Jokes You Can Use:  

When my girlfriend said she was leaving because of my obsession with The Monkees, I thought she was joking. And then I saw her face.

 

People don’t respect sidewalks near enough. But I do. They’ve kept me off the streets for years.

 

I went to a wedding the other night. It was very emotional.

• Even the cake was in tiers.

 

Did you hear about the guy who invented the Knock Knock joke?

• He won the “no bell” prize.

 

Why is every nose always under 12 inches long?

• Because then it would be a foot.

 

I really shouldn’t have had seafood last night.

• I’m feeling a little eel.

 

How come crabs never give to charity?

• They’re shellfish.

 

What do you call it when a prisoner takes their own mug shot?

• A cellfie.  

 

What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches?

• A nervous wreck.

 

Did you hear about the guy who is afraid of elevators?

• He’s taking steps to avoid them.

 

I hate jokes about German sausages.

• They’re the wurst.

 

Advisory:

 

Geno Auriemma on body language and the type of players he recruits

He has led UConn to eleven NCAA Division I national championships, the most in college basketball history, and has won seven national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards.[1] Auriemma has been the head coach of the United States women’s national basketball team since 2009, during which time his teams won the 2010and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp4mIONS51E

 

When This 7th Grader Lost All His Friends

 

http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/881/When-This-7th-Grader-Lost-All-His-Friends.aspx

 

Why You’re Not Successful? | These 12 Things Separate Amazing From Average

#1. Quality Not Quantity

#2. Difference Between Efficiency And Effectiveness

#3. How To Be Consistent

#4. What Does It Mean To Go Above And Beyond?

#5. Do Less, But Better

#6. Listen To What Isn’t Said

#7. Take Initiative To Solve Problems

#8. Real-World Experience

#9. Be Prepared For Anything

#10. Honesty At Work

#11. Stop Blaming Others And Take Responsibility

#12. Don’t Just Think Positive – Act Positive

https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/why-not-successful/

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Modeling

 

I was recently reading the December, 2017 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 the Editor’s Desk article, “No Glue Required,”” written by Patty McGinnis the Editor of Science Scope.  In her article, she discusses modeling.  Modeling is used to describe, test, and predict phenomena.  She talks about the plant and animal cell models, that she used to have her students make, and how that does not meet the meaning of modeling, as we use it today.

 

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that provides students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment.  Announced by the U.S. Government on Earth Day in 1994, GLOBE launched its worldwide implementation in 1995.

Vision: A worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth’s environment at local, regional, and global scales.

Mission: To promote the teaching and learning of science, enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2017/12/14_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Modeling.html

 

From the Twitterverse:  

Ian Jukes‏ @ijukes

There are two things that are underrated in life: patience and wisdom…

Rabbi Michael Cohen‏Verified account @TheTechRabbi

Emotional Intelligence will become one of the greatest skillsets we need to thrive in the #futureofwork – EQ is greater than IQ. @garyvee talks about this nonstop! We need to develop self awareness, empathy & social skills that DRIVE our motivation. #edtech #edchat #education

Rick Wormeli‏ @rickwormeli2

#eWalkThrough It’s worth repeating that with gifted/advanced students, we don’t give them more to do, but instead, we change the nature or complexity of their learning/assessment experience.

 

George Couros‏Verified account @gcouros

What “data-driven” often becomes…

Dr. Dru Tomlin‏ @DruTomlin4Edu

Dr. Dru Tomlin Retweeted Ryan Lisek

A1. Just some of the gr8 educators who will push me 2 be better in 2018: @blocht574 @schug_dennis @MrPoynter @TeachMrLewis @MrAcocks @Mr_Halterman @dunford_paul @haydabeck @Beyond_the_Desk @SarahNovak16 @konik_kris #mschat

 

George Couros‏Verified account @gcouros

The art of teaching…

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

30 Free Google Drawings Graphic Organizers (and how to make your own) http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/05/graphic-org-drawings.html … #edtech

CBC Toronto‏Verified account @CBCToronto

Toronto police roll out ‘Operation Jingle’ — a low-tech way to prevent holiday theft http://ift.tt/2CCPZ4o

Dave Burgess‏ @burgessdave

Here’s the must-read post for today. Powerful message from #ClassroomChef & #TableTalkMath author, @Jstevens009 Please share this w/somebody who needs it…meaning all of us! http://www.fishing4tech.com/fishin-solo-blog/new-teachers-please-dont-be-fooled … #tlap #LeadLAP #KidsDeserveIt #TeacherMyth

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

#12DaysTwitter Day 10: Looking forward to catching up on some sleep!

