this is the real deal! >>> Damien Riley Music Bio | Damien Riley Tunes.

This is part of a series where I share the best links I’ve run across based on teaching and education. This installment contains links regarding stress management, clutter management, free educational videos and a contest to win teaching Shakespeare materials. Grab your hat and hop in the Jeep and scroll down to read this teaching blog safari!

• Clutter-Free Classroom: Teacher Work Area~ Clutter-Free Classroom Project: Week A great, concise set of tips in delivering a writing activity. I will use this for sure with my own slant on it.
• Educational Insights » Blog Archive » The Futures Channel Looks like a great video source for educational stuff. The best part is that it isn’t blocked by most school filters.
• misscalcul8: Complain Less, Learn More I love this post. It is indeed hard to draw a firm line and say “no whining” but I think that is what the real world is like so we ren’t doing them any favors
• Virtual Tour: Panoramic Images: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History How great for my high desert students. They can’t get to the Smithsonian, or even the Bowers in Santa Ana. I can take them to the Smithsonian through this site.
• GetShakespeare.com – Cast thy vote now to win the 60Min Shakespeare set! Do you teach Shakespeare to kids or know someone who does? Which play next is the question asked by (GetShakespeare Facebook Page) You could win materials!

When I first saw the previews for Hugo I thought it was a kid’s film about a rapscallion pre-teen who lived in a train station and called everyone “gov’na.” It isn’t that at all. Ben Kingsley’s character says when addressing his movie fans, “I address you all tonight as you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.” Are you one of those? If so, you’re who Hugo was made for.

Hugo is based on the bestselling book by Brian Selznick. It was produced by Johnny Depp and directed by Martin Scorcese. It’s about a 12-year-old named Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) who lives in a huge clock in a train station. His father was a tinkerer and repairman who died in a museum fire. He left his son a broken automatron, a sort of 1930′s version of a robot, and Hugo is determined to get it working. He thinks there is a message in it from his dad. He meets Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz) a girl of his age who has a mysterious grandfather, Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley). He has a toy stand in the station and seems to despise Hugo for some reason. He is unusually cruel.

There is also a ruthless inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) with a Doberman and a leg brace who captures vagrants in the station. He sends them to jail or to the orphanage. He is a sort of lingering nemesis of Hugo throughout the movie, although he provides few scenes of subtle comic relief; I laughed out loud watching him try and pick up a woman.

The boy is on a quest to make the automatron work, and through the process learns a lot about the people in the station and Isabelle. There is a message here about the role of fantasy in our lives as well as the role of movies.

In conclusion, Hugo is a little slow in the beginning but the 1930s sets, costumes, and Parisian music makes the slow beginning worthwhile. When Hugo steals a croissant from a food cart you feel like you can taste it. The colors and attention to detail are so convincing, you feel like you are in the movie. The stalled action en principio is important in that it develops the characters. I really enjoyed Hugo. Once the ride began, I never wanted it to stop. If you want to go on a cinematic ride and be inspired, watching Hugo should be on your to-do list. I gave it 5/5 stars. Oh yeah, and if you love the history of movies, Martin Scorcese knows a thing or two about that! He certainly says it well in Hugo.

The film centers on LA screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) and his wife Amy (Kate Bosworth). They have just inherited a large house way out in the boonies of the deep South since Amy’s father’s passing. They decide to spend some time there in the town where Amy grew up so David can work on his most recent movie script presumably away from the noise of the city. Amy’s high school flame Charlie (Alexander Skarsgård) comes on to her right away and there is a tension there that hints at trouble. Charlie works with a group of ruffians that have long since graduated from high school but still cowtow to the coach Tom Heddon (James Woods) with regards to drinking games in the local saloon and other important facets of their small lives.

We learn very little about these washed-up football players. When they commit horrible acts we have no idea why. This is due to plain and simple shallow character development. There is something going on with the coach’s daughter and that makes for a side story that I won’t get into here. Suffice it to say it is once again, shallow character development and weak screenwriting. The premise of the movie is that ex-high school football stars in a small town often become feared villains. This group, defined by David Sumner as “Straw Dogs,” are in no way cute or interesting. They are savages and their criminal behavior wreaks havoc until the final scene.

I found the plot very predictable. Something done with a bear trap piqued my interest just minutes before the credits rolled. Too bad that was the only high moment for me. Perhaps it should have happened an hour earlier and I would have liked this film more. If the writing were better along with the character development of both the straw dogs and the other characters, it could have been an awesome new concept of a classic. As it is, this remake “drops the ball” in more ways than one.

