MSM 253: King Me or Pin Me, the Odds Aren’t Good.

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

Do you know what happens to quarterbacks when they reach the ends of their lives?

They just pass away.

 

A woman went to her dentist to have her dentures adjusted for the fifth time.

She said they still didn’t fit. “Well,” said the dentist “I’ll do it again this time, but no more. There’s no reason why these shouldn’t fit your mouth easily.”

“Who said anything about my mouth?” he woman answered.

“They don’t fit in the glass!”

 

This police officer sees an old lady driving and knitting at the same time so after driving next to her for awhile he yells to her,”PULLOVER”. She replies,”No, a pair of socks”.

 

A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. He had no trouble with discipline that term.

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Sharon Kea, Michelle Davis, kelboe, Laura Blanchard

  • Diigo (aka ScoopIt for some show hosts): Kaylen Miller

 

Advisory:

 

Can you trust your eyes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZflIMBxyIak#t=114

 

What are the Odds?

 

What Are The Odds?

by sofyay.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

http://visual.ly/what-are-odds

Middle School Science Minute

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

Respect the Web

I was recently reading the April/May, 2013 issue of “Science Scope,” an magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  The theme of this issue is biodiversity.  In the Editor’s Roundtable, Inez Liftig, writes about the need to respect food webs, food chains, and energy pyramids.  This is because students often think they are “above” nature, not “part of” nature.  We need to help our students understand that our human existence is inextricably linked to the maintenance of Earth’s biodiversity.

From the Twitterverse:

* Cristina Milos ‏@surreallyno

‘”Classroom routines and consistency are far more important in the long run than gimmicks.” @LearningSpy Marathon vs sprint – good analogy.

* Jon Samuelson ‏@ipadSammy

5 Brilliant iPad Educational Apps For Design Learning | @LearnPal http://sco.lt/6rzdgH  #edcampatl #udlchat

* EDTC@UTB ‏@EDTECH_UTB

RT @steinman: Stanford flips the #flipclass model with impressive results http://shrd.by/5w2rH6  #edtech #edchat

* Miguel Guhlin ‏@mguhlin

We Are Teachers http://zite.to/17RLYTo

* Richard Byrne ‏@rmbyrne

Create Mind Maps and Flow Charts With Lucidchart for iPad http://ipadapps4school.com/2013/09/12/create-mind-maps-and-flow-charts-with-lucidchart-for-ipad/ … via @feedly

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo

Fun Cartoon For English Teachers: “A Tense Situation” http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/09/13/fun-cartoon-for-english-teachers-a-tense-situation/#.UjRS8hgTar0.twitter …

* Scott Shelhart ‏@KD9SR

Google and Raspberry Pi join forces to create Coder http://gigaom.com/2013/09/13/google-and-raspberry-pi-join-forces-to-create-coder/ … via @gigaom

* Mark Dunk ‏@unklar

Frogs in space: NASA snaps the ultimate photobomb | Fox News http://fxn.ws/1eIqvRZ  via @fxnscitech

* amhistorymuseum ‏@amhistorymuseum

Today in 1814: Soldiers at Ft McHenry raise huge American flag that inspired National Anthem. Visit the flag: – http://ow.ly/oPxQv

* Tra Hall ‏@tra_hall 1h

Four instructional moves to get kids talking in math class http://zite.to/19Qi4jQ  #txed #fundamental5

Miguel Guhlin ‏@mguhlin 2h

The Post-Lecture Classroom: How Will Students Fare? http://zite.to/1gbrvfi  #flipped

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

After the Deadline

After the Deadline helps you write better by adding spell, style, and grammar checking to web applications. You can learn more on our features page.

After the Deadline is available as:

You can also find it as:

  • A plugin option for the IntenseDebate comment system

  • Your proofreader on WordPress.com

For developers we provide plenty of tools to help After the Deadline spread far and wide.

http://www.afterthedeadline.com/

http://www.polishmywriting.com/

 

14 Profound Quotes From The Harry Potter Books

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/profound-quotes-from-the-harry-potter-books

Web Spotlight:

Why are you working on that?

I’m astounded at how often my children do things for class without understanding the bigger reasons behind WHY they’re doing those things.

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/09/why-are-you-working-on-that.html

 

The Two Things Teachers Focus on Most….Instead of Learning

Written by Mark Clements

It’s accidental really. You start off with every intention of making your classroom entirely focused on learning.

Trouble is there are two things teachers frequently “focus” on by accident.

Many teachers spend an exuberant amount of time stressing and punishing kids in the name of “teaching responsibility”.

Behavioral expectations on steroids aren’t the only thing that can cause a classroom teacher to lose focus either.

If you REALLY want to push the boundaries of this “Focus on Learning” thing, then consider you’re your grades actually reflect. Do they reflect student growth? Student knowledge? Or are they some conglomeration of responsibility, task completion, knowledge and skills.

Accurate grading is essential, as is developing a “growth mindset” where students are more interested in improving their knowledge and skills than in simply jumping through the teacher’s hoops.

Teachers believe they are forced to give busy work assignments, grade everything, take off points for late work and give completion points as a means of controlling students.

Instead, teachers should lesson plan and be prepared every day to give quality assignments that only reflect student understanding of a content objective.

 

http://edunators.com/index.php/becoming-the-edunator/is-my-classroom-focused-on-learning/the-two-things-teachers-focus-on-most-instead-of-learning

 

Rick Wormeli: Redos, Retakes, and Do-Overs, Part One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-3PFfIfvI

Why I Hated Meredith’s First Grade Teacher: An Open Letter to America’s Teachers

And then, somehow, without me even realizing, Meredith’s small hand moved from mine to Ms. Miner’s and she was gone. She was swallowed up by the sheer joy this other woman brought into her classroom, into learning, and into my child’s life. “I guess I’ll be going now,” I said to Meredith who was busy putting school supplies away in her desk. “So, I’ll be just around the corner at our house,” I said blinking hard to keep away the tears.” I think she nodded. Perhaps she even paused to wave. My feet couldn’t move and Ms. Miner gently helped me and a few other moms out of the classroom. “She’s really shy,” I said to Ms. Miner just as Meredith sped by holding a new friend’s hand showing her “all these hooks where we can hang our backpacks.”

 

http://kylenebeers.com/blog/2012/08/20/why-i-hated-merediths-first-grade-teacher-an-open-letter-to-americas-teachers/

Be Sure To….

Strategy to help kids reflect.

 

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-goal-setting

MSM 252: He took the Rhom-bus, Jim!

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

An American tourist was lunching in a restaurant in China where the specialty was duck. The waiter explained each dish as he brought it to the table. “This is the breast of the duck; this the leg of the duck; this is the wing of the duck; etc.” Then came the dish that the American knew was chicken. He waited for the explanation. Silence. “Well?” he finally asked, “What’s this?” The waiter replied, “It’s a friend of duck.”

 

Waiter: And how did you find your steak, sir?

Customer: Well, I just pushed aside a bean and there it was!

 

What do you call a bear in the rain? A drizzly bear

What did the bean say to the bean?

Why do are seagulls called seagulls?

Three tomatoes are walking down the street.

What lights up a soccer stadium?

When’s the best time to go to the dentist?

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Mike Hanlon, Steve Woods

  • Email:  Patti Kinney (NASSP)

 

Middle School Science Minute

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

Nature Study Practitioners:

 

I was recently reading the Spring, 2013 issue of Green Teacher magazine.  One of the articles in this issue was entitled, “The Nature-Study Movement” written by Kelly Johnson.  She found that by revisiting this historic movement it reinforces the importance of integrating art and science when helping children get engaged with the natural world.  Within the article, the author shares stories about her three favorite Nature-Study Practitioners.  They are:

1.  Anna Botsford Comstock

2.  Beatrix Potter

3.  Rachel Carson

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/7/3_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Nature_Study_Practitioners.html

From the Twitterverse:

How To Use Google Glass In Education http://zite.to/1aV9Lqq

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo 1h

“9 complaints schools hear from parents: What you should do when something goes wrong” http://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/2013/09/07/9-complaints-schools-hear-from-parents-what-you-should-do-when-something-goes-wrong-2/#.UisjZBICZ1E.twitter …

* Jason Eifling ‏@jeifling 14h

Looking For Real-World Math Problems? Try Google Earth! http://zite.to/1aoWFTh  via @zite @ali_okeeffe @RRaghothama

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 2h

Charter School Scandals

* Glenn Wiebe ‏@glennw98 12 Aug

5 easy back to school ideas for social studies teachers http://ow.ly/nRgSh  #sschat #historyteacher

* Kevin J. Galbraith ‏@KevG 7h

Augmented Reality to Inspire Creative Writing http://zite.to/17eaZsV

* Richard Byrne ‏@rmbyrne 8h

Try Grammar Pop for iPad for Grammar Lessons http://ow.ly/oEgzA

* Rose Sunrise ‏@sunrise651 7h

PowToon – Online business presentation software to create free, cool, animated, powerpoint video alternatives http://www.powtoon.com/p/bNlWGv4vSVi/#.UirdsIYdi0Q.twitter …

* Lucy Gray ‏@elemenous 7h

Leadership 4 Mobile Learning @CoSN is out! http://paper.li/elemenous/1339386897 … ▸ Top stories today via @weejan @appolearning @kosuMobile

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

Movie Teachers

 

Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2013/09/05/back-to-school-10-great-movie-teachers/slide/all/#ixzz2eDTIaJNS

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/09/05/back-to-school-10-great-movie-teachers/slide/all/

Task Timer

from Richard Byrne

Task Timer is a free Chrome app that you can use to time multiple tasks or events at the same time. The app works online and or offline in the Chrome web browser. After installing the app you can create a set of tasks that you want to time. You can run multiple timers at once or run them individually. The timer functions on a countdown basis. A chime sounds when time has expired on each timer.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/09/a-task-timer-to-use-offline-or-online.html#.Uis1J2RASQk

Visual.ly

Click on the search button to find infographics for your area.

http://visual.ly/

 

Delayed Gratification

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ubVVnWglk

 

Things to Think About

Kids’ Things to Think About provides 100 prompts to spark thinking for written responses and encourage conversations about ideas and issues for kids. Created by students and teachers in Michigan, it can be used in classrooms or with families by allowing children to explore the prompts and by using them to guide a discussion or lesson.

 

-12 categories of questions including Friends, Family, School, Fun and Feelings.

 

-Challenges kids to dream about the future, think through “what would you do..” scenarios and make decisions about interesting topics.

 

-Voice narration of prompts and original illustrations by local elementary students

 

-Coding and graphics by Jackson Area Career Center students

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/things-to-think-about/id664670576?mt=8

 

Socrative Back Channel

Mr Vernon, a 6th grade Earth Science teacher wants to engage students during his overview lecture on plate tectonics. However, he has a lot of material to cover in a short amount of time. He turns to Socrative Short Answer to create a backchannel room so that students may submit questions throughout class. Students learn what their peers are thinking and can compare it to their own understanding.  Mr. Vernon appreciates how he can clear up any areas of misunderstanding before the class ends.  In addition, he often adjusts homework as a result.

http://www.socrative.com/garden/?p=1651

Web Spotlight:

The Ruthless Global Battle for Your Back-to-School Shopping Dollars

China, big box retail, and automation: the economic development of the world as seen through the iconic school notebook

In a world of cell phones and iPads, there’s one back-to-school product both grandparents and children share: lined paper. Whether it’s three-hole punched for a binder, perfect-bound into a black-and-white composition journal, or waiting to be torn out of a spiral notebook, lined paper is the medium of schoolwork.

