MSM 469: HashTag, HashTag, We got your HashTags!

Jokes:

The Gene Pool:


I have a friend who wants to buy a boat. However, he doesn’t have a place to dock it. 

  • Yep, I have a friend without pier.

I don’t usually tell dad jokes, 

  • but when I do, he laughs

Have you heard about the new snail racing sport in France?

  • It’s called NASCARgo

Why did the housecleaner put a bottle of Coke in the oven?

  • The housecleaner was told that baking soda can clean an oven.

If you don’t like musical puns…

  • You have my symphony.

I just realized my kitchen countertop is made of marble.

  • I’ve been taking it for granite for all these years.

I have a friend who is very afraid of misspelling texts. He’s been looking up symptoms on the internet.

  • You could say my friend is a typochondriac. 


If you adjust your posture….

  • Do you stand corrected?

Middle School Science Minute  

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

I was recently reading the Spring 2020 issue of “The Concord Consortium,” a publication of the Concord Consortium.  

In this issue, I read an article written by Chad Dorsey.  The title of the article was “Perspective: Environments for Coherent, Inquiry-based Learning.” 

Robust simulation environments can foster coherent, inquiry-based learning.  Indeed, many topics and phenomena are simply not accessible for inquiry in the science classroom—they may be too large or too small, demand timescales that are too long or too short, or require conditions that are too dangerous to create in a school laboratory setting.  In such cases, technology is essential.  However, while individual simulations can illustrate a phenomenon, far too often they do little more than that—provide an illustrative animation.  There is another way.

Concord Consortium

Reports from the Front Lines

  • Making Plans to Return to School – Now is the time to prepare!  
    • Plan for a full year of distance learning.  Even if we don’t.  
      • Create contingency plans that include face-to-face lesson design in case we are able to go back to a regular classroom environment.  
    • Seek out teachers who have the remote learning puzzle figured out and learn from them.
    • Consider curriculum options already online.  
    • Push back on unreasonable expectations by the administration.  
  • Suggestions for Distance Learning:  
    • Start the online experience like it is the first day of class again.  Establish norms.
    • Remember they will have additional home responsibilities.  
    • Make social interaction a priority.  
    • You don’t need to use 100% of your online time in direct instruction.  
    • Limit the amount of messaging that goes home.  Parents could get overwhelmed.  
  • Designing a “learning space” at home:  
    • Avoid windows
    • Avoid noisy areas & distracting environments  
    • Swivel chair if possible
    • Headphones, please  
  • Middle School Principles:  This We Believe – Keys to Educating Young Adolescents (2010).  
    • We value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them.
    • We must engage our students and ourselves in active purposeful learning.
    • Our curriculum is challenging, explorative, integrative, and relevant.  
    • We use multiple learning and teaching approaches.  
    • We create varied and ongoing assessments that advance learning as well as measure it.  

The Twitterverse

Brittany Washburn  @BrittanyWTweets

Distance Learning Idea:  “Research Assignment” Internet Scavenger Hunt

https://t.co/9mXLfI3ivy?amp=1  or  http://www.brittanywashburn.com/2020/05/3-types-of-internet-scavenger-hunts-to.html  

John Faig @johnfaig

Cameras don’t work well and a broadcast pedagogy will not work for remote students. #PBL is the only hope of having S’s on and off-campus do similarly engaging work.

Quote Tweet

Rob Elliott  @robiupui

I cannot teach a course with half of the students in a socially-distanced classroom and half in a Zoom room simultaneously. People think I’m being a crank. Am I a crank, #AcademicTwitter ?  Show this thread

Look for your host, Todd Bloch, to have a middle school topic all ready to go!  Make it a strategic part of your personal professional development. 

Resources:

Matt Miller – Ditch That Textbook – Remote Learning 101

Free online course in 15-ish modules to get you ready for remote learning.  Comes at the right price and with a certificate at the end of the course.  

https://ditch.teachable.com/p/remote-learning-101

Activity Sheets

The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless explicit permission is granted.

Below will find: Blank Comic Book Pages, Special Activities, “How to Draw…” Instructions, “Finish This Comic!” Comics, and Drawing/Writing Prompts.

Choose Your Own Fake News

Choose Your Own Fake News is an interactive “choose your own adventure” game. Play the game as Flora, Jo or Aida from East Africa, and navigate the world of disinformation and misinformation through the choices you make. Scrutinize news and information about job opportunities, vaccines and upcoming elections to make the right choices!

https://chooseyourownfakenews.com/

Web Spotlight:  

 #Hashtag180 Your Classroom  

WHY: To Improve Student Learning Experiences.

