Category: MSM

Middle School Matters podcast related information

MSM, News, Podcast, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 190: Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Go to College yet Mind the Gap! (London Tubers will get that joke . . . )

Jokes You Can Use:

Ever notice:
People who cough incessantly never seem to go to the doctor – they go to concerts, banquets, and church.
People who have a concrete mind – permanently set and all mixed up.
People who have a rare intelligence – as in they rarely show that they have intelligence.
People who have a keen sense of rumor.

On Our Mind:

Last week’s interview with Dave Tucker on homework.

 

Eileen Award:

  • Justin Menard

 

 

Advisory:

100 Things that we didn’t know last year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2011/12/100_things_we_didnt_know_last_6.shtml

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about cockroaches. In the December, 2011 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Ron Wagler wrote an article entitled, “Using Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches to Develop and Enhance the Scientific Inquiry Skill of Observation in Middle School Students.”  He shares activities that students can do to enhance their observational skills.

 

From the Twitterverse:

*NancyW Wolfram Education Portal: Free Resources and Materials for Teachers zite.to/yb7lR5 via @zite #mathchat #edchat
*coolcatteacher I disagree that Second life is the only thing that has cool things @catflippen – You get oar files open sim #tmga12 Jibe is big too.
* pammoran RT @mikevigilant: We just had a mandatory PD on differentiation that was the same for everyone #tmga12 #oops
* russeltarr Comprehensive literacy lesson plans and student materials from any content in minutes: tinyurl.com/6ga7cew
*
pammoran @web20classroom here’s a @corriekelly prezi on using QR codes w/ kids – her work w/ lit intervention is amazin bit.ly/z9npp0 #tmga12
* web20classroom Getting connected is an essential first step in becoming the global educator our students need. @kylepace #tmga12
* tonnet Texting in Class: The Pros and Cons of Celly. bit.ly/wD1jGH #edtech
*bhsprincipal 74 Interesting Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom via @tombarrett j.mp/yyl8xy #bhschat
* IAM_SHAKESPEARE If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink,
*cliotech Picnik is shutting down in April. Anyone have suggestions for similar services? blog.picnik.com/2012/01/offici…
* tombarrett Plot Device | edte.ch bit.ly/pJep3f
*MatthiasHeil Gone #Google – Project-based lessons – goo.gl/tepds #pbl #edchat
* kconners09 @Ron_Peck @ShawnMcCusker @Becky_Ellis Interesting read on why #sschat is game changer (IMHO) twrt.me/l42ifn @AngelaMaiers @smplusone

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

 

 

News:

A decade of No Child Left Behind: Lessons from a policy failure

By Valerie Strauss
Ten years have passed since then president George W. Bush signed No Child Left Behind (NCLB), making it the educational law of the land. A review of a decade of evidence demonstrates that NCLB has failed badly both in terms of its own goals and more broadly. It has neither significantly increased academic performance nor significantly reduced achievement gaps, even as measured by standardized exams.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/a-decade-of-no-child-left-behind-lessons-from-a-policy-failure/2012/01/05/gIQAeb19gP_blog.html?wprss=answer-sheet

 

D.C. Lawmakers Propose Requiring Students to Apply to College

Lawmakers in the nation’s capital have floated a plan to require high school students to apply to college or trade school — even if the students have no interest in attending.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/07/dc-lawmakers-propose-requiring-students-to-apply-to-college/

Resources:

Learn Out Loud

LearnOutLoud.com has scoured the Internet to bring you over 5000 free audio and video titles. This directory features free audio books, lectures, speeches, sermons, interviews, and many other great free audio and video resources. Most audio titles can be downloaded in digital formats such as MP3 and most video titles are available to stream online. Enjoy!
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/History/Speeches

American Rhetoric

Database of and index to 5000+ full text, audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a declaration or two.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

 

Free Audio Books

Download hundreds of free audio books, mostly classics, to your MP3 player or computer. You’ll find great works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks

 

Song of the Week

Use the link to sign up for his Song of the Week. Also links to lots of information. Follow him on Facebook to hear his latest work with the students and classrooms he visits throughout the year.
http://www.monteselby.com/
http://www.monteselby.com/Refrigerator.mp3

 

SchoolHouse Rocks!

Relive my Saturday mornings!
http://community.eflclassroom.com/page/schoolhouserock-1?xg_source=activity

Web Spotlight:

iPad in Education

Tons of information, from soup to nuts of iPad implementation.
http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/

 

GapMinder

Gapminder is used in classrooms around the world to build a fact-based world view.
On this page we feature quality examples & resources. Share your own ideas and learn from others in the new Gapminder Movement forum!
http://www.gapminder.org/news/gapminder-desktop-launched/
http://www.gapminder.org/for-teachers/


Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

ISTE News:

  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.


Ohio Middle Level Association:


AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

 

Second Life:

    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

MSM, News, Podcast, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 188 20% Project and A Plethora of Words and Resources…

Jokes You Can Use:

Why are so few men with whiskers in heaven?
Because most men get in by a close shave.

What’s the definition of a financial genius?
Someone who can make money faster than the rest of the family spends it.

I know a woman who has cooked so many TV dinners that she thinks she’s in show business!

On Our Mind:

New Year’s Resolutions.
Feedback
PLN site – http://rmmade.com

Eileen Award:

  • Happy Birthday to Jeff LaRoux
  • Nicole Woulfe
  • Linda Neville
  • Rachel C.


Advisory:

It has a name you know:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/25-everyday-things-you-never-knew-had-names


Honest Logo

http://m.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/if-logos-were-honest


Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about formaldehyde. In the November, 2011 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication), in the section on “Scope on Safety” a question was asked about what a teacher should do if they find specimens preserved in formaldehyde.  Two very good options are provided.

From the Twitterverse:

*missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡ 21 Things That Will be Obsolete in 2020 vsb.li/702G5F by @MindShiftKQED #edchat
*
missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡ Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning | @Edutopia | @scoopit vsb.li/40FoQf #edtech #edchat #PBL #edujo
* missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡ 15 Fascinating Academic Studies Done on #Twitter | @scoopit vsb.li/DGX93Z by @OC_org #edtech #edchat #SM
* Ron_Peck Ron Check out “Goals for the New Year?” on Social Studies Chat: ning.it/zSmBHw #sschat
* missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡
LibriVox Audiobooks ..Free PodCasts vsb.li/SdA78d #ESL #EFL #EngChat
* deenawarwick Deena Warwick 25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names buzzfeed.com/daves4/25-ever… via @BuzzFeed
* DianeRavitch Diane Ravitch How did voucher schools in New Orleans do? educatenow.net/resources/data…
* Eduware_Inc Eduware, Inc. Over 1,000 tests have been made in the last week on #WizardTM, with over 91,000 total! Make yours today at goo.gl/7GZVZ
* zeitz Leigh Zeitz (@zeitz) 6 Secrets To Overcoming Burnout : Some interesting ideas for the hard working. openforum.com/articles/6-sec… via
* JaneBalvanz Jane Balvanz @kimsoutherngirl @DianeRavitch Can you imagine Race to the Top for surgeons? Whoever finishes brain surgery first wins. Ready, set, go!
* Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi Sarcasm isn’t nice but it beats killing people.
* johnkuhntx John Kuhn @DianeRavitch NL pitchers should be “assigned” the batting avg of another player, since they don’t bat.
* jybuell  Lectures Suck | Psychology Today psychologytoday.com/blog/everybody…
* MsSandersTHS Beth Sanders 5 Must have Ed Apps in 2012 for the 21st Century Student Centered Class post.ly/4hGbk #evernote #schoology #socrative #voicethread
* Bcudly Brent cudly Middle Level Education by @Bcudly on @scoopit

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

News:

It’s Time to Rethink the Hours America Spends Educating
http://www.edutopia.org/time-out

LearnCentral becomes Blackboard Collaborate

http://www.wecollaborate.com/

Novo 7, DroPad A8i and the Aakaash . . .

So you’re thinking about a cheap tablet . . .

Resources:

Documentary Tube

Documentary films are informative motion pictures that are intended to highlight events or issues for posterity. They are meant to bring some realization of a situation to its viewers.They often pose the pros and cons of issues and leave the viewer to make an informed decision. In their early conception, documentaries were usually made for schools or for private release. Today, things have definitely changed, as documentaries are even making it to the big screen.
http://www.documentarytube.com/

Old Television Themes

A vast resource of audio.
http://www.televisiontunes.com/

Sketch in 3D on the Web

About

Remember the old cartoons where hand drawn lines appeared
to vibrate because of differences between frames?

