Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about summer plans, COVID impacts, and more. Dave takes on AI in Science. 

Jokes:  

Sore throats are a pain in the neck!

---

How many seconds are in a year?

• 12.

January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd, April 2nd…. etc

---

C-flat: Perfect boating weather.

---

I’ve made the decision to take a role at this startup that makes knives.

• What they’re working on is cutting edge!

---

The best friends to take to dinner are your taste buds.

---

How do locomotives know where they’re going? 

• Lots of training

Mrs Doc was worried about meeting new people on our upcoming cruise. @speecherkelly said: Don’t worry. We’ll all be in the same boat.

---

“Be nice to everyone. You never know who might have a pool.”

-Gandhi

---

Every morning when I go out, I get hit by bicycle. Every morning!  

• It’s a vicious cycle.

---

How does a thermos know if the drink should be hot or cold?

---

When she heard me sing, my music teacher told me I should be tenor. 

• Tenor twelve feet away from every musical instrument.

---

Remember, the best angle to approach a problem from is the “try” angle.

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  AI:  Friend or Foe?

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley Mackenzie. She wrote an article entitled, “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?”

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, in a big way.  Do you see it as a friend or foe in your science classroom?  The possibilities for AI are endless.  Do you feel comfortable with AI developing further?  Are you skeptical of AI?  Do you see the many possibilities of AI for your science teaching?  Should we fear AI?  These are all questions being considered by users and developers.

http://k12science.net/ai-friend-or-foe/

Reports from the Front Lines

• PowerSchool University
• Year 17
• COVID or Just figuring out
• Thinking in Public:  Bad Therapy, Cultural Seduction, and Children in Crisis – https://youtu.be/xlKppernd-M  or  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-in-public-with-albert-mohler/id390278978  

The Social Web

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘ultra-crepidate’ (19th century): to comment at length on a subject you know virtually nothing about.

Mr H5P  @mrh5p

Learn how to create interactive content for your students with #H5P. Join webinars by the H5P team on new AI tools, live engagement tools branching scenarios and about the product roadmap.  https://h5p.org/h5p-webinars-2024  

Ron King @mthman

Algebra Ss are working on parallel & perpendicular lines by designing a city on paper, then converting their maps to @Desmos. Maps include shading & using the polygon command. Bonus is offered for Ss willing to add motion. #mschat #mathchat #mtbos #edchat

𝗧𝗖𝗘𝗔  Next Up: AI for EDU Conference @TCEA

 7 Effective Ways to Teach Vocabulary in the Middle School Classroom https://sbee.link/ckarvw4efj via Teach Like Midgley #mschat #ela #engchat #writing

Resources:  

TeacherServer

TeacherServer is a cutting-edge educational platform designed to support teachers in their daily tasks. Our mission is to provide high-quality, easy-to-use tools that enhance teaching and learning experiences.

TeacherServer.com operates using a local AI server rather than relying on remote services. This means our platform processes your requests much faster than other AI servers like ChatGPT and Gemini. For example, whether you’re generating lesson plans or creating quizzes, the response time is significantly reduced, ensuring you can complete your tasks without unnecessary delays.

Your privacy is our top priority. Unlike other services that might store your data, TeacherServer.com ensures that your data and sessions are not saved. Everything is processed locally, meaning your information remains private and secure. You can confidently use our tools without worrying about your data being stored or shared. For instance, when you use our Assignment Feedback tool, your assignment details are not retained, ensuring complete confidentiality.

At TeacherServer.com, we believe in providing high-quality tools without any cost. Our platform is entirely free to use, with no subscription fees, no ads, and no distractions. This allows you to focus on what matters most – enhancing your teaching and educational outcomes. You can access all our tools, from the K-12 Curriculum Quiz Maker to the Vocabulary Builder, without any financial commitment.

https://www.teacherserver.com

WordMark

Helps you choose fonts for your creative projects

https://wordmark.it

Colossal Cranium

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPwiAPYRT1JCna3GYf-vkCg

Moodle Glossary Block:  ForBetterLife.org

Looking for something to hang out on the side of your Moodle classroom page that rotates information each time a student loads it?  How about with messages about character?  ForBetterLife.org has a daily email with such messages.  Imagine taking 440 of those and putting them in a Random Glossary Block.  Well someone did!  Character Glossary – Random Glossary Entry Block  

AXIS The Culture Translator

Slang of the Week: “Dusty”

“Dusty” can mean multiple things, but luckily, they all share the word’s original meaning: to be covered in dust. For many young people, the term has evolved to refer to someone who is maybe a little older or slightly out-of-touch. They’re “dusty” like a cup in the back of a cupboard that’s been forgotten. It also refers to someone who is past their prime or out of practice.

There’s No Place like Noplace

What it is: A new social media platform called “noplace” is currently the most popular app on the Apple app store. 

Why it’s attractive to Gen Z and Gen Alpha: The trend of nostalgia for the 2000s continues to grow, and MySpace and other early forms of social media might be the next vein to tap. Enter “noplace,” which seems to be trying to refocus on social connections instead of today’s social media, which leans heavily on being entertaining. Noplace gives users a customizable profile, a wall for friends to post on, and a feature where users highlight their “top ten friends.”  

Web Spotlight: 

CHAPEA

Mission Overview

Mission 1 will be the first of three one-year simulated Mars missions. The overarching goal of the mission is to assess human health and performance in relation to Mars relevant resource limitations in isolation and confinement. To collect sufficient data, the crew members will live and work in a simulated Mars habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, complete with communication delays and environmental stressors. The crew will also participate in various activities, including crop growth, simulated spacewalks, habitat maintenance, and science experiments.

Mission 1 began June 25, 2023 and will end on July 6, 2024.

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/chapea/chapea-mission-1

Random Thoughts . . .  

We can agree that speeding in a school zone is dangerous. Now, cities are installing cameras that read license plates and automatically send a ticket. Most cars now have GPS built in. Should we just use GPS to issue tickets? 

Which of the following was a world boxing champion?

1. Lyndon Johnson
2. Ronald Reagan
3. Jimmy Carter
4. Franklin Delano
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. Pat Paulsen
7. None of the above

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about summer work, History Resources, and more. Dave shares the powerful advantages of Zoos and Aquariums. 

Jokes:  

Now that all the Horses are housed can I say they are 

• Stabilized?

A towel gets wetter as it dries.

---

A constipated pathological liar told me he wasn’t feeling well. I could tell he was full of crap!

---

What creature is smarter than a talking parrot? 

• A spelling bee.

Someone asked me, what’s the ninth letter of the alphabet? 

• It was a complete guess, but I was right.

Can anyone tell me if you need a current license to drive an electric car?

---

Came home to find two guys stealing my gate. 

• Didn’t want to say anything in case they took a fence.