But very cheap imports combined with retail dynamics in the United States have produced an incredibly competitive marketplace. The school-supply paper market is as seasonal as Halloween costume rentals. And worse, the paper and notebooks are what retailers use as their loss-leader or door busters. The cheaper the notebooks that kids need, the more families come to the store and end up buying the expensive higher-margin stuff that kids want.

Things got so bad, in fact, that the American school supply companies and the union representing their employees went to the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2006 to ask for “anti-dumping” action against China, India, and Indonesia. They claimed paper suppliers from those countries were subsidized by their national governments, and thereby were able to sell their products below “fair value.”

The dynamics of back-to-school retail are difficult to get around. The retailers desperately need to drive foot traffic because it’s basically a second Christmas for them. They need good back-to-school sales or they’ll never make their third-quarter numbers.

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/the-ruthless-global-battle-for-your-back-to-school-shopping-dollars/279057/#comments

The Biggest “Game-Changer” in Education

September 5, 2013

By George Couros

Recently, Jon Samuelson and I were having a conversation and he asked me, “What do you see as the big ‘game changer’ in education?”

I hate this question (as I think Jon does as well).  You hear things like MOOC’s, tablets, the Flipped Classroom, coding, gaming, social media, blah blah blah, and how they are going to change everything that we do.  If you are going to pick a single “thing” that is a game-changer in education, it is the Internet.

The real game changer isn’t something external; it is internal.  It is the way we think and grow.  It is moving from that “fixed” mindset about teaching and learning, and moving to the “growth” mindset.  It is thinking differently about education and understanding that all of us as people need different things to succeed.

 

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/8916#

School bullying’s chilling new front

By Francey Hakes, Special to CNN

Why do these problems seem more frequent and the bullying more vicious than ever before? After all, bullying existed long before cyberspace, social networking and text messaging. What has changed?

re bullies meaner? Are there more of them? Why do children who are bullied today experience overwhelming feelings of isolation and despair, such that they feel compelled to end their young lives rather than endure any more torment?

The answer is simple. Now one person or a small group of bullies can exponentially raise the torment to an unimaginable level in cyberspace.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/05/opinion/hakes-bullying/index.html

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/09/this-is-not-the-answer-to-cyberbullying.html

MSM 251 Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes, Shawn a MODEM…

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

 

Jokes You Can Use:

A Texan is visiting Australia for the first time; He sees a sheep and starts laughing; he says to his Australian guide ” oh, at home in Texas, sheep are twice as big!” He then sees a cow ands bursts ” Puff, in Texas, our cows are much, much bigger!” And suddenly, he sees a kangaroo and asks, “What’s that?” the guide answers ” oh, that’s just a grasshopper…”

 

Did you hear about the classical pianist who was not a good speller? When she went out to buy something she left a sign on her door that said: “Out Chopin. Be Bach in a minuet”

 

Q. What is a musical part of a turkey?

A. The drumsticks

Boss: You should have been here at 9.00 a.m.

Employee: Why what happened?

 

The other day I was talking to my sixteen-year-old son, Mack. I was getting after him about his behavior. I said to him, “Mack do you know the difference between right and wrong”? He looked perplexed, so I followed “you know, like good and bad”. To this he replied, “ya, like 1-800 and 1-900”.

Business Terms:

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.

You go up to her and say, “I am very rich. Marry me!”

 

That’s Direct Marketing.

You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.

One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you and says,

“He’s very rich. Marry him.”

 

That’s Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.

You go up to her and get her telephone number.

The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me.”

 

That’s Telemarketing.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl.

You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour

her a drink.

You open the door for her; pick up her bag after she drops it,

offer her a ride, and then say,

“By the way, I’m very rich. Will you marry me?”

 

That’s Public Relations.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl.

She walks up to you and says, “You are very rich.”

 

That’s Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.

You go up to her and say, “I’m rich. Marry me”

She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.

 

That’s Customer Feedback!!!!

 

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Diana Darrow, Jason Elsom, Miles MacFarlane, Pat McCarty

 

Advisory:

Twitter Beard

(from Ron King)

For the past three years I’ve been teaching “Digital Illustration” in a local college VC program. For this terms final project I assigned the students an “Illustrative Mask” for them to create over a four week period were we focused on each phase of the creative process: Thumbnails, Sketches, Comps, and Final Art all being art directed by myself and peer reviewed.

*Includes link to model beard.

http://artbackwash.blogspot.com/2009/06/twitter-beard.html

 

9 Skills That Every Kid Should Learn

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/9-skills-that-every-kid-should-learn.html

Middle School Science Minute

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

Eyewash Stations

 

I was recently reading “The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science, Volume 2,” written by Ken Roy.  This book is available in the National Science Teachers Association’s online store at:

http://nsta.org/store

 

In this podcast, I share Ken’s response to the following question:

“Do I need an emergency eyewash station in my middle school science laboratory, and if so, where should it be located.?”

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/6/28_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Eyewash_Stations.html

From the Twitterverse:

* NJAMLE ‏@NJAMLE

How to form a real partnership with students from the first day http://sbne.ws/r/dYg1

* Kevin Cummins ‏@edgalaxy_com

Top 5 iPad apps for busy educators http://brev.is/59j2

* Todd Van Horn ‏@tvanhorn39

A Practical Guide For Teachers Who Just Got iPads http://www.edudemic.com/2013/08/teachers-ipad-guide/ … via @edudemic

* Todd Van Horn ‏@tvanhorn39

4 Apps For Optimizing Teacher Workflow http://www.edudemic.com/2013/08/4-apps-optimizing-teacher-workflow/ … via @edudemic

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

No Child Left Behind waivers leave disadvantaged students behind

* Joshua Walker ‏@jshwlkr

Build your own dinosaur: fossil models arrive for 3D printers | The Verge @pfanderson @nniiccoollee

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo

Via @nprnews: How Do You Say …? For Some Words, There’s No Easy Translation http://n.pr/175Es4H

* pdonaghy ‏@pdonaghy

Teaching with Moodle MOOC starts tomorrow 1st Sept #learnmoodle http://learn.moodle.net

* Roxanne Glaser ‏@roxanneglaser

Who said it, Adolf Hitler or Taylor Swift? Pinterest user actually quoting Nazi leader http://n360.to/1a7k6Af  #educacion #lessonidea

* Nicholas Provenzano ‏@thenerdyteacher

20% Time In My Classroom #edchat http://goo.gl/gK6Jb6

* Christopher McGown ‏@clmcgown

Will this work in the US? UK Man gets pay-per-call number, makes money from telemarketers:

* Doug Peterson ‏@dougpete 3h

Say What? 5 Ways to Get Students to Listen http://zite.to/15pVyKb  via @zite

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 30 Aug

2 Useful Tools to Create Rubrics for Your Class ~ #fhucid #fhuedu320 #edwebchat http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/educatorstechnology/pDkK/~3/QRTZ0MShjeY/2-useful-tools-to-create-rubrics-for.html …

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

http://www.upworthy.com/we-have-been-mislead-by-an-erroneous-map-of-the-world-for-500-years

Money

this little experiment is a helpful way to illustrate three essential functions of money: a store of value, a unit of account, and a medium of exchange.

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2013/08/what-is-money/278980/

 

Web Spotlight:

Add Images to a Google Form

Terrific tutorial by Richard Byrne.

You can use this to create visual quizzes.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/08/how-to-create-image-based-quizzes-in.html#.UiH7smRASQk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRl1dG4iehk#t=169

Moon Phases Explained (with Oreo cookies)

Hey, Oreo cookies, what more could you want?

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=4400

Hi Guys,

Thought of you when I saw this on ASCD:

 

Five follow-worthy ed-tech Pinterest boards

Administrators, educators will find ed-tech resources for engaging instruction, professional development

Shelly Terrell‘s 46 boards focus on a variety of resources, including digital storytelling, presentation tools, word cloud tools, online games, graphic organizers, and collaboration tools.

http://pinterest.com/shellyterrell/

 

Eric Sheninger‘s Twitter Resources board includes tips for administrators and teachers alike, including using Twitter for professional development, how to help teachers overcome Twitter fears, and more. Sheninger’s other boards focus on personal learning networks, Web 2.0, and iPad apps for administrators.

http://pinterest.com/esheninger/

 

Kristin Brynteson‘s ed-tech board includes pins on iPad apps, interactive learning sites, flipped learning, and collaborative and engaging educational resources.

http://pinterest.com/kbrynteson/ed-tech/

 

All Things Technology, from Mary Lirette, features writing websites, free online books, and professional development videos in its more than 800 pins. Lirette’s main Pinterest board is chock full of educational resources and has more than 4,200 pins.

http://pinterest.com/marylirette/all-things-technology/

 

Erin Klein‘s EduTech Resources board offers users a multitude of ed-tech tips and tools, including a list of educational and ed-tech websites, ISTE sessions, instructions on how to integrate various apps with one another, resources on digital citizenship, and more.

http://pinterest.com/erinklein/edutech-resources/

 

Time Management: Planning for the Adventure

Think of planning for the school year as planning for an adventure. If we are going to teach like pirates, we’d better be well prepared for those duels and treasure hunts.

  • Prioritize

  • Make a List and Set a Timeline

  • Enlist Students to Join Your Crew

  • Refer to Your Outside Compass and PLN

  • Don’t Be Afraid to Say “No” (Arrr . . .)

 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/time-management-planning-the-adventure-clara-galan

 

Parents hope school district learns from heat cancellations

by Tim Post, Minnesota Public Radio

August 29, 2013

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Students in about two dozen Minneapolis schools without air conditioning stayed home today after the district cancelled classes due to the stifling heat and humidity.

The move came after days of criticism from parents and teachers that the district wasn’t prepared for the hot temperatures, and should have considered delaying the start of school.

By law Minnesota schools aren’t allowed to start classes before the late summer holiday.

But Minneapolis is one of 40 districts with state permission to start early. This is the district’s fifth year with an August start, and the first time classes have been affected by the heat.

 

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/08/29/parents-react-heat-class-cancellations

MSM 250: Well, it’s been a while . . .

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

Why was the archaeologist depressed?

His career was in ruins.

 

What’s the most commonly misspelled blood group?

Typo.

 

What do you call Santa’s helpers?

Subordinate clauses.

 

Why was the computer tired when it got home?

Because it had a hard drive.

 

What do you call dyslexic owls?

Slow.

