Category: Tech

MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM – 117 – Tales from the Web

Jokes:

Qualifications for Presidency
An eighth grade teacher was leading a discussion on the qualifications for being president of the United States. After the teacher commented that a person must be a natural-born citizen, one of the students raised her hand. Does that mean that if you were born by Caesarean section that you can’t be president?

From the Twitterverse:

Webspotlight:

Wacky Web Tales
http://www.educationplace.biz/tales/

Relaxed Minds Learn better
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62N4VJ20100324

Difference Between:
http://www.differencebetween.net/

Tagxedo:
http://www.tagxedo.com/

America on the Move:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/

Hear Names:
http://www.hearnames.com/index.php

Video Science
http://www.sciencehouse.com/videoscience-experiments.html

Virtual Owl Pellet:
http://www.kidwings.com/index.htm

MiddleTalk:  This We Believe
http://www.nmsa.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/MiddleTalkListserve/tabid/1212/Default.aspx

Siftables:
http://sifteo.com/

Etherpad Alternatives
http://tech4teaching.org/wpblog/?p=929

Ning Ends Free Service:  (See TechCrunch’s Article)
Alternatives:
–Cubetree
–Jabbster
–Shoutem

Texas’ Textbook Influence
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/04/22/30texts_ep.h29.html?tkn=ROMFSqn2MnKy5KlKQ6xol0G2%2BkVr2NP6ZRwL&cmp=clp-edweek

Math Curriculum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlvKWEvKSi8

Events & Happenings:

#WAMLE10 this Friday and Saturday!

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 Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 18 & 19, 2010. Jack Berckemeyer will be keynoting.
  • Second Life:
advisory, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

Podcast #115: iPad, iPad, iPad

Advisory:

Online Personal Finance Game from the Council on Economic Education:  http://www.genirevolution.org/index.php
Set up in a popular game format, students work their way through challenges answering key questions to earn points to advance through the game.  If you’ve been to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. you’ll be familiar with the “cloak and dagger” feel of the mission briefings, information gathering, and operative training incorporated in the game.

http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz/

On Our Mind:

Thanks to all of our Facebook Fans!
Looking for some more iTunes reviews.

Samsung Grant:
Digital Presenter Contest
http://www.samsunggrants.com/

From The Twitterverse:

From our Listeners:

Hi Guys,
I have been enjoying the podcast, but I get lazy about sending out science information.  I hope you don’t mind if I continue to send it along to you.  I hope these work out for you.  Enjoy your Spring Break!!
Dave Bydlowski
Podcast Site:  k12science.net
In the iTunes store, just do a search for:  k12science
Twitter:  twitter.com/k12science
—————————————————————–
Middle School Science
—————————————————————–
11a. ISS EarthKAM Spring 2010 Mission
NASA has exciting news! EarthKAM has just launched a new beta version of its Web site. Middle school educators
are invited to join NASA for the International Space Station Spring 2010 Mission from April 27-30, 2010, and be
beta testers of the new site and software. Find out more about this exciting opportunity that allows students to take
pictures of Earth from a digital camera aboard the International Space Station. Just visit:
http://www.EarthKAM.ucsd.edu
—————————————————————–
Middle School and High School Science
—————————————————————–
10a. The Siemens STEM Institute for 6th – 12th Grade Educators
A premier STEM immersion program brought to you by the Siemens Foundation, and administered by Discovery
Education in conjunction with the College Board. It will take place from August 1 – August 6, 2010. The location is
Discovery Communications world headquarters in Silver Spring, MD (outside of Washington D.C.) The application
deadline is April 16, 2010.  The Siemens STEM Institute is a unique immersion program that promotes hands-on, real-world integration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the classroom. Fifty educators will be selected as STEM
Fellows to attend this all expenses-paid, week-long professional development experience, hosted at the world
headquarters of Discovery Communications, located just outside of our nation’s capitol in Washington D.C.
For additional information on the resources and opportunities available through the Siemens STEM Academy,
please visit:
http://www.siemensstemacademy.com
—————————————————————–
10b. ReaL (Regional and Local) Earth Inquiry: Professional Development
On behalf of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), you are invited to participate in an exciting new
initiative to improve Earth science education across the nation to take place in Monroe, MI from July 28 – 30. PRI
and its Museum of the Earth is a non-profit organization based in Ithaca, New York. Composed of scientists and

educators, its outreach program aims to make the Earth and its life—and the science by which we understand it—

accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. As part of that mission, they are currently developing a series
of Teacher-Friendly Guides to North American Earth System Science. Supported by the National Science
Foundation, the project is a five-year initiative that will bring regional and local Earth system science into
classrooms across the nation.  Stipends and support for travel and lodging total $800.00 per participant.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 3, 2010. For more information and to apply go to
http://www.virtualfieldwork.org/PD_Application,_Summer_2010.html

Letter from Mr. Jackson

Webspotlight:

Social Media Explained in 4 minutes:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/03/social-media-explained-visually.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

Four Day Week?
The Illinois House has sent to the Senate a bill that would allow local school boards to adopt a four-day week. Our first response: Bad idea. Shortening the school week is a move in the wrong direction. Illinois kids need more time in school, not less. They need a longer school day, and a longer school year. U.S. children spend far less time in school than their peers in Europe and Asia. And Chicago public school students spend less time in school than their peers in many charter schools, in suburban schools, and around the country.
Further research, though, provoked our second and prevailing response: A four-day week might be a good option — remember, this would be voluntary — for downstate districts with few students but vast territories. Those districts still would be required to teach the same number of total hours per year. So kids might get longer school days.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-4day-20100330,0,1138284.story

Video Editing:
http://jaycut.com/

Freeology
http://freeology.com/

Google For Teachers Guide
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/03/free-33-page-guide-google-for-teachers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Other News:

  • Second Life:
advisory, MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

Podcast #114: Ukraine Fan Club and more!

