Education

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    DetentionSlip.org

  • OUTRAGE: Mom upset with corporal punishment at son’s New Mexico school

    Hall Monitor
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:46 am
    Story: Mom upset with corporal punishment at son’s New Mexico schoolAmong a long list of problems with allowing paddling in schools, is that the whacking comes at the discretion of the staff. In this case, a 90-pound boy was sent home with a black and blue ass because "...if he was tough enough to talk back to the teachers, then he was tough enough to take the swats." During an investigation, it was learned that the paddle used has students names etched in it! Now, does this sound like the responsible discipline of a principal, or someone who proudly displays his acts of violence much like…

  • Student crashes car through Shorecrest High School

    Hall Monitor
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:03 pm
    Story: Student crashes car through Shorecrest High SchoolSome teens spend their Friday nights hanging out with their friends...others send their car crashing through the front doors of their school. What is most disturbing, is that the police file states the boy "did NOT appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol." I wonder how much your insurance rates go up after joy-riding through the hallways of a high school?

  • High school busted on trademark infringement

    Hall Monitor
    8 Feb 2010 | 3:15 pm
    Story: Seminole school dodges trademark infringement bulletWhen the school decided to develop a new logo for their mascot, the entire town must have been oblivious to the fact that they completely ripped off Dodge's Ram. Don't they teach about plagiarism in high school? Being so close to Orlando, I'm actually surprised they didn't just try to get away with being the Mickey Mouses.

  • Student sent home from school for wearing Colts jersey

    Hall Monitor
    6 Feb 2010 | 4:06 pm
    Story: Colts Jersey Causes Clash at La. SchoolA Louisiana high school lifted its dress code policy and allowed students to wear black and gold to celebrate the Saints going to the Super Bowl. One Indianapolis native decided to wear his Colts jersey instead. Since students don't have rights inside of public schools, he was immediately told that he was disobeying the principal. Who would have thought that the Super Bowl would have such an impact on the education process?

  • Student, 12, Arrested For Doodling On Desk

    Hall Monitor
    5 Feb 2010 | 2:20 pm
    Story: Student, 12, Arrested For Doodling On DeskWOW! Some of the desks I grew up around barely had a square inch to spare because of all the graffiti on them. This girl pens her name with an erasable marker and she's thrown in the slammer within minutes. Once again we're creating criminals out of children. Maybe this should serve as an eye-opener that schools need to completely abolish writing utensils and provide laptops for every student?!
 
 
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    2¢ Worth

  • Further Reflections on EduCon 2.2

    David Warlick
    3 Feb 2010 | 7:15 am
    The conversation never stopped — even over Philly Cheese Steak For fear of appearing to be a kool-aid drinking, rose tinted glasses wearing, disciple of the Order of EduCon, I do have a complaint about the event.  They really need a better way of storing our coats.  I had to remember that mine was just to the left of the Case 6 amplifier in the music room, just behind that Yamaha piano looking thing.  Ok, that’s out! Traveling to the Ohio eTech conference in Columbus, directly from EduCon, I will confess to having thoughts of, “How can you go to a conference…

  • Upcoming International Conference

    David Warlick
    3 Feb 2010 | 4:23 am
    The web page of one of the schools I’ll be visiting while in Singapore… International conferences are interesting places.  You discover how education in these various countries is in such different places, and how we all have such similar goals, we’re trying to converge to a point that is more relevant to today’s children, the future we are preparing them for, an increasingly global awareness, and within a dramatically new information environment. I will have the honor of working with educators from throughout Asia, at the International Conference on Teaching and…

  • We’re Not Merely Wasting Talent. We’re Poisoning It!

    David Warlick
    1 Feb 2010 | 4:16 am
    Gerald Aungst wrote a comment on yesterday’s ..Reflections from Educon.. blog post, which was mostly a reflection of a podcast interview I listened to yesterday with Richard Branson.  It started with… I’ve read the biographies (in various forms) of several currently-successful, mostly famous people who the world would consider highly talented, perhaps genius. The common theme in all these stories? School didn’t work for them. They floundered, or even failed, marking time until they could get out and follow their passions. I started a reply, but I feel so deeply about this…

  • Some Reflections from Educon — and it isn’t over yet!

    David Warlick
    31 Jan 2010 | 2:27 am
    Virgin Galactica – http://www.virgingalactic.com/ On my way down Arch Street this morning, walking to SLA for the last day of Educon, I listened to a TED audio podcast, an interview with Richard Branson, of Virgin-Atlantic Airlines, conducted by TED curator, Chris Anderson. I didn’t know anything about Branson, except for Virgin… and his interest in space travel. So it surprised me when Anderson mentioned that he (Richard) did not have a very successful education experience. Branson admitted to being dyslexic, and that he never really understood school work. He left school…

  • My Educon Conversation

    David Warlick
    28 Jan 2010 | 1:47 pm
    One of the best things about Educon is the nature of the sessions, called “Conversations.” It is unconference in practice, meaning that the session leader does not teach for learning, but, instead, his job is to generate conversations among the attendees from which everyone learns. It is not a hive mind at work, but a sharing and mixing of many ideas and perspectives, from which group and individual meaning can be found. It is beautiful! Participant Grid Group Grid I have led numerous such unconference sessions, mostly to the delight of participants, who often write in their…
 
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    LeaderTalk

  • An Inconvenient Truth

    LeaderTalk Contributor
    7 Feb 2010 | 7:08 am
    Below are key elements of school district mission statements from 14 districts in the NY Metropolitan area. It is the mission of the (Name of school) to develop: active, life-long learners curious, compassionate learners students responsible for their own learning independent learners able to work collaboratively to solve problems creative and critical thinkers develop students' individual strengths, skills, and talents engaging, challenging and personalized learning environments connections to the global community integrity as a core value appreciation of self-worth and individual…

  • Motivating the Unmotivated

    LeaderTalk Contributor
    29 Jan 2010 | 7:00 pm
    A few years back, I heard Dr. Robert Brooks speak about motivating the unmotivated student. I enjoyed listening to him and took some notes to help me remember later. Of course, life happened and I moved away and started a new job and forgot about his lecture. While cleaning out some folders recently, I came across those notes and decided to talk about this topic to my staff during a recent inservice day. I am the Director of an alternative school and also the Director of Special Education for several districts. Encountering unmotivated students is not uncommon in my work. I work with teachers…

  • 2014:A Space Odyssey...sort of

    LeaderTalk Contributor
    29 Jan 2010 | 1:52 am
    Depending on what draft of the NCLB you are looking at, in either 2013 or 2014, all public schools are supposed to have reached 100% proficiency in the areas of Math and English. In 2001, that deadline seemed so far away. Now that it is around the corner, what will happen to the US education system because of it? What are other cultures saying about us going so "test crazy"? It is not uncommon to hear teachers gripe about how they are limited in what they can teach because they have to "teach to the test." Teachers feel cramped by state standards and meeting the deadline of state exams. They…

  • Staying on Track

    LeaderTalk Contributor
    23 Jan 2010 | 11:04 am
    Photo Credit In Tim Irwin's excellent book De-Railed, he investigates six modern CEO's who have experienced major failures of their organizations and their leadership. His purpose is to demonstrate that we can learn from the mistakes of others and avoid their errors. David McCullough unearthed another failed leader in his outstanding biography of Harry Truman. No, not Truman himself, but Thomas Dewey, who ran for President in 1944 and 1948, seemed to embody several of the attributes that Mr. Irwin warned could lead to catastrophe. Irwin mentioned that faltering leaders usually fail on one or…

  • A Race to the Mulberry Stump

    LeaderTalk Contributor
    20 Jan 2010 | 8:37 am
    Oh. So now it's a race? I like races. I am a sprinter so I am used to running races. I have been in a lot of them and the more races you have been in the more victories (and the more losses) you earn. The more strategies you can leverage. "The mulberry stump, a hundred yards ahead in the clearing. First one that touches it is the winner. On your mark... get set..." I don't wait for "go". (That's the secret to winning short sprints. You time it just right. You jump the gun-- but you don't get caught!) ...GO!" So now it's a race. And we are in it. But on our own terms. Yesterday, 40 states…
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    Beyond School

  • My Australia Keynote Speech: A Serious Farce, in One Thousand Acts

    Clay Burell
    30 Jan 2010 | 5:53 am
    Speech Outline If you just want to watch my recent keynote address in Australia — which, as farce would have it, turned into two addresses — just click on the screenshots of each speech below. But I hope you read the little mock-heroic back-story. Learning Technologies 2009 Keynote, Part 1: Click image to view. The Missing Link: Texas Politics Distorts US Textbooks (watch before Speech Part 2. Slide to 5.15 for the kicker) Learning Technologies Keynote Part 2 (click image to view) Prologue: On Time and Other Thieves1 Anybody as oblivious to the passage of time and calendar pages…

  • A Starter Kit of China Studies RSS Feeds

    Clay Burell
    25 Jan 2010 | 1:20 pm
    Just a quick share: I’m giving my Chinese history / China studies students this “starter kit” of RSS feeds about contemporary China from Asian and Western sources to start them on their self-directed explorations (and small group blog reports) about whatever they want to learn. It’s the cream of my own Google Reader “China” folder, which I created and populated over winter break. If anybody has more feeds to suggest, please add them in comments. Otherwise, I share them to spare any other China studies folks out there the necessity of re-inventing the wheel.

  • Sunday – a Story

    Clay Burell
    24 Jan 2010 | 12:04 pm
    217 years ago last week, Louis XVI’s head rolled from a Paris guillotine. One of my students emailed me to tell me that, because we’d discussed that event on the very day of its anniversary. A few years after that bloody blade gave death to feudalism and birth to modernity, the French Revolution became so radical it tried to uproot the Christian church in France and replace it with what it considered a better alternative. This reminds me, sidewise, of a story I heard years back, and want to embellish in the telling. I’ve been using this space too much lately to merely blog,…

  • Photoshop Help Wanted: Banner Needed for New Website

    Clay Burell
    22 Jan 2010 | 8:15 pm
    If you happen to be so good at Photoshop or Illustrator that you can knock out a decent website banner in 20 minutes or so — unlike me, for whom a miserably failed attempt takes hours — I’d appreciate your help. I’m ready to launch a new website that I think is important, and want it to look more than Bush League. I can’t pay you for it — I’m already paying for the website hosting and putting free hours into the concept and content, all for the sake of education, not profit — but I can give you credit and free advertising on this site and the…

  • Students with Eyes, Let Them See: 27-Year-Old Chinese Blogs His Way to Fame

    Clay Burell
    12 Jan 2010 | 5:34 am
    An example worth sharing to students of a kid who figured out the power of simple blogging — combined, of course, with quality thinking and writing — and blogged his way to stardom by age 27. In China. From the excellent China Digital Times, with emphasis added: Han Han was named as the ‘Person of the Year” in 2009 by two influential publications: Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Weekend（南方周末) and Hong Kong-based magazine Asia Weekly (亚洲周刊). Here are some excerpts of the relevant articles in both publications, translated by CDT: By Asia Weekly: Han Han:…
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    National School Boards Assn: BoardBuzz

  • Digital media is here to stay

    Barbara Moody
    4 Feb 2010 | 6:32 am
    Anyone with a teenager knows that the use of digital media is on the rise. As BoardBuzz previously mentioned, in a recent report issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit research organization, the average amount of time children ages 8 to 18 spend using media for non-school related activities is up to seven hours and 38 minutes per day — that’s an increase of more than an hour compared to the same study conducted in 2004. The report, Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, is based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,002 3rd-12th grade…

  • School board members take to the hill

    Andrew Paulson
    2 Feb 2010 | 6:57 am
    School Board News is reporting live from NSBA’s Federal Relations Network conference. The Federal Relations Network (FRN) helped secure many legislative victories for school boards in 2009 and is now tasked with even more pressing advocacy efforts this year, NSBA’s leaders said at the FRN opening session. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization, securing federal funding in light of state budget shortfalls, and President Obama’s challenge for schools to provide a world-class education for all students will highlight this year’s advocacy efforts. It comes after a…

  • Got food?

    Kevin Scott
    1 Feb 2010 | 12:14 pm
    Baltimore City Schools braved the snow and ice to come to Washington this Saturday to talk about their School Food program at the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Issues Seminar.  While many may not find this to be the most exciting topic in the education reform era to talk about, it is something relevant to all school children in America.  The Baltimore City School Board is backing up this plan due to so much research supporting the impact of school nutrition on student achievement. Baltimore presented their relatively new program that is getting a lot of attention, and for good…

  • Math anxiety

    Andrew Paulson
    29 Jan 2010 | 12:01 pm
    BoardBuzz came across a recent article on Ars Technica about a new study which suggests that elementary school may be a breeding ground for math anxiety. Girls have long embraced the stereotype that they’re not supposed to be good at math. And according to the study they may be getting the idea from a surprising source—their female elementary school teachers. Yes, the study claims that female elementary teachers who display a high level of anxiety about math transmitted that anxiety to their female students: Teachers with high math anxiety were shown to have a significant effect on…

  • Parent involvement: important, but not always present

    Daniela Espinosa
    29 Jan 2010 | 7:50 am
    Parent and family involvement in schools has been shown to make children: feel more connected to the school; have better academic performance and attendance; reduce internalizing behaviors such as depression and anxiety; reduce externalizing behaviors such as aggression or delinquent behaviors; be more aware of and avoid substance abuse and risky sexual behavior; and achieve and maintain health and fitness.  In addition, involving parent and families in schools is cost-effective – certain studies show that schools would have to spend $1,000 more per pupil to reap the same gains in student…
 
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    Angela Maiers Educational Services

  • Live Stream at METC

    Angela Maiers
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am
    Some fantastic conversations are going on at METC Conference this week, and you can take part on Twitter and even view select presentations from the METC_CSD back channel or via Twitter using the #METC_CSD hashtag. I'll hope to capture my presentation on Digital Literacy in the Classroom and share here later. In the meantime, you can view some of the other METC slides on SlideShare The whole schedule: Tuesday, February 9, 2010  8:15 a.m. – Keynote, Wes Fryer: StoryChasing: Empowering Students as Digital Witnesses  9:45 a.m. – Digital Literacy in the Classroom, Angela…

  • Strong Readers Don't Quit

    Angela Maiers
    7 Feb 2010 | 10:35 am
    Strong readers won't quit until they "get it" - and the "it" is not as much about the book as it is about the reader.  In this week's mini-lesson video, we visit with a classroom of elementary students to discuss the strengths of a great reader. As one classmate put it: Crazy Good!

  • Are You Making Others Greater Than Yourself (#GTY)?

    Angela Maiers
    6 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am
    I find myself in the fortunate position of being both a fan and a friend of the brilliantly generous best-selling author, Steve Farber.  Greater Than Yourself, the latest inspiration of his Extreme Leadership series of books, is a book every administrator, leader, teacher, and student (yes, them too!) should read. Now. It is a game-changing book. So much so, that educational and business leaders from coast-to-coast and in-between have been gathering as part of a GTY Summit discussing ways to deliver the GTY principles into school buildings and classrooms all over the…

  • Chalk Talk - 02/05/10

    Angela Maiers
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:56 pm
    Chalk Talk Friday represents conversations and brilliance I've discovered traversing my way through the Blogosphere.  From professional to personal development, these are the posts and links have in some way touched my head or my heart. Most of you know how much I use SlideShare for my own presentations, but I also get inspired and information from others who share their presentations. Here are some of my favorites: Buffy Hamilton: High School Media Specialist at Creekview High School David Armano: David Armano is Senior VP at Edelman Digital and the author of Logic +…

  • Pepsi Refresh: The Teacher Salary Project

    Angela Maiers
    4 Feb 2010 | 1:12 pm
    You can help The Teacher Salary Project win $50,000. The project has been selected to be part of round one of the Pepsi Refresh Project, which is giving away $1,000,000 a month and allowing the public to decide on what gets funded by voting online for the ideas they like best. There are several categories, including Pepsi Refresh: Education. Every day in February we can go to The PepsiRefresh page and vote for The Teacher Salary Project. All teachers (and students) will benefit from our combined efforts. Even if the project doesn't finish in the Top 10, the exposure will move…
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    PILOTed

  • Use of Education Data

    Mitch Weisburgh
    4 Feb 2010 | 11:20 am
    The US Department of Education just released the results from their survey of the uses of educational data in schools: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#edtech   The report indicated that schools are storing more and more data, yet still have not been able to utilize the data to improve educational methods and outcomes.   The survey covered 427 districts with different demographics.   Virtually 100% of districts report that they have student information systems (providing data at least on attendance and enrollment) with over 70% reporting that…

  • 21st Century Skills in Schools

    Mitch Weisburgh
    29 Jan 2010 | 2:34 pm
    Just as we in the US are debating how to use technology in schools, and how to teach 21st century skills, conversations are going on around the world.   The European Union has just finished a study recommending what to measure about schools' use of technology. From the report, Europe seems to be coalescing around developing tests to measure schools' technology around the following:   Infrastructure. This concerns issues like hardware and software and within these sub-issues such as access to the Internet, broadband connections, open source software. Curriculum and content.

  • Promising Practices in Online Learning: Practical Strategies for Maturing Online Programs

    Mitch Weisburgh
    15 Nov 2009 | 8:52 pm
    iNACOL Virtual School Symposium 2009 Pre-Conference Workshop   Initially, I signed up for this program because I thought it was going to review best practices in online learning, specifically what are the things that most impact student learning. The session was instead geared for online schools that had been in existence for a few years; what problems have they faced and what have they done about them.   Instead of a presentation, each attendee became part of a group that then analyzed four different questions. Each question had a facilitator to lead the discussion for that…

  • Mapping State Proficiency Standards

    Mitch Weisburgh
    29 Oct 2009 | 11:45 am
    Today the National Center for Education Statistics released its Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales report. The full report is available here. The goal of the report is to highlight any changes in the way states report levels of academic proficiency in fourth and eighth grades. The report does not include Nebraska or Utah, neither of which has reported any data for 2007. In grade 4 reading, 31 states set the standard for Proficient lower than the Basic level of the NAEP; in the grade 8 tests, 15 states did. Math was not quite so skewed, only 7 states did this in grade 4 math…

  • Education Executives Day at Computers for Youth

    Mitch Weisburgh
    13 Oct 2009 | 7:37 pm
    I had a great day on Monday, October 13, 2009. I attended the Computers for Youth Education Executives day. The purpose of the day is for Title I Middle School students from New York City and education executives from around the country to evaluate learning software for the home. At the end of the day, three titles become finalists based on the following criteria: improves students' academic competencies promotes family involvement in education develops students' life-long learning skills (such as planning and reflection) motivates students to learn increases students' social…
 
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    Cool Cat Teacher Blog

  • Reviving the Dream

    9 Feb 2010 | 2:20 am
    "Sardis was a city of peace, not the peace won through battle, but the peace of a man whose dreams are dead and whose mind is asleep, the peace of lethargy and evasion," I came across this quote while studying Revelation and no- this is not a "Bible" lesson per se, but one about dreams. This previous quote was from William Barclay in his Letters to the Seven Churches (New York: Abigdon, 1957), 71 as cited in Gabelein and Douglas, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, 448. These words completely haunted me as I pondered them.  How many people do you know who have silently let their dreams die…

  • Daily Spotlight on Education 02/09/2010

    9 Feb 2010 | 1:30 am
    Why Geolocation Services Are Exciting For Poets, Musicians, Educators & ComediansGeolocation overview from Marshall Kirkpatrick at the Read Write Web. Marshall says:"The era of location-as-platform for software development is just beginning. No longer of interest only to uber-geeks, everyday people are now reporting their physical locations online, often through their phones. Geolocation services are hot and ever more prominent ones (like Facebook) are believed to be right around the corner.This is a very exciting development for lovers of innovation. Today we asked some of our favorite…

  • A Peek into Cool Cat Teacher's Classroom Right Now

    8 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am
    Some really exciting things happened this past week. Just thought I'd share with you today about some of the things happening in my classroom in the hopes that there may be something to ponder here for you.  It is every day to me, so really, none of it seems particularly revolutionary... that is unless I compare it to what my room looked like about four years a go before my teaching model and tools transformed. 8th Grade Keyboarding I still use the Old textbook my Mom used. (She founded this computer lab!) We don't use any video game or tools until the entire keyboard is learned. Here,…

  • Battle for the Eyes

    6 Feb 2010 | 6:15 am
    The battle for the eyes is getting heated. If you'll read Context is King: How Videos Are Found and Consumed Online, some very telling trends are unveiled that make advertisers very uncomfortable. The article says: "According to a recent NY Times article, in the 1952-53 season, more than 30% of American households watched NBC during prime time, according to Nielsen.  In fact, up until twenty years ago, you could buy a 30-second spot on CBS, NBC or ABC and reach “everyone.”  Today, NBC’s prime time reach is 5%.  Sure, NBC is lagging CBS and ABC, but neither the Tiffany…

  • Daily Spotlight on Education 02/06/2010

    6 Feb 2010 | 1:30 am
    Miss Brownsword: Wallwisher Feedback from Children's Questionnaires and Interviews.MOre wallwisher feedback. I heard via Twitter that they used it for feedback at educon.tags: education, learning, toolComputer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson : What Are You Learning This SummerComputer science teachers planning this summer should look at this overview from Microsoft uber-blogger Alfred Thompson.tags: education, learning, computerscience_teacher, computerscience, techintegrator15 Interesting Ways to use Wallwisher in the ClassroomPresentation covering 16 cool…
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    Eduspaces: Christopher Sessums

  • Using Participatory Media to Produce an Art Show

    19 Jan 2010 | 6:44 am
      Recently I was thinking about ways to connect my classroom to the larger world outside our door. I noticed each morning on my way to work, a beautiful space in my building that was not being used for anything. Long corridors of empty wall space. Aha! A perfect space for an art show. I created an assignment for my integrating new digital media into the curriculum course as a way of getting students to use social/participatory media to share, communicate, create, organize, collaborate, and network focusing on a specific project/problem: creating, organizing, advertising,and managing, a…

  • Empathy: An Overlooked 21st Century Skill

    4 Jan 2010 | 11:56 am
    http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/csessumscom/~3/njpoEZxoDyc/ Recently I was reflecting on the skills we want our kids to possess as they enter adulthood and participate actively as g/local citizens. Here are two major skill sets defined by Henry Jenkins, et al., and Tony Wagner: Jenkins, et al. (2006) 21st Century Skills (pdf) Play — the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving Performance — the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery Simulation — the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of…

  • 150+ Resources for Teaching and Learning

    2 Jan 2010 | 10:12 pm
    http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/csessumscom/~3/z4fcl1wfl-c/ In preparation for my undergraduate course, Integrating Technology into the Secondary Curriculum, I have been sifting through hundreds of bookmarks in my Delicious account. I have started a document containing 150+ resources/links, many of which will serve as assigned readings and starting points for students. This collection of resources is divided into 12 categories that include social media, learning with technology, adolescence, social networks, tactics, strategy, failure, critical thinking, games, social action, lifehacks, and…

  • Spring course introduction: A visualization

    1 Jan 2010 | 12:27 pm
    http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/csessumscom/~3/Mu3CY5oHPAM/ eme4406 • Spring 2010 course Intro View more presentations from Christopher Sessums. This slide deck is being used for an overview discussion for my Spring 2010 course on integrating technology into the secondary curriculum. The audience is a collection of undergraduate students who are minoring in education. This presentation is used to provide a visual narrative for discussing the many concepts associated with teaching and learning in the 21st century. Here is the course’s week one agenda for those interested.

  • How I Am Using Twitter to Design and Develop a Course

    18 Dec 2009 | 7:43 am
    Barry Bachenheimer, a student here in our online EdD program in Educational Technology, asked me to share my thoughts on the question, How has technology and/or media affected a change in the way you learned in the last year? for a conference he is working on.Interestingly enough, I am working on developing course called Instructional Computing 2 for our department. And there are so many ways to think about designing a course, so I decided to try something different.Since June 2008 I began tagging my favorite Tweets from my Twitter network. Twitter has a tool that will allow you to do this,…
 
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    The Student Affairs Collaborative

  • TuesTally: How many days do you take a lunch break?

    nope
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:11 am
    If you cannot view this poll click here. And here are the results from the last poll.

  • The #sachat Introduction Video

    nope
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:20 am
    We started the #sachat experiment in October 2009 and, more than anyone expected, the growth has been explosive. Each week, more and more student affairs professionals are connecting together and sharing their experience on a variety of topics from Job Expectations to Resident Hall Discipline. Inspired, and requested, by the #sachat community, here’s a video I hope captures the feeling many of us experience each week we participate in the #sachat. Ready to join the conversation? Start here > http://bit.ly/4o6NKH

  • ACPA wants us to Mingle

    nope
    7 Feb 2010 | 9:15 pm
    Slightly hidden, due to a minuscule font size, within the recent ACPA eCommunity email update was an interesting question: “Are You Ready To Mingle?” Intrigued, I read the rest of the “mingle” text: Are You Ready To Mingle? Engage in real life social networking at the Boston 2010 Annual Convention. This new and innovative technology enables attendees to simply ‘click to connect’ at the event and then share their online profiles after the event. With over 4,500 ACPA members expected to attend the Annual Convention in Boston, the MingleStick may provide an…

  • Professional Staff Development Strategies – #SACHAT Recap

    nope
    4 Feb 2010 | 6:51 pm
    Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s #SAchat focusing on Professional Staff Development Strategies.  Each week, we continue to grow our numbers and today’s chats produced 936 comments from 87 student affairs professionals,  graduate students and undergraduates interested in the Student Affairs field! In case you missed it, below is a quick recap. If you haven’t yet participated in an #sachat, learn more here. Full Transcripts DAYTIME: View as webpage Download as PDF EVENING: View as webpage Download as PDF Today’s Top Contributors @ARL275 @edcabellon…

  • Drowning in Leadership Data!

    nope
    3 Feb 2010 | 10:20 am
    I wrote last about our campus initiative that is going to push us toward a “comprehensive” leadership program.  We’re really building this from the middle, as there are many leadership efforts around campus that already exist.  A  move in this strategic direction is still without a lot of focus and without any defined leadership roles for our office in this effort, but as the Director of Student Involvement and LEADERSHIP, it’s probably a good idea for me to get our ducks in a row, right? In preparing for this movement on our campus, I know that someone needs to…
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    Swift Kick Central

  • Students Helping Students

    Tom Krieglstein
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:27 am
    Kansas State University's "Students Helping Students" campaign has the potential to be a national theme for peer-to-peer learning. For those who've had us on campus working with your student leaders, you should recognize the Blender Events and Flash Mobs throughout the video. Enjoy!

  • What If We DO Succeed in Increasing Student Engagement?

    Tom Krieglstein
    2 Feb 2010 | 8:29 am
    Over the weekend, I was talking with a group of students and advisors from Kutztown University about student engagement. In Swift Kick, we use dance floors to describe how student leaders are the ones in the center of the dance (fully engaged), and the rest of the student body (60-84% according to NSSE) are against the wall, not participating. It looks like this:   If the above image represents an oil reserve, the outside area represents the largest pool of potential energy at an institution.Lots of tools are great at helping student affairs departments better extract 2% more energy…

  • 7 Steps to Awesome: The Tech of a Leadership Conference

    Kevin Prentiss
    19 Jan 2010 | 10:05 am
    I promised the good student affairs folk of the Penn State system that I would write up a draft outline of a tech plan for a state wide student leadership event. I delayed a bit, so that we could finish up this new sachat platform - I think it's an important example of the goal. This will be a picture of what is possible, and the benefits, complete with notes. While I will aim at "reasonable and doable," the degree of difficulty will vary by campus. This certainly isn't THE way to do this, it is a draft plan to pick apart and play with. This plan isn't about just getting something up or what…

  • The Value of Integrating Social Media into Education

    Tom Krieglstein
    15 Jan 2010 | 7:33 am
    Dean Long, of LAUS, only needs two minutes to perfectly explain how every educator should be thinking about social media. And if your life is too busy for a two minute interlude, here are the highlights:Use SM (Social Media) to cultivate a community around the activities already being done on campus Support student bloggersLet students be the producers of the school's contentGive students the capacity to think and reflect around their experiencesSchools benefit by showcasing what they do to a larger audienceUsing SM will cultivate a larger communityReflective learning is nothing new, the new…

  • Private Communities and Engagement - The 90-9-1 Rule

    Tom Krieglstein
    14 Jan 2010 | 3:04 pm
    Online community ninja, Jakob Nielsen, is one of the original brains behind the 90-9-1 rule. Stated simply, the rule goes... In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action. Wikipedia is a classic example. 99% of Wikipedia users never contribute to the site. Of the 32 million Wikipedia unique visitors in the US, 68,000 are active contributors. In other words, only .02% of US Wikipedia users actually contribute to the site. Wikipedia isn't alone in experiencing such inequality. The…
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    CogDogBlog

  • Certifying Mom

    Alan Levine aka CogDog
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:59 pm
    Strange as it sounds, today I had to email my Mom a scanned copy of a copy of my own birth certificate to prove her own birth record. And perhaps the most challenging was helping her decode the email attachment so she could print the record. It goes like this. Her Florida drivers license is up for renewal and some new regulation (she says) requires her to bring a copy of her birth certificate. The problem is that back in 1929 Baltimore, records were not so rigorously recorded. The daughter of immigrants, whom-ever took the record information probably could not understand the name her mom…

  • A Lot (= what I don’t know)

    Alan Levine aka CogDog
    6 Feb 2010 | 5:27 pm
    cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog A few years ago I started some conference presentations with a sloppy attempt of a disclaimer, leaning on my own familiar TV metaphor of Sargent Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes and his classic yodel of “I Know Nothing!”. I was trying to deploy it in the sense of “I am not an expert” (Yes, I am a card carrying member of the Imposter Syndrome Club). But Schultz’s method was one of being deliberately ignorant of what he observed, as some means of staying out of trouble. I tried to use Schultz though, taking it down the…

  • New Spam Policy

    Alan Levine aka CogDog
    2 Feb 2010 | 5:16 am
    Dear CogDogBlog Spammers, Thank you for your loyalty over the last 7 years, your patronage was never wavered, and your activity has continued to grow over the years. Your work is a tribute to perseverance in your discipline, and I am sure your clients, the various pill retailers, online gambling parlors, body enhancement providers all have prospered greatly because of your sheer genius. But I have been stingy in keeping your daily, hourly, often Russian, flow of wisdom to myself. Until now, I have vigorously kept a chain link fence around this blog with various anti-spam plugins, but I wanted…

  • Patient, Dumb, or Just a Machine?