#Hashtag180 began as one fifth grade science teacher’s journey to enhance and supplement curriculum. It grew into: Hashtag A Community Around Your Curriculum.

HOW: See: How To Hashtag North Carolina Science Essential Standards and North Carolina Curriculum Hashtags.Tweet one experience on each of the 180 school days of the year, and hashtag it with your learning objective and #hashtag180.

UPDATE: Also see: #Hashtag180 Central, including: Look Out for Learning and Hashtagging ISTE Student Standards

WHO: ALL Educators

WHAT: The #Hashtag180 Challenge was originally designed for educators to access and share learning resources very specifically by tweeting life and classroom experiences, hashtagged with learning objectives and #Hashtag180. Where does it go from here? The possibilities are endless…

WHERE: #Hashtag180

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

MSM 468: Wrong on Soooooo Many Levels . . .

Jokes:  


Why did the police officer pull over the moving van?

  • He wanted to bust a move.

What do dentists call their x-rays?

  • Tooth pics

The re-opening of LEGO stores was a big event. 

  • People were lined up for blocks


There was a HUGE sale on long paddles at the store. 

  • You could say it was a Big Oar Deal.

I’m going to name my next dog Rolex.

  • Yep, he’s going to be a watchdog

Why do dogs float in water?

  • They are good buoys

I was going to look for my watch. 

  • But I could never find the time

Did you hear about the guy on the phone pumping gas when his wife called. 

  • He had to his Exxon hold

Today, I was ironing bored and I noticed that the cover of my ironing board was wrinkled, and I laughed at the irony. Then I laughed because “irony”. 


I witnessed an altercation between two sketch artists. 

  • Guns were drawn

I’m changing all my passwords to “Kenny”. 

  • Yep, I’ll have Kenney Loggins. 

Communists’ jokes aren’t funny. 

  • Until everyone gets it.

Goth anti-vaxxers will never listen to which band?

  • The Cure

I just sold my homing pigeon on eBay.

  • For the 22nd time

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Environmental Health Scientist

I was recently reading the April / May, 2020 issue of “Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read an article written by Luba Vangelova.  The title of the article was “Environmental Health Scientist.”

Environmental health scientists study how environmental toxins impact human health, and work to mitigate such risks.  The article features an interview with Casey Bartrem, an environmental health scientist who serves as the executive director of Terragraphics International Foundation in Moscow, Idaho.  Casey is a graduate of Michigan State University.  

Reports from the Front Lines

  • Dateline Shijiazhuang:  China pulls students from schools – July 11 final exams.  期末考试  COVID-19 Round 2.  
  • Summer Plans? 
    • Training the kids
    • Training the teachers
  • OER

The Twitterverse

Scott McLeod @mcleod  

Episode 13: Remote Teaching and Home Learning: Examples from South Korea and Singapore #silverliningforlearning @AASAHQ @NASSP @NAESP @NSBAPublicEd @ASCD @ISTEEdLeaders @pdkintl @Chalkbeat @MindShiftKQED @hechingerreport @futureready

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Michigan History Day

We are excited that Tara Fugate of Fraser PS is the MI nominee for the 2020 Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award. The winner of the award will be announced during the NHD Award Ceremony on Sat. 6/20. Good luck Tara! #mihistoryday2020 #NHD2020

Chris Kenniburg @kennibc

#Moodle, say hello to #Jitsi Meet! The new Moodle 3.9 version of the Fordson theme introduces a simple Jitsi Meet launch button for every course… automatically! Just add a Jitsi server URL and you are now ready for remote learning! #opensource #edtech #onlinelearning

Typical EduCelebrity @EduCelebrity

I think we all can agree that required face mask use will create an interesting challenge in ventriloquism schools.

Fixing Education @FixingEducation

Why is there a teacher shortage in the U.S.? Some of the best teachers are leaving the profession. In fact, in the past year, 80% of teachers have thought about leaving their job. Additionally, 22% of college students used to major in education. CURRENT numbers are at 4.6%!

Look for your host, Todd Bloch, to have a middle school topic all ready to go!  Make it a strategic part of your personal professional development.