Monte Tatom, Ed.D.‏ @drmmtatom

I want to wish my beautiful wife Beth Tatom, a very happy 39th Wedding Anniversary!!

 

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

 

Strategies:

 

Debate Boxing

…debate boxing.  Not my idea, nor the idea of my colleague, but definitely an idea that needs to be shared (If you know where it came from please let me know so I can link it!).

https://pernillesripp.com/2017/12/14/debate-boxing-a-way-to-get-kids-thinking-fast/

 

Resources:

Russel Tarr‏ @russeltarr 2m2 minutes ago

Imagination Prompt Generator: Nice starter activity for classroom discussions: http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/imagination.prompt.reload.html …

 

6 Winter Googley Activities

Good stuff. Links to the templates are available. Simple, easy to use.

http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/12/winter-activities.html

 

Course Hero

You should know about this one. Kids may know this and use the samples. Also, potentially good resource for you.

https://www.coursehero.com/

 

Web Spotlight:

Little Alchemy 2

Discover connections between objects as you build over 600 items by combining objects.  It’s not so much about understanding science as it is asking students the question, “Why do you think they associated these two objects together?  What do you think was their reasoning and would you have done it differently?”  

https://littlealchemy2.com/  

 

How Effective is Your School District

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/05/upshot/a-better-way-to-compare-public-schools.html

 

Blended Instruction vs Blended Learning

 

Schools continue to make investments in technology to engage students better, improve outcomes, and prepare all learners for the new world of work.

http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2017/12/blended-instruction-vs-blended-learning.html

 

Need Proof that Your Homework isn’t Fair?

I had an interesting conversation this week with a buddy of mine.  Both of us joked about being “single parents” for a few days — meaning we were completely in charge of our kids and our households while our partners were doing other things.

 

We both ended the week overwhelmed and completely exhausted.

 

http://blog.williamferriter.com/2017/12/09/need-proof-that-your-homework-isnt-fair/

 

Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds

 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/27/why-facts-dont-change-our-minds

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

Jokes You Can Use:  

 

 

• Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?
  • Great food, no atmosphere.

• What do you call a fake noodle?
  • An Impasta.

• How many apples grow on a tree?
  • All of them.

• Why did the coffee file a police report?
  • It got mugged.

• How does a penguin build it’s house?
  • Igloos it together.

• What do you call an elephant that doesn’t matter?
  • An irrelephant

• Want to hear a joke about construction?
  • I’m still working on it.

• The shovel was a ground-breaking invention.

• The rotation of earth really makes my day.

• Today at the bank, an old lady asked me to help check her balance. So I pushed her over.

• My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. It got so bad, finally I had to take his bike away.

• I’m so good at sleeping. I can do it with my eyes closed.

• The other day, my wife asked me to pass her lipstick but I accidentally passed her a glue stick. She still isn’t talking to me.

 

 

 

John Boyer‏Verified account @boyerweather

You’ve heard of Elf on the Shelf, but Richmond has Poe in the Snow

Advisory:

 

Turnip Prize

Pulled pork.

Have your kids create their own entries. Have a competition.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-42244179

 

Auschwitz inmate’s notes from hell finally revealed

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42144186

 

QuickDraw

Fun with drawing. But the reason behind this is all about Neural networks.

 

https://quickdraw.withgoogle.com/

https://quickdraw.withgoogle.com/data

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

STEM Club

 

I was recently reading the November, 2017 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 the article, “How to Start a STEM Club.” It was written by Margaret R. Blanchard, Kylie S. Hoyle and Kristie S. Gutierrez.  In the article, the authors presented an eight-step plan for starting an after school STEM Club.

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2017/12/7_Middle_School_Science_Minute__STEM_Club.html

 

From the Twitterverse:  

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

Emoji Writing Prompt Generator with Google Sheets http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/11/emoji-writing-prompts.html … #edtech

 

Bethany Petty‏ @Bethany_Petty

HyperDocs are AWESOME! – #edchat #hyperdocs #teachingwithtech @edtechteam https://buff.ly/2nH6Uzu

Dr. Tony Sinanis‏ @TonySinanis

Active engagement often includes collaboration & joy because of the passion around the work. This is how I’ve seen it “rub off” from engaged educator to educator- they are excited to share their work! #EduGladiators

Why don’t we have courage to give colleagues feedback? What are we afraid of? Courageous Conversations for Cowards  

 

John Meehan‏ @MeehanDJO

John Meehan Retweeted Rick Wormeli

Memo to Santa and future me…

John Meehan added,

Rick Wormeli @rickwormeli2

Shhhhh. Don’t let it get out too far and wide — Rick Wormeli was very busy last year and this year….and that’s scary. The result is coming in February 2018….

