Jokes You Can Use:  

Lily‏ @Lilylauren

I want to defend a penguin in court simply so I can say “Your honour. My client is clearly not a flight risk”

 

Important “Jokes You Can Use” Tool from Google

https://www.blog.google/topics/next-billion-users/no-laughing-matter-files-go-introduces-bad-joke-detector/  

 

A student in class the other day dropped her phone.  It landed safely. It was in airplane mode.

 

I’m currently boycotting any company that sells items I can’t afford.

 

PATIENT: Doctor, I need your help. I’m addicted to checking my Twitter!

DOCTOR: I’m so sorry, I don’t follow.

 

Why are iPhone chargers not called Apple Juice?!

 

Did you hear about the love affair between sugar and cream?  It was icing on the cake.

 

Advisory:

 

Motivation Increased 35% By One Simple Goal-Setting Instruction, Study Finds

Goals are frequently found to boost people’s motivation, and so their performance.

A recent study, however, reveals a fascinating kink in that oft-quoted research.

Men, it seems, respond to goals better than women, the study found.

 

https://www.spring.org.uk/2016/03/motivation-increased-35-simple-goal-setting.php

 

ZenTangles

 

https://zentangle.com/

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Take a Stream Selfie

I was recently reading the February, 2018 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  

 

In this issue, I read the Citizen Science article, “Take a Stream Selfie for Science,” written by Jill Nugent. The article describes a project that maps streams across the United States and bridges an existing gap in water quality data. For more information, please visit:

https://scistarter.com/streamselfie

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2018/4/16_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Stream_Selfie.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

ISTE‏ @iste

“As educators, our challenge and opportunity is to give our students the tools they need to engage in a civil society whose future they will shape.” http://bit.ly/2KB1VHW  via @EdSurge #stuvoice #digcit

 

NYSUT‏ @nysut

Sign up for the Thunderclap to spread the word. Urge Sen. Flanagan and @NYSenate to support local control of teacher evaluations! Together we can fix APPR! https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/69830-we-can-fix-appr … #Pass8301NOW #LetUSTeach #LetThemLearn

 

Richard Byrne‏ @rmbyrne

Free Tools for Creating Animated Videos https://t.co/b7Mc57kpSL

 

Richard Byrne‏ @rmbyrne

How to Automatically Issue Certificates When Students Pass a Quiz in Google Forms http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/04/how-to-automatically-issue-certificates.html …

 

Greg Gorman‏ @gormang

10 ways Google tools can make the end of the year ROCK https://wp.me/p3bT67-1Sh  via @jmattmiller #usd246

 

Richard Byrne‏ @rmbyrne

17 Audacity Tutorials for Beginners http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/05/17-audacity-tutorials-for-beginners.html …

 

Richard Byrne‏ @rmbyrne

300+ Printable Comic Templates http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/05/300-printable-comic-templates.html …

 

Richard Byrne‏ @rmbyrne

TodaysMeet Is Shutting Down – Six Alternatives to Try http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/04/todaysmeet-is-shutting-down-six.html …

 

Tony Vincent‏ @tonyvincent

You can visually organize your Google Drive by color-coding folders and including emojis as icons. http://tonyv.me/gdrive

Tom Murray‏Verified account @thomascmurray

8 apps and tools for classroom SEL http://ow.ly/L8rw30jQn9L  #edtech

 

Steve Seward‏ @sewardstephen

Exit tickets, entry tickets, mid-lesson tickets—it’s all about learner thinking & using data to inform (extend or remediate) next instructional decisions. 25 questions to get you & your learners kick-started! #AdaptBasedOnPurpose

Michael Werner‏ @SimpleCEO

8 Ideas for Using Tech in Math Class http://rviv.ly/P4Egec

 

George Couros‏Verified account @gcouros

How to change your mindset to be more positive.  

https://t.co/SopAVGSWVo

 

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”

 

Strategies:

 

Positive Reinforcement

As the largest middle school in the state of New Jersey, Lincoln Middle School has struggled at times with student discipline. Chronic tardiness and fights on campus have been a problem for this school, which serves 1,800 7th- and 8th-grade students.

Traditional approaches to student discipline haven’t worked to change the school’s culture. Not only has punishment been largely ineffective as a deterrent, but it also erodes the critical relationship between students and educators. When teachers are constantly meting out punishment, their relationship with students becomes confrontational instead of supportive—and this isn’t the type of environment in which students can learn most effectively.

 

https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/05/01/positive-reinforcement-leads-to-school-wide-change/

 

My Daughter’s Homework is Killing Me

Memorization, not rationalization. That is the advice of my 13-year-old daughter, Esmee, as I struggle to make sense of a paragraph of notes for an upcoming Earth Science test on minerals.

Esmee is in the eighth grade…

What I am interested in is what my daughter is doing during those nightly hours between 8 o’clock and midnight, when she finally gets to bed.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/my-daughters-homework-is-killing-me/309514/

 

Resources:

 

The Problem with All Stars

How humility is crucial to success.

