MSM 260: Hey IronMan, my shirt is still wrinkled!

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

Q: Did you hear about the person who forgot to pay their exorcist?

A: They were repossessed.

“Frank, if you have 20 dollars and Bill takes away 14. What would you have?” said the teacher.

“A fight!” answers Frank.

 

Four best friends met at the hospital since their wives were giving births to their babies. The nurse comes up to the first man and says, “Congratulations, you got twins.” The man said “How strange, I’m the manager of Minnesota Twins.” After awhile the nurse comes up to the second man and says, “Congratulations, you got triplets.” Man was like “Hmmm, strange I worked as a director for the “3 musketeers.” Finally, the nurse comes up to the third man and says

“Congratulations, you got twins x2.” Man is happy and says, “Ironic, I work for the hotel “4 Seasons.” All three of them are happy until they see their last buddy jumping all over the place, cursing God and banging his head on the wall. They asked him what’s wrong and he answered, “What’s wrong? I work for 7up”!

 

A court jester is thrown into jail for telling terrible jokes.

~What did he say after the guard locked him up?

O-PUN the door!

 

A man walks into the psychiatrist’s office with a zucchini up his nose, a cucumber in his left ear, and a breadstick in his right ear. He says, “What is wrong with me?

The psychiatrist replies, “You are not eating properly.”

Why was the glowworm unhappy?

Because her children were not very bright!

 

Q:Why did the football coach go to the bank?

A:He wanted to get his quarter-back!!!

 

Why did the author write his novel in the basement?

He wanted to write a best cellar.

 

A family was having dinner and the little boy said,”Dad I don’t like the

holes in the cheese!” Well son, eat the cheese and leave the holes on the

side of the plate.

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Ben Kuhlman, Lauren Martin, Colleen Skiles, Danielle Davis-Cripe, Lou Ann Gvist

  • Happy Birthday:  Todd Whitaker

 

Advisory:

Ashton Kutcher Acceptance Speech – Teen Choice Awards 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuBSRC1zpHw

What If Superheroes Had Part-Time Jobs

Have students pick a SuperHero (or create one). Then have them decide upon a part time job (or alternate) job. Students could draw or write the story about the SuperHero.

http://laughingsquid.com/what-if-superheroes-had-part-time-jobs/

Middle School Science Minute

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

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-SCIENCE SONGS

 

I was recently reading the September, 2013 issue of Science Scope, a magazine written for Middle School Science Teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  In this issue, I came upon an article entitled, “Songs in Service of Science,” written by Kathryn Hoffman.  Within the article, she explains how science songs can be beneficial to students.  At the end of the podcast, I sing two of the songs from the article.  They are:

  • The Linnaean Levels of Classification

  • Cellular Respiration.

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/10/18_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Science_Songs.html

 

From the Twitterverse:

Faculty meetings need less direct instruction and more “play time” and facilitation. Make it a maker/creator time. #satchat

* edutopia ‏@edutopia 26m

Get outside this weekend! Check out 50+ resources for active learning: http://edut.to/17zA70Q  #PEchat #edchat

* Maggie ‏@march4teachers 1h

Common Core Standards: Ten Colossal Errors http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/11/common_core_standards_ten_colo.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-TW … via @educationweek

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 2h

New York’s Teacher of the Year Is Not Rated “Highly Effective” #edreform #iaedfuture #ialegis

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo 2h

Microsoft Eliminates Its Own Destructive VAM Rankings; However, Gates Still Seems Focused On Using It For Us http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/11/16/microsoft-eliminates-its-own-destructive-vam-rankings-however-gates-still-seems-focused-on-using-it-for-us/#.Uod5-drGHPQ.twitter …

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 3h

Kahoot! | Game-based blended learning & classroom response system

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

 

Strategies:

Learn the Address

 

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, documentarian Ken Burns, along with numerous partners, has launched a national effort to encourage everyone in America to video record themselves reading or reciting the speech.The collection of recordings housed on this site will continue to grow as more and more people are inspired by the power of history and take the challenge to LEARN THE ADDRESS.

 

Share Your Gettysburg Address

How to Participate

It’s easy! Just follow these three simple steps:

  1. Download or print the words to the Gettysburg Address located here and practice reading it out loud. Or if you are up for the whole challenge – memorize!

  2. Record yourself (have a friend record you) reading the speech using your computer, laptop, tablet, mobile device or digital video recorder.

  3. Upload your video to YouTube and use the form below to send us your link!

That’s it! Your video will be included among presidents, politicians, entertainers, journalists, and hundreds of others who have taken the challenge to LEARN THE ADDRESS.

 

http://www.learntheaddress.org/

Grade Table

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/11/everything-thats-wrong-with-traditional-grading-in-one-table.html?utm_source=feedburner&IP=10.38.97.3&CAT=WEBLOG&USER=IPGROUP&CE=0

Bruno: Achievement Gaps Have Closed More Than You Think

One of the subtlest pitfalls, however, concerns the apparent persistence of achievement gaps between different groups of students.

To see why rising achievement matters, we can consider 8th grade reading scores. According to last week’s report, the difference between the average score for black students and the average score for white students has remained exactly the same since 1998 at 26 points.

This is the very definition of a “persistent achievement gap”. (The NAEP tweaked its methodology in 1998, so I’m omitting prior years’ scores for simplicity.)

At the same time, though, the average reading score white 8th graders has increased from 270 points to 276 points. As a result, that 26 point gap represents a (slightly) smaller fraction of white students’ overall achievement. Specifically, it means that black 8th graders have gone from scoring 90.4% as high as their white peers (on average) to scoring 90.6% as high.

In other words, the “stagnant” 26-point gap between black and white students is obscuring the fact the gap – expressed as a fraction of white student achievement – has narrowed.

http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2013/11/bruno-achievement-gaps-are-closing-faster-than-you-think.html

 

Resources:

History in Color

Take black and white photographs from the past and add a splash of color. The impact is different.

https://www.facebook.com/HistoryInColor

 

Similar:

Some Lincoln and WWII pictures.  Click through the slider at the top of the page.

http://lightbox.time.com/2012/10/25/a-vibrant-past-colorizing-the-archives-of-history/#3

Optical Illusions

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UelJZG_bF98#t=19

 

eQuiz Show

Why study with eQuizShow?

