Category: Strategy

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

MSM 206: Dry Hands, Warm Heart?

Jokes You Can Use:

Auntie Matilta won’t kiss you with that dirty face!

That’s what I’m hoping.

 

Girl: I need a new dress

Dad: Why?

Girl: The girl in my class has the same one.

Dad: Why does that mean you need a new dress.

Girl: It’s cheaper than switching colleges.

 

On Our Mind:

ISTE Noob-ness!

Wrapping up the year yet?

 

Eileen Award:

  • Jeffry Prickett – Facebook & Twitter
  • Pamela Schneider – Facebook

 

Advisory:

How to Use a Paper Towel:

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

and

http://creativewealthprinciples.com/archives/285

 

The Other Side of the World

http://www.antipodemap.com/

 

Olympic Torch Relay Route

http://www.london2012.com/torch-relay/route/ 

Middle School Science Minute

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

 

Drying Hands in the Lab.  

In the March, 2012 issue of Science Scope, a publication of the National Science Teachers Association, the safety question of the month was “Are there any alternatives to paper towels for students to wash and dry their hands with at the end of lab?”

 

Ken Roy, director of environmental health and safety for Glastonbury Public Schools in Glastonbury, Connecticut provides a great answer.  If you would like more information on science safety, you can purchase Ken’s book, “The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science,” through the NSTA bookstore.  Please visit:

http://www.nsta.org/store/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9781933531281

 

 

From the Twitterverse:

Diane Ravitch ‏@DianeRavitch

If you want your eyes to bulge at the money lavished on charters, go to
http://kenmlibby.com.

Clay Shirky ‏@cshirky

Kickstart Roominate: Dollhouse kit for girls that includes circuit components:
lights, fans, buzzers, etc. http://kck.st/KtNGho

Mental Floss ‏@mental_floss

In 2010, 3.9 million 911 calls in New York City were the result of inadvertent
cellphone use. That’s a lot of butt dials. (via @TheWeek)

Miguel Guhlin ‏@mguhlin

90+ iPad and iPod Apps For High School | MyWeb4Ed http://dlvr.it/1bCgdy
iPad, apps key to unlocking communication barrier with autistic students | Fox
News http://dlvr.it/1bCfTJ

Ron Peck ‏@Ron_Peck

Pls help @cybraryman1 get to #ISTE12 by assisting the #istenewbie12 project
-> http://bit.ly/fWRqnh #cpchat #edchat #edcampphilly

Jennifer Dorman ‏@cliotech

DropKey app encrypts Mac files, free through Sunday http://pulse.me/s/9nM8p

Steve 2‏@learn2
Michigan Gov. Signs Cyber School Measure Into Law

Distance Education ‏@onlinecourse

Are You At Risk of Getting Fired? Seven Signs Your Job is On the Line –
http://dedu.org/aJAx06

Ian Jukes ‏@ijukes

Homeschool Is the Future http://bit.ly/JpF67N

Angela Maiers ‏@AngelaMaiers

Here’s Nine Things Successful People Do Differently http://goo.gl/ya77b via
@ScottScanlon

Scott McLeod ‏@mcleod

New bookmark: Videogames can encourage good behavior in youth http://bit.ly/KiBz7t

russeltarr ‏@russeltarr

Abandoned Places In The World #geography: http://tinyurl.com/43hzvpd

AMLE ‏@AMLEnews

MT @middleweb Wonderful reflection by @stephpbader on lurking, stage fright in
connected communities http://bit.ly/LjI9j0 #edchat #midleved

internet4classrooms ‏@internet4classr

20 Calming Apps For Stressed-Out Students (And Teachers) http://ow.ly/aYJ0b
#midleved #edchat

News:

 

Homeschool Is The Future

Since the 1970s, public school education scores, stats, and student achievements have been steadily decreasing. From a declining graduation rate to slipping ACT scores, American students are slowly ceasing to measure up on a global scale. Incidentally, also since the 1970s, homeschooling has steadily been on the rise in America. It seems that with America’s public school system in a decline, more and more parents are turning to homeschooling as a solution. The surprising part? When it comes time to perform, homeschoolers are blowing everyone else out of the water. Homeschoolers have begun to show steady achievement in their test scores, graduation rates, and collegiate performance. Homeschoolers also test higher in analyses of maturity, communication skills, and general socializatiion. What does this mean? It means that homeschoolers are getting ready to dominate the future of America.

http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2012/03/09/homeschool-is-the-future/

 

Dartmouth Researchers Are Learning How Exercise Affects the Brain

Exercise clears the mind. It gets the blood pumping and more oxygen is delivered to the brain. This is familiar territory, but Dartmouth’s David Bucci thinks there is much more going on.

From his studies, Bucci and his collaborators have revealed important new findings:

  • The effects of exercise are different on memory as well as on the brain, depending on whether the exerciser is an adolescent or an adult.
  • A gene has been identified which seems to mediate the degree to which exercise has a beneficial effect. This has implications for the potential use of exercise as an intervention for mental illness.

 

http://now.dartmouth.edu/2012/05/dartmouth-researchers-are-learning-how-exercise-affects-the-brain/

 

 

Are today’s students truly ‘tech savvy’?

It is difficult to prove that the Generation Y and young people today are not more technologically adapted than their older counterparts.

They may sometimes display an unhealthy level of dependence on their mobile phone, become bored easily when taught in school how to use basic commands in Microsoft Word and be called upon often to fix the problem with the printer, but are all members of this age bracket clued-up and comfortable with technology?

According to the research, there was little evidence that today’s students demand modern technology when entering university that the academic institution cannot provide. Technological integration is expanding, however in terms of study, students may not be as reliant on it to learn as we stereotype them to be.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/are-todays-students-truly-tech-savvy/16147

 

Congrats to Mike Muir, AMLE President-Elect!

Resources:

 

iPad Resource Links

http://www.21innovate.com/ipadipod.html

 

Documentaries On-Line

Watch free documentaries online! Full videos are available. Educate yourself with thousands of good documentaries about diverse subjects. The newest, latest, best and greatest top documentaries online can be watched here for free.

http://www.documentaryz.com/

 

 

A Twenty-One Protest Song Salute

[Warning to parents and teachers: Some songs contain profanity. Also, Moyers & Company and Public Affairs Television do not endorse any advertisements or promotional links contained within the embedded videos.]

http://billmoyers.com/content/a-twenty-one-protest-song-salute/

Web Spotlight:

iWitness

IWitness is an online application that gives educators and students access to search, watch, and learn from more than 1,000 video testimonies of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses.

http://iwitness.usc.edu/SFI/Default.aspx

 

Graduation Speeches

 

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/06/10/best-commencement-graduation-speeches/

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/18/commencement-speeches-2/

Strategies:

The Graphic Classroom

The Graphic Classroom is a resource for teachers and librarians to help them stock high quality, educational-worthy, graphic novels and comics in their classroom or school library. I read and review every graphic novel or comic on this blog and give it a rating as to appropriateness for the classroom.

http://www.graphicclassroom.org/

 

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:

 

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:

 

Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

advisory, AMLE, MSM, News, Strategy, Teaching Tip, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 205: Split or Steal?

Jokes You Can Use:

“I haven’t slept for days.”
How come?
I only sleep at night.

On Our Mind:

ESL objectives, Professional Development & How to Win Friends and Influence People.
#PLNfail
Congrats to all the EMU students who were dismissed today . . .

Eileen Award:

  • Jeffry Prickett (Facebook & Twitter)
  • Eleanor Ricardo

Advisory:

Food

http://twentytwowords.com/2012/04/25/chart-showing-the-10-companies-that-own-most-of-the-food-products-we-buy/

Split or Steal

Here’s the deal. £13,600 are on the line. Each contestant must choose Split or Steal. If they both choose Split, they each get half of the money. If one chooses Split and the other Steal, the one who chose Steal gets all the money. And if they both choose Steal, nobody gets any money.
Before they choose, they are allowed to discuss their plan together. It is a battle of wits, combining both logic and the ability to read and manipulate one’s opponent. Check out how one ingenious contestant chose to let this scenario play out…

http://twentytwowords.com/2012/04/28/split-or-steal-a-creative-and-kind-use-of-logic-and-manipulation/

Middle School Science Minute

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

The topic is Reading Ladders and Science.  “Climb on up and enjoy the podcast.”

