Monthly Archives: September 2011

MSM 179 Common Core, Bad Baseball joke, and iPad Resources.

/ , , , , , , , /

On Our Mind:

Changing positions
Start of the school year

Eileen Award:

Dr. Tatom:  Thanks for the mention on Twitter!

Advisory:

Permanent Record

http://www.slate.com/id/2301449/

The Secret to Success

https://plus.google.com/117689362923608221663/posts/8v7RBNncmAJ

How many really?

http://howmanyreally.com/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Part two on lab safety and focuses in on personal safety of students.

From the Twitterverse:

*
drmmtatom #iPad Note Taking Apps Showdown zite.to/nztk9G via @zite #fhucid #hardintech #ccstech @msmattersNBC’s “Education Nation” Summit Begins September 25 #fhuedu610tinyurl.com/3aud82p

Highlights from the 2011 Educational Technology Conference [ETC] in Missoula #fhuedu642 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2011/09/23/highlights-from-the-2011-educational-technology-conference-etc-in-missoula/

Building better teacher evaluations #fhuedu610   http://www.joannejacobs.com/2011/09/building-better-teacher-evaluations/

Virtual Schooling in the News #fhuedu642
*mcleod Scott McLeod
New bookmark: Presenting Learning with Stop Motion AnimationNew bookmark: The Myth of Learning Styles bit.ly/qqB1dg
*Mimadisonklein Use Emotion and Technology to Spark Writing nblo.gs/nx17m
*kevcreutz Video – The Last U.S. Veteran of WWI bit.ly/qQmavJ via @rmbyrne #edtech
*laroncarter Having trouble already with classroom management already? My Mission Statement has worked for thousands.
*congerjan shares tinyurl.com/4yhfdds (Livebinder of tools you never knew you needed!) plurk.com/p/e3tynm
*AncientProverbs Motivational Quotes
What is told into the ear of a man is often heard a hundred miles away. -Chinese Proverbs
*BethRitterGuth RT @mykidcancode: Free Online Lesson Planbook Software for Teachers bit.ly/jbDwyc #engchat

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

News:

Beautiful Teenage Brains

Moody. Impulsive. Maddening. Why do teenagers act the way they do? Viewed through the eyes of evolution, their most exasperating traits may be the key to success as adults.

Thanks to Richard Byrne for the link.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text

Resources:

Writing Prompts

These are some of the daily writing prompts that I use in class. The prompts and pictures are scraped together from so many sources – forgotten websites, old journals, overheard conversations, the crusty recesses of my hard drive – that attribution is difficult. I’ve tried where I can, but if you know how any of them should be attributed
http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/

YouTube for Teachers

http://www.youtube.com/teachers
http://www.youtube.com/education

iPad App Resources:

In iTunes, go to the iTunes Store (sidebar on the left).
Then select App Store on the bar along the top of the window.
Then select the drop down Education under Categories on the right
(OR-Just to the right of the word App Store on the top will be a small triangle- click that and select Education)
This will reveal App categories for Teachers including:

  • Apps for Teachers
  • Special Education
  • Education Volume Purchasing

Mobile Learning

After reading this report, you’ll know more about:

  • How mobile technology has become a game-changer in education
  • Mobile device best practices from teachers and schools
  • Mobile device management
  • The latest in apps and mobile technology available today

http://www.eschoolnews.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2011/09/mobile_star.pdf

Alternate Assessment Apps for Eighth Grade

Eighth graders need to demonstrate their mastery of skills in English, math and science.
http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3110

Web Spotlight:

Implementing Common Core Standards

Over the next year, the accomplished teachers I met at CTQ will face down these tough questions. They will design—and test-drive in their own classrooms, with their own students—lessons and assessments linked to the Common Core State Standards.
http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/advancing-teaching-profession/09-2011/implementing-common-core-standards

Cheating

Here’s an overview of some of the most shocking instances of teacher cheating, plus a few episodes that may have been overblown.
http://www.propublica.org/article/americas-most-outrageous-teacher-cheating-scandals

Students need to develop Grit

http://edcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/09/teaching-character-strengths-and-values.html

Common Core Maps

From the website:
“Common Core has released a new, Second Edition of the K-12 Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts. The Maps are designed to help educators meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards, which call for the standards to be “complemented by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum.”