    Alan Levine aka CogDog
    31 Jan 2010 | 9:56 pm
    cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog In the morning I noticed my DVD player was still on after watching a movie last night. I’m not sure why I started thinking this, but the machine just sits there flashing "No Disc" for hours, for ever if I let it. Maybe it’s just a patient entity, "I am just waiting for you Alan. I really should be turned off, but if you want to waste electricity and my components, that’s okay. I will wait here for ever. I wont get annoyed if you do not pay me attention." Or maybe its just dumb. "Doh doh. I got no disk,…

  • What Are My Friends doing in My Google Search Results?

    Alan Levine aka CogDog
    30 Jan 2010 | 7:59 pm
    Here’s another episode where Alan Discovers Something That Has Been Out A While and Maybe Everyone Else Calls it Old News but….. This morning I was doing a Google Image search (more often these days I am using the advanced options to filter out images licensed for re-use) and was surprised/curious about what I saw at the bottom of the results: Google Social Search was rolled out in October but I missed that one. From what I saw, it’s not only pulling media from your “social circle” but also from things and people they create or link to. A lot of people write…
 
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    Educause

  • Tune In February 12: National Broadband—Policies and Opportunities for Higher Education

    fyfthgeer
    5 Feb 2010 | 10:59 am
    In this free February 12 EDUCAUSE Live! Web Seminar, National Broadband: Policies and Opportunities for Higher Education, special guest, Steve Midgley, and host, Steve Worona, will discuss the National Broadband Plan. The FCC was authorized to create the National Broadband Plan by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Midgely, head of the FCC’s Education team for the National Broadband Plan, will introduce the plan and some of the areas his team has been investigating, including online content; distance learning; standards, transparency, and interoperability; and educational…

  • EDUCAUSE Announces 2010 Ryland Fellowship and Balestri Scholarship Recipients

    chafkus
    2 Feb 2010 | 12:24 pm
    The EDUCAUSE Ryland Fellowship and Balestri Scholarship were established to expand opportunities for information technology professionals to attend EDUCAUSE professional development programs and help build our future leaders. EDUCAUSE funds these programs solely from its operating budget to support leadership development in our community.The programs recognize a combination of past achievement, personal and institutional commitment, potential benefit, and financial need.View the 2010 recipients. Learn more about the program.

  • Read the Most Popular EDUCAUSE Review Articles of 2009

    fyfthgeer
    28 Jan 2010 | 3:55 pm
    The ten most widely read online EDUCAUSE Review articles from 2009 focused on current IT issues, emerging technologies, learning spaces, the wiki-ized university, open educational resources, faculty development, and teaching & learning challenges.1. Top-Ten IT Issues, 2009Anne Scrivener Agee, Catherine Yang, and the 2009 EDUCAUSE Current Issues Committee2. Apprehending the Future: Emerging Technologies, from Science Fiction to Campus Reality Bryan Alexander

  • Tune In February 3: What Happened to the Computer Lab?

    fyfthgeer
    28 Jan 2010 | 2:44 pm
    In this free February 3 EDUCAUSE Live! Web Seminar, What Happened to the Computer Lab?, special guest, Beth Schaefer, and host, Steve Worona,will discuss low-cost changes that can be made to the design, layout, and operation of existing computer labs to meet both the changing needs of students and the necessities of the economic recession.

  • Collection of 2008-09 Fiscal Data for Core Data Service Has Begun

    fyfthgeer
    26 Jan 2010 | 12:20 pm
    EDUCAUSE is now collecting data for this year's Core Data Service (CDS) which will capture fiscal year 2008-2009 data on campus IT environments. Eligible institutions should complete this year's survey by April 2. View the 956 respondents that participated last year.EDUCAUSE launched the CDS to provide comparison data about campus information technology environments and practices to help members benchmark and plan for IT at their institutions. View the Core Data Service Fiscal Year 2008 Summary Report.
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    Techlearning

  • Jason Science: Education through exploration

    8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm
    Backed by National Geographic, this interactive and immersive site  connects students with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science. The  award winning curricula embed cutting edge research from NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National

  • Data management system tracks progress of kids, teachers, schools

    8 Feb 2010 | 2:05 pm
     School districts across California are using Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s DataDirector digital solution to help meet Race to the Top criteria

  • A great idea, explored

    8 Feb 2010 | 5:25 am
     A partnership has been formed by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the education company Pearson.

  • Authentic K-12 STEM projects

    7 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm
    Need a science project? The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) sponsors and designs projects using real time data from the Internet and collaborative projects that offer the chance to connect with peers and experts around the world.

  • Photoshop CS4: Advanced for Mac

    7 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm
    Learn how to create panoramas in Adobe® Photoshop® CS4, which offers powerful editing, a more intuitive user experience, and productivity enhancements. Watch below or onYouTube.
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    NPR: Education

  • Spared Cuts, Education Gets Special Attention

    6 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am
    This week, the Obama administration pledged to cut spending in order to bring down the national deficit, but not where education is concerned. It's put a good deal of money on the table for states which fall in line with the administration's ideas of a major education overhaul. Guest host Audie Cornish talks with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about redesigning the standard-setting No Child Left Behind law and other Obama administration initiatives.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Obama Looks To Overhaul 'No Child Left Behind'

    2 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am
    The Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind Act ushered in sweeping changes to America's education system, but many argue it emphasizes testing over learning. NPR's Larry Abramson and Claudio Sanchez explain Obama's proposed education overhaul and assess his new Race to the Top initiative.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Alumni Come Out In Droves To Support Sumner High

    1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
    Sumner High School in St. Louis has been one of the premiere institutions of black education in the U.S. — producing famous alumni like Chuck Berry, Tina Turner and Arthur Ashe. But recent safety concerns prompted the St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to consider closing it as a traditional high school if it doesn't meet academic and attendance standards by the end of the year.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • 'No Child Left Behind' Impacted By Proposed Budget

    1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
    President Obama's budget proposals call for some significant shifts in education policy. Some of the punitive and less popular portions of the No Child Left Behind Act would be replaced with more participatory and competitive incentives. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Virginia Islamic School's Expansion Met Protests

    30 Jan 2010 | 5:40 pm
    A Northern Virginia community had to decide whether to let a Saudi-funded Islamic school expand to serve more kids. The debate turned to the curriculum at the Islamic Saudi Academy and draws attention to the still-tenuous relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims in America.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us
 
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    elearnspace

  • Time to Know: Changing classrooms

    gsiemens
    2 Feb 2010 | 12:44 pm
    Right after I posted a rant on how systems reduce innovation, I came across this article on an a start up called Time to Know. If you’re ever asked to criticize today’s education system, say something like “industrial paradigm” or “if you took a teacher from 100 years ago, he/she would feel right at home today”. Both of these are irritating and inaccurate phrases that pop up in this article. We also encounter “rich exploration applets” and “full digital curriculum coverage”. Time to Know will likely succeed, because it integrates…

  • Privacy

    gsiemens
    29 Jan 2010 | 10:57 am
    The Economist’s article on Privacy 2.0 (Woo hoo! Someone has come up with the brilliant idea of adding “2.0″ to privacy! This is terrific. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2.0 meme spread to enterprise, the web, learning, etc. What revolutionary times), argues that privacy could stop the spread of social networks. Silly Economist. Privacy is a transactional entity – like money. When we think we derive value from the exchange, we’ll make the transaction. When we think we’re getting ripped off, we’ll stop. Right now, free tools and opportunities to…

  • Social Media Toolkit

    gsiemens
    29 Jan 2010 | 10:13 am
    About five years ago, if you wanted to get attention for consulting or speaking engagements, frequent use of “web 2.0″ was required. Today, you can get the same mileage from “social media”. In fact, add “social” to anything and you’ll get attention. But language is like that – we sacrifice precision in order to achieve general or shared understanding. A term captures a broad phenomenon and makes it accessible to others. Saying web 2.0 is easier than saying “the means by which we alter the existing mindset in computing from centralized…

  • The iPad: Content lives to see another day

    gsiemens
    28 Jan 2010 | 6:39 am
    The real story of Apple’s iPad is not the device itself. Rather, the long-term impact is that many of the information structures of the physical world – books and newspapers – now have a place in the digital world, as well as a revenue model online. Apple possesses the mystical ability to charge for content. For example, many people who would balk at paying for $10 software for their desktop/laptop had no problem paying hundreds of dollars for iPhone apps (I’m looking at myself here – which does cause a bit of eye strain). Similarly, books, newspapers, and…

  • Foursquare and newspapers

    gsiemens
    26 Jan 2010 | 11:54 am
    I signed up for Twitter in November 2006 (I think). And did nothing with it for a fairly long time. Alan “so cool that I’m coming to a conference near you soon” Levine posted his Twitter life cycle, capturing perfectly my experience with the service. From “this is dumb” to “I can’t stop” in no time at all. Lately I’ve taken to Foursquare (my account is here – you will notice that I am mayor of many coffee shops). When I first heard about the service, I concluded it was largely a waste – a means to extract information, helping…
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    Dangerously Irrelevant

  • Many service jobs will become globalized piece work

    dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod)
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:18 am
    I’m reading a fantastic book right now: Futurecast, by Robert Shapiro. In the section on globalization, Shapiro notes that the first waves of globalization primarily affected manufacturing. Millions of American jobs were 'offshored' in the 1970s and 1980s as global companies set up factories overseas instead of here in the U.S. For all of the current rhetoric about ‘Benedict Arnold’ corporations that offshore jobs, they essentially have to since their competitors are doing so. Few companies can survive in a hypercompetitive global economy when they’re paying labor rates 5 to 25 times…

  • Video - The Class

    dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod)
    9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am
    Here’s the latest educational technology video that’s making the rounds. I know a few professors like this! “If you are here, why are we Skyping?”

  • Grading student projects: Separating content from delivery

    dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod)
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:33 am
    I am a big fan of student choice. When students work on projects, I think that they should have as much choice as possible regarding both the topic and the delivery. Choice increases student buy-in and ownership. Teachers allow choice of topics, not delivery When teachers and I talk about integrating technology into their lessons, I encourage them to try and build in more choice for students. Most teachers already allow students to choose topics of study, at least some of the time. For example, students are allowed to pick a historical figure, select a mystery book, decide what they sculpt…

  • "Just tell me what to do"

    dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod)
    6 Feb 2010 | 7:26 am
    Seth Godin wrote today that: People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell me what to do, the responsibility for the outcome is yours, not mine. I'm safe." I think another big reason is that most people spent at least 12 years of their life being deeply socialized in the “just tell me what to do” model. We know that schools strongly emphasize compliance in the name of order and discipline. We know that the fact-regurgitation model that still dominates schooling mostly leads to the student mentality of…

  • Great Scott!

    dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod)
    5 Feb 2010 | 2:31 pm
    A baker's dozen of great Scott blogs… Dilbert Blog, Scott Adams Scott Berkun, Scott Berkun (wrote a fantastic book, BTW!) Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider, Scott Kelby HELLO, my name is Blog!, Scott Ginsberg The Social Media Marketing Blog, Scott Monty Laughing Squid, Scott Beale World in Motion, Scott Erb ISO50, Scott Hansen Higher Edison, Scott Schwister Smeech.net, Scott Meech Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?, Scott Elias Dangerously Irrelevant, Scott McLeod (yours truly) edu.blogs.com, Ewan McIntosh (technically a Scot, not a Scott) Not a bad read in the bunch!Update: I can't believe I…
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    Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

  • Indispensable

    Scott
    21 Jan 2010 | 4:08 pm
    Scott McLeod recently shared 13 tools he couldn’t live without. Here are 12 of mine and 2 honorable mentions. iPhone – I know there was a world before the iPhone, but I prefer not to think about it. Increasingly, I use it more and more around the house in lieu of my laptop if all I’m doing is Tweeting or reading my RSS feeds. My iPhone Google Docs – Almost everything I write at least begins life as a Google Doc. Sure, it may end up in Scrivener or Pages for fine-tuning or formatting when it’s ready to be published, but for just getting something down “on…

  • Teaching and encouraging creativity

    Scott
    6 Jan 2010 | 2:49 pm
    When I first saw the video of Ken Robinson talking about creativity, I sat and nodded my head in agreement. Most of the people I show it to do the same thing. But then most of us go back to business as usual. Is our current educational system even capable of addressing an idea as nebulous as “creativity?” Do we employ creative teachers? Creative leaders? Is it even a trait that we value when we interview prospective teachers or administrators? Do we have students who think of themselves as being creative? I’ve said out loud before, ‘You know – I’m just not…

  • Technology and Plumbing

    Scott
    30 Nov 2009 | 2:07 pm
    I think some of us — for fear of being perceived as fundamentalist technology apologists — feel the need to qualify statements about particular hardware or software with the phrase, “It’s not about the technology…” I should know. I’m one of them. It’s about the learning, certainly. And the technology that supports that learning. But if the goal is to create a collaborative, networked space for learning then technology and the Internet are necessary catalysts. I’ve become increasingly reliant on certain online tools to get things done at…

  • McLeod’s Slide Contest – Late Entry

    Scott
    31 Aug 2009 | 8:26 am
    I made this because I saw this and this on the same day. Then I saw Scott was having a contest, but the deadline had already passed. Then Dan made this and I got re-inspired. Plus, I hate getting beat at my own game. So I made this. Because I don’t like to be left out.

  • The Larger, Smaller Conversation

    Scott
    15 Jun 2009 | 11:33 am
    [I posted this on LeaderTalk earlier today.] I had a whole post ready for my “official” LeaderTalk day last Friday but in the end I just couldn’t bring myself to click “Publish.” I was a little frustrated when I wrote it and I think it needs to simmer for a bit before it’s ready for prime time. Fast-forward to this morning and a great keynote from Karl Fisch about literacy in the 21st century. Karl said a lot of great things and challenged the thinking of a lot of people in the room. This led to some great conversations throughout the morning and throughout…
 
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    21st Century Collaborative

  • Smarter- for being at Educon

    Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
    29 Jan 2010 | 8:22 pm
    Definitions of smart on the Web: showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness chic: elegant and stylish; “chic elegance”; “a smart new dress”; “a suit of voguish cut” bright: characterized by quickness and ease in learning; “some children are brighter in one subject than another”; “smart children talk earlier than the average” fresh: improperly forward or bold; “don’t be fresh with me”; “impertinent of a child to lecture a grownup”; “an impudent boy given to insulting…

  • Fruits of Labor

    Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
    28 Jan 2010 | 6:53 pm
    In education we do not get to see the fruit of our labor until many years have gone past. But when it happens it always makes a profound impact. Today was just such a day. As many of you know I worked with the Alabama Best Practices Center for four years in Alabama with schools across the state on a 21st Century Learners project. We worked with schools  on reconceptualizing their teaching, classrooms, schools and districts in ways that would meet the needs of the networked learner. We pushed hard for reculturing and a shift in curriculum toward project/problem based learning. I remember…

  • Leadership is…

    Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
    27 Jan 2010 | 8:28 am
    Lately, I have been thinking quite a bit about the shift in educational leadership that has occurred or has to occur in these changing times. What aspects of leadership works in this new era and what needs to shift in order to help school remain relevant in the lives of the students we serve. I turned to my Twitter network to get their take. (You can add these smart people to your network too and learn from them like I do as their Twitter user names are in the parentheses) I asked them to complete the sentence: Leadership is.. I went first… Leadership is about learning together, and…

  • Why Are We Here?

    Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
    13 Sep 2009 | 9:16 am
    Photo credit: http://thenewpostliterate.blogspot.com/2009/01/dr-john-m-bennetts-solo-and.html In the PLPNetbooks community (Australia work) this blog post surfaced after my interview with Steve Hargadon on The Future of Education The Title of the post is the same as mine.. Why Are We Here? It follows: Ok … Now I’ve got your attention I’ve just finished listening to the lastest episode of the “Ed Tech Live” podcast in which Steve Hargadon interviewed our very own community leader Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. This is a great interview in which Sheryl talks about the PLP…

  • PLP Described in Under a Minute.

    Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
    3 Aug 2009 | 6:17 pm
    Ever wondered what PLP is all about? Susan Carter Morgan shares about her PLP experience.
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    Ewan McIntosh | Digital Media & Education

  • Links for 2010-02-07 [del.icio.us]

    Tories to control Candidate Tweets Bad move given they want to expose more people to Tory thinking.

  • Links for 2010-02-06 [del.icio.us]

    nebusiness.co.uk - News - Science and Technology - Want to see the future? There's an app for that Despite being out on the market for only a few months, MirrorMe has already been recognised by the gaming industry after recently picking up top prize for the Lifestyle category of the Interactive Media Awards. Jeremiah Alexander, 26, ideas architect at Ideonic, said: "We launched MirrorMe in the final quarter of 2009 and are excited to announce that MirrorMe has already won its first award. "We worked really hard developing the MirrorMe application and took risks to push both…

  • Links for 2010-02-05 [del.icio.us]

    Tuenti Spain's No 1 social network amongst teens, and the no 1 iPhone social network app, too

  • Links for 2010-02-04 [del.icio.us]

    michael visocchi - portfolio - Gnomon Cool real-fake art

  • Links for 2010-02-02 [del.icio.us]

    The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors - New York Times Apparently they did not care so much about maintaining flexibility in the future. What really motivated them was the desire to avoid the immediate pain of watching a door close. Eetcafé Jur Excellent cafe / bistrot in the 'Dam
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    College Admissions Counseling

  • Best Activities for a Gap Year from College

    Todd Johnson
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am
    You have decided that taking a gap year from college is your best option.  In my last posting I said that colleges will let you take a gap year if you are doing something productive. What do colleges consider productive? Colleges don’t want to see you sitting around during the gap year. Want to work to raise money for college or broaden your horizons? That is fine. Want to volunteer for your favorite charity? That’s fine too.  But is there a “best” activity? There is no one “best” activity for a gap year. But some activities are better than others…

  • How Does a Gap Year Work?

    Todd Johnson
    4 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am
    Last week I talked about what students might want to consider a gap year. But how does a gap year work? There are two possible approaches to a gap year and the approach you use depends in part on why you are taking the gap year. The first option is to apply to a college as if you planned on attending in the fall.  Once accepted you can contact the college you have chosen and ask to take a gap year. Almost all colleges will agree to a student taking a year off as long as the student plans on using the time productively.  This is the best approach for those students who know what they want…

  • New Website for International Students

    Todd Johnson
    2 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am
    I just came across a website that I think may be helpful for those international students looking to attend college in the US.  The website is EducationUSA and is from the US Department of Education. College and University education is different in the US than in many other countries and this is a good basic resource to provide information to international students.  There are also a number of offices of EducationUSA around the world where students can get even more information. The site provides a search engine so students can find an EducationUSA office near where they live. I do work…

  • Should You Consider a Gap Year?

    Todd Johnson
    28 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am
    I have received a number of phone calls this month from parents of seniors wondering about finding the right college for their student. I always tell them that a gap year should be seriously considered at this point so late in the admissions season. For those of you not familiar with a gap year, it is an increasingly popular option for students to take a year off between graduating from high school and starting college.  There are several groups of students for whom a gap year makes sense. Students who had problems early in high school and haven’t lived up to their potential are often…

  • The 3 Best College Search Sites

    Todd Johnson
    26 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am
    Now is the time that juniors should start the process of finding which colleges they will apply to. But with over 3,000 colleges in the country, where do you get started? Here are my 3 favorite college search sites. Each of these website has its advantages so checking more than one is a good idea. 1. College Navigator- I recommend that students start at this site more than any other. This is the official college search site of the US Department of Education. You can search for colleges by a number of different criteria but I particularly like the ability to look at the retention and…
 
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    Steve Kinney

  • Using Data Effectively in Schools

    stevekinney
    5 Feb 2010 | 8:52 am
    Can something as simple as rearranging a school’s schedule have a profound impact on student success? According to an article printed recently in The New York Times, it can. Some experts think it can, and now some schools are rescheduling recess — sending students out to play before they sit down for lunch. The switch appears to have led to some surprising changes in both cafeteria and classroom. I won’t regurgitate the content here; it’s worth reading. There are a few cool things going on in this article. First, schools who have shifted recess before lunch have all…

  • WIll Public Schools Get Us Out of the Recession?

    stevekinney
    2 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am
    If you read enough news, you’ll eventually come across an opinion piece complaining that what we need is more innovators. For the most part, the author is right. We’re not going to get ourselves out of this mess through more financial wizardry. That’s just smoke and mirrors. We are most likely going to have to create our way out of it. Are our schools set up to encourage the kind of innovators we’re looking for? There is relatively little correlation between schooling and innovation. Alberta Einstein did poorly in school. Thomas Edison’s teachers considered him…

  • The iPad and the Problem With Technology in Education

    stevekinney
    29 Jan 2010 | 6:44 am
    The iPad is bad for education. Well, that’s not really true. The iPad itself is revolutionary in so much as it redefines the desktop computing paradigm that’s been around since Apple unveiled the Macintosh some 26 years ago. It’s not so much that the iPad is bad for education as much as it’s about the fact that it’s a distraction. It’s distracting to educators and policy makers because it’s shiny and new and available via purchase order. Educational technologists are, at the end of the day, technologists. Technologists are geeks. Geeks like toys. The…

  • Differentiating Instruction Using Technology

    stevekinney
    20 Jan 2010 | 6:19 am
    Differentiated instruction has been around for about a century. It’s not that no one thought it was a good idea until recently. It’s that it just wasn’t feasible within the industrial model of education. You know the one I’m talking about—30 students, one teacher. Unless you’re prepared to churn through teachers at a steady rate, it’s not going to work without a little technological help. One of the problems with the current thinking about differentiated instruction is that we’re focused on what the teacher ought to be doing. We want her to be able…

  • What Makes a Great Teacher?

    stevekinney
    11 Jan 2010 | 6:32 am
    An interesting article in this month’s Atlantic by Amanda Ripley: For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others can’t. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its…
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    Creating Lifelong Learners

  • The iPad…Why Teachers Should Care

    Mathew
    28 Jan 2010 | 1:02 pm
    OK, I don’t like the name (iTablet or iSlate are much cooler sounding) but I think the iPad bashers have got it wrong and that this new device has the potential to change education.  While many journalists are complaining about the $499 price tag, I keep thinking wow, only $499, that’s half the price of laptops! Reasonable Expectations/ Reasonable Price Tag First, you need to understand that the iPad is not a laptop.  You will need a traditional laptop if you want all the functionality of a laptop.  The iPad is a cross between an iPod touch and a laptop lite.  The iPad is…

  • Your Days in a Sentence

    Mathew
    26 Jan 2010 | 8:26 am
    Thank you for submitting your sentences. Elona Harjes had a Dickensian week:   It was the best of times; it was the worst of times- it was the end of semester. Gail P also sees an end in sight:  I know we haven’t reached the middle of the year yet but I can already feel this vehicle’s momentum shifting to accommodate the race to the end of the year. Bonnie K is looking forward to merit pay:  It’s been a tough week, dealing with the “small” election in Mass. I want to remain positive and will. Obama is my guy-BRAVO to his first year in the White House! What can I say, I’m a…

  • How to Waste Money on Technology in Schools

    Mathew
    22 Jan 2010 | 10:50 am
    Here is a typical district/principal purchase that undermines the case for spending money on technology in schools.  This is an anecdote from an actual school that I am not affiliated with but will not name. Elementary principal knows she wants to integrate technology in her school (and also needs for teachers to be able to take online attendance). Principal decides to buy each teacher a laptop and buys the best…Mac Book Pros for everyone! (MacBook Pros are about twice as much as MacBooks and are more powerful than most teachers would need). First instructions from principal are,…

  • Day in a Sentence

    Mathew
    21 Jan 2010 | 9:06 am
    This week I am hosting “Day in a Sentence” from Kevin Hodgson’s excellent blog.  This is a no-pressure activity for teachers to reflect upon their week and come up with a single sentence about it. Here are the simple rules: Boil down your week or your day into a single sentence Use the comment feature here to share your sentence (comments are held in moderation so they won’t show up before Monday) Please leave your blog address (if you have one) so that I can link to you I will compile all of the writing for release in a new post on Monday Enjoy!

  • Do Teachers Own Their Lesson Plans?

    Mathew
    13 Jan 2010 | 9:48 am
    A New York Times article reports on teachers selling their lesson plans online and raises ethical questions about the practice. Both the article and the letters to the editor in reaction to it are informative.  I have several thoughts about this which I’ll break down in three categories, business, ethics, and practice.  First I’ll address my own bias. My Bias In addition to this blog, I run Open Court Resources.com which contains thousands of teaching resources contributed by teachers (including myself) that are available for free.  The web site contains advertising that…
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    GlobalHigherEd

  • AHELO – key words

    globalhighered
    30 Jan 2010 | 10:29 am
    Source: AHELO slideshow (see below) as translated by Wordle

  • OECD launches first global assessment of higher education learning outcomes

    globalhighered
    28 Jan 2010 | 3:08 pm
    Editor’s note: the slideshow below about the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) initiative, and the associated press release, were kindly provided to GlobalHigherEd by Richard Yelland, Head of the Education Management and Infrastructure Division (Directorate for Education), OECD. Coverage of the AHELO launch yesterday, at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s 2010 Annual Conference (January 25-28, Washington, D.C.), was evident in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education (‘OECD Project Seeks International Measures for Assessing Educational…

  • TUNING USA: Echoes and translations of the Bologna Process in the US higher education landscape

    globalhighered
    26 Jan 2010 | 9:33 am
    As noted in two earlier GlobalHigherEd entries (‘Bologna: beyond 2010 and over the Ocean – but where to? On new Bologna reports and C. Adelman’s last essay‘ by Pavel Zgaga; ‘Tuning USA’: reforming higher education in the US, Europe style‘ by Susan Robertson) the US-based Lumina Foundation is sponsoring an action-oriented project (TUNING USA) on the relevancy of Europe’s Tuning process for the US higher education system. Lumina is working in association with the states of Indiana, Minnesota, and Utah. As noted on the key Tuning website (run by Bologna Process…

  • Is a UK funding crisis an effective mechanism to spur on the ‘education as a global growth industry’ development agenda?

    globalhighered
    14 Jan 2010 | 9:16 pm
    Amidst a discursive struggle this week over the state of finances for higher education and research in the UK, which reached a crescendo two days ago (e.g., see ‘Universities face meltdown – and all of Britain will suffer‘; ‘Higher education will be ‘on its knees’ after cuts‘), I could not help but note what Prime Minister Gordon Brown had to say in a speech (‘Education as a global growth industry‘) on 14 January: Today, I also set out our commitment that, working in partnership with you, and our schools, colleges and universities, we will…

  • Graphic feed: Cultivating regenerative medicine innovation in China

    globalhighered
    9 Jan 2010 | 1:31 pm
    Source: McMahon, D.S., Thorsteinsdóttir, H., Singer, P.A., and Daar, A.S. (2010) ‘Cultivating regenerative medicine innovation in China’, Regenerative Medicine, 5(1): 35-44.
 
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    The Jose Vilson: The Blog

  • 3 Reasons Why I Won’t Join Your Organization – Movement -WhateverYouCallIt

    Jose
    In A Complete Act of Randomosity ... Let me lay it out really quickly. I get asked to join a lot of projects, organizations, and groups of people.  My former self used to join everything, and most of the experiences resulted in positive relationships and fulfilling moments. However, these days, I’m not the plucky socialite I once was. Rough lessons will do that to any man. Here’s the three reasons I probably won’t join your organization: 1. It’s not very innovative or interesting. if I’ve seen it before, and that movement’s been done already, I’m…

  • Short Notes: Internet Explorer Is Only Good For One Thing … and It’s Not Being Good

    Jose
    New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees A few notes: My website actually works for all! It’s been IE 7 / 8 optimized. I didn’t care for it … until I noticed the amount of people who were able to view my web page suffered. Until everyone switches over to Firefox / Chrome / Safari / anything but Internet Explorer, I’ll have to keep these things in mind. 5′9″ New York Knick Nate Robinson gets blocked by Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O’Neal. No big news. Robinson blocks Shaq. A bigger deal. [YouTube] If I turned anarchist and wanted to destroy public education,…

  • On Why Your Colorblindness Can Strike Me As Covertly Racist ( #EdChat Edition )

    Jose
    Damage after Hurricane Katrina, School Bus Let me make it plain: conversations in too many sectors have this strange relationship with race these days, and by strange, I mean covertly racist. This sentiment is best exemplified by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s latest quote about New Orleans (thanks, Fred Klonsky): “I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina. That education system was a disaster, and it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that ‘we have to do better.’” Classy move there,…

  • Don’t Speak, I Know Just What You’re Thinking. [Or Students Are Students]

    Jose
    No Doubt “Well, not for nothing, but the student you’re looking at now has an IEP. She’s come a long way from where she was …” In my mind, I was thinking, “The next word out of your mouth when talking about my students better not classify them as ‘ELL’ or ‘IEP’.”As Ira Socol said in a lively discussion (that I’m not sure he thought I was paying attention to), these terms are often no different than “retard,” “stupid,” or “less than adequate” in the context of too many conversations we…

  • Short Notes: Do You Believe In Me? ‘Cause I Believe In You (Help Me Sing It)

    Jose
    Michael Jackson, Moonwalker A few links: Part 2 of the Take Notes series, where yours truly discusses the idea of Latinoness and Spanish. Does one really need to speak Spanish to be Latino? [MiBodegaOnline] How do you understand value? [Echo Enduring] How rich do you think you are? The answer might surprise you. [Global Rich List] A good list of Black-Latinos on the rise. (and no it doesn’t include me) [Amplify] If you haven’t seen this, Arne Duncan called Hurricane Katrina the best thing to happen to New Orleans’ education system. Stay classy, Arne. [PREA Prez] 90 days gone…
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    Teachers Teaching Teachers

  • Renee Hobbs and Troy Hicks Discuss Fair Use - TTT 184 - 01.27.10

    Paul Allison
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:37 pm
    Download Renee Hobbs and Troy Hicks Discuss Fair Use - TTT 184 - 01.27.10Our friend and colleague, Chris Sloan, from the Wasatch Range Writing Project in Utah invited Renee Hobbs and Troy Hicks to join us on this weeks Teachers Teaching Teachers. (By the way, if you would like to plan and produce (and later [...]