Jokes:

Suits
My wife and I were at my high school reunion. As I looked around, I noticed the other men in their expensive suits with their bulging stomachs. Proud of the fact that I weighed just five pounds more than I did when I was in high school, the result of trying to beat a living out of a rocky hillside farm, I said to my wife, “I’m the only guy here who can wear the suit he graduated in.” She glanced at the prosperous crowd. “You’re the only one here who has to.”

Charity
A devastated-looking man knocks on the door of a woman known for her charity. “Please, ma’am,” he says when she opens up, “can you help this poor, tragic family down the block? The father just lost his job, and his wife is too ill to work. They’re about to be turned out into the cold streets unless someone can pay their rent.” “That’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard in my life!” says the woman. “May I ask who you are?” “Their landlord.”

Advisory:

What’s Your Story $10,000 Student Video contest is looking for your original work.  Create a video on internet safety and you could win $10,000 in prize money.  Must be 13+ to participate.
http://whatsyourstory.trendmicro.com/internet-safety/Home.do

On Our Mind:

Mindless Entertainment to get you through this week:
Muppets Humor
1.  Ode to Joy
2.  Classical Chicken
3.  Beaker’s Ballad
* Tip- don’t move on when the big play button shows up, wait a minute.

From The Twitterverse:

  • alancross FINALLY… The Difference between Nerd, Dork, and Geek Explained by a Venn Diagram (via @JPWP)
  • russeltarr Second Life to host first college graduation: http://tinyurl.com/r6oapg
  • teromakotero Royalty free music for Education: http://tinyurl.com/yh82a7e http://plurk.com/p/4d7hae
  • mguhlin Thinking about BYOT – Bring Your Own Technology? Start with students! http://ff.im/-ic1vR
  • willrich45 Reading: “Duncan silent on Florida’s education mess” http://tinyurl.com/yf9qnvz Wow.
  • kchichester Teacher should not be the hardest worker in the classroom @jimwenz #mra2010
  • mbcampbell360 A wealth of resources on McTighe and Wiggins Backward Design process <- highly recommend for creating lessons #edchat
  • Nmsa_normal NMSAnews New Digital Catalog! The NMSA Catalog April 2010: Leadership Resources For Middle Grades
  • Todd_normal Twilliamson15 Grant Wiggins EQ slides and info from presentation…use NSTA2010 as group password
  • Bill Bass wbass3 I love it when students create things to help teachers in their classrooms. http://is.gd/b0CG1
  • 21stprincipal 21stprincipal “Our current education system systematically drains the creativity out of our children.” Ken Robinson
  • 21stprincipal 21stprincipal NCLB’s emphasis on uniform standards is putting emphasis on “conformity and finding the “right” answers. Robinson
  • 21stprincipal 21stprincipal Post to share with teachers having classroom management issues.

From our Listeners:

Howdy gents!  I enjoyed seeing the article about using smart phones in Algebra class.  Last year I tried another approach to meet students with their own technologies.  I had my “ticket to leave” problem on the board and students had to send me a text message with the answer before they were excused for lunch.  I tried it for a couple of weeks to shake things up and students really enjoyed it.

Your Ukrainian fanclub President,

Robert Jackson
Kyiv International School
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSsvt8LBEV4

MAMSE:

https://middleschoolmatters.com/Conference_Notes/MAMSE_2010.pdf

Webspotlight:

Amazing Web 2.0 Projects

http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/web2_2010/Amazing%20Web%202%20Projects.pdf

Girls and Boys on Achievement

http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document_ext.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=304

DocsPal

http://www.docspal.com/

Create printable PDFs and eBooks from any online content.

Use zinepal.com to create your own magazines and eBooks from any online content. You can select content from blogs, Atom/RSS feeds and other websites. zinepal.com reformats the content into a printable PDF and eBooks for use with eBook readers such as the Amazon Kindle, Barnes&Noble Nook or Sony PRS. It is the easiest way to repurpose online content for other distribution mediums.
http://www.zinepal.com/

Remove pdf password protections:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=200512231728165

Youblisher:
http://www.youblisher.com/

Chartle:  Make online charts and tables that can be exported or shared via the web.
http://www.chartle.net/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Other News:

  • Second Life:
advisory, MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

Podcast #113: Phone the Algebra In.

Jokes:

In Medical Terms
A man told his doctor that he wasn’t able to do all the things around the house that he used to do.
When the exam was complete, he said, Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me.
Well, in plain English, the doctor said, you’re just lazy.
Okay, said the man. Now give me the big, long, complex medical term so I can tell my wife.

Advisory:

NCMSA Want to send a message from your school to outer space? Send it on two lightsail missions.

On Our Mind:

Gender Equity:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/17/national/main6307774.shtml

From The Twitterverse:

From our Listeners:

Thank you to Language Arts Teacher for the iTunes post. We greatly appreciate it!

To all of those who are now our fans on Facebook – Thank you! (You know who you are!)

MAMSE:

https://middleschoolmatters.com/Conference_Notes/MAMSE_2010.pdf

Service Learning
Students take leadership roles. They develop the activities.
•    Raise money for local charities.