Eileen Award:

  • iTunes:  Busbyscience

  • Twitter: Joy Kirr, Paul Dunford, Don Wettrick, Kyle Mayer

  • Diigo:

  • Facebook: Christine Fleisher, Smoth John

 

Advisory:

Red Cross Baby Sitting Courses

Introductory Video –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mIS1UQY2_Q

http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/program-highlights/babysitting-caregiving

 

Middle School Science Minute

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

Choice Eliminates Complacency

 

I was recently reading the March, 2013 issue of Science Scope, a magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  An article that caught my attention was:

“Choice: The Dragon Slayer of Student Complacency.”  It was written by Douglas Llewellyn.

 

The article focuses in on the the skills that middle level teachers have that help them capture student interest.  The teacher skills are:

1.  Differentiate instruction to suit the needs of individual students.

2.  Provide intrinsic motivation for learning by offering choice.

3.  Engage students in the learning process.

 

You can find it online at:

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/6/24_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Choice_Eliminates_Complacency.html

From the Twitterverse:

* Joshua Pugh ‏@JPughMI  Must-read from an actual educator on why Michigan’s school ratings are so misguided and dangerous: http://novisuperintendent.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-do-i-explain.html … via @nancyflanagan
* Mike Hanlon ‏@HanlonMike

Treat bullies with compassion & ask the right questions. Treat targets with respect and give them a voice. #restore relationships #colchat

* John Spencer ‏@edrethink 1h

I think the biggest policy affecting my school is the sheer amount of testing we are required to do. #rechat

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

The Silent Writing Collective | @dajbelshaw cc @eolsonteacher

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

MT @jcwastler Just asked 6 yr old about 1st wk of school: “Boring. Took learning tests all day, all week.” Way to kill excitement #satchat

* carl_gaines ‏@carl_gaines

I liked reading ‘A FREE MOOC: How To Teach Online’ http://wp.me/pnP2E-nZ

* Jeffrey Bradbury ‏@TeacherCast

Learn how to create AWESOME and dynamic APPS with your students this year… http://tinyurl.com/md72e59  #eduvid #elearning @TeacherCast

* Tra Hall ‏@tra_hall

1000 Ideas to Build Positive Relationships with Your Class (Responses) http://zite.to/1aARTBe  #txed

* Rosaura Gonzalez ‏@rgonzalezmuniz

Teachers: Preparing for Your Best Year Ever http://edut.to/147pV8u  via @edutopia #ACPSCoaches #ACPS

* Jeffrey Bradbury ‏@TeacherCast

Google Scripting + QR Codes = Awesomeness by @TJHouston http://is.gd/Y8jUH7  #edtech #blog #edstuff #tcdn @TeacherCast

* LearnPal ‏@LearnPal

Crowdsourcing Ideas for Better School Policies http://ow.ly/ocLdS

* Erin Klein ‏@KleinErin

Top story via Kleinspiration 5 Math Apps for Middle School Students | MindShift http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/08/5-math-apps-for-middle-school-students …, see more http://tweetedtimes.com/KleinErin

* Jeffrey Bradbury ‏@TeacherCast

Screencasting Tips Tricks and Apps for the Classroom http://tinyurl.com/m7ebkr3  #eduvid #elearning @TeacherCast

* My ICT Cloud ‏@MyICTCloud

Teaching Art on Edmodo? Must have App Artists Insight – Frederic Edwin Church http://goo.gl/d7PDya  #Edmodo #arted #artsed

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom

Project-based activities aligning to NETS-S and Common core [Grades 5-9]: http://www.21things4students.net/  via #edwebchat ~ #fhuedu642 #fhuedu320

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

100+ Tips for New Teachers and Good Reminders for Veteran Teachers

In 2011 and 2012 I asked readers to share their best tips for new teachers. I compiled all of the tips that were submitted and put them into a Google Slides presentation. I’ve made the slide deck public for anyone who has a Google Account to edit. Please make a copy and add your own tips if you feel inclined to do so.

 

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/08/100-tips-for-new-teachers-and-good.html#.Uhi6JmRASQk

47+ Alternatives to Using YouTube in the Classroom

 

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/09/47-alternatives-to-using-youtube-in.html#.Uhi7nmRASQk

 

Lingualy.

 

Learn

– Learn new words while you browse the web and boost your vocabulary.

Practice

– Review the new words you collected, use smart quizzes to practice the new words you learned.

Read

– Discover real content around the web that suits your interests and level.

Lingua.ly for teachers:

Do you spend a lot of time looking for the right texts for your language class? Do you feel your students are not challenged or interested enough by the reading comprehension activities you assign to them? Lingua.ly to the rescue!

Lingua.ly is a great addition to your teacher’s toolbox. It’s an effective way to make sure your students learn, practice, and remember the vocabulary you assign to them, while they enjoy browsing the web.. No more boring texts and frustrated students! Lingua.ly allows you to set the learning goals you desire, and offers your students the benefits of personalized adaptive learning at the same time.

This is how it works:

First, assign a list of vocabulary to your students (via your favorite communication channel: email, moodle, etc.). Each student can then upload the list to their Lingua.ly learning zone. Lingua.ly automatically generates an interactive flashcard for each word, and helps your students practice and remember the vocabulary with a smart notifications system. Finally, Lingua.ly helps your students practice the new vocabulary they have learned in real context: Lingua.ly’s personalized reading suggestions help each student ‘follow’ the new vocabulary they learned in real articles, articles that match their interests and level as they read and make progress.

The recommended articles will challenge each student just the right amount.: This way, they will not only remember and learn more about the vocabulary you asked them to review, but will also be encouraged to explore and learn new words independently.

Try Lingua.ly today:

It’s free and easy to use! You can start now by adding Lingua.ly to your Chrome browser here.

We are working on new features that will help you plan, support, and monitor your students’ learning more efficiently in the classroom and remotely. We would love your feedback and suggestions to help us plan the best possible system for language teachers anywhere! Join the discussion on our facebook, twitter, and our forum.

http://lingua.ly/

 

Getty

Today the Getty becomes an even more engaged digital citizen, one that shares its collections, research, and knowledge more openly than ever before. We’ve launched the Open Content Program to share, freely and without restriction, as many of the Getty’s digital resources as possible. –

The initial focus of the Open Content Program is to make available all images of public domain artworks in the Getty’s collections. Today we’ve taken a first step toward this goal by making roughly 4,600 high-resolution images of the Museum’s collection free to use, modify, and publish for any purpose.

 

http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/open-content-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/

Unsplash

 

Free (do whatever you want) hi-resolution photos.

10 new photos every 10 days.

 

Good for background images. Also useful for writing assignments.

http://unsplash.com/

 

PROJECT: Education here, there, everywhere.

Do you have teenage students? Do you have teenagers at home who could give us a hand?

I teach English to teenagers in Brazil and we’ve just started a unit which is about Education. In order to help them learn about how different school can be in other countries (or not), we’d love to have students from different countries participate in our VOICETHREAD.

These are some questions students can answer:

– What kind of secondary school do you go to? (private / state school)

– Do you like it?

– How many students are there in your class?

– How many hours a day do you stay at school?

– What kind of subjects do you like best?

– Can you choose what subjects to take?

– Do you have to wear a uniform?

– Can you describe the sitting arrangement in your classroom? ( in a U shape, in lines, in groups)

– And the classes? Does the teacher do most of the talking or do you work mostly in groups?

– Do students stay in the same room the whole school period or do they move to different rooms according to the subject?

– Is discipline very strict?

If you wish to join our project, you can record the whole class using your own voicethread account and have different students come to the webcam in order to answer the questions (an in-class activity) or you can set it for homework and students record themselves individually. To add a video-response and participate in our project, click COMMENT and record a video message, please.

Here’s the link to our VoiceThread.

40 maps that explain the world

 

Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled “40 maps they didn’t teach you in school,” one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. Some of these are pretty nerdy, but I think they’re no less fascinating and easily understandable. A majority are original to this blog (see our full maps coverage here), with others from a variety of sources. I’ve included a link for further reading on close to every one.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/12/40-maps-that-explain-the-world/

 

RIP, Elmore Leonard: The Beloved Author’s 10 Rules of Writing

  1. Never open a book with weather.

If it’s only to create atmosphere, and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. There are exceptions. If you happen to be Barry Lopez, who has more ways to describe ice and snow than an Eskimo, you can do all the weather reporting you want.

  1. Avoid prologues.

They can be annoying, especially a prologue following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in nonfiction. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want.

There is a prologue in John Steinbeck’s Sweet Thursday, but it’s O.K. because a character in the book makes the point of what my rules are all about. He says: “I like a lot of talk in a book and I don’t like to have nobody tell me what the guy that’s talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks. . . . figure out what the guy’s thinking from what he says. I like some description but not too much of that. . . . Sometimes I want a book to break loose with a bunch of hooptedoodle. . . . Spin up some pretty words maybe or sing a little song with language. That’s nice. But I wish it was set aside so I don’t have to read it. I don’t want hooptedoodle to get mixed up with the story.”

  1. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue.

The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with “she asseverated,” and had to stop reading to get the dictionary.

  1. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said” …

…he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances “full of rape and adverbs.”

  1. Keep your exclamation points under control.

You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.

  1. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.”

This rule doesn’t require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use “suddenly” tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

  1. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.

Once you start spelling words in dialogue phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won’t be able to stop. Notice the way Annie Proulx captures the flavor of Wyoming voices in her book of short stories Close Range.

  1. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.

Which Steinbeck covered. In Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.

  1. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things.

Unless you’re Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language or write landscapes in the style of Jim Harrison. But even if you’re good at it, you don’t want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.

And finally:

  1. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

A rule that came to mind in 1983. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. What the writer is doing, he’s writing, perpetrating hooptedoodle, perhaps taking another shot at the weather, or has gone into the character’s head, and the reader either knows what the guy’s thinking or doesn’t care. I’ll bet you don’t skip dialogue.

My most important rule is one that sums up the 10.

  1. If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative. It’s my attempt to remain invisible, not distract the reader from the story with obvious writing. (Joseph Conrad said something about words getting in the way of what you want to say.)

If I write in scenes and always from the point of view of a particular character — the one whose view best brings the scene to life — I’m able to concentrate on the voices of the characters telling you who they are and how they feel about what they see and what’s going on, and I’m nowhere in sight.

What Steinbeck did in Sweet Thursday was title his chapters as an indication, though obscure, of what they cover. “Whom the Gods Love They Drive Nuts” is one, “Lousy Wednesday” another. The third chapter is titled “Hooptedoodle 1″ and the 38th chapter “Hooptedoodle 2″ as warnings to the reader, as if Steinbeck is saying: “Here’s where you’ll see me taking flights of fancy with my writing, and it won’t get in the way of the story. Skip them if you want.”

Sweet Thursday came out in 1954, when I was just beginning to be published, and I’ve never forgotten that prologue.

Did I read the hooptedoodle chapters? Every word.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/08/21/elmore-leonard-10-rules-of-writing/

 

Web Spotlight:

Moodle

Inspiring better teaching everywhere. Welcome to the first official Moodle MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). Our first course for teachers runs for four weeks, starting 1st September 2013.

 

http://learn.moodle.net/

A teacher’s heart speaks on the first day of school

 

My youngest has moved up into sixth grade. My how time flies. When I talked with him on Thursday about his week his first response was:

“I’m so happy. I think all my teachers seem to like me ok.”