 

Rachelle Dene Poth‏ @Rdene915

https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED/status/939487391391342592MindShiftKQED …: As we near the holidays, don’t forget to treat yourself over the break #sketchnote via sylviaduckworth #edchat #tlchat #edadmin#cpchat #edchat #edtech #education

“It does not make sense to hire smart people, and then have them follow stupid rules.” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/does-make-hire-smart-people-have-them-follow-stupid-oleg-vishnepolsky … on @LinkedIn

George Couros‏Verified account @gcouros

Ten Creative Alternatives to Showing Movies Before the Break http://www.spencerauthor.com/?p=54321  via @spencerideas

 

Gary Stager, Ph.D.‏ @garystager

How about teaching?

 

Apple Education‏Verified account @AppleEDU

Celebrate Computer Science Education Week from Dec 4-10 with our new Hour of Code challenge & facilitator guide. https://images.apple.com/education/docs/hour-of-code-guide-2017.pdf … #EveryoneCanCode

 

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

 

Strategies:

 

Finished?

How about a display board with activities for those who are done?

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bymh8CE2f40qbDgtMDl4OVFod0E?usp=sharing

https://ukedchat.com/2017/01/05/finished-try-one-of-these-by-misstait_85-ukedresources/

 

Study finds reading information aloud to yourself improves memory

 

You are more likely to remember something if you read it out loud, a study from the University of Waterloo has found.

A recent Waterloo study found that speaking text aloud helps to get words into long-term memory. Dubbed the “production effect,” the study determined that it is the dual action of speaking and hearing oneself that has the most beneficial impact on memory.

The study tested four methods for learning written information, including reading silently, hearing someone else read, listening to a recording of oneself reading, and reading aloud in real time.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uow-sfr113017.php

 

11 Comic Creation Web Tools and Apps

 

http://teacherrebootcamp.com/2017/12/05/comiccreatorsappstools/

 

Resources:

 

Brain Scans Reveal Why Rewards and Punishments Don’t Seem to Work on Teenagers

One aspect of risk behavior in adolescents appears to be an apparent inability to match their behavior to the likely rewards (or punishments) that might follow.

 

Parents and teachers are painfully aware that it’s nearly impossible to get a teenager to focus on what you think is important. Even offering them a bribe or issuing a stern warning will typically fail. There may be many reasons for that, including the teenager’s developing sense of independence and social pressure from friends.

 

Now a new study, published in Nature Communications, shows that this behaviour may actually be down to how the adolescent brain is wired.

Adolescence is defined as the period of life that starts with the biological changes of puberty and ends when the individual attains a stable, independent role in society. (This definition may leave some readers wistfully pondering the second half of that equation). We now know that it is also a time of tremendous brain reorganisation, which we are only just beginning to understand.

Effectively, this study demonstrates the emerging efficiency of a “cool” cognitive control system moderating a “hot” motivational assessment system, resulting in the appropriate balance between the rewards offered and the actions required to maximise performance.

 

Just increasing any reward/bribe you might be tempted to offer to get a teenager to do something may not have the desired effect.

 

Instead, try to give young adolescents as much information as possible about an upcoming decision—this could help redress the imbalance between cognition and motivation.

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-scans-reveal-why-rewards-and-punishments-dont-seem-to-work-on-teenagers/

 

Tutorials

A wide range of tutorials. Could be useful for those self directed students who like to learn new things.

 

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/

 

Camtasia Alternatives

 

https://elearningindustry.com/top-10-free-camtasia-studio-alternatives

https://techcoaches.dearbornschools.org/2017/11/30/hanging-technology-on-the-wall/

Dispelling educational myths

 

https://npjscilearncommunity.nature.com/users/19748-professor-john-hattie/posts/20734-dispelling-educational-myths

 

Google Arts & Culture

 

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/

 

Applied  Digital Skills

 

https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/en/apps

 

Google Made with Code

Introduction to coding. Easy to use.

https://www.madewithcode.com/

 

Web Spotlight:

 

The Nested Splat! Series

Welcome to Splat!  You are only moments away from a VERY POWERFUL, highly interactive number sense strategy that can be used at any grade level!

