MSM-99– NMSA09 Wrap Up 4 – SimplyBox It.

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Jokes:

Always wanted to be a procrastinator, but never got around to it.

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My friend has kleptomania, but when it gets bad, he takes something for it.

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Did you hear about the big fight that Madonna, Cher, Jewel, and Fabio had?

They’re no longer on a first-name basis.

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It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of living.

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Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don’t have film.

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I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

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How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?

Funny Picture of Christmas lights display:

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Neighbors-Ditto-Display-Looks-Like-a-Bright-Idea-78523157.html?yhp=1

From the Twitterverse:

Webspotlight:

A Closer Look at “A Christmas Carol”

Primary Source: take a look at the editing that Dicken’s did when writing “A Christmas Carol”. (Warning- it’s written in cursive, which may be a strange language to some middle schoolers).

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/30/nyregion/dickens-christmas-carol-pages.html

SimplyBox

A neat way to save and share web sites, and parts of web sites, graphically. This can also share bookmarks with Delicious- thus, when you dropped something in a box, it would also put a bookmark in Delicious for you.

Here’s how they say that teachers can use SimplyBox:

I am a teacher, how do I create accounts for my students?

a) You, as the teacher, can create a second account with SimplyBox in the name of the entire class. Then you would need to give the kids the user name and password you created for the account. By the way, the account then is only accessible by people that have the user name and password for the account. The students then will be able to see the content of the boxes in the account and add comments – from any computer. Now, if they need to add content to the account, they would need the SimplyBox toolbar (the one with the “Box It” button) downloaded on whatever computer they are using.

b) You can simply use Public Boxes (you create them under the Sharing menu option). Each Public Box has a URL. So, students can access the URL and see the content of the box and their comments to the different items. And the creator of the Public Box can delete the box at any time. Since this is a Public Box, students will not be able to add content to the Public Box, only comments.

c) Creating accounts for students that do not have an e-mail. Please go to this link.

NMSA09:

Roadblock to Success: I AM STUPID!

Session Description: A major roadblock to student learning and development is their feelings and beliefs that they are “stupid”. Based on research from students, participants attending this session will (1) become aware of the five causes of stupid, (2) become aware of how students respond when they feel stupid and (3) consider effective ways of minimizing the negative impact stupid has on learning and development.

  • Think
  • Learn
  • Communicate

Differently when we are being very effectively.

We’re all Top 20’s & We’re all bottom 80’s.

What do we need to get rid of?

• In our schools

• in ourselves

Kids will pretend when they feel stupid.

Why do kids feel stupid when they can’t do something? Stupid doesn’t exist. What does exist is real situations and real experiences.

We must talk about (and teach) the problem solving process and how kids feel about failure. Stupid means not Good Enough or Inadequate

Do with kids: Use Notecards: On the front, situations of when they feel stupid, ON the back what they do.

What do they do:

1. Stop Trying – Withdraw

2. Get aggressive

3. Judge themselves

4. Drink

5. Pretend

Presenter answers:

1. Withdraw: quit + quiet

2. Pretend:

3. Emotional: embarrassed, Angry, sad

4. Judgments: I’m not good enough,

5. Attack: argue, swear, bully, challenge

6. Defensive: This is stupid, you’re stupid

7. Motivate: work harder but maintain inside feeling of “I’m not good enough”.

8. Numb: Numb is better than dumb

5 Causes of Stupid:

1. Called- When I say something and other say it’s stupid or when some says something and I don’t

know what they mean – can include non-verbals as well.

2. Comparison – when I’m taking the test and am one of the last people taking the test…I rush through it and don’t read the questions or answers.

3. Confusion – When guys are talking about stats and football and I have no idea.

4. Can’t – when I strike out in a baseball game, I feel like I’m no good at baseball and will

probably strike out again.

Ooze #1- spreads to the next time

Ooze #2 – spreads to other situations

5. Certain Situations – In any class when I read….I get mad.

Stupid needs to become part of the curriculum.

Need to make Confusion OK – Celebrated – Expected. Don’t ever go into a room where you are not confused.

Every human invention has been made on the back of failure.

Analogy of what happens when Joe Mauer strikes out. The kids would say that he’s probably thinking that he’s stupid. Explain that Joe is thinking that the pitcher threw a curve ball on the outside of the plate in this situation. The difference is that he’s learning.

Schools determine which kids are smart.

School should determine how kids are smart.

Keeping Stupid in the box:

1. Share your personal experience of stupid with kids

2. Share the 5 causes of stupid

3. Have a large = sign in your room and refer to it when the kids might feel stupid

4. Share the importance of confusion

5. Every couple of weeks, ask them if they’ve felt stupid.

6. Practice the script. Give kids a script:

  • I am smart, I just don’t understand _______________ yet.
  • I am smart, I’m just confused about ______________.
  • I am smart, I just can’t ___________.

Awareness; www.top20training.com & info@top20training.com

CEU Code: AS6

Classroom Management

Todd Johnson

Assertive discipline tried and found not to work.

We’re going to take a walk through his classroom.

CEU Code XK4

Philosophical Guidelines

Treat students as you would like to be treated.

Do only 50% of the work.

You can only influence behavior, not change it.

You can’t make a student behave. You can’t.

Make it uncomfortable for kids to not follow the rules.

Agenda

Discipline Polarities

Tight vs. Flexible

Tight

Advantages:

Consistent

Set Limits

Structured

Non-emotional

Follow through

Concise

Disadvantages

Power struggles

Confrontation

Win/Lose

My way or the highway

Rebellion

Rules more important than people.

Physical confrontations

Loose

Advantages

Individual needs

Responsive

Negotiate

Creative

Adaptable

Caring

Disadvantages

Taken advantage

Used

Inconsistency

Pandemonium

Chaos

Wasted time

Too emotional

No limits

Law of Least of Interventions

“Don’t use a shotgun when a flyswatter will work.”

Most problems arise during transitions.

Start with the least amount of power necessary.

Use the Law of Least Intervention

eye contact

The “look”

gesture

snap fingers

proximity

call student’s name

shake your head

Clear your throat

flick the lights

count

count backwards (elementary)

Use humor

Touch

Ignore

Audience suggested

deep breath

wave

foreign language

stop/quiet

raise one eyebrow

voice level

state behavior

“Keith, you’re talking.” vs. “Keith, quit talking.”

Zen bell

foreign language

whisper

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 Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 18 & 19, 2010. Jack Berckemeyer will be keynoting.

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

Eastern Michigan University

“The Prince, the Wolf and the Firebird”

By Jackson Lacey

Directed by Pam Cardell

December 4, 5, 10, 11 at 7PM

December 5, 6, 12 at 3PM

School Matinees: December 9 and 10 at 10:00 am. Tickets $4.00 for students and every 15 students gets a chaparone in for free.

Classroom 2.0

Second Life:

  • No Events specified. Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.
  • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life