Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about testing, spaced practice, trusting students, and more. Dave balances negative and positive, discusses polarity, and well, isn’t all wet. 

Jokes:

Why do nurses carry around red crayons? 

• Sometimes they need to draw blood.

Albert Einstein is a real person.

• I thought he was a theoretical physicist.

---

I passed all my courses except for Greek mythology.

• That has always been my Achilles’ elbow.

---

Choices over escalators or elevators reflect a difference in upbringing.

---

“I’d like to sit by the window, please. 

• I’m here for a light breakfast.”

The tobacconist was replaced by an apparel shop.

• Clothes, but no cigar.

---

What was a more important invention than the first telephone? 

• The second one.

---

I walked down a street where the houses were numbered 64K, 128K, 256K, 512K and 1MB.

• That was a trip down memory lane!

---

Do you think Neil Young still sings “Old man” ? 

• And if so, who is he singing to?

Tub of hummus: serves ten

• Me: challenge accepted

---

What do you call a really fast escalator? 

• – An escasooner…

---

I went to a specialist shop the other day and bought some binoculars, but they cost a fortune.

• I think they saw me coming.

---

I’ve often heard that icy is the easiest word to spell.

• Looking at it now…

I
see
why.

---

---

---

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast: Water for Life

I was recently reading the March – April 2025 issue of “Science Scope”, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the section, “Scope on the Skies,” written by Bob Riddle.  He wrote an article entitled, “‘Water Bound: Part I”

Space missions that search for water are important because they could add to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system and beyond.  Finding the presence of water is an important aspect of the search for life beyond the confines of our planet.

http://k12science.net/water-for-life/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Testing Season
  • PSAT
• Data Structure

The Social Web

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

I’m not sure what was going on in the 16th-century imagination, but this is at least a reminder that ‘to steal someone’s thunder’ originated with an event in 1709, when one theatre company nicked a thunder-making machine from another to use in their own play, leading the wounded

Quote:  

The OED  @OED

OED #WordOfTheDay: rounce robble hobble, n. The sound of a clap of thunder; a sound 

resembling this. View the entry: https://oxford.ly/4cmZztu

Dublin City University‬ ‪@dublincityuni.bsky.social‬

Crisis in the classroom: burnout and stress amongst Irish teachers. Piece by DCU’s Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons, Dr Pia O’Farrell and Professor Catherine Furlong @dcucreate.bsky.social, for @rtebrainstorm.bsky.social. Read here: launch.dcu.ie/43Iojdm #RTEBrainstorm

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0410/1506656-ireland-teachers-schools-burnout-stress-mental-health-dcu-survey

‪DCU Library‬ ‪@dculibrary.bsky.social‬

How noisy is it in the library today? Look out for our noise thermometers at the entrance of each library. Play your part to keep the library nice and quiet! Noise monitors will update the scale depending on noise levels, which library will be the quietest space?!

@dublincityuni.bsky.social

‪Kane Murdoch‬ ‪@ccguerilla.bsky.social‬

Seen on campus today. They seem like a real go getter, an entrepreneurial type.

Strategies:  

Hexagonal thinking: Creating connections in the classroom

Hexagonal thinking is all about creating connections. Imagine each idea, concept, or term as a hexagon on a board. As students arrange these hexagons, they’re essentially building a web of interconnected thoughts. The beauty of this method lies in the discussions it fosters because students must explain and justify their connections, which leads to deeper understanding and critical thinking.

https://ditchthattextbook.com/hexagonal-thinking

Spaced Retrieval Made Easy

On day one, I prepare three questions; two either multiple choice or fill in the blank questions and one short answer question. I will task my classes with answering these three questions from the first lesson of this unit before we even begin the first lesson. It may seem somewhat odd to ask students questions about a topic we haven’t covered, but there is growing evidence that pretesting has beneficial effects on student learning.

The next day (day two), instead of just answering three questions at the beginning of class, they will now answer six; the same three from the previous day (so now they’ve attempted to answer those questions three times) and three new questions from today’s lesson.

At the end of day two, depending on how much time we have, I may have them answer just that day’s three questions again or I may have them attempt all six again. 

On day three, I drop the three questions from day one and students attempt the three questions from day two (spacing out that retrieval) and then pretest them on the questions for day three…and this pattern continues for the entirety of the unit. 

Now, the real magic in this is that they are seeing the very concepts and terms they will be tested on during the unit summative assessment several times before they even consider studying for that test. 

https://theeffortfuleducator.com/2025/04/09/spaced-retrieval-made-easy/

Resources:  

AXIS The Culture Translator

On the Scent

What it is: For teenagers, the hottest trends in fragrance smell like bakery items and spice rack staples.