This post includes 50 (fifty!) free, downloadable PowerPoint math lessons!

http://www.stevewyborney.com/?p=1112

 

Unsolved

Only a fraction of unsolved problems are suitable for the school classroom, however there still are a huge number to choose from. The purpose of this conference was to gather mathematicians and educators together to select one unsolved problem for each grade K-12. Here is a pdf summarizing the winning unsolved problems. Here are the criteria used to make our decisions:

http://mathpickle.com/unsolved-k-12/

 

Istorijos Detektyvai – History Detectives

So, here’s an idea from left field.  Show a clip from Istorijos Detektyvai as an example of how other cultures view social studies/history.  You can get whole shows from LRT’s webpage, everything from cooking to soap operas.  It’s an interesting cultural swim exploring the food shows and what Lithuanians find fun to eat, to designing a living space shows, and what they find newsworthy in their programming.  If you find the subtitles button, let me know.  Seriously.  Let me know.  

http://www.lrt.lt/mediateka/irasas/1013680454

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

Jokes You Can Use:  

How much room is needed for fungi to grow?

• As mushroom room as possible.

 

Did you hear about the circus fire?

• It was in tents.

 

What do you call a cow with two legs?

• How about a cow with no legs?

 

How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?

• Ten tickles

Did you see they made round bales of hay illegal in Wisconsin?

• They are concerned about the animals getting square meals.

 

You know what the loudest pet you can get is?

• A trumpet.

 

I was interrogated over the theft of cheese.

• You can say I was really “grilled”.

 

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

• Frost bite

 

Where did the college-aged vampire like to shop?

• Forever 21

 

You heard of that new band 1023MB?

• Really good, but not a Gig yet.

 

I’m only familiar with 25 letters in the English language. I don’t know why.

 

Eileen Award:  

• Ron King

 

Advisory:

 

ARIZONA GRANDMA’S ACCIDENTAL THANKSGIVING INVITEE WELCOMED BACK FOR SECONDS

 

http://www.king5.com/mobile/article/news/nation-now/arizona-grandmas-accidental-thanksgiving-invitee-welcomed-back-for-seconds/465-5953b79b-c1e2-4e65-ac6c-eb1a0f903a9f?scroll=0

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Conservation Actions

 

I was recently reading the November, 2017 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 the article, “Inquiry Into Action: Ecosystems and Animals.” It was written by Megan Ennes, Dennis Kubasko, and M. Gail Jones.  It is important that students are presented with opportunities to have a positive impact on our planet and its organisms.  As human populations continue to expand, we will continue to see adverse human impacts on ecosystems and their inhabitants.  By connecting curriculum to current issues in conservation, students find greater relevance in the topics and are encouraged and empowered to help preserve our planet.

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2017/11/30_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Conservation_Actions.html

https://therouge.org/rouge-education-project/  

 

From the Twitterverse:  

John Spencer‏ @spencerideas

Interesting read: Yes, Learning Targets Can Make Our Lives Easier http://bit.ly/2hIvJVE  via @RossCoops31

Dave Burgess‏ @burgessdave

The Reese’s Effect: Learning & fun not only can go together…they go BETTER together. http://daveburgess.com/the-reeses-effect/ … The ideas in #PlayLAP by @jedikermit are perfect examples. #tlap

U.S. Marines‏Verified account @USMC

Semper Fi, Gomer Pyle. Rest in peace Jim Nabors, one of the few to ever be named an Honorary Marine.

MiddleWeb‏ @middleweb

REVIEW: Powerful Partnerships Grow from Family Engagement. #mschat @naesp @amle #ellchat #educoach @ScholasticTeach #edchat @Larryferlazzo https://www.middleweb.com/36410/true-partnerships-grow-from-family-engagement/ …

Walled Lake Schools‏ @WalledLkSchools

@DHCHS @principaltucker congratulations Jean Buller for being named Michigan middle school science teacher of the year by the MSTA!!

Craig Kemp‏ @mrkempnz

Love this 12 days of twitter challenge from @edTechEvans at our Sister school in Hong Kong! Will you take the challenge? #SAISrocks

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

 

Strategies:

 

7 Ways to Calm Young Brain Trauma  

 

How can we help elementary students who have been scarred by tragedy become more receptive to learning?