Our draft ELA Maps have received more than three million views since last August. We’ve listened to your advice and have added many new features, including:

  • Nearly 200 new writing, grammar, and research activities
  • Guidance for differentiated instruction
  • Library of seventy digital resources
  • More informational and contemporary texts throughout

Map users can now:

  • Rate and comment on each of the seventy-six unit Maps along with thousands of suggested works, activities, and resources
  • Submit lesson plans
  • Get preferred pricing on Maps services and tools that are under development

Common Core has been inundated with requests for professional development services, more Maps-based curriculum tools, and more Maps, including math Maps. In order to generate the resources needed to respond to these requests, we are offering the opportunity to become contributing members of the Mapping Project for a nominal cost.”

Strategies:

Inside Story Flash Cards

Combine visuals with vocabulary words to help increase retention.
http://www.insidestoryflashcards.com/

Jokes You Can Use:

Years ago, the Seattle Symphony was doing Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims. At this point, you must understand two things:

1. There’s a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins don’t have a thing to do. Nothing. Not a single note for page after page;

2. There used to be a tavern called Dez’s 400 right across the street from the Seattle Opera House, favored by local musicians.

It was decided that during this performance, after the bass players had played their parts they’d quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking (and feeling) dumb for twenty minutes.
Well, once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and have a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, “Shouldn’t we be getting back? It’d be awfully embarrassing if we were late.”
Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, “Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor’s score. When he gets down to there, Milton’s going to have to slow the
tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other.”
So they had another round and finally returned to the Opera House, a little tipsy by now.
However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor’s face told them they were in serious trouble. Katims was furious!
And why not? After all (get ready, here it comes…)
It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

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

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

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

MSM 178 Confession- Talking is hard, Need a Job?

/ , , , , , /

Jokes You Can Use:

Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi
If Catholic dogs go to Catechism, how can Catholic cats accept that dogma? (#HappyCaturday to @jwgagne)

When choosing a cat, remember the striped ones make you look thinner. #happyCATurday

An older cat, reclining on a psychiatrist’s couch, said, “Sometimes I think I could have done so much more with my lives.” #HappyCATURDAY

Were you first hibited before you were inhibited, after which you could become uninhibited? If so, #yougottaberealspecial

Eileen Award:

Patty Riccardi

Advisory:

Don’t Laugh at Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTNVXlirF4Y (Book version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv9fN0-062k (This one includes the lyrics on screen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9xyIGCp7ss  (Peter Yarbourgh)
Lyrics:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/don’t-laugh-at-me-lyrics-peter-paul-mary/3a0b58077c50623648256a22002cb23e

What People Don’t Get About My Job: From A(rmy Soldier) to Z(ookeeper)

Over the summer, The Atlantic gave our readers a simple prompt: Tell us what people don’t get or appreciate about your job. The response was so eloquent and overwhelming, it was practically encyclopedic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/what-people-dont-get-about-my-job-from-a-rmy-soldier-to-z-ookeeper/244231/1

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is the first in a series of four podcasts on lab safety in the middle school lab.  You can download a copy of the Science Laboratory Rules and Regulations from the National Science Teachers Association, by visiting:
http://www.nsta.org/middleschool

In this podcast, we look at the 7 standards of student conduct in the laboratory and in the field.

From the Twitterverse:

*TeacherSol Maria Angala
Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself -Chinese Proverb-
*mcleod Scott McLeod
New bookmark: Twenty Tips for Managing Project-Based Learning
New bookmark: Finding Your Funding Model bit.ly/r7aX5u
*RobJacobs_ Rob Jacobs
I am thinking inside the box because too many people are thinking outside the box
*Larryferlazzo Larry Ferlazzo
RT @teachingquality: RT @teachmoore: Teacher Leaders Assess Obama’s Plan bit.ly/qwVkLq
*cybraryman1 Jerry Blumengarten
My Writing Prompts page might be useful: tinyurl.com/4en459p #daily5 I used to have my students describe a pencil.
*garystager Gary Stager, Ph.D.
@willrich45 Divide family income by 100 and you get the (old) SAT score (based on 1600)
*Mimadisonklein Erin Klein
Resources for iPads in Education ow.ly/1eJgVY
*ncarroll24 Nancy Carroll
World Mapper: bit.ly/dcVHWd Great for geog. or Social stud. #4thchat #elemchat #edchat #midleved #highered
*GatewaytoSkills 21st Century Skills
Grade 5-12 #lessonplan on heroes & connections btw #CivilWar & #9/11 #sschat #historyteacher #gifted #isedchat #midleved
*mrsebiology Terie Engelbrecht
Literacy Strategies: bit.ly/rrn2UY Links to explanations & templates #edchat #midleved #elemchat #engchat
*Tools4Education David E
Testmoz, online test generator: testmoz.com No account needed #edchat #edtech #midleved #elemchat

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

 

News:

The bait and switch of school “reform”

But behind the high-profile back and forth over specific policies and prescriptions lies a story that has less to do with ideas than with money, less to do with facts than with an ideological subtext that has been quietly baked into the very terms of the national education discussion.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/09/12/reformmoney

What was Ron Clark Thinking?

September 10th, 2011 by Larry Ferlazzo
I hope any teacher reading it ends up following the opposite of some of the advice he gives:

And if you really want to help your children be successful, stop making excuses for them. I was talking with a parent and her son about his summer reading assignments. He told me he hadn’t started, and I let him know I was extremely disappointed because school starts in two weeks. His mother chimed in and told me that it had been a horrible summer for them because of family issues they’d been through in July. I said I was so sorry, but I couldn’t help but point out that the assignments were given in May.

Now, that’s the way to model empathy….

http://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/2011/09/10/jeez-what-was-ron-clark-thinking/

Middle School AP Posting:

I am posting a Middle School Assistant Principal position today. If you know of anyone that may be a good fit, send them my way. It is a short posting. Deadline is next week Monday at 4:00pm  you know of a good candidate that may be the right fit, pass it on to them.
Thanks
Mr. Ryan K. Pfahler

Middle School Principal
Coopersville Area Public Schools
198 East Street
Coopersville, MI 49404
616-997-3401 Phone
616-997-3414 Fax
www.coopersvillebroncos.org

Resources:

The Likeable Constitution

http://www.thelikeableconstitution.com/#state=EV&part=bor&order=mostliked

FauxFlash

Fauxflash is an online application that takes the hassle out of flash cards and lets you get right to studying.
http://fauxflash.com/

Super Book of Web Tools

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/66326425/The-Super-Book-of-Web-Tools-for-Educators

Web Spotlight:

Confessions of a bad teacher

And, according to my personnel file at the New York City Department of Education, I was “unprofessional,” “insubordinate” and “culturally insensitive.”
In other words, I was a bad teacher.

Little did I know I was entering a system where all teachers are considered bad until proven otherwise. Also, from what I saw, each school’s principal has so much leeway that it’s easy for good management and honest evaluation to be crushed under the weight of Crazy Boss Syndrome. And, in my experience, the much-vaunted “data” and other measurements of student progress and teacher efficacy are far more arbitrary and manipulated than taxpayers and parents have been led to believe.

Good teacher? Bad teacher? I suppose it’s how you measure it. As far as I know, there is only one scrap of positive data in my personnel file at the DOE, a memo from the assistant principal commending me for passing enough students to put Latinate’s pass rate in the Department of Education’s “safe harbor.”
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/08/29/confessions_of_a_bad_teacher/index.html

Strategies:

More on Teaching Innovation with the Curiosity Box

More than one reader expressed an interest in seeing some examples of the kinds of metaphorical connections that my kids are making between the content that we are studying and the odd objects that we are collecting in our curiosity box.

http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/tempered-radical/09-2011/more-teaching-innovation-curiosity-box

Is REAL Formative Assessment Even Possible?

Formative assessment—timely feedback gathered and reviewed during the course of a learning experience that serves to ‘inform’ both teachers AND students and allows for the ‘formation’ of new learning plans—matters.