Start by asking kids, if you could make up a team, would it be better to have a team of all super stars, or a mix of stars and average players?

32 minutes. – Audio only

https://www.ted.com/talks/worklife_with_adam_grant_the_team_of_humble_stars

 

Save the Planet Board Game

Save The Planet Board Game is free and open-source DIY cooperative board game. In the Save the Planet Game you and your family and friends can work together to save the planet to win, while learning how to save the planet in real life. The beginner option is appropriate for children 4 and up and the advanced option is a fun game for teens up to any age. This game is open-source so you are encouraged to build on it – make it better, add more good deeds, make a local deed list and make more advanced derivatives. Have fun!

http://www.appropedia.org/Save_the_planet_board_game

 

Answer Garden

AnswerGarden is a new minimalistic feedback tool. Use it for real time audience participation, online brainstorming and classroom feedback.

https://answergarden.ch/

 

Sourcera

Search museums, archives and libraries for images, embed them in slides at the click of a button! Also available for documents.

Highlight text in your slide and use it to search many of the world’s largest and richest archives.

Find images that you can re-use, view licensing information, embed them in your presentation complete with attribution, caption and link to source with a single click.

 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sourcera/bahhjiijkghmilcaakejnpgakhgdmhdd?utm_source=permalink

 

Docs Teach

DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives.

 

The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation’s record keeper. We save documents and other materials created in the course of business conducted by the U.S. Federal government that are judged to have continuing value. We hold in trust for the public the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — but also the records of ordinary citizens — at our locations around the country.

 

Access thousands of primary sources  — letters, photographs, speeches, posters, maps, videos, and other document types — spanning the course of American history. We’re always adding more!

 

Borrow from an ever-expanding collection of document-based activities created by the National Archives, and teachers around the world. Copy and modify activities for your students.

 

Create your own activities using the online tools. It’s as simple as: (1) selecting a tool, (2) choosing your primary sources, and (3) customizing instructions.

 

https://www.docsteach.org/

 

Audacity Tutorials for Beginners

17 Videos to help you (and your students) use Audacity.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6wGbZVVzENlzXKZJz3D1XmOZeL91GncR

 

Trinket

Share Code from any Device

Trinket lets you run and write code in any browser, on any device.

Trinkets work instantly, with no need to log in, download plugins, or install software.

Easily share or embed the code with your changes when you’re done.

https://trinket.io/

 

Periodic Videos

A lesson about every single element on the periodic table

Created by the Periodic Videos team using the TED-Ed platform.

http://ed.ted.com/periodic-videos

 

The Baseball Study by Recht and Leslie

Video relating research on the importance of vocabulary and background knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP6qpSrr3cg&feature=youtu.be

 

18 Free Image Sites and Tools for Schools

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it might also be worth a thousand dollars if your school gets hit with a copyright violation claim. This happens to schools every year as students or teachers inappropriately use an image that they do not have the rights to.

http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/04/free-images.html?spref=tw

Web Spotlight:

 

25 Things Successful Teachers Do Differently

https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/25-things-successful-teachers-do-differently/

 

Strategies List

Thinking Collaborative List of strategies for the learning. Here is a sample…

1-2-6

3-2-1 Plus 1

5-3-1

7-11 Conversations

A B Each Teach

Adjournment Directions

Airplane Stacking

Analogy Prompts

Applause

Around the Room

Ask for Sabotage Ideas

Assumptions Challenge

Assumptions Inquiry

Assumptions Wall

Attention First

Banned Words

Block Party

Brainstorm Modalities

Brainstorm Questions

Brainstorm

Break and Breathe

Broken Squares

Caping

Card Games

Card Stack and Shuffle

Carousel Brainstorming

Carousel Interview

Catalogue

Causal Loop Diagram

Check In

Choose Voice

Choreograph an Opening

Clarify Conflicting Mental Modes

Use the link below for more:

http://www.thinkingcollaborative.com/strategies/

 

Grasshopper

Welcome to Grasshopper,the coding app for beginners

• Learn with fun, quick lessons on your phone that teach you to write real JavaScript.
• Move through progressively challenging levels as you develop your abilities.
• Graduate with fundamental programming skills for your next step as a coder.

https://grasshopper.codes/

 

Amazon Shareholder Letter

 

Six-Page Narratives

We don’t do PowerPoint (or any other slide-oriented) presentations at Amazon. Instead, we write narratively structured six-page memos. We silently read one at the beginning of each meeting in a kind of “study hall.” Not surprisingly, the quality of these memos varies widely. Some have the clarity of angels singing. They are brilliant and thoughtful and set up the meeting for high-quality discussion. Sometimes they come in at the other end of the spectrum.

 

High Standards

Understanding this point is important because it keeps you humble. You can consider yourself a person of high standards in general and still have debilitating blind spots. There can be whole arenas of endeavor where you may not even know that your standards are low or non-existent, and certainly not world class. It’s critical to be open to that likelihood.

Recognition and Scope

What do you need to achieve high standards in a particular domain area? First, you have to be able to recognize what good looks like in that domain. Second, you must have realistic expectations for how hard it should be (how much work it will take) to achieve that result – the scope.

