Jokes:  

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Brevity by Dan Thompson (https://www.gocomics.com/brevity/2020/11/14)

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How can you tell if your donuts are bored? 

• They get that glazed look….

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I used to play triangle in a reggae band, but I had to leave. 

• It was just one ting after another.

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Did you hear that they are going to televise the World Origami Championship? 

• It’s on Paperview

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I’m not always comfortable going to the store. 

• The cashiers are always checking me out. 

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I misplaced my pizza cutter, so I’m using a Bryan Adams CD. 

• Yep, It cuts like a knife…..

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Some people ask me where I store all of these jokes. I think that should be obvious….

• In a Dad-a-Base

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World Part 1

I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read “The Online Teacher“ column written by Denise Wright.  Her article was entitled “Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World.”

This is the first in a three-part series on the three strategies for conducting science labs in the virtual world.  

Part 1 — Virtual Simulations

Part 2 — Science at Home

Part 3 — Use of Data Sets

Online science labs can be rich experiences that students enjoy.  Teachers can include labs in online learning by using virtual simulations that include written directions, a screencast explaining directions, and questions for discussion.

Reports from the Front Lines

• When 8th Graders “Repurpose” Google Meet Updates – The Raised Hand  
• Schticky Stuff – Google Meet Room Monitors, Google Meet Room Hostess/Hosts, 
• Failure Rates? – Greenville County Schools 
  • History Hits
• BackChannels
• Checklist Module in Moodle  

Advisory:  

Get To Know Your Students Better

https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-exercises-get-know-your-students-better-and-increase-their-engagement#annotations:Fwn4dCqNEeuqurPfi8w4Zg

The Twitterverse

Karen Vaites  @karenvaites

‘If 38% is our national proficiency rate and it’s also (roughly) the percent of students who learn to read without much effort, we really have to ask ourselves, “What’s the impact of our effort?!”’   

SCAssoc. for Middle  @The_SCAMLE

We are accepting applications for presenters!! Use the link to submit your proposal!! Link: https://scamle.org/event-3961523

Will Richardson-BIG Questions Institute  @willrich45

I think once a year, school communities should have a “‘ Why Do We Do This?’ Day.” Take the most embedded practices, put them on the table and ask that question. And then figure out if they want to live with the answer or change it. Might be eye-opening. #justsayin

Jennifer Gonzalez  @cultofpedagogy

Students are asking teachers to set up school-based @discord groups, but teachers are hesitant because of COPPA, FERPA, CIPA concerns. (Also, creepy strangers..?) It looks like some stuff is in place (link below). Teachers, what concerns do you have?

Don’t forget #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm.  

Strategies:  

 56 Ways to Gather Evidence of Student Achievement

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nzhdnyMQmio5lNT75ITB45rHyLISHEEHZlHTWJRqLmQ/pub?slide=id.p

Redefining Annotation

https://ditchthattextbook.com/redefining-annotation-ditch-that-pdf-and-hyper-annotate/#annotations:nM7zdCtQEeujoZsts2gahg

Resources:

Slides Timer

Slides Timer Extension

Summarizing

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jC7CnwsfH28JOutuuTdC1Peh2IncYq1z2btxSA5LIOk/edit#slide=id.ga8f0823e1d_0_0

Digital Notebook

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ux0CZCiJK5WH4x4jM-UMXey97PzrpES8dKM1apJ3eYA/edit#slide=id.ga3c92daea4_0_27

Gettysburg AR Experience – American Battlefield Trust

Step onto the battlefields of Gettysburg and witness history as it happened through virtual recreations and augmented reality technology. Interact with soldiers and civilians who experienced what it was like to be at the Civil War’s bloodiest battle. Be there when President Lincoln gives his famous Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg AR Experience is now available for FREE via the App Store and Google Play.

https://www.battlefields.org/visit/mobile-apps/gettysburg-ar-experience?fbclid=IwAR1UY5DqaTDIegzL9yFQtqjLtVStOYDE803MyUFfm3c8u7CeX6C-7PAX7XQ

Web Spotlight:  

We Can Help Students with Trauma Face Life More Positively

Mood Weather Report: Learn More About Your Students

Childhood trauma survivors are more likely to feel insecure about their surroundings. Therefore, it is important to record their daily psychological state. To build up confidence and face every day actively, our school asks students to record their “Mood Weather Report” every day.