  1. Creating your own quiz show takes only seconds

  2. Your quiz show will always be available

  3. No registration required

  4. Our quiz show format is ideal for reinforcing and studying topics

Really easy to use. Great if you have an Interactive Board or Projector. You can also preprint the questions and answers.

 

Terms and Conditions:

By using our website, you agree to these Terms & Conditions as well as our Privacy Policy.

1. eQuizShow content ownership rights

By creating and putting information into a template on our site, you acknowledge that eQuizShow.com has absolute content rights.

We may edit, delete, or redistribute your template for any reason. For instance, we may delete templates that are inactive for a period of time and/or other reasons that we see fit.

2. User content ownership rights

A user who creates a template never has the right to ask for a copy of all of the information in that template, even if eQuizShow.com decides to delete or alter the template.

A user does not have the right to delete his/her template. A user can ask eQuizShow to delete a template from our system, but eQuizShow might not comply, depending on our opinion, for any reason.

3. Private information

If a user includes private information in one or more of his/her templates, the user can ask for the entire template or templates to be removed from our system. eQuizShow can decide if they think information is considered private.

4. Spam or inappropriate content

If eQuizShow feels that a template contains sexual, gruesome, inappropriate, or spam containing material, eQuizShow will delete that template immediately.

Privacy Policy

eQuizShow will not publish user feedback without the user’s permission. Additionally, eQuizShow will not give out your email, name, or Google Profile for any reason.

 

eQuizShow retains all rights to user submitted content. eQuizShow can do as it wishes with this content.

http://equizshow.com/

How to participate in a Twitter Chat

http://www.coolcatteacher.com/videos/participate-twitter-chat-txeduchat/

 

Web Spotlight:

 

Rewrite of E-Rate Program Could Cover Technology Outside Schools

With the final public comment period on proposed changes to the E-rate having come to a close, one of the most intruging questions to emerge is whether the federal program should cover the costs of paying for students’ web access outside of school.

With the final public comment period on proposed changes to the E-rate having come to a close, one of the most intruging questions to emerge is whether the federal program should cover the costs of paying for students’ web access outside of school.

Sprint Corporation, the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., also called for the FCC to include support for off-campus access. Both companies agreed that firewall restrictions should be kept in place for publically funded projects, limiting internet use to only authorized sites.

“The E-Rate fund is already stretched and network construction is expensive,” Verizon said in its comments.  “Using E-rate to fund construction by schools or libraries—which are not best suited to building telecommunications networks in any event—will unnecessarily divert funds that other schools and libraries could use to obtain high-capacity connections. “

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2013/11/as_the_final_public_comment.html

 

8 Universal Secrets of Motivated Learners

Deceptively simple, their advice boils down to 8 universal secrets of powerful, personalized learning. Taken together, they give us a critical lens through which we can analyze what’s going wrong—and what’s going right—as we teach and as we learn.

  1. We feel OK. Creating well-being in a learning environment is the crucial first step, according to both kids and scientists. Threats to our physical or emotional safety—from hunger to humiliation—shut down learning as we respond to more primal signals.

  2. It matters. A personal connection or a real-world issue can make all the difference to whether we care about an academic task. Offering a choice on some aspect of the work also sends its value up, and so does the chance to work on things with friends.

  3. It’s active. From constructing a model to collaborating on a puzzle, we start to “own” new information when our hands and minds engage our thinking processes more fully.

  4. It stretches us. Extreme frustration can shut down learning, but a stretch that’s both challenging and achievable gives the learner a buzz of excitement. (Don’t forget to notice small successes along the way!)

  5. We have a coach. We do much better with someone around who will help us make sure we’re getting it right—watching us practice and giving us tips, with plenty of time to learn from our mistakes.

  6. We have to use it. Doing something with information not only shows that we know it but also makes it stick in our minds. The most fun is to perform what we’ve learned or teach it to others—but even a pop quiz will do the trick.

  7. We think back on it. What did I learn? What would I do differently next time? How have I grown and changed? Making time for us to reflect on questions like these has a huge effect on deepening our learning—yet it’s the easiest thing to skip.

  8. We plan our next steps. Planning any venture—an argument, a project, even what we’re going to say next—is a creative adventure. It forces us to remember information in order to develop an idea or solve a problem. Hand us the keys to our learning and watch us take those intellectual risks!

– See more at: http://www.personalizelearning.com/2013/11/8-universal-secrets-of-motivated.html#!

http://www.personalizelearning.com/2013/11/8-universal-secrets-of-motivated.html#!

UDACITY’S SEBASTIAN THRUN, GODFATHER OF FREE ONLINE EDUCATION, CHANGES COURSE

 

http://www.fastcompany.com/3021473/udacity-sebastian-thrun-uphill-climb

AMLE 2013 Annual Conference

Executive Director’s Meeting:

  • Membership focused on Teachers and resources for educators, backburner Administrators and Universities.

  • Free membership option has been a HUGE hit:  10,000 new members in the first month.

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

On the go recording.

 

MSM 259: Think Rich, Think Candy Corn, Think Petri Dishes … Shucks, Just Think.

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

SICK DAYS:

We will no longer accept a doctor statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

 

SURGERY:

Operations are now banned. As long as you are an employee here, you need all your organs. You should not consider removing anything. We hired you intact. To have something removed constitutes a breach of employment.

 

PERSONAL DAYS:

Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday and Sunday.

 

VACATION DAYS:

All employees will take their vacation at the same time every year. The vacation days are as follows: Jan. 1, July 4 & Dec. 25

 

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE:

This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or coworkers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early, provided your share of the work is done enough.

 

OUT FROM YOUR OWN DEATH:

This will be accepted as an excuse. However, we require at least two weeks notice, as it is your duty to train your own replacement.

 

RESTROOM USE:

Entirely too much time is being spent in the restroom. In the future, we will follow the practice of going in alphabetical order. For instance, all employees whose names begin with ‘A’ will go from 8:00 to 8:20, employees whose names begin with ‘B’ will go from 8:20 to 8:40 and so on. If you’re unable to go at your allotted time, it will be necessary to wait until the next day when your turn comes again. In extreme emergencies employees may swap their time with a coworker. Both employees’ supervisors in writing must approve this exchange. In addition, there is now a strict 3-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, and the stall door will open.