That’s what this experiment simulates. It also adds a third
to your drawings by allowing you to rotate the canvas.
http://hakim.se/experiments/html5/sketch/

Web Spotlight:

The 20% Solution

I recently assigned a new project to my 11th grade English students: The 20% Project. Although it’s called a “project”, that term is merely for student understanding and lack of a better word. This project is based on the “20 percent time” Google employees have to work on something other than their job description. It has been well documented, and Google has exponentially grown as a company while giving this 20 percent time.
http://educationismylife.com/the-20-project-like-google-in-my-class/

The Living Room Candidate

Election video ads. Can be sorted by year, by type, or by issue.

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

10 Funniest Things

http://educationismylife.com/top-10-funniest-things-ever-said-in-education/

MiddleWeb’s New Resources (438)
http://tln.typepad.com/middleweb/2011/12/middlewebs-new-resources-438.html

Urgent call to a medieval Help Desk
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/cyberworld/urgent-call-to-a-medieval-help.html

30 Webtools to Transform a Classroom – LiveBinder
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=259021

Continuing to Learn with the iPad- Storytelling
http://langwitches.org/blog/2011/12/28/continuing-to-learn-with-the-ipad/

Strategies:

5 Awesome Things you can do with an iPad and a projector

http://www.classroominthecloud.net/2011/10/5-awesome-things-you-can-do-with-ipad.html

Physicists Seek To Lose The Lecture As Teaching Tool
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/01/144550920/physicists-seek-to-lose-the-lecture-as-teaching-tool
(Referenced in the Twitterverse:  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/everybody-is-stupid-except-you/201201/lectures-suck)    

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

ISTE News:

  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.


Second Life:

    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
AMLE, Conferences, MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 184 You’d think that we had plenty to talk about . . .

Jokes You Can Use:

A businessman finds that his neighbor in the first class cabin of his flight is a parrot. They take off and the stewardess asks what they would like to drink.
“Glenlivet on the rocks with a twist,” says the parrot.
The businessman orders a coke.
After waiting two or three minutes, the bird starts yelling, “Where’s my drink?! Stop fooling around and give me my drink!”
The stewardess runs to him with his glass, leaving the businessman still thirsty.
Half an hour later the stewardess makes a second round.
The bird orders another Glenlivet and a Wall Street Journal. The businessman asks for another coke.
Again, after a couple of minutes, the bird screams, squawking, “You lazy idiot! Where is my drink?!” The poor woman nearly trips over herself getting the parrot his drink and the newspaper.
The businessman still has nothing, and after ten more minutes decides to take his cue from the bird. “Hey! Where’s my coke! The service here stinks!”
Out of nowhere the purser, the captain and two passengers grab the businessman and the bird, open the hatch and throw them out of the plane.
At 30,000 feet in the air the two fall side by side and the parrot says to the terrified man, “Wow, that took a lot of guts for a guy with no wings.”

**********************************************************************
The world’s worst conductor was directing up his band during a practice for an upcoming concert. Half way through the first act he was directing with wild abandon when, out of his hand, his baton flew and impaled itself in the eye of a flute player instantly killing her. The police arrive shortly after and ruled the case as an accident. The following week at practice, he again was caught up in the music of the second act and out of his hand flew the baton, which this time struck a flute player in the eye instantly killing her. The police arrived and after consideration ruled the case an accident. The following week at practice the conductor again got lost in the moment of the music of the third act and out of his hand flew the baton this time hitting a trumpet player in the eye and killing him instantly. After the police arrived they could not believe that this was an accident after the third death, and the conductor was arrested. The conductor was tried and sentenced to death in the electric chair. After strapping him in the chair operator threw the switch, nothing happened. Again he threw the switch and nothing happened. The warden was frustrated by this time and demanded that the chair operator explain what the problem was, to which the chair operator explained, “Well, everyone knows he’s a bad conductor.”A skeleton once wanted to go to a party but then he realised he had NO-BODY to go with.

On Our Mind:

  • AMLE Attendance
  • Flipped Classrooms

Eileen Award:

  • Vlad Gutkovich of Flowcabulary
    Use AMLE11 to get a free month of Flowcabulary for your classroom!
  • Jack Berckemeyer

Advisory

Google Fun

http://geekbeat.tv/6-awesome-google-tricks-and-games/
(Correction:  Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th . . . )

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about nature artists.  It is based on an article written by Ashley Campbell, entitled, “Avenues to Inspiration: Integrating the Life and Work of Nature Artists into Middle School Science.”  The article can be found in the October, 2011 edition of Science Scope, which is published by the National Science Teachers Association.

The following nature artists are cited in this podcast:
Marie Sibylla Merian
John James Audubon
Wilson A. Bentley
Andy Goldsworthy

From the Twitterverse:

*NancyW RT @scampnyc Shelley Carson on the Creative Brain: shelleycarson.com #LB30 >>Thanks!
*mbteach A great argument for making student blogs (plogs) public amzn.com/k/7O3DFRXXZXTC #Kindle
*russeltarr 30 Great Sites for Learning a Language Online for Free: tinyurl.com/chaetwe
*rmbyrne New post: Free Music from Moby for Amateur Filmmakers goo.gl/fb/lKgGC
*ShellTerrell aPLaNet – Promoting Teacher Autonomy bit.ly/s6xKT2 via @Marisa_C #esl
*mcleod Scott McLeod

New bookmark: Skillshare bit.ly/v1b3mH

New bookmark: OpenStudy

New bookmark: Scitable

*kjarrett 10 ways to change the minds of tech-reluctant staff smf.is/1ACrug (via @summify from @topsurf, @eschoolnews, and 4 others)
*markbarnes19 RT @baldy7: RT @L_Hilt: Personal Branding: Why It Matters For Teachers zite.to/sG2BE9 #edchat #cpchat
*TeacherSol Why Facebook in Education: I created this FB page yesterday, I will utilize my Facebook Professional Page for en… bit.ly/sp58Zv
*vickisteer “@the_college: Middle leaders: practical guide to help you improve learning in secondary school – bit.ly/vitHlb” @RavoLearning
*
WatchKnowLearn Watch Know Learn.org Use Katy Perrys Firework song to teach figureative language. watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?Vid… Youtube blocked? We r ur solution. #engchat #midleved #k12
* Flocabulary Flocabulary Teaching Poe today? We’ve got two songs to get you started: ow.ly/7e7g2 #edchat #engchat #midleved #ntchat #tlchat
*willrich45 Will Richardson I don’t want best practice. I want changed practice. The former usually is just using tech to do the same as we’ve always done. #grumpytour

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

News:

This American Life

This week, at the suggestion of a 14-year-old listener, we bring you stories from the awkward, confusing, hormonally charged world of middle school. Including a teacher who transforms peer pressure into a force for good, and reports from the frontlines of the middle school dance.
Mainly, she says that she wrote to us because she and her friends were talking right after they left eighth grade about how terrible middle school was. And she wondered was it just as bad for other people as it was for them?
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/449/middle-school
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/449/transcript

Common Core Webinars

Now that the Common Core State Standards are coming to just about every school, what every school leader needs is a straightforward explanation that lays out the benefits of the common core in plain English and gets everyone thinking about how to transition to this promising new paradigm.
http://www.ascd.org/professional-development/webinars/common-core-webinars.aspx

Resources:

BrainHoney

BrainHoney is learning infrastructure hosted in the cloud. Use complete solutions today, like the BrainHoney LMS, or build cloud solutions using BrainHoney components.
http://brainhoney.com/

Simple Science’s Video

Here are all Simple Science‘s videos on Vimeo. You can see both the videos this user has uploaded, as well as any other users’ videos they appear in.
Choose “Uploaded” to see the videos this user has uploaded to Vimeo. Choose “Other Credits” to see the videos that Simple Science is credited in by other users.
We recommend using the sort bar which allows you to view these videos in different orders or formats. If you are looking for a particular video, use the “search these videos” link.
http://vimeo.com/user697789/videos

MathChimp

Welcome to Math Chimp! We collect free online math games and organize them by the common core standards. We’re glad you’ve come to play cool math games here… they’re free and always will be!
http://www.mathchimp.com/

Pictures that bring the War home

For much of the 20th century, photography was the single most powerful method for conveying the horrors, triumphs, epic challenges, and small, daily struggles of warfare. In searing, unforgettable pictures, great photojournalists quite literally brought war — every war — home to millions of Americans. Here, LIFE.com presents 50 extraordinary photographs from three 20th-century conflicts that, in many respects, were defined by the way LIFE magazine covered them: images from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam that, collectively, serve as a testament to those who fought, and an admonition to those seeing the pictures today: Remember. ABOVE: Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Purdie (left), wounded in a firefight during “Operation Prairie” in Vietnam, reaches out to a stricken comrade in Larry Burrows’ astonishing 1966 photograph. Here, in what might be the greatest picture from a legendary career, Burrows captured for LIFE magazine’s millions of readers both unfathomable desolation and galvanic camaraderie in the utterly alien universe of Southeast Asia. That the image, made at the height of the Civil Rights era, depicts a black soldier desperately trying to aid a wounded White comrade only added resonance to an already emotionally devastating tableau.
http://www.life.com/hdgallery/66681/image/50590785/50-photos-that-brought-the-war-home#index/0

Draw a StickMan

Fun, time waster. You draw, the story unfolds.
http://www.drawastickman.com/

Web Spotlight:

68 Ways to Use an iPad

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_721gdk5jtd8

Strategies:

How to Creatively Integrate Science and Math

BY BEN JOHNSON

In math class one of the biggest needs is relevance. Why not use science to teach math? Since one of the biggest uses of mathematics in science is data gathering and analysis, that is the best place to start. When a teacher gives students a real science problem to solve — one that requires math tools — the teacher is giving the students a reason to use math. Math then becomes something useful, not something to be dreaded.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-math-science-creatively-ben-johnson

AMLE 2011:

Thursday Sessions

NMSA/AMLE Affiliate Meeting Thursday 7:30 am.