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol16/num04/we-can-help-students-with-trauma-face-life-more-positively.aspx#annotations:QVmjrCjXEeustDeRPXYEwA

Are You Smarter Than  Middle Years Kid?

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KfNJYJE9nhcZ90Mq7yyFBGhkI3J_Vw3pedvJFzM83Sk/edit#slide=id.ga3bc1442ab_0_0

15 Second Video Challenge

We invite middle and high school students to create a short video that defines or teaches any of the words in our Word of the Day collection. Contest Dates: Nov. 10-Dec. 15, 2020.

Teacher Mental Health Break:  The Homework Song  

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site   

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jokes:  

I did a study on introverts, but I’m keeping it to myself.

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I tried to write a bio on the Beatles, but I couldn’t get it to…Come Together, Right Now. 

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I’m writing a blog post on procrastination. But I’ve stopped. Then I circled back. Then I zigged. Then I zagged. 

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I wrote a blog post on Greed, but I’m not going to share it with you. 

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If you have the ability to temporarily block an opening and move when someone needs to pass through, what does that make you?

• A door able

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Do you know what Sin City is? 

• Las Vegas, NV

How about Den city?

• Mass divided by volume

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Eileen Award:  

• iTunes:  
• Twitter:
• Facebook:
• Diigo:  
• District Email:  

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Using Literature in the Science Classroom

I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read the “From the Editor’s Desk“ column written by Patty McGinnis.  Her article was entitled “Using Literature in the Science Classroom.”

The Next Generation Science Standards contain numerous connections to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts as verification of the supporting role that literature serves when learning science.

Reports from the Front Lines

• Parent Feedback
• Due Dates
• The Copy/Copy/Copy Conundrum
• Knowing that the kids are reading, EVERY WORD
• Reset and Go
• Wordsearch

My Evil Twin

Advisory:  

Today’s chat question: what perplexes you about adults?  GREAT conversation starter Wooclap opportunity . . . 

The Twitterverse

Pernille Ripp @pernilleripp

Our youngest has declared tomorrow “Snuggle Book Holiday.” To partake you must drink hot cocoa, eat pumpkin dip, and read books by a fireplace or somewhere else warm. Please celebrate accordingly…

Diane Choe Moon @MrsDianeMoon

A colleague shared a video of a teacher putting stickers on her face every time a new student participated. I tried out the idea, and my classes were determined to get as many stickers on my face in an hour! Needless to say, I looked crazy by the end of it!

#whateverittakes

Mrs M Lapinskas  @mrslapinskasmfl

My top favourites for MFL elearning:  Quizlet, Kahoot, Quizizz, Linguascope, Languages online, Language gym, Kerboodle, Spanish Dict, Active Learn, Task Magic – what are yours? #MFLchat

Christie @ChristieNold

So… I can just invite my family into my classroom this Thanksgiving, right? Schools are magically immune?

Don’t forget #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm.  Join host Todd Bloch for a scintillating discussion!  

Strategies:  

Why Do Teachers Love Sad Books Like Where the Red Fern Grows?

https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/11/why-teachers-make-kids-read-sad-books.html#annotations:trRFMiTjEeuosH8yiIvCVw

Resources:

Math Language/Content Objectives

https://robertkaplinsky.com/content-and-language-objectives-using-the-standards-for-mathematical-practice/

Formative Assessment

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qzntgblfkrptpau/DVD2.pptx?dl=0

ELL Support

Thirteen Instructional Strategies & Web Tools To Support ELLs In Distance Learning

Web Spotlight:  

Armistice Day Resource – Sabaton, In Flanders Fields

Greenville News (SC) – The Number of Students Failing

https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/education/2020/11/11/number-students-failing-greenville-sc-schools-has-tripled-2020/6241547002/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site   

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jokes:  

My TV started playing random Netflix shows. It was weird…

• But I’ve seen Stranger Things

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People who can’t tell the difference between whole numbers and decimals are missing the point. 

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My wife asked if I could clear the table. 

• I had to get a running start, but I made it!

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What Do You Get When You Pick a Pigs Nose

• Ham boogers  (yes, I know…Snot funny)

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What is Yoda’s last name? 

• Layheehoo

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I told my carpenter that I didn’t want carpeted. 

• He gave a Blank Stair

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LumberJack #1: I can cut a log in half just by looking at it. 