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-teacher-heart-speaks-on-first-day-of.html

 

How come officials could predict new test score results?

The mystery and complexity that surrounds the setting of test cut-scores evoke feelings of awe and puzzlement. It is a method as stupefying as those used by the Amazing Kreskin to make predictions and read minds.  We, the audience, are to suspend our disbelief and accept the meaning attached to the number as if it were reality.

Yet, before the tests were even taken, John King, commissioner of education in New York State, was predicting the drop, while blaming “all of the adults” for so many kids not being prepared for high school and college.

New York State Education Department, with the help of Pearson, creates a test and then after it is taken and scored, decide what constitutes passing.   By showing those chosen to participate in the cut-score setting process other measures that they claim indicate college readiness (such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, SAT scores, Regents exams), they are able to get the outcome they want.

You can read the account of the cut score creation process from participant, Dr. Maria Baldassarre-Hopkins, of Nazareth College here: as well as blogger, Jersey Jazzman’s,hilarious interpretation here.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/08/12/how-come-officials-could-predict-results-on-new-test-scores/

MSM 249: In Spite of It All, Here’s a Show….

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

Which farmer sits on his tractor shouting, “The end is nigh.”?

Farmer Geddon

What do you call a ghost at a hotel?

An inn spectre

 

What was the worst thing about Robin Hood’s house?

It had a little john.

 

What is Forrest Gump’s Facebook password?

1Forrest1.

 

Why did the paranoid guy quit Twitter?

He thought he was being followed.

 

What’s the scariest thing in geometry?

A vicious circle.

 

Why are dwarfs good at maths?

Because it’s the little things that count.

 

What’s ET short for?

Because he’s got little legs.

 

Do you know the difference between illegal and unlawful?

Unlawful means “against the law” and illegal is a sick bird.

 

Why was the calendar depressed?

 

Why are there no zebras in Czech zoos?

Stripes and Czechs don’t mix.

Eileen Award:

  • iTunes:

  • Twitter: Michael Smith, Todd VanHorn, Sue Waters, AJ Juliani, Shelley Burgess, Patrick Larkin, Lisa Linn, Alec Couros, Darin Jolly and Vicky Smart,

  • Diigo: Ron King.

  • Facebook: Kathy Rose

 

Advisory:

7 Word Autobiographies

 

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/07/11/nypl-live-holdengraber-7-word-bios/

 

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

Design Based Troubleshooting

 

I was recently reading the March, 2013 issue of Science Scope, a magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  An article that caught my attention was:

“Troubleshooting: A bridge that connects engineering design and scientific inquiry.”  It was written by David Crismond.

 

This article compares classic troubleshooting versus design-based troubleshooting.  The emphasis of troubleshooting is on observing, diagnosing, explaining, and fixing.  Troubleshooting stands ready as a bridge that can link the practices of engineering design with those of scientific inquiry.

From the Twitterverse:

* Sophia.org ‏@sophia

Hey Teachers, Summer is the perfect time to get Flipped Class Certified. Try this free program & say flip flip hooray

* Nein. ‏@NeinQuarterly

Theory and praxis walk into a bar. Praxis, pointing to theory: “I’ll have what he’s thinking of having.”

* Tom Grissom ‏@tomgrissom

Surface RT for Teachers http://eiuitc.blogspot.com/2013/07/surface-rt-for-teachers-glass-half.html?view=magazine … a new journey begins

* Steven W. Anderson ‏@web20classroom 1h

From @KleinErin-Foundations Of Flipping:)

* Kyle Pace ‏@kylepace

30 Ways to use Chromebooks in the Classroom #chromebookedu #edtech https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GLmWQ7EJyqF-5ViHaQINkAId2mw9Qoc8KXNN0rVJglM/mobilepresent?pli=1#slide=id.gd3883805_2_18 …

* teachertime123.com ‏@teachertime123 3h

50 Impressive iPad Apps to Fuel Lifelong Learners http://www.teachertime123.com/2012/08/50-impressive-ipad-apps-to-fuel-lifelong-learners/ … via @teachertime123

* Will Richardson ‏@willrich45

RT @JosieHolford: How to learn with technology. Embrace – Unplug – Reboot. Repeat. http://flip.it/6se2F

* Kevin Cummins ‏@edgalaxy_com

The biggest collection of Titanic Education resources for teachers and students. http://www.ultimatetitanic.com/education/

* Susie Highley ‏@shighley

These Twitterville Talk posts are amazing: about as complete a wrap up of the week in chidren’s books you can find!

* Patrick Larkin ‏@patrickmlarkin

MT @baldy7: Soc. Media Has Ruined Grammar (And Other Elementary School Skills You No Longer Need) http://zite.to/1bAfvGj  via @zite #bpschat

* Michele Corbat ‏@MicheleCorbat 6h

Nine Days I Am Looking Forward To Celebrating With My Students http://wp.me/p21t9O-15t  via @colbysharp

* Joy Kirr ‏@JoyKirr 36m

#1st5days MT @LeydenTechy: First day of school ideas: 11 Ways To Get To Know Your Students with Technology http://wp.me/p1RCVK-bW  #ahsd25

* Kyle Pace ‏@kylepace 54m

60 Chrome Apps & Extensions – from @sbehmer #googlect

* Eric Sheninger ‏@NMHS_Principal 18 Jul

Love how @l_hilt has incorporated Fed-Ex Days into PD #lead30

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 19 Jul

Analyzing the Teaching of Professional Practice ~ #fhuedu622A #fhuedu501 #highered http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=16497 …

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

ISTE Videos

Lots of sessions available for your review.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?hl=en&gl=US&client=mv-google&list=PL6aVN_9hcQEFDH57WbT4sY8xQ6Mpp5kbO&nomobile=1

Goals

When you set your goals for the fall, don’t forget your soft goals.

Even more so, we, as teachers, need to be intentional about what we want to help our students be. Thankful. Passionate. Curious. Ethical. Perseverant. Creative… and the list goes on.

Intentionally think about your soft goals because these give you a canvas upon which you will paint your class activities. They should influence the posters you select, the projects you design, and the lessons you plan. You can teach math in a way that harnesses the power of passion. You can weave lessons in that will allow students to show thankfulness to others. You can have projects that foster curiosity.

 

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2013/07/why-you-should-set-soft-goals-for-your.html?m=1

 

How to Nap

 

http://holykaw.alltop.com/how-to-nap-effectively-infographic?tu2=1

ColAR

 

Color in the book pages and then see them come to life as they pop out of the page as 3D models on your mobile

http://colarapp.com/

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colar-mix/id650645305?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

 

RSA Videos:

 

Sir Kenneth Robinson – How to find your element

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDhhIghXxfo

 

Carol Dweck – How to Help Every Child Fulfil Their Potential

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyVZ0KKJuTg

 

Web Spotlight:

ISTE Follow Up

  • Everyone loves Instagram.

  • Pinterest is gaining popularity as a way to collect and share resources.

  • Google Glass has the biggest “wow” factor amongst the ed tech crowd since the first iPhone.

  • The shift from tools to best practices has made major strides (or maybe I just picked better sessions this year.)

  • ISTE is less about technology and more about education reform, transformation, and 21st century learning.

  • The commercialization of education is far too prominent at ISTE.

  • My best learning still takes place in unstructured situations.

  • We as teachers need to learn how to be learners again.

  • Students need to hear less talking and have more time for exploration, self-directed learning, and failure.

  • We need to take back play and bring the fun and games back to learning.

  • Teachers don’t share their work because they don’t think they have anything remarkable to share.

  • You and I are the change makers.

 

http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/2013/06/big-ideas-from-iste-2013.html

The world’s most famous teacher blasts school reform

The most famous teacher in the world is not a fan of high-stakes standardized tests,  Teach For America or the Common Core State Standards.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/07/16/the-worlds-most-famous-teacher-blasts-school-reform/?wprss=rss_education&clsrd

 

Music that you listen to as you work:

 

Wait, what about teachers?…..

 

http://columnfivemedia.com/work-items/sonos-infographic-working-jams-what-music-to-listen-to-on-the-job/

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

BossJock

*Pitkin County Turnaround Cart*  Hey folks, this is Shawn from Middle School Matters and I know you’re wondering, “Where in the world is Middle School Matters podcast 249?!?!”, well we had a little rain and a little thunder and as a result Troy is enjoying candle light dinners with his wife.  DTE’ll have the power on soon and when they do we’ll have another podcast for you with the usual jokes, Advisory ideas and the wonderful Mr. Dave Bydlowski.  So, see you in a few, I can hear the DTE trucks now . . . *Scheduled Podcast Cart*

Visual Notes.

 

MSM 248: Visual Notetaking . . . but this is a Podcast . . .

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

Three men were discussing at a bar about coincidences. The first man said, ” my wife was reading a “tale of two cities” and she gave birth to twins”

“That’s funny”, the second man remarked, “my wife was reading ‘the three musketeers’ and she gave birth to triplets”

The third man shouted, “Good God, I have to rush home!”

When asked what the problem was, he exclaimed, ” When I left the house, my wife was reading Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”!!!

 

A guy drove to the beach and parked his car close to the water’s edge – not realizing it was Low Tide – then he went for a long hike up into the mountains. During his excursion, High Tide came and then receded – completely submersing his car for a period of time in the process. When he finally returned to his car – he became very concerned when he found out that he had Tuna in his Mercury!

http://flowingdata.com/2013/06/14/the-differences-between-a-geek-and-a-nerd/

 

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Megan Barker, CSPAN Classroom, Student Cam (CSPAN), HAsbell, Megan Gaven, LMS (Linwood Middle School) Public Relations, LearnPal, IPEVO, Gretchen Pace, Brenda Knobloch, Faith Howell, Dianne Krause, Gayle Andrews, Mark Lavine, K12 Inc., Chelsy Hooper, Dr. Scott Rimes, Kelly Dumont

  • Facebook: Brian Rice, Sue Anderson

 

Advisory:

Futuristic Inventions

Review the following futuristic inventions. Have students come up with their own and present.

http://mashable.com/2013/07/05/5-wish-list-inventions/?utm_cid=Mash-Product-RSS-Pheedo-All-Partial

 

200 Calories

What does 200 calories look like? (*Note that they do show alcohol).

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

Middle School Science Minute — PBL and Fossil Finders

 

I was recently reading the March, 2013 issue of Science Scope, a magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  An article that caught my attention was:

“Fossil Finders: Engaging All of Your Students Using, Project-Based Learning.”  It was written by Timothy Conner, Daniel Capps, Barbara Crawford, and Robert Ross.