I’ve been trying to come up with a dad joke about momentum . . . 

• but I just can’t seem to get it going.

I used to be addicted to deli meats but I quit cold turkey

---

My local newspaper is running a competition where you can win a holiday for you and a friend in Dubai.- I was going to enter but I don’t have any friends in Dubai!

---

I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.

— Mark Twain, “The Innocents Abroad”

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I’d like to do some drawings of bread, but I can’t find a roll model.

---

People often ask me why I wanted to be a Film Editor. 

• Well – to cut a long story short…

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I used to work for an origami company but they folded.

---

For Sale: Thick layer of dust.

• As seen on TV.

Eileen Award

• Laundon Tucker

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  Field Trips to Zoos and Aquariums

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Connected Science Learning” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read an article written by Benjamin Krause Recchia and T.J. McKenna. The article was entitled, “Field Trips to Zoos and Aquariums: Solving Pedagogical Challenges Using the Next Generation Science Standards.”

Though zoos and aquariums have become increasingly focused on conservation education, their unique and diverse learning opportunities have been underused.  Active learning pedagogy aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards can facilitate expansion of education at zoos and aquariums beyond their conservation education niche.

http://k12science.net/field-trips-to-zoos-and-aquariums/

Reports from the Front Lines

• History Day for my nephew
• Moodle Stuff
• Letters for Parents
• Summer is getting busier
  • AI Training
  • Annual Training
  • Phishing Training
  • Hiring
• Summer Fun
  • Pedal Boat

The Social Web

Modern Men’s Guide  @ModernMenGuide

Six Male Personalities of Modern Men Explained: (What Each Type Brings to the Table) Open Thread –

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘bang-a-bonk’ (19th century): to sit lazily on a river bank and forget the world for a while.  

Mr H5P  @mrh5p

How to create a ‘Sort the Paragraphs’ activity in #H5P To see the finished example and more tutorials, check out http://mrh5p.com and subscribe to the H5P Builders newsletter. https://mrh5p.com/h5p-examples/how-to-make-a-sort-the-paragraphs-activity-with-h5p/

#instructionaldesign

elisabetta lando  @LandoEli

Flipped learning for maths using H5P – interesting to see how long it takes to prepare. The pay off is a substantial increase in grades and good student evaluation as well as everything ready to go for next year #LearningatCity24

Church of Jeff@jeffowski@mastodon.world

tom_geraghty@tom_geraghty@mastodon.online

The Pac-Man rule is: “When standing as a group of people, always leave room for one person to join your group.”

The Pac-Man rule provides the actual physical space for someone to join a conversation, and it also sends a strong visual signal that *you are welcome here.*

https://

psychsafety.co.uk/the-pac-man-

rule/

Kevin Beaumont@GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social

Since it’s come up again – if you use new Outlook and Mail in Windows 11, it automatically syncs all your email and contacts into Microsoft’s cloud – even if you use a third party mail provider.

There’s no option to decline.

Pretty obviously, consider the risk.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/sync-your-account-in-outlook-to-the-microsoft-cloud-985f9e19-d308-4e85-9d1d-0c6f32f8e981

Strategies:  

“I Can’t Hear You with All of Your Talking”

I was demoing a student writing conference for a group of teachers. They specifically asked me to work with a student named Estrella. Her teacher found conferring with Estrella extra challenging – no matter what the teacher tried, Estrella remained quiet and seemed disconnected. So I gave it a try, even though I doubted I could make any further inroads with her.

I modeled a strategy for Estrella, I decided to pause and say nothing for what felt like an eternity – about 30 seconds. We could see that Estrella was thinking. Then she began to take what I taught and use it. A light bulb lit up in our heads. We realized that simply saying nothing and giving each individual student  the time they need to process and act could be incredibly powerful.

I’ve learned that silence is not just the absence of noise – it’s a powerful pedagogical strategy that fosters an environment of mutual respect, active engagement, and collective discovery.

“Silence is the space that allows us to listen. Silence helps to create belonging.”

https://www.middleweb.com/50917/i-cant-hear-you-with-all-of-your-talking

Ditch the Drill and Choose to Thrill: Personalization with Student Choice

Agency in the classroom is about giving students more control over their learning through greater autonomy and purpose. Many factors drive it, but the underlying premise is to move learners from a state of engagement to empowerment so that they exert more ownership over their learning. While there are many high-agency strategies to choose from when personalizing, choice stands out.

1. Choice in content: Students can choose to learn the content with the teacher in small groups or independently through a flipped lesson or self-pacing task (reading, video, notes, slides, etc.). No matter the path chosen, checks for understanding along the way inform the student of their understanding. 
2. Choice in the process: Students can choose scaffolded and relevant tasks to complete in a must-do/may-do format, choice board, or playlist. While they work, the teacher uses data or evidence to pull individuals for intensive support.
3. Choice in product: With a well-designed rubric, students choose how to demonstrate learning through creating a product.  For examples, click HERE and HERE. 

https://esheninger.blogspot.com/2024/06/ditch-drill-and-choose-to-thrill.html

Resources:  

Comic Book +

Welcome to the main page of our massive public domain comic book archive. True gems to download or read online. So many, it is impossible to read them all!

The majority of our books belong to what has been termed the Golden Age of Comics. This began primarily with newspaper reprints and then “went up, up and away” with the introduction of Superman. Styles changed, new genres superseded old and then a new era dawned, the Silver Age of Comics, of which we also have many examples.

For what was once a massive industry, the publishers and their successors often took little care of their work. Many of the comics were either not copyrighted correctly, or the copyright was not renewed. Through this oversight thousands of comic books lapsed into what is called the “Public Domain”, which means that there is now no legal owner. That is why we can bring you all of these FREE and LEGALLY!

So take our word for it, if you browse around you are certain to spend a great many happy hours here!

https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=1507

Journeys In Film

We transform entertainment media into educational media by designing and publishing cost-free, educational resources for teachers to accompany carefully chosen feature films and documentaries while meeting mandated standards in all core subjects. Selected films are used as springboards for lesson plans in subjects ranging from math, science, language arts, and social studies to specific topics that have become critical for students to learn.

Journeys in Film’s programs engage students in meaningful examinations of human rights, poverty and hunger, stereotyping and racism, environmental issues, global health, immigration, and gender roles.  Our teaching methods are successful in broadening perspectives, teaching for global competency, encouraging empathy, and building new paradigms for best practices in education.  