LumberJack #2: That’s impossible.

LumberJack #1: I know it’s hard to believe, but I saw it with my own two eyes. 

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My child will not eat fish, what can I replace it with? 

• A cat. Cats love fish.

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Someone missed an opportunity. Why is a “randomized clinical trial controlled with a placebo” not called “trick or treatment?

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A joke doesn’t become a Dad joke until it’s full Groan. (That should be Apparent). 

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

Middle School Science Minute: Formative Assessment Probes

I was recently reading the September/October 2020 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. 

In this issue, I read the “Formative Assessment Probes“ column written by Page Keeley.  Her article was entitled “Using Formative Assessment Probes with Real or Virtual Field Trips.”

Using a formative assessment probe prior to a real-time or virtual field trip activates students’ thinking about the concepts and phenomena they will be learning about during their experience.

Reports from the Front Lines

• Google Classroom -> Moodle
• Is it about the kids?
• Who is working hard? (and how)
• Timing (it’s usually hard to get everything in during a “normal” year)
• Substitutes

Advisory:  

Media Multitasking Disrupts Memory, Even in Young Adults

…“media multitasking”—or engaging with multiple forms of digital or screen-based media simultaneously, whether they are television, texting or Instagram—may impair attention in young adults, worsening their ability to later recall specific situations or experiences.

…media multitasking correlated with a tendency toward attentional lapses and decreased pupil diameter, a known marker of reduced attention.

…“We found evidence that one’s ability to sustain attention helps to explain the relationship between heavier media multitasking and worse memory,”

“Individuals who are heavier media multitaskers may also show worse memory because they have lower sustained attention ability.”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/media-multitasking-disrupts-memory-even-in-young-adults/#annotations:z540oh-fEeu83weTHLtaLA

The Twitterverse

Yong Zhao, Ph.D  @YongZhaoEd

Starting now #edtech #edutwitter Interactive XR Learning Aids in Myanmar and Beyond https://youtu.be/jezseIvBh5Y

JJARC@jaemjenarchive  #JENO

Student’s Self-Introduction in Middle School

Catherine Stolarski @stolarc

Middle school math pedagogy from 1898. #AllenMath #allenlearns #iteawonclass #MTBoS

Don’t forget #mschat on Thursdays at 8:00 pm EST.  

Strategies:  

The Neuroscience of Viewing Your Past Like a Fly on the Wall

…recalling autobiographical memories from a third-person, observer-like perspective (as opposed to replaying a memory through your own eyes) can influence the vividness of one’s recollections.

St. Jacques and Iriye found that adopting a third-person, observer-like visual perspective when recalling autobiographical memories alters the functional connectivity between different parts of the brain compared to when someone recalls a memory in the first person through his or her own eyes.

St. Jacques speculates that choosing to adopt an observer-like perspective when recalling one’s past could have therapeutic value. In closing, she said: “This may be an effective way of dealing with troubling memories by viewing the past from a distance and reducing the intensity of the emotions we feel.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202008/the-neuroscience-viewing-your-past-fly-the-wall#annotations:Z5vkUh-bEeuykJurHa6Pug

Resources:

Among Us Template

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r0IYtaTi8bOoKkP9rdKM6pYV9yP7W1PxF2jmHxt83dc/edit?usp=sharing

Critical Reading: 50 Sentence Stems To Help Students Talk About What They Read

https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/critical-reading-sentence-stems-discussion-journal/#annotations:W-jAoh-NEeu26lfdOCDsyA

Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide

Your involvement in your child’s education can lead to better learning results and outcomes. This “Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide” will inform you, as a parent or caregiver, as you monitor your child’s progress as your child accesses and uses technology for learning.

This guide aims to help all parents and caregivers, including those who have limited experience with digital tools, those who are experts with these tools, and anywhere in between. Each section starts with foundational pieces and builds from there.

https://tech.ed.gov/publications/digital-learning-guide/parent-family/#annotations:idlr5h-EEeuqmT-VJALxPw

Web Spotlight:  

Other Data: 20 Signs You’re Actually Making A Difference As A Teacher

https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/other-data-20-signs-youre-actually-making-a-difference-as-a-teacher/#annotations:0chRuh35EeuilTfRuh9COg

Random Thoughts . . .  

Personal Web Site   

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download