 

LUNCH BREAK:

Skinny people get an hour for lunch as they need to eat more so that they can look healthy, normal size people get 30 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain the average figure. Fat people get 5 minutes for lunch because that’s all the time needed to drink a Slim Fast and take a diet pill. Sondra gets none.

 

DRESS CODE:

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary, if we see you wearing $350 Prada sneakers and carrying a $600 Gucci bag we assume you are doing well financially and therefore you do not need a raise.

 

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternations or input should be directed elsewhere. Have a nice week.

 

— Management

 

Eileen Award:

 

Advisory:

 

Myers-Briggs

Introduction to the Cognitive Style Inventory

This modest self-scoring inventory is Not a substitute for taking an MBTI ®. It is simply an introduction to personality type or psychological type. We hope it whets your appetite for learning more about the Myers and Briggs model of personality development and its message of increased human understanding.

 

The Style Inventory will allow you to approximate what are your MBTI Type preferences. After determining your 4 Type letters, you can jump to a number of links we have provided to help you get acquainted with the characteristics and indicators of the 16 types and verify if your type, as determined by this “unscientific” survey, seems to “fit” or not.

http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html

 

Does Being Rich make you Different?

Science can explain a lot of things that I’ve always wondered about (go, science!). In this case, it explains what I’ve known for a long time but been unable to quite understand: Why do some folks who have a lot more money than others seem to be less nice and more evil to everyone around them? At 0:50, someone actually takes candy from babies. No, really. At 3:00, we start to see the science unfold before our eyes. Entire management courses could — and should — be taught with the bit starting at 4:40. http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/07/take-two-normal-people-add-money-to-just-one-of-them-and-watch-what-happens-next.html

Middle School Science Minute

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

Petri Plate Disposal

 

I was recently reading “The NSTA Ready Reference Guide to Safer Science,” written by Ken Roy of the Glastonbury Public Schools.  In this book, Key answers questions that have been submitted by middle school science teachers.  In this podcast, Ken answers the following question:

“What is a safe way to dispose of Petri Plates used to grow mold and bacteria?”

If you would like to order Ken’s book, please visit the NSTA bookstore at:

http://nsta.org/store

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/10/11_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Petri_Plate_Disposal.html

From the Twitterverse:

Any frmr teachers looking for a cool job? http://www.brainsonfire.com/blog/2013/11/01/hiring-community-manager/ …

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 15m

Bizarrely Improbable Objects That Make You Think

* Wesley Fryer, Ph.D. ‏@wfryer 1h

I just watched commented on the amazing #k12online13 presentation by @fuglefun “Making and Sharing Fugleflicks” http://j.mp/1bMsmSf

* Vicki Davis ‏@coolcatteacher

BLOGGED: Student time management: a powerful demo [Video] http://shrd.by/cXT2LL  #education

* Richard Byrne ‏@rmbyrne

New post: iloggo – Another Simple iGoogle Alternative http://goo.gl/fb/oPBRT

* American History TV ‏@cspanhistory

Pres. Truman defeats Republican challenger Thomas Dewey for the presidency #onthisday 1948 in major upset. SEEN HERE: pic.twitter.com/Z6BJxGQci6

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo 1h

RT @donalynbooks: Lexile levels as censorship? Talk among yourselves. pic.twitter.com/IeEV7q2Ski

* First Kentucky Trust ‏@FirstKYTrust 1 Nov

5 things you didn’t know about candy corn http://usat.ly/1bGsyT5  via @usatoday

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo 2h

RT @GuardianEdu: Secret Teacher: bribing students to learn is bad education http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/nov/02/schools-bribing-students-work-bad-education … pic.twitter.com/WsZvoNTjCI

* Sue Gorman ‏@sjgorman

Vocabulary Lessons: Flipped, Collaborative & Student Centered http://p.ost.im/dhAU85  via @CTuckerEnglish #edtech #mlearning

* Matt Wachel ‏@mattwachel

It Might Be Hard To Find A Better Short Video Than This One To Portray Grit- http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/11/01/it-might-be-hard-to-find-a-better-short-video-than-this-one-to-portray-grit/#.UnS694yvOdg.twitter … #colchat @MicheleCorbat @RodneyHetherton

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 1 Nov

#CE13: 20 Teacher Treats http://feedly.com/k/HvZTYt  ~ #sigadm #fhuedu642 #fhuedu320 #tn_teta #edwebchat

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 30 Oct

The Mind of a Middle Schooler: How Brains Learn http://feedly.com/k/1aF4gZC  ~ #fhupsy306 #sigadm #fhuedu508

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

  

Resources:

10 things I learned about productivity watching 70 hours of TED talks last week

  • 10. Caffeine can significantly improve your focus and energy levels, but only if you use it right.

  • 9. Seek out opinions that contradict your own.

  • 8. One of the best ways to connect with people is through humor.

  • 7. Meditation gives you perspective, allows you to process information easier, and calms you down.

  • 6. It’s worth it to be very defensive of your time.

  • 5. Listening to a TED talk, podcast, or audiobook takes about 50-75% of your attention.

  • 4. Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own.

  • 3. Step back and enjoy your successes.

  • 2. Breaks make you a lot more productive than you think.

  • 1. If you want to become inspired, surround yourself with inspiring people.

http://ayearofproductivity.com/10-things-learned-productivity-watching-70-hours-ted-talks-last-week/

SwipeSpeare

Shakespeare has all the ingredients of a big budget movie—if you can understand him.

 

SwipeSpeare puts the words of the Bard into plain and simple English with a Swipe of a finger!

 

Unlike other apps that put the original and modern side-by-side in a way that is distracting and hard to read, SwipeSpeare only shows you the modern text when you want to see it. Simply swipe your finger over the text, and the text will change; swipe it again and it will change back.

 

Romeo & Juliet is free.

http://www.swipespeare.com/features.html

Web Spotlight:

What poor children need in school

Most educational policy elites, whether in government or in the nonprofit sector, mean well.

Yet policymakers tend to come from a relatively privileged slice of American society.  And they tend to possess a set of beliefs and assumptions distinct to their background.

But in most cases, the fact that decision-makers inhabit a different world from students—and particularly, poor students—is a matter of great significance.