Session Title:  Advocating for AMLE
Article passed out at registration:  Mark of Leadership:  If Not You, Then Who?  by Tom Burton (p. 44 AMLE)  (I get to sit next to Ross Burkhardt!)
Opening remarks
What to expect from the Association?

1.  People come first!

Tell our stories through our members

2.  Focus on delivery on what members need through This We Believe

3.  Serving our customers is why we are here.

4.  Increase our build of brand, especially as we change to new name and logo.

Funding in schools is incredibly tight.
Still can’t lose sight of the need to learn and improve.
Teams that Make A Difference
Recognition of dignitaries.
Ross Burkhardt

Something new on Page 8.

Friends of the Foundation (105 people)

Encourages us all to donate to the Foundation.

Char Pike is one who helped start the Foundation.

Nancy Polosino
Introductions of Board of Trustees

Jeff LaRoux!

Teams That Make a Difference Award Presentation
Keynote:
Advocating One Day At A Time:  IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO? by Tom Burton

These best practices are “gone”.

Today’s message won’t always be nice, but it will be honest.

We haven’t done enough, “I” haven’t done enough.  The effort needs to be personal and one to one level.

True Advocacy:  What does it mean?

Racing Against Time Honestly

Month of the Young Adolescent

We need to do research that supports us.

There’s a video called “Racing against time”  (Honda?)

Overcome every challenge.  Have no fear.

The Racing spirit is one of power.

Set a goal, set it high.  Raise expectations.

Tune out the noise:  What is the one thing I want to see?

Honda has a project clarity department . . . that’s interesting!

We put tons of energy into a product we’re not sure people will use because we know it’s right.

“Would be nice if we could end the “oil age” not because we’re out of oil, but because we found something better.”

Asking difficult questions:

Are we doing enough?

What do we need to do?

Racing

Pressure

Conversation

Goals

Spirit

Ticking clock

Transformational shift

Ahead of the competition

Against

Want to be the best!

Unleashing power

Reach the top and then cruise

Push the envelope

Those that can do it when it absolutely counts (It counts now-right!)

Make it happen!

A false urgency is an urgency created out of a sense of fear.

Time

Provide solutions

If you have people on the board, not doing the job, need to go.

Find out who the mavin is in your district and state, find out who your salesperson is.  Get ’em to sell it.

We know it is RIGHT!

Future will be brighter

We need teamwork

Dream the Impossible!

Books

Sense of Urgency:  A Sense of Urgency (A Must Read for Affiliates.)

Our Iceberg is Melting

True vs. False Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency in your affiliate.

Confronting the brutal facts of your current situation.

Underlying a true sense of urgency is a set of feelings:  a compulsive determination to move, and win, NOW!

Must win attitude

Never letting up- After . . .

What can I/you do?

Promote!  Promote!  Promote!

In your classroom/office

Team

BuildingDistrict

MOYA what did you do?

once

twice

every day

DID YOU DO ENOUGH?
CAN YOU DO MORE?

Lessons from a Roosevelt
“it is not the critic who counts:  not the mean one who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who ears and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasisms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who , at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst . . .”
If not you, then who?

Commercial:  Man choking video, “Make it Happen.”

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

ISTE News:

  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:

Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

Second Life:

    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 182 iPads? We’re Blinding You With Science Resources!

Jokes You Can Use:

After dying in a car crash, three friends find themselves at an orientation to enter heaven. Each one was asked, “When you are in your casket, what would you like to hear your friends and family saying about you?” Sean says, “I would like to hear them say I was a great doctor and a great family man.” Karl says, “I would like to hear them say I was a wonderful husband and an excellent teacher who made a difference in children’s lives.” Juan says, “I would like to hear them say, ‘Look! He’s moving!'”

Ladies and gentlemen, hobos and tramps,
Bug-eyed mosquitoes and bowlegged ants!
I’m about to tell you a story I’ve never heard before,
So pull up a chair and sit on the floor.
Admission is free, so pay at the door.

One fine day, in the middle of the night,
two, dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back, they faced each other,
drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
and saved the lives of the two dead boys.
If you don’t believe my lies are true,
ask the blind man, he saw it too!


Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi
Nobody really wants their cats to “think outside the box.” #happyCATurday

TweeterofWit CL
Don’t have a fish pedicure. They’re sole-destroying. #fishpedicure

On Our Mind:

CMU CMLA meeting on Wednesday.

Eileen Award:

CMUCMLA

From the Twitterverse:

*Twilliamson15 Just downloaded Smart Seat for iPad…set up my seating charts already…looks useful
*fabclassroom Deal of the Day! Miniature Styling Iron ends Tonight at Midnight twrt.me/qv07c1
*cindybrock “@wfryer: blabberize.com blabberize supports downloading your creations to import into other projects! ow.ly/75xm0 #tmky11
*DianeRavitch Rupert Murdoch wants to teach your kids: motherjones.com/politics/2011/…
*willrich45 Just Posted: Learners not Knowers bit.ly/oLujaN #edchat #edreform
*missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡” @virtual_teach: Teachers have become what lawyers were (possible still r) …feared, disrespected, distrusted…because of a few bad eggs.
*tomshepp RT @VAMCE2010: 12 iPad Apps for Storytelling in the Classroom appsineducation.blogspot.com/2011/06/12-ipa… #edtech #edchat #ipaded #edapps

RT @VAMCE2010: App Building Tools for Teachers and Students flpbd.it/9mCF #ipaded #edapp #mlearning #ipadapps #tlchat

Teens and Educational Technology, 5 Steps to Success http://zite.to/o38GEU #ipaded #edapp #edapps
*mcleod New bookmark: App Building Tools for Teachers and Students bit.ly/p5HWXV
*shannonmmiller Instrumental Music for Film and Video from Creative Commons ow.ly/6YjTw
**russeltarr Rubrics for Assessment: tinyurl.com/5vdf878
*cfanch classtools.net had a QR code game generator. Cool! #edcampmanor

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.  

News:

As minds get quicker, teens get smarter

U.S. researchers say they have demonstrated for the first time that adolescents become smarter because their brains process information faster.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/09/29/As-minds-get-quicker-teens-get-smarter/UPI-84711317352462

GlogsterEDU

Dear Glogster EDUcators,

We sincerely apologize for the site issues you’ve been experiencing lately. We can assure you that they are temporary, and Glogster EDU will be better as a result.

Glogster (glogster.com) and Glogster EDU (edu.glogster.com) are currently sharing server infrastructure. Sometimes this results in capacity overload, which can lead to slow loading or unexpected errors.

We are in the process of moving Glogster.com to a separate infrastructure so that Glogster EDU will be fast and reliable for you and your students.

We will keep you updated on all known issues via Twitter and Facebook, so please follow Glogster EDU on either platform.
We are committed to you, our valued educators, and are taking the necessary steps toward providing you with high quality service you can count on. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we complete the moving process.

Resources:

Science360

We gather news from wherever science is happening, including directly from scientists, college and university press offices, popular and peer-reviewed journals, dozens of National Science Foundation science and engineering centers, and funding sources that include government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and private industry.
http://news.science360.gov/files

Free EBooks

Get 5 free books each month. You can download PDF’s or TXT’s. They also have pay plans that are unlimited downloads and can be sent to Kindle app and more.
http://www.free-ebooks.net/

Biology

Warning, these are anatomically correct.
http://www.zygotebody.com/#
http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/
http://www.biodigitalhuman.com/default.html

Password Generator

Help students create better passwords. This is limited but easy to use.
http://passwordbird.com/

Triptico

The Triptico resource application currently contains 20 different interactive resources – all of which are easy to edit, adapt, save and share. You can access them all with one simple download… everything is completely free – and you will receive updates whenever new resources are added!

http://www.triptico.co.uk/

Web Spotlight:

Teacher Wall

Scholastic, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and DonorsChoose.org bring you the Teacher Wall – a virtual teacher town square where America’s educators can share their stories, knowledge, and ideas on our nation’s schools.
The Teacher Wall provides teachers with an opportunity to talk about what’s important to them. From challenges to A-ha! moments, from professional development to job satisfaction, from curriculum to parent engagement – the topics tackled on the Wall showcase a wide range of voices and provide teachers with a chance to interact, share, and learn from one another, all while contributing to the conversation on American education.
http://teacherwall.scholastic.com/

Strategies:

ISTE 2011:  Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina

Dr. John Medina
Crossing the brain is scientific bunk. Question and answer session.
20% to 110% boost with 150 minutes of aerobic exercise.
Does the use of Google change the brain?

