MSM 147 NMSA 2010: PISA sir, may we have some more? :-P

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Jokes:

ABCs
Little Freddy’s second-grade teacher was quizzing them on the alphabet. “Freddy,” she says, “what comes after ‘O’?” Freddy says, “Yeah!”

Mothers
Miss Jones had been giving her second-grade students a lesson on science. She had explained about magnets and showed how they would pick up nails and other bits of iron. Now it was question time, and she asked, “My name begins with the letter ‘M’ and I pick up things. What am I?” A little boy on the front row proudly said, “You’re a mother!”

On Our Mind:

WOOT!  It’s Christmas Break!  (then 2 weeks ‘till exams after that . . . )
Australian schools got out this past week for their summer break …
Edublog Awards:  Congrats to all the winners!

2nd Runner up:  EdTechCrew
1st Runner up:   LearnEnglish
The 2010 Winner:  PortableRadio.ca

Middle School Science Minute

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

Did you Know…..
Botany facts!

Advisory:

What kids can do
http://whatkidscando.org/

Teaching Strategy:
“Managing Students in the Computer Lab”
Source: Teresa Sutherland, Retired Middle School Teacher

Keep a red plastic cup at each computer. When students need help, have
them place the highly visible cups on top of their monitors.  Students
won’t be calling for help or spending time with their hands raised in
the air!

Here’s an alternate idea:  check your local Dollar Store for mini orange road cones.  The shape works well on thin monitors and they last a long time!

Our addition:
Use 3 cups to monitor group work. Use green cups for groups to self report that they are working fine, yellow for they are starting to struggle, and red for need teacher help.

From the Twitterverse:

*kelalford Delicious is Officially Dead via DEN Blog Network – Please see Wes Fryers’ post ** Delicious Social … http://tinyurl.com/2755dqd
*zeitz Delicious.com not shutting down. Just looking for a new home. See what PC Mag says
*Larryferlazzo New post: “Part Two Of The Best Videos For Educators — 2010”
*mguhlin MGuhlin.org Blogs – Project-Based Learning Video from Common Craft: Video from The Buck Institute for Education ..
*russeltarr 15 Classroom display posters – famous history graduates http://tinyurl.com/q23ecb
*math2go Algebra teacher engages students:
*AngelaMaiers True leaders say: Because it’s possible rather than because I said so..when asked- Why do we have to…. #leadershipchat
*newfirewithin The Unintended Consequences of Incentive Programs in Schools – The Tempered Radical http://ow.ly/3oILL <–YEP!
*mbteach Five Reasons to Stop Saying “Good Job!” http://post.ly/1KxX1
*web20classroom The TED Commandments-Rules Every Speaker Should Know:
*newsfromtengrrl How to design thought-provoking interactions | 24 Tips http://hoki.es/gHsnun
*LadyParadis In a snowy park / swings sway / in the wind / abandoned / until spring #gogyohka
*LateralWisdom RT @ErikRees: // The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® – http://j.mp/dEHslf
*russeltarr Using Target Diagrams to scaffold historical understanding #historyteacher: http://tinyurl.com/337e88g
*ccassinelli w00t w00t! Several staff members contacted me today after I shared this list of technology integration ideas #babysteps

NSMA 2010 Session 5:

Getting the Most out of Your Networked World
Todd Williamson

thetechnorateteacher.wordpress.com

Tapscott Video

Information Thieves
Miracles.flv
Swedish group has combined several different artists into a new video.
Norwegian Recycling

Caveats of Networked Learning
Native/Immigrant Paradigm
‘Junk” Detection
What the web is good for
Networked Learning

Wes Fryer’s response to Digital Natives:
Digital Refugees – Ignorant or in Denial
Digital voyeurs – Knowing
Digital Immigrants – Participating
Digital Natives – Living
All of the above are digital (tool) specific

Growing up with a computer on your hip….doesn’t make you hip to the use of computers.

There is a difference between what they do and what we want them to do.

Junk Detection:
“If it’s on the Internet, it must be true”.
California Velcro Crop by Ken Umbach (1993)
dHMO.org
Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Additional Bogus Websites:  http://publish.uwo.ca/~floyd/general/boguswebsites.htm

Information=Danger?

We need to ask better questions. Questions that can’t be “googled”.

The illiterate of the future won’t be those that can’t read or write, it will be those that can’t learn, unlearn and relearn. Allan Tofler.

Filter failure vs Information overload. Clay Shirkey.

3 Things that we can do with Technology:
Create
makebeliefscomix.com
avairy.com

Communicate
Skype
Skype an author Network
Contact Experts in the Field you study
Other Classrooms: SkypeInSchools Wiki
Edmodo- private Facebook-style network for education.

Collaborate
•MSP2 – Middle School Portal 2 – Math & Science Pathways
Learn from a network a PLN

What I know/ infinity

Networking Tools….New and Old
Conferences
Workshops
Teacher’s Lounge
Journals
Listserves
Twitter
Blogs
Social Bookmarks
Podcasts
Facebook

“You don’t learn to swim by sitting beside the pool. You can’t learn about networks without diving in either.”