 

The article does a nice job of explaining Project -Based Learning (PBL), why they use PBL and how Fossil Finders fits into the curriculum.  You can learn more about Fossil Finders by visiting:

http://www.fossilfinders.org

From the Twitterverse:

* Dana Huff ‏@danamhuff

Top story: Introducing Edmodo’s Brand New Look http://blog.edmodo.com/2013/07/11/introducing-edmodos-brand-new-look …, see more http://tweetedtimes.com/danamhuff

* teachertime123.com ‏@teachertime123

Behavior Management Plan-article on classrm behavior,positive intervention, how to write a behavior management planhttp://www.teachertime123.com/2011/01/691/

* Farrah Kilgo ‏@KilgosClass

How Twitter Made Me A Better Teacher http://zite.to/1bx4kMU  via @zite

* Mitchell Salerno ‏@wkndDisney

Cute and strangely true. Limericks for Leaders http://zite.to/15D2TKi  via @zite

* Michele Corbat ‏@MicheleCorbat

22 Easy Formative Assessment Techniques for Measuring Student Learning http://zite.to/14Oxq6F  via @zite #swcrkpln

* Garnet Hillman ‏@garnet_hillman

Working on #geniushour plans for next year… Can’t wait to see how they #Choose2Matter!

* Kyle Calderwood ‏@kcalderw

Wonderful Graphic Featuring 10 Simple Ways to Create your PLN http://goo.gl/k1HGM  #njed #edtech #smchat

* ann foreman ‏@ann_f

Speaking activities for low–level students http://ow.ly/mUkCM  #TeachingEnglish #elt

* Darth Vader ‏@DepressedDarth

If you understand Star Wars puns, you’re the Obi-Wan for me.   Retweeted by Pilar Pamblanco

* Steve Cushing ‏@Montberte

A must for every Edmodo Student – Big Planning – Flowchart Tool http://goo.gl/giYrU  #edmodo #edtools #elearning #edchat

* Barbara Bray ‏@bbray27

The 50 Best Smartphone Apps For Teachers Arranged By Category | @scoopit via @hVuj http://sco.lt/4qU0mH

* LearnPal ‏@LearnPal

How To Get An Education For Free Using Only Your Android Phone Or Tablet http://ow.ly/mPmxJ  via @edubeat

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom

Integrating the #iPad into my Teaching Style ~ Friday’s session at #tetaita2013 ~ http://fhu.edu/s/Tz4k2  #tn_teta #fhuedu642 #fhucid

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

Adobe FormsCentral

Allows you to create forms for free. You must create an account by providing an email address. Responses are limited to 50 with the free version. Lots of templates available. I would use Google Forms in place of this. The templates are the one advantage to Adobe.

https://formscentral.acrobat.com/

 

One take on Standardized Testing

Do you know a class like this?

 

Coggle

Unleash your creativity

Produce beautiful notes, quickly and easily. Share them with friends and colleagues to enhance your ideas collaboratively. All for free! Sign in using Google credentials.

Easily create MindMaps. Each MindMap can be shared (either with Write or Read privileges).

You can download your work as a pdf or png. (Thus, it won’t be able to be edited).

You can also see a revision history.

https://coggle.it/

 

MindMup

These can be created in a number of places. You can create a public one, an offline version or save one in your Google Drive.

http://www.mindmup.com/#m:new

 

Free Resources from Larry Ferlazzo

Yesterday, I posted about how Routledge, who recently purchased Eye On Education (the publisher of my first two books on student motivation) had just made all the figures, including student hand-outs, available online for free (see All Figures, Including Student Hand-outs, From My Two Student Motivation Books Are Now Freely Available For Download).

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/07/02/that-was-quick-my-new-publisher-has-made-even-more-free-downloadable-figures-from-my-newest-book-available/

Web Spotlight:

How To Learn Math

I’ve decided to attend Stanford. Sort of.

 

I just enrolled in EDUC115N: How to Learn Math:

In July 2013 a new course will be available on Stanford’s free on-line platform. The course is a short intervention designed to change students’ relationships with math. I have taught this intervention successfully in the past (in classrooms); it caused students to re-engage successfully with math, taking a new approach to the subject and their learning.

 

In the 2013-2014 school year the course will be offered to learners of math but in July of 2013 I will release a version of the course designed for teachers and other helpers of math learners, such as parents. In the teacher/parent version I will share the ideas I will present to students and hold a conversation with teachers and parents about the ideas. There will also be sessions giving teachers/parents particular strategies for achieving changes in students and opportunities for participants to work together on ideas through the forum pages. The ideas I will share will be really helpful as teachers prepare to implement the new Common Core State Standards.

http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-learn-math.html

 

Cinema Effects

http://youtu.be/XHa98mDfOR4

 

Visual Notetaking

I have learned a great deal about visual notetaking the past year as I’ve been working on my second eBook project, “Mapping Media to the Common Core: Vol I.” Canadian educator Giulia Forsythe has been and continues to be inspirational to me. Rachel Smith’s 18 minute TEDx talk, “Drawing in Class,” has also been a big influence. Since I believe we should all “walk our talk,” I resolved before the ISTE 2013 conference to try the suggestions of Giulia and Rachel at some of the conference sessions and create my own visual notes. Here are the results.

My visual notes of Stephen Johnson‘s morning keynote today at ISTE:

 

http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2013/06/26/visual-notetaking-at-iste-2013/

How to Create Visual

http://youtu.be/qRJG46hUAW8

 

Stop Penalizing Boys for Not Being Able to Sit Still at School

Instead, help them channel their energy into productive tasks.

This year’s end-of-year paper purge in my middle school office revealed a startling pattern in my teaching practices: I discipline boys far more often than I discipline girls.

Something is rotten in the state of boys’ education, and I can’t help but suspect that the pattern I have seen in my classroom may have something to do with a collective failure to adequately educate boys.

Boys are diagnosed with learning disorders and attention problems at nearly four times the rate of girls.

While I love teaching boys, many of my colleagues do not, particularly during the hormone-soaked, energetic, and distracted middle- and high-school years.

Teachers and school administrators lament that boys are too fidgety, too hyperactive, too disruptive, derailing the educational process for everyone while sabotaging their own intellectual development.

Peek into most American classrooms and you will see desks in rows, teachers pleading with students to stay in their seats and refrain from talking to their neighbors. Marks for good behavior are rewarded to the students who are proficient at sitting still for long periods of time. Many boys do not have this skill.

eight categories of instruction that succeeded in teaching boys. The most effective lessons included more than one of these elements:

  • Lessons that result in an end product–a booklet, a catapult, a poem, or a comic strip, for example.

  • Lessons that are structured as competitive games.

  • Lessons requiring motor activity.

  • Lessons requiring boys to assume responsibility for the learning of others.

  • Lessons that require boys to address open questions or unsolved problems.

  • Lessons that require a combination of competition and teamwork.

  • Lessons that focus on independent, personal discovery and realization.

  • Lessons that introduce drama in the form of novelty or surprise.

Rather than penalize the boys’ relatively higher energy and competitive drive, the most effective way to teach boys is to take advantage of that high energy, curiosity, and thirst for competition.

Educators should strive to teach all children, both girls and boys by acknowledging, rather than dismissing, their particular and distinctive educational needs.

http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/stop-penalizing-boys-for-not-being-able-to-sit-still-at-school/276976/

 

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

Visual Recording

MSM 247: ISTE 2013, Be a better person and Thumb Wrestling.

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

There are two cows out in a field in Britain. One cow turns to the other and asks, “Are you worried about this Mad Cow disease?” The other cow responds, “Nope.” The first cow exclaims, “How can you say that? Cows all over England are getting it. I’m scared stiff!” The other cow just looks at him and says, “Mad Cow disease, why should I be worried? I’m a helicopter.”

 

Q: What do you call a blind deer?

A: A no-eyed deer (say it out loud)

Q: What do you call a blind deer with no legs?

A: A still no-eyed deer.

Two eggs, a sausage, and a pancake walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve breakfast.”

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Chelsy Hooper, Dianne Krause, Emily Runyan, Kelly Dumont, Matt Graves, Bob Krause, Mark Levine, Gayle Andrews

  • Facebook: Raymond Porten

 

Advisory:

 

9 Ways To Be A Better Person

1. Be Willing To Change

2. Stop Making Excuses

3. Stop Being Angry

4. Be A Role Model

5. Forgive Someone

6. Listen To People

7. Be Honest

8. Do Something You Don’t Want To

9. Surprise Someone Special

 

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/9-ways-better-person.html

 

Middle School Science Minute

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

Safety Contracts

I was recently reading “The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science, Volume 2,” written by Ken Roy.  This book is available in the National Science Teachers Association’s online store at:

http://nsta.org/store

In this podcast, I share Ken’s response to the following question:

“What can I do if a parent refuses to sign the science laboratory safety acknowledgement form?”

 

From the Twitterverse:

* Patrick Larkin ‏@patrickmlarkin

#ISTE13: My connected conference experience via @tomwhitby http://feedly.com/k/19Eq8b0  #edchat

* EDSITEment ‏@EDSITEment

150th anniversary of Battle of Gettysburg lesson & interactive http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/battles-civil-war … #sschat #historyteacher #engchat #commmoncore

* Erin Klein ‏@KleinErin 10

Watch “ISTE 2013 Closing Keynote, @AdamBellow: You’re Invited to Change the World” on YouTube http://zite.to/13ePqsC

* TapToLearn ‏@taptolearn

Game-Based Learning Ideas from ISTE http://edut.to/10ULLA9  via @edutopia

* jdprickett ‏@jdprickett

The New Look Teacher Interview | Principal Greg Miller

* Aerin Guy ‏@aeringuy 26 Jun

How to Apply Design Thinking in Class, Step By Step   #education #bced

* Chris Turnbull ‏@TurnbullChris 26 Jun

My animation workshop & iPad presentation are finished! Thanks to @teamdoceri #Doceri & @Tech4Learning #Frames #ISTE13 #edtech #edtechchat

* Robert Schuetz ‏@robert_schuetz 24 Jun

The one question I’m asking at ISTE 2013 http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/06/the-one-question-im-asking-at-iste-2013.html … via @mcleod #iste13

* Tom Grissom ‏@tomgrissom 23 Jun

getting a Surface RT at #iste13 and new to Windows 8? there is a free Windows 8 Handbook in the Windows Store with useful tips & tricks

* David Warlick ‏@dwarlick 23 Jun

My ISTE Un-Presentation #iste13 http://ow.ly/mj5VP

* Kevin Cummins ‏@edgalaxy_com 23 Jun

The Ultimate Lesson Plan search engine: Over 100 reputable & non-commercial teaching sites in one search engine http://brev.is/c8j2

* MediaCore ‏@getmediacore 24 Jun

@MSMatters Great to meet you at #ISTE13 and show you our new #Moodle video plugin! Thanks for the tweet – enjoy the rest of the conference.

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 26 Jun

3 Student Tech Trends Teachers Should Know About | Edudemic #fhuedu642 #tn_teta #sigadm ~ for @MSMatters http://www.edudemic.com/2013/06/3-student-tech-trends-teachers-should-know-about/?utm_source=feedly …

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

PhotoFilmStrip

PhotoFilmStrip creates movie serial output possibilities for VCD, SVCD, DVD up to FULL-HD. Creates animated slideshows.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/photostoryx/

THE GIFT OF DOUBT

Albert O. Hirschman and the power of failure.
BY MALCOLM GLADWELL

 

In the mid-nineteenth century, work began on a crucial section of the railway line connecting Boston to the Hudson River.