We also develop discussion guides for films that don’t necessarily lend themselves to academic standards, but cover topics and themes that are valuable for classroom discussions and in other settings, such as after school clubs, community screenings and University classes.

https://journeysinfilm.org

DARESAYCheck-in generator

https://checkin.daresay.io

Open RSS

https://openrss.org

Amnesia

Amnesia is an interactive learning experience. You can choose to learn about a specific topic, which will take you to a relevant time and place, or you can directly enter a time and place to explore. Select an option to start your journey.

https://www.playamnesia.com

AXIS:  The Culture Translator

Tall Order

What it is: Socks that come up to your shin are the true marker of a stylish individual, according to Gen Alpha and Gen Z.

Why it marks a generational divide: Many readers might remember that in the early 2000s, socks seemed to get shorter and shorter, until “no-show” socks became the norm. Today, many agree that the most stylish socks hit much higher on the leg. Visible white crew socks extending over a pair of black leggings, sometimes even paired with a gigantic pair of open-toed slides, are worn by teens without an ounce of shame—a look that Millennials would have probably called “cringe.” Crew socks have become a sign that the wearer is aware of current trends. But while Gen Z might say they’ve grown used to never seeing their ankles, many Millennials seem to be attached to the socks of their youth.

LRT – Song Festival

Centenary studio of song fest.  “Dainų diena Kaune „Miškais kalnai žaliuoja“. Ved. Gerūta Griniūtė. Tiesioginė transliacija iš Kauno Dainų slėnio (subtitruota, su vertimu į gestų k.).”  Day of songs in Kaunas “Mountains are green with forests”. Lead Geruta Griniūtė. Live broadcast from the Kaunas Valley of Songs (subtitled, with translation into sign language).  https://www.lrt.lt/mediateka/tiesiogiai/lrt-televizija  

Web Spotlight: 

How France Adopts An Open Source-Based Education Strategy – Free of Big Tech

France’s move towards a comprehensive open source-based education strategy, 2023-2027. The aim is to achieve digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on big tech companies like Microsoft and Google, which are widely used in education systems, including in Denmark.

Kauffmann said that France has never officially embraced big tech in schools, which makes the project easier, and that the public generally is skeptic towards monopolies and the abuse of private data. The country is thus undergoing a cultural shift in the digital education sector, promoting the use of free, open, and interoperable code, data, and content, referred to as “digital commons”. This approach encompasses not only free licenses but also community involvement and governance.

“One of the key actions is to offer authoring tools to our teacher and tools based on open source software. No Google Classrooms. Not Microsoft Teams. We have chosen Moodle Elea as a learning management system,” explained Alexis Kauffmann who also pointed to other tools to learn to code and mathematics like Jupyter. They have there an app platform with open-source tools like Nextcloud, Big Blue Button, and Collaboration. They even have their own ‘github’ (owned by Microsoft) called La Forge, where teachers share code.

“I am not saying it is easy. The biggest obstacle is political courage to resist the lobbyists both at a national and European level,” he said and pointed to other risks like the quality of big tech’s products, being isolated in Europa, and artificial intelligence. 

https://dataethics.eu/how-france-adopts-an-open-source-based-education-strategy-free-of-big-tech

Random Thoughts . . .  

[BFTP] The one question I’m asking at ISTE 2013

https://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2024/06/bftp-the-one-question-im-asking-at-iste-2013.html

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy share summer plans, hint, Moodle is involved, resources and more. Dave goes National on the park. 

Jokes:  

I have decided to give up tap dancing, it’s too dangerous.

I fell off and twisted my ankle in the sink.

---

Did you know you should never brush your teeth with your left hand?

Because a toothbrush is much more effective

---

I have a friend who always uses stilts. 

• I look up to him

I just burned 2000 calories in 20 minutes.

---

Did you hear what the sun did to the couple that was out riding on a bicycle built for two?

Tanned em.

---

Sad to ponder but every belief has a lie in it.

---

I got into a fight with 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9.

• The odds were against me.

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  National Parks

I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Right to the Source” section written by Danna Bell.  This section included an article entitled, “See America and Its National Parks.”

Today over 300 million people annually visit the 429 individual designated properties that are managed by the National Park Service, covering 85 million acres in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories.

http://k12science.net/national-parks/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Gettin’ Busy w/Moodle

English-Latin Medical Terminology Glossary:  https://moodle.net/resource/32qmKBha/english-latin-vocabulary-glossary-of-medical-terminology  

Michigan History Day:  https://moodle.net/resource/Ve30t2dV/michigan-history-day-2025  

Michigan Social Studies Olympiad:  Coming Soon  

• 8th Grade Celebration
• Apple Conference

The Social Web

Rothmus   @Rothmus

Fixing Education  @FixingEducation

Breaking Education News NEW: Massive brawl breaks out at a Los Angeles high school graduation for students on probation. The incident happened at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA when someone jumped off a 2nd-story balcony to target one of the students.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1803405886494310853

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

A pretty etymology to kick off the day: the ‘daisy’ takes its name from the Old English ‘dæges ēage’, ‘day’s eye’, because the flower opens its petals at dawn and slowly closes its ‘eye’ again at dusk.

NCMLE  @NCMiddle

The  @NCMiddle  ‘Middle School Matters’ Conference planning is well underway!  We heard your feedback and are preparing to make 2025 the best yet!   Stay tuned for exciting details coming soon…

John R. Sowash  @jrsowash

Exciting news, Google Docs is adding tabs!  Now you can organize multiple docs into a handy notebook just like in Google Sheets. Get ready for this game-changing update coming soon to everyone!  Details: https://bit.ly/3JnSB9Z

Resources:  

Atomic Hands

https://www.youtube.com/@atomichands

AXIS The Culture Translator

Inside Out 2

What it is: Inside Out 2, the sequel to Disney-Pixar’s movie about anthropomorphized feelings, made more money worldwide on opening weekend than any animated film ever.

Why it’s a breakout success story: It’s been a while since the beloved animation studio had an uncontested hit. Continuing the story of Riley from the first movie, Inside Out 2 explores the conflict that comes with puberty and its new associated emotions: Ennui, Embarrassment, Envy, and Anxiety. 

A Cautionary Tale

What it is: US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is urging Congress to require a warning label on social media platforms.

Why it’s such a big deal: Public concern over teen technology use has reached a fever pitch. During his tenure as Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy has issued warnings about the loneliness crisis and the teen mental health crisis—and emerging research connects social media to both of these big issues. 

     In the 19th century, McMunn’s Elixir was pushed as a remedy to sleeplessness, anxiety, pain, frustration, and generally unpleasant feelings. For some people, it worked as advertised! The downside was that it was actually pure opium, so the side-effects were… well, the standard side-effects of taking opium.  

     It’s easy to look back at the past and laugh at how silly those people were. How could they not know that giving opium concoctions was a bad idea? And while we have the advantage of hindsight, it took time to learn exactly why taking pure opium was a bad idea. With regard to emerging research on the effects of social media, we might be in the middle of a similar process.