Why they’re selling so well: In a piece for Vox, Kyndall Cunningham outlines some basic reasons why sugary scents are selling out. First, since a lot of fragrance purchasing now happens online, a scent with notes of marshmallow, brown sugar, or vanilla is easy enough to imagine. There’s also the TikTok factor: influencers and celebrities, most of whom are being paid to shill these scents, make hefty claims about how much passers-by love the smell of these perfumes.

A Minecraft Movie

What it is: Teens are clapping and cheering so enthusiastically during A Minecraft Movie that theaters are requiring chaperones and/or calling the police.

Why it’s not what the internet predicted: When trailers for A Minecraft Movie first started coming out in 2024, people were horrified at the movie’s CGI renderings of sheep, villagers, and other game elements. (Plus, why was Minecraft’s main character, Steve, rendered as a human, but other game characters weren’t?) And yet between audience nostalgia (and/or an ongoing love of the game), Jack Black’s sheer ridiculousness, and so many inside jokes about game mechanics, the movie has been a big hit—at least with teen boys. In fact, the movie made more money on its opening weekend than any Warner Bros. movie since 2023.

YouTube AI Music Rollout

Got the students making videos?  Wish they had some Intro/outro or underlying music?  YouTube is rolling out an AI that will generate that very thing.  Check out the TechCrunch article for details:  https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/10/youtube-rolls-out-a-free-ai-music-making-tool-for-creators/  

Web Spotlight: 

Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort

When deciding if something is worth the effort, whether you’ve already exerted yourself or face the prospect of work changes your calculus. When you consider a future effort, more work makes the outcome less appealing. But once you’ve completed the work, more effort makes the outcome seem more valuable. 

Not everyone responds to effort the same way. Our study also uncovered striking individual differences. Four distinct patterns emerged:

1. For some people, extra effort always subtracted value.
2. Others consistently preferred items with more work.
3. Many showed mixed patterns, where moderate effort increased value but excessive effort decreased it.
4. Some experienced the opposite: initially disliking effort, then finding greater value at higher levels.

…people, and even animals, often prize things that require hard work for no additional payoff?

In health care, starting an exercise regimen feels overwhelming when focusing on upcoming workouts, but after establishing the habit, those same exercises become a source of accomplishment. 

https://theconversation.com/hard-work-feels-worth-it-but-only-after-its-done-new-research-on-how-people-value-effort-252684

The average college student today

https://archive.md/XBbk2

Bouncy Balls

Control noisy classrooms with bouncing balls!

A fun and free noise management tool.

https://bouncyballs.org

https://help.classroomscreen.com/article/31-sound-level

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/free-online-noise-meters-for-classroom

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about Haiku clues, AR, parent conferences, licensing, and more. Dave isn’t all wet, when he discusses the importance of water.

Jokes:  

“6:30 is the best time of day—hands down!”

---

I really want to buy one of those supermarket checkout dividers, but the cashier keeps putting it back.

---

The farmer next door is wandering his fields, conversing with their plants.

• Jack and the beans talk.

---

I knew a guy who collected candy canes, they were all in mint condition

---

My wife says that I wasted money by ordering a 3 meter wide frame for our wedding photo. Well I think she should look at the bigger picture.

---

I decided to sell my Hoover… well it was just collecting dust.

---

My tree trimmer is so awesome when he’s done he takes a bough.

---

When dad died he left me his Subaru. It was his final legacy.

---

What is the world’s longest punctuation mark?

• The hundred meter dash.

---

Do you want a brief explanation of what an acorn is? 

• In a nutshell, it’s an oak tree.

---

All tribute bands are also The Pretenders.

---

---

---

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  The Importance of Water

I was recently reading the March – April 2025 issue of “Science Scope”, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the section, “From the Editor’s Desk,” written by Patty McGinnis.  She wrote an article entitled, “Water: Earth’s Most Vital Resource.”

Oceans, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and groundwater are all part of a dynamic system that not only shapes Earth’s physical landscape, but also supports all forms of life.

 http://k12science.net/the-importance-of-water/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Use AI to create Haiku clues for weekly vocabulary words.  
• Use Halo AR and ChatterPix to create a “Virtual Museum” on a poster.  
• Parent Conferences online
• Michigan HB 4153 (Local Licensure Law) – School Districts and ISDs may create a teacher license under the rules to be created by the State Superintendent.  The law expires 2035.  

The Social Web

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘erumpent’ (17th century), which describes buds and blossom that are bursting forth with vigour. Can also be used of energetic humans.

‪Ilana Horn‬ ‪@ilanahorn.bsky.social‬

for a student who used AI to write a paper #poem

ALT

Strategies:  

My Middle School Students Can’t Read!