In the March, 2012 issue of Science Scope, a publication of the National Science Teachers Association, Colleen Sheehy and Karina Clemmons shared an article entitled, “Opening the door to science instruction for all through literature.”

The article focused on a strategy called “reading ladders.”  The vision for reading ladders came from envisioning different levels of text difficulty to be different rungs on a ladder.  Teachers can use the idea of reading ladders as a metaphor and framework when employing text to enhance and supplement inquiry-based science instruction.

They provide a very good example of reading ladders in which they show how themed picture books, children’s books, and young adult literature novels can be used to build content knowledge and enhance science instruction.

From the Twitterverse:

50 resources for #iPad use in the classroom zite.to/L1EOng via @zite ~ @msmatters #fhuedu642 #mLearning #edtech

Social Media For Administrators [Blog Posts] #fhuedu642 #edtech ~ Great for @msmatters listeners tinyurl.com/d5lh5jm

25 Ways To Use #iPads In The Classroom by Degree of Difficulty | Edudemic #mLearning #edtech => @msmatters tinyurl.com/ctnwk5y
* Scott McLeod ‏ @mcleod
New bookmark: Backward Design – Digital Learning Toolbox

New bookmark: What’s the “problem” with MOOCs?

DangIrrel: Nurture your kids’ passions, even if they’re making Pokemon game walkthrough videos #edtech
* Nancy White ‏ @NancyW
RT @cmt1 How Do You Create A Culture Of Innovation? http://zite.to/IHQBqu via @zite #edchat #education #edchat
* Terie Engelbrecht ‏ @mrsebiology
RT @NMHS_Principal: Creating Assignments That Work for Digital Learning Environments http://j.mp/IZsCAe #edtech #edchat #elearning
* Will Richardson ‏ @willrich45
Depressing figures on the appeal of teaching in the US #edchat #edreform
* Mark Barnes ‏ @markbarnes19
Neat ideas “@technolit: Creative classroom seating ideas: http://tinyurl.com/7r82ldo via The Big Fresh enewsletter from @ChoiceLiteracy“
* Miguel Guhlin ‏ @mguhlin
Ways to Evaluate Educational Apps ipad http://dlvr.it/1WsJ2W
* E-Learning Council ‏ @learningcouncil
RT @stileskelly 50 Best Sources of Free Education Online #edchat #edtech http://j.mp/Jyz5nk More sources for an information junkie!
* Terie Engelbrecht ‏ @mrsebiology
Formative Assessment Strategies List: http://goo.gl/R1z7X #edchat #midleved #elemchat
* Tweeter of Wit ‏ @TweeterofWit
“@Kill_Weather: INSTALLING SUMMER….. ███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 44% DONE. Installation failed. 404 error: Season not found. #iwn”
* russeltarr ‏ @russeltarr
Evidence that IQ tests provide a very limited definition of “intelligence”: http://tinyurl.com/3wrm5cz
* Chris Christensen ‏ @christensen143
New website aims to guide educators through education technology maze #edtech
21h ☆ Lee Kolbert ‏ @TeachaKidd
25 educators to follow on Twitter. http://www.mathgametime.com/blog/2012/05/top-25-teachers-educators-on-twitter/
Watch for #midleved on Twitter!

News:

Change the World

by Vickie Davis – Cool Cat Teacher
We CAN change the world, say my ninth grade students Kerrie and Madison. These girls chose to animate a song using Nomad Paint brushes on touch screen (Lenovo m90z) computers and a Bamboo tablet for their Freshman project (see assignment here). They each animated half of this film. There is a definite improvement in their abilities as each half of the film progresses.
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2012/05/we-can-change-world-one-child-at-time.html

Parents who sued school over son’s punishment for cheating receive hate messages

Jack Berghouse doesn’t dispute that his son, a sophomore at Sequoia High School, copied someone else’s homework. But the Redwood City father believes the school district was wrong to kick his teenager out of an English honors class for the offense, and his decision to sue has embroiled the family in a public, opinionated debate.
Berghouse believes the punishment is disproportionate to the offense and will jeopardize the academic future of his son, who he said has a chance at attending an Ivy League school.
“He knows it’s wrong,” he said of his son. “You cannot imagine the mental and emotional penalty that has been inflicted upon him. We’ve offered several penalties, anything other than being kicked out of the English program.”
The parents suggested, for example, that their son could work as an after-school teacher’s assistant for the rest of the school year, Berghouse said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_20493867/parents-who-sued-school-over-sons-punishment-cheating
and the follow up:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-school-cheat-20120427,0,1656872.story

Evaluate Me, Please

I want to know what works and what doesn’t. Like my students, I thrive on feedback. So evaluate me, please. But let’s lay down a few ground rules.

  • I teach children, not targets or standards, so please don’t walk into my classroom expecting to see me teaching a specific skill at an exact moment in time. That’s not how it works here.
  • Don’t assume you know my kids as well as I do. That little boy with his back to me? Yeah, I know he’s off-task, but six months ago he would’ve thrown a desk when he was angry. Now he just turns his back. If I leave him alone, he’ll calm down and eventually apologize. If I say something to him now he’ll explode. Ask me about it later, but right now, trust that I know my kids.
  • If you want to know how far I’ve taken my students, then look at where they were when they came in my room and where they are when they leave. I do good work, but I can’t bring a child who is three years behind up to grade level in one year. If I could, believe me I would.
  • Understand that social and emotional growth can’t be measured on a test, but they are measured in real life. When we meet, let’s talk about how my kids have progressed in these areas as well.
  • Join in. Ask questions. Talk to my kids. You’ll learn a lot more by being part of the learning than you will sitting in judgment in the back of the room.
  • Talk to me. You bring a different perspective to my room. Ask questions, offer suggestions, but don’t forget to point out my strengths.
  • Remember that every year is different. What was an area of strength last year may be an area of struggle this year. Don’t assume it’s because I’ve slacked off or done something wrong. Make me feel safe enough to ask for support.
  • Build a climate of collaboration and trust. My students don’t learn in isolation, and neither do I.
  • By all means, hold me accountable for what I do within the classroom.

Evaluate me, please. Just remember my worth shouldn’t be determined by some arbitrary value added model based on subpar standardized tests. It should come from what I do with the students I have each year, from my professional growth, and from formative, ongoing conversations.
http://teachfromtheheart.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/evaluate-me-please/

Resources:

KANEX Pro- AirPlay® Mirroring For VGA Projector

Kanex ATV Pro allows a VGA projector to use Apple AirPlay mirroring from an iPad to Apple TV.  Eliminate the need for expensive HDMI projection equipment upgrades.  Join the thousands of classrooms nationwide that can mirror and stream content direct to a VGA projector via an Apple TV.
http://www.kanexlive.com/atvpro

Technology Integration Matrix Grade Level Index

This page provides a breakdown of videos within the Technology Integration Matrix by grade level. Although you may be primarily interested in a particular level, we encourage you to view the ways in which technology is used in other grade levels. For example, you will find videos of high school classrooms in which the technology tools could be used in the same way with middle school or elementary level students. Some videos involve students from both middle and high school grades and some involve students from both middle and elementary grades. These videos appear in both lists below.
http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/gradelevel.php

TED-Ed – Insults by Shakespeare

  • Watch
  • Quick Quiz
  • Think
  • Dig Deeper

If you sign in, you can make adjustments on most sections of the page. For example, you can deselect Quick Quiz questions, add Think questions, and add links to the Dig Deeper section.
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insults-by-shakespeare

Google Education On-Air

https://sites.google.com/site/eduonair/home

Virtual 4T Conference

The Virtual Conference will be held May19th through May 22nd. It is a 24/7 conference and is free and open to any educator.
*Disclosure- I’m presenting a session.
http://4tvirtualcon.soe.umich.edu/
Conference Sessions:
http://4tvirtualcon.soe.umich.edu/?page_id=54
or
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Amyg3kn2ZRP0dC1yMGxfVV9xTzkwYVIzVDhhbUtfUGc&output=html

Web Spotlight:

Broomstick

I’m Sebastian, a 14 year old Kiwi innovator, Mac app developer, student and tech enthusiast from New Zealand, currently living in Paris.
http://www.zibity.com/broomstick

Dangerously Irrelevant:  Web videos educators should see

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2010/11/12-videos-to-spark-educators-thinking.html

Strategies:

TinkerCad

Design in 3D what you’ve always dreamed of, but never thought possible. Until now.
Join the Tinkercad community and learn how to create your first real things in just a few minutes.
https://tinkercad.com/home/
or

3D Tin

Create 3D models in your browser.
http://www.3dtin.com/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:


AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

advisory, AMLE, Strategy, Teaching Tip, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM 201: Retention, That’s Awkward. . . POST!