How to spot manipulated videos, including deepfakes and shallowfakes

Manipulated videos are becoming more pervasive online and often spread misinformation and disinformation. 

Misinformation is when a person shares deceptive or false information unintentionally, while disinformation is shared with the intent to deceive.

Some altered videos may seem harmless, such as ones that appear to show celebrities performing stunts. Other times, there could be a nefarious intention behind the videos — like when a world leader’s likeness is copied for political or propaganda purposes.

https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/fact-sheets-verify/how-to-spot-manipulated-videos-deepfakes-shallowfakes/536-ee3b260f-fe31-4bab-b13f-e6e168c8b2ca

You’re Dead To Me – BBC Podcasts

The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Greg Jenner brings together the best names in comedy and history to learn and laugh about the past.  Updated: weekly

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07mdbhg

Web Spotlight: 

Charles Plumb

https://medium.com/jacob-morgan/this-is-the-true-story-of-charles-plumb-5eeb7eba334e

Extinct Languages 

An extinct language may be narrowly defined as a language with no native speakers and no descendant languages.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_time_of_extinction

Inside the debate over The Anxious Generation

https://www.platformer.news/anxious-generation-jonathan-haidt-debate-critique

Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms

The Surgeon General’s Fear-Mongering, Unconstitutional Effort to Label Social Media

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/no-online-speech-should-not-have-warning-labels

Pessimists Archive: Surgeon General

https://newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org/p/when-the-surgeon-general-warned-about

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about ending the year, summer plans, and more. Dave discusses the importance of Math in Science. 

Jokes:  

Manatees should all be named Hugh.

---

Why does Harry Potter struggle telling his Cooking Pot and Best Friend apart?

• They’re both Cauldron

---

Why do pirates not know the alphabet? 

• They always get stuck at “C”.

Sometimes I tuck my knees into my chest and lean forward.  

• That’s just how I roll.

Six-Factor Authentication is when, in order to check your account balance, you need to show how you’re connected to Kevin Bacon.

---

What’s the best thing about elevator jokes? They work on so many levels.

---

I just swapped our bed for a trampoline. 

• My wife hit the ceiling.

Never buy flowers from a monk. 

• Only you can prevent florist friars.

I went to an outdoor restaurant in the rain once. 

• It took me two hours to finish my soup. 

---

I made a bicycle by folding up some paper in my desk drawer. It doesn’t move though – it’s a stationery bike.

---

There’s a new type of broom out, it’s sweeping the nation.

---

---

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  The Importance of Math in Science

I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Science 101” section written by Matt Bobrowsky.  He wrote an article entitled, “What Activity Can I Use to Illustrate the Importance of Math in Science?”

Matt summarized 7 ways in which math is not only useful but essential in science:

1.  Being Clear and Precise

2.  Measuring

3.  Modeling and Simulation

4.  Problem-Solving

5.  Discovery of Patterns and Relationships

6.  Verification of Results

7.  Predictive Power 

http://k12science.net/the-importance-of-math-in-science/ 

Reports from the Front Lines

• OER Moodle
  • https://louis.oercommons.org/ 
  • MootiMeter – Mootimeter currently has the following polling tools: * Quiz, * Poll, * Wordcloud
• Cell Phone Management
  • Cell Phone Hotel
  • Can’t be used in class
  • Parent expectations
• 8th Grade “Ceremony”
• Summer Plans

The Social Web

Devon   @devonzuegel

Need to get this flag for my office

The Best@ThebestFigen

https://twitter.com/i/status/1801305532407353827

Susie Dent@susie_dent

This is right up there with ‘palindrome’ not being a palindrome, ‘lisp’ being unsympathetic to those who have one, ‘abbreviation’ being anything but, and ‘dyslexia’ being tricky to spell. Any others?

Shottr  @shottr_cc

Good news! If you have a license, you could now get a token to enable image uploading service via an automated page here: https://shottr.cc/get_token.html

Phyllis Fagell, LCPC  @Pfagell

I don’t have all the answers to the smartphone problem, but my six-year-old niece takes a walkie talkie with her on solo walks to neighbors’ homes, and my brother calls her from HIS walkie talkie when it’s time for her to come home.

Resources:  

Learner Lab

The Science of Learning. Simplified.

The website that helps you and your group get better at getting better.

Learning is the most important skill. Great learners can solve problems, adapt, innovate, and build new skills. The best news: anyone can become a better learner. We dive into the science, connect the dots, and share it in a way that you can understand it and use it.

https://thelearnerlab.com/learner-the-audiobook

Cellphones Turned My Teaching Career From ‘Awesome’ to Exhausting

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/cellphones-turned-my-teaching-career-from-awesome-to-exhausting/2024/06

AXIS The Culture Translator

Fizzing Out

What it is: A new anonymous, private messaging app called Fizz is, perhaps unsurprisingly, wreaking havoc in high schools and colleges.

Why it’s causing trouble: The Stanford students who designed Fizz call it “​​an uplifting digital space for Gen Z.” In reality, it has become a place to spread rumors, cyberbully, and share harmful photos, as one high school in Vermont learned. Apps designed to be anonymous message boards often become havens for the worst impulses of humanity (see: YikYak). These apps can create a catch-22 for teens, who may feel the need to make sure people aren’t talking about them on the app, which, in turn, increases app engagement. Fizz can provide fuel for conversations about integrity and how we behave when no-one is looking, but it’s also a space in culture where parents and trusted adults might advise teens to simply opt out.

Web Spotlight: 

Chuck Jones

This is great: a 25-minute interview with legendary animator Chuck Jones as he sits and draws some of his iconic characters (Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck). He told this anecdote about how Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were both influenced by a particular space-themed cartoon of his:

https://kottke.org/24/04/watch-chuck-jones-draw-bugs-bunny-daffy-duck-and-porky-pig

Bonus Link of the Week:  Chad Frye, Illustration Guy has been posting 50th Anniversary of Donald Duck drawings he did during his career at Disney.  You can find them here:  https://www.facebook.com/ChadFryeIllustrationGuy  

Random Thoughts . . .  

The Fediverse

https://alex.kirk.at/2024/06/13/your-wordpress-as-your-personal-mastodon-instance

https://fossacademic.tech/2024/06/12/Maven.html

https://fedi.tips

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about the end of the year. Dave counts the caterpillars. 

Jokes:  

Regarding spelling, some people are loosing it.

---

Always do right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

— Mark Twain

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Why didn’t the number 4 get into the nightclub? 

• Because he is 2 square.

My sea sickness comes in waves.

---

I bought a new trimmer today.

• It’s cutting hedge technology.

---

I’ll tell you what often gets over looked… garden fences.

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What type of fabric softener does iron man use?

• Downey

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I’ve been reading all about the concept of infinity and I feel like it’s never going to end.

