Author: Troy Patterson

Conferences, NMSA10, Podcast, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM #150- Show #150! It’s Because of You!

Jokes:

Swimming
An urgent call was put in for a plumber at noon but he didn’t arrive until 5 hours later. “How is it?” he asked entering the house. “Not so bad,” replied the home owner. “While we were waiting for you to arrive, I taught my wife how to swim.”

Spots
“Doctor!” complained the patient, “I keep seeing spots before my eyes.” The doctor scratched his head. “Why have you come to me? Have you seen an ophthalmologist?” “No,” replied the patient, “just spots.”

On Our Mind:

Robert Nay:  Bubble Ball is the most popular free download for the Apple App Store. If he would have charged for it, he would have made 2 million dollars from it.  He’s 14.

From our Listeners:
Happy new year my friends

I’m not sure which of you are still active substitutes but i do hope all of you will do me the kindness of forwarding this to as many people and organizations who substitute or work with substitute teachers as you can.

A Seattle venue is relatively close for California and “right next door” for Oregon. The Northwest is a nice location for a conference/vacation combination for anyone!

Link to Flyer:  http://www.nstasubs.org/2011Conference/Call%20to%20Conference%202011-%20Final.pdf

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
Girls and Science
http://www.braincake.org/
http://stemstories.org/

From the Twitterverse:

*PrometheanUSA RT WhiteheadsClass Martin Luther King, Jr. vocabulary and spelling games and resources: #promethean #iwb #edtech
*russeltarr Simple Graphic Organizer Makes Fractions a Little Less Painful: http://tinyurl.com/ycfqaud
*bhsprincipal RT @nothingfuture: A grade is the smallest amount of information we can possibly record about a student’s experience.
*stevehargadon We listen to business leaders more than educators “reform” dialog. Why? http://wapo.st/frBgX5 via @tonnet
*DanielBeylerian Any teachers found ways 2 supplement their income by teaching online? Ontario Certified Teacher. PD oriented instruction is goal #edchat
*rkiker Teens In Tech Launches Startup Incubator for Young Entrepreneurs http://pulsene.ws/JqK1
*clifmims Skype’s New Resource Specifically for Teachers http://ow.ly/3BZhl #education #edtech
*NancyTeaches RT @justwonderinY: I learn the most when PD is layered. (focused, embedded in daily practice, across year, & about kids) #elemchat
*stribs Story of man who’s spent over a decade trying to convince doctors that he’s not mentally ill > This American Life
*sharon_elin Virginia Poised to Ban Teacher-Student Texting, Facebooking rww.to/gMQPzF via @RWW Comment on google doc: cut.gd/sk6a
*kconners09 Have students draw to write- getting over writers block. Good 4 SS. Edutopia http://ow.ly/1rZtMc #english #sschat
*rushtheiceberg The GMAIL+ method I spoke about in my preso at #edcampoc The Edublogger #edchat
*lkolb Join us in May for first annual U of M Virtual Ed Tech Conference (Free! Wear your PJ’s and Network)….more info @umvirtualcon

NSMA 2010 Session 6:

Session 4:

He Says, She Says
The Home School Connection
Debbie Silver & Monte Shelby

Family Tree

The new research:
create a home environment that encourages learning.
communicate high, yet reasonable expectations.

Reading with parents. Muffins with moms/ donuts with dad. The kids read to the parents.
Saturday picnics. No “traditional” school focus, just a picnic held at school. provide the food and prizes. Just play games and make connections.
Staff development while the parents have all of the kids. Do they picked a routine thing that all of the kids could do. The parents then monitor the kids. The parents were trained. First thing on Monday morning – kids behave better at that time.
The parents ran the program. Agenda was shared with the parents. Parents called other parents with personal invitations. Social things where the only expectation was that parents show up.  Example of pool night at community center. Parents mentoring parents. 8th grader parents mentor 6th grade. Someone to call.

Develop list of things that parents can do:
Theatre Aid
Hall Moms and Pops
Teacher’s Aid
Have parents take pictures- make sure they get each kid over the weeks. Email the picture immediately to the parents.
Add question on a “take home” assignment that needs a parental response. Name a family member who emigrated. Name the favorite food of a parent.
Parent input page. The student has to teach the parent something. The parent has to respond with what they were taught.

Professional Development Kit: The what, the why, the how of student led conferences. by Jack Berckemeyer and Patti Kinney.

