MSM 594: Brim’Tud Will Be Easier Than Puggle!

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about preparing for the new year, living at the school, and more. Dave brings in biomimicry with all its advantages.

Jokes:  


My wife likes to tell me my shoes are untied while we’re doing our morning jog.

  • It’s kind of a running joke.

John bought a sundial for the yard.

  • He also installed floodlights so he could use it at night as well.

Hmm. 2070 is closer to us now than 1970.


Two blood cells fell in love.

But it turned out to all be in vein.


Jokes about time travel are a thing of the future.


I am currently boycotting any company that sells things I can’t afford.


Saw it will be humid another 4 days.

  • Read it on a sticky note.

The undertaker’s favorite element is barium.


The coroner is a last responder.


Today I’m shooting for whelmed.


Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  Biomimicry

I was recently reading the July/August 2023 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.  

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” column, written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn.  She wrote an article entitled, “Inspired by Nature: Biomimicry.”

Biomimicry is a powerful approach to designing and engineering sustainable solutions by taking inspiration from nature.

http://k12science.net/biomimicry/

Reports from the Front Lines

  • Moving
  • Prepping for new teachers

The Social Web

Erik M. Francis@Maverikedu12

NEW FOR 2023-2024! Depth of Knowledge IS NOT a taxonomy! It could serve as a multitiered systems of support #MTSS for delivering instruction, responding to intervention & extending #learning. Each #DOK level functions as an #RTI@solutiontree  http://solutiontree.com/truedok #rtiaw

Dad Jokes! @dadgivesjokes

Did you hear that NASA is about to launch a new mission to say sorry to aliens for Earth polluting space? It’s called Apollo G

Matt Miller   @jmattmiller

UNBOXING VIDEOSto show what they know Add some FUN to your video activities! Example unboxing videos to watch Downloadable student planning guide 20 video activity ideas Microsoft Flip tips http://ditchthattextbook.com/unboxing  #ditchbook

Cian McCarthy  @arealmofwonder

Words for the Weekend 

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘gadwaddick’ (19th century): to go on a merry jaunt.

Todd Finley  @finleyt

8 Classroom Ice Breakers  | Brain Blast #teachers #classroom #backtoschool #principalchat #ukedchat #students #firstdayofschool

Jim Thompson  @Schoolguy

In lieu of an “icebreaker” to launch the new school year..think about having each grade or team in your building have time to share, put their accomplishments together, share them with colleagues, students, parents and the community. Would celebrate teacher voice !  

Dr. Catlin Tucker  @Catlin_Tucker

 Looking for fun ways to help students get to know each other? Check out this fun slide deck activity! https://catlintucker.com/2019/08/fun-with-frayer

Kristen Engle  @MsEngleTeach

Replying to @JulieSHasson

At least from my experience, this has been a fun icebreaker activity to do with students and teachers, faculty, and staff!  https://t.co/eYTRHJcVTQ  

Mrs. Lammey_Art @JenLammey

My A1 class is awesome. There are a lot of seniors in there and they were game for the silly icebreakers. I already had a new student excited to show me her personal art. Here are some adorable pigs from the pig personality test!  https://www.csap.org/fall_meeting_files/Fall2012/Personality-Test.pdf 

Strategies:  

Teaching the Long-Term Value of Annotation

Annotation can be a difficult and stressful process for high school students and educators alike. It’s an essential skill across subject areas, something we expect students to just do, but rarely do we actually teach them how. Students don’t understand how to annotate and, more often than not, why it would be a useful tool in the first place. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-annotation-high-school/

Resources:  

EduAide

We offer teachers a set of Ai tools to express their creativity, cultivate their expertise, and align educational planning with what works for their students. We provide infrastructure for a new way of sourcing educational resources.

https://www.eduaide.ai/

Add annotations to your presentations in Google Slides

We’re introducing a feature that lets you highlight or emphasize key content while you present in Google Slides. With the new pen tool, you can circle, underline, draw connections or make quick notes directly on your presentation. 

Whether in a board meeting or a brainstorming session, annotations can help make your presentations more engaging, interactive and impactful. 

https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/08/add-annotations-to-your-presentations.html

Tome

From your mind to theirs, in fewer steps.

Tome is a new medium for shaping & sharing ideas.

*There is a Free level for Tome for individuals. 

https://tome.app/

MIT Press’s Direct to Open (D2O) achieves second year goal, opens access to eighty-two new books in 2023

https://mitpress.mit.edu/mit-presss-direct-to-open-d2o-achieves-second-year-goal-opens-access-to-eighty-two-new-books-in-2023/

Lego Instructions

Created on May 29, 2023, the Internet Archive’s LEGO Building Instructions collection contains “a dump of all available building instruction booklet PDFs from the LEGO website” as of March 2023, according to the description on the site.

https://archive.org/details/lego-set-instructions?tab=collection

The Action Mindset Workbook for Teens

When you think about the future, are you consumed by fear and self-doubt? Do you feel stuck in your life? Does your inability to move forward cause increased anxiety, sadness, or insecurity? It’s easy to avoid or withdraw from the situations that make you anxious or worried—it can feel safer at the time—but the fact is, until you find a way to confront discomfort head on and take action anyway, you’ll remain stuck in a cycle of disappointment and frustration. So, how can you break free, get unstuck, and fully embrace life?  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648480462?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

AMLE Early Career Educators Membership

“At AMLE, we know it is essential to our mission to support early career educators. We also know what a challenge those initial years in the classroom can be. That’s why we’re launching a membership specifically for early career educators designed to help them to thrive.

Launching in August, 2023 the new membership category is open to any first year teacher, or in their first year of teaching students aged 10-15. It is offered without charge and provides:

  • All of the benefits of professional membership, including the Successful Middle School Online Course Series
  • A print subscription to Middle School Journal
  • Access to the forthcoming AMLE Early Career Teacher Support Network, including monthly cohort check-ins moderated by a veteran teacher
  • The opportunity to be paired with a trained AMLE mentor
  • Additional discounts in the AMLE Store and on registration for events and conference

https://www.amle.org/early-career-educators/

AXIS The Culture Translator

Chef’s Kiss

What it is: Physical gestures that originated on TikTok have become an integral part of how Gen Z communicates in real life.

A Shorts Story

What it is: YouTube’s TikTok competitor, Shorts, is gaining traction—and, The Wall Street Journal argues, limiting attention spans.  Anecdotally, some parents have noted that short-form content is harder for their teens to disengage from, and researchers worry that users with developing brains will be impacted long-term by shorter attention spans. As of this writing, parents can’t disable Shorts content within the YouTube app or set a time limit just for Shorts, though some third-party plug-ins do have the ability to block them.  

Web Spotlight: 

Wonders of Street View

Random wonderfulness of the world. 

https://neal.fun/wonders-of-street-view/

That Nick Powers Guy

https://www.thatnickpowersguy.com/

What Major Web Sites Looked LIke

https://mashable.com/article/90s-web-design

Vape Pens that Look Like Highligters

https://highlightvape.com/

Random Thoughts . . .  

Cursive is Optional?

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(o1mtosjkkjtnj2kskxluqdok))/mileg.aspx?page=smartlink&objectname=2023-HB-4064

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