---

Why do Norwegians put bar codes on their ships?

• So when they dock, they can Scandinavian.

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I was at the beach and I heard a man in the water yelling “Help, shark! Help!”

I thought to myself that shark isn’t going to help him.

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I’ve just been diagnosed with a chronic fear of giants.

• Fefiphobia.

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The Swiss must’ve been pretty confident in their chances of victory if they included a corkscrew in their army knife.

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  Caterpillars Count

I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” section written by Jill Nugent.  She wrote an article entitled, “Caterpillars Count.”

Caterpillars Count is a citizen science project to monitor the seasonality and abundance of arthropods (including caterpillars) on foliage.  To learn more about this citizen science project visit their website at:

https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu

http://k12science.net/caterpillars-count/

The World from A to Z – 

Reports from the Front Lines

• The Final Throes
• Flow
• Genius Week
• PowerSchool University
• List of Shawn’s Free Jobs
  • PCT Course
    • Added an Oncology Communications Module while Troy played with AudioHijack this morning.  
• Moodle Upgrade

The Social Web

Dr. Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755 on lots o’ platforms) @jbf1755

Quote:  Kierán Suckling  @KieranSuckling

Who thought memorializing the Donner Party with a picnic area was a good idea?

Revolving_Door_Admin  @RAD_is_awesome

With only two days remaining in the school year, I think it only makes sense to do some walkthroughs to make sure that teachers are following our bell-to-bell instruction mandate.

Clive Thompson@clive@saturation.social

In 1963, Bruce McAllister was a high school student …

… whose English teacher insisted that authors filled their stories with symbols …

… and it was the job of the reader to notice and decode these symbols

He thought this was nonsense

So he sent a letter to 150 well-known authors asking if they did this

Fully 75 replied! Ray Bradbury, Saul Bellow, Ayn Rand

Wouter de Jong @drakenvlieg@mastodon.education

To be most effective, retrieval must be repeated again and again, in spaced out sessions so that the recall, rather than becoming a mindless recitation, requires some cognitive efforts.

Solstice School@SummerSchool

We are limiting the Conference to 20 presentations so the earlier the submission the better. Submissions open June 15th and close the 30th! Solstice School will occur July 22-August 4

https://solsticeschool.scholar.social/2024/presenters

Historic Vids  @historyinmemes

Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West on The Wizard of Oz, appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1975 in an effort to convince children there was nothing to fear.

Susie Dent @susie_dent

Etymology of the day is ‘tawdry’, meaning cheap, sordid, or in poor taste. It began as ‘St Audrey’s lace’: ribbons worn as necklaces to honour a 7th-century saint of Ely. Thanks to their often shoddy quality, ‘tawdry laces’ became linked to cheap or disreputable behaviour.

Matt Miller   @jmattmiller

So, make this make sense … “In order to streamline the number of apps educators need to use in their classroom …”  @MIcrosoftFlip  is taking an app available to anyone via web and mobile … and locking it inside of Microsoft Teams. To streamline the number of apps.  

Strategies:  

Make An AI Notebook

https://wondertools.substack.com/p/notebooklm

GET A CLUE: THE SOLO TAXONOMY

https://blog.tcea.org/get-a-clue-the-solo-taxonomy

Resources:  

AXIS The Culture Translator

Slang of the Week

“That’s OP”

While some slang has nebulous origins, it’s pretty clear “that’s OP” comes from the gaming community. “OP” is short for “overpowered,” a way of saying something is too strong, unfair, or unbalanced in a game. “That’s OP” can be used outside of games though, whether it’s to describe a new strategy in a sport, a different way to flirt, or as a reaction to anything that seems, well, overpowered.

Meet ALDO: The Amazing Lesson Design Outline

https://mglinks.org/2024/06/03/meet-aldo-the.html

Video:  Commercial for Beans

It’s that time of the year and you need a short video to capture your kids attention and perhaps imagination.  Try Haynes:  https://youtu.be/eZgD89VYkVc  

Web Spotlight: 

Document: The Symbolism Survey

In 1963, a sixteen-year-old San Diego high school student named Bruce McAllister sent a four-question mimeographed survey to 150 well-known authors of literary, commercial, and science fiction. Did they consciously plant symbols in their work? he asked. Who noticed symbols appearing from their subconscious, and who saw them arrive in their text, unbidden, created in the minds of their readers? When this happened, did the authors mind?

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2011/12/05/document-the-symbolism-survey

AI Bias in Beauty

• Despite the growing profusion of AI image generators, they all had remarkably similar responses when The Post directed them to portray a beautiful woman.

• DALL-E shows thin, ethnically ambiguous women in heavy makeup. Sixty-two percent have a medium skin tone.
• Midjourney’s women are dressed in flowing gowns, most with low-cut tops. Nearly nine in 10 are light-skinned.
• Stable Diffusion also shows thin women in flowing attire. Its representation of dark skin tones is highest — at just 18 percent.
• Asked to show “normal women,” the tools produced images that remained overwhelmingly thin. Midjourney’s depiction of “normal” was especially homogenous: All of the images were thin, and 98 percent had light skin.
• To see how AI tools handle different body sizes, The Post used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to prompt DALL-E 3 to show a “fat woman.” Despite repeated attempts using explicit language, the tool generated only women with small waists.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2024/ai-bias-beautiful-women-ugly-images

Chat GPT For Educators

Cost: $39

Modules: 5

CPE Credit Hours: 12

Embark on an enlightening adventure with our “ChatGPT for Educators” course, a treasure trove for teachers eager to harness the capabilities of ChatGPT AI. This self-paced online course is a beacon for those seeking to enrich their teaching methods, offering a blend of foundational knowledge and advanced techniques. As you delve into the world of ChatGPT, you’ll evolve into a skilled prompt engineer, adept at crafting prompts that revolutionize lesson planning, rubric creation, and assessments. The course is a wellspring of time-saving strategies, empowering you to leverage mega prompts for educational efficiency.

https://tcea.org/courses/chatgpt-for-educators

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

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Summary:

Shawn and Troy return the Eileen Award, talk about student reflection, certainty-based grading, and more. Dave looks for climate justice.

Jokes:  

I asked the surgeon: can I administer my own anesthetic?

• The surgeon said: Go ahead, knock yourself out.

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OK, so naked running.

Apparently this means running without GPS, music and any other tech.

I wish I knew this an hour ago.

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Frankenstein enters a bodybuilding competition and finds he has seriously misunderstood the objective.

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I ate a clock yesterday. 

• It was so time consuming.

What do you get when you cross a police dog and a skunk? 

• Law and Odor.

I saw my wife trip and fall while carrying a laundry basket full of ironed clothes. 

• I watched it all unfold.

I thought about going on an all-almond diet. 