Poverty limits opportunity in all senses.  It restricts career paths, as policymakers recognize.  But it also denies young people equal time, resources, and exposure to discover their interests and foster their passions.  It constrains lives.

Schools, of course, did not create this problem.  But they do exacerbate it.  Over the past decade, well-intended policymakers concerned with closing the achievement gap have promoted policies and practices that reduce learning to something easily quantified.

Our best schools are places where children gain confidence in themselves, build healthy relationships, and develop values congruent with their own self-interest.  They are places of play and laughter and discovery.

Concerned only with the cultivation of ostensibly job-oriented knowledge and skills, they have neglected everything else that makes schools great.

Reformers need to understand that their narrow efforts to close the quantifiable “achievement gap” are creating another kind of educational inequity.  In other words, as they seek to close one gap they are opening up another.

For contemporary education reformers, improving test scores is the only measure of school quality that matters.  And they have had some modest successes in this regard.  Yet they have merely reshuffled the deck.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/18/what-poor-children-need-in-school/

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

If you’re at AMLE, say, “Hi!”

A couple of observations about AMLE this year.  1.  It’s going to be colder than usual.  2.  No conference App this year.  Yea, verily.  There is much sadness . . .   3.  If you see a person wearing a Middle School Matters podcast shirt, be sure to say hello.  Hope to see you there!  (If I have MSM pencils, you can have one for free!)

MSM 257: From NanoTech to Space – Be Safe

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

This past fall semester, at Duke University, there were two sophomores who were taking Organic Chemistry and who did pretty well on all of the quizzes, midterms, labs, etc. Going into the final exam, they had solid “A’s.”

These two friends were so confident going into the final that the weekend before finals week (even though the Chem. final was on Monday), they decided to go up to University of Virginia to a party with some friends.

So they did this and had a great time. However, they ended up staying longer than they planned, and they didn’t make it back to Duke until early Monday morning. Rather than taking the final then, they found Professor Aldric after the final and explained to him why they missed it. They told him that they went up to Virginia for the weekend, and had planned to come back in time to study, but that they had a flat tire on the way back and didn’t have a spare and couldn’t get help for a long time. So they were late getting back to campus.

Aldric thought this over and agreed that they could make up the final on the following day. The two guys were elated and relieved. So, they studied that night and went in the next day at the time that Aldric had told them.

He placed them in separate rooms, handed each of them a test booklet and told them to begin. They looked at the first problem, which was something simple about free radical formation and was worth 5 points. “Cool” they thought, “this is going to be easy.” They did that problem and then turned the page.

They were unprepared, however, for what they saw on the next page.

It said: (95 points) “Which tire?”

 

A guy was in a cave, looking for treasure. He found an old lamp, rubbed it, and a genie came out. The genie said “I will grant you three wishes, but your ex-wife will get double.” The man agreed, and said “I wish I had a mansion.” The genie granted it, and his ex-wife got two mansions. The man said “I would like a million dollars.” The genie again granted it and his ex-wife got two million dollars. Then the man said, “Scare me half to death.”

 

A distraught older woman is looking at herself in the mirror and crying. Her voice shakes as she says to her husband, “I’m so old. I’m so fat. I look horrible. I really need a compliment.”

Her husband, determined to quickly give his beloved the comfort she needs, exclaims, “Well, you have great eyesight!”

“Well, I finally retired my old car”, said the old man. His pal ask, “Did you junk it or trade it in?” “Naw nothing like that, I put four new Michelins on it.”

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter:  David Katz, NAESP, Student Linkup, BJ Piel, Mark Denham (Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Education at the University of Detroit Mercy)

 

Advisory:

 

15 Ways of the Successful Self-Directed Learner

by Jeff Cobb

 

1. Takes initiative

2. Is comfortable with independence

3. Is persistent

4. Accepts responsibility

5. Views problems as challenges, not obstacles

6. Is capable of self-discipline

7. Has a high degree of curiosity

8. Has a strong desire to learn or change

9. Is self-confident

10. Is able to use basic study skills

11. Organizes his or her time

12. Sets an appropriate pace for learning

13. Develops a plan for completing work

14. Has a tendency to be goal-oriented

15. Enjoys learning

 

http://www.missiontolearn.com/2013/10/self-directed-learning-success/

Malala Yousafzai

The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, and Malala Yousafzai, the youngest nominee ever, is considered by many to be the frontrunner.

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/10/09/the-best-resources-on-malala-yousafzai/

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-october-8-2013-malala-yousafzai

 

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

Nanotechnology Basics

 

I was recently reading the Summer, 2013 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  Within this issue is the monthly column, “Green Science,” written by Jessica Palliser.  This month, Jessica writes about the nanoscale and provides a basic understanding of nanotechnology basics.

From the Twitterverse:

* Daniel Pink ‏@DanielPink

Dilbert creator Scott Adams: “To put it bluntly, goals are for losers.” . . . http://on.wsj.com/165QwEb  (via @WSJ)

* Kari Catanzaro ‏@catanhistory

@mrg_3: #ICE13 Smackdown: Check out Songify! http://ow.ly/pHR2w  Turn speech into music!” Can’t wait to try with students! #tlap #edchat

* Manan Shah ‏@shahlock

@edrethink #rechat without being creative it’s not obvious if one has actually learned something

* Todd Van Horn ‏@tvanhorn39

11 Tips on Teaching Common Core Critical Vocabulary http://edut.to/1dpj5l4  via @edutopia

* Todd Van Horn ‏@tvanhorn39 17m

Using QR Codes to Differentiate Instruction http://edut.to/1bcqNS1  via @edutopia

* jake duncan ‏@duncanbilingual 42m

Here is the doc from the Tech Slam #RSCON4 session with @markbarnes19: #ce13

* Derek McCoy ‏@mccoyderek 38m

Handwriting vs. Typing: Which Skill Do Students Need Most? http://ow.ly/24VP73

* Todd Van Horn ‏@tvanhorn39 53m

25 Things Successful Educators Do Differently http://shar.es/E5bBW  via @sharethis

* Ryan Bretag ‏@ryanbretag 1h

How the iPad can turn teaching special ed ‘on its head’ http://zite.to/GScBjQ

* Lisa Neale ‏@lisaneale 3h

RT @s_bearden: RT @TeachThought: 5 Strategies For Creating A Genius Mindset In Students http://www.teachthought.com/learning/5-strategies-creating-genius-mindset-students/ … #hwdsb #plpnetwork #OntCL

