MSM 380:   Chock full of Advisory Goodness!

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!

 

MSM 379: Did I say that Right?

 

Jokes You Can Use:  

 

I got hit in the head with a can of Diet Coke today. Don’t worry, I’m not hurt.

  • It was a soft drink.

 

Why do melons have weddings?

  • They cantaloupe

 

Do I enjoy making courthouse puns?

  • Guilty.

 

Hostess: ‘Do you have reservations?’

Me: ‘No. I’m confident I want to eat here.’

 

Why did the man name his dogs Rolex and Timex?

  • Because they were watch dogs

 

I want to go on record that I support farming. As a matter of fact, you could call me:

Hear about the statistician 
who drowned crossing a river?

  • It 
was three feet deep on average.

Did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers?

  • He will stop at nothing to avoid them.

I put my root beer in a square glass. Now it’s just beer.

 

Why should the number 288 never be mentioned?

  • It’s two gross.

What do you call a number that can’t keep still?

  • A roamin’ numeral.

 

How do mathematicians scold their children?

  • “If I’ve told you n times, I’ve told you n+1 times…”

 

The problem with math puns is that calculus jokes are all derivative, trigonometry jokes are too graphic, algebra jokes are usually formulaic, and arithmetic jokes are pretty basic. But I guess the occasional statistics joke is an outlier.

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Lifelong Kindergarten Part 1

This is the first in a seven part podcast series on the book, “Lifelong Kindergarten,” written by Mitchel Resnick.  This first podcast focuses in on the purpose of the book and the author himself.  Mitchel believes that by providing young people with opportunities to work on projects, based on their passions, in collaboration with peers, in a playful spirit, we can help them prepare for a world that requires creative thinking more than ever before.

Dave

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2018/1/11_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Lifelong_Kindergarten_Part_1.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

George Couros‏Verified account @gcouros

4 Non-Negotiables for Schools

NCTE‏ @ncte Jan 6

The 30 Day Happy Teacher Challenge via @prestoplans https://buff.ly/2E2IHa1  Could be a great way to kick off this year!

Kelly Malloy‏ @kellys3ps Jan 7

Seems like a great #newyearsresolution to me!

dailySTEM‏ @dailystem

Why didn’t the Sun go to college? Because it already had 1000’s of degrees! #FridayFun #ScienceJokes

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

20 Chrome Extensions, Web Apps, and Add-ons for Math http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/10/math-extensions-apps-addons.html … #edtech

Michelle Brahaney‏ @m_brahaney

New Treasure Trove Of Education Research http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2018/01/10/new-treasure-trove-of-education-research/ … via @Larryferlazzo

 

Microsoft in Education Canada‏Verified account @MicrosoftEduCA Jan 11

The @SkypeClassroom calendar is packed with experiences to make 2018 the year of #globallearning: http://msft.social/VAxo2t

Eric Curts‏ @ericcurts

21 New Free Interactive Pear Deck Templates for Google Slides http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/01/peardeck-templates.html … (Plus enter to win 1 year of Premium access) #edtech #edtechchat #GSuiteEDU #GoogleEDU #TOSAchat #ETCoaches #DitchBook @PearDeck

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

 

Strategies:

 

Principal Bucket List

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WJ6On5rb-Nis2170iHhKVun6vI28NQt8/view

 

Metacognition: How Thinking About Thinking Can Help Kids

https://childmind.org/article/how-metacognition-can-help-kids/amp/

 

Sketchnoting 101, for those with little artistic talent

After having done various forms of sketchnoting for almost a year now, I have some lessons and ideas I want to share with you. But beforehand, we have to take care of the elephant in the room. (And if you don’t want to deal with that elephant, you can find my list of lessons and ideas below it.)