• Focus Area 1: Decoding
• Focus Area 2: Fluency

https://www.edutopia.org/article/middle-school-students-cant-read-building-basic-skills

Resources:  

‪AXIS The Culture Translator

Adolescence on Netflix

What it is: Netflix’s Adolescence is a four-part fictional crime drama about the secret lives of teen boys. Viewers across generations are buzzing about how true the show feels to their own experiences.

Why it’s so unsettling: One of the main conceits of Adolescence is that parents truly struggle to decode the ways teens talk to each other online—no matter how hard they might try to get it right. In the series, these crossed wires mean that even a seasoned detective can’t grasp obvious clues about a teen suspect’s motive without his own teenage son’s help. The detective, with painful clarity, then realizes how little he knows about his own son. This moment of recognition leads him to reach out for connection with his child. For other teen boys in the show, alienation from a parent goes unrecognized, with tragic consequences.

Smithsonian Game Center

We offer free Smithsonian STEM games and simulations online or for download! Our games are designed with clear learning objectives, vetted by our team of curriculum experts, and are used by students around the world!

https://ssec.si.edu/game-center

Number of the Day

https://mathsstarters.net/numoftheday

AI for Educators

This FREE 2-hour, hands-on course is designed to help educators get started using ChatGPT to save time, engage students, and implement AI responsibly.

• Familiarize yourself with AI and get started using ChatGPT
• Learn how to save time on lesson planning and administrative tasks
• Be able to immediately create engaging, personalized learning experiences for your students
• Develop strategies and activities for introducing AI to your students
• Gain access to our Prompt Library, a curated resource developed specifically for educators

https://www.aiforeducation.io/ai-course

Dimensions of AI Literacies: An Introduction

https://archive.reclaim.tv/w/3708f231-1720-43bd-a3a1-75e6fddfc28d

Web Spotlight: 

11 Incredibly Useful URL Tricks for Google Spreadsheets

https://www.benlcollins.com/spreadsheets/url-tricks-for-google-sheets/

OpenAI Admits That Its New Model Still Hallucinates More Than a Third of the Time

https://futurism.com/openai-admits-gpt45-hallucinates

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about frustrating and empowering students. Dave moves kids from learning about to figuring out. 

Jokes:  

The first time I got a universal remote control I thought to myself, “This changes everything”

---

Did you know? By replacing your coffee with green tea, you can lose up to 92% of what little joy you still have left in your life.

---

In the House of Lords today, Lord Bellamy passed a note to Lady Billingham.

• This is an example of peer-to-peer communications.

---

What do you call two guys hanging out by your window? 

• Kurt & Rod.

does refusing to go to the gym count as resistance training?

---

Hello everyone, welcome to Plastic Surgery Addicts Anonymous

• I see a lot of new faces here tonight

---

Where did you learn to make ice cream? 

• Sunday school.

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  Sensemaking

I was recently reading the January – February 2025 issue of “Science Scope”, a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the section, “From the Editor’s Desk,” written by Patty McGinnis.  She wrote an article entitled, “Helping Students Make Sense.”

Creating a classroom in which the emphasis shifts the learner role from “learning about” to “figuring out” requires students to engage in the collaborative task of sensemaking.  The type of classroom discussion is critical to sensemaking.  STEM Teaching Tools, at:

https://stemteachingtools.org/tools

http://k12science.net/sensemaking/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Clocks
• Classwise to ban ChatGPT
• BossJock JR
• Students creating Interactive Books using H5P

The Social Web

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘whiffling’ (17th century): fickle, inconstant, and making it up as you go along.

RTÉ Brainstorm‬ ‪@rtebrainstorm.bsky.social‬

What’s the Irish for catfish? How 3,000 new Irish words are created every year. By Aoife Ryan-Christensen with insights from Gearóid Ó Cleircín @dublincityuni.bsky.social www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2…https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/0306/1500101-new-irish-words-gaeilge-tearma-an-coiste-tearmaiochta-national-terminology-database-for-irish/?a  

‪ALTUK.bsky.social‬ ‪@altuk.bsky.social‬

Our Open Education Conference, OER25 will bring together #OE specialists from across the globe to leverage shared expertise for change in policy and practice on 23 – 24 June 2025. Explore the Keynotes from last year – buff.ly/4byRwJP Follow #altc for the latest #OER25 updates. #OEWeek25

‪Rick Wormeli‬ ‪@rickwormeli.bsky.social‬

I wrote this for a middle school journal (AMLE), but as I work with high schools, it applies there, too. It’s focus is on how the adolescents learn best and thereby, what that means when using generative AI in our classrooms, including eight important guidelines: www.amle.org/with-a-i-let…

Per my last post on the cautions of using generative A.I. with middle and high school students, I offer a particularly insightful new book (Feb 2025) from