  • A student-centered follow up: More on games, YouTube, Twitter, and Research - TTT 182 - 01.13.10

    Paul Allison
    6 Feb 2010 | 10:12 am
    Download A student-centered follow up: More on games, YouTube, Twitter, and Research - TTT 182 - 01.13.10On this weeks Teachers Teaching Teachers, we had some follow-ups, and some room for new voices. Paul Allison invited several of his students from the East-West School of International Studies in Flushing, NY onto the show to explain more [...]

  • Getting Schooled on Gaming: A conversation with Global Kids and Quest to Learn - TTT #181- 01.06.10

    Paul Allison
    24 Jan 2010 | 6:58 pm
    Download Getting Schooled on Gaming: A conversation with Global Kids and Quest to Learn - TTT #181- 01.06.10If you were itching to include gaming in your curriculum, what would you do? Susan and I, and others in the New York City Writing Project started by having a conversation with some pretty smart people earlier this [...]

  • What was new for you in 2009 that you’re bringing into 2010 - 12.23.09

    Paul Allison
    16 Jan 2010 | 10:24 am
    Download What was new for you in 2009 that you're bringing into 2010 - 12.23.09At the end of 2009, we invited teachers to skype in to Teachers Teaching Teachers to tell us about something they did with their students that year.. something that was new and something that they want to keep exploring in [...]

  • Radio Rookies Finding Where Their Passions Make Good Stories - TTT 179 - 12.16.09

    Paul Allison
    10 Jan 2010 | 5:11 pm
    Download Radio Rookies Finding Where Their Passions Make Good Stories - TTT 179 - 12.16.09In this Teachers Teaching Teachers podcast, we welcome five students from the East-West School of International Studies and two radio producers, Sanda Htyte and Ann Heppermann. We wanted to learn more about the kinds of passionate, intelligent, well-researched radio programs that [...]
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    So You Want To Teach?

  • 8 Great Websites for Listening to Recordings of Band Contest/Festival Music

    Joel
    31 Jan 2010 | 3:55 pm
    The world of band directing has changed over the past few years as a result of the increasing pace of technological development. Back then Contest preparation when I first started teaching way back in August of 2002 went something like this: I began by digging through the CDs that I picked up each year at music conventions to find recordings of some of the band music that might be available. Then I picked up my copy of the UIL Prescribed Music List to see what was on the list. At this point, I went back to the recordings and tried to find whichever of the tunes I had on CD so I could listen.

  • Simplicity In Life: Tying Up Loose Ends And Eliminating Stress

    Joel
    23 Jan 2010 | 8:34 am
    Look around you. How many unrealized plans do you see? How much unfinished business do you have sitting on your desk at work waiting for you in the morning? What about ungraded papers, unread emails, un-thrown-away junk mail? Maybe paperwork isn’t your problem. Maybe it’s a half-finished basement, a bathroom renovation gone sour, a fence in the back yard that needs to be adjusted. Or you have bill collectors hounding you. Or you aren’t contributing enough (or anything) to your retirement plan. Or you are in debt out your eyeballs. Or you’re still lugging around that…

  • Why I Removed Comments From My Blog

    Joel
    18 Jan 2010 | 8:17 pm
    This evening, I decided to do something I’ve been toying around with since the summer. I finally deleted comments from my blog entirely. Where it all began I began this blog as a hobby back in the spring of 2007, shortly after I began to learn more about the potential that blogs held. Life was much simpler back then. For one thing, I taught 6th grade beginning band only. My obligations outside of school were minimal, and the amount of time I spent in front of the computer was similarly low. Life was much simpler back then. I long for that again. Where it has taken me In the fall of…

  • Running and Reading

    Joel
    9 Jan 2010 | 3:05 pm
    Since I have decided this new year to slowly end my hatred of running that I have harbored for the past decade or so, I’m reading more about it. I am inspired to find there are a handful of pretty good health and fitness blogs that my school hasn’t blocked on the network yet too! My conference period can now be spent walking, reading, or actually doing productive things for my band! Today I have been catching up on some of the Twitter links I’ve seen and came across 13 Most Inspirational YouTube Videos of All-Time that Angela Maiers had sent out a few days back. I was really…

  • Disgusted with DISQUS

    Joel
    9 Jan 2010 | 11:47 am
    I tried the alternative comment system DISQUS for a few months here and have just grown tired of it. Since installing it in October, I have noticed: A decrease in the number of relevant comments on my blog An increase in the number of spammy comments that get approved An increase in the number of complaints about the difficulty of commenting on my blog A substantial increase in the the time it takes for pages on my site to load I turned off DISQUS commenting this morning and while I lost a number of comments that have been posted to my site, I also notice that some of the comments posted on…
 
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    The Reading Workshop

  • Reading Strategies, Using Prior Knowledge Part 2

    28 Jan 2010 | 7:42 am
    Yesterday's class focused on Using Prior Knowledge to help students read and understand their SSR book.  Today in Reading Workshop, we will look at how this skill appears when reading nonfiction.Good readers constantly try to make sense out of what they read by seeing how it fits with what they already know. As you are reading, think of connections to the text from your experiences and background knowledge.This article is from MSNBC/Washington Post.This winter's extreme weather — with heavy snowfall in some places and unusually low temperatures — is in fact a sign of how climate…

  • Reading Strategies, Using Prior Knowledge

    27 Jan 2010 | 6:02 am
    Imagine picking up a book written in French.  How much would you understand?  How about the same book in English?  Even if there are parts you don't understand, you could get the gist.  This is because you know enough of the words to help you comprehend.What you know is a key to understanding as you read.  Using background knowledge, or your experiences, help make connections to the text, and then comprehension increases. Good readers constantly try to make sense out of what they read by seeing how it fits with what they already know.As you are reading, think of…

  • Reading Strategies, Connect with Your Book

    26 Jan 2010 | 7:50 am
    Good readers constantly make connections. As they read each paragraph, each page, each chapter, they relate it to their life.Making connections to things the reader already knows helps understand what they are reading and relate to the characters and events more deeply. The purpose of connecting with text is to help use what the reader already knows to understand new information.Here are the start to connections.Text-to-self:This is similar to my life . . .This is different from my life . . . Something like this happened to me when . . .This reminds me of . . .This relates to me . . .When I…

  • A Wimpy Movie Coming Out

    26 Jan 2010 | 6:26 am
    On April 2, 2010 the movie based on Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid will open.  For all of the students in Reading Workshop that have read the series, this should be a funny and exciting show as Greg faces all of the challenges of middle school and growing up.

  • Reading Strategies, Ask Questions for Comprehension

    25 Jan 2010 | 7:34 am
    Good readers must get inside the book.  For comprehension to occur, several reading strategies must take place simultaneously.  Students must connect with the book--the characters and the setting.The reader must visualize, picturing events as they happen.  Predictions must be made, evaluated, revised, and then renewed.  Prior knowledge must be related and compared.  Students must constantly question the story, the characters, and the events.  When all of this happens at once, usually without the reader consciously thinking about it, comprehension happens.One…
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    apophenia

  • Upcoming Mary Gray talk on on "Out in the Country: Youth, Media & Queer Visibility in Rural America"

    zephoria
    28 Jan 2010 | 2:50 pm
    It used to be the case that all of the queer youth living in rural America ran away to the city to find others like them. The Internet has dramatically changed this. More and more, rural queer youth are building out networks of other queer rural youth, helping generate a rural queer identity. Think about what this means for the health and safety of queer youth. Think about what this means for the future of tolerance. It is with great pleasure that I will be hosting Mary Gray at Microsoft Research on February 10 to discuss her latest book: "Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer…

  • Public by Default, Private when Necessary

    zephoria
    25 Jan 2010 | 9:48 am
    This post was originally written for the DML Central Blog. If you're interested in Digital Media and Learning, you definitely want to check this blog out. With Facebook systematically dismantling its revered privacy infrastructure, I think it's important to drill down on the issue of privacy as it relates to teens. There's an assumption that teens don't care about privacy but this is completely inaccurate. Teens care deeply about privacy, but their conceptualization of what this means may not make sense in a setting where privacy settings are a binary. What teens care about is the ability to…

  • whose voice do you hear? gender issues and success

    zephoria
    19 Jan 2010 | 5:42 pm
    Growing up, I loved to debate. With anyone. My debating tone used to drive my mother batty because she thought I was yelling at her. Exasperated, I would often bark back that I was simply debating. Over the years, I realized that my debating tone is one of such confidence that people believe me to be stating facts, not opinions. My mother interpreted it as yelling; my classmates interpreted it as arrogance. I also began to realize that it was the same tone as that of my male peers. I never apologized for my opinions, never deflated them with "I may be wrong but I think..." I asserted.

  • Facebook's move ain't about changes in privacy norms

    zephoria
    16 Jan 2010 | 5:55 pm
    When I learned that Mark Zuckerberg effectively argued that 'the age of privacy is over' (read: ReadWriteWeb), I wanted to scream. Actually, I did. And still am. The logic goes something like this: People I knew didn't used to like to be public. Now "everyone" is being public. Ergo, privacy is dead. This isn't new. This is the exact same logic that made me want to scream a decade ago when folks used David Brin to justify a transparent society. Privacy is dead, get over it. Right? Wrong! Privacy isn't a technological binary that you turn off and on. Privacy is about having control of a…

  • Race and Social Network Sites: Putting Facebook's Data in Context

    zephoria
    29 Dec 2009 | 1:05 pm
    A few weeks ago, Facebook's data team released a set of data addressing a simple but complex question: How Diverse is Facebook? Given my own work over the last two years concerning the intersection of race/ethnicity/class and social network sites, I feel the need to respond. And, with pleasure, I'm going to respond by sharing a draft of a new paper. But first, I want to begin by thanking the Facebook data team for actually making this data available for public dialogue. Far too few companies are willing to share their internal analyses, especially about topics that make people uncomfortable.
 
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    Flux

  • Being Human in 2020

    Bob Harrison
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:28 am
    The question persists and indeed grows whether the computer will make it easier or harder for human beings to know who they really are, to identify their real problems, to respond more fully to beauty, to place adequate value on life, and to make their world safer than it now is. Norman Cousins – The Poet and the Computer, 1966 http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/hci2020/downloads/BeingHuman_A3.pdf ————————————————-

  • Digital Media and Learning competition

    Sarah Grier
    28 Jan 2010 | 2:36 am
    While what seems like 95% of internet users are commenting and tweeting about the iPad, why not spend some time today commenting on submissions to the 2010 Digital Media and Learning competition instead? The DML competition is designed to find and inspire the most novel uses of new media in support of learning. To vote in the competition, register a username and password and leave comments on submissions of interest. Public commenting closes on 3 February 2010.

  • Are you a 21st century teacher?

    Bob Harrison
    26 Jan 2010 | 1:17 pm
    21st century teaching – How are you doing? Your students are already using technology as part of their daily lives (have a go at the 21st century learning quiz designed with the help of pupils in the BSF programme in Blackburn and Darwin) and increasingly expect to use it for learning at school. http://future.ncsl.org.uk/ShowResource.aspx?ID=826 But what does this mean for you as a teacher? At BETT Malcolm Hunt, Head of workforce development for government agency Becta presented “21st century teaching and learning: What is the challenge” a publication designed to support teachers on…

  • 2010 Horizon report

    Bob Harrison
    15 Jan 2010 | 10:56 am
    Mobile computing, Open content, Augmented Reality, electronic books, gesture computing, visual data analysis all within 3 years? Impact on education? How long? http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/CSD5810.pdf ———————————

  • Learning in 3D

    Sarah Grier
    14 Jan 2010 | 6:57 am
    “When we first acquired a 3D printer it was completely liberating. As engineers, we could have an idea, create it on screen and then hold it in our hands. It allowed us to do so much more and to imagine so much more”. Dr Adrian Bowyer, University of Bath While 3D televisions were all the rage at CES 2010 in Las Vegas earlier in the month, 3D printers are creating the biggest buzz at the Learning and Technology World Forum and BETT this week. The basic concept of the technology allows ideas and designs created by students to be transformed into a product that they can touch, hold and pass…
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    Stephen's Web ~ OLDaily

  • What's the Platform of the Future for Developing Interactive Graphical Educational Software?

    8 Feb 2010 | 11:24 am
    I hit a bit of a brick wall today - not always a bad thing - which makes me rethink the state of software. Could there ever be a seat-of-your-pants startup, like Facebook or Twitter or Flickr? I'm thinking not. The internet has evolved to the point where you need quite an infrastructure to create any sort of popular application, and existing applications have closed most of the niches, creating a large 'reinventing the wheel' hurdle to any new development. This will be the case for the new graphical software discussed in this post, especially as the applications favoured even by largish…

  • "The Class" - parody of The Office

    8 Feb 2010 | 11:16 am
    Making the rounds today is this classroom parody of The Office (which itself is parody). Not only does the classroom ring true, in more ways than once, it's also a great example of students exercising their own creativity (in a manner exactly opposite to the classroom portrayed in The Class). Note how one act of creativity uses a prior act as a frame. This is common, and fundamental to creativity. Also, it wouldn't be a YouTube hit unless it was inspired by something people already know. Michael Wesch, Digital Ethnography, February 8, 2010 [Tags: Video, YouTube] [Link] [Comment]

  • Laser, 3D Printer, and an Onion, OH MY!

    8 Feb 2010 | 11:12 am
    What I like about this is that it's e-learning having nothing to do with screen or keyboard. Rather, it's a laser scanner and a 3D printer, and what it produces is a series of models of an onion growing, so you can see for yourself the stages of growth. If a garden is slow music, as Michael L Umphrey says, then this is the score. Wayne Hodgins, Off Course On Target, February 8, 2010 [Tags: Online Learning, Project Based Learning] [Link] [Comment]

  • British Library to offer free ebook downloads

    8 Feb 2010 | 11:09 am
    I'm looking forward to a wealth of new reading material available for free online. This time, it's courtesy of the British Library (though of course there are some obligatory sponsorship spots built in). We'll see if it's a case of books really being available free, or whether it's a case of them being free if you buy someone else's hardware. Rocjard Brooks, The Times, February 8, 2010 [Tags: Great Britain, Books] [Link] [Comment]

  • How To Monitor What Is Being Said About You Online

    8 Feb 2010 | 11:06 am
    I admit it - I monitor what people have to say about me online. I need to do this for Twitter, otherwise I'd never get messages. It's also pretty useful if I want to be able to respond to blog comments. But most of all, I do it to find new stuff - if someone's linking to or talking about me, then probably they also link to or talk to things that I'm interested in, which makes them a pretty good source for me. So the techniques mentioned in this post? Yes, I use them. Tina, MakeUseOf, February 8, 2010 [Tags: Twitter, Linking and Deep Linking, Web Logs] [Link] [Comment]
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    The Power of Educational Technology

  • Anticipating Educon

    Liz Davis
    21 Jan 2010 | 1:10 pm
    The Educon 2.2 conference is only 6 days away. Educon is one of my favorite conferences of the year. It brings together the top thinkers in education and provides an environment perfect for learning from others. This will be my third Educon and knowing how fast it goes by, I'm trying to savor every minute that leads up to it.Lisa Thumann is my conference buddy. We met three years ago at Educon and hit it off immediately. We both have two kids at home, so a trip away is both exciting and difficult for both of us. We try to make the most of our freedom, but feel the pull of home in the…

  • 10 Tips for Beginning Bloggers

    Liz Davis
    9 Jan 2010 | 4:25 pm
    My brother has recently started blogging and asked me for some tips. I thought I would share them here. I started blogging in 2006 and it has been some of the best professional development for me that I have ever done. Blogging forces me to think, reflect and write about my experiences. Blogging helps me retain my learning and connects me to others who help and support me in my endeavors. If you don't yet have a blog, I recommend giving it a try. You don't have to blog every day or every week. Just establish a place Online to share your thoughts. If you give it a chance, I think you will find…

  • Digital Journalism Syllabus 2010

    Liz Davis
    30 Dec 2009 | 8:21 pm
    Second semester I will be teaching a new high school course for the first time titled "Digital Journalism." It is an English elective for juniors and seniors inspired by and based on Howard Rheingold's Stanford course of the same title.I have been working on my syllabus for a while and have just completed a draft of my syllabus for the first quarter. It is a work in progress and definitely will change once the course starts.I would welcome and encourage your suggestions, questions and ideas! (In particular I am looking for two more short videos for the end of the quarter.)Thanks in advance!

  • Facing my Fears in 2009!

    Liz Davis
    21 Dec 2009 | 9:12 am
    First of all, thanks to everyone who voted for me in the Edublog Awards. I didn't win, but a lot of really great bloggers did. You can see all the winners here.On Friday last week I got up in front of my entire school community, 440 teen age boys and about 60 teachers, and sang a song. It was part of a Faculty Holiday concert that we do every year. I have never sung a solo in front of a large audience. The first time I did Karaoke was this summer on vacation and there were only about 50 people there. That was a huge accomplishment for me and this Friday was even bigger.I am a performer, I…

  • I've been nominated for 2 Edublog Awards

    Liz Davis
    15 Dec 2009 | 11:36 am
    Voting ends tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec 16th at USA EST 11.59 PM) (for my 10 Tips for Teaching Technology to Teachers post)Even if you don't feel like voting, you should check out all of the nominated blogs. It is a great way to find inspirational educators! I am honored to be in such great company.
 
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    eduStyle Blog

  • EDU Checkup: LaGuardia Community College, Scripps College, Monash University

    Nick DeNardis
    6 Feb 2010 | 9:29 am
    It was a week of firsts. LaGuardia Community College had by far the brightest colors I have seen on an institution’s Web site. The site looked like a teacher’s store, especially with the apple in the top right corner. Beyond the graphics the larger problem was finding program information, it was mildly difficult, but just a few tweaks can make a world of difference. And not to mention there was no consistency of voice on the menu items. The code of the site was at the same level as the visuals and information, it didn’t fail completely but didn’t knock it out of…

  • EDU Checkup: Royal Roads University, Freed-Hardeman University, Lutheran Theological Seminary

    Nick DeNardis
    30 Jan 2010 | 1:45 pm
    Three sites this week, starting out pretty good was Royal Roads University. The site had an amazing use of white space and positioning. Everything had it’s place and it was easy to scan. But diving deeper the right and left columns stay static no matter which page you are on. This is great to get information on each page but takes precious real estate away from related information. Free-Hardeman University almost hit it out of the park. The visuals and use of photography was awesome but they had a bit of an issue with lack of information for each major. Getting to each major was…

  • EDU Checkup: Deeside College, Carnegie Mellon University

    Nick DeNardis
    23 Jan 2010 | 6:49 am
    Both sites this week did a great job! Their scores would have been higher but the code category pulled them down. The first, Deeside College had by far the most calls to action I have seen on a college site. Every page had at least one or two buttons for next steps and multiple options for a student to get a hold of an actual person. Phone, Email, Text and even live chat. The visuals and colors were vibrant and exciting. The site would have totally got an A if the code was more optimized. Something very simple but can potentially make the world of different for users. The second site,…

  • EDU Checkup: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Nick DeNardis
    16 Jan 2010 | 8:54 am
    Just one site this week, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign gave us a few things to talk about. The vibrant colors really pull a user into the photos. The homepage wrapped student photos with a frame that showed more movement than the typical higher ed site. The menu items being in all capitals were hard to scan, although they were in alphabetical order it is easy to loose the first letter when they are all the same case. I think one area of improvement can be applied to the use of space on the child page. On most child pages the left hand column has 200 pixels of blank space  and…

  • EDU Checkup: University of Wisconsin, Otterbein College

    Nick DeNardis
    11 Jan 2010 | 2:03 pm
    First week of the new year started out with some great lessons. First the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh College of Business has a very clean and easy to scan design. I wasn’t met with too many challenges but the one odd thing that stuck with me was the high prominence of an “admissions podcast” which ended up just being a single audio message. You could tell this was a non-web department decision since it didn’t add any value to the experience and a podcast is meant to be a stream of periodic updates. The second site, Otterbein College didn’t far well…
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    The Hall Monitor

  • Watch out for fundraisers

    Noreen O'Donnell
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:42 pm
    From the Tuckahoe schools, a warning: A Las Vegas company is canvassing business in the Tuckahoe/Bronxville/Eastchester area for donations supporting a “Spring Sports Poster” fundraiser for the Tuckahoe schools. It is operating under two different company names: Sports Media      167 Cherry St. #411    Milford, CT       School Booster Co.   198 Tremont St. #400 Boston, MA “Please be advised that there is no such [...]

  • Snacks and sports drinks

    Noreen O'Donnell
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:27 am
    Pearl River’s Parent University Presents: General Nutrition for Learning and Performance Pam Coren, a certified health counselor and nutrition educator, will speak about how what your children eat and drink affects their performance in the classroom and on the athletic field. Topics to be covered: basic nutrients, calories, protein and carbohydrates, snacks, energy and sports drinks and food [...]

  • Principal Dyes Hair to Get Students to Read

    Noreen O'Donnell
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm
    From Anne-Marie Annunziato of the Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Education: Principal Wayne Harders of the Alice E. Grady Elementary School and the Carl L. Dixson came to school with purple and gold hair on Jan. 27. And it wasn’t Halloween or a dye-job-gone-wrong. Harders was simply keeping a promise to his K-6 students for accumulating [...]

  • Valhalla students witness “living history”

    Dwight R. Worley
    5 Feb 2010 | 8:55 am
    Henri LeGendre, 85, visited Valhalla Middle School this morning to tell the story he said is missing from the history books. LeGendre joined the U.S. Army in 1942 and served as a soldier in the 9th Cavalry during World War II. Soldiers in his unit, as were many others, were known as “Buffalo Soldiers,” a [...]

  • How Not to Be Your Child’s ATM

    Noreen O'Donnell
    4 Feb 2010 | 2:36 pm
    “Families, Money & Habits – Navigating the New Normal and How Not to Be Your Child’s ATM” will be the topic of a talk by Nathan A. Dungan at the Feb. 11t Heard in Rye speaker series lecture. The lecture will be held at the Rye High School Performing Arts Center starting at 7:30 p.m.  Admission [...]
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    Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

  • Trivia Tuesday: Honor Codes at Tuck, Yale SOM and Duke/Fuqua

    Clear Admit
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:50 pm
    Business ethics have been front page news for much of this decade. One way that business schools build ethical standards into their programs is through adopting school-wide honor codes that provide guidelines for student behavior. Although many schools have such codes, today we’ll examine the approaches taken by Tuck, Yale SOM, and Duke/Fuqua. At Tuck, all students agree to abide by an Academic Honor Principle that emphasizes honesty and integrity both inside and outside the classroom. Closed-book mid-term and final exams are often unproctored or given as take-home tests, and students are…

  • GMAC Survey Shows Encouraging Job Statistics for Recent MBA Grads

    Clear Admit
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am
    The majority of last year’s MBA graduates accepted job offers within a few months of finishing school despite the tight labor market, according to a recent report from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC). Results from GMAC’s semi-annual Alumni Perspectives Survey, released last week, showed that three-quarters of survey respondents who graduated from full-time MBA programs in 2009 had a job by September 2009, when the survey was conducted. Meanwhile, a whopping 96 percent of survey participants who completed part-time MBA programs in 2009 reported having jobs by September,…

  • Admissions Tip: Waitlist Correspondence

    Clear Admit
    7 Feb 2010 | 11:32 pm
    In addition to actively evaluating the applications of Round Two applicants at this time of year, many top programs revisit their Round One waitlists and consider the strength of those individuals with respect to the new information about the pool. While schools vary in their receptivity to correspondence from applicants, those programs that do welcome additional materials offer a great chance for waitlisted candidates to reaffirm their interest in the school and keep themselves fresh in the mind of the adcom. With the notification dates for a number of second round schools coming up in a…

  • GMAT Tip: How to Analyze a Critical Reasoning Question

    Clear Admit
    6 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am
    Today’s GMAT tip comes from our friends at test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, ManhattanGMAT instructor Stacey Koprince offers advice on Critical Reasoning problems: This week, we’re going to discuss how to analyze and master a particular GMATPrep® Critical Reasoning problem. First, set your timer for 2 minutes and try this GMATPrep® problem: “Because no employee wants to be associated with bad news in the eyes of a superior, information about serious problems at lower levels is progressively softened and distorted as it goes up each step in the management hierarchy. The…

  • Good News About Job Prospects on Business School Campuses

    Clear Admit
    5 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am
    After two tough years, it seems like job prospects may be getting a little better for this year’s graduating class of MBAs. In a blog post Monday, the dean of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas shared that he’s seeing an up-tick in recruiter visits for the school’s spring Career Expo. And according to a report yesterday in Bloomberg News, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School also sees job prospects improving this spring. Thomas Gilligan, dean of UT’s McCombs School of Business, shared some promising news in a post to the school’s blog earlier this…
 
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    Moving at the Speed of Creativity

  • Presentation links for #metc_CSD today (METC 2010 in St Louis)

    Wesley Fryer
    9 Feb 2010 | 4:58 am
    We’ve received some snow in St Louis, but the Midwest Educational Technology Conference (METC) goes on! Yesterday pre-conference workshops were held, and today and tomorrow are the “regular days” of the conference. Here are links to the resources I’ll be sharing in my sessions today. Storychasing Literacy (a.k.a. “StoryChasing: Empowering Students as Digital Witnesses”) Prior to the keynote this morning, I’m most likely going to share quotations from the Flickr group, “Great quotes about Learning and Change.” Both today and tomorrow,…

  • Choose teaching

    Wesley Fryer
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:07 pm
    Great thoughts about why we should CHOOSE teaching from Gail Lovely: To be a teacher — choose it as a calling, not a job. Choose it to do something meaningful and powerful, with rewards only you might notice. Choose it to be a role model. Choose to be a teacher because you love learning. Choose to be a teacher because you love learners. Choose to be a teacher because you cannot imagine anything else so wonderful! Catch up with Gail by following her on Twitter. I had a wonderful opportunity today to visit with Gail both during Darren Kuropatwa’s afternoon workshop session (quietly…

  • Telling a story with Google Search queries

    Wesley Fryer
    8 Feb 2010 | 7:54 pm
    If you were watching the Super Bowl last night on U.S. television, you likely saw Google’s advertisement, “Parisian Love,” during the third quarter. What a clever way to tell a story, through a series of Google searches and some well-timed sound clips. If you missed it, here it is, on YouTube (of course.) Is your school still blocking access to YouTube for everyone, including both teachers AND students? Time to unmask the digital truth. It would be great to see students use this method of “storytelling via screencasted Google search queries” to tell other…

  • Notes from a Canadien Yoda: Darren Kuropatwa at METC 2010

    Wesley Fryer
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:42 pm
    These are my notes from a part of Darren Kuropatwa’s METC 2010 workshop, “Extreme (web 2.0) Lesson Plan Makeover.” I was only able to attend a little of the afternoon session. WOW. If you ever have a chance to hear Darren present in person, do not miss it. I do not use the title, “Yoda,” lightly here. It’s a term Marco Torres uses to refer to those people in our lives who are our wise mentors. If we could choose our own Yodas (and virtually, of course, we can to an extent) I would definitely choose Darren. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS BELOW ARE IN ALL CAPS…

  • Use Friendly Media

    Wesley Fryer
    7 Feb 2010 | 9:26 pm
    I created a wiki page for the topic “use friendly images” as part of the 3 hour morning workshop I’m co-teaching tomorrow with Karen Montgomery here at the METC Conference in St Louis. The title of our hands-on workshop is, “Powerful Ingredients for Blended Learning.” One of the most exciting finds I made for the topic of “copyright friendly media” tonight was the “Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound (Mostly!) for Use in Media Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc.” wiki thanks to Joyce Valenza’s “Playing with…
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    The Thinking Stick

  • Learning 2.010 Conference: Where do we go from here?

    Jeff Utecht
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:07 am
    For the 3rd year David Gran has created the logo for the conference. This year taking inspiration from the World Expo which will be happening during the conference in Shanghai. In a world where content is continually changing, and you can learn almost anything for free, what’s the point of going to a conference? This is the question we started with in designing your Learning 2.010 Conference experience. The content is free and easy. If you want to learn how to use Facebook in your classroom, a simple search on Google will bring you back many hits on how teachers are finding ways of…

  • You mean the teacher still matters?