Let me give you two examples. One is a sort of toy illustration but it makes the point clearly, and another is a real one that comes up at Amazon all the time.

Perfect Handstands

A close friend recently decided to learn to do a perfect free-standing handstand. No leaning against a wall. Not for just a few seconds. Instagram good. She decided to start her journey by taking a handstand workshop at her yoga studio. She then practiced for a while but wasn’t getting the results she wanted. So, she hired a handstand coach. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, but evidently this is an actual thing that exists. In the very first lesson, the coach gave her some wonderful advice. “Most people,” he said, “think that if they work hard, they should be able to master a handstand in about two weeks. The reality is that it takes about six months of daily practice. If you think you should be able to do it in two weeks, you’re just going to end up quitting.” Unrealistic beliefs on scope – often hidden and undiscussed – kill high standards. To achieve high standards yourself or as part of a team, you need to form and proactively communicate realistic beliefs about how hard something is going to be – something this coach understood well.

In the handstand example, it’s pretty straightforward to recognize high standards. It wouldn’t be difficult to lay out in detail the requirements of a well-executed handstand, and then you’re either doing it or you’re not. The writing example is very different. The difference between a great memo and an average one is much squishier. It would be extremely hard to write down the detailed requirements that make up a great memo. Nevertheless, I find that much of the time, readers react to great memos very similarly. They know it when they see it. The standard is there, and it is real, even if it’s not easily describable.

Here’s what we’ve figured out. Often, when a memo isn’t great, it’s not the writer’s inability to recognize the high standard, but instead a wrong expectation on scope: they mistakenly believe a high-standards, six-page memo can be written in one or two days or even a few hours, when really it might take a week or more! They’re trying to perfect a handstand in just two weeks, and we’re not coaching them right. The great memos are written and re-written, shared with colleagues who are asked to improve the work, set aside for a couple of days, and then edited again with a fresh mind. They simply can’t be done in a day or two. The key point here is that you can improve results through the simple act of teaching scope – that a great memo probably should take a week or more.

 

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000119312518121161/d456916dex991.htm

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

Jokes You Can Use:  

 

A guy was an ice cream store and needed to fart. He decided the music was so loud that he just went for it and timed his farts to the beat of the music. After he relieved himself he looked up to see everyone staring at him. Than he realized that he was listening to his iPod.

 

What happens to a frog’s car when it breaks down?

It gets toad away.

 

Q: What did the duck say when he bought lipstick?

A: “Put it on my bill.”

 

Instead of “the John,” I call my toilet “the Jim.” That way it sounds better when I say I go to the Jim first thing every morning.

 

Q: What starts with E, ends with E, and has only 1 letter in it?

• envelope

Advisory:

 

Speaker

Could show the video. There is also a link to download a book (email address needed, but no confirmation).

https://topyouthspeakers.com/djf

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Lifelong Kindergarten: Part 6

This is the sixth in a seven part podcast series on the book, “Lifelong Kindergarten,” written by Mitchel Resnick.

This sixth podcast focuses in on chapter five in the book, “Play.”  In chapter five, Mitchel emphasizes:

• Playfulness
• Playpens and Playgrounds
• Tinkering
• Many Paths, Many Styles
• Try Try Again
• Tensions and Tradeoffs: Assessment

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2018/3/1_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Lifelong_Kindergarten_Part_6.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

Todd Bloch‏ @blocht574

We all have them (bad days), here are the instructions to get to the other side! From @shanekoyczan https://youtu.be/V7OGY1Jxp3o  #mschat #michED

 

Shelly Sanchez‏ @ShellTerrell

Mission: Create an ebook for a classmate https://buff.ly/2HLOCmt  by @AnthippiHarou #EduGoalsMooc #edtechmissions #edchat

Jerry Blumengarten‏ @cybraryman1

A1 Technology gives us the ability to collaborate easily with others to create meaningful PD. Need to use it more for PD. My Professional Development page https://cybraryman.com/profdevelop.html … My Professional Learning page https://cybraryman.com/proflearning.html … #satchat #edchat

Julie Woodard‏ @woodard_julie

Why is student voice important? Why listen?? We know listening to Ss increases S achievement, engagement, ownership & learning..we know listening celebrates S value! Why do YOU think Student Voice is important.. ???…. …. what can you add to the discussion??