@biblioracle.bsky.social…

‪Marion McGarry‬ ‪@marionmcgarry.bsky.social‬

For Pancake Tuesday – read all about the Irish traditions of this day via

@rtebrainstorm.bsky.social  www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2…  @atu-ie.bsky.social

Strategies:  

Sherlock Holmes and Covert Thieves of Attention

These covert thieves of attention are not harmless. They negatively impact student motivation, student rating of how important the lesson is, how many notes are taken, and how students perform on assessments. What is especially alarming is the finding that students are pretty good at recognizing whether those around them are attentive or inattentive, but they do not seem to recognize that those behaviors have an impact on themselves. 

https://theeffortfuleducator.com/2025/03/03/sherlock-holmes-and-covert-thieves-of-attention/

Resources:  

‪

Fun Facts

https://www.weareteachers.com/weird-fun-facts/

AXIS The Culture Translator

Reeling

What it is: Last week, the algorithm for Instagram’s Reels briefly went haywire. When they opened the app, some scrollers (including minors) were deluged with pornographic material and videos of people being maimed or killed.

Why it’s revealing: Users often operate with the expectation that social media algorithms will weed out this sort of grotesque content.  

AMLE Free Sticker!

https://my.amle.org/Shop/Store/Product-Details?productid=%7B2fb97e17-65f0-ef11-9341-7c1e5259e86a%7D&fbclid=IwY2xjawI5UgBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHViAgCuzuQLqfAwQ7AVSc1nDqMQHYqT1WlRry2JAfDVHI1gRpAiS8a6PNw_aem_fSP1yGff-87MFzafg-J1Zg

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about AI, break, and more. Dave remembers why we remember. 

Jokes:  

Crocodiles can grow up to 15 feet.

• But most have only four.

---

Just watched a documentary about beavers… 

• It was the best damn program I’ve ever seen.

There exists a quantity of artificial butter flavor beyond which people begin to believe it’s not butter.

• This is known as the margarine of error.

---

If you’re feeling down, why not just go for a run? 

• You’ll quickly realize your physical health is way worse than your mental health.

Going to the park without any food… Is no picnic…

---

Microwave safe? 

• It doesn’t seem like a sensible place to keep your valuables.

I was fired from the keyboard factory yesterday.  

• I wasn’t putting in enough shifts.

I’ve no idea why my new plug-in air freshener won’t work.

I plug it in and switch it on.. nothing!

• It just doesn’t make scents.

---

A new tennis player goes to the library and asks for books about aces.

• “No way”, says the librarian, “You won’t return them”.

---

My new car has a button for everything. There is even one that says, “rear wiper”.

• I’m still afraid to try that one.

---

I bought a new plane the other day.

• I was disappointed they wouldn’t let me keep the hangar.

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

Why We Remember

I was recently reading the December 9, 2024 issue of “Smithsonian” magazine.

In this issue, I read an article entitled, “The Ten Best Science Books of 2024,” written by Joe Spring, Riley Black, Shi En Kim, Dan Falk, Christian Elliott, and Benjamin Cassidy. 

The book review that I enjoyed the most was “Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold On to What Matters,” written by Charan Ranganath.  Ranganath draws on 25 years of experience studying the mechanisms of human memory to explain how remarkable it is that we remember anything at all.

http://k12science.net/why-we-remember/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Reading
  • Anne Tyler – Three Days in June
  • Fredrik Backman
    • And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer
    • The Deal of a Lifetime
  • Matt Haig – The Life Impossible
  • Hendrik Groen – On The Bright Side – The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old
• Moodle Work
  • Filters
  • Competencies
  • Learning Plan

The Social Web

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘blutterbunged’, from 19th-century dialect: to be open-mouthed in astonishment.

Marion McGarry‬ ‪@marionmcgarry.bsky.social‬

For #IrelandReads day, I highly recommend this one! It’s in all good Irish bookshops or you can buy direct from the publisher here www.orpenpress.com/books/irish-… And it’s written and illustrated by me!

‪Michael Dashow‬ ‪@mdashow.bsky.social‬

I’m finally able to share this cover I created for Garrett’s Forester’s book ‘Garrett’s Ventures – First Profit: Gum.’ It’s about a kid learning about financial responsibility as he tries to make money, and also about friendship. See more at www.garrettsventures.com

‪Cassie Rorie‬ ‪@cassierorie.bsky.social‬

Yesterday I had my students doing Catch up Pickle time (catch up on work then pick something to do from a list)…”I shouldn’t hear talking, you are silent pickles! Pickles don’t have mouths so they are silent!” Then heard kids repeating “be silent pickles” to each other. 🤪🤣

Jason Chen‪@chenphilosophy.com‬

One of my top tips for teachers is to use pattern interruptions in class. 