◦    Alpha House
◦    Humane Society
◦    Lion’s Club
◦    Faith in Action
◦    Hospitals
◦    Make a Wish
◦    Chamber of Commerce
◦    Special Olympics
◦    Elementary schools
◦    Local Church events
◦    Senior Centers
◦    Knights of Columbus
◦    Usher local events
◦    Salvation Army
◦    Food Gatherers
◦    American Red Cross
◦    Library
◦    Fire Department

•    Make a partnership (Lions Club)

◦    They talk about why they volunteer as adults
◦    They want the school connection

•    Do a service learning class.
•    Dance Marathons

◦    Stand on your feet for those who can’t stand themselves.
◦    They raise a minimum amount of money to participate.

•    The kids pick the projects. They keep a list of organizations.
•    Gets the kids in front of the community.
•    In class, they practice social skills.
•    Tie in with Social Studies classes. (eg. Studying famine, did chores for charity – brought in money to donate to address famine.)
•    Pin awards to kids with service of 25, 50, 74, 100 & 150 hours of service. Present the pins to the kids at a school board meeting.
•    Presidential Awards are also available online. ( 50,75, 100 hours per calendar year).
•    The idea is that students will always be part of a community.
•    9 week class. Starts in 7th grade. Goes for 2 years. (Building is 7-8)

◦New kids every 9 weeks.
◦ Creates culture of helping.
◦ Custodians participate as well.

•    Middle School students need to be needed.
•    Kids need to know that not every community service opportunity is for everyone. Some kids may not like working with little kids or old people.
•    National Junior Honor’s Society
•    Mill Creek CS&L website on Dexter Schools.
•    Join Middle School Student Council (Michigan Association of Student Councils)
•    Exchange Day between schools

Webspotlight:

Solving Algebra on Smartphones

Research shows that a project to use the devices as teaching tools in some N.C. districts has had a measurable impact on student achievement in math.

Students, some initially skeptical that a phone would help them do better in math, have been quick to embrace the idea of using the mobile device to learn, says Denton, who attends Dixon High School in the 24,000-student Onslow County, N.C., schools.
For some math classes, particularly Algebra 1, Project K-Nect had mathematicians at Drexel University in Philadelphia develop short animated video math problems that teachers can assign to students as homework or classwork.
Some students have taken the technology a step further and created movies with graphics, student actors, and stories highlighting math. Particularly popular are student-created movies with a “CSI” theme in which the drama uses math to solve a crime. One student produced and posted a rap song on polynomials, which was ultimately posted to YouTube and spawned thousands of imitators, says Gross of Digital Millennial Consulting.

Learning Science:

learningscience.org is an organization dedicated to sharing the newer and emerging “learning tools” of science education. Tools such as real-time data collection, simulations, inquiry based lessons, interactive web lessons, micro-worlds, and imaging,  among others, can help make teaching science an exciting and engaging endeavor. These tools can help connect students with science, in ways that were impossible just a few years ago. Take a look at a few different types of “learning tools” at this link, Tool Examples. At this point in our project we are highlighting some of the best web resources for science concepts. Although our main emphasis is on students, teachers, and parents, really anyone interested in science education will find the site useful and informative.

Using the National Science Education Standards (1996, National Academy of Sciences) as our framework, we highlight only the best of these “learning tools” for students and teachers. All of the featured tools go through a  review process. Once a “learning tool” is submitted it is analyzed by an editorial panel of science educators and scientists for content and design.

learningscience.org is proof of concept project and a work in progress. Most of our “learning tools” are web based and free. We will remain a totally FREE online learning community that researches, reviews, and recommends the best of world wide science education interactives. This means that most of these are accessible to teachers, students, and parents who have access to the Internet.  For some of the concepts, we have only a few “learning tools”.  That is why it is important that you join us in this effort. If you are a science professional, or someone who enjoys science, please consider sending us your ideas.. If you have found science resources that we should add,  please share your ideas with others, we would love to hear from you. Just email George Mehler with your suggestions.

learningscience.org is a collaborative project of the Central Bucks School District (PA,USA), the teachers of the Central Bucks School District, The College of Education at Temple University (PA, USA), and George Mehler Ed.D.  George Mehler can be reached at gmehler@cbsd.org or 267 893 2044.
http://learningscience.org/index.htm

Slum Dog Millionaire and Education:

“Having watched hundreds of Indian children learning without teachers at the Hole In The Wall computers, it became obvious that all children can work by themselves, if they want to,” Mitra says.
“Most British children grow up with the internet and have the means to learn what they want in minutes, and this challenges the traditional idea of school being about learning things that will come in handy in the future. They become disengaged.”
Mitra is not alone in noticing this problem. John Dunford, head of the Association of School and College Leaders, last week told the group’s annual conference that computer games and websites have made children impatient and harder to motivate.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/mar/16/slumdog-millionaire-education-online-independent

NCMSA10 Conference Notes (Todd Williamson)

NCMSA10: Education in Japan

MAMSE10 Conference session notes hosted by Dexter Public Schools.
http://www.dexterschools.org/~millcreek/mamse2010/MCMAMSE/Resources_Pg1.html

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Other News:

  • Second Life:
advisory, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

Podcast #112: Wimp Yourself into Middle school

Jokes:

Rabbits
The LAPD, The FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it. First the CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist. Next the FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming. Finally the LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling: “Okay! Okay! I’m a rabbit! I’m a rabbit!”

