MSM 572: That’s Great . . . Until You Get the Humans Involved!
Summary:
Shawn and Troy talk about Parent Conferences, Moodle Flow, AI and more. Dave is trading in some books.
Jokes:
Why did the dachshund sit in the shade?
- It was a hot dog.
I ran into a lamppost yesterday.
- Luckily, I only sustained light injuries.
Why were the middle ages also called the dark ages?
- There were too many knights.
Why were police called to a daycare center?
- A 3-year-old was resisting a rest.
Why are long fairy tales boring?
- They tend to dragon.
Nobody has seen the zamboni driver lately.
- I’m sure he’ll resurface eventually.
Why did I buy a boat?
- It was for sail.
Cowboys used to hang lanterns off each side off their saddles, to help find their way whilst riding at night..
- This is believed to be the earliest form of saddle light navigation.. 🤔
I was debating with my friend about who the greatest vampire was.
I said, “The one from Sesame Street”
He said, “He doesn’t count!”
To which I replied, “Oh yes, he certainly does”
Middle School Science Minute
by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
K12Science Podcast: 2023 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students
I was recently reading the January/February 2023 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.
In this issue, I read an article on the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students in 2023.
Here are the 7 books selected as outstanding for middle school students:
- Antarctica: A Melting Continent
- Oceanarium: Welcome to the Museum
- Salmon: Swimming for Survival
- The Code Breaker — Young Readers Edition: Jennifer Doudna and the Race to Understand Our Genetic Code
- Animal Allies: 15 Amazing Women in Wildlife Research
- How to Build a Human: In Seven Evolutionary Steps
- The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner
http://k12science.net/2023-outstanding-science-trade-books-for-middle-school-students/
Reports from the Front Lines
- Parent Conferences
- In person
- Remote
- In the Round, Scheduled
- Moodle Flow
- Webinar
The Social Web
Automated
Holy cow has @OpenAI gimped the ChatGPT tech. It’s almost useless for any sort of creative writing now. I mean, come on.
Peter Forister @forecaster25
INSANE conditions on Mt Washington, NH. 120mph+ winds and -95°F wind chill. It is above the tropopause, meaning that these are stratospheric winds. Footage from the summit live stream 2:30-2:40pm. #nhwx https://twitter.com/i/status/1621598650022363142
Hey #vbits ! Did you know that @MergeVR now works with the forward facing camera on Chromebooks?!? Thanks for the info, @lesliefisher!
Word of the Day (again) is ‘quiddling’ (18th century): busying oneself with trivial tasks as a way of avoiding the important ones.
A shark can swim faster than me, but I can run faster than a shark. So in a triathlon, it would all come down to who is the better cyclist
Sardonicus @Sardonicus@mastodon.social
A cement truck crashed near Winganon, Oklahoma in the 1950s and the mixer was too heavy to move. It’s still there; locals have painted it to look like an abandoned NASAcapsule. https://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/10/the-
#EduGlow telling 12 year old that Instagram runs on Python, the same language they are using. Also telling them Instagram stands for “Instant Telegram”, the name the company was founded under in Victorian times.
Dr. Sean Munger @seanmunger@metalhead.club
Here are all the paper airplanes I confiscated during the course of *one* 8th grade class yesterday. Why did my Ph.D. program not prepare me for this?
Strategies:
Creating a Collection of 101 Creative Ideas to Use AI in Education
The Art of Self-Pacing: How to Build Playlists that Keep Students on Track
The playlist, or individual rotation model, is a highly effective blended learning model that empowers students to take ownership of their learning by giving them control over the pace and path of their learning. This model presents a sequence of carefully curated learning activities tailored to each student’s unique needs and abilities, allowing them to progress toward specific learning objectives at their own pace.
https://catlintucker.com/2023/01/self-pacing-playlists/#annotations:O4dLUJ9yEe2WJgeQ7nWPjw
this is why we should stop giving homework
The United States must examine the underlying inequities of peoples’ lives, rather than focus on increasing schools’ workloads and lessening children’s free time for mythical academic gains that lead to little change.
At Human Restoration Project, one of the core systemic changes we suggest is the elimination of homework. Throughout this piece, I will outline several research studies and reports that demonstrate how the negative impact of homework is so evident that any mandated homework, outside of some minor catching up or for incredibly niche cases, simply does more harm than good.
I’ll summarize four main reasons why homework just flat out doesn’t make sense.
- Achievement, whether that be measured through standardized tests or general academic knowledge, isn’t correlated to assigning or completing homework.
- Homework is an inequitable practice that harms certain individuals more than others, to the detriment of those with less resources and to minor, if any, improvement for those with resources.
- It contributes to negative impacts at home with one’s family, peer relationships, and just general school-life balance, which causes far more problems than homework is meant to solve.
- And finally, it highlights and exacerbates our obsession with ultra-competitive college admissions and job opportunities, and other detrimental faults of making everything about getting ahead.
Resources:
ONE STRATEGY FOR COMBATTING PSEUDOSCIENCE
written by Miguel Guhlin
Are you a critical thinker? I am not…yet. The gap between knowing what’s possible and where I’m at spurs me to learn more.
And, wow, what an amazing set of resources I have found!
MacWhisper
Quickly and easily transcribe audio files into text with OpenAI’s state-of-the-art transcription technology Whisper. Whether you’re recording a meeting, lecture, or other important audio, MacWhisper quickly and accurately transcribes your audio files into text.
https://goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l/macwhisper#annotations:CdFMyKKcEe26GVfusJc_lw
GifCap
Create animated GIFs from a screen recording.
Client-side only, no data is uploaded. Modern browser required.
https://gifcap.dev/#annotations:O7r7WqGWEe2EgTP7XuKyEQ
PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders
Graphic Organizers
https://www.canva.com/design/DAFMyLVL8e0/VFXNoPFq27ppbHjVlnRYtg/view
Info Wall – H5P
A free H5P content type that allows users to present simple structured lists of information that can be filtered in publishing systems like Canvas, Brightspace, Blackboard, Moodle and WordPress.
Web Spotlight:
AXIS: The Culture Translator
Duped
What it is: Products that are “dupes”—less costly alternatives to brand name options—are taking over TikTok and Instagram.
We’ve Lost the Plot
What it is: An article in the Atlantic questions if the line between entertainment and real life has become blurred beyond recognition, suggesting that we already live in a sort of socially-conditioned metaverse.
The Hangout House
What it is: A parent went viral on TikTok for sharing his tips for making his house the house where his teenagers and their friends want to spend time together.
Pranks Destroy Scam Callers- GlitterBomb Payback
Chatham-Kent County Renames Snowplows
Random Thoughts . . .
Jack Berckemeyer – Nuts & Bolts Conference
“I sent an update to all the Nuts and Bolts Consultants that I am working on a five year plan to work my butt off then slow my roll. By then I will be 60 (damn Jack you looo great) Traveling is wearing me out, I am beat up and tired. I need to work on some personal self care and start to wind down my 30 year career in education.
So what does this mean, nothing changes in the next 5 years I will still be working with schools, still keynoting and doing whatever I can to help struggling schools and educators. However, by 2025 I will be selling Nuts and Bolts – The Never Boring Conference – if you’re interested let’s chat. NB changed my life and brought me so much joy. All stays the same for this summer, great locations and outstanding speakers. I am just looking for some to either take it on or partner with me.”
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