Meredith Johnson‏ @mjjohnson1216

A3. This graphic continues the same theme that clearly shows what we tried in the past that never worked and how we are trying to improve without PD now (still room for growth) #satchat

Eileen Stocco‏ @EileenStocco

Love this shirt…and, of course, this kid! 🙂 @TMSGamma

Anthony Whitaker‏ @Antnee07

Another barrier down! #BDBblog @TJParrish28 @KyleHamstra @tamipoland @bosstetter_edu @lmkinard @darrickmcneill3 @jswartzwoman @nathan_stevens @AdminSmith @AnueVision @Angela_Watson @Brhyne39H https://barriers.blog/2018/02/28/breaking-down-barriers-2/amp/?__twitter_impression=true …

Julie P. Jones, PhD‏ @JuliePJones

We keep telling teachers they have to teach differently, but we train the same. Change and innovation can’t be fully realized until we change the way we model- the way we PD #satchat

 

𝒟𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒸𝒞𝒶𝒷𝑒 💥‏ @danieldmccabe

Using Technology Vs. Technology Integration #satchat

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”  

 

Strategies:

 

Mentally Strong Kids Have Parents Who Refuse to Do These 13 Things

https://www.parent.com/mentally-strong-kids-have-parents-who-refuse-to-do-these-13-things/

 

Resources:

 

FoldScopes

Foldscope is an ultra-affordable, paper-based microscope that you assemble yourself. It is designed to be inexpensive, durable, and give optical quality similar to conventional research microscopes. With magnification of 140X and resolution of 2 microns,  Foldscope brings microscopy to new places.  

Our Mission is to produce low-cost scientific tools to globally expand access to science. We aim to break down the price barrier between people and the curiosity & excitement of scientific exploration.

https://www.foldscope.com/

 

National Teacher Institute – Civil War Trust

https://www.civilwar.org/events/national-teacher-institute  

Our annual National Teacher Institute brings together educators from all over the world. This four-day event includes workshops, lectures, and tours from some of the leading experts in the history and education fields. Educators will be immersed in a friendly, fun, and engaging learning environment, where they will be able to network with other educators while learning new and innovative teaching methods.

This event is free but does require a $100, refundable, deposit be placed to reserve your spot. At the conclusion of the event, educators can apply for continuing education credits, provided by Virginia Tech University.

Please join us July 12-15, 2018, in Valley Forge!

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators Annual Conference in Jackson, Michigan – March 12, 2018  

Join us for the Michigan Association of Middle School Educators 2018 Conference.  An opportunity for collaboration, professional development and innovation.

http://mamseevents.org/

 

5 Google Drawing Features

1. Use lines to arrange items on the page perfectly.
2. Insert a video in a Google Drawing
3. Insert pre-designed diagrams.
4. Add a gradient background.
5. Use word art to make titles stand out.

BONUS: Resize the canvas by grabbing the corner.

BONUS: My favorite keyboard shortcut to use with Google Drawings!

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2018/02/26/5-google-drawings-features-you-probably-dont-know-about/

Note:  If you’re listening to the show, don’t ditch your checkbook.  

 

Web Spotlight:

Research: Children see words and faces differently from adults

Intuitively, if you want to get a good look at something – a word, a face, or pretty much anything else – you ought to look straight at it, and indeed that’s basically what adults do.

But the situation is different in children. For one thing, children’s circuits for words process a different region of the visual field, one that is shifted down and to the right, compared to adults. That means that in order to process words most efficiently, kids would need to look a bit up and to the left.

https://ukedchat.com/2018/02/23/children-words-faces-different/

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

 

Jokes You Can Use:  

 

Forward I’m heavy, backward I’m not. What am ?

• ton

 

A man has a bee in his hand. What’s in his eye?

• Beauty

 

What tastes better than it smells?

• Tongue

 

Imagine you’re in a dark room with no windows and a locked door. How do you get out?

• Imagine you have a key

 

I’m light as a feather, but the longer you hold me, the harder I am to keep. What am I?

• Breath

 

Two fathers and their two sons go hunting in the woods. They each shoot a rabbit and bring it home. They don’t lose any rabbits but only have three when they arrive. How is that possible?

• Three generations.

 

Advisory:

Words:

• Kummerspeck (German) – weight gained from emotional overeating
• Tartle (Scots) – The feeling of hesitation right before you have to introduce someone whose name you don’t remember
• Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego) – the look shared between two people when both want the other to do something they both want, but neither want to do first
• Backpfeifengesicht (German) – a super punchable face
• Pelinti (Guli, Ghana) – to move hot food around in your mouth
• Yuputka (Ulwa) – the phantom feeling of something crawling on your skin, like when you’re walking alone in the woods
• Zhaghzhagh (Persian) – the chattering of teeth from the cold or from anger
• Lagom (Swedish) – just right (not too much, not too little)
• Seigneur-terraces (French) – café patrons who sit at the shop for a long time but don’t spend much money
• Luftmensch (Yiddish) – an impractical dreamer
• Sobremesa (Spanish) – happy, relaxed conversation that you partake in after a good dinner and drinks with friends
• Shemomedjamo (Georgian) – translates to “I accidentally ate the whole thing,” when you’re really full but you can’t stop eating
• Gigil (Filipino) – wanting to pinch something super cute
• Pana Po’o (Hawaiian) – to scratch your head to help you remember something
• Greng-jai (Thai) – The feeling of not wanting to ask for a favor because it will be a pain for the other person
• Iktsuarpok (Inuit) – the feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house
• Koi No Yokan (Japanese) – Upon meeting a person, the immediate feeling that you two are going to fall in love
• Zeg (Georgian) – the day after tomorrow

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Part 5 — Peers

This is the fifth in a seven part podcast series on the book, “Lifelong Kindergarten,” written by Mitchel Resnick.