Advisory:

http://www.wimpyourself.com/

On Our Mind:

You can now sign up to receive updates via email.

The Michigan Joint Education Conference is coming up June 23, 2010.  Presentation proposals are due April 2, 2010.  $79.00 for non-members and $49.00 for members of the member organizations sponsoring the event.  This is a great way to pick up some PD this summer and you won’t have to sell your soul to your administrator . . .

From the Twitterverse:

From our Listeners:

Kitty Holman:

Google Earth for Educators: 50 Exciting Ideas for the Classroom

Ideas for all ages.

http://www.associatesdegree.com/2010/03/14/google-earth-for-educators-50-exciting-ideas-for-the-classroom/

MCSS:  Super Social Studies Saturday! (3-13-2010)
Link to the conference notes including the ones mentioned in the podcast:  http://web.me.com/mcgirr/MCSS_Super_Saturday_3_13_2010/
Lots of great stuff presented integrating middle school geography and World History.

MAMSE:

https://middleschoolmatters.com/Conference_Notes/MAMSE_2010.pdf

Online Learning in the Classroom – a Tool for Differentiation

Melanie Dever

Typical online courses are designed for remote learners, but there are benefits to using an online class structure in a traditional classroom.  This format allows for differentiated instruction and pacing, aids in catching up absent students, and provides materials parents can use to help struggling students.  This session will show different ways to use online course systems in the classroom.  Topics will include online delivery of new material, online assessments, and student collaboration.

A tool for differentiating instruction in a traditional classroom.
From the student: Know and trust the students. They may not work at the same pace every day. Some days they may do very little.
How Parents view Online vs Classroom Learning.
Traditional Classroom
•    Everyone moves at the same pace.
•    Advanced learners could be doing more
•    Struggling learners need more time.
•    Teacher is available to help ,but stretched too thin.
Online Class:
•    Students move at their own pace
•    A greater variety of content
•    Not all kids are disciplined enough to learn independently.
•    Teacher is available, but not necessarily when you need it.
Choose:
Online:
•    Parent think child is bored.
•    Advanced students
•    Independent and motivated students
Traditional
•    child needs guidance
Students who are the most motivated and disciplined and who have the most involved and supportive parents may “self track” out of traditional classrooms.
For profit companies are aggressively seeking out those families.
Combining
•    Blended learning
Just inside the traditional instruction:
tools:
• Weebly
• Wix
•    Google Sites
Examples:
•    Homework Calendar
•    Online Worksheets
•    Online class notes
Mr. Nale.com
Other end (online course:)
Tools:
• Moodle
• Blackboard
• MyiCourse (free)
• Textbook Publishers

Differentiation Benefits:
• • •
Students can work on their own pace, fast or slow. Built in assessments can monitor for mastery before allowing students to progress. Students can choose different tasks or activities.
Cool things you can do:
1.    Be in two places at once:
1.    Students can pause and rewind a lesson
2.    Students can ask questions in a low risk setting.
3.    Teacher is free to have
4.    Parents have access to the lesson
5.    Students can go back to it again.
2.    Show don’t Tell
1.    Use Jing to create screencast.
3. Expand opportunities for student choice in activities and sequence.
4. More
1.    Get out of the “what did I miss”
2.    Give parents and kids access to notes.
3.    Make sub plans
4.    Have tests instantly graded and disaggregated.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Other News:

  • Second Life:
advisory, MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM #111: Dr. Silver’s MAMSE Moment

Jokes:

Business Man
A young businessman had just started his own firm. He’d rented a beautiful office and had it furnished with antiques. Sitting there, he saw a man come into the outer office. Wishing to appear busy, the businessman picked up the phone and started to pretend he had a big deal working. He threw huge figures around and made giant commitments. Finally, he hung up and asked the visitor, “Can I help you?” The man said, “Sure. I’ve come to install the phone!”

On Our Mind:

You can now sign up to receive updates via email.

From the Twitterverse:

  • stevefarber  Friend: “Someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you’ve forgotten the words.” -Jim Warner
  • mjsamberg  Resources from “Linux in the Classroom”: http://www.tinyurl.com/nctieslinux #ncties
  • zeitz  Who’s pushing Emerging Technologies in higher education? students . . . http://is.gd/9Niwi
  • DanielPink  Fascinating NPR interview with NCLB supporter-turned-critic Diane Ravitch….
  • russeltarr  Using Edmodo in the classroom: http://tinyurl.com/l2nvsb
  • Lilylauren Oh the irony- my predictive text doesn’t know how to spell Nostradamus
  • DeronDurflinger RT @NMHS_Principal: Worst thing to do when moving towards change/successful implementation is to “mandate” #GTAdmin Agreed!
  • drmmtatom Jeopardy Labs: Make Your Own Online Jeopardy Game http://tinyurl.com/yaeha54
  • rmbyrne It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages: Why The Superintendent Firing All the Teachers in One School Should Be Ashamed… http://ff.im/-gEkyv

Twitter MAMSE Special:

  • Griffbuddy #MAMSE http://www.strengtheningfamiliesprogram.org/ Parents train parents. #mamse10
  • Frideswidel #mamse making rainsticks and using the design as a prompt for writing.
  • Griffbuddy #MAMSE One out of every three middle school students are obsese or in danger of being obese! #MAMSE10
  • Smhearty School worked with a court system. Saved the court $64,000 a year. #mamse
  • Griffbuddy #MAMSE majority of parents are not PITAS (pain in the a**es). We want them involved. #MAMSE10
  • Frideswidel #mamse Candy Writing Assignment: Using the senses to create an advertisement for the candy (then they can eat it).
  • Frideswidel RT @Griffbuddy: #MAMSE Dr. Santo Pino, NMSA, and Dean Hook, presentation: Securing Parent Involvement In Your School.
  • Frideswidel #mamse Art teacher talking about incorporating Art with writing (6+1 Traits). www.marymillerart.com
  • Frideswidel #mamse demo of Stratalogica.
  • dexgeek Technology is only one of the tools that teachers use to engage students. I’m glad I can arm them with the tools and skills. #MAMSE
  • Smhearty We train kids not to think but how to get an A. #mamse
  • Smhearty Got a great compliment today – “Aren’t you guys presenting today? We have other teachers here today.” #mamse
  • Griffbuddy #MAMSE Be there. Choose your attitude. Make their day. Play. Fish philosophy in schools (choose your attitude when you come to work).
  • Griffbuddy #MAMSE Advisory is necessary because strong relationships help teachers become adept @ diagnosing student needs. #MAMSE10
  • tanyaov #mamse Wow. MAMSE conference is excellent. I LOVE learning new things.

Finger Wag:

The State of Michigan put out a memo with a bitly link.

Advisory:

Blame Darwin:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704454304575081613327728110.html#articleTabs%3Dinteractive

MAMSE:

Dr. Debbie Silver:  www.debbiesilver.com
Keynotes:  http://www.debbiesilver.com/keynotes/

New Favorite Conference Software:  Skim

Webspotlight:

Google Docs for Administrators:
Sarah Rolle, Director of Technology for Elisabeth Morrow School, shared tips on GoogleDocs Tips for Administrators.
http://www.mguhlin.org/2010/03/googledocs-tips-for-administrators.html

Stratalogica:  http://www.stratalogica.com/NystromDigital/home/login.html;jsessionid=501B5A5D36B68C44263525336DA8C718.StrataLogica1

Mary Miller:  Artist, Teacher, Integrator of Curriculum
http://www.marymillerart.com/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Other News:

  • Second Life:
advisory, MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

Title: Q & the Mysterious!

Jokes:

Wedding Woes
At a friend’s wedding, everything went smoothly until it was time for the flower girl and her young escort to come down the aisle. The boy stopped at every pew, growling at the guests. When asked afterward why he behaved so badly, he explained, “I was just trying to be a good ring bear.”

Sacrifice
Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one has to drop off, otherwise they are all going to fall. They were not able to choose that person, but then the woman made a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because as a woman she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids, and for men in general, without ever getting anything in return. As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping their hands.

On Our Mind:

Retirement plans change for State of Michigan employees and teachers.  (Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals)
New retirement rules for Michigan

  • Retirement years cap at 30 years of earned time.  Purchased years do not count.
    • If you continue beyond 30 years, your employer will contribute 4% to a defined contribution account and the employee will contribute 3% and may contribute up to an additional 3% for a total of 10% cap.
  • If this goes through there will be an incentive for districts to retain teachers with 30 or more years.  Retirement contributions will go from 19% to about 10%.

Thanks to Dave Bydlowski for the feedback:
Check out his podcast here: http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Podcast.html

Here is some information from my February 11 — 24 Michigan Science
Matters eBlast:

……………
NASA/USA Today No Boundaries Competition
NASA and USA Today partnered to bring the No Boundaries science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career curriculum and
competition to middle and high school classrooms.  No Boundaries is a
free, eight-week, cross-curricular project that introduces 7th to 12th
grade students to NASA careers in STEM through a cooperative learning
experience.  Students collaborate to gather web-based research on the
variety of career options available with NASA. Students then develop a
fun and creative way to present the opportunities to other students.
Cash prizes will be awarded (up to $2,000) in addition to a “VIP NASA
experience.”  More information and all project resources are available
at the No Boundaries website at:
http://www.noboundaries-stemcareers.com/

……………..
Instill Interest in Biotechnology
The WGBH Educational Foundation recently launched the new Biotechnology
collection on Teachers’ Domain. These digital media resources are
designed to deepen the teaching and learning of biotechnology in middle
and high schools throughout the United States. Digital video and
interactives explore laboratory techniques used in biotechnology for
treating disease and improving diagnosis. Video profiles of
biotechnology scientists and technicians offer students compelling
examples of available career pathways into the field.  Please visit:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/special/biot/

……………….
Climate Change Art Contest for MS Students
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, would like to invite
6th-8th graders residing in Michigan to participate in the U.S. EPA
Climate Change Art Challenge.  The contest will ask students to create a
drawing or a painting that responds to the question, “What is Climate
Change?” on their own – without a teaching prompt from adults.  The
purpose of the contest is to see what 6th-8th graders think climate
change is, based on what they already know. The artwork will be
educational for the EPA, parents, and teachers, showing us what children
are learning about climate change from the media, parents, and in
schools.

Entries must be one-dimensional, must be no larger than 11” X 17” and
must be mailed or shipped (via USPS or FedEx) with completed Entry Form.
To apply, visit the EPA website:
http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/airinfo.html

Winners will be chosen based on the most creative and representative
depictions of climate change. All participants will receive a
certificate of recognition. 1st and 2nd-place winners will receive award
plaques and winning art will be posted on the U.S. EPA Region 5 website
in April 2010.  For more information, please contact Cynthia Meyer at
meyer.cynthia@epa.gov or (312) 886-5868, or Elizabeth McWhorter at
mcwhorter.elizabeth@epa.gov or (312) 353-5069.  All entries must be
received by the EPA, no later than Monday, March 22, 2010.