But I’m really starting to wonder whether or not effective formative assessment is even possible in the classroom.
http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/tempered-radical/09-2011/real-formative-assessment-even-possible

 

Web Tools:

Teacher 2.0

Steve Hargadon has created a place for teachers to do their own professional growth online.  As you answer questions about your teaching, you get feedback from other participants and the chance to encourage others in their growth.

MSM 177 Group hugs & Parents need to hear this …

/ , , , , /

On Our Mind:

Is it fair to students to make personnel changes during the first few weeks of school?

Eileen Award:

To all our Diigo followers . . . group hug!

Advisory:

String Theory:  Take a piece of twine and stick it under the student’s heel.  Unwind it up to their head and cut.  Take a piece of tape and label the string with the kid’s name.  Hold onto the string and repeat the activity at the end of the year.  Compare and contrast.

NMSA/AMLE Video Contest:  Taking the LeadVideo Contest

  • Open to middle grade students (5-9)
  • Those working on the video must be 10 to15  year – olds, but teachers may submit the videos.
  • Each video must be 3 minutes or less.
  • Video(s) must be submitted via SchoolTube. See submission process below.
  • Schools may enter as many videos as they would like.
  • Deadline: Videos must be uploaded no later than October 24th, 2011, at 11:00 pm EST.
  • Top 3 winners will be notified by November 7, 2011.

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is the third in a three part series about the ELA common core standards in writing and their relationship to science.  The four areas of writing include: text types and purposes; production and distribution of writing; research to build and present knowledge; and range of writing.  In this podcast, we look at the writing standards that relate to science in grades 6 – 8 in the areas of production and distribution of writing; research to build and present knowledge, and range of writing.

From the Twitterverse:

*Ruth_A_Buzzi What’s so bad about being disgruntled? Would you really, honestly prefer to be gruntled?
*ddraper  The evolution of #classroom technology bit.ly/pZOs4r Interesting infographic, good find (via @tonnet).
*GlogsterEDU Make your own QR Code Scavenger Hunt! http://ow.ly/6oN7D
*middleweb New stuff! Flip classrooms, teaching secrets videos; STEM; diversity; ereaders; transmedia bit.ly/o2qe18 #ntchat #elemchat #midleved
*cyndiejacobs RT “@etfoaq: The day Apple won the Flash fight gigaom.com/apple/the-day-… FINALLY!”
*willrich45 “What We Don’t Know About Our Students — And Why We Don’t Know It” huff.to/nQMPP7 by @alfiekohn #goodstuff #ecchat #edreform
*pammoran “what if 8th graders designed our classrooms?” smrt.io/mRsjtA via @willrich45 #ideachat
*msstewart Just got #pottermore activiation notice. There goes any productivity for the day 🙂
*stevehargadon My free TEACHER 2.0 course (“experience”) in #mightybell for using the web for personal and professional development: mg.ht/5a3c38
*Mimadisonklein Erin KleinGo Social Studies Go – Multimedia Social Studies Books via Free Technology for Teachers – Go Social Studies … tinyurl.com/3nxpc75
*mcleod Mind Dump: Teachers in China want their classrooms to be more like ours bit.ly/qkNDHq #edtech #edtechlead
*EleanoreDuyndam Eleanore Duyndam Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other~ Brian tracy
*Michelle_Horst Michelle Horst “The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas.” tumblr.com/xp14lobtsd
*pammoran pammoran RT @colonelb: Lee Middle School 6th grade students learn about World Trade Center towers in unique way | MLive.com mlive.com/news/grand-rap…
*msstewart The Other 1st Responders- How Teachers Dealt With 9/11 huff.to/o1nqhY
*pammoran kids constructing history RT @canyonsdave: RT @ABC: 9/11 Scrapbook: Eighth-Graders’ Journals From the Day After abcn.ws/nS5YdJ

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

 

News:

Beyond Testing

…my Chinese colleagues didn’t mention their test scores, nor did they inquire about mine. I quickly learned that we share a similar goal for our students: to promote innovation and foster independent thinking.