* Maria Popova ‏@brainpicker 1h

The odd day jobs of famous poets, illustrated http://j.mp/GVbmzs

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

 

 

Resources:

The Civil War Trust

The Civil War Trust is America’s largest non-profit organization (501-C3) devoted to the preservation of our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields. The Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the war’s history and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.

http://www.civilwar.org/

9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact

This pretty much speaks for itself. At 1:05, I get a rude awakening. At 1:41, he starts talking about you. At 2:24, he says a “bad” word. At 3:50, he kind of breaks my brain. At 4:50, he lets you know how broke you really are. At 5:20, he rubs it in. And at 5:50, he points out that reality isn’t close to what we think it is.

http://www.upworthy.com/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact-2?g=6

Web Spotlight:

Beware of the Internet Safety Industrial Complex

Larry Magid

 

I got a call recently from a woman who works for a company that makes an app designed to “keep kids safe” by enabling parents to monitor their texts and social media activities. The pitch included some dire statistics such as “70 percent of kids are cyberbullied”

And it’s not just companies. Some non-profit organizations, government agencies, politicians and police departments have also exaggerated problems, presumably to attract media attention or possibly help justify their budgets. One non-profit organization has repeatedly claimed that 85 percent of teens have been cyberbullied — a number that flies in the face of all reputable research reports.

Be especially wary when you hear statements like “a disturbing trend” or a “growing problem” that aren’t accompanied by any research data. What many of these reports fail to say is that victimization of children has been on a steady decline for years.

Fake numbers

Even though I knew it was completely false, it didn’t surprise me to hear the spokesperson for the monitoring app claim that 70 percent of kids had been cyberbullied. Though not all are guilty of this, it’s not uncommon to hear such exaggerations from companies (and some agencies and non-profits) in the Internet safety space.

While any case of cyberbullying is bad, the fact is that the statistics are nowhere near as dire. The numbers vary a lot. The National Center for Educational Statistics reports that 6 percent of students in grades 6-12 experienced cyberbullying. The Centers for Disease Control found in 2011 that 16.2 percent of students had been bullied via email, chat rooms, instant messaging, websites or texting — compared to 20.1 percent who had been bullied on school property (traditional bullying) — during the 12 months prior to the survey. The Cyberbullying Research Center reports that “on average, about 24 percent of the students who have been a part of our last six studies have said they have been the victim of cyberbullying at some point in their lifetime.” Dan Olweus, who the editor of the European Journal of Development Psychology referred to as the “father of bullying research” wrote a 2012 article for that journal where he said that “claims about cyberbullying made in the media and elsewhere are greatly exaggerated and have little empirical scientific support.” Based on a three-year survey of more than 440,000 U.S. children (between 3rd and 12th grade), 4.5 percent of kids had been cyberbullied compared to 17.6 percent from that same sample who had experienced traditional bullying. An even more interesting statistic from that study is that only 2.8 percent of kids had bullied others.

There have also been a lot of false reports about the incidences of kids being sexually solicited online. During that recent pitch about the monitoring app, I was told that the woman’s own son encountered creeps online but — when I asked what happened — she said that he ignored them. It turns out that’s common. Unless kids are looking to hook up with strangers online, that’s exactly what most teens do. Parents can freak out all they want, but kids generally know how to avoid getting entangled in unwanted online relationships.

The problem — as articulated by researchers — is that some kids take extraordinary risks and the kids who take risks online are the same ones that make bad decisions in their offline lives.

Whatever the numbers are, they’re still too high but they represent a small minority of kids which is why a one-size-fits-all approach, including monitoring and filtering, doesn’t make sense.

Olweus is also concerned that fixating on cyberbullying could encourage “an unfortunate shift in the focus of anti-bullying work if digital bullying is seen as the key bullying problem in the schools.”

He worries about funneling resources in the wrong direction, while “traditional bullying — which is clearly the most prevalent and most serious problem — would be correspondingly downgraded.”

I worry about something else. One of the best ways to counter negative behavior is to show that it’s not the norm. Exaggerating cyberbullying makes it look common — in some cases we’ve seen numbers that make it look as if the majority of kids are engaged in it. If it’s common it must be normal and if it’s normal — so goes the reasoning — it must be OK.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/beware-of-the-internet-safety_b_4066956.html

The Six Best YouTube URL Tricks

 

  • Repeat All or Part of a Video

  • Download Any Video

  • Bypass Regional Restrictions

  • Jump to a Specific Time

  • Disable Related Videos

  • Skip to the Good Parts With the Wadsworth Constant

 

http://lifehacker.com/the-six-best-youtube-url-tricks-1422544868

 

The myth of NASA’s expensive space pens

During the space race back in the 1960’s, NASA was faced with a major problem. The astronaut needed a pen that would write in the vacuum of space. NASA went to work. At a cost of $1.5 million they developed the “Astronaut Pen”. Some of you may remember. It enjoyed minor success on the commercial market.

The Russians were faced with the same dilemma.

They used a pencil.

Fantastic story, right? Except that’s not what happened. NASA originally used pencils in space but pencils tend to give off things that float in zero-g (broken leads, graphite dust, shavings) and are flammable.

After testing, NASA ordered 400 Fisher pens for use on space missions at a cost of under $1000. Russia switched to using the pens a year later.

 

http://kottke.org/13/10/the-myth-of-nasas-expensive-space-pens

MSM 255: Swivl me timbers, Pirate day is over.

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Jokes You Can Use:

Q.how do you make seven an even number?

A.take the s out!

 

Question: Why are ghosts bad liars?

Answer: Because you can see right through them

 

What dog can jump higher than a building?

Any dog, buildings can’t jump!

 

Q:How do you make a fruit punch?

A:Give it boxing lessons.

 

Q:why did the sheep go to the movies

A: to get some snaaahcks

 

Q. What has four legs but can’t walk?

A. a chair!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Q.Why was Rita carrying a ladder?

A.Because she was going to high school

 

Q:What is a witches favorite subject in school?

A:Spelling LOL!!!