Jokes You Can Use:

Joe and Bill met on a street corner.
Joe said, “It’s great to see you again, my old friend”.
Bill responded, “How can you see me when I’m not here?”
Joe was confused: “What do you mean, you’re not here?”
Bill stated: “I’ll bet you $10, that I’m not here. I can prove it”.
Joe: “You’re going to bet me $10 that you’re not here? You’re on”.
Bill: “Am I in Chicago?”
Joe: “No.”
Bill: “Am I in New York?”
Joe: “No.”
Bill “Then I must be somewhere else. If I’m somewhere else, I can’t be here. Pay me my $10.”
Joe: “If you’re not here, I can’t pay you.”

On Our Mind:

Happy Birthday Rick Wormeli

Eileen Award:

  • Jennifer Applebaum
  • Liz Kolb:  Twitter
  • Paul Steele

Advisory:

How important is it to be at school, on time?

http://twentytwowords.com/2012/04/06/lady-carries-her-disabled-granddaughter-2-hours-to-school-every-day/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Tough Climate for Teachers

This middle school science minute is about the difficult situation that teachers face today in the teaching of climate change.  In the March 2012 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Inez Lifttig, editor of Science Scope wrote in the Editor’s Roundtable: “A Tough Climate for Teachers.”  In the editorial she discusses the hurdles that teachers have today and relates them to the problems that Biology teachers have had in the teaching of evolution.  She also points out that the teaching of climate change should not be a cautious approach because the Framework for K-12 Science Education, does not support a cautious approach and in fact emphasizes strongly that human activities impact climate change.

From the Twitterverse:

* Shelly S Terrell ‏ @ShellTerrell
* Rick Wormeli ‏ @RickWormeli

  • Hey, it’s my birthday today, and I realize how good it is to be in the world. Salsa, guacamole, & chips for everyone!
* Shannon Miller ‏ @shannonmmiller
* Miguel Guhlin ‏ @mguhlin
* Steven W. Anderson ‏ @web20classroom
* Erin Klein ‏ @KleinErin
* Scott McLeod ‏ @mcleod
* The Mind Trust ‏ @TheMindTrust

  • School reform in Detroit: 10 schools to have control over operations and central office providing services for fees http://ow.ly/a8jgN
* WORLD Magazine ‏ @WORLD_mag

  • Miracles of reconciliation: Witnessing ‘radical forgiveness’ in Rwanda taught this filmmaker to forgive @MarvinOlasky
* Apple Plaza ‏ @ApplePlaza
* Ron Peck ‏ @Ron_Peck
* Chan Hsiao-yun ‏ @hychan_edu

News:

More States Retaining Struggling 3rd Graders

By Erik W. Robelen

Oklahoma is one of several states that recently adopted new reading policies that—with limited exceptions—call for 3rd graders to be held back if they flunk a state standardized test.
But the policy is still controversial among Florida educators.
“After 10 years, I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s good for kids,” said Doug A. Whittaker, the superintendent of the 16,200-student Charlotte County school district in southwest Florida. “I don’t care how the adults frame it: The people making those decisions forget what it’s like to be 8 years old.”
Mr. Whittaker said he’s not opposed to holding students back, but said such action should not be driven by a test score. “It really should be a team of people that make the decision, including the parents,” he said.
Despite the decline, a recent federal report shows that Florida students represented one-third of all 3rd graders retained in a nationwide data set. (“Data Show Retention Disparities,” March 7, 2012.)
Ms. Emhof points to state data showing that far fewer students now score at the lowest level on the FCAT in reading, dropping from 27 percent in 2001-02 to 16 percent in 2010-11. But the figure has been stuck at about 16 percent for several years.
Although the forthcoming study finds that the benefit “dissipates” over time, co-author Marcus A. Winters, an assistant education professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, says it remains robust into 7th grade, the last year examined to date.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/03/28/26retention_ep.h31.html?tkn=PQYF7PMVJobJVLws0eMfYkGfp3CJqc4i5cfx&cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS1

Common-Core-Test Group Gives Higher Ed. Voting Rights

By Catherine Gewertz
A group of states that is designing tests for the common academic standards has taken a key step to ensure that the assessments reflect students’ readiness for college-level work: It gave top higher education officials from its leading states voting power on test-design questions that are closest to the heart of the college-readiness question.
“This cut-score thing is going to be a nightmare,” Chester E. Finn Jr., the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a Washington think tank, said at an August 2010 meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. “I’m trying to envision Georgia and Connecticut trying to agree on a cut score for proficiency, and I’m envisioning an argument.”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/04/05/28parcc.h31.html?tkn=WNTF3nLXUTQZIM4Er2IcBitwRjDIyvbqq2He&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Resources:

The homework trap and what to do about it

By Valerie Strauss
There are many parents whose major concern is not public policy but what will happen at home tonight. They are not Tiger Moms, but ordinary parents who simply want the best for their children.
The problem starts in elementary school. The notes come home, and the parents get “the call.”
By middle school, there are several teachers, the disciplinarian and the nurse, all fretting over what these children do not do. Their parents feel pressured to oversee their work, as they also feel criticized as if they’ve done something wrong.
The key misconception about homework-trapped children is what I call the “myth of motivation.” These children are viewed as lazy and unmotivated,
Rather, they have “under the radar” learning problems.
The child, who is forced to keep on working without boundaries, will predictably learn how to avoid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/the-homework-trap-and-what-to-do-about-it/2012/04/05/gIQAJt9YyS_blog.html

My Ten Most Used Apps to Become Fluent on the iPad

It is no secret, that I enjoy my iPad tremendously. I even proclaimed, now and then, that I love it! From the beginning, I approached the iPad with one goal in mind: I wanted to become fluent in using it. There is a distinct difference, in my opinion, between being skilled, literate and fluent in the use of an iPad.
http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=4046

Web Spotlight:

The Stanford Education Experiment Could Change Higher Learning Forever

Stanford doesn’t want me. I can say that because it’s a documented fact: I was once denied admission in writing.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/ff_aiclass/all/1

Strategies:

The Dreaded F Word: Fractions

By David Ginsburg on April 1, 2012 7:00 PM

Just hearing the F word can cause kids (adults too) to freak out. And if you think about it, there are lots of reasons students feel flummoxed by fractions. For one thing, there’s the misleading vocabulary, as when we reduce a fraction to lowest terms even though it doesn’t involve a reduction in value. Or when we call a fraction “improper” just because its value is greater than one.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2012/04/the_dreaded_f_word_fractions.html

 

Do Students Know Enough Smart Learning Strategies?