 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-ways-calm-young-brain-trauma-lori-desautels

 

I’ve Got Research. Yes, I Do. I’ve Got Research. How About You?  

In 1847, Hungarian doctor, Ignaz Semmelweis made a remarkable discovery. When doctors washed their hands in a solution of chlorine and water, childbirth fever rates at Vienna General Hospital dropped from 18% to near zero. Offended that Semmelweis implied doctors were killing their own patients, the medical community rejected hand washing as an infection prevention measure, and drove Semmelweis out of medicine and into an insane asylum.

 

The National Reading Panel Report caused as much damage to reading instruction practices as the standardized testing movement and set independent reading initiatives in schools back decades.

 

https://bookwhisperer.com/2015/02/08/ive-got-research-yes-i-do-ive-got-research-how-about-you/amp/

 

The Power of Being Seen

When the bell rang for early dismissal on a recent afternoon at Cold Springs Middle School in Nevada, students sprinted toward the buses while teachers filed into the library, where posters filled with the names of every child in the 980-student school covered the walls.

Taking seats where they could, the teachers turned their attention to Principal Roberta Duvall, who asked her staff to go through the rosters with colored markers and make check marks under columns labeled “Name/Face,” “Something Personal,” “Personal/Family Story,” and “Academic Standing,” to note whether they knew the child just by name or something more—their grades, their family’s story, their hobbies.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/power-being-seen

 

What Teachers Must Consider When Moving to Flexible Seating

Flexible seating in classrooms has become popular over the past few years as educators try to make school feel like a welcoming place with different kinds of spaces for different types of learning.

When thinking about moving to a flexible classroom design, the most important person to consult with may be the custodian. Getting buy-in from administrators is important, but the janitorial staff will be directly impacted by these physical changes, so making sure they are on board is both respectful and crucial to the project’s success. They also might know about unused furniture in storage that could be repurposed inexpensively.

 

http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/11/27/what-teachers-must-consider-when-moving-to-flexible-seating/

 

Resources:

 

Teenage brains can’t tell what’s important and what isn’t

Teenagers may know full well how important final exams are – but that won’t stop some putting in minimal effort. This may be because their brains aren’t developed enough to properly assess how high the stakes are, and adapt their behaviour accordingly.

A region called the corticostriatal network seemed to be particularly important. This is known to connect areas involved in reward to those that control behaviour, and continues to develop until we are at least 25 years old.

 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2154884-teenage-brains-cant-tell-whats-important-and-what-isnt/

 

Gourmet Learning – They’re Shutting Down The Kitchen . . .  

Dear Friends of Gourmet Learning,

Parting is such sweet sorrow. . . and after 24 years of giving birth to Gourmet Curriculum Press, Inc., DBA Gourmet Learning, nurturing it through its infancy and formative

years, and watching it grow into a truly Gourmet meal, the time has come close the company doors and bid farewell to the thousands of inspiring educators that I have had the honor of working with through Gourmet Learning. Teachers, educators and administrators, you are the backbone and inspiration of every child who has passed through your classrooms and hallways. You have positively impacted more lives than you will ever know. And through Gourmet Learning I have had the privilege of watching you pour out your hearts and souls for the children you teach.

The teaching profession is a calling and a mission and as educators you have given 200% to your students, and significantly impacted the future of our world. As I close the doors on Gourmet Learning I want to thank you all for your dedication to the teaching profession and for trusting Gourmet Appetizers, Main Dishes, Desserts and Doggie Bags to help you with your monumental task of educating children. As Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change that you

wish to see in the world.”

Blessings to all of you as you continue onward, and thank you for your 24 years of continued support, trust and friendship.

Jan Garber

President, Gourmet Learning

 

Music Resources

Whether you’re into Afrobeat, experimental music, or spoken language, these three resources let you peruse a seemingly limitless collection of audio treasures from around the world.

https://opensource.com/article/17/11/online-music-research-archives

 

Web Spotlight:

 

 

Who Is Distracted by a Girl Wearing Skintight Leggings?

Last week, two 5th-grade girls addressed the Atlanta school board, asking that the board change the dress code so that girls might be allowed to wear skintight leggings, which are currently prohibited unless girls are wearing a skirt or shorts over the leggings. The board will announce its decision in January.

We actually have quite a bit of research now on what happens when a girl or woman wears skintight leggings or a swimsuit. Often what happens is “self-objectification”: the girl, or woman, assesses herself as an object on display for others. And the more public the setting, the more likely self-objectification is to occur.