Make sure that you make good calls. Can be especially useful if you make a good call before you ever make a bad one.
Check NAESP for good suggestions for parents.

News:

SnagFilms

SnagFilms is committed to finding the world‘s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and making them available to the wide audience these titles deserve.
SnagFilms.com is a website where you can watch full-length documentary films for free, but we’re also a platform that lets you “snag” a film and put it anywhere on the web. With a library of over 1500 films, and rapidly growing, you’re bound to find films that resonate with your interests. We make it easy for you to find a film that shines a light on a cause you care about. You can then open a virtual movie theater on any web site, so any one can watch your favorite SnagFilms for free.
SnagFilms can be summed up in four words: Find. Watch. Snag. Support.
Find. Whether using our custom search tools, browsing by topic, or tuning into one of the great channels provided by our partners, with a few clicks you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.
Watch. By streaming films worldwide, on-demand, 24×7 and with no software installation or downloading required, we have radically expanded the audience for documentary films. All you need is a decent broadband connection. Just click play, go full-screen, and lean back and enjoy our films.
Snag. Widgets let you take your favorite SnagFilms with you wherever you like to go online. Open a virtual movie theater right in your webpage, blog, Facebook or MySpace page, or just about any other place online you can think of.
Support. At their best, documentaries don‘t merely entertain us, they engage and inspire us to action. We provide a link for you to a charity related to the topic of each film (many of them selected by the filmmaker) so you can get involved, immediately.  And just by embedding our widgets, you’ve donated your pixels and helped support independent film.

http://www.snagfilms.com/

Tech Spotlight:

British Library introduces first app for iOS, Android

The British Library has launched its first-ever mobile app, Treasures. The title is available in three separate editions, for iPad, iPhone/iPod and Android. It so far provides access to a little over 100 items from the Library’s collection, such as a 1215 copy of the Magna Carta, music manuscripts belonging to Handel, Purcell and Mozart, and Buddhist, Christian and Zoroastrian religious documents.
The iPad app, Treasures HD, is priced at £2.39, and benefits from a higher-resolution native interface. The iPhone/iPod title is £1.19. While the former requires only iOS 3.2, the latter demands at least iOS 4; both are restricted to the UK App Store.
http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/11/01/10/provides.access.to.rare.books/

Google Goggles gets faster, smarter and solves Sudoku
Check this out.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/google-goggles-gets-faster-smarter-and.html

GEL Conference

Short for “Good Experience Live”, Gel is a conference and community exploring good experience in all its forms – in art, business, technology, society, and life.
Gel was founded by Mark Hurst in 2003 and has run a spring event in New York City each year since.Gel 2011 will be the 9th annual event. (Hurst has also run two spinoff events, Gel Health in 2009 and euroGel in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2006. See Past Gels.)
Instead of focusing on just one thing – design, technology, user experience, business, etc. – like many conferences, Gel touches on many things. This challenges attendees to find, and learn from, the patterns that underlie good experience, even in disciplines vastly different from their own.
The best way to understand the Gel experience is to attend. (Next event is Gel 2011.) You might also like to watch videos from Gel 2010 to get a sense of the caliber and range of speakers – though attendees have said that the videos don’t fully describe the Gel experience.
http://www.gelconference.com/

99%

http://the99percent.com/videos

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
advisory, MSM, News, NMSA, NMSA10, Podcast, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 149 NMSA 2010: Weather, Differentiation

Jokes:

Apples
A man traveling through the country stopped at a small roadside fruit stand and bought some apples. When he mentioned they were awfully small, the farmer replied, “Yup.” The man took a bite of one of the apples and exclaimed, “Not very flavorful, either.” “That’s right,” said the farmer. “Lucky they’re small, ain’t it?”

Accountants
Did you hear about the accountant with insomnia? He decided to try counting sheep, but he made a mistake and was up all night trying to find it!