James Hayward, one of New England’s leading railroad engineers, estimated that penetrating the Hoosac would cost, at most, a very manageable two million dollars.

Everyone was wrong. Digging through the Hoosac turned out to be a nightmare. The project cost more than ten times the budgeted estimate.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2013/06/24/130624crbo_books_gladwell

Web Spotlight:

Nine Things Educators Need to Know About the Brain

The human brain wasn’t designed for industrial education.

1. The brain is a social organ.

Our brains require stimulation and connection to survive and thrive.

From a neurobiological perspective, the position of the teacher is very similar to that of the parent in building the child’s brain.

2. We have two brains.

Most tasks, though, involve contributions from both hemispheres. So, it is important to understand how to engage both in the classroom context.

3. Early learning is powerful.

4. Conscious awareness and unconscious processing occur at different speeds, often simultaneously.

Because of this, it is especially important to teach students to question their assumptions and the possible influences of past experiences and unconscious biases on their feelings and beliefs.

5. The mind, brain, and body are interwoven.

6. The brain has a short attention span and needs repetition and multiple-channel processing for deeper learning to occur.

7. Fear and stress impair learning.

Evolution has shaped our brains to err on the side of caution and to trigger fear whenever it might be remotely useful.

Success in school depends upon a student’s ability to somehow decrease their stress.

8. We analyze others but not ourselves: the primacy of projection.

Simple exercises that guide students to examine what and how what they think and feel about others may be true for themselves can open a window of self-awareness, empathy, and insight.

9. Learning is enhanced by emphasizing the big picture—and then allowing students to discover the details for themselves.

When problems are represented at higher levels of abstraction, learning can be integrated into larger schemas that enhance memory, learning, and cognitive flexibility.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/nine_things_educators_need_to_know_about_the_brain

 

HOW DO YOU KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED?

Ownership. Give them ownership.

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/engagement/

 

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

Why did I want a Microsoft Surface RT? Do I still want it?

ISTE 2013 Stuff:

ISTE Keynote 2013

New branding visuals.

Launch video.

LOL the tablet icon for the presentation was a Surface tablet!

T-shirt launch.

 

Introduction of Jane McGonigal

Gamification

“Reality is Broken:  Why games make us better and how they change the world.” title of book.

Game designers are essentially fun engineers.

 

In 20 minutes we’re going to play her favorite game.  🙂

Good News:  1 Billion Gamers worldwide

Spend an hour a day on a device playing a game.

This is good news.  Really.

These 1 billion gamers make up a unique network.

Can invent.

    “I don’t think education is about centralized instruction anymore.  Rather, it is the process of establishing oneself as a node in a broad network of distributed creativity.”  Joi Ito, Director of MIT Media Lab

Perception that games are a waste of time:

300 million minutes a day playing Angry Birds (400,000 years of effort)

170 hours a year per player or 1 month of full time work every year.  Call of Duty

1 in 4 players called in sick to stay home and play Call of Duty on launch day.

71 % of U.S. workers are not engaged. in the workplace.  Gallup 2012

Unengaged workers cost U.S. companies $300 billion dollars.

The longer you stay in school, the less engaged you become.

76% in Elementary

61% in middle school

44% in High School find pleasure and purpose in school.

Most college students spend more hours playing video games than in a classroom.

7 billion hours  a week . . . of Maximum Engagement.

Games being played.

100 million hours of collective effort to make Wikipedia

3 weeks of Angry Birds game play

7 days of Call of Duty game play.

Imagine making a new Wikipedia every three days.

In the U.l 99% of boys under 18 and 94% of girls play regularly 13 to 18 year olds

92% of two-year olds play games.

“It’s inevitable.  Soon, we’ll all be gamers.”

Why are these 7 billion hours going to gaming?

Single most important thing gamers want:

10 positive emotions

10.  Joy

 9.  Relief

 8. Love

 7.  Surprise

 6.  Pride

 5.  Curiosity

 4.  Excitement

 3.  Awe and Wonder

 2.  Contentment

 1.  Creativity

Gamers are Super-Empowered Hopeful Individuals.

Magic 3:1 ratio.  Positive to negative emotions.

Limit of 12:1 positive emotions to negative emotions.  If you go above this, people around you will hate you.  LOL

Portrait series of photos of people playing games.

1.  Relish

2.  Fierce determination.

3.  Grit/Perseverance

4.  Flow Face

Happiest when we’re doing something challenging, but we have the skills for it.

5.  Epic gamer

6.  Amazement face

Gamers fail 80% of the time.

“The opposite of play isn’t work – it’s depression.”

Brain imaging shows the lighting up of neurons as people play games.

Caudate area lights up.  Same areas as drugs.  Just not for the same reasons.

Thalamus lights up.

Hippocampus lights up.

If this area lights up, the more likely the brain is to remember new information.

The more areas lit up, the more likely to accomplish a goal.

Massive Multi-player Thumb Wrestling

3-4 thumbs in a node and then play Thumb Wars.

Set a new high score for people playing thumb wars.  LOL

Two things close to her heart:

1.  Student Aspirations:

43% I plan to start my own business

42%  I will invent something that changes the world.

These two are the least positive aspirations that students tell teachers schools teach

Game:  Evoke:  If you have a problem, and you can’t solve it alone, evoke it.”  African proverb.

Designed to engage people in South Africa.

Video:  Evoke:  Solving the world’s greatest problems.

Launched in March of 2010.

10 missions in 10 weeks.

“A crash course in changing the world.”

www.urgentevoke.com  www.urgentevoke.com

Free job training in changing the future.

Create your Origin Story:  Students had to answer a qustion about themselves.

Mission every week.  (10 missions, 10 weeks)

Evoke Powers:  Gained by posting up to the web the various media evidence of your real world activities.

If you complete the 10 missions in 10 weeks, you get a World Bank certification to put on a resume.

In 10 weeks, 19,893 students in >130 countries.

50 new businesses launched from this game.

LAA Libraries build an infrastructure of Empowerment.

Franchising libraries. Sustainability assistance is provided through brainstorming.

Game:  New York Public Library

Student aspirations:  82% of Americans want to someday write a book.

Video Game Trailer:  May 20, 2011 launch date.

Find the Future:  www.nypl.org/game

10,000 applicants for 500 spots.  Lockin until they write a book.

There’s an app that would help them find these artifacts and catalog them.

Scan a barcode that they had found the item that was one of the 100.

This could be used for a trip to Greenfield village.

How did the object change the world?

e.g. Declaration of Independence:  How did this change the world?  Make your own and post it online.

1184 stories of their vision for the future.

500 authors

Lined up at 6 a.m. to hand sign the finished book.

“100 Ways to Make History Volume 1”

If you remember one thing from today:  10 Positive Emotions and look for ways to provoke them in the classroom.

 

MSM 246: 8, Who do we Appreciate?

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

After leaving the racetrack Bill bumped into his old friend Peter on the bus.

“Say,” Peter said, “How’s it going?” “Going? You want to hear one of the most amazing things that ever happened? Tell me- what’s today’s date?”

“July seventh.” “Right. The seventh day, of the seventh month. I go to the track at seven minutes past seven. My son is seven years old today, and we live at number seven, Seventh Avenue.” “Let me guess,” Peter interrupted. “You put everything you had on the seventh horse in the seventh race.” “Right.”

“And he won!” Peter sighed.

“No. He came in seventh.”

 

A fellow bought a new Mercedes and was out on the interstate for a nice evening drive. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through what was left of his hair and he decided to open her up. As the needle jumped up to 80 mph, he suddenly saw flashing red and blue lights behind him. “There’s no way they can catch a Mercedes,” he thought to himself and opened her up further. The needle hit 90, 100…. Then the reality of the situation hit him. “What am I doing?” he thought and pulled over. The cop came up to him, took his license without a word and examined it and the car. “It’s been a long day, this is the end of my shift and it’s Friday the 13th. I don’t feel like more paperwork, so if you can give me an excuse for your driving that I haven’t heard before, you can go.”

The guy thinks for a second and says, “Last week my wife ran off with a cop. I was afraid you were trying to give her back!”

“Have a nice weekend,” said the officer.

Eileen Award:

  • iTunes: MSM Fan

  • Twitter: Chuck Taft, Mary Yonker Vales, Craig Frehlich

  • Diigo: Annette Duffy

 

Advisory:

Stupid Calculations

Take a variety of obscure thoughts and put math to them…

http://www.stupidcalculations.com/

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-BEST 6-8 TRADE BOOKS PART 4

 

Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12.  This list includes books published in 2012.  This is the fourth in a series of 4 podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 – 8.

 

The books included in this podcast are:

1.  The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth, by Anita Silvey

2.  The Polar Bear Scientists, by Peter Lourie

3.  Wild Horse Scientists, by Kay Frydenborg

 

From the Twitterverse:

* Kathy R. Cook ‏@kathycook1 19m

22 Effective Ways To Use Twitter In The Classroom http://zite.to/17QAHGl  #edtech

* Steve Reifman ‏@stevereifman

Teachers, prepare your students emotionally, physically, & academically 4 a great school day in just 10 minutes. http://tinyurl.com/morto5t

* Chris ONeal ‏@onealchris

#iste2013 #iste13 attendees take note RT@mcleod: How To Use Evernote: The Unofficial Manual

* edutopia ‏@edutopia 1h

Thought-provoking. RT @keightyeight: 5 Questions to Ask at the End of the School Year http://edut.to/18HDa75  #edchat #teachchat

* John Norton ‏@middleweb 2h

MWSmartBrief @ratzelster effective student practice; manage behavior; teach curation; WordNerds #amle #ntchat @naesp

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo 3h

RT @DianeRavitch: Who Distorted Charlotte Danielson’s Message? http://wp.me/p2odLa-52K

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 5h

Carol Burris Reviews John King’s Teacher Evaluation Plan and Finds It Wanting

* On the ClassroomWall ‏@FlyontheCWall 4h

gr8 RT @ncarroll24: Diff between Projects & Project Based Learning: http://www.edudemic.com/2013/06/the-differences-between-projects-and-project-based-learning/ … #4thchat #PBL #elemchat #edchat #5thchat Gr8…

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 15 Jun

A Wonderful Visual on Common Core Standards for Teachers & Students #fhuedu610 #fhuedu508 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/educatorstechnology/pDkK/~3/KEe-DOTh9f4/a-wonderful-visual-on-common-core.html …

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 15 Jun

8 alternatives to Google Reader #fhucid #fhuedu642 #eLearning http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=5022

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 15 Jun

27 Ways To Make Sure Students Pay Attention In Class | Edudemic #fhuedu508 #fhupsy306 http://www.edudemic.com/2013/06/27-ways-to-make-students-pay-attention-in-class/?utm_source=feedly …

* Craig Nansen ‏@cnansen 3h

Sign up for the FREE Photo Walk in San Antonio http://twitpic.com/cxjrn4  #iste13 #iste2013 http://twitpic.com/cxjskj

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

HTML Tables

Copy your spreadsheet cells and, poof, an html table. This can be very helpful to quickly create HTML tables.

http://tableizer.journalistopia.com/

 

Teachers Training Teachers Video

Lots, and I do mean LOTS, of videos about teaching. Most are about technology and using technology as a teacher.

http://teachertrainingvideos.com/

 

EdGalaxy

Because of Winn Dixie Study Guide:

We have a study guide for students reading the novel.  It is an excellent resource for students to enrich their understanding of the novel as they read through it. – See more at: http://edgalaxy.com/literacy/#sthash.JDXUHz88.dpuf

http://edgalaxy.com/literacy/

Web Spotlight:

Principal: Why our new educator evaluation system is unethical

A few years ago, a student at my high school was having a terrible time passing one of the exams needed to earn a Regents Diploma.