I elaborate on what I mean in the linked article.

https://chenphilosophy.substack.com/p/use-pattern-interruptions-to-retain

Strategies:  

AI Will Stupify Our Students If We Don’t Do These Six Things 

“As a veteran teacher (this is year 39), I, too, fear that our students will not be prepared for the future. Many students lack the grit and willpower to resist the temptation to take the easy way out. If I may be so bold. Many current students will be downgraded by AI, and that future might be inevitable without a radical change in how we do school.”  

1. Reimagine what happens IN the classroom.
2. Deemphasize inappropriate use of technology in the classroom.  
3. Use AI as a tutor when in class.
4. Teach students how to use AI as a collaborator to enhance learning.  
5. Implement the Mastery Learning model at scale.
6. Expect More. 

https://edu-ai.org/ai-will-stupefy-our-students-unless-we-do-these-six-things/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIhbXxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSP6MdRM-kTE3LnDD5LLi0B1N5RRaqC73FgCUKr-NGrcuZPy5j4WY2eLXg_aem_3mgy5gtMPcHrdyBi3OVbhw

Nordic Baltic Region of FIPLV – BBC English – Running Dictation  

Dictation is a great way to learn English.  Running dictation is having a short text at one end of the room and have a pair of students alternate going to that text then coming back and telling their partner what it says in order to accomplish a task at their table.  

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/165U6eKa3V

Three Ways You May Be Cognitively Overloading Your Students

1. The Seductive Details Effect
2. The Split-Attention Effect
3. The Redundancy Effect

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/cognitive-overload/

Resources:  

‪KwizAI

The quiz is generated by LLM models (like ChatGPT), which are far from perfect and weren’t designed for purposes like this. They may contain errors, confusing questions, inaccurate answers, and repeated questions – especially if the prompt is similar.

With KwizAI’s AI-driven quiz generator, you can currently create single-answer multiple-choice quizzes, true-or-false quizzes, or fill-in-the-blank quizzes. The exact quiz format depends on how you structure your prompt, ensuring flexible and precise quiz creation.

https://kwizai.com

AXIS The Culture Translator

Angling Toward the Light

What it is: A doomed anglerfish swimming from the dark depths to the sunlit surface of the ocean has captured the internet’s heart this week.  

Why it’s connecting with people: The tale almost writes itself: an anglerfish, knowing her end is near, chooses to reject the darkness of her home and, as her final act, swims to the surface to see the sun for the first and final time. The light hitting her face—a face some might consider horrifying—is maybe the only “true” light she has ever seen. The internet’s telling of the tale has been poignant, beautiful, and with a hint of tragedy. Of course, a variety of things could’ve motivated the fish’s final exodus, but that doesn’t change the empathy the doomed anglerfish is inspiring in others.  

the case for lowercase

why it matters: for many teens, lowercase letters feel more informal, relaxed, and conversational. even though most smartphones start with auto-capitalization turned on, teens often disable this feature in order to avoid seeming too formal in their texts to friends and family. as gen zer maelle kouman puts it, “lowercase feels like an ongoing conversational tone without a start or end. it removes the serious tone certain texts can exude, without even trying.” gen z artists like olivia rodrigo reinforce this trend with lowercase song titles like “drivers license” (although others, like billie eilish, have resorted to all-caps titles like “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”). in professional relationships and environments, many teens still opt for standard capitalization, and this is sometimes equated on tiktok with growing up

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about snow days, iPads, and more. Dave has ecological habitat tips. 

Jokes:  

A man was caught stealing in a supermarket today while balanced on the shoulders of a couple of vampires. He was charged with shoplifting on two counts.

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Adam and Eve, the first people not to read the Apple terms and conditions….

---

People saying ‘boo! to their friends has risen by 85% in the last year…. 

• That’s a frightening statistic.

My sea sickness comes in waves

---

I will not keep reloading my school’s website to see if we have a delay/cancellation for tomorrow due to weather.

I am stronger than this.

I’m definitely going to stop after this next reload.

---

I got fired from my job at the dress alteration company.

• Apparently I didn’t turn up enough.

---

If a Domino’s collapses, do the other stores fall in succession?

---

What is the least spoken language in the world?

• Sign Language

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  Ecosystems

I was recently reading the November/December 2024 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.  

In this issue, I read the “Science 101” column, written by Matt Bobrowsky.  He wrote an article entitled, “Q: What’s a Good Way of Explaining Ecosystems?”  