    Jeff Utecht
    2 Feb 2010 | 7:13 am
    Four great articles have come to light lately that point to research being done and what many of us in the Ed Tech community have been saying for a long time might just be on the horizon. That is that this technology stuff can improve education. So let’s start at Mashable one of my favorite Web 2.0 blogs to read. Back in August they posted a fantastic article titled What is the Future of Teaching? Until recently, online learning has mainly been of the expository sort, essentially a traditional lecture format adapted for the web. But newer, social and multimedia technologies are allowing…

  • The iPad: Not the Right Product for Education

    Jeff Utecht
    29 Jan 2010 | 2:08 am
    I’ve been reflecting the last couple days on Apple’s new iPad. The product that, before it’s announcement, some had claim would revolutionize education. If it does…..it will be a shock to me. I have nothing against Apple (I’m typing on a MacBook that I love), I just think this piece of hardware is not what we need in education. I had high hopes for this new piece of technology. Enough to stay up until 3am on a school night to watch the live announcement. Throughout the keynote, I was waiting to be wowed by something new, something different, something that would…

  • Help a Newbie get to ISTE10

    Jeff Utecht
    27 Jan 2010 | 8:23 am
    Beth Still grabbed me at NECC in Washington D.C. this summer and introduced me to Richard Byrne who was attending his first NECC conference. We had a nice chat and Beth reminded me that Richard was here because of her Newbie Project. She told me then and there she’d be hitting me up to spread the word when the new newbie was chosen. This year Beth is sponsoring Jason Schrage, as she tries to help bring another person to ISTE10 this year in Denver. Beth writes about Jason: Jason is an 8th grade social studies teacher in upstate New York. He is not afraid to try different tools and…

  • Active vs Inactive Screen Time

    Jeff Utecht
    25 Jan 2010 | 4:59 am
    A New York Times article was released this week. How did I find it? Our 23 year old Kindergarten teacher forwarded it to me from her iPhone. She only has the “essential apps” on her new iPhone….Facebook and the NYTimes. I’ve read the article a couple of times now and have rewritten this blog post no less than 3 as I try to make sense of what this means for kids today. The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study…
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    Alfred Thompson

  • New Windows 7 Track on Microsoft’s Certification Game!

    Alfred Thompson
    9 Feb 2010 | 3:05 am
    OK so maybe you’re not using Windows 7 at school yet but I’ll bet a lot of your students are running it at home. Do they know it was well as they think they do? Maybe they’d like to find out just what they know. The certification game at www.areyoucertifiable.com has now been updated to include Windows 7. You may want to point a few in that direction. And if you are running Windows 7 at school, at home, at some other place test yourself as well. From the announcement: New Windows 7 Track on Microsoft’s Certification Game! Want to test your Window 7 savvy? Try the new Win 7 track on…

  • Interesting Links 8 February 2010

    Alfred Thompson
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:59 am
    Well did you watch the Super Bowl? I confess that I did not. I’m just not that into football. Still I had a good weekend and as usual I have spent some time looking though my Twitter feed of the last week for interesting things to share. I hope some of you are finding this useful or interesting. It’s serving as a good way for me to track things and record useful (to me) information. And now this weeks list. Details for this year’s CSIT Symposium details have been released. I’ll be in California this Saturday meeting with the rest of the planning committee as we work out still more…

  • Bliink Web Design Competition for Texas High School Students

    Alfred Thompson
    7 Feb 2010 | 11:45 am
    The Microsoft Corporation, NASA, the Texas Business & Education Coalition, and the State of Texas would like to invite you and your students to participate in the bliink web design competition exclusively for Texas High School students. Information at ww.bliinkcontest.com · Participants must register by 11:59 pm February 24, 2010 and use the referral code TexasNASA. · Every team member must register individually. Students who register are not obligated to submit a Web site; however, students who do not register by the above date cannot submit a Web site entry. · Final submissions must…

  • What Are You Learning This Summer

    Alfred Thompson
    5 Feb 2010 | 7:28 am
    No, really! Are you making your summer plans yet and do they include learning time? I have some ideas for you. First off is CS & IT run by CSTA. This is in my opinion the single best day of professional development of the year for computer science teachers. Great sessions. Great networking. Lots to learn. (BTW I am on the planning committee this year and will definitely be there.) You’re invited to the 2010 Computer Science and Information Technology Symposium, an annual conference for Computer Science and Information Technology teachers sponsored by the Computer Science Teachers…

  • Facebook Development

    Alfred Thompson
    4 Feb 2010 | 3:48 am
    One of the things that came up from the panel I was on last week (that panel has prompted a bunch of blog and Twitter posts already) was that students like relevant projects. Someone, it was probably Michael Kolling, suggested Facebook projects might interest students. I mentioned that there were helpful resources from/for the Microsoft platform that could be used and said I would blog about them. Well I almost forgot but not quite. So here are a couple of links. Facebook Developer Toolkit - facebooktoolkit.codeplex.com From the help web site at http://facebook.claritycon.com/help/ This…
 
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    Edspresso

  • Daily Press Clips for February 8, 2010

    Daily News
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:02 am
    President Obama’s Quest for A Renewed, Tougher No Child Left BehindWashington Post, DC, February 6, 2010IT’S GOOD news that the Obama administration will seek reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. Also welcome is its interest in fixing some of the law’s failings, such as the fact that states have been able to game the system with low standards. It’s critical, though, that in seeking to repair the law’s imperfections, the administration not retreat from its most important legacy: that schools be accountable for their students’ achievement.

  • Daily News for February 5, 2010

    Daily News
    5 Feb 2010 | 8:04 am
    NATIONAL Making ‘No Child’ Better New York Times, NY, February 5, 2010 Like most ambitious federal reforms, the No Child Left Behind Education Act of 2002 will need to be revised, perhaps several times, before it reaches maximum effectiveness. Sorry for What? Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2010A day earlier, Education Secretary Arne Duncan expressed regret for saying that Hurricane Katrina “was the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans.” … Both men may be guilty of inartful phrasing, but that doesn’t make their statements untrue.

  • Daily News Clips for February 4, 2010

    Daily News
    4 Feb 2010 | 3:59 pm
    Education Dodges Obama’s ‘Freeze’ Pledge Education Week, MD, February 4, 2010Despite a pledge to hold down spending on most domestic programs, President Barack Obama called for greater investment in public schools in his State of the Union address as part of a push to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Failure Rate for AP Tests Climbing USA Today, February 4, 2010The number of students taking Advanced Placement tests hit a record high last year, but the portion who fail the exams - particularly in the South - is rising as well, a USA TODAY analysis finds. FROM…

  • Daily Press Clips for February 3, 2010

    Daily News
    3 Feb 2010 | 10:58 am
    A Lesson On Education for Obama DC Daily Caller, DC, February 3, 2010With all due respect Mr. President, we’ve had national left-right agreement for years on performance pay, charter schools and even the notion of vouchers-yes vouchers-for children in failing schools. The stalemate that existed-and continues to exist-is with the politicos on the left and right-the Beltway lawmakers, your colleagues in Washington and in the Ivory Towers. Why else did they unite to refuse a pittance of $14 million to reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program? Education Reform: Can Obama’s…

  • Daily Press Clips for February 2, 2010

    Daily News
    2 Feb 2010 | 9:47 am
    NATIONAL Obama Plan Calls for Education-Funding IncreaseWall Street Journal, February 2, 2010President Barack Obama’s 2011 budget proposes to boost education spending 9% to advance its overhaul of federal school-funding policy that has emerged as a rare patch of common ground for the administration and some Republicans. President Obama Seeks to Revamp No Child Left Behind Teaching StandardsWashington Post, DC, February 2, 2010As legions of schools nationwide fall short of academic targets, the Obama administration proposed Monday to toss out the pass-fail measure that for 15 years has…
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    Technology for Learning

  • Explaining Learning Platforms

    rdrunner
    18 Jan 2010 | 8:32 pm
    Also called Learning Management Systems (in some contexts) or Portals, I’ve used this fun video to introduce the concept to teachers and parents. This is about using technology to engage and connect – and ultimately to enhance the support of student learning. Thanks to Chris Thomson in Sheffield, UK for delivering this great work. [...]

  • What kind of digital citizen are you?

    rdrunner
    27 Oct 2009 | 7:46 pm
    photo credit: quinn.anya Some time ago I read a post helping teachers determine what they should and should not post on their classroom websites. It was a very positive list from Mrs. Smoke who posts often with helpful hints. But when Alec Couros had a bad experience with someone favouriting his daughter’s photos on flickr, I [...]

  • GLEU2C?

    rdrunner
    26 Oct 2009 | 10:27 pm
    I had the chance to help a friend get her blog started. What a privilege. And now her blog already has a rich entry, where she explores the excitement of the language we are creating in our online world. She even invented a new word – GLEU2C (glu-tic). Check out her blog – Make a Difference [...]

  • Digital Footprints in the Sands of Time

    rdrunner
    6 Oct 2009 | 8:36 pm
    Footprints in the sand Originally uploaded by Welshdan Jesse Bradley, in his recent post about the invisible audience, touched on the trail of his person that was collecting in cyberspace. He wondered what his children would come to know about him through his digital footprint online. Gottsela touched on similar issues as she explored what should be posted [...]

  • The Social Web? Immerse, Model and Invite!

    rdrunner
    21 May 2009 | 9:14 pm
    I had the good fortune recently to keynote a technical symposium – about 70 IT professionals engaged in supporting technology in K-12 schools. I spoke about the social web and our need as IT professionals to understand the social web and its role in our schools. The call to action is to immerse yourself in order [...]
 
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    Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch

  • Migrating to the 27" iMac

    Kathy Schrock
    20 Jan 2010 | 8:00 am
    I do not usually post information that is extremely timely in nature, but I cannot cover all of this in 140 characters in Twitter, so I figured a blog post was in order!I am a Bootcamp user for running Windows on the Mac, and have been since day 1. The types of applications I want to use really do need the "whole" machine, and, although I have tried all of the virtual machine choices, Bootcamp is the best solution for me. I run things like Adobe Premiere Pro and other graphic and RAM-intensive apps, and do not need to move back and forth between the two operating systems. (I am a recent Mac…

  • ION niche products

    Kathy Schrock
    9 Jan 2010 | 4:52 am
    I have recently acquired two Ion Audio products and have been very impressed with them.The first, picked up on sale at my local Bed, Bath, and Beyond on sale for $45, is the Ion Profile Pro USB Turntable. I have been transferring lots of 33rpm albums into iTunes and the results are surprisingly good! The turntable also includes a line-in to attach another input peripheral if needed, the ability to transfer 45rmp records, and the connections to allow the turntable to act as part of a regular stereo component system.The software is provided for the both Windows and the Apple OS, and differs in…

  • Project 365

    Kathy Schrock
    2 Jan 2010 | 1:47 pm
    Being a latecomer to the Project365 meme of posting a photo a day, I decided yesterday to try it out this year. I figured I would use Flickr for hosting the photos and automatically send a quick tweet when I post a new one. As I started to do that today, the "email to flickr" with a copy to Twitter soon became a little problematic. I had to remember where to put what, and it just seemed like it was going to be too much work.So, I decided to use my MobileMe Gallery feature. I have never used this before, and it seems to be easy enough! Steps thus far:Create a new gallery in MobileMe.Copy the…

  • 2009: What I bought this year

    Kathy Schrock
    20 Dec 2009 | 2:28 pm
    Following Tony Vincent's lead, I decided to share my most interesting purchases of 2009.Here they are, in as chronological order as I can get them. (The links sometimes link to the exact model I purchased or, if it is no longer available, to the most current version.)MSI Wind U100 netbookThis netbook was one of the first to have n networking, a 6-cell battery, and Bluetooth. I purchased the pink Valentine's edition with Windows XPH, and, later in the year, turned it into a netbook running another popular operating system!Samsung HZ10W 10 megapixel digital cameraThis digital camera has a great…

  • Edublog Awards - 1st Runner Up!

    Kathy Schrock
    17 Dec 2009 | 4:27 pm
    Thank you to all who supported me and voted in the Edublog Awards "Best Individual Blog" category! I came in second, which is amazing, and I am so honored and feel so lucky! Apparently it was a close race among the top three and the tallied numbers will be posted on their site soon.Here is a screenshot from the awards show:Thanks muchly to Steve Hargadon and Sue Waters who work so hard on this yearly program of bringing exciting new edubloggers to the attention of educators. And, of course, with social networking tools, you can follow some of the nominees, and then follow the blogs they…
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    Inside Higher Ed

  • Georgia Fires Official Accused of File-Sharing Shakedown

    9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    The University of Georgia has fired an employee whose job was to monitor and report students and faculty members who violate university policy to illegally download copyrighted material. The Athens Banner-Herald reported that the official has been charged with extortion for telling a student he caught downloading that he would not report her in return for cash.

  • J.D. Salinger: An Un-Appreciation

    9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    By rejecting anthologies and rebuffing biographers, a great author limited his future readership, writes Leonard Cassuto.

  • Canada's First Nations U. Is Likely to Close

    9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    First Nations University is likely to close next month, now that Canada's government has followed the provincial government in Saskatchewan in withdrawing funds, The Globe and Mailreported. The university was once "considered a beacon for aboriginal education worldwide," the newspaper reported, but it has faced a series of financial and management scandals.

  • 12 Arrested at Irvine for Disrupting Israeli Ambassador's Talk

    9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    Authorities arrested 12 people Monday at the University of California at Irvine for repeatedly disrupting a lecture by Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, The Orange County Register reported. Oren was interrupted 10 times by shouting from the audience, at one point taking a break and asking the audience for hospitality. Michael Drake, chancellor at Irvine, told the audience he was embarrassed -- and he was booed by many and applauded by others, the Register said. The newspaper reported that the university's Muslim Student Union sent an e-mail earlier Monday to members,…

  • California Community Colleges and Kaplan Collaborate

    9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    Kaplan University and the California Community Colleges system have entered into an arrangement that will allow students at the two-year institutions to take individual online courses through Kaplan at a steep discount to help them finish their associate degrees. Under the deal, which is designed in part to help students at the two-year colleges deal with reduced course availability because of budget cuts, Kaplan will offer individual courses at a 42 percent discount from what they would normally cost as part of a degree program. Students will receive textbooks and other instructional…
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    PrincipalsPage The Blog

  • Weather Drama. Stop It.

    Michael Smith
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:34 am
    Enough. Enough with the weather drama. I’ve had it (again). What’s weather drama? It’s the over exaggeration of winter storms. Actually, they aren’t even winter storms. They are days when it is going to snow.  You know that happens occasionally during the winter months (unless you are smart enough to live in a warm climate and in that case… the rest of us despise you). It’s important to understand the subtle difference between a light snow and a blizzard. When “they” (and I will get to them later) call for 2 inches of snow it isn’t code for “panic”. But in today’s…

  • Super Bowl of Stupid.

    Michael Smith
    7 Feb 2010 | 8:44 am
    I’m not sure who will win the Super Bowl, but I’m positive who wins when Schools take on the Media.  It’s a no brainer. The Media. Every single time. Well, not every single time. No, I was wrong.  They do win every single time. Not because the Media is right, but because they have the last word. If you want to survive (not thrive, mind you… just survive) in school administration, this is something you have to learn. Don’t make decisions so incredibly stupid that the producer of the 10 o’clock news (11 o’clock for our friends on the East Coast) can get monster ratings…

  • Google Me This.

    Michael Smith
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:30 pm
    Buddy the Dog is man’s best friend. Or at least Mom’s Best Friend. On my behalf, Buddy was kind enough to put together a 1 minute video for the people at Google (which is all the more impressive when you consider he doesn’t have thumbs). Because of his good work, I’ve been selected as 1 of 50 school administrators in the United States to attend The Google Teacher Academy for Administrators (I’m no marketing major, but shouldn’t it be “The Google Administrator’s Academy”).  This is a free professional development experience designed to help K-12 educational leaders get…

  • January is Over. Seriously?

    Michael Smith
    1 Feb 2010 | 4:02 pm
      How is it possible that January is gone?  Where did it go? I need more than 31 days to get used to writing 2010 on my checks.  Never mind, I don’t use checks anymore… it’s 2010. It’s been 67 days since Thanksgiving.   37 days since Christmas. This amazes me. And saddens me. It’s been 164 days since my school year started (which means the countdown is on and we may just make it… and this doesn’t sadden me). All of this is hard to believe. There’s never enough time.  And the time I have goes way too fast (i.e. weekends). When I was a kid, time…

  • Good Coach/Bad Father.

    Michael Smith
    31 Jan 2010 | 10:51 am
    It’s possible I’m not going to win the Father of the Year Award anytime soon. Or ever. Actually it’s not just possible, it’s pretty much a mortal lock. It’s not because I call my daughter “The Evil Spawn” in a moderately well-read blog (although that certainly doesn’t help my cause). It’s because I coach her basketball team. One would think this would put me in the finals for the Father of the Year competition. Actually coaching 3rd grade girls in anything should at least get me in the Fast Past line to Heaven (this would be a Walt Disney World/Religious reference… so…
 
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    Eschool News: Multimedia

  • Klein ISD District Writer

    ASullivan_Klein
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:09 am
    For Immediate Release February 9, 2010 Ann McMullan Earns Lifetime Achievement Award The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) has awarded Klein ISD Executive Director of Educational Technology, Ms. Ann McMullan, the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of Technology. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an educator with 20 or more years of experience who has [...]

  • Colonial Williamsburg and Pearson Introduce “The Idea of America,” Groundbreaking Interactive U.S. History and Citizenship Program

    9 Feb 2010 | 7:08 am
    Internet Brings History Curriculum to Life for High Schoolers Students Debate Live Online with Peers Across the Nation Williamsburg, VA and Boston, MA – American history will come to life for high schoolers through a partnership announced today by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the education, services and technology company Pearson. Through “The Idea of America,” a [...]

  • TEXAS STUDENTS IMPROVE READING SKILLS USING LEXIA READING

    Charlotte Andrist
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:07 am
    More than 1,600 Schools Statewide Use Award-winning Software Program to Build Students’ Reading Skills and Confidence at All Ability Levels Feb. 8, 2010 — CONCORD, Mass. — Research on the importance of early reading skills is clear: Students must read fluently and proficiently early in elementary school or they will face significant obstacles comprehending content in [...]

  • AASA Statement in Support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Campaign Against Childhood Obesity

    9 Feb 2010 | 7:06 am
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 9, 2010 Contact: Amy Vogt 703-875-0723 avogt@aasa.org AASA STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILDHOOD OBESITY ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Association of School Administrators, the professional organization for school superintendents and other school system leaders, issued the following statement in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity: “AASA applauds First Lady Michelle [...]

  • Spiral Universe Brings Advanced Education Technology to Uganda

    9 Feb 2010 | 7:04 am
    Spiral Universe Andrew Fader, +1 914-502-4140 fader@spiraluniverse.com Spiral Universe Brings Advanced Education Technology to Uganda Innovative School Management System Now Available Across Africa WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Spiral Universe Inc., the fastest-growing provider of online education software, today announced that it has extended its reach into sub-Saharan Africa. This brings the number of countries with schools using the revolutionary cloud-based Spiral information platform to 27. “This [...]
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    Eschool News: Safety & Security

  • If your password is 123456, just make it HackMe

    mstansbury
    21 Jan 2010 | 7:14 am
    Despite all the reports of internet security breaches over the years, many computer users have reacted to the break-ins with a shrug, reports the New York Times.

  • New tech tools help Haiti quake relief

    ldevaney
    20 Jan 2010 | 7:55 am
    Hundreds of tech volunteers spurred to action by Haiti's killer quake are adding a new dimension to disaster relief, developing new tools and services for first responders and the public in an unprecedented effort, the Associated Press reports.

  • Boy’s science project prompts school evacuation

    mstansbury
    18 Jan 2010 | 7:43 am
    Fire officials said a San Diego middle school was evacuated when a student’s science project was mistaken for a bomb. Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said a vice principal’s concerns prompted the evacuation of Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School Friday afternoon. Luque said an arson team took photos and x-rays of the empty plastic bottle with [...]

  • Conficker Worm hasn’t gone away, Akamai says

    ldevaney
    15 Jan 2010 | 7:23 am
    PC World reports that variants of the Conficker worm were still active and spreading during the third quarter, accounting for much of attack traffic on the internet, according to Akamai Technologies.

  • Groups seek to challenge U.S. gov’t on seized laptops

    ldevaney
    14 Jan 2010 | 6:26 am
    The policy of random laptop searches and seizures by U.S. government agents at border crossings is under attack again, with a pair of civil rights groups seeking potential plaintiffs for a lawsuit that challenges the practice, PC World reports. The American Civil Liberties Union is working with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to find lawyers whose laptops or other electronic devices were searched at U.S. points of entry and exit.
 
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    Eschool News: Technologies

  • Microsoft calls for cloud-computing regulations

    Dcarter
    21 Jan 2010 | 2:31 pm
    A Microsoft official argued Jan. 13 that the U.S. Congress should create rules and regulations for cloud computing, a burgeoning technology that has gained traction among schools and colleges.

  • Apple courts publishers, while Kindle adds apps

    mstansbury
    21 Jan 2010 | 7:12 am
    A tablet computer from Apple could threaten Amazon's Kindle eBook reader, but the Kindle, which now accounts for 70 percent of electronic reader sales, is getting more versatile, reports the New York Times.

  • Report details coming trends in campus technology

    Dcarter
    20 Jan 2010 | 3:09 am
    Open scholarly content will become more commonplace in higher education in the next year as online universities and textbook companies organize and harness the internet's mass of educational material, according to a report that predicts campus technology advances within the next five years.

  • Has Google developed the next wave of online education?

    Dcarter
    19 Jan 2010 | 2:41 am
    Combining text, audio, and video chat with features like drag-and-drop documents and interactive polls, Google Wave is a free web program that could add unprecedented depth to student interaction, many educators say.

  • In war against the internet, China is just a skirmish

    mstansbury
    18 Jan 2010 | 7:51 am
    In the beginning, there was one internet, born from American research and embraced by academics around the world. It was in English and homogeneous, operating according to Western standards of openness. As the internet grew, it became fragmented and linguistically diversified. It developed borders, across which it now works in different ways. In Spain, for [...]
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    Eschool News: Top News

  • Microsoft calls for cloud-computing regulations

    Dcarter
    21 Jan 2010 | 2:31 pm
    A Microsoft official argued Jan. 13 that the U.S. Congress should create rules and regulations for cloud computing, a burgeoning technology that has gained traction among schools and colleges.

  • Grant-giving continues despite financial limitations

    mprabhu
    21 Jan 2010 | 3:43 am
    Some grant-giving entities have had to make adjustments in their award programs owing to the economic downturn, affecting both educators and students.

  • Online college for union members in the works

    Dcarter
    20 Jan 2010 | 12:50 pm
    The National Labor College will make about 20 online courses available for the AFL-CIO's 11.5 million members next fall in an effort to help workers adapt to a job market that increasingly requires higher education.

  • Report details coming trends in campus technology

    Dcarter
    20 Jan 2010 | 3:09 am
    Open scholarly content will become more commonplace in higher education in the next year as online universities and textbook companies organize and harness the internet's mass of educational material, according to a report that predicts campus technology advances within the next five years.

  • Has Google developed the next wave of online education?

    Dcarter
    19 Jan 2010 | 2:41 am
    Combining text, audio, and video chat with features like drag-and-drop documents and interactive polls, Google Wave is a free web program that could add unprecedented depth to student interaction, many educators say.
 
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    Graham Wegner - Open Educator

  • Being Cyber (Smart:)

    Graham
    9 Feb 2010 | 3:34 am
    Today I attended Cybersafety Outreach – a workshop program put together by ACMA under their cyber (smart:) banner addressing the issues around cybersafety and cyberbullying. It was very comprehensive and rather than rehash the program, I thought I’d share a few takeaways and thoughts from the day. Firstly, I’ve been critical of similar previous presentations and programs being focussed on the negative aspects of modern personal technology. They often seemed to preach risk avoidance as the solution for educators in regards to using social networking, free email accounts and…

  • The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

    Graham
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:13 am
    This is now the third week of the school year. The class is settling, I’m putting one foot after the other in my share of the team teaching duties and there seems to be a lengthy stream of things to GET DONE as the year slips out of first gear and starts to become more structured and more routined. You know, class newsletter, check. Class photos up, check. Homework Grid ready, check. Parent Acquaintance Interviews organised, check. You get the picture. I’m trying to put my finger on whether this year feels different yet. It feels normal enough but in my visits around the…

  • I Can’t Even Create My Own League Table

    Graham
    30 Jan 2010 | 4:17 am
    The My School website is big news down under right now. I would love to be writing something insightful about this big issue right now  but am finding it hard to really pull together my impressions and thoughts in order to convey to readers beyond the boundaries of Terra Australis. Its launch was right at the start of the school year and even though every principal made it their first order of business to get access as soon as the site went live, most rank and file teachers were too busy, well, teaching to get much of a look, let alone a solid impression. My own boss was very interested in…

  • Google Browser Size – A Must View Visualisation For Every Blogger

    Graham
    26 Jan 2010 | 3:29 am
    … well, I must confess that the usefulness of this Google gem escapes me for the moment. Can anyone actually make sense of this or is it a case of me having poor visual literacy skills?

  • Gonna Be An Interesting Year

    Graham
    23 Jan 2010 | 4:25 am
    I thought I’d take the time to highlight a few things that Australian (and in particular South Australian) teachers, schools and students will be grappling with over the next twelve months or so. The National Curriculum. The word in the staffroom is that schools will get their first look at the new National Curriculum sometime mid-year. We assume that our schools will continue to be guided by SACSA until we are told otherwise, but part of the new Science initiative, Primary Connections, aligns itself with the coming curriculum and does not translate easily into SACSA outcomes. With…
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    Terence Online

  • Google Vs. Apple - Who is better for the internet?

    1 Feb 2010 | 12:01 pm
    I was tweeting these thoughts but it's too complex for a series of tweets/sound bites so here is a blog post to elaborate. First the facts. Both Apple and Google are Corporations and therefore have the goal of making profit for their shareholders. Both are doing everything possible to make their shareholders money so there is no good guy/bad guy scenario, it's just economics. However, there is

  • Did You Know 4.0

    6 Jan 2010 | 10:24 am
    This is another official update to the original "Shift Happens" video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com and http://

  • Google's New Real-Time Search Streams Breaking News and Live Twitter Updates

    7 Dec 2009 | 12:52 pm
    From lifehacker, "It's really amazing to see live updates in search results, but there's plenty of people that don't give a hoot about what the folks on Twitter or Facebook are talking about. It will also be interesting to see how Google keeps the signal-to-noise ratio down when huge news breaks and people everywhere are blogging, posting, and sometimes unintentionally spreading false

  • How does distance learning, social networking, and other new media enrich your life?

    3 Dec 2009 | 5:51 am
    I was recently asked the question, "How does distance learning, social networking, and other new media enrich your life … your career?" and here was my reply:I define distance learning as any method of teaching and learning that is not dependent on a geographic location. Therefore, most of our world is falling into this category and enriching our lives in one way or another. Online banking,

  • A new kind of computer - A new generation of computing - Google Chrome OS

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:52 am
    The power of web apps has ushered in a new generation of computing. Web apps like gmail, youtube, lala, pandora, mint, blogger, wordpress, google maps, netflix, twitter, facebook etc have us all glued to the internet. This is good news for Google. Ever wonder why google gives away almost all of their web apps for free? Because they want you online! Personally, I consider that a fair trade. I
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    Artichoke

  • Gawande’s Checklists: "I know what to do and why thinking".

    Artichoke
    23 Jan 2010 | 2:03 am
    I cannot remember a time when I haven’t been thinking and or reading about models of learning and designing for learning – it is a personal Pythonesque search for the educational holy grail – I am looking for a deeper logic or better understanding of the assumptions that sit underneath the models and processes we use in education – I can sense what I am after – but it remains tantalisingly out of my grasp. I have been seeking connections by mapping intentional design processes across many contexts – I started with models for learning and learning outcomes (Biggs and Tang 2007)…

  • Acting like a kite, witnessing the future and marshalling resources.

    Artichoke
    3 Aug 2009 | 5:03 am
    Asking how we identify the future – and how we bring the future into the present form a large part of current educational discourse – especially those edu_conference keynote conversations.   Jensen (Witnessing the Future pdf) cites Serres and Latour and suggests that “assemblage”, “design”, “finish” and “slickness of advertising” all play a role in how we identify the future .   "What are things contemporary? Consider a late-model car. It is a disparate aggregate of scientific and technical solutions dating from different periods. One can date it component…

  • On Creating A Wasn’t Good, Wasn’t Bad School for Every Child.

    Artichoke
    28 Jul 2009 | 5:46 pm
    I didn’t buy Cyril Taylor’s newly released “A Good School for Every Child – How to improve our schools” because I wanted to read another book on how to do school better.  At the moment I drift towards thinking and reading about museums rather than schools – probably because I am feeling burdened by the narrow perspective of what is written by people telling us what to do (and not to do) in school. In truth when you work in a school it often feels like a big part of the problem is that there are too many people "telling" and not enough people "doing".

  • “I am haunted by you” flowers and impossible cream cakes.

    Artichoke
    23 Jul 2009 | 1:19 am
    I had an unexpected escape from the day job today – and I used it to push off from the screen and drift into the ordinary.  I used it to bump up against the stuff that had not been digitised – to see, hear, smell, touch and taste in a way not mediated through a screen - to nudge up against the real. Escape is best shared.  I persuaded another to cut loose from what life expected of her for the day and we explored the local as if we were seeing it for the first time. Along the way we visited the dementia centre, delivering impossible cream cakes and an exuberance of flowers;…

  • “The money is always there, but the pockets change” Gertrude Stein

    Artichoke
    14 Jul 2009 | 12:18 am
    To allow oneself to be physically re-arranged by another is much like allowing oneself to be mentally re-arranged by another.  Both require compliance and conformity, and I guess both require deference to the “power” or “expertise” of another.  Physical rearrangement has its attraction.  For example when The Magnet and I became "a living topiary" for a Wreathed Hornbill, a Malay-Eagle Owl, a Chestnut-bellied Hawk Eagle, a Sulfur Crested Cockatoo and a couple of Macaws of the Scarlet and the Blue & Yellow varieties, in the Feathered Friends Photo Booth…
 
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    Eschool News: Budget

  • Klein ISD District Writer

    ASullivan_Klein
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:09 am
    For Immediate Release February 9, 2010 Ann McMullan Earns Lifetime Achievement Award The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) has awarded Klein ISD Executive Director of Educational Technology, Ms. Ann McMullan, the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of Technology. The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an educator with 20 or more years of experience who has [...]