Smartr portal
Developed for students – science and math oriented.

Reading Lists:
Rethinking Education in the age of technology. Allan Collins & Richard Halverson.

Shawn’s SoundNote Notes from this session:
SoundNote Recording created November 5, 2010 7:28 AM:

Todd Williamson
Twitter:  @twilliamson15
http://www.multi url.com/1/3Kz
Backchannel:  www.todaysmeet.com/twilliamson (12/18/2010:  This is now expired.)

How does technology fit in to what I do?
Check out his blog for information on the presentation.
Video on “this generation”.
-Don Tapscott
Norweigan band that rips off a number of other bands.

Caveats of Networked Learning
Native/Immigrant Paradigm
“Junk” Detection
What the web is Good For
Networked Learning

Native/Immigrant Paradigm
Marc Prensky reference.
Dangerous dichotomy of Native vs. Immigrant
Wes Bryer:  Digital Landscape
1.  Digital Refugees
2.  Digital Voyeurs
3.  Digital Immigrants: Participating
4.  Digital Natives:  Living in the zone.
Growing up with a computer on your hip, doesn’t make you hip to the use of computers.
We need to teach them how to use the tool.
Crap Detection
California Velcro Crop
Dihydrogen Monoxide dhmo.org
Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
We need to help our students and teachers develop a filter to determine good and bad information on the web.
Information = danger?
The Power of the web for today’s students
It’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.  – Clay Shirky
3 Things that the Web is good for.
Create
Screentoaster
Glogster
Animoto
MakeBeliefsComix.com
edublogs
Aviary
Communication tools
Skype
Skype an Author Network
Contact Experts in the Field you Study
Other classrooms:  SkypeInSchools Wiki
Edmodo – private Facebook – style network for education.
Tools
MSP2
PBWorks
Google docs
Wallwisher
ePals
It’s not about knowing all the tools.  The important thing is that you have a toolbox full of opportunities ready to meet a specific task.
Learn from a Network
He knows nothing, proven mathematically.
The network is smarter than the node.
What I know – Infinity divided by what I know becomes zero.
Learning Network names
PLN – Personal Learning Network
PLN –
NIHCTTAR – Network I Have Come To Trust And Respect
Networking Tools … New and Old
Conferences
Workshops
Twitter
Blogs
Social Bookmarks
Podcasting
FaceBook
You don’t learn how to swim sitting beside the pool.  You can’t learn about networks without diving in either.
Smartr* portal  smartr.edc.org
Designed for students to get in and build some of their learning.
Dead Tree resources
Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, by Will Richardson
Rethinking Education In the Age of Technology, Allan Collins and Richard Halverson.

Contact Info:  twilliamson15@gmail.com
Twitter:  @twilliamson15
http://thetechnorateteacher.wordpress.com

CEU:  PK8

News:

Put PISA in Perspective

By Walt Gardner on December 8, 2010 7:05 AM
PISA measures learning that has taken place since birth, but not necessarily what students have learned during their previous year in school.
About 5,100 students only from Shanghai were chosen. But Shanghai is hardly representative of China because it is an industrialized center with scores of modern universities.
According to a study in the International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership in April 2008, the relationship between student achievement rankings on international assessments of reading, mathematics and science and a nation’s future economic growth is untenable and not causal.
None of the above seems to sink in. In fact, any explanations are immediately labeled as excuses. This attitude effectively cuts off a rational discussion because it puts the other side on the defensive.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/walt_gardners_reality_check/2010/12/the_astonishing_illiteracy_about_pisa.html

NMSA on the Tube
http://www.nmsa.org/Advocacy/OtherResources/tabid/327/Default.aspx
NMSA members were featured guests covering a variety of critical achool and home issues for 10- to 15-year-olds on The Parent-Teacher Corner, on the Lifetime Television morning show, The Balancing Act.

Dr. Betty Greene-Bryant named NMSA Senior Director of Professional Services

“Betty comes to NMSA from the Maryland State Department of Education where she coordinated the Maryland State Improvement Grant (MSIG), a U.S. Department of Education OSEP Professional Development Grant. Previously she has served in the roles of director and assistant director for other U.S. Department of Education grants. Betty served as the first principal in residence at the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and director for professional standards at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and has served as a middle and high school principal for more than 10 years. Her other work in the field has been that of a college instructor in the area of school administration and teacher training at American University and Coppin State University.” – From the NMSA website.

Taking Teacher Evaluation to Extremes

By Kenneth Mitchell
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/12/17/15mitchell.h30.html?tkn=TLOFwiP0tsOnR6JT3k/eb9Op9p6gM3PcMctB&cmp=clp-edweek

Webspotlight:

New words of the Decade:
Video is 2 minutes and 10 seconds.
http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com/english/2010/12/time-video-new-words-born-this-decade.html

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.
  • The Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 17 – 18, 2011.
  • 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