Resources:

NCSS – Position Paper on Teaching Civics

A call to action for introducing policies and civic practices in schools needs to occur at local, state, and national levels. NCSS members are encouraged to use this position statement to urge their policymakers, educators, families, and communities to adopt a vision and plan for providing all students with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for effective civic life.   

https://www.socialstudies.org/positions/revitalizing_civic_learning

Politicraft – Card Game for Civics   

“Civic mindedness is not something you are born with. The knowledge, skills and dispositions of effective civic engagement must be acquired and practiced in a safe environment. That is the purpose of PolitiCraft.”  

https://www.politicraft.org/how-to-play-politicraft

Currently $14.95 per deck : https://www.politicraft.org/buy/politicraft-base-card-deck-second-edition

The Governor’s Decision Room  

Video Introduction:  http://seekingmichigan.org/thedecisionroom/#  

Main Site:  http://thedecisionroom.org/  

Sample Materials:  http://seekingmichigan.org/thedecisionroom/sample.pdf  

Article:  “Our ‘Secret Weapon’ In An Age of Us-Against-Them”  

“Instead of firing back, Crenshaw built a bridge. Instead of shaming and scolding, he spoke tenderly. Instead of seeking vindication through retaliation, he sought friendship through peacemaking. Instead of adding to the cycle of outrage, he soundly defeated outrage with a gesture of unconditional love.”  

https://scottsauls.com/blog/2020/06/12/our-secret-weapon-in-an-age-of-us-against-them/?fbclid=IwAR2Lmj7_cjth_nPZ9jhfII1dDiorOal9PaDf53q28aikH09KQFbwXvE8BuA

CSPAN:  What to do with the Confederacy?  

Statues – Keep ‘em:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?448679-5/debate-confederate-monuments  

Statues – Lose ‘em:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?448679-7/confederate-monument-controversies  

Statues – Estonia:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/18/what-lithuania-can-teach-us-about-grappling-with-confederate-statues/?fbclid=IwAR1POG5GylgK2ZzRcZSebjmU5Q8n0Jt02YNaRaBgbAKQV9l8nNR2r52P9KU  

Historical Meanings of the Battle Flag:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?448679-8/confederate-battle-flag-debates  

Should Confederate Heritage be Preserved:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?448679-8/confederate-battle-flag-debates  

Competing Memories:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?448679-6/competing-memories-civil-war  

Revokable Citizenship:  https://news.err.ee/1103931/government-can-now-revoke-citizenship-of-convicted-traitors  

Accidental Courtesy – Movie

Musician Daryl Davis has an unusual hobby. He’s played all over the world with legends like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, but it’s what Daryl does in his free time that sets him apart. Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the Ku Klux Klan.  

https://accidentalcourtesy.com/

Amazing Grace (2006) – Movie

Based on the true life story of William Wilberforce, a leader of the British abolition movement, Amazing Grace chronicles his epic struggle to pass a law to end the slave trade in the late 18th century.   

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/amazing-grace-2006/id270356352

Youth in Government – Involvement and Action  

From modeling legislators at the local, state and national level to advocating for change, Youth and Government™ allows students to expand their worldview and shape public policy. 

https://www.ymca.net/youthandgovernment & http://www.myig.org/middle_school-2/  

Frederick Douglas Archives – Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/collections/frederick-douglass-newspapers/about-this-collection

“It has long been our anxious wish to see, in this slave-holding, slave-trading, and negro-hating land, a printing-press and paper, permanently established, under the complete control and direction of the immediate victims of slavery and oppression…that the man who has suffered the wrong is the man to demand redress,—that the man STRUCK is the man to CRY OUT—and that he who has endured the cruel pangs of Slavery is the man to advocate Liberty.”  

William Wilberforce Papers – Duke University

Political and personal correspondence of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), member of the House of Commons. Many letters relate to his leadership in the movement for Britain’s abolition of the slave trade. Correspondence discusses the evils of the slave trade; the slave trade in Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish colonies; slavery, especially in the West Indies.  

https://repository.duke.edu/dc/wilberf

William Lloyd Garrison Archives  

Selected copies of The LIberator key to the abolition movement.  

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/garrison/  & https://transcription.si.edu/project/11766  

Slidesmania – Hyperdocs based slides

Google Slides and PowerPoint templates for Hyperdocs style lesson design.  

https://slidesmania.com/free-templates/

TinEye

Reverse Image Search – easy to use

https://tineye.com/

Link to Fragment

Browser extension that allows for linking to arbitrary text on a page.

This extension allows for easily creating a special link to the currently selected text on a page via the context menu. When opening such a special link, a compatible browser will scroll the selected text into view and highlight it.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/link-to-text-fragment/pbcodcjpfjdpcineamnnmbkkmkdpajjg

Web Spotlight:  

Flashbulb Moments

How accurate is your memory?