 

This fifth podcast focuses in on chapter four in the book, “Peers.”  In chapter three, Mitchel emphasizes:

Beyond Rodin

Learning Communities

Openness

Culture of Caring

Teaching

Tensions and Trade-Offs: Expertise

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2018/2/13_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Lifelong_Kindergarten_Part_5.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

Kelly Malloy‏ @kellys3ps

Some students really benefit from a list of sentence starters to get them going. You can grab this freebie here https://buff.ly/2odmaSq   Note:  Clicking on link will as you to join a link.  

𝒟𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒸𝒞𝒶𝒷𝑒 💥‏ @danieldmccabe

Differentiation Is. Differentiation Is Not. #satchat

 

Connie Hamilton Ed.S‏ @conniehamilton

There seems to be a lot of talk about choice/voice around differentiation – while it’s helpful for Ts to consider S interests. Differentiated instruction is largely planned an intentional to allow all students to reach the same learning goal – maybe in different ways. #satchat

Connie Hamilton Ed.S‏ @conniehamilton

Let’s not confuse differentiation with “dummy-down” for struggling learners. Allow them access to rigorous and complex concepts by differentiating the content, process, or product. #satchat

Lee Araoz‏ @LeeAraoz

Differentiate by offering student choice with Passion-Based Learning!! Genius Hour and the Four Pathways to Genius #satchat Read about how we do it here: http://wp.me/p5D09s-nC

Richard Erdmann‏ @rerdmann

A2: Genius Hour is an excellent example of providing Ss voice, choice and is an excellent example of differentiating learning to meet all Ss interests & passions! #SatChat

Miriam GuerreroCheuk‏ @MiriamCheuk

A1: Differentiation of Instruction entails using methods that meet the needs of every unique learner in the classroom to maximize their growth & success. 1 size doesn’t fit all. The teacher adapts content, process & product. #satchat

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

5 Fantastic Word Cloud Tools for Chromebooks http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/04/chromebook-word-cloud-tools.html … #edtech

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”  

 

Strategies:

 

An unexpectedly positive result from arts-focused field trips

The surprising result is that students who received multiple field trips experienced significantly greater gains on their standardized test scores after the first year than did the control students.

The treatment and control groups do not differ in their baseline test results and otherwise appear similar, so these changes seem to be the result of the treatment.

We still do not believe that arts instruction and experiences have a direct effect on math or ELA ability. We think this because the bulk of prior research tells us so, and because it is simply implausible that two extra field trips to an arts organization conveyed a significant amount of math and ELA knowledge.

Our best guess is that test scores may have risen because the extra arts activities increased student interest and engagement in school.

Maybe arts-focused field trips do not teach math or reading, but they do make students more interested in their school that does teach math and reading.

The odd thing about trying to write a paper with these results to present at conferences and submit to a journal is that there is strong pressure for us to pretend like we expected our findings all along. Discussants and reviewers generally don’t want to hear that you found something you didn’t expect and don’t really know why.

 

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2018/02/16/an-unexpectedly-positive-result-from-arts-focused-field-trips-in-school/

 

Free Math App

Students digitally record step-by-step math work.

Teachers simultaneously review all assignments with complete solutions grouped by similar final answer.

Free for teachers and students.

No account setup required. Student work and grading feedback both save as files that integrate seamlessly with standard LMS tools.

http://freemathapp.org/

 

Resources:

Simple Articulation Strategy: 5 Ins and 5 Outs

As I researched articulation strategies, I found “5 Ins and 5 Outs” mentioned in a Teaching Channel video. The basic idea is that teachers identify 5 “outs” or skills students will master by the time they leave their class. These “outs” become the “ins” for the next grade level. So, if I say that students will leave my 9th grade English class able to “correctly cite strong textual evidence that supports analysis” then the 10th-grade teachers can feel confident that the incoming sophomores will be able to demonstrate that skill.

It was interesting to work with a room full of 6-8 grade English language arts teachers as they worked on their ins and outs. A few things became clear:

#1 Teachers used different language to describe similar strategies.

#2 Teachers interpret the standards differently.

#3 Transparency between grade levels helps teachers identify skill gaps.

 

We worked collaboratively on a shared Google Document so teachers could see the outs for the previous grade, ask questions, and make suggestions. The conversations about what teachers were seeing in terms of skills at the start of the school year helped to refine the outs for the previous year.

http://catlintucker.com/2018/02/simple-articulation-strategy-5-ins-and-5-outs/

 

ScienceLinks

Lots of Science Lessons.

http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/

 

QRCode Creator – Bulk

Create QR codes in bulk. (like a whole classroom full of links).

https://qrexplore.com/generate/

 

StoryMap JS

Maps that tell stories.

https://storymap.knightlab.com/

 

Anchor

Podcast Creation Made Easy

https://anchor.fm/

Web Spotlight:

 

Is Gates America’s Dumbest Smart Guy?