An ecosystem is like a big neighborhood where plants, animals, and even tiny things like bugs and mushrooms all live together.

 http://k12science.net/ecosystems/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Break
• Snow Days
• Presentation Tips
  • iPad
  • Image based
  • Teleprompter:  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/teleprompter/id941620509  

The Social Web

‪Marcus Luther‬ ‪@marcusluther.bsky.social‬

The second half of the school year is a great time to start exposing students to more innovative, rule-breaking styles of writing. Feel free to use this resource I lean on if helpful:  docs.google.com/presentation…

‪John Warner‬ ‪@biblioracle.bsky.social‬

If your district, school, or household is concerned about the attitudes and abilities of students when it comes to writing, I think I can help with that. First, why writing matters more than ever in the ChatGPT age: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/john-…

‪Keep Indiana Learning‬ ‪@keepinlearning.bsky.social‬

As we wrap up our #Resources2Love series, we’re ending with a daily essential: Classroom Management! 🌟 What are your go-to resources that ensure smooth sailing in your classroom? Share your tried and true #Resources2Love with us! #EduSky

‪Languages Direct‬ ‪@languages-direct.com‬

France’s language tests for foreigners seeking citizenship defeat French people buff.ly/4hwYRLU #langsky

‪Alex Spiers‬ ‪@alexspiers.bsky.social‬

#creativeHE Our next meetup will on a topic close to my heart and ears: Podcasting as assessment led by Sophie Renaudineau Check the blog post for sign up information. creativehecommunity.wordpress.com/2025/02/11/p…

Strategies:  

Help Students Set Goals in All Subject Areas

https://www.middleweb.com/51861/help-students-set-goals-in-all-subject-areas/

Small Changes to Make Your Classroom More Neurodiversity-Affirming

• Change 1: Stop Insisting on Eye Contact
• Change 2: Revisit Your Assessment Practices
• Change 3: Be More Explicit
• Change 4: Shift From Compliance-based to Context-based Interpretation of Behavior

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/neurodiversity-affirming/

Why My 7th Graders Memorized the 50 States

https://www.middleweb.com/51788/my-7th-graders-are-memorizing-the-50-states/

Resources:  

‪AXIS The Culture Translator

Slang of the week:  “Bop”

While you might assume “bop” just means a catchy song, the term has taken on an additional meaning for teens. “Bop” is now also a derogatory term referring to a woman who may have had multiple sexual partners. The word itself is a form of “algospeak”—words designed to dodge social media filters and censors (as other words for “promiscuous woman” often get posts flagged and removed). While some online have tried to embrace the term and “reclaim it,” their efforts may have only made the slang term more prominent. “Bop” joins a long list of slang terms designed to tear down women and accuse them of misconduct.

Dinner for One

What it is: An article by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic has sparked conversation about just how much time Americans are choosing to spend by themselves.  

What is happening: People used to go to dinner together; now, many prefer to order takeout and stay home alone. People used to go to the movies; now, many prefer to stay home and watch television alone. In 2023, people spent even more time alone than they did during 2021—which you’ll recall was the tail end of a pandemic. In particular, the amount of time young men spend alone is increasing faster than any other group. When most of us have a window to the world in the palm of our hands, it might feel like the presence of other people isn’t necessary—but whether their presence is good for our well being is a whole other story.

Free Font

https://www.brailleinstitute.org/freefont/

Web Spotlight: 

Meet Younger Self for Coffee

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/meet-younger-self-for-coffee-poem-tiktok-trend-rcna192038

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy are back! Dave addresses misconceptions. 

Jokes:  

Cosmetic surgery used to be such a taboo subject.

Now you can talk about Botox and nobody raises an eyebrow.

---

Patron: “Do you have any books on shelving?”

Librarian: “Yes, all of them.”

---

Are houses to be demolished visited by a home wrecker?

---

How do you teach a kid to climb stairs? 

• There is a step by step guide.

What do you call it when a cat wins a dog show? 

• A cat-has-trophy.

I mistakenly leaned against a printer cartridge, and now I have toned abs.

---

Fries, cheese curds, and gravy on a crushed cracker crust. 

• Poutine on the Ritz.

I’m gonna call medium drinks the “mini Grande”

---

There was a leper who failed his driving test…

• for leaving his foot on the gas

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Why should you never trust palindromes?

• They always go back on their word.

---

Why is 40 a big birthday year in Italy? 

• Roman numerals: XL

Middle School Science Minute  

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

12Science Podcast:  Buoyancy Misconceptions

I was recently reading the November/December 2024 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.  

In this issue, I read the “Early Years” column, written by Alissa A. Lange.  She wrote an article entitled, “Deconstructing Common Misconceptions in Early Science.”  

Misconceptions are common in science—even into adulthood.  Instead of feeling guilty when we discover our misconceptions, what if we, as adults, turn this feeling into curiosity?  What if we help our students to do the same? 

http://k12science.net/buoyancy-misconceptions/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Apple Intelligence
  • Camera
• Competencies vs Standards
• Department Head
• Technology Plan
• Students using H5P 

The Social Web

Lucy Worsley @Lucy_Worsley

Tidy desk = empty mind. Discuss.