Every Chinese teacher I spoke with expressed concern with their nation’s emphasis on testing. One teacher explained that students spend their entire final year of high school preparing for national examinations at the expense of other educational opportunities that would enable them to acquire a broad range of skills. She described Chinese students as “unhappy” because they are “forced” to drill for high-stakes examinations.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-shearer/beyond-testing-a-lesson-f_b_954135.html

What teachers really want to tell parents

By Ron Clark, Special to CNN

So, what can we do to stem the tide? What do teachers really need parents to understand?

For starters, we are educators, not nannies. We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and often see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don’t fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer. I have become used to some parents who just don’t want to hear anything negative about their child, but sometimes if you’re willing to take early warning advice to heart, it can help you head off an issue that could become much greater in the future.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

Teaching Technology

We are not responsible as educators unless we are teaching not just with technology but through it, about it, because of it.   We need to make kids understand its power, its potential, its dangers, its use.  That isn’t just an investment worth making but one that it would be irresponsible to avoid.
http://www.minddump.org/we-must-teach-with-technology-and-also-throug

Resources:

Ambrosia Releases Soundboard for iPad

Ambrosia Software has released their sound effects software for iPad.  You can now put sound effects in the iPad and control your soundboard with the touch of a finger.  You don’t do drama?  (You do if you’re a middle school teacher!)  What about your ESL kids?  What about attaching sounds to word combinations and when they have a hard time sounding things out, they tap the screen and get the correct sound?  I can see this being a great resource for the Speech-Language Pathologist in your district.

Comparison Search

Two ways to look at search results. Could help with looking at the pro’s and con’s of a subject.
http://www.gleancomparisonsearch.org/

 

Web Spotlight:

Arizona Technology Integration Matrix

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal directed (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells.
http://azk12.org/tim/

Go Social Studies Go

  • World Geography
  • World History
  • Ancient Civilizations
  • Colonial America

Looks really interesting. Includes a virtual book on Columbus.
http://www.gosocialstudiesgo.com/

Using Film in any Class

These are my notes from Erick Pessoa‘s presentation, “Using Film in Any Class” at the Learning 2.011 Conference in Shanghai, China, on September 9, 2011. Erick teaches IB Film and Digital Photography at Shanghai Community International School. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. I ARRIVED A BIT LATE TO THIS SESSION UNFORTUNATELY – ERICK IS A VERY DYNAMIC PRESENTER!
An audio recording of the last half of this presentation is available via Cinch.
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2011/09/10/using-film-in-any-class-by-erickpessoa-learning2/

Web Tools:

Are you funnier than Scott Adams?

Create the text from a Dilbert cartoons.
http://dilbert.com/mashups/

ISTE 2011:  Teacher 2.0 with Steve Hargadon

How do you use the tools of the web to get teachers recognized and get them involved?

Get paid for who you are: book on how to get students to be entrepreneurs. The web is becoming a great tool for one’s personal presence. How do we help educators do this?
What are our hobbies? The answer to this question generates energy in people. It gives them a chance to be someone other than themselves right now. The Web as Portfolio.  Feels egocentric.
Create a site that represents who you are How do we use the tools of the web to build our teacher portfolio and represent ourselves?
1. Give teachers permission to lurk on the web. “Hang out”
2. We breed a culture of shame if people don’t twitter and just lurk in Twitter.  Legitimate peripheral participation.
3. The highly connected teacher: data, resources, and people.  Is it conceivable that the teachers that use Web tools had a successful experience online.
4. People are willing to hero worship people on Twitter vs. reality.
5. Professional Development has been done “To” teachers. They’re not used to choosing their own.  They need the opportunity to create a PLN.
6. Building relationships online is important to staff creating their own PLN online.  People are afraid its going to take away from their humanity. What was the initial impetus for going online and building a PLN.
1. Teacher Voice: especially in ed reform. Backchannel chatter on topics. Re-inspire teachers. There’s no room for risk and if we want innovation to happen, we need a place to take risks. Teachers need to feel free.
2. Gateway technologies: Comic Life for example. Get ’em hooked on one and they’ll use another.
3. We need “dream space” to innovate.  How many of us have a personal presence on the Web? Not so many. Lots have professional presence, not so much individual. Should we use that web presence as a way for connecting to our students?
4. We need something that allows our students to define themselves and not let Google define them online.