………………….
STEPS Summer Camp Experience for 7th Grade Girls
For the ninth consecutive summer, the Regional Math and Science Center
and the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing
at Grand Valley State University will hold two sessions of a Science,
Technology and Engineering Preview Summer camp (Sgirls. This year’s camps will be held during the weeks of June 21-24 and
June 28-July 1, 2010.  The deadline to apply is March 15.  For more
information, please visit:
http://www.gvsu.edu/steps/

………………
Go Green
Register for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, the nation’s
premier sustainability challenge where K-8 students create solutions to
environmental problems in their own backyard.  Simply visit:
http://www.wecanchange.com
to sign up.

……………….
Inspire Environmental Preservation
Action For Nature’s International Young Eco-Hero Awards recognize the
individual accomplishments of young people (aged 8–16) whose personal
actions have significantly improved the environment.  Action For Nature
will award cash prizes of up to $500 to young Eco-Heroes whose
individual initiatives will inspire others to preserve and protect the
environment.  The deadline to apply is February 28, 2010.  Please visit:
http://www.actionfornature.org/eco-hero/

MathCounts
MathCounts is seeing a drop off in participation in our area.  Check it out.  It might be a neat enrichment class idea or an Advisiory component to your middle school.

To secure America’s global competitiveness, MATHCOUNTS inspires excellence, confidence and curiosity in U.S. middle school students through fun and challenging math programs. With the generous support of all MATHCOUNTS sponsors and volunteers, and leadership of the National Society of Professional Engineers at the local and state levels, MATHCOUNTS is providing today’s students with the foundation for success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

MATHCOUNTS is a national enrichment, club and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory.

Currently in our 27th year, MATHCOUNTS is one of the country’s largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors and students. President Barack Obama and former Presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ronald W. Reagan have all recognized MATHCOUNTS in White House ceremonies. The MATHCOUNTS program has also received two White House citations as an outstanding private sector initiative. Particularly exciting for our Mathletes® were the hour-long ESPN programs on each of the National Competitions from 2003-2005.

MATHCOUNTS offers two unique programs to middle school teachers and students:  The MATHCOUNTS Competition Program and the FREE MATHCOUNTS Club Program.

From the Twitterverse:

Advisory:

Be Lucky (Richard Wiseman):

  • After many experiments, I believe that I now understand why some people are luckier than others and that it is possible to become luckier.
  • The findings have revealed that although unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their fortune.
  • Take the case of chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not.
  • Personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people’s ability to notice the unexpected.
  • unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.
  • My research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.
  • In the wake of these studies, I think there are three easy techniques that can help to maximise good fortune:
    • Unlucky people often fail to follow their intuition when making a choice, whereas lucky people tend to respect hunches. Lucky people are interested in how they both think and feel about the various options, rather than simply looking at the rational side of the situation. I think this helps them because gut feelings act as an alarm bell – a reason to consider a decision carefully.
    • Unlucky people tend to be creatures of routine. They tend to take the same route to and from work and talk to the same types of people at parties. In contrast, many lucky people try to introduce variety into their lives. For example, one person described how he thought of a colour before arriving at a party and then introduced himself to people wearing that colour. This kind of behaviour boosts the likelihood of chance opportunities by introducing variety.
    • Lucky people tend to see the positive side of their ill fortune. They imagine how things could have been worse. In one interview, a lucky volunteer arrived with his leg in a plaster cast and described how he had fallen down a flight of stairs. I asked him whether he still felt lucky and he cheerfully explained that he felt luckier than before. As he pointed out, he could have broken his neck.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-its-an-easy-skill-to-learn.html

Webspotlight:

‘Algebra-for-All’ Push Found to Yield Poor Results

By Debra Viadero
Quite a bit of disagreement over the value of teaching algebra to 8th graders. Apparently the results are mixed (feign surprise here).

Among the newer findings:

• An analysisRequires Adobe Acrobat Reader using longitudinal statewide data on students in Arkansas and Texas found that, for the lowest-scoring 8th graders, even making it one course past Algebra 2 might not be enough to help them become “college and career ready” by the end of high school.

• An evaluation of the Chicago public schools’ efforts to boost algebra coursetaking found that, although more students completed the course by 9th grade as a result of the policy, failure rates increased, grades dropped slightly, test scores did not improve, and students were no more likely to attend college when they left the system.

• A 2008 paper by the Brookings Institution suggested that as many as 120,000 students nationwide were “misplaced” in algebra programs, meaning they had test scores on national exams that put them about seven grades below their peers in algebra classes. Further, it said, states with a high proportion of students taking algebra in 8th grade didn’t necessarily outperform other states on national math assessments.

Just putting students in Algebra doesn’t seem to work. Students who are adequately prepared for it seem to do well. However, those students who are far behind struggle. 8th grade is considered the pivotal year. Some opine that the low level courses are absolutely worthless. Chicago tried “double dosing” those students who were prepared. There seems to some finger pointing in terms of research technique, data analysis and data collection. There’s also discussion about whether or not what is taught in Algebra class is really Algebra.

An as of yet unpublished study from Michigan State University shows students who were enrolled in Algebra did better than those who weren’t.