Yes, but we don’t know how. Look up cryptochrome.  (Supplement:  The act of sitting in front of a computer plays with the cryptochrome in our heads and messes with the circadian rhythm.)  The brain research being done is only scratching the surface. To correlate it to education is making leaps not supported by neuroscience yet.

Note: This guy is from Seattle Pacific University. A Free Methodist affiliated institute. He dropped the “frickin'” bomb a number of times.  SPU certainly has changed since I was being recruited to go there.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

AMLE News:

      • Other News:
  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:

Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

Second Life:

    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
MSM, Podcast, Strategy, Teaching Tip, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 181 A Separate Peace

Jokes You Can Use:

Pete and Larry had not seen each other in many years. Now they had a long talk trying to fill in the gap of those years by telling about their lives. Finally Pete invited Larry to visit him in his new apartment. “I got a wife and three kids and I’d love to have you visit us.”
“Great. Where do you live?”
“Here’s the address. And there’s plenty of parking behind the apartment. Park and come around to the front door, kick it open with your foot, go to the elevator and press the button with your left elbow, then enter! When you reach the sixth floor, go down the hall until you see my name on the door. Then press the doorbell with your right elbow and I’ll let you in.”
“Good. But tell me…what is all this business of kicking the front door open, then pressing elevator buttons with my right, then my left elbow?”
“Surely, you’re not coming empty-handed.”

*******************************************************

A Police officer approached a motorist stopped in the middle of the road before the river overpass holding up traffic. The officer noticed the driver jotting on a notebook frantically. He asked the driver, what in the world are you doing? The driver replied, “The sign says Draw Bridge”.

On Our Mind:

Congratulations to Dr. Monte Tatom

NMSA/AMLE early registration extended a week.
Dr. Debbie Silver is rumored to have a new book out soon on motivating the hard to motivate student.

Eileen Award:

Sara Kaviar

Middle School Science Minute

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

Part 4 of the podcasts on Lab Safety.  It is about the 7 Standards for Maintaining a Safer Laboratory Environment.

From the Twitterverse:

*pammoran How 2 get started writing fiction – insights from master writing class teacher-novelist Jill Dawson via Guardian bit.ly/qxcmzF #nwp
*s_bearden Googlelittrips seems like a great tool for teaching Language Arts/English! #edcampcitrus #elemchat #engchat
*mcleod Congrats to @johnccarver for being recognized as a 2011 Innovator in Education! goo.gl/2yb4G #edtech #vanmeter
*robertjmarzano If you have more questions about Leaders of Learning, you can ask me live on Oct 17 6:30pm EDT on #edfocus. bit.ly/phLXht
*tombarrett The Graphic Classroom: The Best Comics List (for all grade levels) bit.ly/oXK5Nn #comics #graphicnovels

Graphic novels in the classroom | Scoop.it via @dilaycock #graphicnovels #comics
kevcreutz 60 Second Science Lessons bit.ly/qbHUI5 via @rmbyrne #edtech
*TeachnologyNews Riddle Of The Day For Students: What is easy to get into, but hard to get out of?- Trouble.
*fabclassroom Huge List of New Printable Coupons twrt.me/o2q8tv via @DebbieDoesCoups
*SeanBanville Soooo many fab blogs – RT @annabooklover: Best grammar blogs: bit.ly/pwSEo4
*AncientProverbs The greatest virtues are those which are most useful to other persons. -Aristotle
*Larryferlazzo “Should we all buy India’s new $60 tablet computer? ” BBC bbc.in/qmVhIN
*VirtualLrnAcad iNACOL Revises National Standards Guide for Online Learning j.mp/rtsVlF #onlinelearning #edtech
*russeltarr Rubrics for Assessment: tinyurl.com/5vdf878

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.  

News:

A Separate Peace

Alliance’s founder and lead teacher, Tina Owen. She decided to start the school after she was outed at a large Milwaukee high school where she worked as an English teacher. After word spread, she decided her sexuality may as well be all the way out.

…suggested that such a school would not only create the impression that intolerance would be permitted everywhere else but also leave its sheltered graduates unprepared to deal with the sometimes harsh realities of being a gay person in America.

…He recently attended a homecoming dance at his boyfriend’s school, and though people said nasty things as the two boys made their way inside, Dylan notes, somewhat optimistically, that the trash talkers were parents rather than students. He adds, “It seems like my generation is getting over it.”

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2095385_2096859_2096805-1,00.html

Resources:

iPads in the Science Classroom

Last year, around October 2010, I got 13 iPads for my Science students through a service-learning grant. This is the start of my second year using those iPads with my Science students. The summer before I got the iPads I was able to try one out myself and wrote about the possibilities here. I elaborated further on how I was going to use the iPads here. Once students started to use the iPads I used a Google form to see which apps they liked the best. Here are the results of that survey.
http://www.educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/09/28/ipads-in-science-2/

Common Core Maps

http://commoncore.org/maps/

National Geographic Xpeditions

Geography lessons and free resources for your classroom:  http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/g68.html

Better Lesson

http://betterlesson.com/home

Google Lit Trips

The short version is simple. Google Lit Trips are free downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth. At each location along the journey there are placemarks with pop-up windows containing a variety of resources including relevant media, thought provoking discussion starters, and links to supplementary information about “real world” references made in that particular portion of the story.
The focus is on creating engaging and relevant literary experiences for students. I like to say Google Lit Trips “3-dimensionalize” the reading experience by placing readers “inside the story” traveling alongside the characters; looking through the windshield of that old jalopy in The Grapes of Wrath or waddling alongside Mr. and Mrs. Mallard’s duckling family in Make Way for Ducklings.”
What Google Lit Trips AREN’T
Google Lit Trips aren’t like sparknotes and other resources that can be used to circumvent the need to actually do the reading. They are designed to stimulate higher level thinking skills and to connect the story’s themes and messages to the issues of the real world in which students live.

http://www.googlelittrips.org/

Web Spotlight:

Welcome to the 21things4Students Site

This site was created by a grant from the REMC Association of Michigan for the creation of an educational resource for students preparing for 21st century skills. Members of the REMC Instructional Technology Specialists in Michigan along with teachers from around the state have created this site to provide project-based activities which are aligned to the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S), and the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for students (METS) as well as the Framework for 21st Century Learning identified by the Partnership For 21st Century Skills.
http://www.21things4students.net/

For Educators:
http://www.21things4teachers.net/

For Administrators:
http://www.21things4administrators.net/

Strategies:

Deb’s Data Digest

A wide variety of resources and strategies.
http://datadeb.wordpress.com/

ScreenCasts as Assessment/Instruction

Here are some examples.
http://wwcsd.net/groups/screencasts/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

      • Other News:
  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

  • Second Life:
    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
advisory, MSM, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 180 Last Stand, Sift(eo) my way, QuickClassics & Memories (all alone in the moonlight . . . )

Jokes You Can Use:

Ruth_A_Buzzi

1.  Why are hot dogs at Detroit Tigers’ stadium so much better than the ones sold by the Seattle Mariners? Because you can eat them in October.

2.  Ultimately, my ex broke up with the blond chick and married a sweet little Native American lady. I hope they’re one big Hopi family.