PDF:  http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/downloads/files/ISTE%20Steve%20Hargadon.pdf

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

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

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

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

MSM 176 Video, iPads (11:00 not 11:05)

/ , , , , , /

On Our Mind:

iPads in Education

 

Advisory:

Quotations on Character

Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.
—Robert G. Ingersoll
http://josephsoninstitute.org/quotes/

Middle School Science Minute

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

This is the second in the three part series on the common core ELA and their relationship to science.  Like the first in the series, it focuses on Text Types and Purposes, but this time focuses in on writing informative and explanatory texts.

From the Twitterverse:

*
web20classroom Steven W. Anderson
A Great Livebinder All About Infographics: bit.ly/rqaWj4
*
bhsprincipal Patrick Larkin
Where Did Standardized Testing Come From Anyway? zite.to/qR6X5w via @zite #Edchat #cpchat #bhschat
*
joeymcgirr Joey McGirr
Looking for something fun to do? Ask a friends who knows NOTHING about the LOTR to read this page to you out loud. bit.ly/o6sjtl #Fun
*
AngelaMaiers Angela Maiers
Twenty Tidbits for New Teachers soc.li/CXxeq6U http://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-new-teachers-lisa-dabbs
*
elemenous Lucy Gray
In Honor of Teachers: nyti.ms/qbK8w9
*
Larryferlazzo Larry Ferlazzo
RT @plugusin: Just finished a new post: Teaching Innovation w/the Curiosity Box – bit.ly/mRp3U1
*
kristirulz Kristi k
Looking to change homework policy. Any ideas for consequences w not finishing homework? Thanks #5thchat #4thchat #elemchat
*
kevcreutz Kevin Creutz
What did new teacher experience 100 years ago?? 3 examples from teachers written in 1936. bit.ly/oNSyX3
*
2learn2 Steve
The average adult falls asleep seven minutes after turning the light off. #stevec
*
willrich45 Will Richardson
Reading “In Honor of Teachers” nyti.ms/ngE8kw
*
HeidiHayesJacob HEIDI HAYES JACOBS
West Virginia learns Finland’s ‘most honorable profession’: Teacher #cnn cnn.com/2011/US/08/29/…
*
tremellino LEO Blog
Test your English Vocabulary with thatquiz: thatquiz.org/tq-D-z0/vocabu…
*
Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi
If Justin Beiber was my kid, and he wrecked his Ferrari, I’d take away his keys for a month and make him drive a Kia. That’d show him.
*
msstewart Meredith Stewart
Doesn’t get much better than William Fitzsimmons for lesson planning tny.gs/rr3YnR
*
DianeRavitch Diane Ravitch
Just discovered this rant about why high teacher turnover is bad: tinyurl.com/3kaehe
*
mrsebiology Terie Engelbrecht
Differentiated Assessment: bit.ly/jpWAM7 Nice step-by-step #edchat #lrnchat #midleved #elemchat

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

News:

A Teacher Finds Good in Testing

By Ama Nyamekye
In college, I pumped my fist at a rally against standardized testing. I’d never seen the exam I was protesting, but stood in solidarity with educators and labor organizers who felt the testing movement was an attack on teachers, particularly those working in poor public schools.
In a routine evaluation, my principal praised my organization, management, and facilitation, but posed the following question: “How do you know the kids are really getting it?”
In my third year of teaching, I put myself to the test. To formally link my instruction to quantifiable student outcomes, I decided my sophomores would take the state Comprehensive English Regents Examination a year early. As I deconstructed the test—which was a blend of reading-based questions and essays—I appreciated its ability to efficiently achieve what I could not.
I discovered holes in my curriculum. I once dismissed standardized testing for its narrow focus on a discrete set of skills, but I learned that my self-made assignments were more problematic. It turned out they were skewed in my favor.
The test provided me with fresh perspectives on my work. I was not allowed to assess my students’ writing. Colleagues from my English department used detailed rubrics to grade each essay. These peers had emotional distance from the work and could scrutinize essays for evidence of achievement.
When I “depoliticized” the test, I found a useful and flawed ally. The exam excelled where I struggled, offering comprehensive and standards-based assessments. I thrived where the test fell short, designing creative, performance-based projects.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/08/31/02nyamekye_ep.h31.html?tkn=XTCFBe283Qrdff9t68CNVw5QPQU12ZEh0gb2&cmp=clp-sb-cec