Self-objectification is distracting. It’s hard to concentrate on Spanish grammar when you’re wondering whether this outfit makes your thighs look fat. Girls who self-objectify are also more likely to become depressed. They are less likely to be satisfied with their body. They are more likely to engage in self-harm.

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sax-sex/201711/who-is-distracted-girl-wearing-skintight-leggings

 

Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting.

In a series of experiments at Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, students were randomly assigned either laptops or pen and paper for note-taking at a lecture. Those who had used laptops had substantially worse understanding of the lecture, as measured by a standardized test, than those who did not.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/business/laptops-not-during-lecture-or-meeting.html

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

 

Jokes You Can Use:

 

This sentence contradicts itself… no, wait, actually it doesn’t.

 

The Law of Volunteering”

If you dance with a grizzly bear, you had better let him lead.

 

“The Law of Avoiding Oversell”

When putting cheese in a mousetrap, always leave room for the mouse.

 

“The Law of Common Sense”

Never accept a drink from a urologist.

 

“The Law of Reality”

Never get into fights with less attractive people, they have less to lose.

 

“The Law of Self Sacrifice”

When you starve with a tiger, the tiger starves last.

 

“Weiler’s Law”

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself.

 

“Law of Probable Dispersal”

Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

 

“Law of Volunteer Labor”

People are always available for work in the past tense.

 

“Conway’s Law”

In any organization there is one person who knows what is going on. That person must be fired.

 

“Iron Law of Distribution”

Them that has, gets.

 

“Law of Cybernetic Entomology”

There is always one more bug.

 

At a church in Mississippi, the pastor announced that their prison choir would be singing the following evening. I wasn’t aware there was a prison in the vicinity, so I looked forward to hearing them.

 

The next evening, I was puzzled when members of the church approached the stage. Then the pastor introduced them.

 

“This is our prison choir,” he said, “they’re behind a few bars and always looking for the key.”

 

Eileen Award:  

• iTunes:  And the Oscar goes to . . . Tsunami_rtr!  

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Systems Thinking

 

I was recently reading the January, 2017 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 the Editor’s Desk article, “Systems Thinking Solutions.” It was written by Patty McGinnis, Editor of Science Scope.  The article describes how the cross-cutting concept of systems and system models is critical to science because it fosters understanding of the interconnectedness of system components.

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2017/3/9_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Systems_Thinking.html

 

From the Twitterverse:  

AMLE‏ @AMLE

#MiddleSchool educators, submit an article to AMLE Magazine & share your sch & classrm ideas that make a difference http://bit.ly/2kQmljC

MiddleWeb‏ @middleweb

Ready to sharpen up your vocabulary instruction? Check out the excellent articles in our collection: https://www.middleweb.com/category/articles/vocabulary-articles/ … #elachat @ncte

Todd Bloch‏ @blocht574

Look who showed up @MI_MAMSE #MAMSE Great to have Pam here in Michigan! Next year it’s you Dru! #mschat

Kelly Malloy‏ @kellys3ps

Easy to make math game for practicing math facts http://buff.ly/2mL2rcV

Diane Ravitch‏ @DianeRavitch

Singapore Will Drop Grades, Reduce Testing http://dianeravitch.net/2017/03/11/64299 …

 

Mental Floss‏Verified account @mental_floss

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” —Douglas Adams, who was born on this day in 1952

 

Troy Hicks‏ @hickstro

Dr. Johnston makes me wonder why, WHY we are so focused on Lexile scores and reading logs when a reading life is so much more. #mrapassport

 

Kelly Malloy‏ @kellys3ps

10 Classroom Discussion Techniques my guest post @RachelLynette ‘s Minds in Bloom blog http://buff.ly/2noJTMF

 

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

 

Strategies:

 

Teachers create coding course

 

http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/westland/2017/02/22/teachers-create-coding-course/98231362/

 

Comics with Google Slides

How to Create Comic Strips in Google Slides.

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

 

 

Resources:

 

Tinycards

Easy way for students to study using Flashcards. Easy to create. Study process is automated with some choices.

https://tinycards.duolingo.com

 

Strong Passwords

It is more important than ever to have a good password.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2017/03/how-to-create-strong-passwords.html#.WMQVmBIrJdA

 

Web Spotlight:

 

Working from home

 

https://youtu.be/Mh4f9AYRCZY

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

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