What’s the key to effective learning? One intriguing body of research suggests a rather gnomic answer: It’s not just what you know. It’s what you know about what you know.
Research has found that students vary widely in what they know about how to learn, according to a team of educational researchers from Australia writing in this month’s issue of the journalInstructional Science.
Teaching students good learning strategies would ensure that they know how to acquire new knowledge, which leads to improved learning outcomes,…
Students can assess their own awareness by asking themselves which of the following learning strategies they regularly use (the response to each item is ideally “yes”):
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/03/do-students-know-enough-smart-learning-strategies/

Fun Failure: How to Make Learning Irresistible

Failure is a positive act of creativity,” Katie Salen said. Scientists, artists, engineers, and even entrepreneurs know this as adults. But in schools, the notion of failure is complicated.
Any practice – athletic, artistic, even social – involves repeatedly failing till one gets the experience or activity right. We need to “keep the challenge constant so players are able to fail and try again,” she said. “It’s hard and it leads to something rewarding.”
But the opposite is true in school, Salen said. School usually gives students one chance to get something right; failing grades work against practice, mastery, and creativity. To keep kids motivated, learning needs to be irresistible, Salen said.
Here’s what she learned in terms of gaming principles that can be applied to education:

  • Don’t shoot the player while she’s learning.
  • Learning is social.
  • A strong sense of community creates safety.
  • Learning that empowers the learner helps make it irresistible.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:

 

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:

Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

advisory, AMLE, Lesson Plan, MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM 198: Advisory, Abolition and the War on Teachers in 53 Hours.

Jokes You Can Use:

Boy: Will you marry me?
Girl: No, but I’ll always admire your good taste.

Girl: I’m telling you for the last time- you can’t kiss me.
Boy: I knew that you’d weaken!

Girl: Do you love me?
Boy: Yes, dear.
Girl: Would you die for me?
Boy: Um….mine is an undying love.

Ask me what I had for lunch on March 15th.  Go ahead, ask me.

On Our Mind:

  • MAMSE Conference

Eileen Award:

  • Debbie Silver – Happy Birthday
  • Ashley Kurth
  • Diigo Groupees:  Karen Chopra & G2One Networking
  • Diigo Posters:  Steve Davis & Ron King

Advisory:

Are you a risk taker?

National Geographic has an article on why teens take risks.  Worth a read but I think the picture essay that goes with it is more valuable for the discussion it could generate around the classroom.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/risk-quiz
Viewing Teens Positively:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/teenagers-video
Pictures:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/cahana-photography#/10-getting-tongue-pierced-670.jpg

Should I raise my hand?

http://twentytwowords.com/2012/03/15/should-you-raise-your-hand-in-class-a-flowchart/

 

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about the topic of what drives public opinion.  In the March 2012 issue of Science Scope, within the Scope’s Scoops section, there is a news article entitled “What drives public opinion on climate change?”  The article cites a study by Robert Bruelle and colleagues from Drexel University who set out to identify the informational, cultural and political processes that influence public concern about climate change.  Their conclusion was that the driving factor that most influences public opinion on climate change is the mobilizing efforts of advocacy groups and elites.  It seems that that information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern.

 

From the Twitterverse:

Richard Byrne New post: Calameo – Free Multimedia Publishing to iPads and Morehttp://goo.gl/fb/q0p8W
* Kyle Calderwood ‏ @kcalderw
Navigating Apple’s Discount App Program for Educators | #ipaded #edtech #edadmin http://goo.gl/tR2np
* Teachnology.com ‏ @TeachnologyNews
A teacher who is not dogmatic is simply a teacher who is not teaching. Gilbert K. Chesterton
*Daniel J. Lewis ‏ @theRamenNoodle
Top of the Irish to you and luck of the morning! #DyslexicLeprechaun #pointlesshashtag
* HEIDI HAYES JACOBS ‏ @HeidiHayesJacob
#AASSA2012http://edge.ascd.org/_SOCRATES-FAILS-TEACHER-EVALUATION/blog/5822005/127586.htmlCan’t go to #ascd12 in Philadelphia? ASCD is streaming 22 sessions virtually. More at http://ascd.social27.com #ascdvc12
* Nancy White ‏ @NancyW
Why My Six-Year-Old Students Have Digital Portfolios | Getting Smart http://gettingsmart.com/blog/2012/03/why-my-six-year-old-students-have-digital-portfolios/ via @Getting_Smart #edchat #edtech
* Lisa Thumann ‏ @lthumann
We’re talking about using #ibooks to replace textbooks in our admin roundtable #wetech12 anyone doing this already?
* dave mcquaid ‏ @davemcquaid
It’s the last day to sponsor me on my 90-mile, 5-hour, and hopefully rain-free quest. Any takers?
* Vicki Davis ‏ @coolcatteacher
This free tool let’s you apply Bloom’s in your classroom http://vsb.li/6A9aNq #teaching #edtech – (May not work in Safari. Works fine in Firefox and Chrome)
* Virtual Nerd ‏ @VirtualNerd
Don’t let decimals get in the way of your long division fun! Check out how to handle decimals in long division:
* Amanda Dykes ‏ @amandacdykes
This would be so fun to have in my classroom. Its like a photo booth that takes onstage am pics. http://instaprint.me/
* Terie Engelbrecht ‏ @mrsebiology
Ideas for Podcasting in the Classroom: #edchat #edtech #midleved #elemchatBloom’s Taxonomy Web 2.0 Livebinder: Digital resources by level #edchat #edtech #midleved #elemchat
* Richard Byrne ‏ @rmbyrne
Smart Tools for Your Android Device http://ow.ly/9Fe01
* Rich Kiker ‏ @rkiker

Middle Schoolers Flash Mob for Reading
* Edmodo ‏ @edmodo
EdmodoCon 2012 is coming this summer Planning committee selection in April — @betsywhalen will be updating with details! #edmodo
* russeltarr ‏ @russeltarr
A collection of my favourite IPad resources #edtech
Watch the hashtag #midleved for daily tidbits.

 

 

News:

Why the Ed Department should be reconceived — or abolished

Over time, the Department of Education has become increasingly bureaucratic and invasive, and has formulated its policies on questionable information that appears to emanate from hunches, anecdotes, whims, and fads, buttressed by corroborating evidence from ideologically friendly think tanks and media blowhards.
Arne Duncan is only the latest, although probably the most test-obsessed, person to occupy the seat of U.S. secretary of education. A lot of people trace the testing movement that he currently enforces with a vengeance back to Rod Paige, George W. Bush’s first secretary of education and architect of the Houston Miracle.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-the-ed-department-should-be-reconceived–or-abolished/2012/03/09/gIQAHfdB5R_blog.html

 

The war on teachers: Why the public is watching it happen

All over the nation, teachers are under attack. Politicians of both parties, in every state, have blamed teachers and their unions for the nation’s low standing on international tests and our nation’s inability to create the educated labor force our economy needs.
In New York State, where teacher evaluations were just released to the press, the state Legislature just passed — and the governor signed — a bill that exempted police and firefighters from having their evaluations released to the public. What better symbolizes the way teachers have become “fair game” for public demonization?
There is another more insidious consequence of the attack on teaching. Every time you undermine the job security, working conditions, and wages of one group of workers, it makes it easier for employers to undermine them for all workers. This is why, during the Depression, many unemployed people organized in support of workers on strike, even though anybody with a job in that era was relatively privileged. They believed in the concept of solidarity — the idea that working people could only progress if they did so together, and if one group of workers improved their conditions, it would ultimately improve conditions for all.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/the-war-on-teachers-why-the-public-is-watching-it-happen/2012/03/11/gIQAD3XH6R_blog.html

Survey: Teachers work 53 hours per week on average

Teaching is a much talked about yet often misunderstood profession. Educators frequently hear well-meaning comments from parents and friends like “It must be so sweet to spend your days with children” or “How wonderful to be done for the day by three o’clock.” Are they serious?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/survey-teachers-work-53-hours-per-week-on-average/2012/03/16/gIQAqGxYGS_blog.html

 

A South Carolina Teacher’s Been Suspended for Reading ‘Ender’s Game’ to His Class

A middle school teacher who read to his students from Ender’s Game is on “administrative leave” because a parent complained to the school that Orson Scott Card’s classic novel is “pornographic.”
Children’s advocacy group Commonsensemedia.org has recommended Ender’s Game for children aged 12 and up — and the child whose mother complained to the school and to the police was aged 14.
But at the same time, the school has a policy requiring teachers to “preview” any supplemental material they present in class, so school officials can check for offensive ideas or themes, and the unnamed teacher did not do that in this case.
http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2012/03/16/446431/a-south-carolina-teachers-been-suspended-for-reading-enders-game-to-his-class/?mobile=nc

 

Resources:

AudioViator

What is AudioViator?