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the Day is ‘biblioklept’: the friend who borrows yet another book from your shelves, and quietly takes permanent ownership of it.

Matt Wolfe  @mreflow

Wow… NVIDIA dropped by 17% because of DeepSeek? I wonder if the investors realize that NVIDIA and DeepSeek aren’t competition. DeepSeek was trained using NVIDIA GPUs… People installing and running it locally are mostly using NVIDIA GPUs too… Scratching my head at this…

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘matutolypea’: extreme grumpiness in the morning. From the Latin ‘Matuta’, Roman goddess of the dawn, and the Greek ‘lype’, ‘grief’. Put them together and you get ‘morning grief’.

‪AIwithAileen‬ ‪@aiwithaileen.bsky.social‬

If you are thinking about using #curipod or have just started & are looking for ideas, you won’t go wrong with this webinar on the 19th of Feb. The @eduguardian5.bsky.social will be chatting all things orange with cofounder Eirik Berre

🔗 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…

#EduSky #EduSkyAI #feedback

‪The Contingent Professor‬ ‪@contingentprof.bsky.social‬

Ah, the weekend. Time to unwind with these 200 papers I need to grade. #AcademicSky #EduSky #HigherEd

Strategies:  

Whose Notes are They Anyway?

I realized my class notes needed a makeover the day I saw all of my students close their journals and put them away after the lesson when it was time for independent practice.

https://education.apple.com/story/250014117

Notability:  https://notability.com/  

Resources:  

‪8 Words Named After People

https://interestingfacts.com/words-named-after-people/

SceneryStack

SceneryStack is an open-source TypeScript framework designed to create powerful, interactive, and accessible web experiences. SceneryStack offers web development libraries for building engaging simulations, educational tools, or next-generation web applications. Included is support for robust accessibility features like dynamic screen-reader descriptions and alternative input (e.g., keyboard navigation).

https://scenerystack.org/#get-started

Curriculum for SIFE Equity

Open source resources, activity, and professional development. (*Some of the resources are not currently shared). 

https://sites.google.com/ousd.org/ellma-toolkit/newcomer-toolkit/materials/published-curriculum?authuser=0

Safer Internet Day

Each year, stakeholders across the globe join together to make the internet a safer and better place for all, and especially children and young people. We are almost ready to celebrate Safer Internet Day (SID) 2025 on Tuesday, 11 February 2025, and throughout the month of February. Will you join us?

https://better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu/en

AXIS The Culture Translator

Suit, Countersuit

What it is: Justin Baldoni’s legal team has published a website of “receipts” meant to refute Lively’s claims that Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of their film, It Ends With Us.

Why teens are buzzing about it: The website is a trove of gossip fuel that connects a wide web of A-list celebrities. The site, “thelawsuitinfo.com,” contains a comprehensive timeline of events, including texts, interview transcripts, photos, and emails. Like seagulls flocking to a bucket of boardwalk french fries, prominent Gen Z commentators on TikTok and YouTube have descended on this timeline, picking apart the chain of events and adding their own theories and speculations on what went so wrong. The documents have provided an intimate and not-often-seen glimpse at how people in Hollywood actually talk to, and about, each other.

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy discuss the TikTok ban, Supreme Court, and more. Dave is focused on Expanding Science Knowledge. 

Jokes:  

All generalizations are false, including this one.

— Mark Twain

---

What do you get when you cross a chicken with a skunk? 

• A fowl smell!

Rumination has nothing to do with rum, rummy or a nation that loves both.

---

What do you call a guy lying on your doorstep? 

• Matt.

Time may be a great healer but it’s a lousy plastic surgeon.

---

Why do nuns have problems with disposing of their clothing?

• Because old habits die hard

---

What’s the best thing about elevator jokes? 

• They work on so many levels.

Remember, if you misspell armageddon it’s not the end of the world.

---

What is Intermittent fasting?

• Driving between speed cameras

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast: Expanding Science Knowledge

I was recently reading the November/December 2024 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.  

In this issue, I read the “Guest Editorial” column, written by Emily Adah Miller and Ayca Fackler.  They wrote an article entitled, “Expanding Science Knowledge Through Expansive Science Teaching.”  