  • Colonial Williamsburg and Pearson Introduce “The Idea of America,” Groundbreaking Interactive U.S. History and Citizenship Program

    9 Feb 2010 | 7:08 am
    Internet Brings History Curriculum to Life for High Schoolers Students Debate Live Online with Peers Across the Nation Williamsburg, VA and Boston, MA – American history will come to life for high schoolers through a partnership announced today by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the education, services and technology company Pearson. Through “The Idea of America,” a [...]

  • TEXAS STUDENTS IMPROVE READING SKILLS USING LEXIA READING

    Charlotte Andrist
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:07 am
    More than 1,600 Schools Statewide Use Award-winning Software Program to Build Students’ Reading Skills and Confidence at All Ability Levels Feb. 8, 2010 — CONCORD, Mass. — Research on the importance of early reading skills is clear: Students must read fluently and proficiently early in elementary school or they will face significant obstacles comprehending content in [...]

  • AASA Statement in Support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Campaign Against Childhood Obesity

    9 Feb 2010 | 7:06 am
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 9, 2010 Contact: Amy Vogt 703-875-0723 avogt@aasa.org AASA STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILDHOOD OBESITY ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Association of School Administrators, the professional organization for school superintendents and other school system leaders, issued the following statement in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity: “AASA applauds First Lady Michelle [...]

  • Spiral Universe Brings Advanced Education Technology to Uganda

    9 Feb 2010 | 7:04 am
    Spiral Universe Andrew Fader, +1 914-502-4140 fader@spiraluniverse.com Spiral Universe Brings Advanced Education Technology to Uganda Innovative School Management System Now Available Across Africa WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Spiral Universe Inc., the fastest-growing provider of online education software, today announced that it has extended its reach into sub-Saharan Africa. This brings the number of countries with schools using the revolutionary cloud-based Spiral information platform to 27. “This [...]
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    Weblogg-ed

  • Transformative Technology? Really?

    Will Richardson
    8 Feb 2010 | 11:40 am
    So I ran across this Smart Ease of Use video in the course of one of our threads in a PLP cohort and I have to say, I can’t seem to shake it. I mean, maybe I’m missing something here, but if this is a vision of “transformative” technology, we’re in some serious trouble. Worse, if this marketing piece actually does the job and creates sales of Smart boards, we’re in even bigger trouble. Is this really a vision of classrooms and learning that we aspire to? Is it all about being “easy”? And what does it say when the manufacturer of one of the most…

  • EduCon 2.2

    Will Richardson
    1 Feb 2010 | 6:31 am
    If I could put in a few phrases what I took away from this year’s Educon experience it was this: Stop complaining. Be the change. Love your students and do well by them. If that includes technology, so be it. And it was those first two that stood out, for me at least. I heard variations on those themes more in the last two days than the first two Educons combined. Maybe it was because there were more people this year. Maybe because we’re finally getting tired of talking about change, about waiting for something or someone else to change. Or maybe because when you get into a room…

  • No Choice

    Will Richardson
    21 Jan 2010 | 5:18 am
    (Cross posted to the PLP Network blog) One of my favorite things that Sheryl says when she talks about the challenges that schools face right now is that this generation of kids in our schools is the first not to have a choice about technology. Most of us grew up in a time when technology was an add on, and for many of us, we still see it as a choice, especially in education. (Just the other day I was at a meeting of about 25 school leaders and teachers to discuss how social learning tools can be infused into an inquiry based curriculum and only one person was using technology to take…

  • Change Congress

    Will Richardson
    20 Jan 2010 | 4:51 am
    It’s no secret that Lawrence Lessig is one of my heroes in the way that he takes on meaningful efforts to change the world for (what I think, at least) good and his ability to articulate those efforts in compelling ways. It’s also no secret that over the past year I’ve become more disillusioned with the government here in the US. Mostly it’s a frustration about how nothing changes (or will change), how money is the motivator for everything that happens, and how much it feels like we have lost the best of our democracy to special interests. I was a huge Obama supporter;…

  • No More High School–Play Along

    Will Richardson
    14 Jan 2010 | 6:18 am
    So this might totally fall flat on its face, but I’m wondering how all you  out there who are deeply invested in social learning spaces might respond to this unlikely but hopefully compelling scenario: Imagine for a moment that high schools as educational places vanish from the earth. How would you go about educating the 14-18 year olds in your lives? What resources, programs, strategies, assessments would you use? Or what would we need to create in order for them to become “educated” in the current sense? What would that world look like? Could it even be done?
 
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    Education Futures

  • Fab Lab: Build ‘almost anything’

    John Moravec
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:32 am
    “The Fab Lab program has strong connections with the technical outreach activities of a number of partner organizations, around the emerging possibility for ordinary people to not just learn about science and engineering but actually design machines and make measurements that are relevant to improving the quality of their lives.” [MIT Center for Bits and Atoms] Moreover, each Fab Lab is connected with others around the world, sharing ideas and experiences. Every Fab Lab user is required to document how they created products so that their inventions may be replicated anywhere…

  • Noel Sharkey on the inexorable rise of robots

    John Moravec
    15 Jan 2010 | 1:30 am
    From Silicon.com: In this video interview, Noel Sharkey, professor of robotics and AI at the University of Sheffield, discusses developments in robotics – from the proliferation of robots in Japan’s automotive industry to the stair-climbing dexterity of Honda’s Asimo robot and beyond. He also discusses ethical issues, and in which countries we can find the most robots … and some implications. Read the original article…

  • Next Horizon Forum roundtable: Education and the Technological Singularity

    John Moravec
    13 Jan 2010 | 12:00 pm
    An invitation to the next Horizon Forum meeting at the University of Minnesota: Education and the Technological Singularity January 27, 2010 11:30am – 1:30pm 250 Wulling Hall (U of M East Bank) At the next Horizon Forum, you are invited to join the discussion, moderated by Arthur Harkins and John Moravec, with special guests, as we probe into the deep future of education. The New York Times’ John Tierney published an interview with Ray Kurzweil on accelerating change: Now, [Kurzweil] sees biology, medicine, energy and other fields being revolutionized by information technology. His…

  • A guide to invisible learning

    John Moravec
    12 Jan 2010 | 1:22 pm
    This short set of slides provides a great background on what is “invisible learning” and how we can all contribute to the discussion at www.invisiblelearning.com. Again, the conversation continues at www.invisiblelearning.com!

  • Obama: Education is a national security issue

    John Moravec
    7 Jan 2010 | 5:24 pm
    In this video from The UpTake forwarded to Education Futures from Bring Me the News, President Obama speaks on the relationship between education and national competitiveness (you can skip the introductions and jump to his talk which begins around 6:20 into the video): President Obama: “So make no mistake: Our future is on the line. The nation that out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow. To continue to cede our leadership in education is to cede our position in the world. That’s not acceptable to me and I know it’s not acceptable to any of you. And…
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    dy/dan

  • What Can You Do With This: Will It Hit The Corner?

    Dan Meyer
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:02 am
    Click through to view embedded content. So here's one where no one gets any credit for guessing the question. The question is obvious. The question is scattered throughout this entire clip (from the fourth season of The Office). I made the question explicit in the post title. Will the DVD icon ever ricochet into a corner? But what are the supplementary materials? How do you make this experience real to your students? What do they have in front of them? How are they getting their hands dirty with the math? It doesn't matter if you don't know how to make the supplementary materials. Just name…

  • Two Excellent Entries For The WCYDWT Course Catalog

    Dan Meyer
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:01 am
    Kate Nowak: Here’s what basically has to happen to make a successful WCYDWT lesson: Lighting strikes (you observe something). You recognize that lightning has struck (you say “holy *&^%”). You investigate by building layers of abstraction on your observation. You realize that that particular abstraction fits in your curriculum. You strip away all those layers to a core question interesting to a 15 year old, who (I’m sorry and draw whatever conclusions you will about me or my school system) are the least interested people on the planet. You rebuild the abstraction in a way that…

  • The Weak WCYDWT Brand

    Dan Meyer
    7 Feb 2010 | 4:32 pm
    Let me be clear, first, that Nikki Graziano's Found Functions are beautiful, subtle invocations of math and nature. They make me happy. But two people have forwarded Graziano's work my way in the last 12 hours under the heading "WCYDWT?" so I'd like to point out, for whatever it's worth, that this is significantly narrower in scope than what I've been proposing for the last few years. The same goes for most tweets tagged #WCYDWT, which typically link to: a picture of a mathematical shape. an article that deploys mathematical analysis. Meanwhile, I am trying to: recreate mathematical reasoning…

  • In Defense Of Busy Work

    Dan Meyer
    4 Feb 2010 | 8:30 pm
    Yesterday's opener question: Count the circles. Several students tallied the left half of the pyramid, doubled it, and then added the middle column. One student not only counted the circles one-by-freaking-one but kept a current tally inside each circle. There are 324. He was somewhere in the low hundreds when I drew his attention to the numbers at the end of each row: 1, 4, 9, 16 …. "What do you notice? How can we use that to save ourselves time?" The tedium of busy work can motivate student invention.

  • Two Minutes On Teacher Education

    Dan Meyer
    4 Feb 2010 | 8:22 pm
    In advance of their EduCon presentation, Dean Shareski and Alec Couros put out the call for brief interviews on teacher education, addressing these two questions: What are your general views on the status of teacher education in preparing teachers, especially in regards to innovative teaching? What positives, negatives, or general views can you share? Please do pull in your own experiences if applicable. What is the ideal role of teacher education in developing teachers who are media literate and technologically savvy? For whatever reason, they decided to bury the submissions at the bottom of…
 
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    NYC Educator

  • Punch You in the Stomach

    Miss Eyre
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    Tammy was having a rough day. She's a handful, even on a good day. To her and her mother's credit, a not-exactly-gentle phone call and conference early in the year largely nipped her bad behavior with me in the bud. But other teachers still complain about her, and even though I have a fairly good relationship with her, it's not hard to see that there's a lot of anger and attitude lurking beneath the polite veneer. Nevertheless, in exchange for her cooperation, I try not to be too hard on her, knowing how explosive she can be.Tammy came into my extended day session and slumped down in her…

  • Common Sense Is the Least Common of All the Senses

    NYC Educator
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:09 am
    You'll know that's true if you read this column in the Daily News, essentially vilifying all educators for the actions of a few. This is a time-honored technique used by racists everywhere. I remember, as a kid, hearing other kids justify their racism with the line, "The bad ones spoil it for the good ones." Of course, there are bad ones in every group, and just because a few papers print bigoted nonsense, I wouldn't assume they all do.To the writer's credit, she disavowed the implications of her piece, attributing the additions to editors. But there's certainly a pattern here, considering…

  • Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

    NYC Educator
    7 Feb 2010 | 2:02 pm
    Go directly to NYC Public School Parents blog and watch State Senator Carl Kruger tell it like it is to Chancellor Joel Klein.

  • In Which Your Humble Correspondent Takes the Initiative

    NYC Educator
    5 Feb 2010 | 1:15 am
    On February 1st we had a PD day. I looked at the menu of offerings. Do I want to go to Smartboard training for the fourth time? I mean, it's not like they're ever going to put expensive hardware in the trailer, so I'm never getting one. Should I sit through it again?It sounded like a bad idea. I asked the principal if I could attend the new teacher workshop. He said sure, go ahead. I thought it would be interesting. And it was, too. There I was with a bunch of new teachers, and whoever was facilitating didn't show up. So one of the new teachers wrote my name in the "facilitator" box. I was…

  • Not Very Observant

    Miss Eyre
    3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    While taking attendance today, I remarked that a student I'll call Alex has been absent for three consecutive days. This is unusual for Alex, as he hadn't missed a day this school year until this week.A few of his classmates speculated on his absence. One mentioned that he might have gone to visit relatives in India."I don't think so," I said. "He would have said something if he were going to be away for a while.""He didn't go away," said Jimmy. "I just talked to him on XBox Live last night for, like, an hour. He's here.""He must be sick, then," I said."Sick?" Jimmy said. "He seemed fine to…
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    LA Times: Education

  • Students dread transition out of Beverly Hills Unified

    8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    The few dozen nonresident eighth-graders who won't be going to Beverly High as planned say they're left in limbo, not sure where to enroll or how they'll adjust to new academic and social standards. Taylor Short said the last few weeks have been like walking through a fog, unable to see what's ahead. The Beverly Vista Elementary eighth-grader has no idea where she'll enroll next year. She wonders whether she'll stay in touch with her best friends and feels let down by adults.

  • For UC's Commission on the Future, nothing is off the table

    8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    With California's public university system shackled to a shrinking budget, a group of chancellors, students and others considers ideas -- from banal to radical -- to keep quality up and costs down. Why not abolish student fees at the University of California? And in exchange, how about requiring graduates to pay the university a percentage of their income for a while after college?

  • Proposed Hebrew-language school dealt a setback

    5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    Trustees in the William S. Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita deadlocked on the proposed charter facility. Backers said they would appeal to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. A proposal to open the first Hebrew-language charter school in the state was handed a major setback when school trustees in the Santa Clarita Valley deadlocked over the project's approval -- blocking its progress.

  • Voters advise L.A. Unified on preferred campus takeovers

    3 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    Parents, teachers, students and community members weigh in -- sometimes more than once -- on their preferred plans for 12 underperforming schools and 18 new ones in the advisory election. Elections in Los Angeles schools Tuesday had no age restrictions, no citizenship requirements. Voters could cast ballots more than once if they had more than one child or if they dashed to another polling place.

  • Abstinence-only classes may be effective for young teens

    2 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
    Other forms of sex education may work too, though experts call for more studies. A new study shows for the first time that a sex education class emphasizing abstinence only -- ignoring moral implications of sexual activity -- can reduce sexual activity by nearly a third in 12- and 13-year-olds compared with students who received no sex education.
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    The Fischbowl

  • Cory Doctorow Discussion Ustream Archive

    Karl Fisch
    2 Feb 2010 | 11:34 am
    Well, the technology worked fairly well for our Skype discussion with Cory Doctorow today. The audio on Skype wasn't perfect, but we could hear fairly well. And it froze up a couple of times for about 10 seconds, but then started transmitting again. We also lost the ustream once, which is why I've embedded two ustream archives below.Part 1 (about 17 minutes) is the first part (amazingly enough) of our discussion. We actually start about 3 minutes into the recording, as I hit record before we actually got started just to make sure I didn't forget. Then Part 2 is obviously the remaining portion…

  • Discussing Little Brother with Cory Doctorow

    Karl Fisch
    29 Jan 2010 | 7:43 am
    Anne Smith and Maura Moritz's ninth graders are currently finishing up reading Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. Previously they read 1984 and their task is to look at both books and answer the questions:What have we learned - or what have we not learned - over the past 60 years [from Orwell's time to the present]? What does our future hold for us?This has been a fascinating unit to observe. Anne and Maura have brought in additional folks to speak to different aspects of each novel. They brought in our Western Civilization teachers to help our students understand what was going on in the 1930's…

  • The Best (?) of The Fischbowl 2009

    Karl Fisch
    24 Jan 2010 | 11:03 am
    As I have the previous three years (2008, 2007, 2006), this is the post where I try to pull together some of the most interesting blog posts from my blog in 2009. These are not necessarily fantastic posts, but should give readers that are new to the blog a place to start to get a feel for what this blog is all about.I posted 88 times in 2009, down sharply from 141 in 2008, 148 in 2007 and 199 in 2006. This is my 624th post since beginning in September of 2005.Here we go.January (10 posts)Best: Take Me to Your Leaders(s)Honorable Mention: I Just Want to Say One Word to You:…

  • 2010 AHS Faculty Dance Video

    Karl Fisch
    22 Jan 2010 | 1:48 pm
    As I've said several times before, we take a break from the regularly scheduled content of this blog to bring you the 2010 AHS Faculty Dance (performed at our Winter Pep Assembly).It might not show up in AYP, or help us get Race to the Top dollars, but I think this is still a huge part of what a learning community should look like.

  • Learning 2.0: You Are Going, Aren't You?

    Karl Fisch
    17 Jan 2010 | 7:38 pm
    Learning 2.0: A Colorado Conversation (2010 Edition) is fast approaching on February 20th - have you signed up yet?Let's review:Registration costs . . . $0Lunch costs . . . $0Sessions cost . . . $0Learning opportunity . . . priceless.We're about to hit the 100 mark in terms of registrants, well on our way to the 140 to 160 we've had the previous two years, and the session descriptions are now posted. You can attend physically or virtually, as we'll be streaming the sessions. While most folks will be from Colorado, you're all invited, and we have folks coming from Nebraska, Pennsylvania,…
 
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    CNN: Education

  • Ohio State is No. 1 - in president's pay

    18 Jan 2010 | 3:57 pm
    Ohio State University is No. 1 again, but not in football or basketball. For the second year in a row, the school's president was the highest paid public university executive in the United States, according to a study published Monday.

  • Nursing crisis looms as baby boomers age

    23 Dec 2009 | 5:18 pm
    America could be facing a nursing shortage that will worsen exponentially as the population grows older.

  • Primary care shortages hitting communities hard

    13 Dec 2009 | 10:33 am
    Her bedside manner is comforting, the questions to the point.

  • Get a green job in two years

    17 Nov 2009 | 8:07 am
    Community colleges have long held second-class-citizen status in the world of higher education. But they've suddenly become top tier when it comes to one important thing: training for new green-economy jobs.

  • Give Obama A+ for school reform ideas

    6 Nov 2009 | 11:53 am
    President Obama deserves an A+ for his agenda for education reform. His decision to nominate Arne Duncan as U.S. education secretary was inspired, and his comments on holding the system accountable are honest, refreshing and insightful.
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    ASCD: In Service

  • ASCD Legislative Committee Hears Mixed Messages from Democrats and Republicans

    Melissa McCabe
    4 Feb 2010 | 1:26 pm
    Last week members of ASCD's legislative committee traveled to Washington, D.C., to begin work on the association's 2010 Legislative Agenda. The agenda sets ASCD's policy priorities for the year ahead and directs our advocacy efforts around important federal and state...

  • The Prejudice of Poverty

    ASCD Bloggers
    4 Feb 2010 | 8:26 am
    Last week Andre Bauer, the lieutenant governor of South Carolina and a candidate to become the state's next governor, compared providing government assistance to those in need—including school kids eligible for free or reduced-price lunches—to feeding stray animals. He claimed...

  • OYEA Winner and Emerging Leader Receive National Recognition

    ASCD Bloggers
    3 Feb 2010 | 7:26 am
    ASCD's 2009 Outstanding Young Educator Award winner Bijal Damani was selected as a 2009 Outstanding Indian Teacher at the Guruvar Awards ceremony. She received the award from the education minister of India December 23, 2009, in New Delhi, India. Damani...

  • How We're Closing the Homework Gap

    ASCD Bloggers
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am
    Last month, Education Update's "In the Classroom with Deirdra Grode" presented a common problem—poor completion rates on schoolwork to be done outside of school. This month, Grode reports how her school community at Hoboken Charter is teaming up to close...

  • Schools to Compete in New Reality Show Called "Diving for Dollars"

    ASCD Bloggers
    2 Feb 2010 | 11:02 am
    Bored with the networks' tired lineup of reality TV offerings? Don’t fret. A new reality show being touted by the Obama administration is sure to top the Nielsen ratings. Yesterday I had the opportunity to hear the proposal being pitched...
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    Scholastic: This Week In Education

  • News: Kansas Considers District Consolidation

    Alexander Russo
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:51 am
    Merged districts could save Kan. millions AP:  Consolidating public school districts in Kansas could save millions of taxpayer dollars, although not enough to solve the state's budget crisis this year, according to a new report released Monday.Education chief: Don't teach to test News Observer:   Public schools in the United States need to try to spark creative thinking in children and move away from curriculums that just teach to standardized tests, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told nearly 200 people gathered Monday at the Emerging Issues Forum at the Raleigh Convention…

  • Reform: Parent "Trigger" Moving East

    Alexander Russo
    8 Feb 2010 | 6:27 pm
    Like a big midwinter storm heading West to East across the country, the so-called parent "trigger" is moving from California to Connecticut. Popularized in Los Angeles by a group called Parent Revolution, the trigger concept -- essentially a parent referendum that sets off a turnaround effort -- went statewide in California in December.  Last month the pointy-headed wonks at National Journal debated the concept (most seemed opposed, as you'd expect). Now it's being introduced by several minority legislators in Connecticut on Thursday, according to the attached press…

  • Advocacy: More About Mapping & Schools

    Alexander Russo
    8 Feb 2010 | 11:16 am
    The Healthy City Project focuses on LA County (expanding statewide next month) and has already done some fascinating work on education issues include one effort involving inequitable access to Early Education resources that led to $20M allocated to 32 high need zipcodes and over 1900 new licensed seats established, according to John Kim, the co-director.  The project has also worked to show how pass rates on state exit exams are lower in some high schools with especially high percentages of emergency certified teachers.Check it out, says Kim.  "The site offers interactive access to…

  • Thompson: Chance for Success

    john thompson
    8 Feb 2010 | 7:33 am
    What would you say about a state whose schools earned Education Week Quality Counts grades of A for Standards, A for Accountability, B+ for Teacher Accountability and Quality, B- for Assessments, B- for Equity, and B- for Incentives and Allocations of teachers?  You might think that a teacher/blogger, even if he serves in one of the most troubled schools in the state, is exaggerating about that state's legacy of violence, corruption, generational poverty, and anti-intellectualism.  But Oklahoma also earned a D for K-12 Achievement, an D- for College Readiness, and and F for…

  • News: What Next?

    Alexander Russo
    8 Feb 2010 | 6:09 am
    Stimulus Money Gone, Many Schools Face Budget Gaps NYT:  The stimulus helped forestall drastic cuts at public schools, but many are now approaching what officials call a “funding cliff." Schools Stuck at Bottom Target of $3 Billion Push EdWeek:  The infusion of federal stimulus money is intended to supercharge efforts to overhaul the worst-performing Title I schools. For Students at Risk, Early College Proves a Draw NYT:  Until recently, most programs like this were aimed at affluent, overachieving students — a way to keep them challenged and give them a head start on college…
 
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    Ask-Dr-Kirk

  • Ex-Student Releases His Third Book, SWAT: Seize The Accomplishment

    Dr. Delaney Kirk
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:07 am
    Timothy L. Johnson was one of my MBA students back in the early 1990s at Drake University Sometimes you get to remember why you went into teaching in the first place...It's the ability to look with pride at the accomplishments of former students. Timothy's third book, SWAT: Seize the Accomplishment, has just been released. The book, written as a business fable is an excellent read on systems thinking and is being touted highly by top leaders such as the following: SWAT is a compelling book on a subject that could be dry and brittle. Tim presents his topic by telling a story that everyone…

  • How To Impress Your Boss (Or Professor)

    Dr. Delaney Kirk
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:36 am
    Terry Starbucker wrote a great blogpost on 10 Surefire Ways To Impress Your Boss (and get what you want). As he notes: Be on time. Nothing, I mean nothing, is more penalizing than being habitually late. There is a lot of truth to the saying “90% of success is showing up” – that is, provided it isn’t after the appointed hour. Keep your promises, and over deliver too. This is like mom and apple pie, I know, but getting the boss to trust you explicitly is absolutely critical. You need to be counted on when the pressure is on. Display common courtesy, especially by returning…

  • A Positive Way Of Using Bonus Points

    Dr. Delaney Kirk
    4 Feb 2010 | 9:52 am
    I’ve always been against giving bonus points in class as I felt it rewarded the wrong kind of behavior. However, Dr. Tena Long Golding (Southeastern Louisiana University) shares a recent experience she had with allowing bonus points as a way to reward completing homework assignments on time. Her approach seems like a win-win situation and I’m thinking about trying this myself.

  • USFSM Student, Amanda Evora, Competes In 2010 Olympics

    Dr. Delaney Kirk
    3 Feb 2010 | 10:59 am
    One of my ex-students has been chosen for the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Pairs team. Congratulations to Amanda Evora (University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee student) and her partner, Mark Ladwig. I'm looking forward to watching you compete!

  • Quote Of The Day

    Dr. Delaney Kirk
    1 Feb 2010 | 10:10 am
    "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."    Douglas Adams
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    Learning is Change.

  • Question 39 of 365: What data points are we missing?

    Ben Wilkoff
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:43 pm
    All of the data points matter. The ones that fit neatly inside of your daily life are just as important as the ones that lay way outside of it. The information that causes us to go forward unabated is no less valuable than the stuff that makes us cautious. The problem is, sometimes you do not have all of the data. Specifically, in terms of the people that I know, there are huge gaps in skill set and experience. While I have access to a great many people through my professional social networks, there is much more that ties them together than separates them. Each of them has more than a passing…

  • Question 38 of 365: How does color influence our actions online?

    Ben Wilkoff
    7 Feb 2010 | 2:47 pm
    I am not a graphic designer. I am not a marketing guru. I am not a color snob. However, I did run across a really interesting reverse image search that made me think about how colors are associated with everything we do on the web. From the Twitter bright blue or Facebook’s dark blue to the Microsoft Red, Green, Yellow and Blue, to Google’s slightly different Red, Green, Yellow and Blue; we associate every click with a color. We even understand what can be linked together by having the underlined navy color present on a page. There are rules about such things. The ways in which…

  • Question 37 of 365: What should you do if Google decides to compete directly?

    Ben Wilkoff
    6 Feb 2010 | 9:44 pm
    Google competes with our jobs. We are only kidding ourselves if we believe otherwise. All of the knowledge that was known as expertise and was highly valued in a different time is now just a click away from any employee. Google directly competes with our textbooks, our reference books, and our news to a great degree. It competes with teachers for their knowledge, programmers for their ability to create applications, and journalists for their ability to report widely. They have the competitive edge in all of those spaces simply because they get rid of all of the friction. The search bar gets…

  • Question 36 of 365: How does distribution change the message?

    Ben Wilkoff
    5 Feb 2010 | 8:35 pm
    There are new devices popping up all over that are shifting the ways in which we get our content. Blu-Ray players no longer just play the discs that the film studios produce; they connect to the internet, play music and let us rent movies from Netflix. The Boxee box creates hundreds of channels that were previously only available on your computer and serves them up on your TV, all nearly for free. For all of its hype, the iPad will circumvent the process of buying books, reading newspapers and watching videos. In effect, these devices and their like-minded brethren push the rigid forms of…

  • Question 35 of 365: How should we react to budget cuts?

    Ben Wilkoff
    4 Feb 2010 | 11:18 am
    The pressure of budget concerns is absolutely crushing us right now. It is the reverberating hum in all conversations. In meetings is reaches climax, because the only reason we have staff meetings now is to discuss budget issues. They are all that matters to the people who sit in those chairs. And why not? We are talking about jobs, livelihoods, and careers. What could be more important than that? My initial reaction to budget cuts is to say that I have a unique enough skill set that will save me from getting the ax. I react by distancing myself from anyone who does not have such a…
 
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    Boston Globe: Education

  • Man charged in Newark Airport breach due in court

    9 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am
    A graduate student from China charged with breaching security at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport is due in court Tuesday.

  • Former Vt. teacher aide pleads guilty in sex case

    9 Feb 2010 | 3:58 am
    A former Burlington middle school teacher's aide is facing a minimum of five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges he sexually assaulted a student over a six-year period during the 1990s.

  • Burlington teacher contract under negotiation

    9 Feb 2010 | 2:38 am
    The Burlington School Board and teachers are far apart on a new contract. The school board wants teachers to take a 5 percent pay cut next year and accept 1.5 percent raises for the two years after that.

  • A learning oasis buoyed by a convert's vision

    Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff
    9 Feb 2010 | 1:14 am
    SANTO, Haiti - A tall metal gate is opened, and Patrick Moynihan bursts into the grounds of the Louverture Cleary School on the back of a tinny, exhaust-belching motorcycle that acts as a taxi on the congested, chaotic streets.

  • 11 arrested during Israeli ambassador's talk

    8 Feb 2010 | 10:51 pm
    Eleven students have been arrested during a raucous lecture at University of California, Irvine, where Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren spoke about U.S.-Israel relations.
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    Practical Theory

  • EduCon 2.2 Reflections - What Do You Think?

    5 Feb 2010 | 8:10 pm
    "What Do You Think?" Somewhat unexpectedly, I hit upon an epiphany during my Leadership 2.0 session at EduCon 2.2. I had a very simple structure to the session -- I listed in the description three ideas that I hoped would be common to the people who showed up. The short description on the conference site stated: If we assume that the schools we need are inquiry-driven, technology-infused and communities of care, what do leaders have to be to engender and nurture those ideas? From there, my idea was to simply attempt to build some common language around those ideas and then talk about…
 
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    Remote Access

  • Cell Phones Come to Town

    You may not believe this, but I live in a place where there is no cell service. People are usually astounded when I tell them this. Some people are absolutely mortified, wondering how we survive, while others often give me a slow grin, nod and tell me how great it would be to get away [...]

  • Anybody Have A Little Red Car for Sale?

    (Warning: this post has nothing to do with education and contains graphic descriptions of man tears and my possibly burgeoning mid life crisis. But hey, I pay the bills around here and so I can write whatever I like…) I sit in a very quiet Cedar Rapids Iowa airport on a Saturday afternoon. The University of [...]

  • Yacinta’s Story

    Videos like this remind me about the importance of education in the world: Yacinta’s Story: ‘The lengths I went to get an education’ from Camfed on Vimeo. Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Reddit Share this on Technorati Share this on Mixx Share this on Facebook Seed this on Newsvine Add [...]

  • 5 Years

    5 years ago today, January 29th, 2005 I wrote my first blog post on Remote Access. At the time I remember feeling I was late to blogging. I had been reading blogs since the previous summer when they first crossed my radar and I had taken months to make the decision to start one and jump [...]