On Our Mind:

New “toys” for Shawn.
https://www.sifteo.com/

Eileen Award:

  • Kerry Derminer
  • Noel Parish
  • Kevin Upton

Advisory:kkinstruction Kalysta

How to Make a 1920s Flapper style Dress in only One Hour! Includes 4 Special Bonuses. http://j.mp/nDRXcO

Middle School Science Minute

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

Part 3 of the 4 part series on lab safety.  This podcast focuses in on standards on specific safety precautions involving chemicals and lab equipment.  The importance of lab safety was pointed out last week in the Chicago area when a student suffered a serious injury while passing around dry ice and water in a plastic bottle and it exploded.  The full article can be found at:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-26/news/ct-met-science-class-20110926_1_chemistry-class-nsta-national-science-teachers-association

From the Twitterverse:

*ShellTerrell 10 Reasons Teachers Make Great Punching Bags bit.ly/mTIOEa #edreform
*web20classroom RT @hopkinsdavid: QR Codes in the classroom bit.ly/d1m6Ux #QRCode #edtech
*jybuell How Your Brain Reacts to Mistakes Depends on Your Mindset bit.ly/o6uY3L ScienceDaily cc:// @occam98
*DianeRavitch Is this the best education parody site on Twitter? laststand4children.org
*2learn2 germinate – to become a naturalized German #stevec
*JohnMikulski Schools need a social media strategy that goes beyond simply blocking everything. #edtechconf
*missnoor28 Some of the best resources of #QRcode “My QRCode page” http://j.mp/oNdEKF #dtech #mlearning
*AskAaronLee Are you an educator? Try Google+ as a tool for your class – http://ow.ly/6J4XR rt @chrisbrogan
*web20classroom iPad Apps To Support Blooms Taxonomy from @kathyschrock: bit.ly/oSkbu0
*mcleod New from CASTLE: Virtual Schooling in the News bit.ly/nwbFIE
*rmbyrne New post: dotEPUB – Convert Any Webpage into an ePub Document goo.gl/fb/g8xie

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

News:

A bet on No Child Left Behind

Diane Ravitch is a glass half-empty kind of gal, while I suffer from excessive Panglossian tendencies. In the spring of 2007, we made a bet. The payoff is dinner at the River Café, at the foot of Brooklyn Heights, overlooking New York harbor and the Manhattan skyline, tucked neatly under the lights of the Brooklyn Bridge
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/who-won-a-2007-bet-on-no-child-left-behind/2011/09/26/gIQAwBBi0K_blog.html

How Teacher Turnover Harms Students

By Barnett Berry
Finally reaching the bottom of one my reading stacks, I found myself fascinated and frustrated by the findings of a new study on the relationship between teacher turnover and student achievement.
http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/advancing-teaching-profession/09-2011/how-teacher-turnover-harms-students
http://www.nber.org/papers/w17176

How to fix this mess called middle school

“Twelves (and thirteens and fourteens for that matter) probably do not belong in formal school environments at all, but in some kind of cross between summer camp and the Civilian Conservation Corps camps of the Great Depression — plenty of physical activity, structured groups and time with peers, with a little formal education thrown in.”
I’ve written before about such a proposal, but it’s worth repeating again as school districts tackle the problem anew. The answer: blowing up middle school as we know it and turning at least some of it into a “boot camp for life.”
Enough with “academic rigor.” Stop testing kids ad nauseam.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/how-to-fix-the-mess-we-call-middle-school/2011/09/25/gIQAjCx1yK_blog.html

Resources:

Dead Sea Scrolls Online

It’s taken 24 centuries, the work of archaeologists, scholars and historians, and the advent of the Internet to make the Dead Sea Scrolls accessible to anyone in the world. Today, as the new year approaches on the Hebrew calendar, we’re celebrating the launch of the Dead Sea Scrolls online; a project of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem powered by Google technology.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/from-desert-to-web-bringing-dead-sea.html

VizLingo

Turn text into a video representation.
http://www.vizlingo.com/

History Pin

Historypin is a way for millions of people to come together, from across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history.
Everyone has history to share: whether its sitting in yellowed albums in the attic, collected in piles of crackly tapes, conserved in the 1000s of archives all over the world or passed down in memories and old stories.
Each of these pieces of history finds a home on Historypin, where everyone has the chance to see it, add to it, learn from it, debate it and use it to build up a more complete understanding of the world.
Historypin has been developed by the not-for-profit company We Are What We Do, in partnership with Google.
YouTube introductory video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdT3eKdto4w
http://www.historypin.com/

SpeakIt!

Speak It is a Google Chrome extension that enables you to have the text on most webpages read to you. With Speak It installed just highlight the text on a the page you’re viewing then right-click to activate Speak It. Then click the play button to have the text read to you. The voice is very digitized, but it is clear.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/speak-it-text-to-speech-in-google.html

Web Spotlight:

Cheating

Here’s an overview of some of the most shocking instances of teacher cheating, plus a few episodes that may have been overblown.
http://www.propublica.org/article/americas-most-outrageous-teacher-cheating-scandals

Students need to develop Grit

http://edcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/09/teaching-character-strengths-and-values.html

Teaching All

Jeremy is a special education teacher.  Jeremy’s classroom is a great example of universal design for learning, as his students have access to a myriad of technology tools including iPads and interactive whiteboards.  Outside of the classroom, Jeremy works part-time as a Family Trainer and Technology Advisor.  As a Family Trainer, he consults with families who have children with autism to develop behavior plans, design Intensive Teaching programs, and determine the best technology solutions for children.  When it comes to special education technology, he is an iOS expert!  When Jeremy is not browsing the iTunes App Store or posting about apps on Facebook, he enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his friends and family.
Site has activities for Interactive Whiteboards (IWB’s), iPad Apps and much more.
Tons of links!
http://teachingall.blogspot.com/

Digital Promise

Founded after more than a decade of effort, including a 2004 report to Congress, Digital Promise has been endorsed by virtually every major national association of educators and educational institutions, libraries, and museums. The project that gave rise to Digital Promise was launched by the Carnegie, Century, Knight, MacArthur, and Open Society foundations, sustained by the Federation of American Scientists, and championed by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats, civic and business leaders, who came together on its behalf.
http://www.digitalpromise.org/

Strategies:

Read Ten Classic Books in Under a Minute

If you’ve ever lamented to someone about not having enough time to read, there’s a cure for what ails you. While nothing can replace the feel of a good novel in your hands — and the eau de stink of the used bookstore you found it in — the Book-A-Minute website aims to catch you up on all the classics you’ve been meaning to read since … forever. “When even the CliffsNotes are just too long, come here. Covers everything from Shakespeare to Steinbeck,” the site teases. They’ve taken fine literature, science-fiction/fantasy, and children’s bedtime stories and condensed them into amusing one-minute reads. Interestingly enough, you’ll find that many of them are dead-on descriptions of the actual works. Skip through ten classic books below and check a few to-dos off your bucket list.
http://flavorwire.com/213381/read-ten-classic-books-in-under-a-minute

What Will Improve a Student’s Memory?

By Daniel T. Willingham
Question: I often have students tell me that they studied for a  test, meaning that they reviewed their notes and the textbook, but they still did not do well. If they have reviewed the material, why don’t they remember it? Is there anything I can do to help them study more effectively?
http://cdl.org/resource-library/pdf/What%20Will%20Improve%20a%20Students%20Memory.pdf

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

      • Other News:
  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

  • Second Life:
    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
advisory, MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, Teaching Tip, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 179 Common Core, Bad Baseball joke, and iPad Resources.

On Our Mind:

Changing positions
Start of the school year

Eileen Award:

Dr. Tatom:  Thanks for the mention on Twitter!

Advisory:

Permanent Record

http://www.slate.com/id/2301449/

The Secret to Success

https://plus.google.com/117689362923608221663/posts/8v7RBNncmAJ

How many really?

http://howmanyreally.com/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Part two on lab safety and focuses in on personal safety of students.

From the Twitterverse:

*
drmmtatom #iPad Note Taking Apps Showdown zite.to/nztk9G via @zite #fhucid #hardintech #ccstech @msmattersNBC’s “Education Nation” Summit Begins September 25 #fhuedu610tinyurl.com/3aud82p

Highlights from the 2011 Educational Technology Conference [ETC] in Missoula #fhuedu642 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2011/09/23/highlights-from-the-2011-educational-technology-conference-etc-in-missoula/

Building better teacher evaluations #fhuedu610   http://www.joannejacobs.com/2011/09/building-better-teacher-evaluations/

Virtual Schooling in the News #fhuedu642
*mcleod Scott McLeod
New bookmark: Presenting Learning with Stop Motion AnimationNew bookmark: The Myth of Learning Styles bit.ly/qqB1dg
*Mimadisonklein Use Emotion and Technology to Spark Writing nblo.gs/nx17m
*kevcreutz Video – The Last U.S. Veteran of WWI bit.ly/qQmavJ via @rmbyrne #edtech
*laroncarter Having trouble already with classroom management already? My Mission Statement has worked for thousands.
*congerjan shares tinyurl.com/4yhfdds (Livebinder of tools you never knew you needed!) plurk.com/p/e3tynm
*AncientProverbs Motivational Quotes
What is told into the ear of a man is often heard a hundred miles away. -Chinese Proverbs
*BethRitterGuth RT @mykidcancode: Free Online Lesson Planbook Software for Teachers bit.ly/jbDwyc #engchat

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

News:

Beautiful Teenage Brains

Moody. Impulsive. Maddening. Why do teenagers act the way they do? Viewed through the eyes of evolution, their most exasperating traits may be the key to success as adults.