Resources:

Video Time Machine

$1.99 App for iPhone/iPad

VIDEO CONTENT TOTALS:
2000’s = 1,521 videos
1990’s = 1,607 videos
1980’s = 1,874 videos
1970’s = 1,565 videos
1960’s = 1,848 videos
1950’s = 589 videos
1940’s = 256 videos
1930’s = 227 videos
1920’s = 196 videos
1910’s = 150 videos
1900’s = 140 videos
1860-1899 = 60 videos
http://itunes.apple.com/app/video-time-machine/id438078438?ign-mpt=uo%3D5

iPad Hub

The DS-IP-49-SYNC acts as a fully powered USB hub for 49 devices. Using a Mac, it can sync with iTunes or other software capable of addressing USB devices. (It can work with Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems, although there may be some software limitations with a non-Mac host.)
http://www.macnews.com/2011/08/31/new-usb-hub-provides-large-scale-syncing-ipads-other-devices

Movie Mount

iPad Video Production
With the Movie Mount, you get 10 new features for your iPad (beware that the additional equipment is not incuded):

  1. Attached a tripod for stable shots, pan & tilt camera movements. Standard screwfitting.
  2. Use 37 mm conversion lenses, such as wide angle and zoom*. Such as: US / EU
  3. Slide on-the-fly between the built-in lens and the conversion lens.
  4. Use shotgun microphones for better sound (requires splitter cable). Such as: US / EU
  5. Use an optical viewfinder to shoot in bright sunlight. Such as: US / EU
  6. Use a video light for better performance in low light. Such as: US / EU
  7. Easier iMovie editing, with a 9 degrees working angle.
  8. The mount allows your iPad to stand upright and be used as monitor.
  9. The free Movie Mount iPad app allows you to manually control video recording
  10. Fully compatible with Smart Cover.

http://www.makayama.com/moviemount.html

Web Spotlight:

Learn more about Geocaching

Geocaching is a fun, educational, technology-infused activity that I have tried a couple of times. But I am by no means an expert (totally newbie would be the description) on the topic. Therefore, I asked Jen Deyenberg if she would write a guest post about geocaching. Jen has done extensive work developing geocaching activities with students and has a ton of knowledge to share. After reading this post I hope you will visit her blog to learn more about geocaching.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/learn-more-about-geocaching-great.html

Two Nice Guides to Web 2.0 at School and Work

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/two-nice-guides-to-web-20-at-school-and.html

Constitution Resources

Federal legislation requires schools in the United States to offer lessons related to the U.S. Constitution on U.S. Constitution Day — September 17th of each year.
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/08/10/the-best-sites-for-learning-about-the-constitution-of-the-united-states/
www.teachinghistory.org

Jokes You Can Use:

Recently the President of the United States received a call from a Yooper (someone from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan).  The Yooper told the President he and several of his friends had declared war on the United States.  The President replied, “You know I have a million men in my army, are you sure you want to declare war?”  The Yooper replied, “Let me check, I’ll call you tomorrow.”  Sure enough, the President gets a call.  The Yooper says, “Mr. President, the war is still on.  We picked up some trucks and the guys down at the watering hole have joined up, so we’ve expanded our army too.”  “Well,” says the President, “since I talked to you yesterday, I’ve added another half-million men to my army.  Are you sure you still want this war?”  The Yooper thought for a second, “Let me call you back tomorrow.”  Sure enough, about the same time the next day the President gets a call.  “Mr. President, we added the ultra-light group from the airport and we can now bomb you from above.  The war is still on.”  The President replied, “You do know I have an Air Force too of modern jets and since I talked to you yesterday, I’ve added another half million to the army for a total of 2 million men.  Are you sure you still want this war?”  “Let me call you tomorrow,” says the Yooper.  The next day the President gets a phone call.  “Mr. President, the war is off.  We talked it over and we decided we don’t have any way of feeding 2 million prisoners.”

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

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

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

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