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com)
Weather vs Climate – A Throw Down

Advisory:

Future Me:  A letter to the future . . . from yourself.
This Week in Rap

From the Twitterverse:

*missnoor28 RT @ShellTerrell: Google Doc of Presentations in Case the Website is Down #rscon11 Plz RT!
*steelepierce @johnccarver OH has two districts piloting e-days in lieu of snow days. We’re exploring that. @colonelb @pammoran
**DianeRavitch What you need to know about Finland: http://www.publicpolicyblogger.com/2010/12/before-its-too-late-fifteen-reasons-why.html
Key Quote:  “I think the things that CAN be imported are ideas that allow a refocusing away from testing and performance by giving teachers more autonomy, a focus on quality rather then quantity of teaching, higher level academic teacher training qualifications, improving the status of teaching as a profession.”  
*russeltarr Anecdotage: Great database of anecdotes for spicing up lessons!: http://tinyurl.com/yztfrxp
*hshawjr U.S. drive for high test scores has stifled students’ creativity | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME: via @addthis
Referenced link:  http://www.oecd.org/document/61/0,3746,en_32252351_32235731_46567613_1_1_1_1,00.html
Key Quote:  “In fact, it keeps students from learning all the other things they need to know — literature, history, languages, mathematics, science — actual knowledge and skills that go into a well-educated mind, the raw material for creative and civic behavior.“
*missnoor28 Future Me – Send a Letter to Your Future Self freetech4teachers.com/2011/01/future… #edchat
*russeltarr Google Features That Make Teachers’ Lives Easier: http://tinyurl.com/m5bwgf
*DoTheMathBooks I’ve never know any trouble than an hour’s reading didn’t assuage. Arthur Schopenhauer #quote
*drmmtatom Girls arrested for Facebook teacher attack invite #fhuedu610 http://flne.ws/26341773 on Fluent News
*drmmtatom 100 Online Resources That Are Transforming Education: http://on.mash.to/i1NhRT
*mcleod Video: 3 phases of educational technology #edtech
1.  Dynamic presentation created by the teacher.  (Keynote, Powerpoint, etc.)
2.  Texts replaced by content based knowledge.  (Pencil/Paper outcomes)
3.  Students as producers of content.
*mcleod Print your own flute (yes, that’s correct) Did I mention I want a 3D printer?!
*lkolb Join us in May for first annual U of M Virtual Ed Tech Conference (Free! Wear your PJ’s and Network)….more info @umvirtualcon

NSMA 2010 Session 6:

Session 3

10 ways to differentiate:

Gretchen Goodman

Differentiation is part of RTI – Tier I
Pet Peeves by Joel Pett
Take a label. bubbasrealma@me.com

Practical tips
Appllication
Differentiated instruction is a concept that makes it possible to maximize learning for ALL students. It is a collection of instructionally intelligent strategies based on student centerned best practice that make it possible for teachers to create different pathways that respond to the needs of diverse learners

1. Tic Tac Toe

This is related to the student contract plans.
Don’t use any of these everyday.
this can lead to a large amount of work. be careful. You can have them do all 3, turn them in and pick the 1 that they want graded.
Label the boxes. Give them 2 die and let them roll. If they roll a 3 and a 4, they get to pick, they can either do #3 and #4 or #7.

2. Tiering

Always start with the standard and move up or down.
One of the most common DI strategies.
Teach one concept with layers of difficulty/complexity designed by need and readiness.
EG. (Civil War)Tier 1:
Define slavery

Tier II
Take facts and then analyze, apply knowledge.

Tier 3
Present a 3-4 page essay

3. Cubing – 6 sides to a lesson

Describe it
Compare it
Associate it
analyze it
Apply it
Argue for/against it

teachingmadeeasier.com
F6SDETME
60 days of access
Stuff it with paper and tape it.
The post office has cubes. Cover with contact paper. Priority cubes.
Michael’s has whiteboard cubes.
Use different cubes for different groups:
Above
On
Below

or by interest.

Can also use a spinner to pick numbers by box.

Use different cubes.

4. Task Cards

Review the information in the chart showing the habitat.
Can assign them a task as they enter or let them pick

5. Think Dots

Different assignments in boxes.
give the kids a popsicle stick with a different number of dots.

6. Grouping

Clock Partners
Colored clothes pins
Table tents with names
Pull a popsicle stick
Teacher assigned
CD covers- Go to a music store. Write down the first four songs of a variety of songs and cut down the strips. Students pick a song. They are then grouped by artists.
Puzzle pieces- Take a picture of something the kids like. Cut it into puzzles pieces. The kids pick a piece and put the puzzle together for a group. Keep hotel keys.
Hershey kiss groups.
Paint chips – get 4

This can really help cutting down on bullying. When kids know each other and work together, they are less likely to bully.
Have kids write 4 science vocabulary words on a page that is quartered. Have students pick a partner for each word.

