MSM 192: Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. (Sorry, Guy).

Jokes You Can Use:


There are only two ways of handling a woman – nobody knows either one.

Girl: “Too bad you flunked the test. How far away were you from the right answers?”
Boy: “About 2 seats.”

Boy: “I just had a date with Siamese twins”
Girl: “Did you have a good time?”
Boy: “Yes and no”.

On Our Mind:

Why don’t teachers nominate colleagues for awards?

Eileen Award:

  • Dave Bydlowski


Advisory:


http://gullible.info/

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)

This middle school science minute is about Nature Journaling. In the January, 2012 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Janita Cormell and Toni Ivey wrote an article entitled, “Nature Journaling: Enhancing Students’ Connections to the Environment Through Writing.” Janita describes how she shared her passion for nature with her sixth-grade students through nature journaling and how her students gained a better understanding of the natural world.

From the Twitterverse:

*EdTechUofA EdTech Services UofA  RT @mrsebiology Web-based Digital Storytelling Tools/Online Interactive Resources: bit.ly/hthC4X #edchat #edtech #midleved #elemchat
*  EduSum Summer Charlesworth “@DoremiGirl: RT @justintarte: “Mining the middle school mind” bit.ly/zwasQl #midleved” cc @MYSA_Australia
*  russeltarr russeltarr Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands tinyurl.com/77z3gyo
*rmbyrne Richard Byrne  Connected Mind – A Free Mind Mapping App in the Chrome Web Store ow.ly/8Rqht
*  russeltarr russeltarr The slave who spoke from beyond the grave #historynews tinyurl.com/7zy2nvq
*  jybuell Jason  Nice group of questions from Federal Way. How to talk to your student/teacher about standards based grading schools.fwps.org/lakedolloff/20… #sbar
*missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡  RT @ashley: STOP Teaching Tech! vsb.li/NqBvyZ
*  2learn2 Steve  A baker stopped making donuts after he got tired of the hole thing. #stevec
*  Ron_Peck Ron  The Jerusalem Archaeological Park su.pr/1MkQQV #sschat #historyteacher
*  cybraryman1 Jerry Blumengarten  Friday Chats: #midleved (Middle School) #D5chat bit.ly/avnj3b #ConnectedPD First Friday Feb. 3 9am PST with guest Steve Hargadon
*   aimeewhitbread Aimee Whitbread  @mthman Any plans to resurrect #midleved Fri night chat? I’d be happy to help moderate if you’d like.
*  mrsebiology Terie Engelbrecht Formative Assessment Ideas: scr.bi/yOsiUA #edchat #midleved #elemchat
*  BarbBlackburn Barbara R. Blackburn  Very sad news about Gordon Vars, one of the founders of the #midleved movement. bit.ly/wlMD46 #highered He will be missed.

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.


iBooks Author update

News:

Reed-Custer District seeks balance in ‘friending’ students

Marney Simon – Staff writer
So what is a school district to do when technology advances faster than school policy?
Dr. Butts said that there may very well be educational value to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and other sites, the district has to find it and be able to encourage the use of it appropriately.
School board members noted that finding a balance for how Facebook and other social media is used in relation to the schools is difficult.
“Used appropriately it’s an after hours reach-out, I don’t want that to be taken away,” Speed said. “I just want us to say, hey, if you’re going to have it, it has to be maintained in a professional manner. Lead by example. That’s why we’re here.”
http://www.braidwoodjournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=143&ArticleID=8490

Resources:

Going Paperless as a Teacher – Part 1

http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/01-2012/going-paperless-teacher-part-1

Web Spotlight:

What’s Wrong with the Teenage Mind

What happens when children reach puberty earlier and adulthood later? The answer is: a good deal of teenage weirdness.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181351486558984.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5

The Amazing Educational Jargon Generator

http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html

Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong

By Garth Sundem

Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? All are exactly opposite of the best strategies for learning.
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/everything-about-learning/

This is What our Sun will Look Like When It Dies

In a few billion years, our dear Sun will look like this, a beautiful glowing eye of spent starstuff trash in the shape of Sauron’s Eye.
http://gizmodo.com/5881048/this-is-how-our-sun-will-look-when-it-dies-yes-its-the-eye-of-sauron

The Faculty Project

The best Professors from the world’s leading Universities are coming together to teach online
FOR FREE!
http://facultyproject.com/

Strategies:

“WE PENALIZE KIDS FOR GETTING DISTRACTED FROM BORING STUFF AT SCHOOL”

by DAVE CAOLO
Spot-on. Brilliant observations by Sir Ken Robinson. You might have seen this before.
It’s both exhilarating and depressing. I’m nodding my head in agreement yet feel sorry for our broken educational system which, in my opinion, won’t ever change. I was bored to tears as a student and still consider myself a marginally-functional idiot, bereft of any particular talent or skill.
I distinctly remember handing an art project to my 6th-grade teacher. It was a watercolor of a man standing outdoors. She took the painting from me, opened a black marker and drew an outline around the man to “finish” it. So, the painting I made was “wrong.”
Worse, my 8-year-old already dreads school because “it’s so boring.”
http://52tiger.net/we-penalize-kids-from-getting-distracted-from-boring-stuff-at-school/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

ISTE News:

  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.


Ohio Middle Level Association:

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.


Second Life:

    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life