Thanks to Richard Byrne for the link.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text

Resources:

Writing Prompts

These are some of the daily writing prompts that I use in class. The prompts and pictures are scraped together from so many sources – forgotten websites, old journals, overheard conversations, the crusty recesses of my hard drive – that attribution is difficult. I’ve tried where I can, but if you know how any of them should be attributed
http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/

YouTube for Teachers

http://www.youtube.com/teachers
http://www.youtube.com/education

iPad App Resources:

In iTunes, go to the iTunes Store (sidebar on the left).
Then select App Store on the bar along the top of the window.
Then select the drop down Education under Categories on the right
(OR-Just to the right of the word App Store on the top will be a small triangle- click that and select Education)
This will reveal App categories for Teachers including:

  • Apps for Teachers
  • Special Education
  • Education Volume Purchasing

Mobile Learning

After reading this report, you’ll know more about:

  • How mobile technology has become a game-changer in education
  • Mobile device best practices from teachers and schools
  • Mobile device management
  • The latest in apps and mobile technology available today

http://www.eschoolnews.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2011/09/mobile_star.pdf

Alternate Assessment Apps for Eighth Grade

Eighth graders need to demonstrate their mastery of skills in English, math and science.
http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=3110

Web Spotlight:

Implementing Common Core Standards

Over the next year, the accomplished teachers I met at CTQ will face down these tough questions. They will design—and test-drive in their own classrooms, with their own students—lessons and assessments linked to the Common Core State Standards.
http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/advancing-teaching-profession/09-2011/implementing-common-core-standards

Cheating

Here’s an overview of some of the most shocking instances of teacher cheating, plus a few episodes that may have been overblown.
http://www.propublica.org/article/americas-most-outrageous-teacher-cheating-scandals

Students need to develop Grit

http://edcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/09/teaching-character-strengths-and-values.html

Common Core Maps

From the website:
“Common Core has released a new, Second Edition of the K-12 Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts. The Maps are designed to help educators meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards, which call for the standards to be “complemented by a well-developed, content-rich curriculum.”

Our draft ELA Maps have received more than three million views since last August. We’ve listened to your advice and have added many new features, including:

  • Nearly 200 new writing, grammar, and research activities
  • Guidance for differentiated instruction
  • Library of seventy digital resources
  • More informational and contemporary texts throughout

Map users can now:

  • Rate and comment on each of the seventy-six unit Maps along with thousands of suggested works, activities, and resources
  • Submit lesson plans
  • Get preferred pricing on Maps services and tools that are under development

Common Core has been inundated with requests for professional development services, more Maps-based curriculum tools, and more Maps, including math Maps. In order to generate the resources needed to respond to these requests, we are offering the opportunity to become contributing members of the Mapping Project for a nominal cost.”

Strategies:

Inside Story Flash Cards

Combine visuals with vocabulary words to help increase retention.
http://www.insidestoryflashcards.com/

Jokes You Can Use:

Years ago, the Seattle Symphony was doing Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims. At this point, you must understand two things:

1. There’s a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins don’t have a thing to do. Nothing. Not a single note for page after page;

2. There used to be a tavern called Dez’s 400 right across the street from the Seattle Opera House, favored by local musicians.

It was decided that during this performance, after the bass players had played their parts they’d quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking (and feeling) dumb for twenty minutes.
Well, once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and have a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, “Shouldn’t we be getting back? It’d be awfully embarrassing if we were late.”
Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, “Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor’s score. When he gets down to there, Milton’s going to have to slow the
tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other.”
So they had another round and finally returned to the Opera House, a little tipsy by now.
However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor’s face told them they were in serious trouble. Katims was furious!
And why not? After all (get ready, here it comes…)
It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

      • Other News:
  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

  • Second Life:
    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
advisory, MSM, News, Strategy, Teaching Tip, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 178 Confession- Talking is hard, Need a Job?

Jokes You Can Use:

Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi
If Catholic dogs go to Catechism, how can Catholic cats accept that dogma? (#HappyCaturday to @jwgagne)

When choosing a cat, remember the striped ones make you look thinner. #happyCATurday

An older cat, reclining on a psychiatrist’s couch, said, “Sometimes I think I could have done so much more with my lives.” #HappyCATURDAY

Were you first hibited before you were inhibited, after which you could become uninhibited? If so, #yougottaberealspecial

Eileen Award:

Patty Riccardi

Advisory:

Don’t Laugh at Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTNVXlirF4Y (Book version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv9fN0-062k (This one includes the lyrics on screen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9xyIGCp7ss  (Peter Yarbourgh)
Lyrics:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/don’t-laugh-at-me-lyrics-peter-paul-mary/3a0b58077c50623648256a22002cb23e

What People Don’t Get About My Job: From A(rmy Soldier) to Z(ookeeper)

Over the summer, The Atlantic gave our readers a simple prompt: Tell us what people don’t get or appreciate about your job. The response was so eloquent and overwhelming, it was practically encyclopedic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/what-people-dont-get-about-my-job-from-a-rmy-soldier-to-z-ookeeper/244231/1

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is the first in a series of four podcasts on lab safety in the middle school lab.  You can download a copy of the Science Laboratory Rules and Regulations from the National Science Teachers Association, by visiting:
http://www.nsta.org/middleschool

In this podcast, we look at the 7 standards of student conduct in the laboratory and in the field.

From the Twitterverse:

*TeacherSol Maria Angala
Teachers open the door; you enter by yourself -Chinese Proverb-
*mcleod Scott McLeod
New bookmark: Twenty Tips for Managing Project-Based Learning
New bookmark: Finding Your Funding Model bit.ly/r7aX5u
*RobJacobs_ Rob Jacobs
I am thinking inside the box because too many people are thinking outside the box
*Larryferlazzo Larry Ferlazzo
RT @teachingquality: RT @teachmoore: Teacher Leaders Assess Obama’s Plan bit.ly/qwVkLq
*cybraryman1 Jerry Blumengarten
My Writing Prompts page might be useful: tinyurl.com/4en459p #daily5 I used to have my students describe a pencil.
*garystager Gary Stager, Ph.D.
@willrich45 Divide family income by 100 and you get the (old) SAT score (based on 1600)
*Mimadisonklein Erin Klein
Resources for iPads in Education ow.ly/1eJgVY
*ncarroll24 Nancy Carroll
World Mapper: bit.ly/dcVHWd Great for geog. or Social stud. #4thchat #elemchat #edchat #midleved #highered
*GatewaytoSkills 21st Century Skills
Grade 5-12 #lessonplan on heroes & connections btw #CivilWar & #9/11 #sschat #historyteacher #gifted #isedchat #midleved
*mrsebiology Terie Engelbrecht
Literacy Strategies: bit.ly/rrn2UY Links to explanations & templates #edchat #midleved #elemchat #engchat
*Tools4Education David E
Testmoz, online test generator: testmoz.com No account needed #edchat #edtech #midleved #elemchat

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

 

News:

The bait and switch of school “reform”

But behind the high-profile back and forth over specific policies and prescriptions lies a story that has less to do with ideas than with money, less to do with facts than with an ideological subtext that has been quietly baked into the very terms of the national education discussion.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/09/12/reformmoney

What was Ron Clark Thinking?

September 10th, 2011 by Larry Ferlazzo
I hope any teacher reading it ends up following the opposite of some of the advice he gives:

And if you really want to help your children be successful, stop making excuses for them. I was talking with a parent and her son about his summer reading assignments. He told me he hadn’t started, and I let him know I was extremely disappointed because school starts in two weeks. His mother chimed in and told me that it had been a horrible summer for them because of family issues they’d been through in July. I said I was so sorry, but I couldn’t help but point out that the assignments were given in May.

Now, that’s the way to model empathy….

http://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/2011/09/10/jeez-what-was-ron-clark-thinking/

Middle School AP Posting:

I am posting a Middle School Assistant Principal position today. If you know of anyone that may be a good fit, send them my way. It is a short posting. Deadline is next week Monday at 4:00pm  you know of a good candidate that may be the right fit, pass it on to them.
Thanks
Mr. Ryan K. Pfahler

Middle School Principal
Coopersville Area Public Schools
198 East Street
Coopersville, MI 49404
616-997-3401 Phone
616-997-3414 Fax
www.coopersvillebroncos.org

Resources:

The Likeable Constitution

http://www.thelikeableconstitution.com/#state=EV&part=bor&order=mostliked

FauxFlash

Fauxflash is an online application that takes the hassle out of flash cards and lets you get right to studying.
http://fauxflash.com/

Super Book of Web Tools

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/66326425/The-Super-Book-of-Web-Tools-for-Educators

Web Spotlight:

Confessions of a bad teacher

And, according to my personnel file at the New York City Department of Education, I was “unprofessional,” “insubordinate” and “culturally insensitive.”
In other words, I was a bad teacher.

Little did I know I was entering a system where all teachers are considered bad until proven otherwise. Also, from what I saw, each school’s principal has so much leeway that it’s easy for good management and honest evaluation to be crushed under the weight of Crazy Boss Syndrome. And, in my experience, the much-vaunted “data” and other measurements of student progress and teacher efficacy are far more arbitrary and manipulated than taxpayers and parents have been led to believe.