Some are wondering about the difference between causal and correlative data. Does Algebra really help prepare kids for college or is it that kids who were taking Algebra were going to college anyway. The point is made that one size doesn’t fit all. There is also that issue of students who are doing well in math. Those students have benefited from tracked classes. More students entering into Algebra may have a derogatory effect on their achievement.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/02/10/21algebra_ep.h29.html?r=327944615

Blue Ribbon Middle School

A team of researchers hired by the U.S. Department of Education is spending much of this week at Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School in Baton Rouge trying to learn what makes that school tick.

The federal agency has in the past issued “best practice” reports drawn from a selection of Blue Ribbon schools, but this year the plan is try a multimedia approach.

“This is the first time we’re trying to do this with audio and video,” said Carol Keirstead, a senior research associate with RMC.

Keirstead said the team is looking at six aspects of Sherwood: teacher leadership; the rigor of the curriculum; the quality of professional development; transition help for incoming sixth-graders; use of classroom technology; and the school’s culture.

Sherwood is a magnet school in which students need a 2.5 GPA to enroll. Even so, teachers there say some of the students enter well behind their peers and the school has to work hard to catch them up.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/84098087.html?index=1&c=y

Math comes to YouTube at Palmyra Area Middle School

By BARBARA MILLER, The Patriot-News

It’s the first such use of YouTube in the district, said Collene Van Noord, assistant superintendent, although there are other sites, such as TeacherTube, a similar service for teachers. Since YouTube is blocked at school, students have to view Binkley’s videos at home.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/02/math_comes_to_youtube_at_palmy.html

Q-Matrix

Get your kids to generate questions with a Q-Matrix.
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/assessment/files/pages/strategies/Question_Matrix.pdf

Marble

Marble is a Virtual Globe and World Atlas that you can use to learn more about Earth: You can pan and zoom around and you can look up places and roads. A mouse click on a place label will provide the respective Wikipedia article.

Of course it’s also possible to measure distances between locations or watch the current cloud cover. Marble offers different thematic maps: A classroom-style topographic map, a satellite view, street map, earth at night and temperature and precipitation maps. All maps include a custom map key, so it can also be used as an educational tool for use in class-rooms. For educational purposes you can also change date and time and watch how the starry sky and the twilight zone on the map change.

In opposite to other virtual globes Marble also features multiple projections: Choose between a Flat Map (“Plate carré”), Mercator or the Globe.

The best of all: Marble is Free Software / Open Source Software and promotes the usage of free maps. And it’s available for all major operating systems (Linux/Unix, MS Windows and Mac OS X).
http://edu.kde.org/marble/

FCC Expands Broadband Access at Schools
http://mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/FullArticle/CTECH/ntechnologyNews_uUSTRE61H6ZR20100219

Essentially, the bandwidth not being used by schools during school hours will be open to the community.

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 Ohio Middle Level Association Annual Conference February 2011, Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, OH.
  • Second Life:
MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM-108- An Interview with Dr. M. Monte Tatom

We had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. M. Monte Tatom. Dr. Tatom is a university professor who teaches upcoming teachers and administrators. Dr. Tatom also presented at the NMSA annual conference this past November. He has a long history in education and is especially tuned to middle school kids. He has taught middle school, been an assistant principal and a principal as well as working at the central office level. We hope that you enjoy the interview.

advisory, MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM-106 iPad, Do You?

Jokes:

Most problems can be
Ignored. The more difficult
Ones can be slept through.

I don’t mind being
Teased, any more than you mind
A skin graft or two.

My brain: walnut-sized.
Yours: largest among primates.
Yet, who leaves for work?

Your mouth is moving;
Up and down, emitting noise.
I’ve lost interest.

There’s no dignity
In being sick – which is why
I don’t tell you where.

On Our Mind:

Dropbox:

  1. Free
  2. Backup no matter where you are
  3. Constant access (Computer always has a copy, Access from anywhere with web connection)
  4. Sync
  5. No Flashdrives
  6. Sharing
  7. Cross Platform

Apple’s iPad

Net Safety
http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/net-cetera.aspx

From the Twitterverse:

Advisory:

Tongue Twister:

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See’s saw
Before See sawed Soar’s seesaw,
See’s saw would not have sawed
Soar’s seesaw.
So See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See’s saw sawed
Soar’s seesaw!

Webspotlight:

Multiple Intelligences Survey
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

Scribble Maps:
http://scribblemaps.com/#

Origins
http://www.originsonline.org/dd_classroom.php?resource_type=148

Seven Places to find Free e-books:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/01/seven-places-to-find-free-ebooks.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

Dance Rules:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0126102dance1.html

Graph paper:
http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Other News:

  • ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.
  • The Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 18 & 19, 2010. Jack Berckemeyer will be keynoting.
  • Second Life:
advisory, MSM, Podcast, TechBy Troy Patterson

MSM-105 The Revolution in the Classroom

Jokes:

An advanced society has figured how to package basic knowledge in pill form. A student, needing some learning, goes to the pharmacy and asks what kind of knowledge pills are available.

The pharmacist says, “Here’s a pill for English literature.” The student takes the pill and swallows it and has new knowledge about English literature!

“What else do you have?” asks the student. “Well, I have pills for art history, biology, and world history,” replies the pharmacist.

The student asks for these, and swallows them and has new knowledge about those subjects. Then the student asks, “Do you have a pill for math?”

The pharmacist says, “Wait just a moment,” and goes back into the storeroom and brings back a whopper of a pill and plunks it on the counter.

“I have to take that huge pill for math?” inquires the student. The pharmacist replied, “Well, you know… math always was a little hard to swallow.”