• But that’s just nuts.
• If two vegans are having an argument, is it still considered beef?

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Did you hear about the bread factory burning down? 

• They say the business is toast.

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What do police officers do when there’s a fly annoying everyone at the station?

• Call the swat team.

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The mime community has been very quiet as of late.

---

---

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

Climate Justice

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” section written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn.  She wrote an article entitled, “Climate Justice.”

Education is a critical agent in addressing the issue of climate change.  The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change assigns responsibility to Parties of the Convention to undertake educational and public awareness campaigns on climate-change, and to ensure public participation in programs and information access on the issue.

http://k12science.net/climate-justice/

Eileen Award

• New Listener… Megan Gomez!  

Reports from the Front Lines

• End of the Year
• Tech Tip in Two – Canva Certificates

The Social Web

Helen@hlseward@mstdn.social

Teaching can be a tough, joyless job sometimes, but on other days you get a Yr 8 student who reimagines Much Ado by having Disney-style talking cows for characters and calling it “Much A-Moo About Nothing” and you literally cry with laughter

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘fudgel’ (18th century): to make a big show of working hard whilst actually doing very little.

National Park Service  @NatlParkService

There’s nothing wrong with following your heart, but it never hurts to check the map too.

Katie Powell@Beyond_the_Desk

“I told you to stop eating bees. They’re spicy, and you don’t like them.” Me, to the dog.

The Modest Teacher  @ModestTeacher

We are officially entering the “can I do extra credit” portion of the school year.

Strategies:  

Reflection Ideas for The Classroom: The Why

https://www.hollyclark.org/2020/05/10/reflection-ideas-for-the-classroom

HOW TO MAKE FLEXIBLE, DATA-INFORMED STUDENT GROUPS

https://blog.tcea.org/data-informed-student-groups

4 Instructional Strategies Teachers Can Count On

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-4-instructional-strategies-teachers-can-count-on/2024/05

Resources:  

Teaching Kids How To Use a Phone

AT&T produced instructional films to accompany the introduction of dial telephones to guide subscribers in how to use the new technology.

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/senate-stories/videos/dial-telephones-1936-att.htm

12 Logic Puzzles That Will Test Your Smarts

https://www.rd.com/article/logic-puzzles

Image Accessibility Creator

https://asuo-images.streamlit.app

Patriarchy

Using the Barbie movie and other media (movies, TV shows) as a guide, Pop Culture Detective delves into what “patriarchy” actually means (mirrors: Patreon & archive.org).

We’re going to use the movie as a sort of primer to help explain what patriarchy actually is, what it isn’t, and how it ends up harming everyone, including men. To have any kind of productive conversation, we have to get over that defensiveness that so many men feel whenever they come across the word “patriarchy”. Contrary to popular belief, patriarchy is not a synonym for men, nor is it a code word for masculinity, and it certainly has nothing to do with hating men.

https://kottke.org/24/05/patriarchy-according-to-the-barbie-movie

AXIS The Culture Translator

Moms Make It Happen

What it is: As Mother’s Day approaches, people are talking about “kinkeeping”—the role of planning celebrations, managing communication, and maintaining closeness within a family—and the work it requires.

May the Fourthnite

What it is:  May 4—known to some as the day Star Wars fans unite to do Star Wars-themed things and say the phrase, “May the Fourth be with you.”

Why it’s what teens are talking about: To commemorate May 4, Fortnite will release a package of Star Wars content this weekend—including skins, music, vehicles, challenges, and in-game rewards. Disney+ will debut a new animated series called “Tales of the Empire.” And “The Phantom Menace” will return to theaters in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary. There are also deals and discounts on nearly every Star Wars video game ever made…and there are a lot.

Better Than Quiet Quitting – Preventing Burnout

World Magazine Article – 

“FOR THE LAST couple of years, we’ve been hearing about the “quiet quitting” trend among American workers. Quiet quitting, in which people do only the bare minimum required for their jobs, became a means for coping with workplace burnout. The pandemic caused many office workers to reflect on their work, and some decided it wasn’t worth doing, or at least not worth any extra effort. In Slow Productivity (Portfolio, 2024), Cal Newport is sympathetic to these workers’ malaise, but he thinks quiet quitting is the wrong solution.”  

Web Spotlight: 

AI Resources

https://pinokio.computer

Spec Feedback

This form will be open until May 22nd, and your early thoughts will help us develop a robust process for gathering and incorporating feedback across a wide range of stakeholders—including users, developers, policymakers, trusted institutions, domain experts, and more. 

Over the next year, we will share updates about changes to the Model Spec, our response to feedback, and how our research in shaping model behavior is progressing.

https://openai.com/form/model-spec-feedback

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy share some tips, Michigan History, and more. Dave performs some assessments.

Jokes:  

What has 2 syllables but hundreds of letters?

• Postmen.

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The opposite of formaldehyde is casualdejekyll.

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Filed my nails today.

• They’re in the N drawer.

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The word queue is ironic. It’s just q with a bunch of silent letters waiting in line.

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One day I changed a lightbulb, crossed the road and walked into a bar.

• That’s when I realised my whole life was a joke

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Lost another audio-book.

• I’ll never hear the end of it.

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When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane

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If you walk into a forest and cut down a tree, but the tree doesn’t understand why you cut it down, do you think it’s stumped?

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Can’t wait til Wind Day and Fire Day!

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The shorter you are, the deeper the swimming pool.

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Piano Man has got to be the lamest super hero yet.

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Why do French chefs only use one egg?

• Because one egg is un oeuf.

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My dog talks in her sleep.

She never tells the truth.

Theres nothing I can do about it.

• You have to let sleeping dogs lie.

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Pre means before.

Post means after.

To use both prefixes together would be preposterous.

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Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  Performance Based Assessment

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Interdisciplinary Ideas” section written by Katie Coppens.  She wrote an article entitled, “Designing Performance-Based Assessments That Engage!”

Rather than stressful, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning for students.  Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and flexible in how students approach them.  In addition to seeing students’ scientific knowledge, teachers get a better sense of their students’ interests and strengths that they bring to each open-ended assignment.  The author then shared an example of a performance-based assignment based on the Flint Water Crisis.

http://k12science.net/performance-based-assessment/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Student presentations – MHD 

• MLTI
• Testing

The Social Web

Deidre J Owen, Author  @deidrejowen

I’m filling out a medical form online and I’m curious who’s out there speaking Old English.

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Etymology of the day: the name of the Canary Islands didn’t begin with the canary bird. Instead it’s thought that the Latin ‘canaria insula’ described the ‘island of dogs’, because one of the islands had a large population of wild dogs. Which would mean that the archipelago’s native bird is named after the dogs, too.