AudioViator is a collaborative project among internet users. With AudioViator you can create and download audioguides in several languages and share your knowledge with people while they visit monuments, cities, nature reserves and anything else you can imagine! We know it’s just not the same to visit a city or a museum if you have to read large texts and carry heavy guides. It’s much better when you can listen to the history and explanations of the best spots and their details. This is why AudioViator wants to spread culture with your collaboration.

Creating your own:

It’s very easy! You only need to sign up to have all the necessary files for editing the audioguides. You can register in three easy steps. And rest assured, AudioViator will never use your email for advertising purposes! Then, start to edit your audioguide by filling in its main characteristics, giving a general description, and attaching a map or other image where you can plot the different points for the audioguide tour.
Next, you need to complete the informational text for each point. Later, you can choose the background music and the kind of the voice, a male or female one. Then, we dub all the texts and the audioguide will be available on the web. You will receive an e-mail when its ready for download.

How Can you Use the Audio Tours?

You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work under the conditions set on http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ You may not use this work for commercial purposes. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by AudioViator. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.. With these audioguides, you can

  1. listen to them on your mp3 when you travel
  2. share them with your friends
  3. help people to get to know your city
  4. insert them in a blog
  5. teach with them in schools and universities
  6. .  .  .

http://www.audioviator.com/en/

Web Spotlight:

11 Peculiar Meetings Between Famous People

You’d expect famous people to know other famous people. But maybe not these famous people.

1. Nikita Khrushchev & Marilyn Monroe

2. Samuel Beckett & André the Giant

3. T.S. Eliot & Groucho Marx

4. Federico Fellini & Stan Lee

5. James Brown & Alfred Hitchcock

6. The Beatles & Elvis Presley

7. Elvis Presley & Richard Nixon

8. Edgar Allan Poe & Charles Dickens

9. Orson Welles & Adolf Hitler

10. Bob Dylan & Woody Guthrie

11. Steve Jobs & Andy Warhol

http://www.worldsstrangest.com/mental-floss/11-peculiar-meetings-between-famous-people/

Strategies:

Failure Is an Option

Children may perform better in school if they are told that failure is a normal part of learning, rather than being pressured to succeed at all costs, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
The students who were told that learning is difficult performed significantly better on the working memory test, especially on more difficult problems, than the second group or a third control group who took the working memory test without doing the anagrams or talking with researchers.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/03/13/for-better-learning-failure-is-an-option/35920.html

 

Little Free Library

http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/index.html  

 

The Challenge of Challenging Text

How is reading complex text like lifting weights? Just as it’s impossible to build muscle without weight or resistance, it’s impossible to build robust reading skills without reading challenging text. The common core state standards in language arts treat text difficulty as akin to weight or resistance in an exercise program.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar12/vol69/num06/The-Challenge-of-Challenging-Text.aspx

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:


AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

advisory, MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM 195: Conversion, Collaborate, and Smell.

Jokes You Can Use:

Fred met a friend that he hadn’t seen a while. They exchanged some pleasantries. Fred then inquired about the old friend’s wife.
“She’s in heaven now”.
“Oh, I’m so sorry”, said Fred. He immediately realized that this was not the best possible answer and could be misconstrued.
“I mean, I’m glad” he stammered.
Then he realized that might be even worse. He tried again.
“Well, what I really mean is, I’m surprised”.

Paraprosdokians

  • I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure.
  • You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
  • To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
  • Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
  • We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.
  • I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
  • I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
  • If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?
  • Hospitality: making your guests feel like they’re at home, even if you wish they were.
  • Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
  • Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.
  • “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.” — Groucho Marx
  • I can read minds, but I’m illiterate.
  • “I haven’t slept for ten days, because that would be too long.” — Mitch Hedberg
  • The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.


On Our Mind:


Eileen Award:

  • Ron King:  Diigo contributions.


Advisory: Jason Eifling ‏ @jeifling

Building Relationships Through Tools of Communication

Chris Klein is a graduate of Hope College, and is the driving force for Clay Vessel Inc (http://www.clayvesselinc.org ), a not-for-profit resource for assistive technology. Chris was born with cerebral palsy, and uses augmentative communication to help support his work with Clay Vessel, be a Motivational Speaker, be an active member of his community and local church, and live independently in Holland, Michigan. Chris strives to live his life to the fullest.

This video was produced by Chris Klein and David McNaughton as part of the work of the AAC-RERC (http://aac-rerc.com ). The AAC-RERC is funded by NIDRR under grant #H133E080011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dupabkw46Qk

Pictures from Around the World

In 1909, millionaire French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn decided to enlist the era’s burgeoning photographic technology in a mission far greater than aesthetic fetishism, and set out to use the new autochrome — the world’s first true color photographic process, invented by the Lumière brothers in 1903 and marketed in 1907 — to produce a color photographic record of human life on Earth as a way of promoting peace and fostering cross-cultural understanding.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/23/the-dawn-of-the-color-photograph-albert-kahn/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Eww, that smell. Can’t you smell that smell?!

This middle school science minute is about safety in the classroom. In the January, 2012 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Ken Roy answered a question about foul odors found in some of the sinks in the back of a classroom.  He shares some possible solutions and some possible causes.

From the Twitterverse:

 Steven W. Anderson ‏ @web20classroom
 Diane Ravitch ‏ @DianeRavitch

  • @ctseymour @conncan @ctmirror Conservative economist Eric Hanushek found teachers account for 10-15% of score change, family=60%
  • NYC data is bunk. Uses state scores from 2007-2009, which state admits were bogus. 35 point margin of error. Why shame teachers w/this junk?
  • (Craig Westover)  @drgwbrown @DianeRavitch Can’t find in my Constitution where POTUS has authority to be involved in education. Help?
  • @CraigWestover @drgwbrown It’s not in Constitution. Education is supposedly a state and local function. Duncan doesn’t know that.
* Luann Lee ‏ @stardiverr

  • Nicely done. “@mikeklonsky: Teachers reject ed award – Connecticut Post bit.ly/A1FgfV “thanks but no thanks” to corp. reform group”
 Kevin Creutz ‏ @kevcreutz
 Ruth Ayres ‏ @ruth_ayres
 Scott McLeod ‏ @mcleod

  • New bookmark: The Curfew
  • New bookmark: A test for politicians on education (with cheat sheet) http://t.co/NywhDDnv
 John Norton ‏ @johncroftnorton
View media
 Larry Ferlazzo ‏ @Larryferlazzo

  • What Students Hear Is Sometimes Different From What Teachers Say bit.ly/ylnOlR fun comic
 pammoran ‏ @pammoran
 Michelle Nebel ‏ @mnebel
* Steve ‏ @2learn2
* ABC News ‏ @ABC

News:

Why don’t top private schools adopt corporate-driven reforms?

By Valerie Strauss
This was written by Bruce D. Baker, a professor in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. This first appeared on his School Finance 101 blog.
By Bruce D. Baker
Really… if running a school like a ‘business’ (or more precisely running a school as we like to pretend that ‘businesses’ are run… even though ‘most’ businesses aren’t really run the way we pretend they are) was such an awesome idea for elementary and secondary schools, wouldn’t we expect to see that our most elite, market oriented schools would be the ones pushing the envelope on such strategies?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-dont-top-private-schools-adopt-corporate-driven-reforms/2012/02/17/gIQACrL3KR_blog.html?wprss=answer-sheet

Resources:

Looking for an image?

Try http://jpg.to/ . This site will return one image based upon your search criteria. This can be really handy if you want to find an image quickly without getting overly distracted.
http://jpg.to/

Collaborative Whiteboard

Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas. Browse the web with your friends or make that conference call more productive than ever. No plug-ins, downloads, or firewall voodoo – it’s all here, ready to go when you are. Browser-agnostic, user-friendly.
http://www.twiddla.com/

The iPad as…..

Over the past few months, iPads have exploded throughout schools and classrooms. Their flexibility, versatility, and mobility make them a phenomenal learning tool. In webinars and blog posts, we have talked about the iPad as….