If you glanced at EdWeek’s Teacher Beat blog last week, you could be forgiven for thinking that Bill Gates had joined the growing list of tech “regrets” writers. It’s a cool new writing genre in which some longtime techy reformster announces that he’s had an epiphany and realized all by himself that there’s something fundamentally ineffective, misguided and just plain wrong with the baloney he’s been frying up lo these many years.

If we look at last fall’s speech (both the pre-speech PR and the actual edited-down version he delivered), we can see that Gates knows he’s supposed to be learning things, that a shift in direction and emphasis needs to look like a pivot based on a learning curve, and not just flailing off blindly in another direction because the previous flails didn’t turn out like you hoped (against all evidence and advice) they would.

What looks on the surface like an admission of failure turns out to be an assignment of blame. Small schools, teacher evaluation, merit pay, and the ever-unloved Common Core have all been a bust, and yet somehow, their failure is never the result of a flawed design, a bad concept, or being flat-out wrong about the whole picture. What Gates invariably announces he’s “learned” is that he was basically correct, but he underestimated just how unready people were to welcome his rightness, and he needs to tweak a few features.

Now, if I order miracle hair grower on line and I use it, and my hair doesn’t grow back, I might be inclined to question whether or not the hair grower was as miraculous as it claimed. If I had a great system for improving teachers, and I used it, and it didn’t look like it worked, I might question whether my brilliant ideas were really brilliant or not. In short, I might wonder if I weren’t, you know, wrong. But not Gates. He gives us the three measures for success– good pilot, self-sustaining system, and spreading to other locations. Then he provides the excuses for why his teacher system failed all three.

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2018/02/is-gates-americas-dumbest-smart-guy.html

 

Totally Accurate History

Kids say the darndest things! From explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs to detailing the bizarre history of the waffle, these precocious teachers are way more entertaining than a textbook… and maybe even a tiny bit right.

https://www.lightworkers.com/original-series/totally-accurate-history/

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

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Jokes You Can Use:  

 

A woman came to her doctor in a panic.

“Doctor, all day long my daughter eats yeast and car wax, and won’t get out of bed! What will happen to her?”

• “Don’t worry,” said the Doctor, “eventually she will rise and shine.”

 

I swallowed some food coloring the other day.

• I’m dying inside.

 

I changed my iPod’s name to Titantic.

• Because it’s SYNCING.

 

Why are fish so easy to weigh?

• They have own scales.

 

How can you check to see if Lady Gaga is dead?

• Poker face.

 

Have you heard about the new movie “Constipation”?

• It hasn’t come out yet.

 

What’s the difference between boy snowmen and girl snowwoman?

• Snowballs

 

What’s the most famous fish in the sea?

• Starfish
• (If you know a better fish pun, please let minnow).

 

Why did the Roman chicken cross the road?

• Because she was afraid someone would caesar!

 

What do you call the story of The Three Little Pigs?

• A pigtail!

 

Advisory:

 

U.P. concrete worker shares lesson of 4th-place Olympic finish with son

He finished in fourth place. No-man’s land. No medals. “No glory,” as Baumgartner said with an accepting smile.

“Fourth place!” Baumgartner said to his son. “The wooden spoon. Just think how famous you would be at school, if I was on the podium.”

Baumgartner has taught his son to savor every second, to squeeze everything out of every opportunity. Baumgartner plans to stay the duration of the Games to show his son “the full on Olympic experience.”

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/2018/02/15/nick-baumgartner-pyeongchang-winter-olympics-snowboard-cross/340029002/

 

Blaming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODz3fIKQZLU

 

 

Accepting consequences

A very short video from Bagger Vance. He moves some vegetation which inadvertently moves the ball. Everyone wants him to not follow the rules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=glRTERPpfxU

 

Amazon Day One Videos

A variety (currently 29) of videos that focus on Entrepreneurs. Some good leadership choices. All of the videos are under 3 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaQihAe6OdwLCqg2drq3k_LXyPh-WCcAR

 

Text neck and other Modern Maladies

 

http://twentytwowords.com/text-neck-and-9-other-modern-maladies-we-have-now-because-of-technology/

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Lifelong Kindergarten – Part 4 — Passion

This is the fourth in a seven part podcast series on the book, “Lifelong Kindergarten,” written by Mitchel Resnick.

 

This fourth podcast focuses in on chapter three in the book, “Passion.”  In chapter three, Mitchel emphasizes:

• Building on Interests
• Wide Walls
• Hard Fun
• Gamification
• Personalization
• Tensions and Trade-Offs: Structure

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2018/2/4_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Lifelong_Kindergarten_Part_4.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

Coach Ben 😎👍‏ @cogswell_ben Feb 14

With the Chinese New Year almost here, it’s time for you or your students to test your mastery with this differentiated #hyperdoc WARNING ADVENTURERS ONLY-> http://tinyurl.com/cnyhyperdoc  #alisalstrong #tosachat #cuerockstar #ditchbook

Bored Teachers‏ @Bored_Teachers Feb 15

Let the games begin!