I love how the word ‘atone’ wears its heart on its sleeve. It began as ‘at one’, because to atone is to bring back unity. Atonement is really ‘at-one-ment’. In the same way, ‘alone’ began as ‘all one’.

Strategies:  

Student Made Books

Lots of options here. You can be as thorough or as limited as you want. Could be a graphic novel, limited to a certain.

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/student-e-books

Resources:  

Add a Cursor to Any website

https://code.kuederle.com/addcursor

Web Spotlight: 

Sleeping more flushes junk out of the brain

Neurons are still active during sleep. We may not realize it, but the brain takes advantage of this recharging period to get rid of junk that was accumulating during waking hours.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/sleeping-more-flushes-junk-out-of-the-brain

20 Minutes of Charles Schulz Drawing Peanuts Comics

This is wonderful: a collection of video clips of Charles Schulz drawing his iconic Peanuts comic strip — “everything I could find of Charles Schulz drawing his Peanuts characters” in the words of the compiler.

https://kottke.org/24/04/20-minutes-of-charles-schulz-drawing-peanuts-comics

AXIS The Culture Translator

Up All Night

What it is: Gallup polling data has found a huge spike in the percentage of Americans who say they get less sleep than they need. Survey results also indicate an increase in Americans’ daily stress.

Why it’s news you can use: This data indicates that when you interact with anyone—in a store, on the road, at work, or in church—there’s a decent chance that particular human is feeling both exhausted and stressed out. The odds of this stress/exhaustion matrix are even higher if you are conversing with a young woman aged 18 to 29. In 2001, 42% of young women in that bracket said they get enough sleep, but that number has dropped to 27%. Younger women are also the most likely to say they experience daily stress. Stress and sleep have a symbiotic relationship, and parents should understand how both factors play a role in teens’ mental health.

Paying the Piper

What it is: Research and investment firm Piper Sandler released their “47th Semi-Annual Taking Stock With Teens” survey, focused on modern teen trends.

Why it’s worth paying attention to: While the survey is primarily focused on trends for investment, their research does give us insight into the ever-changing winds of teen culture. The survey covers everything from social media usage, to which clothing brands teens prefer, to their favorite snacks (it’s Goldfish). Some of the more interesting trends include TikTok losing popularity with teens and Instagram regaining it, 85% of teens owning an iPhone, and “the environment” being the social cause most teens cared about (even though only 14% cared about it). We’ll see how these trends play out over the rest of the year and into the future, but for now, when your teen tells you they have to have the $1600 iPhone Pro Max, you’ll know, at least partly, why.

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about Spring Break, being mean, and more. Dave goes 3D, with Assessment and more.

Jokes:  

I’m trying to organize a hide-and-seek tournament, but good players are really hard to find

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If America switched from pounds to kilograms overnight, would it create mass confusion?

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The best time on a clock is 6:30–hands down.

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It’s been months since I bought the book “how to scam people online”. It still hasn’t turned up.

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Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool. I gave him a glass of water.

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Me: I want to be a millionaire, like my uncle.

Them: Your uncle is a millionaire?

Me: No. He also wants to be a millionaire.

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Mannequins are model citizens.

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Did you hear about the two thieves who stole a calendar? 

• They each got six months.

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Guy told me today he did not know what cloning is. I told him, “that makes 2 of us.”

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You know what they say about cliffhangers…

Middle School Science Minute  

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

K12Science Podcast:  3D Assessment

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “From the Editor’s Desk” column written by Patty McGinnis.  She wrote an article entitled, “3D Assessment.”

In the article she shared ideas about writing assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.  The National Research Council recommends that teachers utilize a combination of constructed response, selected response, and projects to assess three-dimensional learning.  She recommended two resources that provide tips for writing assessments.  They are:

“STEM Teaching Tool #30: Integrating Science Practices in Assessment Tasks”

and

“The NGSS Evidence Statements” 

http://k12science.net/3d-assessment/

Reports from the Front Lines

• Two Days
• PSAT Testing
• Help Desk
• Spring Break

The Social Web

𝐿𝒶𝓃𝒶 “not Locrian” @Lana@beige.party

Why study Music?

1. Music is Math.
You never worked so hard at counting to 4 in all your life.

2. Music is Science.
You will spend hours of your life repeating the same thing, alone in a closed room. Then you will repeat it in front of your peers. Music demands research.

3. Music is History.
You will become intimately familiar with the people and events of the last 400 years.

4. Music is a Foreign Language.
You will be able to speak more Italian and French than you ever thought you’d need to.

5. Music is Literature.
You will read new music every single day. You will read so much you’ll start seeing notes in your sleep.

6. Music is Physical Education.
You will sweat. You will be sore. You will hurt in places you didn’t know you had places. And you will get stronger.

Music isn’t extra-curricular. Music *is* the curriculum.

Kevin Honeycutt  @kevinhoneycutt

Are you a teacher looking to leverage your classroom skills in a new and exciting way? Consider public speaking as a second job! As educators, you already possess the essential skills of engaging audiences, breaking down complex ideas, and sparking curiosity—qualities that make…

Ron King  @mthman

I love project based learning! 1) Build 3 buildings that you’d find on any city block (3 different geometric shapes). 2) Map out the floor plans on @desmos & calculate total square footage 3) Use buildings as the centerpiece of 3D shapes & cross-sections. #mtbos #mathchat

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Etymology of the day is ‘bumf’: a shortening of ‘bumfodder’, 19th-century slang for toilet paper. It was later applied to any throwaway material or paperwork.

Strategies:  

FIVE STAGES OF K-12 ED TECH ADOPTION: PART 2

https://blog.tcea.org/ed-tech-adoption-part-2

Resources:  

AXIS:  The Culture Translator

Incelpilled

What it is: Many of today’s most popular slang terms are largely borrowed and adapted from the online community of “involuntary celibates,” also known as incels.  For an up-to-date list of Gen Z slang, check out our Parent Guide to Teen Slang!  

Slang of the Week:  

“Lock in”: Meant both earnestly and ironically, “Lock in” means that it’s time to stop being silly, focus up, and seriously try something. (It’s the verbal equivalent of leaning forward while playing Mario Kart, which is affectionately called the “gamer lean.”) Although it may not be a wholly new term, it’s become a staple for athletes and gamers especially. That being said, there are times when everyone and anyone will need to lock in, whether it’s writing a paper due in thirty minutes, finishing a project for work, or asking your crush out.

Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

https://www.themarginalian.org/2024/04/12/dictionary-of-obscure-sorrows

PEW Research Center

1 in 3 Teachers are ready to quit.

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/teachers-job-satisfaction

5 Questions to Help Kids Become Critical Readers

https://www.middleweb.com/50526/5-questions-to-help-kids-become-critical-readers

Web Spotlight: 

Anxious Parents Are the Ones Who Need Help

if recent trends continue, the start of the school year will kick off another record-breaking season for anxiety on campus.