 

Q: Where does a rabbit learn how to fly?

A: in the hare force.

Eileen Award:

 

Advisory:

 

Produce Flops

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/13-of-the-worst-product-flops-of-all-time

 

The Prudential Spirit

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to honor middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level.

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

http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc

 

What We Are: Shattering Stereotypes

 

The “I Am” wall originally started as a language arts class project for individual students to shatter the stereotypes that they felt have been placed on them. Before starting on the project, we personally felt confused and unenthusiastic towards this prompt, because it seemed awkward projecting our personal struggles in front of teachers and peers.

http://www.middleweb.com/7776/students-reject-stereotypes/

Middle School Science Minute

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

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-FIRST-AID

 

I was recently reading the April/May, 2013 issue of “Science Scope,” a magazine for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association.  Within this issue is the monthly column, “Scope on Safety,” written by Ken Roy of the Glastonbury Public Schools.  In his column for the month, he answers a question posed by a middle school science teacher.  The question is:

“Should I know first-aid procedures in case one of my students has an accident in the lab?”

 

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/8/8_Middle_School_Science_Minute-First-Aid.html

From the Twitterverse:

“10 Powerful Screencasting Apps For Mobile Devices” http://feedly.com/k/1aoiiih  #edchat #edtech #BYOD

* Valia Reinsalu ‏@trulygreenfish 35m

Become an Inquiry-Based Teacher in 10 Steps http://shar.es/K4MXe  via @sharethis #edchat #funFriday reading

* Richard Byrne ‏@rmbyrne 39m

New post: Seven Alternatives to iGoogle http://goo.gl/fb/SaisM

* edutopia ‏@edutopia 45m

Witty answers to “Why do we have to write today?” http://edut.to/1fsNh33  #writing #nwp #engchat

* Motivational Quotes ‏@DavidRoads 1h

You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. -Henry Ford

* Kelly Dumont ‏@kdumont 58m

11 Sites and Apps Kids Are Heading to After Facebook http://zite.to/1b9Va8h

* Tony Vincent ‏@tonyvincent 1h

Kids’ Journal for iPad is now a free app! Write daily reflections with photos & export as PDF: http://tonyv.me/kidsjournal  #iosedapp #kinderchat

* Susie Highley ‏@shighley 1h

Everybody says we need more rigor in education, but what is it?? Suggestions for any lesson via @TeachThought http://www.teachthought.com/learning/how-to-add-rigor-to-anything/ …

* Kim Flintoff ‏@kimbowa 2h

5 Great Augmented Reality iPad Apps – EdTechReview™ (ETR) | @scoopit via @PekkaPuhakka

http://edtechreview.in/news/news/products-apps-tools/483-5-great-augmented-reality-ipad-apps

* edutopia ‏@edutopia 4h

Educators & parents share their favorite strategies to build bridges btwn home & school: http://edut.to/1fDqZZZ  #edchat #edu

* Michelle Baldwin ‏@michellek107 25 Sep

Dear people who create products for Education – talk to educators before you create your interface. #kthxbai

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 4h

The Dictator’s Practical Guide to Education

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 4h

Integrating Rubrics into Your Assessment Strategy ~ #fhucid http://www.fhu.edu/BLOGS/MTATOM/post/Integrating-Rubrics-into-Your-Assessment-Strategy.aspx …

* Monte Tatom ‏@drmmtatom 5h

Five-Minute Film Festival: Vine & Instagram Video in the Classroom ~ #fhuedu320 #edwebchat #tetaita2013 http://feedly.com/k/19MmkyJ

* Michelle Nebel ‏@mnebel 5h

US Dept. of ED declares October Connected Educator Month. | All October. All online. All free. Hundreds of even… http://essd40pd.weebly.com/1/post/2013/09/us-dept-of-ed-declares-october-connected-educator-month-all-october-all-online-all-free-hundreds-of-events-activities-to-expand-extend-your-classroom.html …

* Kelly Dumont ‏@kdumont 6h

Self-evaluation Rubrics for Admin Tech Use, 2013 – 1-5

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

 

News:

Khan Academy: The hype and the reality

In a new profile in Time magazine, Sal Khan, founder of the popular Khan Academy, explains how he prepares for each of his video lessons. He doesn’t use a script. In fact, he admits, “I don’t know what I’m going to say half the time.”

The highest ranking official in American education says that effective teaching requires training and planning, and then holds up as his archetype someone who openly admits to showing up to class every day unprepared. If a teacher said that, they’d be fired.

Khan Academy boasts almost 3,300 videos that have been viewed over 160 million times. That’s a heroic achievement.

But there’s a problem: the videos aren’t very good.

When asked why so many teachers have such adverse reactions to Khan Academy, Khan suggests it’s because they’re jealous. “It’d piss me off, too, if I had been teaching for 30 years and suddenly this ex-hedge-fund guy is hailed as the world’s teacher.”

Of course, teachers aren’t “pissed off” because Sal Khan is the world’s teacher. They’re concerned that he’s a bad teacher who people think is great; that the guy who’s delivered over 170 million lessons to students around the world openly brags about being unprepared and considers the precise explanation of mathematical concepts to be mere “nitpicking.”

Because the truth is that there’s nothing revolutionary about Khan Academy at all. In fact, Khan’s style of instruction is identical to what students have seen for generations: a do this then do this approach to teaching that presents mathematics as a meaningless series of steps.

Sal Khan has done something remarkable in creating such a vast and varied library, and he deserves to be recognized. His commitment to making the site free is a rare and selfless act, and he deserves to be praised. Sal Khan is a good guy with a good mission. What he’s not, though, is a good teacher.

As Arne Duncan said, we need to invest in professional development, and provide teachers with the support and resources they need to be successful. We need to give them time to collaborate, and create relevant content that engages students and develops not just rote skills but also conceptual understanding. We have to help new teachers figure out classroom management – to reach the student who shows up late to class every day and never brings a pencil – and free up veteran teachers to mentor younger colleagues.

We have to recognize the good, and then cultivate it.