  • A Simple Search…

    … Doesn’t really seem so simple anymore. I picked up on twitter this morning that Howard Zinn had died. Not being familiar with the person, I simply headed over to Google and dropped in his name. What I found there this morning really caught me. Possibly it was the completely new territory, me not being familiar [...]
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    Borderland

  • In Case You Missed It

    Doug Noon
    6 Feb 2010 | 2:22 am
    Earlier today, Marc Dean Millot at TWIE, published a report, Three Data Points. Unconected Dots or a Warning? which seems to have been deleted. Millot reported: I have now heard the same thing from three independent credible sources – the fix is in on the U.S. Department of Education’s competitive grants, in particular Race to the Top (RTTT) and Investing in Innovation (I3). Secretary Duncan needs to head this off now, by admitting that he and his team have potential conflicts of interests with regard to their roles in grant making, recognizing that those conflicts are widely…

  • Howard Zinn

    Doug Noon
    27 Jan 2010 | 11:42 pm
    Howard Zinn died today of a heart attack. He was 87. The AP published a short biography in memorium. Published in 1980 with little promotion and a first printing of 5,000, “A People’s History” was, fittingly, a people’s best-seller, attracting a wide audience through word of mouth and reaching 1 million sales in 2003. Although Professor Zinn was writing for a general readership, his book was taught in high schools and colleges throughout the country, and numerous companion editions were published, including “Voices of a People’s History,” a volume for young people and a graphic…

  • The Corporation – A Legal “Person”

    Doug Noon
    25 Jan 2010 | 12:49 am
    Maybe you’ve heard that the Supreme Court ruled there should be no limits on corporate campaign contributions, finding that “the government has no business regulating political speech.” This follows from the corporation’s status as a person, and money’s ability to talk, legally speaking. Consequently, a movement to legalize democracy is taking shape. The video clip below is from chapter 3 of The Corporation: Having acquired rights of immortal persons, what kind of person is the corporation? By law, the corporation can only consider the interests of their…

  • Critical Readings

    Doug Noon
    7 Jan 2010 | 12:53 am
    The Public School in Los Angeles is a school with no curriculum. Someone proposes a class, and when enough interest builds, a teacher is found to teach whoever signed up. The school isn’t accredited; there are no degree programs. It’s a project of Telic Arts Exchange, an organization that “emphasizes social exchange, interactivity and public participation to produce a critical engagement with new media and culture.” More on the history, here. Of interest to me is a partner site that functions as a library for The Public School; AAAARG.ORG is a goldmine of academic…

  • Night Visions: Celebrations in Failing Light

    Doug Noon
    21 Dec 2009 | 8:33 am
    There’s not much sunlight in the interior of Alaska these days. Today is the winter solstice, and we have just about three and a half hours of daylight to work with. At this latitude the sun barely climbs above the horizon at mid-day, and it has virtually no warmth. Bit still, it’s reassuring to see it parked out there on the southern horizon, knowing that eventually we’ll swing back around for a better angle on it. News from the outside world never stops, though, and thanks to the internet I can now read about the big Climate Summit in Copenhagen where nothing changed, and…
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    Drape's Takes

  • Missing the Roadmap

    Darren Draper
    22 Jan 2010 | 5:56 pm
    George Siemens:Anytime someone provides a list of steps to achieve complex tasks, my reaction is to turn and run. Lists are generally only useful for the people who make them. Situations and contexts change rapidly. What works now in one organization will likely not work in the future in another organization. But, complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty are difficult to manage. So we turn to little techniques and ploys that provide us with a pseudo-sense of what’s really happening. Consider this article: The 10 Stages of Social Media Integration in Business. This is exactly how not to…

  • Not If I Can Help It

    Darren Draper
    13 Jan 2010 | 6:04 am
    An interesting piece of interestingness was put out there a few weeks ago by Dean Shareski and John Pederson.While I love the first sentence and the possibilities that it brings, here's my reaction to the second:Not if I can help it.When I think about the kinds of things students need to prepare for college success, I think of those traits possessed by the autodidacts of today: persistence, drive, and easy access to numerous avenues of learning.What are you doing to help "schools" notice that some of the most powerful avenues of learning today are only a click away?

  • What is the Purpose of IT?

    Darren Draper
    12 Jan 2010 | 6:04 am
    An important question has been posed by our district’s Superintendent that has heavily occupied my thoughts over the last few days. My initial take follows (complete with an ample supply of cutting-edge, 21st Century, digital-age buzz).What is the purpose of IT in preparing students for college success?To assist all educators in the task of teaching students to learn how to learn.To assist all educators in the task of teaching students to effectively function in the same kinds of technologically rich learning environments found on and around college campuses.To provide access to knowledge…

  • Practical Theory

    Darren Draper
    4 Jan 2010 | 8:36 pm
    Chris Lehmann, in Principal Leadership magazine:Those of us who work in education talk a lot about student engagement, but I don’t think that goes far enough. Engagement is certainly better than boredom, but schools should set the bar for themselves is much higher. What schools should strive for is student empowerment.My questions:Once students are empowered, what need will they have for their teachers?If students (think they) no longer have a need for their teachers, what do they then do in school?What if students learn empowerment in Elementary school?My answers:There are more skills to…

  • Open

    Darren Draper
    2 Jan 2010 | 9:28 pm
    More from where I sit on the open education debate, kind of hodge-podged together in a sorry-so-sloppy kind of way. All in all great stuff in the open education discourse, but I think it's telling how few practitioners engage in this dialogue, particularly in the K-12 arena. Until more idealists make it clearer how better an open education system can be than what tradition has spent years developing, then very few in the trenches will ever jump to embrace any seat, regardless of the table.That's just the way it is.Kicking it off...Dave Cormier:“What do you mean by open?” has become the…
 
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    Blue Skunk Blog

  • What to do? Another snow day...

    Doug Johnson
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:38 am
    Once again nature is being a real mother and has left us here in Minne-snow-da with a few more inches of the white stuff, whipped into some rather amazing drifts. As readers know, I love a snow day. Here is how I plan to spend mine: 1. Review the materials for my ISTE SecondLife presentation this afternoon/evening. I am really looking forward to this and hope that both the curious and the knowledgable about cloud computing and GoogleApps for Education attend. I promise to be both tall and blue. The event is free and open to ISTE members and non-members. 2. Work on my TEDxASB talk, slides for…

  • Deductive reasoning and exit strategies

    Doug Johnson
    7 Feb 2010 | 9:25 am
    How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?  Arthur Conan Doyle One of these things is not like the others,One of these things just doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others By the time I finish my song? Sesame Street - Joe Raposo and Jon Stone A technician is a basically a good detective. When a problem with any technology pops up, most of us run through a little mental flowchart, eliminating possible causes until we are left with the real reason for the trouble. (It is only on…

  • Augmented reality

    Doug Johnson
    6 Feb 2010 | 3:39 pm
    Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality. - Wikipedia I'm currently reading Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta in anticipation of my trip to Mumabi in a couple weeks. Whether a longer work like Maximum City or Michner's Poland, or just a travel guidebook or hotel description on TripAdvisor, I always read about the places to which I travel prior to going there.* Why? Because, of course, it "augments"…

  • Where are the savings in using GoogleApps?

    Doug Johnson
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:31 am
    In a lot of ways, I am a cheap SOB. I hate spending money stupidly. I think it's my taxpayer side that loves GoogleApps for Education as much as my teacher side. Savings by using Google Apps, really generally moving to a more cloud-based model of providing computer services ? Let me count the ways for our district (7200 students, 800 professional staff, 3000 supported computers in use (1000 staff, 2000 student). No internal mailserver and mail back-up costs (hardware, software, maintenance).$12,000 (We were due for a replacement and running out of storage capacity) No student/staff document…

  • Big6 and tech skills - revised

    Doug Johnson
    3 Feb 2010 | 1:36 pm
    One of the writings of which I have always been most proud is the document "Computer Skills for Information Problem-Solving: Learning and Teaching Technology in Context." (1996, 2002) Co-authored with library gurus Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, it's been one of the most widely used resources in our field. And for good reason - it's both visionary and practical. (Said in all modesty!) I am delighted to say that thanks to Mike's urging, we've now created an updated version - "Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) Skills Curriculum Based on the Big6 Skills Approach to Information…
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    open thinking

  • Power of the Positive

    Alec
    4 Feb 2010 | 7:37 pm
    I am fascinated by PSAs. I am especially interested in what I believe to be a false assumption that the more graphic the ad, the more effective it will be in delivering its intended message to viewers. I can think of recent ads from the UK regarding txting while driving, and ads from Ontario on workplace safety that received much attention due to virality and mainstream media coverage. However, I wonder what effect such videos actually have in the end. Can anyone point to a decent study on the possible correlations? Aside: The PSA I remember most from the 90’s was about Methamphetamine.

  • No Child Left Thinking – Dr. Joel Westheimer

    Alec
    22 Jan 2010 | 9:41 am
    Dr. Joel Westheimer is presenting a public lecture at the University of Regina on Monday, January 25th, 3:30-4:45 (CST). I will doing my best to stream the event live via this Ustream channel. Details of the session are found below. “No Child Left Thinking: Democracy at Risk in Canadian Schools” Dr. Joel Westheimer from the University of Ottawa will be delivering a free public lecture to the university and broader community on Monday, January 25th, 2010 3:30pm-4:45pm Education Auditorium (U of R) on the topic of social justice, citizenship, and democracy. His talk is provocatively…

  • Role of Teacher Education – We Need Your Help

    Alec
    8 Jan 2010 | 1:34 pm
    Dean Shareski and I are presenting at Educon 2.2 in Philadelphia, and our topic is “(Re)Imagining Social Media & Technology in Teacher Education”. We are hoping to find individuals that will help us introduce the topic. More specifically, we are looking for insight in answering the following questions regarding the role of teacher education in developing new teachers. Roughly, these questions are: What are your general views on the status of teacher education in preparing teachers, especially in regards to innovative teaching? What positives, negatives, or general views can…

  • Student Work – Fall 2009

    Alec
    31 Dec 2009 | 7:25 pm
    I truly enjoyed teaching both my graduate and undergraduate courses this past semester. There were a number of really hard-working students who produced some very meaningful work, and overall, I can say that I am increasingly excited by the quality of students I am encountering both in schools (my graduate students) and soon to be teachers (my preservice groups). I thought I would quickly share a few of my favorite student reflections and projects over the past semester. These represent various forms of digital expression, and will help provide inspiration to my students in future semesters.

  • An Open Access Journal is Born

    Alec
    30 Dec 2009 | 9:59 pm
    We have just launched a new, open access journal titled in education. While the journal is set to cover various topics in the field, the first issue is a special volume focused on technology & social media. I was the guest editor of this issue, and you may want to read the editorial that gives an overview of the entire process, and outlines the contents of the issue. I’d also like to use this opportunity to announce a second call for papers. The theme of the issue was quite popular, so we will be offering a second issue of the same theme to be published in Spring 2010. See the call…
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    Bud the Teacher

  • The Week in Tweets for 2010-02-08

    bud@budtheteacher.com (Bud Hunt bud@budtheteacher.com)
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:15 am
    My beloved Prius will hit 99,000 miles today. It's not quite four years old. #Idrivelots # Cleaning my desk. Combined height of my two "to read" piles – 9.25 inches. That does not include my Instapaper account. # Has anyone written the definitive "Why YouTube Access for Students Doesn't Violate CIPA/eRate Requirements" post? # Just spent forty minutes working through some cognitive dissonance. http://twitpic.com/10wh4c # It's a Mac. It's a PC. Aw, who cares? Just get me to a browser. # @njtechteacher So worth it. When necessary. in reply to…

  • The Week in Tweets for 2010-02-01

    bud@budtheteacher.com (Bud Hunt bud@budtheteacher.com)
    1 Feb 2010 | 5:15 am
    Good Monday, tweeps. Spending the morning in meetings. Then another one in the afternoon. And some email in the middle. # Turns out I like getting a paper on the nook. Just wish it was the Rocky. # ISTE tells me that I was wrong. Their "crowdsourced" keynote didn't self-nominate. His father, who nominated him, shares his name. # Forgive the error. # @msstewart Nah. The loss of advertising did the Rocky in. And bankrupted the group that publishes the _Denver Post_. in reply to msstewart # @wmchamberlain I can't say. But it appears that the nomination didn't violate that…

  • SLA Isn’t THE Promised Land. (Emphasis on the THE.)

    bud@budtheteacher.com (Bud Hunt bud@budtheteacher.com)
    26 Jan 2010 | 9:42 pm
    I tweeted a possible title for this post out earlier tonight, and hurt some feelings.  Understandably.  My apologies – that wasn’t my intention, and sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain.  I have nothing but the highest respect for the Science Leadership Academy and my friend and colleague Chris Lehmann.  I think he’d agree with me on what I’m about to say.  We’ll see, I guess. This weekend, 500 or so folks will descend upon Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA for the third Educon conference.  It’s a wonderfully neat school, with a…

  • I Am Not a Gadget (But I do like poetry)

    bud@budtheteacher.com (Bud Hunt bud@budtheteacher.com)
    25 Jan 2010 | 9:17 pm
    Jaron Lanier, in his new book You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto, writes: Every save-the-world cause has a list of suggestions for “what each of us can do”: bike to work, recycle, and so on. I can propose such a list related to the problems I’m talking about: Don’t post anonymously unless you really might be in danger. If you put effort into Wikipedia articles, put even more effort into using your personal voice and expression outside of the wiki to help attract people who don’t yet realize that they are interested in the topics you contributed to. Create a…

  • The Week in Tweets for 2010-01-25

    bud@budtheteacher.com (Bud Hunt bud@budtheteacher.com)
    25 Jan 2010 | 5:15 am
    Horse. http://twitpic.com/yob6o # When did these come back? http://twitpic.com/yod4r http://twitpic.com/yod50 # @ktenkely All are home and resting. Thanks. in reply to ktenkely # Recovery day. Lucky. # Aw, nuts. (See previous RT.) # Starting my work week at a DLC team meeting at Hygiene. Great way to start the week. # Hygiene team will be building a "webliography." Fun word. # @jennar Theres will be. Looks like it's an established term. Even in Encarta's dictionary. in reply to jennar # @andrea_r My apologies. Pinged you earlier but I didn't see your situation. I'll…
 
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    A Millennial Professor's View of Higher Education

  • What If Someone Had a Record of ALL of Your Online Searches? (An Interesting 45 Minute Video)

    Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:16 am
    On New Year's Eve, my husband and I watched a very interesting documentary-style report on google.com. The report was enlightening, but scary at the same time. Today, I found the report on hulu (thank goodness for hulu) and it is around 45 minutes long. What are your reactions?Millennial Professor/Jennifer T. EdwardsJ

  • Facebook Has 109.7 Million Members (Double the Membership of Myspace)!

    Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
    5 Feb 2010 | 8:11 am

  • The Twitter Toolbox - 111 Web-Based Twitter Tools

    Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
    3 Feb 2010 | 7:26 am
     "111 Twitter Tools" is a list of 111 web-based twitter tools that novice or advanced twitter users can use for twitter analysis, information gathering, network building and management, twitter management, sharing tools, organization and productivity, life tools, business and finance, and health, and blogging. Check out this great list! - http://bigisthenewsmall.com/?p=4207

  • Introducing Scholastic's "Expert Space" - A Tool for the New Digital Classroom

    Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
    1 Feb 2010 | 9:10 am
    Grade 4-12 educators and educational technologists: Scholastic just released a digital curriculum titled "Expert Space". This curriculum features social studies and science content that teachers can display in class and on the internet. This curriculum is based on a literature review titled, "Expert Space Digital Curriculum & Tools for the 21st Century Effective Web-Based Learning Environments: A Literature Review".To access this website please click the following link - http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/digital_curriculum/expertspace/index.htm. In addition, teachers and other…

  • How to Engage Each of Your Students (Small Classes to Large Classes)

    Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
    29 Jan 2010 | 6:17 am
    I teach at a mid-sized, public institution in Texas and my class sizes range from 22 students to 36 students in a course section. Today, I discovered a wonderful article pertaining to class size and how to reach all students in a larger (50+) class. The author contributed wonderful ideas that will help any teacher/professor accomplish the goal of  engaging every student in your classroom! Enjoy!http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/encouraging-student-participation-in-large-classes/Millennial Professor/Jennifer T. Edwards
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    OUPblog » Education

  • On Nurses and Doctors

    Rebecca
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:37 am
    Martin Benjamin is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Michigan State University.  Joy Curtis, R.N., is Professor Emerita of Nursing and Ombudsman Emerita at Michigan State University.  Together they wrote, Ethics in Nursing: Cases, Principles, and Reasoning, 4th edition.  The book provides a useful introduction to the identification and analysis of ethical issues that reflects both the special perspective of nursing and the value of systemic philosophical inquiry.  In the post below we learn about the history of the nurse-doctor relationship. During the earliest period of nursing…

  • Multitasking: Learning to Teach and Text at the Same Time

    Rebecca
    25 Jan 2010 | 8:22 am
    Dennis Baron is Professor of English and Linguistics at the University of Illinois. His book, A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution, looks at the evolution of communication technology, from pencils to pixels. In this post, also posted on Baron’s personal blog The Web of Language, he looks at multitasking in a digital world. Most of my students belong to the digital generation, so they consider themselves proficient multitaskers. They take notes in class, participate in discussion, text on their cell phones, and surf on their laptops, not sequentially but all at once.

  • Sex Appeal: The First Principle is “Do No Harm”

    Rebecca
    4 Jan 2010 | 6:03 am
    Paul Abramson is a professor of psychology at UCLA and one of the world’s leading authorities on sex.  His new book, Sex Appeal: Six Ethical Principles for the 21st Century, Abramson makes us keenly aware of all the damages irresponsible sex can cause, celebrates the many ways sex can deepen and strengthen relationships, and firmly opposes limiting personal freedom based on sexual orientation.  In the excerpt below, from the beginning of the book, Abramson introduces his first principle: Do No Harm. Why do I begin with harm? Sexual harm puts people off.  Might a more optimistic…

  • The ABC’s of Health Education

    Rebecca
    28 Dec 2009 | 9:26 am
    David A. Bedworth holds his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois. He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1971 from Butler University. Albert E. Bedworth (1924-2004) was Associate Emeritus, Bureau of School Health Education and Services in the New York State Education Department from 1970 until his retirement in 1979. He created what came to be called the BOCES health coordinator network, a model for regional coordination of health education that was replicated in various forms throughout the nation. Together they wrote The Dictionary…

  • The Challenges of Teaching Introductory Psychology Courses

    Joanna
    28 Dec 2009 | 5:20 am
    Joanna Ng, Intern Dana S. Dunn and  Bernard C. Beins are Professors of Psychology and experts in pedagogy at Moravian College and Ithaca College, respectively. Maureen A. McCarthy and G. William Hill, IV are Professors of Psychology at Kennesaw State University. In their new book, Best Practices for Teaching Beginnings & Endings in the Psychology Major: Research, Cases, and Recommendations, they have compiled a collection of articles intended to help professors improve introductory and capstone psychology courses. The following excerpt, from an article entitled “Addressing the…
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    Learning In a Flat World

  • CTE Teaching and Learning Podcast – Making the Transition to Online Teaching

    Britt
    3 Feb 2010 | 7:57 am
    Last December, I had the opportunity to participate in a podcast in the VCU Center for Teaching Excellence’s Teaching and Learning podcast series with Dr. Lynda Gillespie, Director of Technology for Chesterfield County Public Schools and adjunct professor for the VCU School of Education.  The original podcast was posted here, but I thought I should co-post it here in this blog.  Lynda and I co-taught an online graduate course called “Educational Technology for School Leaders” this past Fall semester, and in this podcast, we reflect on that experience. This was a course…

  • Web Conferencing as Wireless Projection

    Britt
    29 Jan 2010 | 7:26 am
    It has been a while since I blogged, partly due to semester start-up and partly due to spending a lot of time in Twitter and Facebook.  However, yesterday we did something rather neat that takes more than 140 characters to share. There has been a lot of buzz this week about the iPad and tablet PC’s.  Tablets have been around for  awhile and they give you the ability to use s tyllus for drawing or inking on documents and virtual whiteboards.  Here at VCU, Jeff Nugent has run a faculty development project for several years that equips faculty participants with Lenova ThinkPads to use…

  • End of Semester Reflections

    Britt
    17 Dec 2009 | 3:41 pm
    As a final assignment in the online course I team-taught with Lynda Gillespie, we had our students reflect on the journey they took over the 14 weeks of class.  Our course is Educational Technology for School Leaders, a graduate course in the Ed Leadership masters at VCU.  We were fortunate in this class to have some unique opportunities.  First, the class was made up of both Richmond area school teachers working on their Masters, as well as Visiting International Faculty working on theirs.  This mix of local and international students teaching across three states led to some fascinating…

  • What Walls Need Tearing Down?

    Britt
    9 Nov 2009 | 2:38 pm
    Michael Bugeja’s opinion piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Reduce the Technology, Rescue Your Job,” struck a nerve today.  He started by noting that for “most of this decade, professors embraced the pedagogy of engagement, wooing students via technology and ignoring the costs because traditional methods, from textbooks to lectures, purportedly bored students who multitasked in the wireless classroom.”  He then noted the massive cuts occurring across higher education, and suggested that these “facts alone merit an immediate technological and…

  • Faculty Resource Guide for Online Teaching

    Britt
    3 Nov 2009 | 10:45 am
    This week, we launched a project that has been in development for the past five months.  The past few years have seen significant growth in the development of online learning in both K-12 and higher education settings. With an estimated four million college students taking at least one online course this year, and forty-four states (including Virginia) now having significant online programs in their K-12 systems, many university faculty are beginning to explore the use of online instruction in their programs and courses. In response to this growing trend and VCU faculty interest, I worked…
 
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    Once Upon a School

  • #271 Turning Trash into Eco-Treasures

    Kimberly Anderson
    Our planIn Sept '09, I was appointed the PTO "Green Queen" to teach our 750 1st-5th grade children about "reduce, reuse and recycle." Then I saw my son's religious education class of eight kids make sculptures of throw-aways and I thought, if eight can do it, why not 750? The art teacher concurred and It would teach the kids to rethink how they look at trash, teach them that art supplies can be free, and spur creativity. We knew we couldn't store 750 individual pieces of art, so we agreed to group each class into tables of 3-4 kids.What we didI put out a flyer to parents…

  • #270 UC Berkeley Anatomy Enrichment Program for Local Elementary Schools

    T Chinn
    Our planUC Berkeley's Dr Marian Diamond has directed the Anatomy Enrichment program for over 30 years. Students who have earned an A or B in the department's Human Anatomy class (IB 131) can sign up for the Anatomy Enrichment Program (IB 133) to teach the anatomical systems of the human body to Elementary School students, K-7 grades. Small teams of students (2-4) develop 50 minutes of activities focused on introducing basic anatomy concepts to the students. This program is a fun, interactive and enriching way so students get early exposure to ideas about biology, how the body works and how to…

  • #269 The Reading Garden

    Jennifer Freeman
    Our planOur school had an unused concrete alley between the school and the playground. At lunch, some students did not want to be in the rowdy playground but had nowhere else to go. While talking to the principal about projects parents could raise funds for, the idea came up to put a planter and bench in the alley so students could read quietly outside during lunch recess if they wanted. We wanted to encourage reading, encourage contact with nature, and give students who wanted it a quiet refuge on school grounds.What we didWe found a partner in New Yorkers for Parks, who helped us design and…

  • #268 Two Birds with One Stone

    Zach Vanthournout
    Our planwell it wasn't my idea, but the overly humble Mike Fox, I was approached as a new teacher with an opportunity to have Dr Fox, Head of Geography and Environmental Studies at Mount Allison University, co-teach a Canadian Geography (Canadian Geography 120) course with me. What we didThe students would get the university experience, the course taught at the university level (accommodated where and when needed), students would benefit from the experience, not having to leave the school to get the university experience. Dr Fox plied a national publisher for new textbooks (post secondary)…

  • #267 School Supplies for Growing Economically Disadvantaged Population

    Matt Pasquinilli
    Our planBeing in an auto making town, our community has been especially hard hit by the economic downturn. More families than ever are out of work and need help with the most basic needs. Our non-profit raised money and provided school supplies for over two hundred families in two local elementary school. What we didWe raised money by doing 10 pushups for a quarter. We raised hundreds of dollars this way and bought the supplies from several vendors who gave us big discounts. We delivered the supplies before school started for the year and the teachers discreetly passed out the supplies to…
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    HeyJude

  • Printing on common paper? Unbelievable!

    Judy O'Connell
    9 Feb 2010 | 2:52 am
    (via Memo From the Monastery) Filed under: Fun, Future Directions Tagged: e-books, Gutenberg press, printing

  • Flat Classroom Project: Fresh start in a new world

    Judy O'Connell
    6 Feb 2010 | 7:38 pm
    The brilliant work by Julie Lindsay (Beijing, China) and Vicki Davis (Westwood Schools, Georgia, USA) continues in The Flat Classroom Project 2010-1 which is now is well under way for 2010. The Flat Classroom™ Project is a global collaborative project that joins together middle and senior high school students. This project is part of the emerging tend in internationally-aware schools to embrace a holistic and constructivist educational approach to work collaboratively with others around the world. One of the main goals of the project is to ‘flatten’ or lower the classroom walls…

  • PDF sharing online

    Judy O'Connell
    5 Feb 2010 | 11:01 pm
    What do you do when a graduated student  sends you a pdf (on the weekend), needing it for a reference file for uni accommodation application? What do you do when you have no scanner or appropriate software on hand – and the silly form is meant for print use only? You ask your contacts on Twitter for help of course!  I got lots of recommendations, but the one from @sandnsurf was the  one  that won the day. FillAnyPDF free PDF Editor. FillAnyPDF.com is a website where you upload your PDF form and link to it so other people can fill it out and sign it online. No software is needed. Any…

  • Open Source ethos

    Judy O'Connell
    4 Feb 2010 | 3:45 am
    I have been spending a bit of time thinking about The World is Flat by Friedman in preparation for the first Flat Classroom Project in 2010. Amongst other things, I thought about Open Source thinking and flat world communications which I planned to share in the  Keynote kick-off. Well, you now how it is – I just couldn’t share everything  I wanted to (lots out in the rough cuts), but the ‘finds’ are still inspirational. You have to be inspired by the powerhouses of  Open Source software and Open Content. There is no doubt in my mind that an‘Open Source…

  • ePUB an iRevolution?

    Judy O'Connell
    1 Feb 2010 | 3:52 am
    Overlooked in much of the hype about the iPad announcement earlier in the week was a comment by Steve Jobs in the Keynote presentation where he mentioned that the iBooks app for iPad would take advantage of the popular EPUB format for electronic books. EPUB is the same format used by the popular Stanza [free, iTunes link] app for iPhone and iPod touch. It’s a free and open standard format created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), and it’s designed for reflowable content that can be optimized to whatever device is being used to read a book file. ebook readers…
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    the Sam Jackson College Experience

  • Reflections on a Semester Abroad, a Semester Returned

    Sam Jackson
    30 Jan 2010 | 7:36 pm
    I decided to try to write a column for the Yale Herald this spring semester about my time in China, since it didn’t end up working out that I would write one while there. It’s been a strange experience readjusting to Yale, and I’ve come to appreciate many things about it that I once took for granted. At the same time, there are certainly lessons learned from China that are worth applying here, and there is plenty worth missing about Beida. This first article falls more into the latter camp, and is reposted below. Original Publication: January 29, 2009, in the Yale Herald.

  • That’s Why I Chose Yale – THE MUSICAL

    Sam Jackson
    16 Jan 2010 | 2:31 pm
    I will keep this short and focus on the content here, folks, because it’s amazing. A few years back I wrote an angry letter to Yale Dean of Admissions Jeff Brenzel for not being forward-looking enough with the admissions office. I will soon have to draft him a letter of congratulations for his support of this great  student-led, student-created effort to create a fantastic Yale admissions music video. Much of what I’ve ever said on the blog about engaging branding and effective marketing comes together here in one fell swoop. More analysis of this later, and praise for the…

  • The Best Yale Course Review I’ve Ever Read

    Sam Jackson
    13 Jan 2010 | 11:36 am
    After each semester, we have an opportunity to review classes before we receive our grades. These evaluations are multipart and one aspect is to provide a summary for other students to read in future semesters. As I search for classes to shop this semester, the evaluations of past students are very helpful. One course I was looking at (principally in order to fulfill a Quantitative Reasoning requirement [QR credit, more on that later]) was Electrical Engineering 201, Intro to Computer Engineering. This course was generally favorably reviewed but there was one person whose comment was so…

  • Shopping Period Spring 2010: First thoughts!

    Sam Jackson
    11 Jan 2010 | 11:15 pm
    First, let me say it’s a pleasure to be back at Yale. I had a good time at PKU but it’s still nice to be back on home turf. That and many many many other observations and mentions aside: I’m shopping a lot of classes this semester, mainly because of the terrible consequences of trying to fit a QR (Quantitative Reasoning) class into my schedule. This wouldn’t be a big problem if I’d just consent to take something easy and/or mundane, but instead I want something which will be truly interesting, so I keep trying hard and shopping classes that are on the edge of my…

  • Dispatches from China: Happy Thankgiving from Beijing

    Sam Jackson
    25 Nov 2009 | 7:54 pm
    Photo from Flickr user Dexell1827 It’s Thanksgiving time of year, and I’m not sure that exactly that will mean here in Beijing. This is the first time that I have been away from home for Thanksgiving (!) and I certainly am missing all the proper accoutrements of Thanksgiving. What matters most about Thanksgiving to me, of course, is not the food or any particular thing — what matters is, of course, the company. While my peers here at the Yale-PKU program are very nice, it’s not the same as being at home with my family. I miss cooking all day and then having a nice…
 
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    FactCheckED.org

  • Term Of The Week: Franking

    8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm
    Franking is the privilege that allows members of Congress to send official mail for free, using their signature instead of normal postage.