Amazon instant is just too expensive. You’ve heard the quotes on tv about all these services on what the average American thinks. Do you prefer the theater or DVDs at home? Do you download illegally via Pirate Bay? Recently the SOPA bill was rescinded before it went to congress. People made their feelings known via an “internet blackout.” I agreed with the movement against SOPA and it was neat to see it defeated before it ever hit the race track. But that doesn’t mean piracy is right. Downloading movies illegally is probably wrong whether it’s punished by SOPA or not. But I’m not ignorant, I know millions download their movies illegally. I’m not going to tell you I think file sharing or “piracy” is morally right or wrong. I will however tell you a way I have been renting movies that really works for me. It’s called Red Box. I am not being paid by them to write this and yet I AM writing this. With Red Box you can search for movies on your computer, they even have an iphone app, and then pick them up at the closest kiosk near you.

I’ve noticed there is a Red Box about everywhere I go. When you see me review a movie here, it is most likely from a theater experience or a Red Box encounter I have had. Did I mention the Red Box movies are only $1? I’m trying them out for a while so let’s see what happens. Tonight I am watching Straw Dogs for $1, what a cheap thrill!. Watch for my review. I’ll leave it there for know but please do me a favor and answer this question in the comments: Where do you get your movies?

I have backed off my critical stance on unsolicited guest bloggers but I still think a blogger needs to be wary and careful. After all, quality content is the best gift we should hope for and strive to give to our readers. This is true whether we ourselves write it or anonymous guest bloggers do.

I once dated a girl who didn’t enjoy my playing at places. She would do the passive aggressive thing of saying it’s okay but when she’d enter the venue and was playing ‘Rocket Man’ for example, her vibes would send the rocket right into the ground. At the time I think I figured it didn’t get any better than that so I stayed. Young men out there in these sorts of relationships, remember there are a lot of fish in the sea.

I want to be sure I support my wife’s passions. She likes reading on her Nook, seeing movies, creating crafts, and cooking. When she is doing these things, I try and remember to comment and be involved. I think all people should have passions and develop them. That is what makes us all healthier and great in life. Anyway, I just wanted to set it down on virtual paper that we should support our loved ones passions. What do you think? Do you have a spouse that supports yours and you theirs?

In the age of social media and Twitter, women going through this challenging time can Follow Amberen. In doing so they will get help and anecdotes to get through a tough situation there are also deals tweeted all the time. These deals and more are also available when you Like Amberen on Facebook. Amberen is a company that produces an all natural product to help alleviate the pain and uncomfortable symptoms of menopause. If you or a loved one is going through this, recommend this post and these links to them so they can see all the help there is in Amberen.
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Some posts on this blog are sponsored. All opinions are 100% genuine.

• 6 Ways to Find Composure When You Feel Panicked | Tiny Buddha Great article that will likely be helping me through things down the road. Tiny Buddha strikes again.
• A Light Snack | Tyler Ingram Dot Com Tyler is at his camera again with amazing results. Can you even imagine getting this close to a bald eagle. You really should subscribe to this guy’s feed, he has a passion for phtography and there is always something new.
• Beginners – Review Aidy has great reviews. I have seen this one myself and loved it. Bookmark her site if you want a great way to see what the new movies are like.
• Chez Meme Baguette Bistro, Burnaby « Beyond the Rhetoric I could give you several reasons why I follow Michael Kwan’s posts but I’ll suffice it to say his food pieces are stellar and mouth watering. Check this one out to see what I mean.
• Come to the darkside – We have a coffee
• Facebook – Males and Females I’d say this is accurate.
• Picture the Holidays – Day Two | SECRET AGENT MAMA I am an amateur collector of coffee cup photos. This is a late addition.
• Remember to Breathe: How to Feel Calm, Peaceful, and Loving | Tiny Buddha Tiny Buddha is currently my favorite feed. I think if you value relaxation you will agree it’s a hot website.
• Have you seen these plastic models?
• Tiny Wisdom: The Beauty of Starting Over | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In Another amazing post of wisdom by Tiny Buddha.

On tv these days we see construction workers and other blue collar workers at the center of so many reality TV shows. There is Extreme Makeover and Vanilla Ice’s new show just to name two. We see what these workers do every day behind the scenes. Well, now I know one source behind the scenes where a construction worker can get the gear and equipment he needs at a fair price. Going to an equipment auction can help keep these type of workers’ and businesses’ in the black. If you want to see what an auction is like, since most ordinary citizens don’t see them, you can watch Storage Wars. I am always amazed at the deals they get in those auctions.
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Some posts on this blog are sponsored. All opinions are 100% genuine.