Before we can do that, though, we have to agree on what “good” is. I don’t know what I’m going to say half the time isn’t good enough, and we have to stop pretending that it is.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/khan-academy-the-hype-and-the-reality/2012/07/22/gJQAuw4J3W_blog.html#pagebreak

 

Resources:

 

30 Classic Books That May Change Your Life

A classic novel need not be one that was penned a hundred years ago: rather, some of the traits that define the classic genre are timelessness, universality, truthfulness. Will this work remain relevant as time goes by? Can the reader learn something heartfelt from the story? Does the narrative flow beautifully? Does it resonate with the reader?

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/classic-books-that-will-change-your-life.html

25 Things You Had No Idea There Were Words For

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/things-you-had-no-idea-there-were-words-for

Comparative Constitutions Project (CCP)

The Comparative Constitutions Project (CCP) is directed by Zachary Elkins (University of Texas, Department of Government), Tom Ginsburg (University of Chicago, Law School), and James Melton (University College London), in cooperation with the Cline Center for Democracy at the University of Illinois. The project is supported by the National Science Foundation (SES 0648288).

The intent of the project is to investigate the sources and consequences of constitutional choices. Towards this end, the investigators are collecting data on the formal characteristics of written constitutions, both current and historical, for most independent states since 1789.

http://comparativeconstitutionsproject.org/

TedEd

Looking for a new way to engage students, or an exciting way to teach a difficult concept? Wish you could take your students on an impossible field trip? Checkout TEDEd: Lessons Worth Sharing for access to an innovative lesson planning tool. TedEd is linked to YouTube videos appropriate for school-age students and searchable by subject area and content. Use the search feature to find a video; add short answer or multiple choice questions, discussion points, and further references throughout the video. Hit the exclude option to hide any of these options. If you would like to see an already completed lesson search their library of “flipped videos” and modify them to fit your needs. This is an easy-to-use, free resource with limitless possibilities for educators.

http://instructify.com/2013/09/23/teded/

Swivl

The perfect solution for professional applications. Includes the complete featureset for a great video experience with enhanced audio. See the full list of specs here.

(Model #SW1721)

$199 per unit. Free cont. US ground. International fees may apply.

http://www.swivl.com/

http://www.swivl.com/store/

Web Spotlight:

 

Connected Educator Month Is Coming – What Will You Do?

The United States Department of Education has designated the month of October as “Connected Educator Month.” The description below comes from the Connected Educator Month District Toolkit created by Powerful Learning Practice:

Connected Educator Month (CEM) is a month-long celebration of community, with educators at all levels, from all disciplines, moving toward a fully connected and collaborative profession.

The goals of Connected Educator Month include:

  • Helping more districts promote and integrate online social learning into their formal professional development

  • Stimulating and supporting collaboration and innovation in professional development

  • Getting more educators connected (to each other)

  • Deepening and sustaining the learning of those already connected

So, what will you do? How will you promote the power of Connected Learning for others? Whatever its is, be sure to share your ideas here! That’s what being connected is all about!

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/8994

575 Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, etc.

Where to watch free movies online? Let’s get you started. We have listed here 575 quality films that you can watch online. The collection is divided into the following categories: Comedy & Drama; Film Noir, Horror & Hitchcock; Westerns & John Wayne; Silent Films; Documentaries, and Animation.

http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline

 

 

MSM 254: Close reading, Misdirection and Misconceptions.

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

 

Jokes You Can Use:

An executive was interviewing a young woman for a position in his company. He wanted to learn something about her personality, so he asked, “if you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?”

 

She quickly responded, “The living one.”

 

What did Mrs. Claus say to Santa as they were looking out their front window?

“Looks like rein dear”

 

Did you know that “verb” is a noun?

If two mouses are mice and two louses are lice, why aren’t two houses hice?

Why is the plural of goose-geese, and not the plural of moose-meese?

Q: Why is the Dalmatian always found when playing hide and go seek?

A: Because his is spotted!

“Last Christmas I got a new rifle for my wife. Good trade, don’t you think?”

On the first day of school, the kindergarten teacher said, “If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers.” A little voice from the back of the classroom asked, “How will that help?”

 

There were three pigs. The biggest pig went to the market and asked for the largest soda. He gulped it up and asked where the bathroom is. “Right over there,” says the store clerk. Then, the middle pig went to the market and asked for the largest soda. He gulped it down and asked where the bathroom was too. “Right over there,” said the store clerk. Finally, the littlest pig came in the market and asked for the largest soda. He gulped it all down. The store clerk asked,” Aren’t you gonna ask where the bathroom is?” “Nope,” said the little pig,” Don’t you remember I’m the one that wee wees all the way home.”

 

Eileen Award:

  • Twitter: Samantha Jenkin, Michelle Cordy,

  • Facebook: Dennis McCall, Susan Rona Stein

 

Advisory:

 

The Art of Misdirection

Have the students watch the video. Ask them some questions about the video. Then ask them if they would be fooled by him. (If possible, pause at the 8:00 minute mark – this is where he reveals that he has adjusted his outfit).

http://www.ted.com/talks/apollo_robbins_the_art_of_misdirection.html

What every teacher ought to do… before it is too late

Posted by Vicki Davis

Many of you have been sharing on Twitter how you’ve had students create cards and do things to say “thank you.” Wherever you live, whoever you are, if you teach – make sure you’ve scheduled one day and one activity this year to thank these heroes of our community.

Yesterday as my students delivered and set up an appreciation for local law enforcement, they were met with gratitude. In two separate places they were told:

“People don’t really want to come down here for good things, it is always the tough things we deal with.”

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-every-teacher-ought-to-do-before.html

 

Alice Eve explains fitting in….

Good for a discussion about fitting in versus not.

http://twentytwowords.com/2013/09/18/english-actress-discusses-faking-an-american-accent-as-a-child-at-school-in-california/

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-SCIENCE MEETS THE ARTS

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.  Within this issue is an article entitled “Science Meets the Arts” written by Lawrence Perretto.  “Science Meets the Arts” is a program that engages students in scientific inquiry by having students create their own realistic wildlife art.  Embedded in this artistic/scientific process are key content connections that meet the Next Generation Life Science Standards.