  • New Lesson: Oil Exaggerations

    19 Aug 2009 | 2:05 am
    Ever notice how political speeches and ads always mention “the worst,” “the best,” “the largest,” “the most”? It’s effective to use superlatives, but it isn’t always accurate. For instance, President Barack Obama has said that “we import more oil today than ever before” – but do we? How can you find out? What do the numbers really mean? And why would he say it if it wasn’t true? In this lesson, students will weigh Obama’s superlative claim against the facts.

  • Topical Lesson: Oil Exaggerations

    19 Aug 2009 | 2:05 am
    Ever notice how political speeches and ads always mention “the worst,” “the best,” “the largest,” “the most”? It’s effective to use superlatives, but it isn’t always accurate. For instance, President Barack Obama has said that “we import more oil today than ever before” – but do we? How can you find out? What do the numbers really mean? And why would he say it if it wasn’t true? In this lesson, students will weigh Obama’s superlative claim against the facts.

  • New Lesson: Seeing is Believing

    21 Apr 2009 | 11:30 pm
    You’ve heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, but which words? What are the images we see daily – in magazines, on billboards, on TV – really trying to tell us? Pictures and other visual elements can pack a lot of rhetorical punch, enhancing verbal arguments or making arguments of their own. This lesson gives students some tools for unpacking visual rhetoric in advertising and politics.

  • New Lesson: Building a Better Argument

    24 Nov 2008 | 3:41 am
    Whether it’s an ad for burger chains, the closing scene of a “Law & Order” spinoff, a discussion with the parents about your social life or a coach disputing a close call, arguments are an inescapable part of our lives. In this lesson, students will learn to create good arguments by getting a handle on the basic structure. The lesson will provide useful tips for picking out premises and conclusions and for analyzing the effectiveness of arguments.
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    Educational Discourse

  • Convention Proposal

    kwhobbes
    22 Jan 2010 | 8:57 pm
    Well, I’ve submitted my proposal for the upcoming iT Summit in Saskatoon in May. I’m going to do a presentation on using different tools to help teachers and staff to communicate and organize. I’m planning to look at using wikis, Evernote, google docs, google calendar, google reader, diigo and maybe a few other tools that I use regularly to try and keep myself organized. My hope is that I’ll be able to give people a look at a variety of tools that they can use in different ways. In the past I’ve put my presentation together on a wiki and added information to the…

  • Tag – You’re it!

    kwhobbes
    11 Jan 2010 | 7:42 pm
    Tag – you remember that game from youth? The one that had as many variations as the number of places it was played. Well, tagging, a way to identify different information online, is kind of the same. When I save something in my online bookmarks or I add information to my Evernote notes, I have started using tags to identify them and make it easier for me to find different pieces of information that I have. The tough part is using tags in such a way that it actually makes it easier to find the information! The Eye of the Tagger Since we each have our own unique way of looking at…

  • Online Bookmarking – Not an Option

    kwhobbes
    10 Jan 2010 | 12:53 pm
    As educators who use technology know, there are too many sites out there to visit and go through by oneself. We don’t have the time to do that plus do all the other things that need to get done. That’s why using an online bookmarking tool has become a must for me. Just Managing My Time Time is very precious so any tool that allows me to manage my time in a better way is of great interest to me. When I first began using online bookmarking, it was to save my own bookmarks while at home so that I could access them online and use them. I then began to understand that, by tagging them…

  • Evernote – a multi-use online/desktop tool

    kwhobbes
    6 Jan 2010 | 8:49 pm
    As an administrator there are so many things that come across my desk during the day that I often have had trouble remembering what I needed to do right now, what could be put on hold and what was something that, when I had more time, I could work on. I tried a number of different task and todo software but nothing seemed able to do all the things that I needed it to do in one place. Then I found Evernote! The great thing about Evernote is that it does so much but is very simple to use. I like that it syncs with all my mobiles and it is easy to edit and upload information. Because it allows…

  • Using a Wiki to share information

    kwhobbes
    5 Jan 2010 | 9:23 pm
    As an administrator, one of the big things that I have to work very hard at is sharing information among the different staff.  Because so many different things come across my path during the day, it’s sometimes hard to get the information dispersed to different staff members. One method of doing this is via a wiki that where information can be added and accessed at the convenience of the staff. There are many different wiki sites out there that are used by educators – pbworks, wikispaces, wetpaint – to name just a few. My preference is pbworks because I like the interface…
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    CollegeBlender - Blogwire - Popular Posts

  • Its been real [Jess and Josh Talk About Stuff]

    CollegeBlender - College Social Media
    By now you have probably seen Josh’s goodbye post, which was short, succinct, and I don’t think gave enough due credence to this gigantic project we’ve cultivated for the past two and a half years of our lives. This has been the source of our i

  • Time capsule 2000 [The World of Stuff]

    CollegeBlender - College Social Media
    My weekend was pretty good. On Saturday, my sister and I went to visit our friend Kevin in Miami, which was overrun with New Orleans Saints fans who had come for the Super Bowl. We had a semi-fancy lunch at Perricone's and went to some less touristy

  • Insanely Great [Open Mode]

    CollegeBlender - College Social Media
    Set standards for yourself, and make them as Steve Jobs said, “Insanely great”.Effective listening: Strategic advantage number 1! – Tom PetersA beautiful time to reemphasize the point that all the internal lessons that the pages of What Matters

  • A photo-montage to illustrate my day... [RAND-O-MANIA!!]

    CollegeBlender - College Social Media
    Sleepin' in.Not feelin' great a work.Gettin' a sandwich at the local bakery.Accidentally washin' laundry with a Chap Stick... cool greasy marks ensued.Frantically writin' assignment for class.Parkin' on campus.Cold while walkin' to the library for cl

  • Bright Young Things [La Petite Fashionista]

    CollegeBlender - College Social Media
    I was instantly drawn to these images of colorfully dressed Aussie girls.. honestly who else can pull off bright coral lipstick, shredded tie dye shirts, & gold lam mini skirts?! I love the carefree sense of style and models that genuinely look like
 
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    EQ Library

  • Valuing So-Called “soft” Skills and Principles

    josh@6seconds.org (Joshua Freedman)
    7 Feb 2010 | 7:25 pm
    Posted here is a very interesting article about the country of Bhutan and ever-broadening world views of what constitutes success. The article discusses, among other things, GNH or Gross National Happiness. Here in the US, it seems we often assume that with ’success’ will come happiness. I think most of us know that while some happiness is probably easier to experience when you’re not desperate for basic resources, many people who experience success of the type we typically value here in this capitalistic society are not happy at all. The question seems to me to be two-fold:…

  • Postponing Your Future

    josh@6seconds.org (Joshua Freedman)
    3 Feb 2010 | 11:30 am
    Three different people told me the same story last week: I’m too busy keeping my head above water to make progress on my real goals. On one hand, that’s a practical and realistic way of coping.  Look, we’ve all experienced that some days we can barely tread water fast enough… and some days we sink… and on those days it’s “impossible” to put time and energy into the future.  How can you invest when you can’t put bread on the table? All three had practical, legitimate reasons for “treading water,” they were not making weak…

  • Obama, the Budget and Learning in the Classroom

    josh@6seconds.org (Joshua Freedman)
    2 Feb 2010 | 10:40 pm
    Today in the NY Times there’s an article about Obama’s proposed changes to the evaluation of success in schools. Without a  doubt, this is either at the heart of current problems in the educational system or a big symptom of the problems. How do we measure success for our students? I would argue that it goes much deeper than that question on it’s own. How do we measure the success of our teachers (and I don’t mean just in how they teach children in the classroom but in a broader way for the profession)? How do we know learning is actually occurring in the classroom?

  • Overheard: Dating with Complexity

    josh@6seconds.org (Joshua Freedman)
    28 Jan 2010 | 8:35 pm
    Max and I were at the sushi bar this evening and I indulged in my “restaurant vice” of listening to the conversations around us. There was a guy about my age who seems to work in construction or trucking; he was talking with his buddy about the woman he’s been dating the last few months.  What intrigued me was his experience of beginning to build a relationship with the woman’s three daughters, and the “raking over the coals” they were giving him.  I was struck by the complexity of this situation, and was touched by the care – even reverence –…

  • The Six Seconds EQ Model

    josh@6seconds.org (Joshua Freedman)
    27 Jan 2010 | 11:24 am
    The Six Seconds model turns EQ theory into practice for your personal and professional life. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to blend thinking and feeling to make optimal decisions — which is key to having a successful relationship with yourself and others. To provide a practical and simple way to learn and practice emotional intelligence, Six Seconds developed a three-part model in 1997 as a process – an action plan for using emotional intelligence in daily life. This model of EQ-in-Action begins with three important pursuits: to become more aware (noticing what you do),…
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    Facing History and Ourselves

  • The World Capital of Killing

    IlanaKlarman
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:17 pm
    February 8, 2010 In his recent New York Times op-ed column, “The World Capital of Killing,” Nicholas Kristof takes a close look at the war in eastern Congo, and compares it to the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Indian Mascot Controversy in Colorado

    IlanaKlarman
    5 Feb 2010 | 1:02 pm
    February 5, 2010 Colorado State Senator Suzanne Williams introduced a bill in January 2010 that would require public high schools or charter high schools in the state of Colorado... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Teaching The Reckoning

    EmmaSamler
    5 Feb 2010 | 12:53 pm
    press_type:  Web Update February 5, 2010 Facing History and Ourselves has... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • What Use is History?

    EmmaSamler
    3 Feb 2010 | 2:34 pm
    press_type:  In the News January 30, 2010 Facing History and Ourselves is... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Facing History on NPR's Sound of Ideas

    EmmaSamler
    3 Feb 2010 | 2:31 pm
    press_type:  In the News January 19, 2010 Facing History and Ourselves'... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    EdTechTalk

  • Teachers Teaching Teachers #184 - Renee Hobbs and Troy Hicks Discuss Fair Use - 01.27.10

    Paul Allison
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:24 pm
    Our friend and colleague, Chris Sloan, from the Wasatch Range Writing Project in Utah invited Renee Hobbs and Troy Hicks to join us on this week’s Teachers Teaching Teachers. (By the way, if you would like to plan and produce (and later edit) a TTT webcast like Chris did for this episode, please email Paul Allison or Susan Ettenheim.) Our friend and colleague, Chris Sloan, from the Wasatch Range Writing Project in Utah invited Renee Hobbs and Troy Hicks to join us on this week’s Teachers Teaching Teachers. (By the way, if you would like to plan and produce (and later edit) a TTT…

  • Teachers Teaching Teachers #182 - A student-centered follow up: More on games, YouTube, Twitter, and Research - 01.13.10

    Paul Allison
    6 Feb 2010 | 9:45 am
    On this week’s Teachers Teaching Teachers, we had some follow-up’s, and some room for new voices. Paul Allison invited several of his students from the East-West School of International Studies in Flushing, NY onto the show to explain more about gaming. These students were listening and in the chat room on TTT#181 the week before when we talked about gaming in schools with other teachers, researchers, and consultants. The student had asked for a student-centered follow up. Listen to find out where gaming is in their lives. And if that’s not enough, this week's podcast also…

  • Week of January 30- February 5, 2010

    LParisi
    6 Feb 2010 | 5:48 am
     Welcome to this week's EdTechTalk (ETT) newsletter. Educon 2.2 took place this past weekend at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Educon2.2 is in its third year, and is billed as both a conference and a conversation. Many ETT people attended and presented.  All conferences are archived on the site.read more

  • Instructional-Design-Live#4 2010-02-05

    Robert Squires
    5 Feb 2010 | 10:03 am
    This week, we discussed how to promote learning through asynchronous discussions, in many cases, the heart of online courses. Issues considered include: developing a sense of community, structuring discussions, setting expectations, assessment and strategies for facilitating quality interactions. Resources mentioned: Joanna Dunlap: Down and Dirty Guidelines for Effective Discussions in Online Courses 33:10 minutes (15.18 MB)read more

  • 2010-02-05 Seedlings on the Horizon Report

    cheryloakes50
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:21 am
    If you have been waiting to read the Horizon Report 2010, listen up to this SEEDLINGS conversation. Alice, Bob and Cheryl take a stab at the highlights of the report. This report drives what is happening in post secondary education and it drives what the K-12 educators should be promoting for our students. Enjoy!   Alice , Bob and Cheryl had our favorite conversation, the Horizon Report 2010! This is such a good report to provide the vision and checks and balances for our practice. The chat room was rocking too. Thanks for joining us. Let us know what your take is on the Horizon Report.
 
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    Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

  • Merriam-Webster Word Games

    Larry Ferlazzo
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:03 pm
    Merriam-Webster Word Games is an impressive collection of about twenty different games accessible to various levels of English Language Learners. I’ve placed the link on my website under Word and Video Games.

  • “State Of The Unions”

    Larry Ferlazzo
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:43 pm
    State Of The Unions is a very accessible infographic showing a lot of information about labor unions in the United States today. It’s also a bit sad to see. It would be very useful for students, particularly in Social Studies classes.

  • Cool Idea For The Next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival

    Larry Ferlazzo
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:10 pm
    Karenne Sylvester has come-up with a great and creative idea for the next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival on April 1st. It’s going to have a theme focused on teachers sharing lesson ideas. You can read all about it at her post, The Carnival of English Language Lessons. She’s encouraging bloggers and non-bloggers alike to participate, and has created a special submission form to use, which you can access at her post. So please don’t use the regular system at the blogcarnival site. Submissions are due by March 21st. It should be a fun and useful Carnival. In case you missed it,…

  • “School Secretary Fired For Translating For Parents”

    Larry Ferlazzo
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:42 pm
    Check out the new post in my other blog, Engaging Parents In School, to learn about this strange but apparently true story…

  • Layerpad For Webpage Annotation

    Larry Ferlazzo
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:07 pm
    I’m a big fan of students annotating what they’re reading — either on the paper, or on post-its, and I feel the same about the web. That’s why I compiled the Best Applications For Annotating Websites list. Layerpad is the newest addition to that list. After registration, you can make comments on the site, and see comments others have made. In that way, it’s similar to Blerp. However, Layerpad doesn’t let you position the comments in different places around the page, which limits its effectiveness as a way for students to show that they’re using…
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    Millard Fillmore's Bathtub

  • Texas Education Board candidate campaigns against science

    Ed Darrell
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:47 am
    Do you need to know that Texas Citizens for Better Science is a right-wing, anti-science group, in order to see through this campaign stuff from Randy Rives? Does this photo, with caption, qualify as witch hunt material? Caption from Randy Rives's campaign: "Left to right: Area ACLU secretary Steve Schafersman (in back, barely visible in this picture); arch-Darwinist Eugenie Scott of Berkeley, California; TFN's Kathy Miller (white coat); SBOE member Tincy Miller (in back, facing others); SBOE member Bob Craig of Lubbock. (Taken while the five were huddled in a strategy session to…

  • Endorsement of public schooling from Rick Perry’s camp — unintentional

    Ed Darrell
    8 Feb 2010 | 11:55 pm
    Poster at the recent Rick Perry for Governor Rally featuring Sarah Palin: Image from HoustonPress.com Image from HoustonPress.com. Filed under: Education, Homeschooling, Humor, Politics Tagged: Education, Homeschooling, Humor, Politics, Rick Perry, Sarah Paline

  • Happy birthday, Boy Scouts of America

    Ed Darrell
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am
    No special post — I’ll be commenting all year — but today is the official anniversary date for the founding of the Boy Scouts of America. 100 million boys later, we can tell for certain it’s a good idea. Boy Scouts paddling canoes on the Blackwater River, Virginia - Wikipedia image Filed under: Boy Scouts of America, Citizenship, History Tagged: Boy Scouts of America, Citizenship, History

  • Stained glass Boy Scouting: Torrington, Connecticut

    Ed Darrell
    7 Feb 2010 | 9:56 pm
    In honor of Scouting’s 100 years in the U.S., I call your attention to the stained glass window in Trinity Episcopal Church in Torrington, Connecticut, The Boy Scout Window: The Boy Scout Window, Trinity Church, Torrington, Connecticut Described at the church’s website: This is one of Trinity’s most well-known windows. It was dedicated on Boy Scout Sunday, 13 February 1966, a service of Morning Prayer that began with the hymn “We Thank You, Lord of Heaven.” The window was given “to the Glory of God and in living tribute to Troop 2 and Seymour F. Weeks on…

  • I get e-mail (Jokers)

    Ed Darrell
    7 Feb 2010 | 1:19 pm
    No kidding: Good Day: My name is Owen Clive and i will like to make an enquiry on some bath tubs, could you advise if you have or can get me the size below bath tub? Acrylic Bath Tub with fiberglass reinforcement 6′ x 35-3/4″ x 19-3/4″ Thank you and i await your reply. Best Regards Owen Clive Filed under: Administrivia, Humor, Millard Fillmore Tagged: E-mail, History, Hoaxes, Humor, Millard Fillmore's Bathtub
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    Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

  • DiigoNotes - Educational Technology in Public School Districts

    8 Feb 2010 | 3:05 pm
    Notes below are taken from the newly released Educational Technology in Public School Districts: Fall 2008 report released December 2009 by Lucinda Gray, Laurie Lewis and Peter Tice from the National Center for Education Statistics.Lots of great statistics to make graphs out of in this report!This report provides national data on the availability and use of educational technology in public school districts during fall 2008. The data are the results of a national district-level survey that is one of a set that includes district, school, and teacher surveys on educational technology.The set of…

  • Moodle and Wikis - Phone Support

    8 Feb 2010 | 7:26 am
    Note: Click image above to enlarge.One of the challenges in having different systems in a school district involves answering the question, "How do I know which tool to use, Moodle or Wiki? What do I start with?" Any district that launches blogs, wikis and Moodles will encounter the problem if the focus is on the use of the technology rather than the instructional purpose.This diagram doesn't get at the instructional purpose, but it is a first step at separating out the ideas. If you know of better ways of achieving that purpose, let me know!Constructive criticism is definitely invited! This…

  • DiigoNotes - No more National Writing Project? Funding Cut

    8 Feb 2010 | 3:53 am
    NWP Site Leaders - working as colleagues to lead NWP sites Contact your Congressional representatives TODAY to support DIRECT funding for NWP! On February 1, the Obama Administration released its budget proposal. In that budget, the design for DOE funding has NWP consolidated with that of five other literacy programs, including our good colleagues at RIF, under a new competitive grants program aimed at improving literacy instruction. In order to secure the funding offered under this program, state education agencies would compete for funds, alone or in partnership with outside entities (such…

  • DiigoNotes - Some schools rethink bans on cell phones

    8 Feb 2010 | 3:50 am
    Some schools rethink bans on cell phones - Tech and gadgets- msnbc.com Some schools rethink bans on cell phones Bans don’t work, so administrators explore using mobile devices to teach More than 100 students were suspended last month at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven, Conn. They had cell phones. The school’s total ban is at one extreme of a debate under way in schools across the country. As ever more powerful cell phones come closer to mimicking the laptop computers many pupils carry each day, teachers and administrators are wrestling with whether their utility as a teaching tool…

  • Go Ahead...Rebel!

    7 Feb 2010 | 4:08 pm
    Image Source: Finding Nemo, http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_movies_actors/cartoons/cartoon_images/finding_nemo_dory_marlin_angler_fish.jpgDr. Scott McLeod (Dangerously Irrelevant) shares a quote from Seth Godin that is right on the money in describing our schools today:People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell me what to do, the responsibility for the outcome is yours, not mine. I'm safe."Source: Seth GodinIf there's no such thing as 21st Century Learning and skills--as some have asserted--then some…
 
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    Steve Hargadon

  • This Week's Live and Interactive Events at LearnCentral

    Steve Hargadon
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:35 am
    Below are this week's public, free, and interactive webinars from LearnCentral.org, the social learning network for education that I work on for Elluminate.  The time of the events below will show up automatically in your own time zone when you are registered in LearnCentral and when you have chosen your time zone in your profile. Event recordings are posted and available after the events if you aren't able to attend them live. Be on the lookout for Australia-time-friendly events as part of the new Australia Series!I also hope you'll consider hosting your own public webinars using the…

  • James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy

    Steve Hargadon
    1 Feb 2010 | 12:58 pm
    Date: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am GMT (next day) (international times here)Duration: 1 hourLocation: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page (here).Join me and Ed Hill for a live and interactive interview with James Paul Gee on Wednesday, February…

  • Shel Israel: Talk WITH Me--From Blogging to Twitter

    Steve Hargadon
    1 Feb 2010 | 11:05 am
    Date: Thursday, February 4th, 2010 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am GMT (next day) (international times here)Duration: 1 hourLocation: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page (here).Join me on Thursday, February 4th, for a live and interactive interview with Shel Israel on social media and…

  • Tara Hunt on Understanding Social Networking, Authenticity, and Trust

    Steve Hargadon
    1 Feb 2010 | 10:04 am
    Date: Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am GMT (next day) (international times here)Duration: 1 hourLocation: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page (here).Join me for a live and interactive interview with Tara Hunt on Tuesday, February 2nd.Tara Hunt's new book, The…

  • Live and Interactive Interview with Daniel Coyle on "The Talent Code"

    Steve Hargadon
    26 Jan 2010 | 12:03 pm
    UPDATED - New DateDate: 01 February 2010Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am (next day) GMTLocation: In Elluminate at http://tr.im/futureofedUse the URL above to enter the Elluminate room, which will be open 30 minutes before the session begins. If you haven't used Elluminate before, you can go to http://www.elluminate.com/support to ensure that your system is configured correctly.  A recording of the event will be able to be found at http://www.learncentral.org/node/51768 within a day of the show.Join me for a live and interactive interview with Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent…
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    Sue Waters Blog

  • Always Push Those Boundaries

    Sue Waters
    21 Jan 2010 | 9:09 pm
    It’s amazing how a blast from the past can be such a powerful reminder! I created Animoto video below over 2 years ago! It was unusual because as I said in the description: Had to push the boundaries of using Animoto by adding words and voice. Not because it was a good idea, it probably wasn’t, but the challenge was there so had to try! Since Animoto allows you to upload your own music I quickly recorded some audio (using Audacity) and uploaded it to put with my video. Today David N.  left me the timely reminder in a comment: Happy to say I continue to push those boundaries and…

  • Relaxing Is?

    Sue Waters
    29 Dec 2009 | 1:57 am
    I’m currently enjoying a leisurely few days family holiday visiting my friend. Obviously I forgot to tell her dog I’m definitely NOT a dog person!  And balancing a MacBook and dog on lap while working on an iPhone isn’t easy Send back the cat! Hope you’re all having a great holiday break and here’s looking forward to an exciting 2010!

  • Edublog Awards – Thanks For Nominating My Sites

    Sue Waters
    13 Dec 2009 | 5:44 am
    This is a tough one, which Larry hinted at here… But I think it is important to take the time to thank those who nominated me and my different websites (Sue Waters Blog, The Edublogger and PLN Yourself) in several categories of the 2009 Edublogs Awards. Thanks Sue Wyatt, Jan Smith, Lesley Edwards, Burcu Akyol, Mike Sansone, David Truss, Gail Desler, Rliberni, Darcy Moore, and Shelly Terrell. I’m honored to have been nominated by you all (and apologies if I’ve missed anyone from the list — please let me know if I did as it defnitely isn’t deliberate!) As Larry…

  • Using Public Google Waves For Personal Learning

    Sue Waters
    30 Nov 2009 | 5:13 am
    There’s always a shiny new toy– and with it the stampede to use. Yes that was also me once too   Nowadays I’ve learnt very slow, steady saves time and my sanity. So I’m incredibly proud of the fact that I’ve never watched ANY Google Wave videos, read ANY tutorials and avoided every invite until I stumbled across a reason for investigating. My motivation was I discovered you can set up public waves that any one can join. I decided this was a good way for me and other educators to learn how to use Wave, by working together with each other, while also seeing how…

  • Here’s how to get help — if you need assistance from me!

    Sue Waters
    16 Oct 2009 | 4:24 pm
    Yes I know unusual post but I wrote this post when I went away on holidays — now I’m updating with more current information because people still refer to it for assistance But the problem is every day I receive requests for assistance via my personal email account, work email account, Twitter, IM, comments on blog posts etc. So here’s the different ways you can get help: Step 1: Read through the Getting Started With Your Blogs information on Edublogs Help and Support site Step 2: See if the answer is on Edublogs Help and Support site Step 3: Ask for help in the Edublogs…
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    Teach42

  • Top 10 Web 2.0 for Educators – NICE Miniconference

    Steve
    30 Jan 2010 | 8:58 am
    Will be presenting in about 10 minutes at the NICE mini conference here in Illinois. Doing a revamped version of my Top 10 Web 2.0 for Educators. Most radical change is that I don’t have an aggregator in there. Still kinda torn about that. Part of it is that time is limited, but another piece is that I’m not positive that it’s as relevant as it used to be. Considering people are aggregating via their inbox, via iGoogle, via My Yahoo, within the browser and more. There’s so many ways to subscribe, that I’m not positive it’s worth including an aggregator in…

  • Haiti 360

    Steve
    25 Jan 2010 | 9:38 am
    Image via Wikipedia With all the news about the disaster in Haiti, one of the more interesting things I’ve seen technologically recently came from there. I’ve seen 360 videos before, going all the way back to Quicktime VR and such. But this absolutely fascinates me. This video was shot on January 18th, and while watching it, you are able to use your mouse to look in any direction, up or down as well. Pretty stunning to say the least. And what an incredible way to provide students a window into the area. Can’t speak for you, but I’d love to see them run this through the…

  • What could you do with Augmented Reality?

    Steve
    25 Jan 2010 | 8:05 am
    Image by Eric Rice via Flickr Augmented reality is one of the few technologies that have come out within the last few years that really have the ability to simply drop jaws. Primarily, it’s hung out in the marketing field, and been used in car ads and recently on the cover of Esquire magazine. Home versions include a DIY lightsasber and Addidas has announced plans to include an AR code into several of their upcoming shoes, allowing people to actually use the shoe as a controller for a video game. Seriously. I really couldn’t make that one up. The big question of course is, does…

  • Vote for an ISTE Keynote

    Steve
    6 Jan 2010 | 11:45 am
    Image by jochenWolters via Flickr In case you haven’t been keeping up with ISTE’s dive into the crowdsourcing arena, the final voting is now open for the ultimate keynote presentation at this year’s conference. Your choices are: * Chris Lehmann * Alan November * Jeff Piontek * Peter H. Reynolds * Gary Stager I know most of the people on the list, and they’re all worthy choices. You should definitely stop by and cast a vote for your favorite. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what this has boiled down to. The process began with people proposing and voting on topics.

  • Would you blog?

    Steve
    5 Jan 2010 | 10:07 am
    Image by Josh Russell via Flickr Like many other bloggers that I consider to be colleagues, my blogging has tapered off quite a bit over the years, and while some of the fault lies in myself, I put most of the blame squarely on Twitter. Why take half an hour to write several paragraphs, hyperlink it up and find an appropriate image, when I can just spout off 140 characters and move on? It just makes sense, right? That’s why I’m rather looking forward to Flutter’s official launch. I jest, but it does bring out an obvious reason why blogging is becoming less and less of a…
 
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    History Is Elementary

  • 13 Quick Facts Regarding "The Federalist"

    Elementaryhistoryteacher
    4 Feb 2010 | 4:37 am
    At some point during your high school government class or college Political Science course you had to read The Federalist. Jacob Cooke in the forward section for the collection of essays writes….the authoritative exposition of the Constitution [and] occupies an unrivaled place in our national political literature. 1. There are actually 85 articles regarding the ratification of the United States Constitution. They were originally published with the titles "The Federalist, No. 1”, The Federalist, No. 2”, etc.2. Originally only 84 essays were written – not 85. The extra essay came about…

  • Sometimes a Little Seizure Is Necessary

    Elementaryhistoryteacher
    3 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am
    I have this pair of magnets on my fridge. They don’t really belong to me. I confiscated them years ago from a student. He was throwing them up in the air, and as they whizzed past each other they bumped against each other making clicking and zinging noises as they fell back towards his outstretched hands. Over and over he threw them up in the air. The young man throwing them was a very intelligent student. It was possible for him to comprehend every word I said during those few precious minutes of instructional time, BUT there were students around him that weren’t as fortunate. They were…

  • Listen My Children....