7. Assessments

Gallery Walk – Large chart paper. Open ended questions on the chart paper. Kids have to answer a certain number of them. Nobody can use a ditto.
Write and Pass- Each kid has a question. They respond to the question within 1 minute, then pass to the next student.
1 minute write – Summarize for 1 minute at the end of class. Write everything that you learned today in 1 minute. One teacher called this “brain vomit”.
K-W-L+  – The plus is what do you still want to know.
Who-Has I Have ~ Get a set of index cards. Laminate with blanks. Each card has two pieces of information- the who has question and an answer of what they have. This means that they have to know answers.  (Browser based generator:  http://www.brendenisteaching.com/gen/myloops/)

8.  Exit Tickets

I don’t understand
I would like to learn about
The most important thing I learned today is
3-2-1 Exit card.

9. Know The children

Learning Style Inventory
Observations
Self evaluations
Scavenger Hunt – find someone who can….
That’s Me- ask questions. Have students raise their hand and shout “that’s me” if the question is yes.
80% of drop outs are tactile/kinesetic.

10. Pass Options

Turn to partner and discuss
Off the pass, but come back and have them restate. (Go to 2 more kids and then come back to them.)

Don’t Forget – Recognition:
Silent Cheer
Give them a hand – trace and pass
Way to go home call.
Post cards
e-mails…digital photos attached.

#11 Centers:

Tie to the curriculum
Match with the standards
Teach them how to use.
Can be games, boards, magnetic letters, computers, etc.
1. Train the troops.

FaceBook assignment- post a Facebook page of a famous person.

Menu:
• Appetizer: Everyone does together.
Entree – Do on your own.
Side Dishes – Select at least 2.
Dessert- optional. Extra credit.
XK6

News:

Internet Gains on Television as Public’s Main News Source

More Young People Cite Internet than TV

The internet is slowly closing in on television as Americans’ main source of national and international news. Currently, 41% say they get most of their news about national and international news from the internet, which is little changed over the past two years but up 17 points since 2007.
…more people continue to cite the internet than newspapers as their main source of news, reflecting both the growth of the internet, and the gradual decline in newspaper readership (from 34% in 2007 to 31% now).
In 2010, for the first time, the internet has surpassed television as the main source of national and international news for people younger than 30.

The Test Chinese Schools Still Fail

High scores for Shanghai’s 15-year-olds are actually a sign of weakness.
By JIANG XUEQIN

It’s ironic that just as the world is appreciating the strengths of China’s education system, Chinese are waking up to its weaknesses.
China’s most promising students still must go abroad to develop their managerial drive and creativity, and there they have to unlearn the test-centric approach to knowledge that was drilled into them.
Even Shanghai educators admit they’re merely producing competent mediocrity.
Shanghai’s stellar results on PISA are a symptom of the problem. Tests are less relevant to concrete life and work skills than the ability to write a coherent essay, which requires being able to identify a problem, break it down to its constituent parts, analyze it from multiple angles and assemble a solution in a succinct manner to communicate across cultures and time.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703766704576008692493038646.html

Webspotlight:

4 Promising Curation Tools That Help Make Sense of the Web

by Steve Rosenbaum

1. Storify

2. Scoop.it

3. Curated.by

4. Pearltrees

http://mashable.com/2011/01/06/curation-tools/

Big Huge Labs

http://bighugelabs.com/education.php

Do Amazing Things with your Photos

What is BeFunky?

BeFunky simplifies photo editing and effects for everyday people.

Marvelous Photo Effects

Choose from our constantly growing library of photo effects to turn your ordinary photos into extraordinary art with virtually no effort.

Smart Photo Editing

Photo editing made smart. Fix your common photo problems like bad lighting, digital noise, fuzzy colors and details with one click.

Design Goodies

Give your digital creations a whole lot of character with BeFunky Goodies. Add speech bubbles, frames and more…
http://befunky.com/

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
advisory, MSM, News, NMSA10, Podcast, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 148 NMSA 2010: Happy New Year!

Jokes:

On a visit to Chicago
On a visit to Chicago, a woman was eager to visit a posh department store a few blocks from her hotel. Her husband agreeably hailed a cab. “The lady wants to go to Neiman Marcus,” he told the driver. The cabby looked over his shoulder at them. “And the gentleman?” he asked. “Does he want to go to the bank?”