In his day, Michael Jordan made over $300,000 a game. That equals $10,000 a minute, at an average of 30 minutes per game.

With $40 million in endorsements, he made $178,100 a day, working or not.

If he slept 7 hours a night, he made $52,000 every night while visions of sugarplums danced in his head.

If he went to see a movie, it cost him $9.50, but he made $18,550 while he was there.

If he decided to have a 5 minute egg, he would have made $618 while boiling it.

He made $7,415/hr more than minimum wage.

He’d made $3,710 while watching each episode of Friends.

If he wanted to save up for a new Acura SLX (about $90,000) it would have taken him a whole 12 hours.

If someone were to hand him his salary and endorsement money, they would have had to do it at the rate of $2.00 every second.

He’d probably payed around $200 for a nice round of golf, but was reimbursed around $30,000 during that round.

Assuming he put the federal maximum of 15% of his income into a tax deferred account (401k), he would have hit the federal cap of $9500 at 8:30 a.m. on January 1st.

If you were given a penny for every 10 dollars he made, you’d be living comfortably at $65,000 a year.

He would have made about $19.60 while watching the 100 meter dash in the Olympics.

He would have made about $15,600 during the Boston Marathon.

While the common person was spending about $20 for a meal in his trendy Chicago restaurant, he would have pulled in about $5600.

In his last year, he made more than twice as much as all U.S. past presidents for all of their terms combined.

… However…

… If Jordan had saved 100% of his income for the next 250 years, he’ll still have less than Bill Gates had right then.

On Our Mind:

Head on over to iTunes. We’re looking for some feedback.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=261383649

From the Twitterverse:

Advisory:

Exciting individuals telling their personal stories from the front lines of social and environmental change.
changents.com

MultiTask
Think you or your students can multitask well?  MultiTask challenges you to play multiple games to test your multitasking ability.  It introduces one game at a time and one error will cause you to lose.

Webspotlight:

Sweet Search

Every Web site in SweetSearch has been evaluated by our research experts.
Visit our Web Links for teachers and students, organized by subject and academic level.
http://www.sweetsearch.com/index.html
http://www.sweetsearch.com/weblinks/categories/middle-school/students.html

Dabble Board-

Dabbleboard is an online whiteboard that will help you visualize, explore and communicate ideas. The best way to learn more about it is to view the video below. See the Top 10 Reasons to use Dabbleboard.
http://www.dabbleboard.com/

Cosketch-

What is CoSketch.com?

Do you have an idea, a problem or just a cool picture that you quickly want to show a friend?

CoSketch is a multi-user online whiteboard designed to give you the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images.
Simple sharing
• Anything you paint will show up for all other users in the room in real time.
• One click to save a sketch as an image for embedding on forums, blogs, etc.
Zero hassle
• Runs in all common browsers without plugins or installation.
• No registration
Now with Google Maps support!
• Use google maps as the background for your sketches to show directions or share trips.
Read more or just create a sketch and try for yourself.

Google Resources for Education

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/29YqS3/www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/10/25/100-google-tricks-that-will-save-you-time-in-school/

Revolution in the Classroom

by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael B. Horn

President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s flagship idea for reforming education—a competition among states over a total pot of $4.35 billion known as the “Race to the Top Fund”—is a bold move to use scarce resources to coerce states into adopting big, potentially controversial strategies for education reform. It aims to achieve four stated goals:

– Develop common, internationally-benchmarked standards and assessments

– Improve the effectiveness of teachers and principals

– Use data to inform decisions

– Turn around the lowest-performing schools.

As details of the competition emerge, states vying for funds could simply opt to check off the boxes, suggest some novel-sounding strategies, and implement a few tweaks to the way things are already being done. But doing so would miss a genuine opportunity. In order to transform our factory-era schools into a truly student-centric system fit for the 21st-century, the funds should be used to innovate disruptively. And the best way to do that is by implementing online learning – an approach that’s constantly improving in its ability to deliver personalized, high-quality learning experiences to students from all walks of life, regardless of geography, special needs, or socioeconomic background.

Putting New Standards Into Practice a Tough Job

Challenges Loom on Curricular and Teaching Fronts

Todd Clark remembers his “aha” moment when Florida began rolling out the next generation of state academic-content standards to its teachers in 2007.
“I had a 5th grade teacher come up to me and say, ‘Mr. Clark, I can cover all of these objectives by December,’ ” he recalls. “The way she saw it was that there was only enough material for her to cover half a year.”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/01/14/17practical.h29.html?tkn=QLUFv6tltIiniJxnW3ZjCGFnpX0FvCKmEj6T

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 Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 18 & 19, 2010. Jack Berckemeyer will be keynoting.
  • Second Life:
  • Google Teacher Academy for Administrators: “We’re very excited to announce our first ever Google Teacher Academy for Administrators.  Since many of you have been asking for a GTA for Admins for a while, we’ve decided to host the first one immediately preceding the ASCD conference, on Friday, March 5th in San Antonio, Texas.  As you might know, the Google Teacher Academy for Administrators is a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educational leaders get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google’s free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and learn how to apply examples from our innovative corporate environment.  Potential applicants include educational leaders or decision makers including (but not limited to) school principals, assistant principals, state, county or district superintendents, technology directors or coordinators, and CTOs who actively serve K-12 teachers and students.  For more information, please check out:  http://www.google.com/educators/gtaforadmins.html
    OR
    Apply before midnight, January 25th here:  https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dE1lYmFfTU4zN1RQWDBpX20wb3BsWXc6MA