Mary has a learning disability that truly impacts her retention and analytical thinking.

Because she was a special education student, at the time there was an easier exam available, the RCT, which she could take and then use to earn a local high school diploma instead of the Regents Diploma.

Regents Diploma serves as a motivator for our students while providing an objective (though imperfect) measure of accomplishment.

If they do not pass a test the first time, it is not awful if they take it again—we use it as a diagnostic, help them fill the learning gaps, and only the passing score goes on the transcript

…in Mary’s case, to ask her to take that test yet once again would have been tantamount to child abuse.

Mary’s story, therefore, points to a key reason why evaluating teachers and principals by test scores is wrong.

It illustrates how the problems with value-added measures of performance go well beyond the technicalities of validity and reliability.

The basic rule is this: No measure of performance used for high-stakes purposes should put the best interests of students in conflict with the best interests of the adults who serve them.

I will just point out that under that system I may be penalized if future students like Mary do not achieve a 65 on the Regents exam.

Mary and I can still make the choice to say “enough”, but it may cost me a “point”, if a majority of students who had the same middle school scores on math and English tests that she did years before, pass the test.

But I can also be less concerned about the VAM-based evaluation system because it’s very likely to be biased in favor of those like me who lead schools that have only one or two students like Mary every year.

When we have an ELL (English language learner) student with interrupted education arrive at our school, we often consider a plan that includes an extra year of high school.

…last few years “four year graduation rates” are of high importance four-year graduation rate as a high-stakes measure has resulted in the proliferation of “credit recovery” programs of dubious quality, along with teacher complaints of being pressured to pass students with poor attendance and grades, especially in schools under threat of closure.

On the one hand, they had a clear incentive to “test prep” for the recent Common Core exams, but they also knew that test prep was not the instruction that their students needed and deserved.

…in New York and in many other Race to the Top states, continue to favor “form over substance” and allow the unintended consequences of a rushed models to be put in place.

We can raise every bar and continue to add high-stakes measures. Or we can acknowledge and respond to the reality that school improvement takes time, capacity building, professional development, and financial support at the district, state and national levels.

Creating bell curves of relative educator performance may look like progress and science, but these are measures without meaning, and they do not help schools improve.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/20/principal-why-our-new-educator-evaluation-system-is-unethical/

 

Mindset Matters

Mindset is about believing in yourself. Carol Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology and author of “Mindset” discovered in her research at Stanford that belief guides a large part of your life. Much of what you think of as your personality actually grows out of this “mindset” and could prevent you from fulfilling your potential. You can have either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

http://www.personalizelearning.com/2013/06/mindset-matters.html

 

Stabbed With a Pencil

Why are we allowing our students to use pencils in the classroom setting? Based on a Google search that I conducted recently which you can see below, I was amazed at the number of pencil stabbing incidents that take place on a yearly basis.

Don’t get me wrong, pencils are great and they do wonders for a student’s educational experience.

Yet many schools are still reluctant to infuse social media, mobile learning devices, and Web 2.0 tools as a way to engage learners because of the issues that could arise.

The point that I am trying to make is that it is no longer acceptable for school districts to prohibit mobile learning devices and social media in the school setting. I understand that these tools can be used inappropriately, but so can pencils and toilet paper.

http://bcurrie.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/stabbed-with-a-pencil/

 

Technology Safety

As an educator in today’s modern world, your guidance is critical for students to navigate through the intricacies of new media and cybersafety successfully. To help you teach your students to safely and ethically use their digital devices in the classroom–and throughout their communities–iKeepSafe has created the following programs:

http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/

 

Want to Improve Teaching? Listen to Students

Annie Emerson doesn’t have to wonder about what it takes to help her kindergarten students learn how to write or do math. They’ve told her.

Emerson’s students told her that they wanted more open-ended time to work on writing and math activities — which is exactly what the Florida teacher gave them. Along with adding longer blocks of time for those activities during the day, Emerson began finding ways to help students weave math problems into their lives outside of school,

Good teachers have long known the importance of knowing their students, both as learners and as individuals.

Students who are given a voice in setting goals gain ownership in what they’re learning. Teachers who listen to what students tell them they need to learn gain more than just a better understanding of the children they teach — they gain clarity on their roadmap to better teaching.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harriet-sanford/want-to-improve-teaching-_b_3342521.html

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

Why do I want a Microsoft Surface RT?

Pick up your Microsoft Surface RT at the Grand Hyatt Ballroom . . . for free.   Why in the world would they give away a $499.00 tablet?  Get yours here if you’re going to ISTE:  https://wicexperience.itnint.com/RegOnline/RegLogin.aspx

 

MSM 245 Sing the Song, Trade the Book, Shake the Spear(e).

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

 

Jokes You Can Use:

A boy had reached four without giving up the habit of sucking his thumb, though his mother had tried everything from bribery to reasoning to painting it with lemon juice to discourage the habit. Finally she tried threats, warning her son that, “If you don’t stop sucking your thumb, your stomach is going to blow up like a balloon.” Later that day, walking in the park, mother and son saw a pregnant woman sitting on a bench. The four-year-old considered her gravely for a minute, then spoke to her saying, “Uh-oh … I know what you’ve been doing.”

 

Q: What did the guy say when he walked into the bar?

A: Ouch.

 

The teacher says, “I wish you’d pay a little attention Mary.”

“I am paying as little as I can Mrs. Bell,” said Mary.

 

Q: What do you call a cow without feet?

A: Ground beef

Advisory:

 

What Career Is Right For Me?

http://www.rasmussen.edu/resources/what-career-is-right-for-me/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Middle School Science Minute-Best 6-8 Trade Books Part 3

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/5/2_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Best_6-8_Trade_Books_Part_3.html

 

Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12.  This list includes books published in 2012.  This is the third in a series of podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 – 8.

 

The books included in this podcast are:

 

1.  Super Nature Encyclopedia: The 100 Most Incredible Creatures on the Planet

 

2.  Scholastic Discover More: Elements

 

3.  Moonbird: A Year on the Wind With the Great Survivor B95

From the Twitterverse:

* Matt Gomez ‏@mattBgomez

6 Apps You Should Be Using with Evernote http://zite.to/11FxXJa

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

In the Digital Age, What Becomes of the Library? #edtech

* russeltarr ‏@russeltarr

How To Run Your Meetings Like Apple and Google: http://tinyurl.com/8bqscdn

* Kelly Lippard ‏@Lippardteach

Anatomy of Teachers’ Brain http://zite.to/145CYdv  via @zite

* Sue Waters ‏@suewaters

Making Videos In the Common Craft Style – Rubric Included —

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

RT @garystager: @BHS_Doyle Apologizing for teachers being the last adults in captivity to use computers has become a growth industry #edtech

* Rich Kiker ‏@rkiker

The unholy trinities of classroom technology usage. http://goo.gl/mag/mYpIqFo  #edtech

* Kathy R. Cook ‏@kathycook1

18 obsolete words, which never should have gone out of style http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/195348/18-obsolete-words-which-should-have-never-gone-out-of-style/ …

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

Why Common Core tests won’t be what Arne Duncan promised http://wapo.st/19vhoBq

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom

iNACOL ~ National Standards for Quality Online Teaching: http://fhu.edu/s/Mw8p2  #EWchat #fhuedu642

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom

“8 Steps To Great Digital Storytelling” | Edudemic #fhucid #fhuedu642 #edwebchat #edtech http://edudemic.com/2013/05/8-steps-to-great-digital-storytelling/?utm_source=feedly …

* Todd Bloch ‏@blocht574 30 May

#mschat 5-30-13 Maintaining student engagement http://wp.me/p1Jl35-j7

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

 

 

Resources:

 

Free Vintage Posters

Useful for graphics. Be aware that some images may be inappropriate.

http://www.freevintageposters.com/

 

Dictionary of numbers

Chrome extension that explains large numbers in terms of common things.

http://www.dictionaryofnumbers.com/

 

Shakespeare Uncovered

Shakespeare Uncovered explores the complete plays of William Shakespeare—one of the greatest writers to have ever lived. From his comedies to histories to tragedies, the series looks at the stories that have shaped our cultural history: seeking out each play’s inspiration, finding the moments and places that set every scene, as well as examining the words that gave life to Shakespeare’s world both in the past and present.

This thematic collection — which adheres to national learning standards — contains video segments from the series, informational texts, discussion questions, and suggestions for extension activities to enhance your students’ reading, viewing, and appreciation of Shakespeare’s works.

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/shakespeare-uncovered/1/

 

Developing Communication Skills With YouTube & iPad Videos

 

Ginger Gregory is the Gifted Resource Teacher at Lakeview Elementary School in Yukon, Oklahoma, and currently has 117 videos on her classroom YouTube channel. Ginger has used the six iPads in her classroom and her free, district-provided YouTube channel (since the Yukon school district participates in the Google Apps for Education program) to help her students develop oral communication skills, oral fluency, as well as digital literacy skills this semester.

http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2013/05/16/developing-communication-skills-with-youtube-ipad-videos/

Web Spotlight:

Grading Apple’s digital textbook technology

Shortly after his world history students began a pilot program testing a digital textbook for the iPad, Ken Halla noticed something different: His students were actually reading their textbooks.

“To call it a book anymore,” Halla said, “is a false pretense.”

A year later, Apple’s digital textbook effort still seems to be in the early stages.

Where they’re used, the tablet and the digital textbooks find enthusiastic responses.

But there’s a long way to go before students using iPads to read their iBooks becomes the rule, rather than the leading-edge exception, in American education.

“Textbooks for middle school aren’t available,” said Marsha Messinger, language arts and social studies teacher at Robert Saligman Middle School of Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia. “They [the textbook publishers] are working their way from college down.”

….is ready to push iBooks and other digital textbooks when more schools are ready to buy.

But the same educators who complain about the lack of available content also offer high praise for the iBooks that do exist.

Teachers have never relied entirely on textbooks. Often they cobble together lessons out of worksheets and other reading materials that fade as copies are made from copies. College students have traditionally bought class “readers” filled with excerpts and articles.

Now? If teachers find an article or a PDF that illustrates their point, they can plug it into iBooks Author and distribute custom-tailored, in-house digital supplements for their students.

“They don’t really have a set textbook, so the little bits and pieces that they’ve found to teach from, that’s the way they pull it all together,”

“For the faculty that has been using it, aggregation has been a key driver,” he said. “Rather than run off a four-page PDF, they take it and dress it up with some video and pictures.”