Marriage
“Honey,” said this husband to his wife, “I invited a friend home for supper.” “What? Are you crazy? The house is a mess, I didn’t go shopping, all the dishes are dirty, and I don’t feel like cooking a fancy meal!” “I know all that.” “Then, why did you invite a friend for supper?” “Because the poor guy is thinking about getting married.”

Blood Pressure
When a doctor remarked on a new patient?s extraordinarily ruddy complexion, he said, “High blood pressure, Doc. It runs in my family.” “Your mother’s side or your father’s?” the doctor asked. “Neither,” the patient replied. “It’s from my wife’s family.” “Oh, come now,” said the doctor “How could your wife’s family give you high blood pressure?” He sighed. “You oughta meet ’em sometime, Doc!”

Marriage
The wife saw her husband frustrated reading the Marriage Certificate from top to bottom, flip it over, and then read it again… She asked: “Honey, what are you looking for?” He answered: “Nothing dear, I’m just looking for the expiration date.”

On Our Mind:

Happy New Year!
Resolutions?

Middle School Science Minute

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

Did you Know…..
Ummmmm… Chemistry

Advisory:

2011 Predictions:  http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1101/110101-happy_new_year.html

From the Twitterverse:

*gatorbonBC by DianeRavitch  Corporate Schools vs Public Schools? No Separate is STILL not equal. Wear Red 4 Public Ed Tues Jan 4. #WearRedForEd #edchat @DianeRavitch
*nancyrubin by francesblo  Why Should Educators Blog? Reflective Writing Can Positively Affect Teaching http://ow.ly/3wNf3
*DianeRavitch What you need to know about Finland: http://www.publicpolicyblogger.com/2010/12/before-its-too-late-fifteen-reasons-why.html
*AnthonyCody Battling the “Bad Teacher” Bogeyman: A Teacher takes on Hanushek’s misguided model of improvement: #edreform
*mcleod New post: A hilarious (and scary) tale about standardized testing scoring #edtech
*web20classroom Want More Engaged Students? Give Them A Say:
*web20classroom RT @ransomtech: A good discussion starter: “21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020”
*NCMSA RT @mathematicsprof: 2011 is also the sum of 11 CONSECUTIVE prime numbers: 2011=157+163+167+173+179+181+191+193+197+199+211
*SeanBanville “2011 to Be Best Year Ever” – My latest BreakingNewsEnglish lesson plan – #ESL
*mcleod CASTLE blog post: Virtual Schooling In The News
*sarahhanawald RT @fredbartels: Blaming bad teachers for learning failure in high-poverty areas like blaming bad doctors for high disease rates in slums.
*DianeRavitch LA school that is “least effective” but not really: http://tinyurl.com/2busj8d
*terryfreedman 10 tips for planning the use of technology in lessons: Using educational technology effectively usu.. Pls RT, thx!

NSMA 2010 Session 5:

A five year multi-case study of middle level teachers

Dr. Holly Thornton
thorntonhj@app state.edu
(email her for the presentation)

Teacher Observation:  Caitlyn
A lot of these are self reporting.
It’s a legal can of worms.

Teacher Observation:  Caitlyn

Longitudinal case analysis.

Do these beliefs last over time.

Teacher Observation: Caitlyn

Put on your teacher evaluator hat.

What did they do well and what needs improvement?

Teacher Observation:  Amy

More organized.

Dispositions Observation form.

There is an observation form for this stuff.

Left hand column is responsiveness

Right hand column is technical

Center is Medium level.

The disconnected side sounds like a slam, but it isn’t intended to be so.

Dispositions in Action

Focus is impact on student learning/depth of understanding.

Responsive sees the kids getting learning deeply and technical is seeing the kids getting it correctly (technical details)

Context wasn’t a main factor in this study.

Aligned with Young Adolescent needs.

Responsive are better at teaching this.

Responsive dispositions align more with deeper teaching.  Both are necessary, but Responsive seems to have an advantage.

Manifested in teacher/student interaction.

Discourse analysis

Used to understand how the teachers got the kids to this place

Grounded theory from model middle school analysis

Evaluating Dispositions

Summary Findings Over Time

Young teachers’ dispositions remained fairly consistent over time.

They maintained their dispositions over time.

The testing pieces helped them live out their dispositions, maybe.

Many teachers leave the field because they don’t feel successful in what they choose to do.

What does this imply for us?

Factors that did not

Type of school setting

Content area taught

Testing emphasis

Factors that matter most

School climate

Collaborative time with teacher

School leadership

Principal trust was a huge influence.