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/7/19_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Science_Meets_the_Arts.html

From the Twitterverse:

Bloom’s Taxonomy for iPads. pic.twitter.com/XIbZyVHdGZ #ukedchat #edchat #edtech #ipadchat #iPad #ipaded

* Scott S. Floyd ‏@woscholar 34m

OH: “I didn’t choose to do homeschooling. Why are you sending 2 or 3 hours of homework home with my child?” #GoodPoint

#mschat this week was co-hosted by @amle on the topic of homework.  Here’s a resource they shared:  http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/332/Value-of-Homework.aspx

* Tami Brass ‏@brasst 34m

“How to Make School Better for Boys” – Boys are born tinkerers… http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/how-to-make-school-better-for-boys/279635/ …

* Tami Brass ‏@brasst 44m

“6 ChromeOS Tips to Make Chromebook Sparkle” – Although I’m not a diehard Chromebook user, do love the speed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gottabemobile/~3/yq441h1APgY/ …

* Jon Samuelson ‏@ipadSammy 58m

Here is the link to the @LiveBinders for @wfryer session on Classroom 2.0 http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=966172 … #edcampatl #edcampps

* Larry Ferlazzo ‏@Larryferlazzo 1h

“Parents: 19 Meaningful Questions You Should Ask Your Child’s Teacher” http://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/2013/09/14/parents-19-meaningful-questions-you-should-ask-your-childs-teacher/#.UjSCNXUiCM0.twitter …

* edutopia ‏@edutopia 12 Sep

6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents: http://edut.to/19LsYYa

* Mark Dunk ‏@unklar 2h

How to Close the Achievement Gap: Arts Education http://edut.to/15kqHDA  via @edutopia

* Alec Couros ‏@courosa 2h

To my #ecmp355 preservice teachers – you may want to read this: http://mgraffin.edublogs.org/2013/09/14/meeting-my-first-year-self/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AReliefTeachersJourney+(A+Relief+Teacher’s+Journey)#.UjR4rGRFxjE … (You have a great opportunity before you right now)

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 12m

#Reading logs aren’t learning, they’re obedience | @lisamorguess HT @raybake #edchat

* Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod 49m

“In education, bad ideas are timeless & good ones are incredibly fragile” | @garystager #edreform #iaedfuture #plaea

* TechSmith ‏@TechSmith 17 Sep

Looking for a better screen recorder? Get a deal on Camtasia for Mac for a limited time! https://stacksocial.com/sales/the-name-your-own-price-mac-bundle-3-0?aid=a-be2zqtey …

* Class Tech Tips ‏@ClassTechTips 1h

iPad QR Scavenger Hunts! Check these out! #edtech #ipaded #edapp #freeapp http://wp.me/p2qsME-5M

* Kevin Cummins ‏@edgalaxy_com 1h

Looking for new ideas to Teach History and Geography – Look no Further than here http://brev.is/h8j2

* MrAspinall ‏@mraspinall 2h

Five obsolete teaching practices. I appreciate #3 http://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.ca/2013/09/5-obsolete-practices-and-ways-of-doing.html?m=1 …

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

 

Strategies:

Some Common Alternative Conceptions (Misconceptions)

 

Assign students a misconception that they will teach to the class. Assign can be done via student interest (ie. self-select, random picking or teacher assigned). Have the students work in groups. Their assignment will be to teach the class the misconception and the correct version.

 

  • Science

    • Seasonal Change

    • Knowledge about the Earth

    • Day/Night Cycle

    • Plants

    • Path of blood flow in circulation

    • Categories of Misconceptions (Erroneous Ideas) (See Pelaez, Boyd, Rojas, & Hoover, 2005)

    • Force and Motion of Objects

    • Gravity

    • Ontological Misconceptions

    • Other Misconceptions in Science

    • Epistemological Misconceptions about the Domain of Science Itself (its objectives, methods, and purposes)

  • Mathematics

    • Money

    • Subtraction

    • Multiplication

    • Division

    • Negative Numbers

    • Fractions

    • Decimal/Place-Value

    • Overgeneralization of Conceptions Developed for “Whole Numbers” (cited in Williams & Ryan, 2000)

    • Algebra

  • Language Arts

    • Poetry

    • Language

http://www.apa.org/education/k12/alternative-conceptions.aspx

Resources:

EditMinion

A Web-based companion to Write or Die, EditMinion is similar to After the Deadline. This writer’s companion doesn’t track your work, though. Rather, it provides an editing box for you to cut and paste work for immediate analysis and grading.

Adverbs, clichés, weak phrasing, repetitive usage and more are all laid bare for the author to see, making initial edit passes quick, if not painless.

EditMinion is also free, so the only thing you have to lose is your dignity when a beloved scene fails to make the grade. At least there are no witnesses.

http://editminion.com/

North Jersey schools offering yoga as part of curriculum

 

Many schools in the region offer yoga as part of the curriculum, either in physical education courses or in the classroom setting. In the Fort Lee school system, yoga is incorporated into part of the traditional gym curriculum for grades 9 to 12.

Yoga originates from Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, but many schools incorporate the physical poses and relaxation without the spiritual aspect.

“A lot of yoga is about being mindful of your space, and that can be a big thing in the classroom,” she said. “Or if kids are having a hard time in class, a teacher might say, ‘OK, let’s refocus and work on our breathing.’ “

“We’ve taken physical education out of many schools and also lost recess in many places,” she said. “At the same time we have an increase in technology, more sitting in one place. I think the increase in popularity of yoga in schools has also come about because of the general interest in mind-body medicine.”

“I talk to them about quieting the mind,” she said. “It’s hard for teenagers to just close their eyes and breathe, but once they get into it, it can be so helpful. I remind them that when they are anxious about a test to use their yoga breathing.”

http://k-12yoga.org/index.php

http://www.northjersey.com/community/224184921_Schools_offering_yoga_as_part_of_curriculum.html

Web Spotlight:

Will an emphasis on ‘close reading’ kill the joy of reading?

 

As most educators know by now, the new Common Core standards emphasize ‘close reading.’ It’s hard to argue with that as a necessary skill for understanding complex writing.

 

BUT… I keep thinking back to some quotes from Kelly Gallagher’s phenomenal book,  Readicide:

 

So I’m torn. I want students to be able to critically analyze what they’re reading but even more importantly I want them to love to read.

 

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/09/will-an-emphasis-on-close-reading-kill-the-joy-of-reading.html

 

Half-Baked Ideas . . .

 

David Knox and screen capture.

  • Screenflow
  • Screeny
  • Camtasia
  • Swivl

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.