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/schacterlab/files/hirst_etal_jepgeneral_2015.pdf

Visual Guide to Coronavirus

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-visual-guide-to-the-sars-cov-2-coronavirus/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

MSM 467: Hey, I got RickRolled!…Me too

Jokes:

Don’t be mad at lazy people. 

  • They didn’t do anything

Are people born with a photographic memory?

  • Or does it take time to develop?

We can’t allow this year to end. 

  • That would be admitting 2021

We’re thinking of getting a new dog. We’re naming it Family or 10 miles. 

  • That way when people ask what I’m doing on the weekend, I can say, “hanging out with Family”. 
  • Or, I’m always picking up after Family
  • Or, I can say that I walk 10 miles three times a day

I was feeling lonely, so I bought some shares of stock. 

  • It’s nice to have some company

Did you hear about the blank playing card? 

  • He showed up at a party without a suit

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Social Justice in the Science Classroom

I was recently reading the May, 2020 issue of “Next Gen Navigator,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read an article written by Philip Bell, Guest Editor of Next Gen Navigator  The title of the article was “Social Justice in the Science Classroom: Social Justice—Centered Science Teaching and Learning.”

Science education can be used to support more just, sustainable, and culturally thriving futures—especially for those who have historically been and continue to be disenfranchised from science.

Reports from the Front Lines

Advisory:

President Obama’s Graduation Speech

President Obama shares a message of optimism with the Class of 2020 as a part of  “Dear Class of 2020,” a virtual commencement to celebrate graduates, their families, and their communities. As uncertain as these times may be, President Obama calls on the Class of 2020 to seize the opportunity to create a new normal, one that is fairer, gives everyone opportunity, treats everyone equally, and builds bridges between people instead of dividing them. 

The Twitterverse

Today, join us…

Quote Tweet

Yong Zhao, Ph.D

@YongZhaoEd

· Jun 9

This Saturday 5:30-6:30pm EDT, join @chrs_dede @travelinedman @punyamishra @mcleod @shynicola @YongZhaoEd for #silverliningforlearning episode 13 with Nina Nim from S. Korea and Chee-Kit Looi from Singapore https://silverliningforlearning.org/category/episodes/…

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2h

Larry Ferlazzo via Coopmike48 @coopmike48

Three Resources With Good Ideas For Encouraging Online Student Interaction

Three Resources With Good Ideas On Encouraging Online Student Interaction

  I’m adding these resources to THE BEST IDEAS FOR ONLINE ACTIVITIES TO USE WHEN TEACHING ELLS REMOTELY – SHARE MORE!: 7 Strategies Designed to Increase Student Engagement in Synchronous…

larryferlazzo.edublogs.org

Look for your host, Todd Bloch, to have a middle school topic all ready to go!  Make it a strategic part of your personal professional development. 

Resources:

Connected Papers

Connected papers is a unique, visual tool to help researchers and applied scientists find and explore papers relevant to their field of work.

https://www.connectedpapers.com/

Web Spotlight:  

What Is White Privilege, Really?

Today, white privilege is often described through the lens of Peggy McIntosh’s groundbreaking essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Originally published in 1988, the essay helps readers recognize white privilege by making its effects personal and tangible.

White people are also more likely to see positive portrayals of people who look like them on the news, on TV shows and in movies. They are more likely to be treated as individuals, rather than as representatives of (or exceptions to) a stereotyped racial identity. In other words, they are more often humanized and granted the benefit of the doubt. 

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really

Last Person to Receive a Civil War Pension Dies

Irene Triplett died last week at the age of 90. She was the last person in America to collect a pension from the Civil War, $73.13 each month from the Department of Veterans Affairs right up until she passed away.

https://kottke.org/20/06/last-person-to-receive-a-civil-war-pension-dies

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

MSM 466: Brave New World

Jokes:

My friend was doing a crossword. She asked, “What is a unit of power? 4 letters”

  • I said, that’s correct. (What/Watt)  

You know with the pandemic, I have a friend living on a houseboat. He dating the girl on the next boat over. Unfortunately, they’ve drifted apart. 

Someone posted that they had just made some synonym buns. 

  • I replied “Just like grammar used to make?”
  • I tried buttering them up. 
  • Now I’m blocked

What do you call someone who takes care of chickens?

  • Yep, Chicken Tenders

Did you know I was named after my Dad?

  • It would’ve been impossible to be named before him.

If we could get every cat in the world to meow at the same time, how loud would it be?

  • Catastrophically loud

What is a rabbit’s favorite restaurant?

  • IHOP

What do you call a happy cowboy?