Push on testing

Trust that they would do their jobs was important

Testing emphasis

How that emphasis was stressed moved people to the technical side.

Original dispositional orientation.

Can you teach dispositions?

All were dealing with a strong emphasis on standardized high stakes testing via No Child Left Behind.

(Note find teacher quality index)

All were held accountable to these tests and were successful in getting students to do well on them.

However, the young teachers’ dispositions affected how they reacted to the testing focus and how they ultimately defined teaching and learning in their classrooms.

Note:  The more middle school a middle school is the better the test scores.  (Find this study)
Consider as Middle Level Teacher Educators

Responsive teachers may at this time in education feel like they are teaching against the grain.  The question may be what types of dispositions we want our graduates to possess, given the current educational context and challenges.  What serves them best and ultimately what best serves their students and our future society?

The people who will be in the next century are the responsive types, not the technical types.

Look for publications in Teacher Ed Quarterly.

How to manifest it in the classroom.

CEU info:  AA7
2461 Session #
Send her stuff too.

21st Century Skills for students

Session 2
2229
Chad Foster

Teenagers preparing for the real world.
Mostly read by 8th graders. Written at a 7th grade level.
Based off of a 10 day short course.
Reading literacy is the basis.
Business background.

Students spend 15,000 hours in the classroom before graduation. Too many kids don’t know what to do after school. Schools do a good job of educating kids but not preparing them.
Success:

  • Good Friends
  • Reputation
  • Like what they are doing
  • Give back to the community

Need:
Knowledge- must be relevant

What part of the cell provides energy? mitocondri

  • Communication Skills
  • People Skills
  • Technology Skills
  • Time Management Skills

Skills must be learned. They can’t be Googled.
We need to teach the ability to talk to “strangers”.

80% of jobs that are being hired are never posted or advertised. People with networking skills are getting the jobs. In the past, you needed to work hard to stay in contact with others. Today it is easy.

Meet a stranger activity. Too many kids don’t know how to talk to business people. They think that they need lots of complex questions. They need to learn how to ask simple questions, listen and then follow up.

Teach kids to talk about:

  • Family
  • What they do
  • Hobbies

Have kids practice talking to “strangers”. Start with students acting like someone else. Then have adults do the same thing. Then bring in business people.
Have the students contact people who use outside the norm jobs. Students complete interviews and then do a one minute presentation.
Bring in a diverse panel for kids to ask questions.

Have kids write a handwritten thank you cards.

News:

Can Learning to Play the Violin Make you Smarter?

Brenda Brenner, a music education professor at the IU Jacobs School of Music, developed the program after academic research showed students who played string instruments performed better academically than those who did not.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20101224/NEWS04/12240324/1013/NEWS04/Attica-students-part-effort-see-music-improves-minds

Webspotlight:

Google Body
Played with Google Earth?  You know, that website the kids go to to look at their own homes via satellite?  Here’s one for the human body:  http://bodybrowser.googlelabs.com/

Math & Money

Mint.com, the popular personal finance management service, in collaboration with Scholastic has launched a free personal finance curriculum for middle school use. Math and Money is a collection of four short lessons (2 primary lessons and two “bonus” lessons) about personal finance. Lesson one is designed to teach students about wages, taxes, and costs of living. Lesson two is designed to teach students the benefits of saving their money in a bank. The bonus lessons expand the first two lessons. Scholastic hosts printable materials that you can download and use to support the lessons.
http://www.scholastic.com/mint/

Life on Minimum Wage

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/11/life-on-minimum-wage-lesson-in-personal.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
NewsBy Troy Patterson

Lies, $#&* Lies, and Statistics

Here is an interesting follow up to the statistics quoted in Waiting for Superman. I’ve not seen the movie yet, but find it interesting that the statistics being bandied about from the movie are being called into question. The great thing about statistics is that you can make them say just about whatever you want.

Here’s the start of the blog post:

In the movie Waiting for Superman, nominated for an Oscar as the best Documentary of 2010, the following statement is made:

” …in Illinois, 1 in 57 doctors loses his or her medical license, and 1 in 97 attorneys loses his or her law license, but only 1 teacher in 2500 has ever lost his or her credentials.”