  • Reader
  • Creator
  • Student Response System
  • Classroom Manager
  • Study Tool
  • Organizer
  • Differentiator


http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/teaching-technology/mobile-technology-apps/ipad-as

Transforming Education

For more than 150 years, the public school system in Connecticut has been successful at providing children with access to a quality education. But that’s no longer enough. Thanks to the dawn of the Information Age, the transition from a manufacturing economy to a service economy and the development of a global economy, a new system is needed to best prepare our children to succeed in 2011 and beyond.

In short, our public education must be transformed. With effective leadership and the help of every citizen in Connecticut, CAPSS truly believes that’s possible. This report recommends exactly how we can benefit all students in our state.

http://www.ctnexted.org/pdfs/CAPSS_0101-FullReport.pdf

Web Spotlight:

Woolly Mammoth Video

Last week, a new video surfaced claiming to show a live woolly mammoth — an animal scientists think has been extinct for at least four millennia — crossing a river in Russia.
The video became an Internet sensation, making headlines around the world. Some Bigfoot believers and Loch Ness Monster lovers murmured their tentative approval, hoping it proved that large unknown (or assumed extinct) animals still exist in Earth’s remote wilds.
Good opportunity to show hoaxes. This site includes both videos (the “woolly mammoth” and the original).
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0213/Shocker-Video-of-live-woolly-mammoth-not-entirely-authentic-videos

Science & YouTube

From: Richard Byrne (Free Tech for Teachers)
The Spangler Effect is a new YouTube channel from Steve Spangler Science. Unlike his popular Sick Science videos which are no more than short demonstrations of science experiments students and parents can do at home, The Spangler Effect videos offer longer (15 minutes or so) explanations of science experiments. The Spangler Effect videos explain the science of do-it-yourself experiments and how you can recreate those experiments at home or in your classroom.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/02/spangler-effect-experiments-and.html

Bullying Strategies That Don’t Work

Via: Scott McLeod
In a review of bullying-reduction programs, Farrington and Ttofi (2009) found that interventions that involve peers, such as using students as peer mediators or engaging bystanders to disapprove of bullying and support victims of harassment, were associated with increases in victimization! In fact, of 20 program elements included in 44 school-based programs, work with peers was the only program element associated with significantlymore bullying and victimization. (In contrast, there were significant and positive effects for parent training and school meetings in reducing bullying.)
http://www.minddump.org/bullying-interventions-that-involve-student-p

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

advisory, MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, Teaching Tip, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 194: Para What? Para Dice? Para Pants?

Jokes You Can Use:

Customer: This food isn’t fit for a pig.
Waiter: I’m sorry. I’ll bring you some that is.

PARAPROSDOKIANS: (Winston Churchill loved them.)
Here is the definition:
“Figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation.”
“Where there’s a will, I want to be in it,” is a type of Paraprosdokian.

– A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
– Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, ‘In case of emergency, notify:’ I put ‘DOCTOR.’
– You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

On Our Mind:

“The ‘Good’ Kids Are Compliant, The ‘Bad’ Kids Are Defiant, And Nobody Is Engaged”
(Daniel Pink via http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/superintendent/bookclub.aspx )

Eileen Award:

  • Anabelle Maillard Morgan
  • Jamie Cruikshank
  • Congrats to Todd Williamson on his new position as Head Techie in his school district!


Advisory:

Touching “Arigato” (Thank You) Video From Japan

(via Larry Ferlazzo)
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/02/12/touching-arigato-thank-you-video-from-japan/
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SS-sWdAQsYg

MistakeVille

Try the Job Interviews gone wrong.
http://www.mistakeville.com/

Middle School Science Minute

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

Transforming Field Trips
This middle school science minute is about transforming field trips. In the January, 2012 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Rebecca Morris wrote an article entitled, “Transforming a Field Trip Into an Expedition: Supporting Active Research and Science Content Through a Museum Visit.”  Rebecca shares the methods that she used with her 6th grade students.  She developed the museum field trip into a short-term, active research project assignment.

From the Twitterverse:

 nancyflanagan @nancyflanagan
 Terie Engelbrecht @mrsebiology
 Rich Kiker @rkiker
 The Dennys @DoTheMathBooks

  • Your Education is worth what You are worth. -Anon #quote
 Jeff Johnson @iLEADCommunity
 Scott McLeod @mcleod

  • New bookmark: Virtual Jamestown
  • New bookmark: The Past, Present and Future of Badges for Learning
Don’t forget to join #midleved chat on Twitter at 8:00 pm EST!

News:

Common Core Standards and Impact on Achievement

“A final word on what to expect in the next few years as the development of assessments tied to the Common Core unfolds. The debate is sure to grow in intensity. It is about big ideas—curriculum and federalism. Heated controversies about the best approaches to teaching reading and math have sprung up repeatedly over the past century.18 The proper role of the federal government, states, local districts, and schools in deciding key educational questions, especially in deciding what should be taught, remains a longstanding point of dispute. In addition, as NCLB illustrates, standards with real consequences are most popular when they are first proposed. Their popularity steadily declines from there, reaching a nadir when tests are given and consequences kick in. Just as the glow of consensus surrounding NCLB faded after a few years, cracks are now appearing in the wall of support for the Common Core.
Don’t let the ferocity of the oncoming debate fool you. The empirical evidence suggests that the Common Core will have little effect on American students’ achievement. The nation will have to look elsewhere for ways to improve its schools.”
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2012/0216_brown_education_loveless/0216_brown_education_loveless.pdf

The Opportunity Cost in Education

What does “paperwork” cost to a school district?
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2012/02/count-opportunity-cost-of-teacher-tasks.html

Resources:

Quadratic Equations – The Main Ideas

To help pupils see the bigger picture in topics I have decided to experiment with some conceptual card sorts. I worry sometimes that pupils just learn methods and can’t see the links between them. Teachers I know encourage their pupils to ‘build a map’ in their minds of topics and ideas so that when they are faced with a maths problem they can ‘navigate’ to the correct section of their mind map and start using the skills they know. I love this idea but do think it is a perhaps a bit too challenging to ask pupils to do this with no support. My aim in producing the conceptual card sorts it to help pupils in their categorisation and organisation of maths concepts in their minds.
http://www.greatmathsteachingideas.com/2012/02/16/quadratic-equations-the-main-ideas-a-card-sort-to-support-conceptual-understanding/

Mission US

Mission US is a multimedia project that immerses players in U.S. history content through free interactive games.
Mission 1: “For Crown or Colony?” puts players in the shoes of Nat Wheeler, a printer’s apprentice in 1770 Boston. They encounter both Patriots and Loyalists, and when rising tensions result in the Boston Massacre, they must choose where their loyalties lie.
In Mission 2: “Flight to Freedom,” players take on the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old slave in Kentucky.  As they navigate her escape and journey  to Ohio, they discover that life in the “free” North is dangerous and difficult. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act brings disaster. Will Lucy ever truly be free?
Other missions are planned for release in 2013 and 2014.
Join the conversation and get updates about Mission US on Facebook and Twitter.  For more information, visit the Help page.  To share your feedback, email us via the contact form on this site. Thanks for playing!
http://www.mission-us.org/

Web Spotlight:

Microsoft Partners in Learning Apply today US Forum

The US Forum is a celebration of innovative teaching practices and innovative schools. It is a unique experience open to all K–12 U.S. educators and school leaders to share what they’re doing in the classroom, exchange ideas and collaborate to inspire their professional practice.
How to Apply:
If you are an innovative educator, we would love for you to share your ideas! Simply click “apply to the forum” below and complete the application. The application will allow us to understand a little more about your school, classroom, and how you are impacting students.
https://www.facebook.com/partnersinlearning?sk=app_368381589844161

Strategies:


What’s Your Story

Welcome to the third annual What’s Your Story? video contest from Trend Micro. With so many amazing submissions in years past, we can’t wait to see what inspiring, informative and original videos you create this year!
What’s it all about? Sharing photos, downloading music, texting, doing schoolwork, keeping in touch with friends — with more people spending more time online, it’s more important than ever to know how to do it safely and responsibly.
That’s why you’re invited to join our contest. Submit and share a short video to help others stay safe, smart and responsible online and you could win $10,000, or other cash prizes.