edublogs‏ @edublogs

“PBL is not a license to ditch the standards or take a break from real learning. It’s not the same thing as a pizza party or Field Day.” How Do You Teach to the Standards When Doing Project-Based Learning?” http://www.spencerauthor.com/?p=56917  via @spencerideas #PBL

Karly Moura‏ @KarlyMoura Feb 15

It’s HERE!! The Educator’s Guide to Flipgrid FREE eBook 2nd Edition Packed full of resources to help you blast off with awesome ideas and take flight with NEW features @SEANJFAHEY #SolidGold #FlipgridFever http://static.flipgrid.com/docs/Flipgrid_eBook_2nd_edition.pdf …

Jennifer Williams‏ @JenWilliamsEdu 15 Dec 2016

‘I Wonder’ Questions: Harnessing the Power of Inquiry http://edut.to/2ghzwGT  Revisiting this great post! @edutopia #wonder #inspireinquiry

Library of Congress‏Verified account @librarycongress

We have posted some great stories on @Medium about how people use the Library’s collections and how you can too. Take a look, https://medium.com/@librarycongress ….

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”  

 

Strategies:

 

5 WAYS TO STOP BULLYING IN EVERY SCHOOL

• Tip 1: Know your school’s anti-bullying culture and showcase it proudly.
• Tip 2: Give everyone the resources to live and to thrive in the culture that you’ve actually just created.
• Tip 3: Empower your students to take a stand.
• Tip 4: Reinforce effort. Work at leadership success.
• Tip 5: Be there for your students and families. Serve their needs each and every day.

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e255/

 

Resources:

Reach for Greatness: Personalizable Education for All Children by Yong Zhao

How do you close the achievement gap? Start by changing the question.  

 

When we use the achievement gap to define success, we shortchange our students. It’s time to recognize that the potential for greatness lies in a unique form within each child―and that the goal of education should be to encourage and develop it. This inspiring manifesto brings in research from different disciplines and demonstrates how to uncover individual greatness by giving students control of their learning. You’ll also find:  

• Strategies for implementing personalizable education
• Examples showing practices that have gone wrong―and right
• Guidance for teaching disadvantaged students

 

Personalized Learning Vs Personalization of Learning

…the idea of “personalization of learning,” meaning more in how does the teacher understand the student, build on their interests, and create learning opportunities for the student3.  I can get behind this idea.

The personalization of learning creates the opportunity for more depth and authenticity, whereas “personalized learning” seems to be more about knowing the “stuff”.

https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/8056

 

Web Spotlight:

 

John Spencer

“As you know, I am a huge fan of the design thinking process. And, for that reason, my friend Jochem Goedhals (who I met in the Netherlands) and I want to get a sense for how educators use design thinking and design processes as they develop, implement, and improve their practice.

This is part of the initial research we are doing on a book that Jochem and I will be writing in the future. This survey will be part of what drives our research and writing.

It’s a quick survey and it would mean the world to me if you took the time to fill it out.”

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

Jokes You Can Use:  

 

Remember: Iceland is one sea away from Ireland.

 

I never make the same mistake twice. I make it 5-6 times, just to be sure.

 

What kind of music do planets like?

 

Where can you buy chicken broth in bulk?

How do you tell if a vampire is sick?

• Depends on his coffin.

 

What did the turtle tell the police officer after being mugged by snails?

• I’m not sure what happened, it all happened so fast.

 

A man is walking in a graveyard when he hears the Third Symphony played backward. When it’s over, the Second Symphony starts playing, also backward, and then the First. “What’s going on?” he asks a cemetery worker.

 

Advisory:

 

Google Doodle Challenge

This year’s contest is open for online and mailed entries until March 2, 2018 at 8:00pm PST.

https://doodles.google.com/d4g/how-it-works.html

https://doodles.google.com/d4g/faq.html

The Hazards of Decision Overload

 

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/mind/articles/2017-03-15/the-hazards-of-decision-overload

 

Happiness Packets

 

https://www.happinesspackets.io/archive/

 

Rockhurst senior who built prosthetic arm for metro boy now going to teach other

kids how to do it too

 

http://fox4kc.com/2018/01/10/rockhurst-senior-who-built-prosthetic-arm-for-metro-boy-now-going-to-teach-other-kids-how-to-do-it-too/

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Lifelong Kindergarten – Part 2

 

This is the second in a seven part podcast series on the book, “Lifelong Kindergarten,” written by Mitchel Resnick.

 

This second podcast focuses in on chapter one in the book, “Creative Learning.”  In chapter one, Mitchel asks the central question of the book – “How can we help young people develop as creative thinkers so that they’re prepared for life in this ever-changing world?”

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2018/1/14_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Lifelong_Kindergarten_Part_2.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

Thomas Guskey‏ @tguskey Jan 22

After responding today to nearly 20 requests for names of schools that “are already doing it,” this may bear repeating. Our approach too often is: “Before doing what strong evidence shows is better for kids, I’d like to talk to others who have already done it just to be sure.”