Here’s the beauty about sketchnotes: You don’t need to be an artist to create effective sketchnotes. Using visuals to record ideas are better at producing memories that you can recall than just words.

http://ditchthattextbook.com/2015/02/17/sketchnoting-101-for-those-with-little-artistic-talent/

 

Deeper Learning Performance Assessment Resource

Assessing student learning is crucial for Gold Standard PBL.

http://www.bie.org/blog/deeper_learning_performance_assessment_resource

 

Resources:

 

American Literature

Free eBooks. Novels, short stories, poetry, author search.

https://americanliterature.com/home

Open Culture: 900 Free Audio books

http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks

Optimism Stronger than Fear

My students carry with them their resilience, passions, and optimism. They see themselves as Americans and are determined to contribute to their community.

 

How can we, as teachers, respond in a way that supports and protects our students?

Here are some initial ideas:

  • Reiterate your commitment
  • Read up on your students’ countries; know their histories
  • Know your rights — and your students’ rights
  • Connect with your community
  • Encourage student activism

 

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/uk/blog/optimism-stronger-fear

 

Getting respect for teachers in schools – well, it’s complicated

It is a bit of a chicken and egg scenario, or is it that simple? Should teachers automatically be respected once they walk in a classroom, or is the respect that students develop for teachers something that is developed over time?

What may be regarded as disrespectful behavior by students is very much subjective and attitudes have also changed over time. That said, we do have to respond to disrespectful behavior in schools and do our utmost to cultivate positive learning environments.

As is often said, be the change you want to see in your students.

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/16658

 

Making Student Feedback Work

The benefits of student feedback are deep and wide — but not always recognized.

Students have a comprehensive view of how their teachers educate and motivate. Student evaluations can be collected cheaply, quickly, and regularly, giving teachers the opportunities to make real-time adjustments to their teaching. Teachers may actually learn about their students from feedback questionnaires, too — how they learn, whom they know well in the class, and with whom they work best.

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/11/making-student-feedback-work

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

 

MSM 378: The Show About . . . But I Digress . . .

Jokes You Can Use:  

 

Why are ghosts such bad liars?

  • You can see right through them

Why can’t you ever give Elsa a balloon?

  • She’ll just “let it go”.

Which hand is better to write with?

  • Neither. Use a pen or pencil.

Why are math books always sad?

  • They are all filled with problems.

Which flower talks the most?

  • Tulips

What did one wall say to the other wall?

  • Meet you at the corner

Why is England the wettest country?

  • The queen has reigned for decades.

What has four wheels and flies?

  • Garbage truck

What goes up and down but doesn’t move?

  • Stairs

 

Advisory:

 

Riddles:

 

I am the beginning of everything, the end of everywhere. I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space.

What am I?

 

When is a door not a door?

 

https://riddles.fyi/

 

Logic Puzzles

That’s where these challenging logic puzzles come into play. Take as much time as you need on each of them to give your brain a workout!

 

http://boredomtherapy.com/logic-puzzles/

No time for leftovers: The astonishing scale of food waste in the UK and around the world

It is important to distinguish between food loss and waste:

  • Food loss: Occurs between production and retail
  • Food waste: Occurs between consumption and retail

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/02/no-time-leftovers-astonishing-scale-food-waste-uk-around-world/

 

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Did You Feel It?

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 Citizen Science article, “Did You Feel It: Shake Up Your Earth Science Classroom with Earthquake Citizen Science,” written by Jill Nugent. The article describes the free online project to track earthquake charts globally.  For more information, please visit:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2017/12/21_Middle_School_Science_Minute__Did_You_Feel_It.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

Dr. Dru Tomlin‏ @DruTomlin4Edu

Dr. Dru Tomlin Retweeted AMLE

The ingredients we need in the recipe 2 create an outstanding middle school are evident. Must have the most committed, passionate, knowledgeable cooks in the kitchen and support them as they work, experiment, and innovate 4 change! @AMLE #mschat @WCSms4U

 

AMLE‏ @AMLE

Food for Thought: The 16 Characteristics of an Effective and Amazing Middle School http://bit.ly/2aTgFzL  by @DruTomlin_AMLE

 

MiddleWeb‏ @middleweb Dec 17

NEW: 6 Ways to Take the Joy Out of Reading @CherylTeaches (And by implication, put it back in!) #elachat #engchat @ncte #literacy #educoach #reading @KellyGToGo @donalynbooks https://www.middleweb.com/36523/6-ways-to-take-the-joy-out-of-reading/ …

 

Kelly Malloy‏ @kellys3ps Dec 16

Yes!! Make sure you are taking time for yourself this holiday season! You deserve it!