What’s the deal?

Prizes: One $10,000 USD grand prize; six cash category prizes (three awarded to schools per entry category and three awarded to individuals per entry category). Prizes are in US Dollars or equivalent in Canadian Dollars at contest closing date.
Deadline: Upload by 11:59:59 PM US Pacific Time on April 3, 2012
Content: Your video must address one of these topics:

  • Take action against bullying
  • Keep a good rep online
  • Be cell smart

Eligibility: All residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) and the US, 13 years of age and older.

http://whatsyourstory.trendmicro.com/internet-safety/Home.do

National Archives Digital Experience

Create Posters, Videos and/or Pathways revolving around the material in the National Archives. Easy to use.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/02/create-videos-and-posters-on-us.html
http://www.digitalvaults.org/#/create/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Ohio Middle Level Association:

AMLE Affiliate Conferences:


Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

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

MSM 192: Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. (Sorry, Guy).

Jokes You Can Use:


There are only two ways of handling a woman – nobody knows either one.

Girl: “Too bad you flunked the test. How far away were you from the right answers?”
Boy: “About 2 seats.”

Boy: “I just had a date with Siamese twins”
Girl: “Did you have a good time?”
Boy: “Yes and no”.

On Our Mind:

Why don’t teachers nominate colleagues for awards?

Eileen Award:

  • Dave Bydlowski


Advisory:


http://gullible.info/

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about Nature Journaling. In the January, 2012 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Janita Cormell and Toni Ivey wrote an article entitled, “Nature Journaling: Enhancing Students’ Connections to the Environment Through Writing.” Janita describes how she shared her passion for nature with her sixth-grade students through nature journaling and how her students gained a better understanding of the natural world.

From the Twitterverse:

*EdTechUofA EdTech Services UofA  RT @mrsebiology Web-based Digital Storytelling Tools/Online Interactive Resources: bit.ly/hthC4X #edchat #edtech #midleved #elemchat
*  EduSum Summer Charlesworth “@DoremiGirl: RT @justintarte: “Mining the middle school mind” bit.ly/zwasQl #midleved” cc @MYSA_Australia
*  russeltarr russeltarr Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands tinyurl.com/77z3gyo
*rmbyrne Richard Byrne  Connected Mind – A Free Mind Mapping App in the Chrome Web Store ow.ly/8Rqht
*  russeltarr russeltarr The slave who spoke from beyond the grave #historynews tinyurl.com/7zy2nvq
*  jybuell Jason  Nice group of questions from Federal Way. How to talk to your student/teacher about standards based grading schools.fwps.org/lakedolloff/20… #sbar
*missnoor28 Miss Noor ㋡  RT @ashley: STOP Teaching Tech! vsb.li/NqBvyZ
*  2learn2 Steve  A baker stopped making donuts after he got tired of the hole thing. #stevec
*  Ron_Peck Ron  The Jerusalem Archaeological Park su.pr/1MkQQV #sschat #historyteacher
*  cybraryman1 Jerry Blumengarten  Friday Chats: #midleved (Middle School) #D5chat bit.ly/avnj3b #ConnectedPD First Friday Feb. 3 9am PST with guest Steve Hargadon
*   aimeewhitbread Aimee Whitbread  @mthman Any plans to resurrect #midleved Fri night chat? I’d be happy to help moderate if you’d like.
*  mrsebiology Terie Engelbrecht Formative Assessment Ideas: scr.bi/yOsiUA #edchat #midleved #elemchat
*  BarbBlackburn Barbara R. Blackburn  Very sad news about Gordon Vars, one of the founders of the #midleved movement. bit.ly/wlMD46 #highered He will be missed.

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


iBooks Author update

News:

Reed-Custer District seeks balance in ‘friending’ students

Marney Simon – Staff writer
So what is a school district to do when technology advances faster than school policy?
Dr. Butts said that there may very well be educational value to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and other sites, the district has to find it and be able to encourage the use of it appropriately.
School board members noted that finding a balance for how Facebook and other social media is used in relation to the schools is difficult.
“Used appropriately it’s an after hours reach-out, I don’t want that to be taken away,” Speed said. “I just want us to say, hey, if you’re going to have it, it has to be maintained in a professional manner. Lead by example. That’s why we’re here.”
http://www.braidwoodjournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=143&ArticleID=8490

Resources:

Going Paperless as a Teacher – Part 1

http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/01-2012/going-paperless-teacher-part-1

Web Spotlight:

What’s Wrong with the Teenage Mind

What happens when children reach puberty earlier and adulthood later? The answer is: a good deal of teenage weirdness.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181351486558984.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5

The Amazing Educational Jargon Generator

http://www.sciencegeek.net/lingo.html

Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong

By Garth Sundem

Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? All are exactly opposite of the best strategies for learning.
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/everything-about-learning/

This is What our Sun will Look Like When It Dies

In a few billion years, our dear Sun will look like this, a beautiful glowing eye of spent starstuff trash in the shape of Sauron’s Eye.
http://gizmodo.com/5881048/this-is-how-our-sun-will-look-when-it-dies-yes-its-the-eye-of-sauron

The Faculty Project

The best Professors from the world’s leading Universities are coming together to teach online
FOR FREE!
http://facultyproject.com/

Strategies:

“WE PENALIZE KIDS FOR GETTING DISTRACTED FROM BORING STUFF AT SCHOOL”

by DAVE CAOLO
Spot-on. Brilliant observations by Sir Ken Robinson. You might have seen this before.
It’s both exhilarating and depressing. I’m nodding my head in agreement yet feel sorry for our broken educational system which, in my opinion, won’t ever change. I was bored to tears as a student and still consider myself a marginally-functional idiot, bereft of any particular talent or skill.
I distinctly remember handing an art project to my 6th-grade teacher. It was a watercolor of a man standing outdoors. She took the painting from me, opened a black marker and drew an outline around the man to “finish” it. So, the painting I made was “wrong.”
Worse, my 8-year-old already dreads school because “it’s so boring.”
http://52tiger.net/we-penalize-kids-from-getting-distracted-from-boring-stuff-at-school/

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
Strategy, TechBy Troy Patterson

Open Source Text books

On the last show, we talked about Apple’s iBooks Author. I’m interested in exploring this option. My first thought was that we could take an open source textbook, convert it using iBooks Author and return it to the community. I think that this would have a lot of potential. I would love to find an appropriate open source middle school math (with the appropriate Creative Commons licensing), that we play around with.

The idea would be to create an improved version of the book and return it to the community.

I’ve found some books that are great at the University level. Most of the books that I have found are available in pdf format. This makes the file size smaller and does allow for portability, but it does make editing difficult. (Yes, I know that pdf’s can be converted, we’ve talked about the tools).

So far, I have found books through the CK12. However, these are either epubs or pdfs. Neither is particularly easy to edit. CK12 does provide editing functions, though this seems to be a more advanced feature and results in a pdf hosted on their site.

After a little bit of playing around, I’ve discovered that you need to create chapters within Pages or Word. These can then be imported directly into iBooks Author as Chapters.

For my first test, I downloaded a book from CK12. I then converted the pdf to rtf. Next, I added some formatting to the document (Title, Heading 1, etc.). As noted above, I think that I would need to split the document up into discrete chapters in Pages.

From my small test, admittedly just playing around for an hour or so, it seems that it is doable. It would take some planning and prep work, but it doesn’t seem to be a monstrous task.

I’ll need to get with a math person to see how good the instruction is through the book. However, this would seem to be a possibility. If you know of some good resources, especially good open source textbooks, please let me know. Post a comment, or send an email.

 

This is cross posted on my Professional Learning Network Site.

MSM, News, Podcast, Strategy, Teaching Tip, Tech, Web SpotlightBy Troy Patterson

MSM 191: Becoming an Author(ity) on iBooks Author.