Good teacher? Bad teacher? I suppose it’s how you measure it. As far as I know, there is only one scrap of positive data in my personnel file at the DOE, a memo from the assistant principal commending me for passing enough students to put Latinate’s pass rate in the Department of Education’s “safe harbor.”
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/08/29/confessions_of_a_bad_teacher/index.html

Strategies:

More on Teaching Innovation with the Curiosity Box

More than one reader expressed an interest in seeing some examples of the kinds of metaphorical connections that my kids are making between the content that we are studying and the odd objects that we are collecting in our curiosity box.

http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/tempered-radical/09-2011/more-teaching-innovation-curiosity-box

Is REAL Formative Assessment Even Possible?

Formative assessment—timely feedback gathered and reviewed during the course of a learning experience that serves to ‘inform’ both teachers AND students and allows for the ‘formation’ of new learning plans—matters.

But I’m really starting to wonder whether or not effective formative assessment is even possible in the classroom.
http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/tempered-radical/09-2011/real-formative-assessment-even-possible

 

Web Tools:

Teacher 2.0

Steve Hargadon has created a place for teachers to do their own professional growth online.  As you answer questions about your teaching, you get feedback from other participants and the chance to encourage others in their growth.

advisory, Lesson Plan, MSM, News, Podcast, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 176 Video, iPads (11:00 not 11:05)

On Our Mind:

iPads in Education

 

Advisory:

Quotations on Character

Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind.
—Robert G. Ingersoll
http://josephsoninstitute.org/quotes/

Middle School Science Minute

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

This is the second in the three part series on the common core ELA and their relationship to science.  Like the first in the series, it focuses on Text Types and Purposes, but this time focuses in on writing informative and explanatory texts.

From the Twitterverse:

*
web20classroom Steven W. Anderson
A Great Livebinder All About Infographics: bit.ly/rqaWj4
*
bhsprincipal Patrick Larkin
Where Did Standardized Testing Come From Anyway? zite.to/qR6X5w via @zite #Edchat #cpchat #bhschat
*
joeymcgirr Joey McGirr
Looking for something fun to do? Ask a friends who knows NOTHING about the LOTR to read this page to you out loud. bit.ly/o6sjtl #Fun
*
AngelaMaiers Angela Maiers
Twenty Tidbits for New Teachers soc.li/CXxeq6U http://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-new-teachers-lisa-dabbs
*
elemenous Lucy Gray
In Honor of Teachers: nyti.ms/qbK8w9
*
Larryferlazzo Larry Ferlazzo
RT @plugusin: Just finished a new post: Teaching Innovation w/the Curiosity Box – bit.ly/mRp3U1
*
kristirulz Kristi k
Looking to change homework policy. Any ideas for consequences w not finishing homework? Thanks #5thchat #4thchat #elemchat
*
kevcreutz Kevin Creutz
What did new teacher experience 100 years ago?? 3 examples from teachers written in 1936. bit.ly/oNSyX3
*
2learn2 Steve
The average adult falls asleep seven minutes after turning the light off. #stevec
*
willrich45 Will Richardson
Reading “In Honor of Teachers” nyti.ms/ngE8kw
*
HeidiHayesJacob HEIDI HAYES JACOBS
West Virginia learns Finland’s ‘most honorable profession’: Teacher #cnn cnn.com/2011/US/08/29/…
*
tremellino LEO Blog
Test your English Vocabulary with thatquiz: thatquiz.org/tq-D-z0/vocabu…
*
Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi
If Justin Beiber was my kid, and he wrecked his Ferrari, I’d take away his keys for a month and make him drive a Kia. That’d show him.
*
msstewart Meredith Stewart
Doesn’t get much better than William Fitzsimmons for lesson planning tny.gs/rr3YnR
*
DianeRavitch Diane Ravitch
Just discovered this rant about why high teacher turnover is bad: tinyurl.com/3kaehe
*
mrsebiology Terie Engelbrecht
Differentiated Assessment: bit.ly/jpWAM7 Nice step-by-step #edchat #lrnchat #midleved #elemchat

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.

News:

A Teacher Finds Good in Testing

By Ama Nyamekye
In college, I pumped my fist at a rally against standardized testing. I’d never seen the exam I was protesting, but stood in solidarity with educators and labor organizers who felt the testing movement was an attack on teachers, particularly those working in poor public schools.
In a routine evaluation, my principal praised my organization, management, and facilitation, but posed the following question: “How do you know the kids are really getting it?”
In my third year of teaching, I put myself to the test. To formally link my instruction to quantifiable student outcomes, I decided my sophomores would take the state Comprehensive English Regents Examination a year early. As I deconstructed the test—which was a blend of reading-based questions and essays—I appreciated its ability to efficiently achieve what I could not.
I discovered holes in my curriculum. I once dismissed standardized testing for its narrow focus on a discrete set of skills, but I learned that my self-made assignments were more problematic. It turned out they were skewed in my favor.
The test provided me with fresh perspectives on my work. I was not allowed to assess my students’ writing. Colleagues from my English department used detailed rubrics to grade each essay. These peers had emotional distance from the work and could scrutinize essays for evidence of achievement.
When I “depoliticized” the test, I found a useful and flawed ally. The exam excelled where I struggled, offering comprehensive and standards-based assessments. I thrived where the test fell short, designing creative, performance-based projects.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/08/31/02nyamekye_ep.h31.html?tkn=XTCFBe283Qrdff9t68CNVw5QPQU12ZEh0gb2&cmp=clp-sb-cec

Resources:

Video Time Machine

$1.99 App for iPhone/iPad

VIDEO CONTENT TOTALS:
2000’s = 1,521 videos
1990’s = 1,607 videos
1980’s = 1,874 videos
1970’s = 1,565 videos
1960’s = 1,848 videos
1950’s = 589 videos
1940’s = 256 videos
1930’s = 227 videos
1920’s = 196 videos
1910’s = 150 videos
1900’s = 140 videos
1860-1899 = 60 videos
http://itunes.apple.com/app/video-time-machine/id438078438?ign-mpt=uo%3D5

iPad Hub

The DS-IP-49-SYNC acts as a fully powered USB hub for 49 devices. Using a Mac, it can sync with iTunes or other software capable of addressing USB devices. (It can work with Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems, although there may be some software limitations with a non-Mac host.)
http://www.macnews.com/2011/08/31/new-usb-hub-provides-large-scale-syncing-ipads-other-devices

Movie Mount

iPad Video Production
With the Movie Mount, you get 10 new features for your iPad (beware that the additional equipment is not incuded):

  1. Attached a tripod for stable shots, pan & tilt camera movements. Standard screwfitting.
  2. Use 37 mm conversion lenses, such as wide angle and zoom*. Such as: US / EU
  3. Slide on-the-fly between the built-in lens and the conversion lens.
  4. Use shotgun microphones for better sound (requires splitter cable). Such as: US / EU
  5. Use an optical viewfinder to shoot in bright sunlight. Such as: US / EU
  6. Use a video light for better performance in low light. Such as: US / EU
  7. Easier iMovie editing, with a 9 degrees working angle.
  8. The mount allows your iPad to stand upright and be used as monitor.
  9. The free Movie Mount iPad app allows you to manually control video recording
  10. Fully compatible with Smart Cover.

http://www.makayama.com/moviemount.html

Web Spotlight:

Learn more about Geocaching

Geocaching is a fun, educational, technology-infused activity that I have tried a couple of times. But I am by no means an expert (totally newbie would be the description) on the topic. Therefore, I asked Jen Deyenberg if she would write a guest post about geocaching. Jen has done extensive work developing geocaching activities with students and has a ton of knowledge to share. After reading this post I hope you will visit her blog to learn more about geocaching.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/learn-more-about-geocaching-great.html

Two Nice Guides to Web 2.0 at School and Work

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/two-nice-guides-to-web-20-at-school-and.html

Constitution Resources

Federal legislation requires schools in the United States to offer lessons related to the U.S. Constitution on U.S. Constitution Day — September 17th of each year.
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/08/10/the-best-sites-for-learning-about-the-constitution-of-the-united-states/
www.teachinghistory.org

Jokes You Can Use:

Recently the President of the United States received a call from a Yooper (someone from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan).  The Yooper told the President he and several of his friends had declared war on the United States.  The President replied, “You know I have a million men in my army, are you sure you want to declare war?”  The Yooper replied, “Let me check, I’ll call you tomorrow.”  Sure enough, the President gets a call.  The Yooper says, “Mr. President, the war is still on.  We picked up some trucks and the guys down at the watering hole have joined up, so we’ve expanded our army too.”  “Well,” says the President, “since I talked to you yesterday, I’ve added another half-million men to my army.  Are you sure you still want this war?”  The Yooper thought for a second, “Let me call you back tomorrow.”  Sure enough, about the same time the next day the President gets a call.  “Mr. President, we added the ultra-light group from the airport and we can now bomb you from above.  The war is still on.”  The President replied, “You do know I have an Air Force too of modern jets and since I talked to you yesterday, I’ve added another half million to the army for a total of 2 million men.  Are you sure you still want this war?”  “Let me call you tomorrow,” says the Yooper.  The next day the President gets a phone call.  “Mr. President, the war is off.  We talked it over and we decided we don’t have any way of feeding 2 million prisoners.”

