MSM 208 Pushing the Button

Jokes You Can Use:  

RUTH BUZZI ‏@Ruth_A_Buzzi
Our cat ate a neighbor’s canary this morning; his favorite breakfast is Shredded Tweet. #HappyCATurday
RUTH BUZZI ‏@Ruth_A_Buzzi
People who steal cats are not cat burglars; they’re purr-snatchers. #HappyCATurday
RUTH BUZZI ‏@Ruth_A_Buzzi
You can’t stand puns and you hate cat jokes? You gotta be kitten me. #HappyCATurday

On Our Mind:

• AMLE Registration opened this week.
• Kathy Hunt donations can be made to the AMLE Foundation Fund, use the code “KHU” when making a donation.
• The Summer Slide
  ( http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/05/30/how-im-helping-my-students-try-to-avoid-the-summer-slide/ )
• ISTE 2012 . . .

Eileen Award:

• Dr. Monte Tatom, FunDave:  Twitter
• Curtis Fuller:  email
• Carol DenOtter:  Facebook

Advisory:

32 Innovations that will change the world

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/03/magazine/innovations-issue.html

Where kids sleep or A Girl and her room:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/30/a-girl-and-her-room-rania-matar/
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/08/08/where-children-sleep-james-mollison/

The New (AB)Normal:

Big portion sizes have become the new abnormal, and it’s time to scale back.
http://makinghealtheasier.org/newabnormal

Liter of Light

http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/

Effect of Sunlight

http://twentytwowords.com/2012/06/01/what-the-sun-did-to-the-face-of-a-veteran-truck-driver/

How to be Kind:

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2012/06/10-inexpensive-ways-to-be-kind.html

Middle School Science Minute

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

In the April/May, 2012 issue of Science Scope, a publication of the National Science Teachers Association, there is an article entitled, “More Than Just Guessing: The Difference Between Prediction and Hypothesis,” written by Michelle Scribner-MacLean.
The topic of the article is to help teachers and students understand the difference between the two terms.  Knowing the difference between making a prediction and formulating a hypothesis can go a long way toward helping students develop scientific literacy.

From the Twitterverse:

News:

Bunkum Awards

The award show for shoddy Educational Research…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=P-hJagz6ytM
http://nepc.colorado.edu/think-tank/bunkum-awards/2011

Resources:

Google World Wonders Project

The Google World Wonders Project is a platform which brings world heritage sites of the modern and ancient world online. Using Street View, 3D modeling and other Google technologies, we have made these amazing sites accessible to everyone across the globe. With videos, photos and in-depth information, you can now explore the world wonders from your armchair just as if you were there.
http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/worldwonders/
or
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2012/06/world-wonders-new-flipped-classroom.html

How Long Would It Take You to Read “War and Peace?”

From Lee Kolbert:
I just stumbled across this reading test that assesses how fast you read at your normal pace. (My score was 369 WPM – 48% faster than the national average.) The free test includes a just a few comprehension questions and in all will only take a few minutes.
http://www.leekolbert.com/2012/05/how-long-would-it-take-you-to-read-war.html

Web Spotlight:

Child Poverty

http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2012/05/charts-pay-no-attention-to-the-nations-child-poverty-rate.html
The Chart:
http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54f8c25c988340168ebef9408970c-popup

Examples of PBL

APHistory. Interesting use of Google Sites. What if projects. The kids also published their work.
https://sites.google.com/a/micds.org/apush-2011-2012-final-projects/

Nathan Hall: 100+ Student Sites that don’t require registration

http://www.diigo.com/list/nathanghall/no-registration-needed-for-students

Strategies:

Games to Enhance Classroom Teaching

http://people.uncw.edu/ertzbergerj/all.html

ScienceFix: YouTube Science Channel for Middle School Experiments

My name is Darren Fix, and I made ScienceFix.com to share my favorite demos that I do in my middle school science classes.
http://www.youtube.com/user/sciencefix

Video of the Podcast:

http://youtu.be/Bh_3Jl_eHEk

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:

• The Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference.

• OMLA Registration Form
• OMLA Presentation Proposal Form

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:

• The Michigan Association of Middle School Educators Annual Conference is coming up March 2012 in Warren Woods, MI.  
• MAMSE Exhibitor Form
• MAMSE Registration Form

• MAMSE Presentation Form
• MAMSE Conference Program Book (2011)
• The North Carolina Middle School Association’s Annual Conference March 13-15, 2012
• Conference Brochure  
• Presenter’s Application
• Who They Are . . .
• This year’s sessions . . .

Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

• Classroom 2.0’s Ning Blog: Archived content is available.