Jokes You Can Use:

Whilst escorting his wife to the concert, Jim asked his wife what they were seeing. “Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony” she replied. “Good” Jim responded. His wife was surprised, she didn’t think that Jim really enjoyed going to the symphony. “Well, I’m glad that you’re looking forward to this. Where have you heard this before?, she asked. “Huh”, Jim responded. “I’m just happy that we missed the first four”.

Whenever my wife needs money, she calls me handsome. “Hand some over”.

On Our Mind:

  • iBooks Author
  • Listener question:  Is Apple’s New Education Initiative Dangerous? ~ Interesting dialogue #fhuedu642 => @msmatters What do you think? tinyurl.com/6m4uzw4 – From Dr. Tatom.


Eileen Award:

  • Doc Tatom
  • Donnielle Kota-Moore


Middle School Science Minute

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

Metal Safety.

This middle school science minute is about metal safety. In the December, 2011 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication) Ken Roy wrote an article entitled, “Test Your Metal (safety knowledge).”  He investigates the safety issues involved in using metals with middle school students.

From the Twitterverse:

*bethanyvsmith rules without relationship equals rebellion #educon
*Ron_Peck Have I mentioned lately how awesome #Edmodo has become? Great new features for the site and app. If you’re not using it you’re missing out.
*drmmtatom emPower eLearning zite.to/x37xCG via @zite #fhucid #fhuedu642
*chrislehmann What if hallways were dry erase walls? What could kids create? #EduCon
*mbteach Talking about how teachers can take on different leadership roles in schools. We have a good list going #educon
*teromakotero shares tinyurl.com/6q5my7 (25 Free Digital Audio Editors You Should Know) plurk.com/p/fg5ywq
*onlinecourse Four Most Unemployable Majors – dedu.org/zqfC3E
*bethanyvsmith #bannedsites the truth about tech in school and blocking sites mindshift.kqed.org/2011/04/straig… #educon
*Mimadisonklein Check out Common Core on the Android Market! market.android.com/details?id=com… #FETC
*shannonmmiller So excited to be Skyping into #educon this morning with @mluhtala @InnovativeEdu @joycevalenza for our Banned Sites presentation #tlchat
*
tomshepp tomshepp
Rubrics for Assessments of Online Activities zite.to/z99SQW #edtech #elearning #mlearning

How to Create Your Own Textbook — With or Without Apple http://zite.to/AxcSlU #edtech #elearning #mlearning
*TJwolfe_ LiveBinders Resources bit.ly/woVXKn
*AngelaMaiers Does This Scare You? twrt.me/z9o973 via @knealemann

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

News:

Supreme Court Declines Cases on Student Internet Speech

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up major appeals involving student free speech rights on the Internet.

The 3rd Circuit held in the Blue Mountain case that a Pennsylvania middle school student’s 2007 MySpace parody depicting her principal as a sex addict and a pedophile was so outrageous that no one could have taken it seriously.
The 3rd Circuit court found that the profile did not create a substantial disruption in school, and the court rejected the school district’s arguments that other facts created a nexus between the parody and the school.
In her appeal to the Supreme Court, Kowalski said, “This court has never addressed the appropriate First Amendment test for student speech that occurs entirely off school premises.”
The justices declined on Jan. 17 to hear the cases without comment or recorded dissent.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/2012/01/supreme_court_declines_cases_o.html?cmp=ENL-DD-NEWS1

Resources:

25 Audio Editors:

“A digital audio editor is defined as a computer application for manipulating digital audio. As a multimedia creator, we normally use audio editor for recording audio, edit the duration and timeline, mix multiple sound tracks, apply simple effects for audio enhancement and create conversion between different audio file formats.
There are countless ways that digital audio editor can be used, and fortunately there are plenty of good and free digital audio editors out there to help you with your own implementation. So if you’re thinking to purchase a license for Adobe Audition, Cool Edit or Soundforge, hold that thought first. Not to say they aren’t cool, but it’s always wiser to tryout free applications before going to the pay deal.”


Most Amazing High Definition Image of Earth – Blue Marble 2012

A ‘Blue Marble’ image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA’s most recently launched Earth-observing satellite – Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth’s surface taken on January 4, 2012. The NPP satellite was renamed ‘Suomi NPP’ on January 24, 2012 to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/6760135001/

100 iPad Apps Perfect For Middle School

If you’re a student, teacher, or administrator at a middle school looking into adopting iPads for educational purposes, it’s important to know that the iPad is more than just an easy way to browse the web or visit the app store. There are actually thousands of educational apps hiding in the bowels of the app store.
http://edudemic.com/2011/11/ipad-middle-school/
http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/

Seinfeld

Seinfeld teaches History:
Think History, Saturday Night Live.
http://cooperativelearning.nuvvo.com/lesson/9592-seinfeld-tea

Alfie Kohn vs Dwight Schrute

Classic Schrute Bucks episode. Good for talking about classroom management.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59KY7ek8Rk

Web Spotlight:

Straight from the DOE:  Dispelling Myths About Blocked Sites

100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers

With the increasing use of technology in classrooms, it’s no wonder that teachers have a growing interest in using YouTube and other online media sharing sites to bring information into their classrooms. Here are 100 YouTube videos that can provide supplementary information for the class, give inspiration, help you keep control of class and even provide a few laughs here and there.
http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/100-best-youtube-videos-for-teachers/
http://t.co/V6EeeuLv

Valentine’s Day Teaching Resources

http://www.squidoo.com/valentines-day-teaching-resources

Strategies:

Why Interactive White Boards are Used Ineffectively in Classrooms

An interactive White Board (IWB) or SMART Board has the potential to deliver content better than traditional methods of teaching. Why?
http://www.teachscienceandmath.com/2010/07/28/why-interactive-white-boards-are-used-ineffectively-in-classrooms/

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
Interview, Podcast, Strategy, Teaching Tip, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM 189 – (Homework + Science) Dave^2 = Podcast

Homework:

Middle School Matters is proud to bring you a wonderful interview with Mr. Dave Tucker. His school has taken on the issue of homework with some terrific results. If your school struggles with students turning homework in, you need to listen to this interview.

Middle School Science Minute

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

This middle school science minute is about the physics of curling. In the December, 2011 issue of Science Scope (NSTA publication), there is an article entitled, “Swept Away: Exploring the Physics of Curling” by Liza Esser.  In the article, Liza explains the game of curling, the physics of curling, and then she develops a 5E lesson that she uses in her unit on forces and motion.

Interview with Mr. Dave Tucker

School Improvement team effort

What things would improve the learning of the students?  Proficiency, meeting the needs of the students.

Changing it from a policy group to a learning policy group.

A strong indicator was the completion of homework.

Started with research and reading.

What should the policy be?

Decided that existing ones were not the best to choose from or merge into a policy.

Read stuff by Doug Reeves  (Wears a bow tie) in the pictures in his research articles.

Yes, it isn’t APA documentation, but will help you find it.  🙂    )

“No Missing Homework” policy wasn’t the best choice either.

All homework would be accepted, late or not, and accepted for full

credit.  No Killer Zeros.  A 0 is 10% below a D.

Tiered intervention system.

Homeroom/Advisory 30 mins.  (Homework Club Time)

Using Zangle, staff can pull the missing assignment list for each student.

Provides a coaching role for the Advisory teacher.

Level I:  Student gets a pass to Homework Club from Advisory and they have to continue to go there until it is all completed.

Level II:  Students are pulled from an elective class of administration’s choosing and put into an elective class called Homework Club II.  (Band seems to be an inoculation against Homework Club!)

Level III:  Intervention level that requires staying after school with the administrators  (This unjustified border is driving you nuts, isn’t it?)

What does homework mean?  Why give it?

It’s a good formative assessment.

Good way to introduce a subject.

Practice a skill that has been taught.

We don’t want homework to be a test of academic stamina.

It needed a systemic response with all of the teachers on board.

It is so labor and detail intensive.

Encore subjects are second to Core curriculum.

Art & Science of Teaching by Marzano


Find more information about Mr. Dave Tucker at gischools.org or contact us and we’ll pass it along.

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