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

      • Other News:
  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

  • Second Life:
    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life
advisory, MSM, Strategy, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 175 Out of the frying pan and into the bathwater . . .

On Our Mind:

Starting of the school year.
Education and Election Reform

Eileen Award:

Ellizabeth S – iTunes comment
(I bet Principal Beth ROCKS!!!)

Advisory:

The Mindset List

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about the ELA common core standards in Writing and their relationship to science.  The four areas of writing include: text types and purposes; production and distribution of writing; research to build and present knowledge; and range of writing.  In this podcast, we look at the five reading standards that relate to science in grades 6 – 8 in the area of text types and purposes, with a special focus on writing arguments focused on science content.

From the Twitterverse:

*Ruth_A_Buzzi Political correctness has now gone too far. Sea World just renamed an exhibit, “Shamu the Alleged Killer Whale.”
*tmoreira Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed. – George Burns #quote
*Frankwspencer Why I Hate Teach for America — Feministe bit.ly/oTYgIT via @addthis
*AngelaMaiers 5 WAYS TO TWEET LIKE A CHAMPION angelamaiers.com/2011/08/5-ways…
*markbarnes19 What if educators just said “No” to the test? awe.sm/5RzUW #resultsonly
*ShellTerrell Bring Your Old PC To Life With Ubuntu–Free PDF Guide bit.ly/qgUKf0 ~ @jdthomas7 #edtech
*rkiker RT @AllisonBurley: Great first day of school activities to help students, teachers get to know each other bit.ly/qHRABm #palisd
*mcleod Proposed education reforms must address students’ day-to-day classroom work bit.ly/pSHdwX #iaedfuture #iaedsummit
*jksuter @doctorjeff We have to ensure testing serves education not education serving testing. Good stuff, thanks!
*pammoran inventing the future in 1939 … from the Smithsonian minivids bit.ly/rjOBZS
*stardiverr Maybe it’s because it doesn’t work to say, “Turn in your learning.” I think there’s a message in there somewhere.
*julielindsay Julie Lindsay  ADE Spreading the word that ALL Flat Classroom, Digiteen and A Week in the Life project forms are open again! Join us now! ning.it/o4NGqa
*fabclassroom Rite Aid Deals Week of 8/28 – 9/3 twrt.me/uft679 via @FrugalNavyWife
*apuustin 5 Reasons Why Our Students Are Writing Blogs and Creating ePortfolios zite.to/qe0Mt3 via @zite #finnedchat #education #mlearning
*tmoreira Don’t stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed. – George Burns #quote
*KTVee Krissy Venosdale  Did ur students come running into OpenHouse shouting “Ooooh, ooooh, when are we taking our first standardized test?” #noway #edchat

Don’t forget to join the conversation on MiddleTalk and Twitter at #midleved this Friday at 8:00 pm EST.  

News:

Chiquita Sweepstakes.

Starting August 15th, Chiquita, in partnership with Rio the movie, will celebrate back to school and healthy eating by giving away up to $5,000 in prizes!
The interactive site will give you and your students the tools to learn about healthy nutrition with FUN and original lesson plans, games, worksheets and more. The sweepstakes is open to all teachers from accredited schools in the U.S. Simply register your class at Chiquita.com/BananaBrain

http://www.chiquita.com/bananabrain/

Resources:

Monte Selby Free Song of the Week

Check out the Monte Selby web site. This week is a free song about Matter.
http://monteselby.com/Matter.mp3

Web Spotlight:

Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive

by Richard Byrne

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/08/understanding-911-television-news.html

Which Rules Are Worth Circumventing?

By Tina Barseghian
Rules are important in any civilized society. Without them, chaos would ensue. But some rules are worth questioning, especially when the consequences negate their very purpose.
http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/08/what-rules-are-worth-circumventing/

“What Would You Attempt to Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?”

http://lifehacker.com/5827067/what-would-you-attempt-to-do-if-you-knew-you-could-not-fail

Ten things every new teacher should know

By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor

1. Focus on the positives, not the negatives.
2. Be clear in your student expectations.
3. Have a backup plan.
4. Students are not your BFFs.
5. Many times, you’ll find yourself alone.
6. Lashing out will get you nowhere.
7. Learn to put your foot down.
8. Teaching is often political.
9. Make friends with custodians and secretaries
10. Make sure your professors have experience with current instructional practices.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/08/19/10-things-to-know-before-teaching/

ISTE 2011:  What are we doing for our leaders?

PDF:  http://mrmcgirr.com/page20/downloads/files/ISTE%20IT%20Leadership.pdf
syteshirt: Very cool iPad integrated shirt. Scott McLeod leading the discussion.
Uninformed technology purchasing. TPAC session: having discussions with principals to accurately implement tech. We have a lot of technology instruction that we’re pulling in principals into teacher instruction and we actually need tech instruction for just the principals.
Answer:

1. Empower a select group of teachers to implement the tech.

2. Create a rich, deep technology vision at principal/supt. level.

3. Principals get a “principal” version of the technology instruction.

4. District level evaluation of the technology after purchase.

5. 3-5 year plans lead to rigid thinking.

6. Can the average administrator understand what they’re seeing when they are looking at tech being used in the classroom? (one hand of 50)

So . . . what do you do about that?

1. Training them on the walkthroughs to ask more reflective questions on

their walkthroughs. Standardized questions. Teacher presentation vs. Student usage.

2. Need to hire principals that understand all curr. subjs.

3. Need a principal level conversation on tech usage in building and district.

4. “Focus Walk” teachers and principals fill out the check sheet and answer

whether the students/teacher are using/consuming technology. i.e. What is engagement?

5. Interesting point: really have to go to the students’ homes and also see what they are doing there, because the engagement goes on beyond four walls.

6. Hit administrators in a key specific way

7. Provide specific support in forms and rubric to assist but allow flexibility to allow the admin. the opportunity to expound.

8. Create ownership as instructional leaders.

9. Provide them contrasting examples.

10. Give them time with peers.

11. Make the administrators play with the tools.

Why aren’t we doing this already for our “leaders”? Now?

1. Embarrassed if it doesn’t come up to expectations.

2. Administrators run PD and so they can’t participate in it themselves.

3. There isn’t research yet to support the purchase. Yet.  Innovation precedes Research.

4. Leaders control all the power by controlling resources.  If you don’t feed their technology needs, they won’t spend the $$ on it.

5. You have to understand what their incentives are. They also want to

survive a disaster for example.

6. Superintendents don’t want to be seen as unknowing in front of their teachers. They get bribed to go to ISDs to learn.

7. Find out where the administrators and then take them from there. Require them to use the tech first, then the teachers. (i.e. Google Docs/ Moodle)

Do School Boards have a role in this?

The critical people are school boards, superintendents, and people with money in the district. Superintendent took pictures of what was going on in the district and then created a VoiceThread and commented on the pictures as a way for feedback and evaluation.

CASTLE model Increase discomfort level with status quo in order to make change. Replace it with a different kind of vision. Come in the back end with support and resources and vision.
Where is the student voice in this? (Peggy Sheehey)

Summary: By and large these are good people who want to good by the kids. loi87We have to educate up as well as down. We need to resource the principals when they do go to do a change. Instead of coming to admin. with “we need this to be better” come to them with “here’s the problem here’s how we make us and you better.”

Jokes You Can Use:

I recently visited a Mental Asylum & I asked the director, “How can you know when a person needs to be institutionalized?” He said, “Well, we fill a bathtub with water & we offer them a Teaspoon,a Teacup and a Bucket & ask them to empty the tub.” I said, “I see…A normal person would choose the bucket because it is bigger.” He responded, “No. A normal person would pull the plug…would you like a bed by the window?

Ruth_A_Buzzi Ruth Buzzi
I knew the Washington Monument would develop a crack problem in that neighborhood.

The U S Mail is considering dropping back to just 4 days a week next year. The other three days, mail will be carried by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Have a heart, Col. Qadhafi, before you leave town; please send all that old clothing back to the estate of Ethel Merman.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

      • Other News:
  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
    • The ISTE Special Interest Group:  Virtual Environments is holding meetings on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm (SLT) on ISTE Island.

Ohio Middle Level Association:  

Michigan Association of Middle School Educators

  • Second Life:
    • Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.  Check frequently this week as the ISTE Annual Convention is this week.
    • Video: Educational Uses of Second Life

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