  •  A Jolly Rancher

One of my favorite phrases is “bear with me”. It could either mean “please be patient” or “the heist at the Zoo was a success”. 

Just a thought: If you ever get locked out of your house, talk to your lock calmly. 

  • Communication is key
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Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: The “Story” of Climate Change

I was recently reading the April/May, 2020 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication for middle school teachers, published by the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read the “Commentary” column written by Jason T. Hilton and Patrick A. Burkhart.  The title of the column is “The Facts Do Not Speak for Themselves: Exposing Students to the Powerful Story of Climate Change.”

With the growth of mass media and social media, a cultural emphasis on the stories people tell has quickly displaced a reliance on scientific ways of knowing.  The stories told in classrooms must be relevant to students in the local setting and connected to that which is clearly visible.  Such an approach will allow students to independently arrive at reasoned conclusions that confirm scientifically derived knowledge presented in the classroom.

Reports from the Front Lines

The Twitterverse

Hong Kong Free Press  @HongKongFP 

One of the most nightmarish memories of our generations. It’s the 31st anniversary of Tiananmen Massacre. We remember, we never forget. Freedom and democracy belong to everyone. #64

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Watch Can and should creativity be assessed? a discussion among Bill Lucas, James Kaufman, Ron Beghetto and Yong Zhao

Creativity in Crisis Ep1:   https://youtu.be/p7yvjnwwQ1Q  

AMLE @AMLE

Schools likely won’t be fully open until well into next school year. We and 62 other organizations sent a letter to Congress requesting financial support for professional development so ALL #teachers can teach effectively next fall. #education

Look for your host, Todd Bloch, to have a middle school topic all ready to go!  Make it a strategic part of your personal professional development.

Strategies:  

5 Levels Video Series

Great idea for teachers and kids. As a strategy, have students develop explanations for 5 levels. 

“Can everything be explained to everyone in terms they can understand? In 5 Levels, an expert scientist explains a high-level subject in five different layers of complexity— first to a child, then a teenager, then an undergrad majoring in the same subject, a grad student and, finally, a colleague.”

https://www.wired.com/video/series/5-levels

Resources:

#BlackLivesMatter

BackStory – Podcast (Ed Ayers)  

Burden to Bear:  A History of Racial Health Disparities in America

https://audioboom.com/channels/4987698.rss

Ryan Bomberger Interview – The World and Everything In It Podcast

https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/the_world_and_everything_in_it/content.blubrry.com/the_world_and_everything_in_it/TWAEII-2020-06-05-1469-6520-Culture-Friday.mp3

Reconciliation vs. Revenge  

Smithsonian TweenTribune Resources on Race

158 Resources to Understand Racism in America

These Smithsonian resources are designed to foster an equal society, encourage commitment to unbiased choices and promote antiracism in all aspects of life.

#MomentsOfResilience

The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum invites people to share stories of how communities are supporting each other on a day-to-day basis.

Teaching Young Children About Race

Recommended by educators at Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, this is a practical guide for early childhood educators and parents.

Greensboro Lunch Counter

This activity from the National Museum of American history invites viewers to join the student sit-ins through a 22-minute video. Included are focus questions that students should consider while they are watching. 

CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall

“Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families” will air on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET. The show will talk to kids about racism, the recent nationwide protests, embracing diversity and being more empathetic and understanding.

Washington Post Data Points – A Potential ArcGIS Connection?

Fatal Force:  1,004 in 2019

This webpage is no longer being updated and they have a more current page, however it is behind a paywall and Troy hasn’t given me that raise yet . . .  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/

Downloadable Data:  https://github.com/washingtonpost/data-police-shootings  

Compiled since 2015.  Uses multiple data sources to build a more complete picture that independently self report as being incomplete.  

The Knight Foundation and O Cinema Partner to Offer Free Virtual Screenings of Magnolia Pictures Documentaries I Am Not Your Negro, Whose Streets? and Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Each film will be made available to view each Sunday, for free, during a 24-hour window. 

Please register in advance to watch I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO by filling out the below form to receive a secure link and password to view the film. The email with link and password will arrive in your inbox each Sunday at 1pm.  This website will be updated each Monday for registration for the current film of the week.

https://www.magnoliapictures.com/knightfoundationseries?fbclid=IwAR2orrUymJXj8DpI8HdYgvbTFEhtRslep_x9FIq0uAsVb5nkD2GvqTLKOyw

President Obama

https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067#annotations:Q9BP1KQoEeq_qItZOelBLA

Simulations: Proceed with Caution

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2008/classroom-simulations-proceed-with-caution

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!