Kialo‏ @KialoHQ Nov 22

Sick of the internet shouting factory? Looking for a more civil place to discuss the big issues? After five years of development, we welcome you to Kialo, a system designed for thoughtful debate.

 

Ian Jukes‏ @ijukes Dec 19

4 Characteristics Of Learning Leaders https://buff.ly/2B1MeUW

Kelly Malloy‏ @kellys3ps Dec 21

Oh no! Your student has found their name on Santa’s naughty list! They must write a persuasive letter convincing Santa that it is a mistake. https://buff.ly/2BXrCB7

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

Manage your Twitter feed with Twitterific or Tweetdeck!  

 

Strategies:

 

28 Student-Centered Instructional Strategies

Student-centered teaching is teaching that is ‘aware’ of students and their needs above and beyond anything else. It places students at the center of the learning process.

 

https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/28-student-centered-instructional-strategies/

 

ONE WORD COLLABORATIVE SLIDES ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS

I have chosen one word the last several years to guide my year and give me focus. This year, I’ve selected the word DISCIPLINED.

 

https://meredithakers.com/2018/01/02/one-word-collaborative-slides-activity-for-students/

 

Exercising at own pace boosts a child’s ability to learn

A child’s attention and memory improves after exercise according to new research conducted by primary school pupils and supported by the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh.

https://ukedchat.com/2017/12/19/exercising-ability-learn/

 

Resources:

 

Kids Don’t Fail, Schools Fail Kids: Sir Ken Robinson on the ‘Learning Revolution’

A huge misconception amongst adults, according to Robinson, is that kids don’t like to learn. On the contrary, “my conviction is that kids love to learn. That’s not the problem,” he shared. Rather, “it’s the construct of school” that beats a love to learn out of students, he says.

  1. It’s a time of revolution in many industries across the world.
    “I mean that literally. There are changes on the planet now that are without precedent,” he said. “We have an exponential rate of technological change, over the past 30 years in particular. We’re heading into a period of even more radical technological innovation, and with it will go entire industries.”
  2. If populations are to meet this revolution, we have to think differently, particularly about the individual self.
    “We have to reframe the abilities of our children. We have deep natural talents, but we have to discover them and cultivate them. If you have a narrow view of ability, you generate an enormous about of inability.”
  3. Thus, we have to rethink how we do school.
    “There are systems we’ve created for efficiency, not to get people to learn things,” Robinson started, later adding, “We organize our kids’ learning by their date of birth. We don’t do that anywhere else, except school.”

 

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-02-23-kids-don-t-fail-schools-fail-kids-sir-ken-robinson-on-the-learning-revolution

 

Maybe There IS Some Value in Graphic Novels?

One of the most spirited conversations in Radical history started with a simple argument:  Graphic novels — which were the hot new genre back in 2011 — don’t require students to think as rigorously as more traditional forms of text.

 

http://blog.williamferriter.com/2017/12/16/maybe-there-is-some-value-in-graphic-novels/

 

Manga:  

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/manga  

K-Pop:

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

Web Spotlight:

 

When Will We Get Serious about Teacher Stress?

Of late, I’ve become acutely aware of one sad commonality among these very good people. Teachers are stressed. One could argue teachers have always been stressed but I’m sensing something new and disturbing.

 

http://ideasandthoughts.org/2017/12/06/when-will-we-get-serious-about-teacher-stress/

 

NASA will take images of its quiet supersonic jet’s shockwaves

In 2016, NASA began developing a quiet supersonic jet design with Lockheed Martin under the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) program.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/19/nasa-shockwave-images-quiet-supersonic-jet/

 

To The Students I Failed

 

https://byrslf.co/to-the-students-i-failed-e745b6b81401

 

Random Thoughts . . .  

 

Personal Web Site

 

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!