Rich Czyz‏ @RACzyz Jan 26

#FlashbackFriday Building Foundations #4OCF @bbray27 @chrisp16 @atkauffman @agratitudegirl @mgcjusa @LeeAraoz @RobSahliAP @nbartley6 @girlworld4 @DavidGeurin @MathDenisNJ @iruntech @aaron_hogan @MuziLearningLab @cradisch_wc @burgessdave @KleinErin @mlarson_nj @tinamonte

Bob Harrison‏ @dbntechcoach Jan 25

The Evolution of Classroom Technology

Heather Wolpert-G.‏ @tweenteacher 21h21 hours ago

PBL Secret Sauce #1:The Entry Level Event – 1st in a series of videos sharing day-to-day PBL http://tweenteacher.com/2017/09/19/pbl-secret-sauce-the-entry-level-event/ … #pbl @BIEpbl

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts Jan 23

If you missed my “Hipster Google” session at #FETC this morning you can get all the resources (minus my live witty banter) at: http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/03/hipster-google.html … #edtech

Mike Rohde‏ @rohdesign 15 Jun 2017

HOW Design Live 2017 Sketchnote Master Class audio & slides! Audio (MP3) – …http://media2.fwpublications.com.s3.amazonaws.com/HOW/HDL2016/2017/Audio/Mike%20Rohde.mp3 … Slides (PDF) – …http://media2.fwpublications.com.s3.amazonaws.com/HOW/HDL2016/2017/PDFs/Tuesday_RohdeMike_HOW-Sketchnote-Masterclass.pdf …

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  And as Troy says, “The Twitter never stops!”  

 

Strategies:

 

Read Alouds

Moss believes the strategic use of read alouds can help students achieve many of the goals of the standards, but she cautions: “Don’t wreck the read aloud with too many instructional interruptions.” Keep it simple and fun.

She’s found that starting class with a read aloud, followed by 10 minutes to write in journals, provides a predictable structure that helps kids settle into the day’s lesson. Having a set process also prevents the read aloud from getting scrapped because of time constraints.

…wanted to give their students, a large portion of whom are ELLs, more tools to discuss the high-level ideas within the texts they were reading. The questions and cues teachers had been using during the read aloud, however, focused students on literal comprehension, which, in turn, reinforced low expectations for student thinking. It also drained the life out of the read aloud. “What’s the conversation in a good book club? Rarely is it recounting what happened in the book,” says Friedman.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/jan18/vol60/num01/Why-Every-Class-Needs-Read-Alouds.aspx

 

Silent Day

Paul shared a paragraph from his book on the concept of something he called “Silent Day,” a day where the teacher is silent, but the students are not.

https://www.teamolson.us/home/why-silent-day

 

Resources:

 

Countable

 

https://www.countable.us/

 

Google Safety Center

For Families:

Learn about Google safety tools designed to help you manage the security and privacy of your personal data.

For Everyone:

Help your family build good online safety habits with tools from Google and advice from our family safety partners.

https://www.google.com/safetycenter/

 

Econ Low Down

 

https://www.econlowdown.org/

 

Poor No More

“Peter Cove has the standard background for a social justice warrior—grew up in Massachusetts, B.A. in sociology from Northeastern University, graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, New York City government jobs, Community Action Agency in Boston, Manpower Assistance Project consultant, New World Foundation program officer. After holding key posts in New York City municipal government, he worked for the Community Action Agency in Boston, where he developed grassroots health, housing, and education programs.

He did his share of the spending of $20 trillion on poverty programs since 1964, but at some point he recognized a pattern: “I saw with my own eyes the value of work—any kind of paid work—in reducing welfare dependency and attacking poverty. I learned that if we helped welfare clients get jobs, even entry-level jobs, they would then attend to their other needs. … Work demonstrates that behavior has consequences. And it allows people to feel the pride and self-respect that come with supporting their spouses and children.”

Poor No More has many specific examples of how real change occurs. Here’s one: “When some mothers on welfare came to us, they often explained that they could not work because they had no day care. We would still send them on a job interview, and when the company wanted to hire them, miraculously, they found a grandmother or daycare center. Childcare wasn’t ultimately the problem— it was their insecurity about being worth anything in the private marketplace. Once they were offered a job, all the barriers to work fell away. By contrast, if the government continued giving them money and other benefits, they were likely to remain dependent.”

-Marvin Olasky

 

Web Spotlight:

 

2017 Education Research Highlights

• PRACTICE TESTING, PLANNING TOP LIST OF EFFECTIVE STUDYING STRATEGIES
• NEW TEACHERS—AND THEIR STUDENTS—BENEFIT FROM MENTORS
• CLICKERS BOOST FACT RETENTION, BUT CAN IMPEDE DEEPER LEARNING
• DON’T DROP FINGER COUNTING FOR YOUNG CHILDREN TOO SOON
• THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
• REFLECTIVE WRITING EXERCISES CAN IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES
• TEXT MESSAGING CAN BOOST GRADES AND ATTENDANCE
• THE DEBATE ON ACADEMICS VS. PLAY IN PRESCHOOL CONTINUES

 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/2017-education-research-highlights

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

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