Creative Strategies’ Bajarin said that textbook publishers—like newspaper publishers before them—have proven reluctant to give up the income associated with printed-paper products.

 

http://www.macworld.com/article/2039650/grading-apples-digital-textbook-technology.html#tk.rss_all

 

The Periodic Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zUDDiWtFtEM#!

 

MSM 244: Just a second . . .

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

 

Jokes You Can Use:

 

Did you hear about the guy who died after creating an enormous spreadsheet? He Excelled himself.

 

An elderly couple is beginning to notice that neither of them seem to be able to remember things as well as they used to. So, they go to see their doctor, who explains that there is nothing really wrong with, just typical memory loss associated with old age. He suggests that they each get notebooks and write notes to themselves to help remember things. The couple goes home and that evening while watching T.V. the man gets up and heads for the kitchen. His wife asks if he can bring her some ice cream when he returns. He says he will, and she says he should write it down. “I’m just going to the kitchen, I’ll remember.” “Well, I want that with nuts, too.” “O.K. he says ice cream with nuts.” She asks again if he’s going to write it down. “No, I’m just going to the kitchen.” “And a Cherry on the top?” He agrees and turns toward the kitchen again and she asks again about writing it down. Now the old man is angry, “Look, old lady I’m not senile, I can remember ice cream with nuts and a cherry on top.” He goes in the kitchen for 10 minutes and when he returns he sets a plate of bacon and eggs in front of his wife. She looks up and says, “Honey, you forgot my toast.”

 

TEACHER: What is the chemical formula for water?

SARAH: “HIJKLMNO”!

TEACHER: What are you talking about?

SARAH: Yesterday you said its H to O!

 

Her husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he said, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business fell, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. Well, now that I think about it, I think you bring me bad luck!

 

Advisory:

What is a second?

How long is a second? Who decided what a second is? How did people agree that a second is a second?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NXRVtfCpLr4#

Hand Gestures

Many times we tend to use our hands to explain our needs and thoughts. The same hand gesture may mean something quite nasty and offensive to a person from a different cultural background. Hand gestures are a very important part of the body language gestures. In this article we shall understand what are hand gestures.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hand-gestures-in-different-cultures.html

 

The Etch-a-Sketch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hq3Et9gOISI

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-BEST 6-8 TRADE BOOKS PART 2

 

Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12.  This list includes books published in 2012.  This is the second in a series of podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 – 8.

 

The books included in this podcast are:

1.  Book of Blood by HP Newquist

2.  Invincible Microbe by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank

3.  Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards by Sneed B. Collard III

 

 

Also wanted to share a couple of comments regarding the last show:

1.  A great place for free textbooks is: ck12.org

They produce free texts that can be used on computers, kindles, iPads, other tablets, etc.  Their books geared to middle and high school.

2.  Regarding funding of the Common Core.  The House has talked about not funding anything for MDE regarding Common Core.  But it is far from reality.  The House must propose its budget, then the Senate, their budget, then a team of 6 comes together to finalize the budget, from the two plans.  It does not have anything to do with districts funding the common core, only MDE.

 

From the Twitterverse:

*Matt Gomez ‏@mattBgomez 53m

RT @Robitaille2011: Inquiry-based teaching is not daunting. Just do it… http://ow.ly/1Wnncs  #satchat

* Kyle Calderwood ‏@kcalderw 3h

8 Useful Apps for Working on Video Projects on iPad http://goo.gl/8Xk8v  #njed #edtech #ipaded

* Chris Sousa ‏@csousanh 3h

MT“@imcguy: Product placements in standardized tests? Really? –Marketing a Test that Markets to Students http://feedly.com/k/10PRKFk #edchat

* Mental Floss ‏@mental_floss 4h

What 11 Pairs of Eyeballs Watching a Movie Looks Like —

* In-finity Education ‏@Infeducation 8h

RT @Ideas_Factory: Useful➡The Teacher’s Guide To Pinterest http://zite.to/ZJcQRd

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 8m

Digital Citizenship Goals in Education

* Colette Cassinelli ‏@ccassinelli 23m

HS Idea: Have an #edcamp style faculty mtgs – tchrs choose school topics sessions to attend led by tchrs & document conversations #cpchat

* Joe Mazza ‏@Joe_Mazza 49m

Nice list of MAC/PC Screencasting tools (free & paid) created “by the room” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJuwScXPlBkYDsslfqJeDYV5h1oLt0EUpxdVgFxyvlk/edit … #edcampphilly

* Jason Bedford ‏@bedfordtweet 21h

Devices that were once used for fun are now educational tools. How do we balance Stimulating vs Distracting tech? http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/with-tech-tools-how-should-teachers-tackle-multitasking-in-class/ …

* Miguel Guhlin ‏@mguhlin 8m

10 Phrases That Can Solve Any Work Problem http://amex.co/14zTOTE  #eclead

* Gary Johnston ‏@GaryJohnston1 1m

18 Myths About Education That Are All Too Easy To Believe http://www.teachthought.com/trends/18-myths-about-education-that-are-all-tooeasy-to-believe/ … via @teachthought

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 16 May

Rethinking Acceptable Use Policies to Enable Digital Learning ~ #fhuedu642 #TETA ~ for @MSMatters followers http://www.cosn.org/Default.aspx?TabId=8139 …

“Google Play for Education Promises What Teachers Have Wanted from Android” #edtech #TETA #fhuedu642 ~ for @MSMatters http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/freetech4teachers/cGEY/~3/DYlIJH2zg3I/google-play-for-education-promises-what.html …

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

 

Resources:

Parenting

Variety of short videos that are useful for parents.

http://m.kidsinthehouse.com/

Web Spotlight:

Response: Using — Not Misusing — Ability Groups In The Classroom

By Larry Ferlazzo on May 12, 2013 11:55 PM



The teacher points to a round table in her classroom and tells her students, “Those of you with little or no ability, sit here.” Then she walks across the room and gestures to another table and announces, “Those of you with high ability, sit here.”

It’s very threatening to students to hear it referenced by the teacher, even if the ability is high. If it’s a high ability, students spend the majority of the class trying to protect their status as the one who always gets the right answer or finishes early. If it’s a low ability, students spend the majority of the class avoiding assignments: Why should I attempt this, they think, when it’s just one more proof that I’m stupid?

Ability implies something permanent, unchangeable.

Instead of “ability,” I recommend teachers use, “readiness.” “Readiness” implies a temporary condition: I’m not ready, but I can become so.

Tracking and grouping are contentious topics in many schools, but add my voice to the chorus of teachers who love homogeneous grouping

You read that right: homogeneous, not heterogeneous, grouping is the way to go – as long as it’s temporary and group membership is dynamic, not static.

Homogeneous grouping is effective for students who need a particular need met: They struggle with writing introductions, they need to adjust their lifting technique in the weight room, they still don’t understand stoichiometry,

Heterogeneous groups, on the other hand, also serve positive instructional purposes – fresh ideas, connections, everybody has something to contribute, learning to work with others. Let’s be clear, however: Always placing struggling students with advanced students doesn’t work well for either group.

Dr. Tae, (see his Eastside Prep Ted Talk on comparing classroom teaching to learning a skateboarding trick below) that we don’t really know how long it takes anyone to learn any one standard, nor do we know exactly how long it takes to learn a complex inter-weaving of standards applied in flexible ways.

Grouping students should be done based on what we know about students and how to maximize their learning, not because we were told to group students in a differentiated instruction seminar.

In high school this achieved by students taking advanced coursework. In elementary and middle schools, however, there is not the economy of scale to offer varied and advanced coursework, so special attention should be given to training teachers to provide advanced/accelerated instruction in their own classes as warranted, and to provide advanced students in these grade levels with at least two to three hours a day of advanced curriculum experiences. Less than this amount of time doesn’t meet advanced students’ needs.

In addition, in looking at the research and comparing it to the real classroom experiences, my colleagues and I have found that success in either grouping comes with the teacher’s willingness and preparedness to respond to students’ specific learning needs, i.e. to provide differentiated instruction. Absent that training and willingness, either format is just as inert, or worse, just as damaging.

When wrestling with whether or not to group students, consider these questions:

• Is this the only way to organize students for learning?

• Where in the lesson could I create opportunities for students to work in small groups?

• Would this part of the lesson be more effective as an independent activity?

• Why do I have the whole class involved in the same activity at this point in the lesson?

• Will I be able to meet the needs of all students with this grouping?

• I’ve been using a lot of [insert type of grouping here] lately. Which type of grouping should I add to the mix?

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2013/05/response_using_–_not_misusing_–_ability_groups_in_the_classroom.html

 

Standards Based Grading Videos

Lots of videos to help explain Standards based grading. Broke out into Introductory (SBD101), discipline specific, and leadership.

http://sbgvideos.org/

(Also check out video of a presentation delivered at the  MAMSE 2013 Conference).

 

A Dress-Code Enforcer’s Struggle for the Soul of the Middle-School Girl

JESSICA LAHEYFEB 14 2013, 12:18 PM ET

 

I work hard to let my girls know that I respect them for their brains and character—regardless of whether they put their cleavage or the length of their legs on display. But I hate arguing about whether or not a skirt covers a girl as far down as her arms hang.

I hate having to defend my right not to see a girl’s underwear.

When I taught high school, my solution was simple: A box of monstrously ugly, gigantic men’s T-shirts purchased at the local thrift store provided cover-up and sufficient incentive for my female students to keep their upper bodies covered. No muss, no fuss, easy enforcement. They laughed, I laughed.

But middle school? Middle school is a whole other can of worms. Sixth graders are mere children, while eighth graders are burgeoning adults; their minds and bodies change more rapidly than they realize. During these chaotic middle years, they evolve from carefree kids to body-obsessed teenagers almost overnight. One day they can’t pay attention in class because they’re thinking about ponies and their pet guinea pigs, and the next they’re incapacitated by daydreams about the opposite sex.

Dresses that fit up top six weeks ago might not cover burgeoning cleavage today, and skirts that skimmed the knee last month might not hide their underpants during this morning’s math class. Their favorite dresses go from charming to indecent in a blink of an eye.

Perhaps Susan Sarandon said it best in the film version of Little Women (even if she was not quoting Louisa May Alcott’s original Marmee). Meg has just returned from Sally Moffat’s coming-out party, for which she was dressed, made-up, and corseted by the other girls. Laurie is horrified by her cleavage and her drinking, and Meg is embarrassed by her behavior and motivations. Marmee consoles her with the words I yearn to say to my female students, particularly the girls who are just beginning to understand the power of their physicality:

Meg: It was nice to be praised and admired. I couldn’t help it.

Marmee: Of course not. I only care what you think of yourself. If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all you really are.

Time erodes all such beauty, but what it can not diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind. Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage. These are the things I cherish so in you.

http://m.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/02/a-dress-code-enforcers-struggle-for-the-soul-of-the-middle-school-girl/273155/

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

 

Conference

  • Would you give up a day in summer to learn about Moodle (online learning)?

  • Would you pay for it?

  • What would you want to get out of it?