To prepare students for future scientific endeavor and to be scientifically literate world citizens, teachers must challenge the status quo, pushing the limits of science education by using local place to contextualize and increase science understanding.

http://k12science.net/expanding-science-knowledge/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Live Supreme Court Feed
  • https://wng.org/podcasts/legal-docket-the-courtroom-artist-and-the-pursuit-of-justice-1734233264  
• PowerSchool Breach
• Assessment season

The Social Web

Keep Indiana Learning‬ ‪@keepinlearning.bsky.social‬

Registration for TIE-IN 2025 is open! Educators, explore the “behind the scenes” of industries across the state to see what employers are looking for in new hires & the jobs your students may have someday. Stipends available upon completion! Register now! buff.ly/3DzH4ED

‪Rick Wormeli‬ ‪@rickwormeli.bsky.social‬

As you do some prof reading over this holiday, consider how you will process and apply it instead of just highlighting it or simply grunting, “Hmm, that’s interesting,” and move on, never to retrieve it again. Here’s a piece w/some ideas on that: www.amle.org/just-did-som…

Ken Burns  @KenBurns

Our next film, The American Revolution, will air on @PBS starting Nov. 16. Leading up to the broadcast, we’ll have a national conversation about this important event and how it helped define us as a people – and changed the world. More info is here:  https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1877402515198623744/9Y71_Ln3?format=jpg&name=medium  

Lucy Worsley @Lucy_Worsley

Tonight on @BBCTwo on 9 – I’m in the very room at the@TowerOfLonwhere Guy Fawkes was interrogated after being caught trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament. This week on #LucyWorsleyInvestigates, we investigate THE GUNPOWDER PLOT! https://bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00

Lucy Worsley @Lucy_Worsley

NEWSFLASH! It’s a new year and a new life for me … if you’d like to join me on my latest adventures in the past, subscribe to my brand-new newsletter! lucyworsley.substack.com  

MiddleWeb  @middleweb

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP – Six Keys Unlock Innovative Instructional Change. Successful school innovations have clear vision & purpose, full collaboration & a commitment to monitor & adjust. Ron Williamson and @BarbBlackburn  share 6 keys. #edleaders #educoach https://middleweb.com/51702/leading-  

‪Rick Wormeli‬ ‪@rickwormeli.bsky.social‬

ICYMI, here’s my latest piece w/ideas on what to do when you have an extra 15 minutes in a lesson or at the end of the year after testing is done & students are less focused. Let’s use the time well, in substantive activities that advance student learning and creativity. www.amle.org/when-the-les…

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the Day is ‘uhtcearu’ [ucht-kay-aru, with the ‘ch’ as in the Scottish ‘loch’]: Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn’, when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.

Strategies:  

How Students Learn to Be Generous Listeners

https://www.middleweb.com/51719/some-ways-we-might-teach-generous-listening/

Resources:  

Book:  The Queen Like Closet

Free book of recipes and an example of language back in the day . . . 

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14377

ClassQuiz

Can use Markdown to create. 

Free. Open source. 

Privacy Policy

https://classquiz.de/docs/privacy-policy

Follow on Mastodon: https://fosstodon.org/@classquiz 

‪https://classquiz.de/ 

A Collaborative Math Classroom that Works

https://www.middleweb.com/51715/a-collaborative-math-classroom-that-works/

Web Spotlight: 

OATutor

OATutor revolutionizes personalized education by offering an open-source, adaptive learning platform tailored to every course by utilizing leading edge GenAI research. Whether you’re a teacher, researcher, or student, OATutor provides the tools you need to succeed.

Completed:

• OpenStax Elementary Algebra
• OpenStax Intermediary Algebra
• OpenStax College Algebra

In Progress: 

• OpenStax Statistics
• OpenStax Physics

https://www.oatutor.io/ 

ActivityWatch

ActivityWatch is an app that automatically tracks how you spend time on your devices.

It is open source, privacy-first, cross-platform, and a great alternative to services like RescueTime, ManicTime, and WakaTime.

It can be used to keep track of your productivity, time spent on different projects, bad screen habits, or just to understand how you spend your time.

https://activitywatch.net

Ansel Adams

In 1943, Ansel Adams (1902-1984), America’s most well-known photographer, documented the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese-Americans interned there during World War II. For the first time, digital scans of both Adams’s original negatives and his photographic prints appear side by side allowing viewers to see Adams’s darkroom technique, in particular, how he cropped his prints. Adams’s Manzanar work is a departure from his signature style landscape photography. Although a majority of the more than 200 photographs are portraits, the images also include views of daily life, agricultural scenes, and sports and leisure activities (see Collection Highlights). When offering the collection to the Library in 1965, Adams said in a letter, “The purpose of my work was to show how these people, suffering under a great injustice, and loss of property, businesses and professions, had overcome the sense of defeat and dispair [sic] by building for themselves a vital community in an arid (but magnificent) environment….All in all, I think this Manzanar Collection is an important historical document, and I trust it can be put to good use.” The web site also includes digital images of the first edition of Born Free and Equal, Adams’s publication based on his work at Manzanar.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/ansel-adams-manzanar/about-this-collection

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

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