The post then goes on to give very different statistics:

In reality, only 121 doctors lost their licenses in Illinois in 2009, out of 43,670 physicians, rather than 1 in 57, as the movie claims. That means an average of 0.3% of doctors per year lost their licenses; or 3 out 1,000 per year – about one tenth of the figure claimed in the film.

Over the last five years, the number of Illinois doctors who have lost their licenses annually ranged from 173 to 99 each year, so the rate has not varied much over time. Similarly, 161 physicians in New York State lost their medical licenses in 2009, out of 64,818; about 0.2%, or 2 out of 1,000 per year – an even smaller figure.

It is a short interesting read. Read with a critical eye. However, it probably presents a much more balanced and accurate picture of what really happens. More educators are “exited” from the educational field then doctors, lawyers.


NewsBy Troy Patterson

PISA Review

Here is a great write up of the PISA scores and what they mean. Mel Riddile wrote the piece for NASSP. It is definitely worth a read. A few excerpts to whet your whistle:

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, should be providing the nation with a proper vision and focus for public education. He knows our challenges all too well. He confirmed that he gets it when he recently wrote me saying, “We must build a culture nationally where great educators … choose to work with children and communities who need the most help.”
Tirozzi demonstrates the correlation between socio-economic status and reading by presenting the PISA scores in terms of individual American schools and poverty.  While the overall PISA rankings ignore such differences in the tested schools, when groupings based on the rate of free and reduced lunch are created, a direct relationship is established.

There are several easy to understand charts accompanying the article. The end result, while there needs to be an emphasis and hard work in education, the real challenge may in addressing poverty.

Instead of finding blame to pass around, maybe its time that we actually acknowledge some of our real challenges.

NewsBy Troy Patterson

A different point of view on PISA

This is taken from Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, but makes some interesting points:

Simply put, the highest-achieving countries in the world out-prepare, out-invest, out-respect and, as a result, outperform the United States.The top-performing countries on PISA — Finland, Singapore and South Korea — place a heavy emphasis on teacher preparation, mentoring and collaboration. They de-emphasize standardized tests, and each has a well-rounded curriculum that teachers can tailor. The top-performing countries provide a more equitable education for all students and offset the effects of poverty through wraparound services that support students and their families.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randi-weingarten/scaling-up-success_b_799258.html

advisory, MSM, News, NMSA10By Troy Patterson

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

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
Conferences, NMSA10, PodcastBy Troy Patterson

MSM 146 NMSA 2010 Dinner Conversation

This week’s show is a recording of the dinner conversation we enjoyed during the National Middle School Annual Conference. There is a lot of background noise, but the audio is surprisingly decent considering. The conversation revolved largely around the Department of Education questions that Shawn was asked. We should be back with a “normal” show next week.

News, TechBy Troy Patterson

1 to 1 Costs vs Athletics

Scott McLeod does some terrific work. He has posted a comment about the cost of athletic programs as it relates to implementing a 1 to 1 computer program. He points out that it is not about knocking athletic programs. Athletics are important and have a role. Rather, this is about considering costs and coming up with comparables. It’s a short post and worth reading. He finishes with three questions:

  1. How much money does your school district spend per year on athletics?
  2. How many student/teacher laptops (at, say, $1,400 apiece) would that buy?
  3. Which offers greater benefits for students and/or the district (short term and/or long term)?

All fair questions. I’d propose a few questions myself:

  1. Are these questions that we are talking about as educators?
  2. Are we talking about them as a school community? As a larger community?
  3. How much do emotional attachments matter?
  4. Is education about reading, writing and math? Is it about different things?

Education is messy. I actually think that this is a strength of education. It makes poor decisions harder to implement. It makes us talk about, discuss, argue, etc. what we want education to do. This is an interesting discussion though. How much does your school (district) spend on athletics?

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2010/12/athletics-or-laptops.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dangerouslyirrelevant+%28Dangerously+Irrelevant%29

NMSA09, Teaching TipBy Troy Patterson

Giving Directions

Last show we talked a little bit about Jack Berkemeyer’s students writing instructions. This passed along my desk today, and I thought it timely.

First, SpongeBob assumes that Patrick knows what a jar is. Next, he assumes Patrick knows what a lid is. Finally, he assumes that Patrick is clear on what success looks like.

This may be a good introduction to students’ writing directions, or maybe just a sanity break for you (do exactly as I do, do exactly as I do,do exactly as I do,do exactly as I do,do exactly as I do)

http://spongebob.nick.com/videos/play/100great-big-pink-loser-clip/