I’m talking about the parents. The kids are mostly fine.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/opinion/teen-mental-health-college.html

Random Thoughts . . .  

Click the Play button below to listen to the show!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Summary:

Shawn and Troy talk about places, wellness, middle school development, and more. Dave shows us Thinking. Due to technical issues, a short summary podcast is posted. We’ll get things fixed for next week. 

Jokes:  

Ever wondered why skeletons are so calm?

Prolly because nothing gets under their skin.

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Someone broke into my house last night and stole my limbo trophy. How low can you go?

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Q: What’s the difference between a duck and an elephant?

A: You can’t get down off an elephant.

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for Godzilla, every city is walkable

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I just found out my mum is the tooth fairy and I’m devastated.

• I can’t believe she is leaving me home alone every night.

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Bob mailed his hearing aid off for repair 3 weeks ago.

• He hasn’t heard anything since.

---

I have been told that I have a rare genetic disease that forces me to deny the existence of 80s bands.

• The Cure does not exist

Quarter-sized hail? Psssh.

• Let me know when we’re expecting full-sized hail!

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I wear a stethoscope so that in a medical emergency I can teach people a valuable lesson about assumptions.

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They said a mask and gloves would be enough when going to the store.

• They lied, everyone else had clothes on.

---

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This St, That St, and The Other Street in Nova Scotia. 

This Way Lane meets That Way Lane in Oregon:

Middle School Science Minute  

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

Making Thinking Visible

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley MacKenzie.  She wrote an article entitled, “How Can We Make Our Students’ Thinking Visible?”

In the article she shared three strategies for making thinking visible.  The strategies were taken from the books, “Making Thinking Visible” and “The Power of Making Thinking Visible.”

The strategies are:

• “See-Think-Wonder”
• “Connect-Extend-Challenge”
• “CSI: Color, Symbol, Image”

http://k12science.net/making-thinking-visible/

From the book: “Science Abridged Beyond the Point of Usefulness”

The Social Web

cyborgneticz@Cyborgneticz@scholar.social

Teaching. K12 v higher ed, pers 1 SHOW LESS

It’s been fun adjuncting, but I kind of like my high school students more and for a few reasons

1 high school kids aren’t focused on learning to get a job, so they’re more willing to try goofy things

2 everything is new for high school students so there’s a consistent level of shock and surprise (every class I ask kids if they want to learn a fun fact n just tell them horrible things)

3 ability to roast and be witty is part of the job

4 the other day one of my kids was talking about how they think it’s good to feel uncomfortable n they want uncensored history classes

I do enjoy the higher level discussions I can have with college students but the approach to my class as something to take to get a job is just depressing as someone who loves my field

I see more love for learning in kids, for better or worse

Matt Miller   @jmattmiller

Kids these days. Dropping mechanical pencils on the ground. These were GOLD when I was a kid. I’d do anything not to lose them.

Dr. Joanne Freeman (@jbf1755 on lots o’ platforms)  @jbf1755

GASP I am so pathetically happy about this.

Quote:  Alex DeMarco (Dvesatya)  @Alex_J_DeMarco

The new edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS 18) comes out this September. And I just heard: PLACE OF PUBLICATION WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED IN CITATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRIES!

Vanessa Heller  @Hell2Teach

Eating “raw” Top Ramen with the seasoning sprinkled on it seems to be the popular snack in our #MiddleSchool This is a clear indicator that society is in a decline, no?

Susie Dent  @susie_dent

Word of the day is ‘fling-brand’ (17th century): one who takes pleasure in breeding dissent and argument, purely for the sake of it.

Melissa & Lori Love Literacy podcast  @literacypodcast

7 Days til National Schwa Day!  How will you celebrate?  Download your Free Teacher Toolkit at http://NationalSchwaDay.org. 

Resources:  

RIGHT FEELINGS, RIGHT TIME: LISA DAMOUR SPEAKS OUT ON RESILIENCY AMONG TEENS IN HER LATEST BOOK, THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF TEENAGERS

…growing up in the 1980s, teenage angst was a collective character trait. Popular songs like “Don’t You (Forget about Me)” by Simple Minds or “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash channeled our moodiness and insecurities. Movies like Footloose and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off explored teenagers’ rebellious instincts while their parents were off-screen and out of the loop. Growing up is hard, the entertainment industry told us, and our experiences confirmed that.

In 2023, kids are being schooled by the wellness industry, which now represents a larger segment of the global economy than the entertainment industry.

…clinical psychologist Lisa Damour argues that the wellness industry has contributed to a new cultural norm that simply isn’t sound or even useful: it has equated feeling good with mental health.

Under the influence of the wellness industry, educators have incorporated meditation, yoga, and gratitude journals into their curricula to support the wellbeing of their students, many of whom say they are anxious or depressed. Damour acknowledges that many mindfulness practices are valuable, but she cautions against thinking that they can lead to happiness or prevent negative feelings. 

…we should expand students’ sense of all it means to be fully human, in which the questions and uncertainties matter as much as the answers.

…investing in self-care—and the accompanying goods and services—kids believe that they can prevent anxiety and emotional distress. But losing a big game, doing poorly on a test, or getting dumped are not only distressing, they are also fairly common experiences among adolescents. Damour fears that “the wellness movement has left parents and their teens unduly frightened of garden variety adversity” and therefore unable to appreciate how much we grow through failure and hardship.

…context is everything, that mental health means “having the right feelings at the right time.” If a teen fails a math test, they should feel disappointment. If they score a winning goal, they should feel a sense of pride. Healthy people experience the full range of human emotions and can identify and name them.

…explains how the teenage brain amplifies emotions; strong emotions “are a feature, not a bug” in their neurological wiring. During adolescence, the emotion centers of the brain strengthen and predominate the portions of the brain that help maintain a measured perspective. This “emotional intensity actually peaks around age thirteen or fourteen” and begins to subside after that.

https://intrepidednews.com/the-emotional-lives-of-teenagers

AXIS The Culture Translator

Absent Minded

What it is: Data from the American Enterprise Institute found that during the 2022-2023 school year, 26% of students met the definition of “chronically absent,” meaning they missed ten percent or more of the school year.

Continue the conversation: Does attending school or other learning events in person feel less important than it used to feel?  

Stop scrolling so much. Try these rituals instead.

https://mashable.com/article/reduce-screen-time-rituals

Meet Palmsy, the fake social network where your posts stay on your device forever

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/29/palmsy-is-a-device-only-social-network-to-satisfy-your-posting-itch

Web Spotlight: 

Introducing the Teacher Morale Index

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/introducing-the-teacher-morale-index/2024/03

Random Thoughts . . .  

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