    Elementaryhistoryteacher
    2 Feb 2010 | 11:41 am
    While most of my students learn history in a school setting from educators like myself, we cannot emphasize family history enough.It IS important.Family history helps students to realize their place within their families as well as how they fit in with historical events. Learning family history can answer questions regarding when relatives first arrived in North America and where they settled. Details regarding everyday life can be internalized, and the effects of certain events can help us connect to events we didn’t live through such as the Great Depression or World War II.While there are…

  • 13 Facts About the Laws of Burgos, 1512-1513

    Elementaryhistoryteacher
    28 Jan 2010 | 5:22 am
    1. Like many such proclamations and treaties the title…..Laws of Burgos…is based on a location. The document was formerly published in Burgos, Spain in 1512.2. The laws were the first code of conduct governing how Native Americans should be treated in the Americas by Spanish foreigners in America.3. At first the laws only included the island of Hispanola, but later Puerto Rico and Jamaica was included.4. The laws addressed the mistreatment of natives and called for their conversion to Catholicism.5. The laws were rarely enforced making the Laws of Burgos of little value.6. The laws called…

  • A Convoluted and Corrupt System

    Elementaryhistoryteacher
    26 Jan 2010 | 6:13 pm
    Ask students today to brainstorm a few adjectives to describe politicians and the words honest, trustworthy, and true will rarely come up. Descriptors that are provided over and over are crook, shady, and liar. I have to wonder….is it the politician who is dishonest or does the dishonesty stem from such a convoluted and corrupt system that has been allowed to flourish?In 1975, following President Nixon’s resignation from the White House, Americans were longing for a simpler time….a time when they felt they had a more honest relationship with the man inhabiting the White House.Follow…
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    Infinite Thinking Machine

  • James Paul Gee on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy

    1 Feb 2010 | 12:59 pm
    Date: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am GMT (next day) (international times here)Duration: 1 hourLocation: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page (here).Join me and Ed Hill for a live and interactive interview with James Paul Gee on Wednesday, February…

  • Shel Israel: Talk WITH Me--From Blogging to Twitter

    1 Feb 2010 | 11:08 am
    Date: Thursday, February 4th, 2010 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am GMT (next day) (international times here)Duration: 1 hourLocation: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page (here).Join me on Thursday, February 4th, for a live and interactive interview with Shel Israel on social media and…

  • Tara Hunt on Understanding Social Networking, Authenticity, and Trust

    1 Feb 2010 | 10:06 am
    Date: Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am GMT (next day) (international times here)Duration: 1 hourLocation: In Elluminate. Log in at http://tr.im/futureofed. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit http://www.elluminate.com/support. Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event at the event page (here).Join me for a live and interactive interview with Tara Hunt on Tuesday, February 2nd.Tara Hunt's new book, The…

  • What's Your Issue Videography Contest

    31 Jan 2010 | 8:58 pm
    Thanks to a Facebook post this weekend by Marco Torres, I learned about "What's Your Issue:"A Global Initiative and Competition for the next generation of leaders and social entrepreneurs - Seeking global thinkers 14 to 24... For 2010, we are looking for 3-minute videos with Issue & Solution format. Express your issue and propose an innovative solution-project. Winners presented to Obama administration, on Best Buy screens across the planet, and at VIP reception and Awards Ceremony hosted by Sony Pictures in Los Angeles.This sixty second YouTube spot summarizes the project and contest. If…

  • Live and Interactive Interview with Daniel Coyle on "The Talent Code"

    27 Jan 2010 | 5:34 am
    UPDATED - New DateDate: 01 February 2010Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 1am (next day) GMTLocation: In Elluminate at http://tr.im/futureofedUse the URL above to enter the Elluminate room, which will be open 30 minutes before the session begins. If you haven't used Elluminate before, you can go to http://www.elluminate.com/support to ensure that your system is configured correctly.  A recording of the event will be able to be found at http://www.learncentral.org/node/51768 within a day of the show.Join me for a live and interactive interview with Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent…
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    AssortedStuff

  • Status Quo, Only More So

    Tim
    7 Feb 2010 | 5:56 pm
    This is a long, rambling post since it draws on several different sources, together with a large mixture of thoughts from last weekend’s EduCon (and I’m not entirely sure I’m making my points :-). Anyway, let’s start with a post from earlier this week in which Seth Godin asks Who Will Save Us? He’s discussing ongoing efforts to rescue the publishing industry but it got me thinking about how much has been written around the theme of “saving” public education as well. And Godin’s warning to media applies equally to us. If by save you mean,…

  • New Decade, Same Lame Challenge

    Tim
    1 Feb 2010 | 5:37 pm
    Front page of this morning’s Post, above the masthead, in space normally reserved for major, earth shattering events, comes the news… The 2010 “challenge” index for DC-area schools has been unleashed on the unsuspecting, and largely statistically clueless, public! The method for computing this highly-publicized ranking of high schools hasn’t changed. Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2009 by the number of graduating seniors. Tests taken by all students, not just seniors, are counted.

  • The Miracle, Education-Altering iPad (Maybe)

    Tim
    28 Jan 2010 | 6:21 pm
    Ok, the iPad was announced yesterday and, as far as I can tell, the world remains pretty much the same. I’ve watched the video of the presentation, read some of what the geeky tech blogs have to say, and, at this point, I’m 80% sure I’ll be buying one when they go on sale. I know, I know, the device has it’s shortcomings (oversized iPhone? so what?), there will soon be cheaper competitors, and Apple will probably release a new version with more features in time for the next holiday season. It still looks like a very cool device – and sometimes you just…

  • Wasting Money on Tools For Bad Teaching

    Tim
    28 Jan 2010 | 4:02 am
    Over the past few years, I’ve delivered a few rants (here and elsewhere) about the wastes of money and time that are interactive whiteboards. But I’m just one of those evil central office types who never had one in my classroom. What do I know? So instead read the reflections of a 6th grade language arts teacher who experimented with an IWB in his classroom for a year and then told his school to take it away. His whole post, Wasting Money on Whiteboards…, is worth reading (as are the comments and his follow-up post) for some excellent insights on technology and learning.

  • Keeping The Future at Bay

    Tim
    27 Jan 2010 | 4:54 am
    Predictions of what will happen next year should be viewed with great suspicion. Those dealing with what will happen in the next five years are pretty much worthless. However, these four big predictions about the web’s near term future I think fall into the no-duh category. 1. The Web Will Be Accessible Anywhere It’s pretty clear that many of us want to be connected, at high speeds, from anywhere we go. Those numbers will only grow and the infrastructure to do it is rapidly expanding as well. 2. Web Access Will Not Focus Around the Computer Certainly not around those devices that…
 
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    O'DonnellWeb

  • Family Values at the Super Bowl

    COD
    8 Feb 2010 | 7:14 am
    There were real family values on display at the Super Bowl last night, and it had nothing to do with a bigoted right wing organization writing a $2.5 million dollar check to CBS. The lasting impression from the Super Bowl will not be the ad, it will not be anything that happened during the game, it will be Drew Brees in tears, holding his son on the field after the game.

  • Snowpocalypse 2010

    COD
    6 Feb 2010 | 1:04 pm
    I measured 16 inches at 3:30 PM. It’s starting to taper off a bit. We’ve shoveled 5 times; 6 PM and 8:30 PM last night, and 9 AM, 12 PM, and 3 PM today. I’m hopeful that the 6 PM shoveling pass will be the final one, at least until the plows deposit 8 metric tons of snow at the end of the driveway on Monday or Tuesday.

  • Sheraton Hills South dot com

    COD
    30 Jan 2010 | 4:51 pm
    I took advantage of being snowed in to finish up a site for my neighborhood home owners association. As usual, if you see the lurking typos that I’m missing please let me know in the comments.

  • This is why we can’t have good health care

    COD
    28 Jan 2010 | 6:17 pm
    One of my prescriptions, usually $10 for a 30 day supply (generic) was $30 today with my new insurance. In looking at the prescription closely I realized the pharmacy gave me the name brand, not the generic. When I went back and questioned, they told me that my insurance company rejected the generic prescription and forced me into the higher cost brand name. WTF? So I checked their website, and this is what I see. Generic – my cost $50, plan pays $39. Name brand – my cost $30 – plan pays $107. Huh? The only way this makes sense is if they are getting some sort of huge…

  • 14? Really?

    COD
    26 Jan 2010 | 5:08 am
    We interrupt this post free month to acknowledge the unfortunately reality that my daughter is 14 years old today. Only 10 more years until she is allowed to date!
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    iterating toward openness

  • Taking OER Within CC to the Next Level

    david
    1 Feb 2010 | 9:24 pm
    Our good friend Cathy Casserly, former Director of the Open Educational Resources Initiative of the Hewlett Foundation, as just been elected to the Creative Commons Board of Directors. While there were already people on the CC board who cared about OER, the addition of Cathy means that the Board now has one of the most articulate OER champions around in their ranks. This is great news! Congrats to Cathy, CC, and anyone who cares about OER! Coverage at: Welcoming Cathy Casserly to the Creative Commons board of directors Open Education Resources Get a Big Boost: Cathy Casserly Joins Creative…

  • More on the OER Transition

    david
    1 Feb 2010 | 5:52 pm
    I’m happy to point to this comment by Vic Vuchic from the Hewlett Foundation on a previous post I wrote about what seems to be happening with OER. It’s a great perspective (that he is uniquely qualified to provide) that warmed my heart a bit. Some highlights: Hewlett made over $16 million in grants last year that were 100% OER focused… In 2009 alone, foundations such as Gates, Lumina, MacArthur and many others pumped over $10 million of investments into OER focused projects. VCs made a couple of forays into OER… And a number of governments made their first investments…

  • Another “Merger” in the OER World

    david
    25 Jan 2010 | 1:42 pm
    First, Mike and Cathy left the Hewlett Foundation, where they had provided incredible vision and incubation support for early OER efforts. (While Hewlett is still running its OER program there didn’t seem to be many OER-related grants made in 2009.) Then, a few weeks ago, I blogged about the departure of Ira and Chris from the Mellon Foundation, caused by the RIT program being merged into another program, where they had also provided vision and support for open educational software. Today, we read of another “merger” of programs – and top leadership exit – at…

  • Johansen Dissertation on Sustainability of OCW Available

    david
    25 Jan 2010 | 9:28 am
    Newly minted Dr. Justin Johansen’s dissertation study, The Impact Of Opencourseware On Paid Enrollment In Distance Learning Courses, is now available from BYU’s Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) archive. This dissertation is the first piece of empirical work I am aware of that demonstrates clearly that a distance learning program can simultaneously (1) provide a significant public good by publishing opencourseware and (2) be revenue positive while doing it. In other words, Justin’s study not only demonstrates that it is possible to publish opencourseware without…

  • Enjoying the “Unaware/Unaware” Critics of OHSU

    david
    5 Jan 2010 | 8:04 am
    The Salt Lake Tribune recently ran a front page feature on the Open High School of Utah that generated a number of comments online. (More recent OHSU coverage at eSchoolNews). Many of the comments about the online school ran along these lines: So much for peer relationships! Social growth is also a good idea – or was…. Re Taxpayer… these online courses lack the academic interaction between students that is so crucial to a great education The fact that these readers are arguing with one another in the online comment thread about whether you can have meaningful academic or…
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    Graham Wegner - Open Educator

  • Being Cyber (Smart:)

    Graham
    9 Feb 2010 | 3:34 am
    Today I attended Cybersafety Outreach – a workshop program put together by ACMA under their cyber (smart:) banner addressing the issues around cybersafety and cyberbullying. It was very comprehensive and rather than rehash the program, I thought I’d share a few takeaways and thoughts from the day. Firstly, I’ve been critical of similar previous presentations and programs being focussed on the negative aspects of modern personal technology. They often seemed to preach risk avoidance as the solution for educators in regards to using social networking, free email accounts and…

  • The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

    Graham
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:13 am
    This is now the third week of the school year. The class is settling, I’m putting one foot after the other in my share of the team teaching duties and there seems to be a lengthy stream of things to GET DONE as the year slips out of first gear and starts to become more structured and more routined. You know, class newsletter, check. Class photos up, check. Homework Grid ready, check. Parent Acquaintance Interviews organised, check. You get the picture. I’m trying to put my finger on whether this year feels different yet. It feels normal enough but in my visits around the…

  • I Can’t Even Create My Own League Table

    Graham
    30 Jan 2010 | 4:17 am
    The My School website is big news down under right now. I would love to be writing something insightful about this big issue right now  but am finding it hard to really pull together my impressions and thoughts in order to convey to readers beyond the boundaries of Terra Australis. Its launch was right at the start of the school year and even though every principal made it their first order of business to get access as soon as the site went live, most rank and file teachers were too busy, well, teaching to get much of a look, let alone a solid impression. My own boss was very interested in…

  • Google Browser Size – A Must View Visualisation For Every Blogger

    Graham
    26 Jan 2010 | 3:29 am
    … well, I must confess that the usefulness of this Google gem escapes me for the moment. Can anyone actually make sense of this or is it a case of me having poor visual literacy skills?

  • Gonna Be An Interesting Year

    Graham
    23 Jan 2010 | 4:25 am
    I thought I’d take the time to highlight a few things that Australian (and in particular South Australian) teachers, schools and students will be grappling with over the next twelve months or so. The National Curriculum. The word in the staffroom is that schools will get their first look at the new National Curriculum sometime mid-year. We assume that our schools will continue to be guided by SACSA until we are told otherwise, but part of the new Science initiative, Primary Connections, aligns itself with the coming curriculum and does not translate easily into SACSA outcomes. With…
 
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    Generation YES Blog

  • Maple Avenue Middle School students in the news

    Sylvia Martinez
    9 Feb 2010 | 1:27 am
    Students at Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga, NY got some well-deserved attention from their local newspaper, The Saratogian News. “Sixth-graders in Tom Coons’ computer class linger after the bell rings, asking for passes to come back during their study halls and lunch periods. The reason? They’re excited to use mini Flip Mino video recorders, digital photography, PowerPoint and computer animation to create projects that will earn them national recognition through “student technology literacy certification.” Maple Ave. is one of 45 schools participating in…

  • Tinkering and Technology

    Sylvia Martinez
    8 Feb 2010 | 7:39 pm
    Before this all slips my mind, I wanted to post some thoughts about the conversation I led at Educon 2.2 last weekend called Tinkering Towards Technology Fluency. I had a few slides prepared, and a general list of things I thought would be interesting to discuss, and some questions in case there was a lot of deadly silence. Well, that didn’t happen! What happened was that we had a really interesting conversation, which wandered a bit but no one seemed to mind. That’s the cool part about Educon, the conversations are the point. I learned as much from everyone there as I hope they…

  • This Wednesday: Science of the Winter Olympics Webinar

    Sylvia Martinez
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:20 pm
    Sounds cool! From the Learning Games Network: As part of our Learning Games webinar series, we invite you to join us this Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010 for Olympics Science: Online Resources for the Classroom from NBC Learn. Description: On February 12th, the torch will light over Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Join the Learning Games Network’s Alex Chisholm and special guest Norman Cohen, producer at NBC Learn, to bring the science of the Winter Olympics home to your classroom. NBC Learn has collaborated with the National Science Foundation to create this series of video…

  • ACEC2010 contests – media awards and t-shirt design!

    Sylvia Martinez
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:09 pm
    In less than 2 months I’ll be going “down under” and keynoting the Australian Computers in Education Conference ACEC2010 in Melbourne Australia. When: 6 – 9 April 2010 Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Full details online: www.acec2010.info I’m excited about this and will write more soon about my keynote topic, but first, some fun stuff! From ACEC2010: The ACEC2010: Digital Diversity conference opens in just 58 days. There’s a lot going on in the ICTEV office as we get ready to put on the biggest ICT event for educators in Australia this…

  • Constructivist Celebration at MACUL

    Sylvia Martinez
    4 Feb 2010 | 5:36 pm
    The Constructivist Consortium in partnership with SIGTELE is bringing the popular Constructivist Celebration to Michigan! Plan to join in this MACUL pre-conference learning experience on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in Grand Rapids. Participants will receive the day’s educational program, a hearty lunch and free software from Constructivist Consortium members, including five free tools from Tech4Learning: Pixie, Frames, WebBlender, Twist, and ImageBlender. This hugely popular workshop, also offered as a pre-conference event at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC/ISTE) sells out…
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    Special Education Law Blog

  • House committee Passes Seclusion & Restraints Bill

    Jim Gerl
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:33 am
    Image by Getty Images via DaylifeThe Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives approved a bill limiting the use of seclusion and restraints on students. Here is the official release. The official name of the bill is H.R. 4247. Here is website with additional resources concerning the bill. An article in Disability Scoop also discusses the legislationAmong other things, the bill limits the use of these techniques to cases of imminent danger; requires that staff using these techniques be properly trained; outlaws mechanical restraints; requires parental notification and…

  • 2011 Federal Education Budget: What's in it for Special Ed?

    Jim Gerl
    4 Feb 2010 | 8:24 am
    Image via WikipediaThe 2011 budget proposed by the Obama Administration provides 12.8 Billion Dollars for Special Education Programs. Here is the analysis by the U. S Department of Education. I tend to get overwhelmed by big numbers, perhaps inspired by former Senator Dirksen who used to say, "... a million dollars here, a million dollars there, and pretty soon you're talking about a lot of money." Maybe modernly we should change "million" to "billion" or even "trillion," yet I digress.When the Congress passed IDEA, the federal special education law, in 1975, it promised full funding of IDEA…

  • Is Special Ed Too Litigious or Not Litigious Enough?

    Jim Gerl
    3 Feb 2010 | 12:32 pm
    Image by Joe Gratz via FlickrThe number of due process hearings in special ed disputes has increased nationwide over the last two decades. This link is to a pennlive.com article discussing the topic. The article quotes Professor Perry Zirkel for some of the reasons for the increase, including the recognition of autism and ADHD as disabilities for purposes of eligibility.I have great respect for Professor Zirkel and I generally agree with him. One area where we differ, though is whether the special ed hearing system is overlegalized, as he contends. I contend that in the ten busiest…

  • Charters: Students With Disabilities Need Not Apply?

    Jim Gerl
    1 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am
    Image by Getty Images via DaylifeThat is the title of a very good op-ed piece that recently appeared in Education Week by Professor Thomas Herir of the Harvard School of Education. Here is a link. I want to thank professor Herir for giving me permission to quote from his article in this blog.Here is a quote:"With the Obama administration and many state governors calling for more charter schools, it may be time for policymakers to address directly the issue of these schools’ imbalanced enrollment of students with disabilities. The enthusiasm for charter schools, which was also high during…

  • Alexa Posny Interview Index of Posts

    Jim Gerl
    27 Jan 2010 | 10:48 am
    The series of posts of the substance of my interview with Alexa Posny, the new Assistant Secretary of Education for Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has just ended. I was thrilled that Dr. Posny gave me the interview. She spent nearly an hour answering my questions. She didn't duck the tough ones, and I gave her plenty of thorny topics. She clearly has a vision and she clearly cares about kids with disabilities. I was very impressed with Dr Posny.One reader had an excellent suggestion - that I create a list of the posts of the substantive interview with Dr Posny, with…
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    Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Students

  • Engineering Majors Hold 8 of Top 10 Highest Paid Majors

    curiouscat
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:32 am
    In August, employers responding to a NACE survey reported plans to trim their college hiring, hiring 7% for 2010 graduates from 2009. In addition, just 29% of those employers said they would increase their starting salary offers for the Class of 2010. Most, but not all majors, experienced salary decreases. In fact, as a group, graduates with computer-related degrees (computer programming, computer science, computer systems analysis, and information sciences/systems) posted a 6.1% increase – the highest increase reported, which pushed their average up from $56,128 to $59,570. Among those…

  • Crow Using a Sequence of Three Tools

    curiouscat
    5 Feb 2010 | 7:03 am
    This crow was the first animal observed using 3 tools in the correct sequence, without explicit training. Related: Brainy Crows – Cool Crow Research – Friday Cat Fun: Cat and Crow Friends

  • Slime Mold and Engineers Design Similar Solution

    curiouscat
    2 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am
    Slime Mold Grows Network Just Like Tokyo Rail System Talented and dedicated engineers spent countless hours designing Japan’s rail system to be one of the world’s most efficient. Could have just asked a slime mold. When presented with oat flakes arranged in the pattern of Japanese cities around Tokyo, brainless, single-celled slime molds construct networks of nutrient-channeling tubes that are strikingly similar to the layout of the Japanese rail system, researchers from Japan and England report Jan. 22 in Science. A new model based on the simple rules of the slime mold’s behavior may…

  • Bewick’s Swan Divorce

    curiouscat
    29 Jan 2010 | 7:10 am
    Experts stunned by swan ‘divorce’ at Slimbridge wetland It is only the second time in more than 40 years that a “separation” has been recorded at the centre. Staff have described the new couplings as “bizarre”. It is not unheard of for the birds, which usually mate for life, to find a new mate but it tends to be because one of the pair has died, they said. During the past four decades 4,000 pairs of Bewick’s swans have been studied at Slimbridge, with only one previous couple moving on to find new partners. … First suspicions of the rare event…

  • Apple’s iPad

    curiouscat
    27 Jan 2010 | 11:46 am
    Steve Jobs introduces the Apple iPad. A touch screen tablet with wireless internet connectivity and a touch screen keyboard (when desired). Related: Freeware Wi-Fi app turns iPod into a Phone – Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard Using Wii Remote – Build Your Own Tabletop Interactive Multi-touch Computer – Very Cool Wearable Computing Gadget from MIT
 
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    Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » K-12

  • Infinity Project: Engineering Education for Today’s Classroom

    curiouscat
    24 Jan 2010 | 4:57 am
    The Infinity Project is a national middle school, high school, and early college engineering curricula. The math and science-based engineering and technology education initiative helps educators deliver a maximum of engineering exposure with a minimum of training, expense and time. Created to help students see the real value of math and science and its varied applications to high tech engineering – The Infinity Project is working with schools all across the country to bring the best of engineering to their students. The Infinity Project curriculum is a complete, year-long course…

  • Presidential Science Teaching and Mentoring Awards

    curiouscat
    10 Jan 2010 | 12:36 pm
    Related: President Obama Speaks on Getting Students Excited About Science and Engineering – Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring – Fund Teacher’s Science Projects – $12.5 Million from NSF For Educating High School Engineering Teachers Remarks by President Obama on the “Educate to Innovate” Campaign and Science Teaching and Mentoring Awards, January 6, 2010 To all the teachers who are here, as President, I am just thrilled to welcome you, teachers and mentors, to the White House, because I believe so strongly…

  • President Obama Speaks on Getting Students Excited About Science and Engineering

    curiouscat
    23 Nov 2009 | 1:59 pm
    The President announces the “Educate to Innovate” initiative, a campaign to get students excited about pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Quotes from President Obama from his speech – (see webcast above): “As President, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering.” “Now the hard truth is that for decades we’ve been losing ground. One assessment shows American 15-year-olds now rank 21st in science and 25th in math when compared to their peers around the world.” “And…

  • Learning Design of Experiments with Paper Helicopters

    curiouscat
    11 Oct 2009 | 5:59 am
    Photo showing the helicopter test track by Brad Dr. George E.P. Box wrote a great paper on Teaching Engineers Experimental Design With a Paper Helicopter that can be used to learn principles of experimental design, including – conditions for validity of experimentation, randomization, blocking, the use of factorial and fractional factorial designs and the management of experimentation. I ran across an interesting blog post on a class learning these principles today – Brad’s Hella-Copter: For our statistics class, we have been working hard on a Design of Experiments project…

  • Test it Out, Experiment by They Might Be Giants

    curiouscat
    2 Oct 2009 | 7:02 am
    Put It to the Test is one of the songs on the great new Album and animated DVD from They Might Be Giants: Here Comes Science. Are you sure that thing is true, or did someone just tell it to you. Come up with a test. Test it out. Find a way to show what would happen if you were incorrect. Test it out. A fact is just a fantasy unless it can be checked. Make a test. Test it out. A fun song on fundamentals of experimenting to the scientific method. Related: Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants – posts on experimenting – MythBuster: 3 Ways to Fix USA Science Education –…
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    CyberEnglish

  • Two of the three R's are missing

    Ted Nellen
    8 Feb 2010 | 6:08 am
    Why do we always see educational reform centering on Math & Science? Is it that they are easier to assess than are the Humanities? Two of the three R's are missing in our current educational reform movement. Maybe we should take a lesson from Super Bowl XLIV. More on that later. Ever since Sputnik, we have concentrated on the sciences and rarely if ever on the humanities when it comes to educational reform. I know this is a mistake. When we consider educational reform we must, we have to consider the whole child and all the disciplines because they work together to make the whole child.

  • Practical Theory

    Ted Nellen
    5 Feb 2010 | 6:06 am
    I came up with this term, practical theory, as I was transitioning from a paper and pen classroom to a computer classroom in the mid 1980's. I had begun teaching in 1974 with a couple of years of theory and only a minimum of student teacher practice. Very quickly, theory was hamstrung by the oddities, the anomalies presented to me in the classroom, the practice. After ten years of teaching, I was ready for more theory, so I began my graduate classes in education. I was one of those rare students in the graduate class who had practical experience. In some cases my classmates came straight from…

  • National Standards

    Ted Nellen
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:04 am
    Can America do National Standards?This is one hot potato right now. It has been one since the 1950's. Quality Counts 2010 is reviving, reviewing, and revisiting the arguments about national standards and providing much fodder to chew on.To begin with, I'm not sure looking abroad is correct. It seems like comparing apples and oranges. Some of the countries cited as being highly ranked are not like America. South Korea, Singapore, and Finland do not have the same demographics that we have. Our population is not homogeneous. Our students are not of the same culture therefore not bringing into…

  • Obesity

    Ted Nellen
    1 Feb 2010 | 6:09 am
    "One word, sir.""One word?""Yes, sir, one word.""What word?""The big O, Obesity."A long reflective pause, think Rodin."Why obesity?"This was the conversation I had with the leader. He was incredulous with my one word solution. At some point he asked for examples."Fat cat.""Fat cat?""Yes as in 'getting rich on our money'.""I get it, obesity.""yes, Obesity.""Tell me more.""Fuel hog.""Obesity?""Obesity.""I get it""Yes."A second-generation Chrysler dealer, whose lot had just been shut down, complained that the Harvard-educated experts on Wall Street and in Washington knew nothing about…

  • Merit Pay

    Ted Nellen
    29 Jan 2010 | 6:04 am
    I don't get it. I don't believe merit pay is possible in education.My first question would be which teacher was most responsible for the child's success on some test? How do you know it was that teacher? Each child has many teachers in an academic career, which one gets the merit pay? I know from my own experience, I would have had some teachers fired on the spot. Then when I became a teacher, yikes did I get it about that teacher I thought stunk. I also realized the ones I thought were great actually stunk. I remember one thing a teacher told me in ninth grade. I didn't get it until college.
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    Stop Trying to Inspire Me

  • Snow Days Make for Bad Teaching

    7 Feb 2010 | 7:26 pm
    There are certain moments where I feel like I'm a bad teacher. This weekend has been one of them.It started snowing right before dawn on Friday and didn't stop until shortly before sunset on Saturday. We wound up with somewhere around two feet of snow and while I was out taking five hours to shovel the driveway, the school district called to say that we were out tomorrow. This was no shocker--with a forecast like we had going into the weekend, everyone I work with and teach was prepared to not have to come in on Monday. I'd even assigned a chapter and a half of All Quiet on the Western Front…

  • The Night Before the End of the World

    4 Feb 2010 | 8:28 pm
    Schools always have a weird feel when you're there after hours. Maybe it's because it's dark outside or because there aren't students clogging the hallways, but there's a different vibe. Even those who are there with you seem to have a different vibe -- all of you seem to feel more "cool" or something because you're somewhere you usually aren't supposed to be at 8:00 at night (then again, how it's "cool" to voluntarily be at school after hours is beyond me). And to be at school the night before the snowstorm that is predicted to kill us all is a surreal experience.Tonight was parent-teacher…

  • Pushing Band Candy

    2 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
    I'm in the middle of the umpteenth snow day in the last few weeks and have to head out to pick up my son at daycare in a few, and I realize that this post has no real substance but this video cracks my shit up (even if I was never a band geek):

  • Anne Frank's diary put back on the shelves

    1 Feb 2010 | 7:05 pm
    I meant to post this earlier, but [insert piss poor excuse here]. Anyway, as reported in several places (this one's from the Washington Post), Culpeper County Schools have decided to put the unabridged version of Anne Frank's diary back on its shelves.Although the superintendent did say that the English reading list/curriculum will be "reviewed" over the summer, with parents in mind. So ... yay?

  • Sorry Anne, you're too frank.

    29 Jan 2010 | 4:04 pm
    The latest book to be challenged in a ridiculous way? The Diary of Anne Frank:Citing sexual passages that might be inappropriate for classroom discussion, Superintendent Bobbi Johnson is defending Culpeper County Public Schools’ decision to censor the unedited version of Anne Frank’s diary.“The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition” details a Jewish teenager’s two-year experience hiding from Nazis in a confined attic during World War II.A CCPS book review committee recently chose to pull the 340-page diary from its shelves because 13-year-old Frank writes about her…
 
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    Science teacher

  • The Business Roundtable teaches biology

    8 Feb 2010 | 9:30 pm
    Vision: A quality science education fosters a population that...applies scientific knowledge and skills to increase economic productivity.2009 NJ Core Curriculum Content StandardsI am a science teacher, and occasionally a good one. I am certified by the state of New Jersey (Liberty and Prosperity), and paid by the Township of Bloomfield, which was bought from the Yancetaw Indians. Our first public school opened in 1758.This makes me a government agent.Prosperity (from our state motto) keeps getting confused with economic productivity, which smells like part of the Business Roundtable's…

  • Thomas Hardy, science teacher

    7 Feb 2010 | 8:48 am
    I’m reading The Mayor of Casterbridge again—it has long been my favorite novel, though I only read it every decade or so. This is my first time reading it in my 6th decade.Thomas Hardy sees things, obvious things, I fail to see. That's why I read fiction.***Yesterday I wandered out into the our version of Snowmageddon to look for crocuses. (That we’re now referring to snowstorms in Biblical terms fit for the National Prayer Breakfast makes me shudder.)I didn’t find any crocuses, but I did see a patch of gold under the ice of the pond. I waited long enough to see it slide ever so…

  • Assistive technology for southpaws

    6 Feb 2010 | 11:02 am
    I'm not a fan of SMART Boards™ for a few reasons, not the least of which is my left-handedness.Left-handers push words when we write. It's not a natural motion, and the SMART Board™ takes southpaws back to the fountain pen days, when our hand would smudge the not-quite-dry ink.When I write on a SMART Board™, my hand blocks the light. As I continue, my wrist, then my forearm block the light.Many left-handers can write backwards, though most may be unaware of this. If you're lefty, try it for a few minutes. You may amaze yourself more than you already do.Some of us can write backwards…

  • Creo ergo sum

    6 Feb 2010 | 9:03 am
    I'd argue that school should be less about thinking, and more about creativity. In schools, creativity often means pulling out the crayons and posterboard and letting them draw.Barry BachenheimerBarry Bachenheimer lights up a room--he's energetic, charismatic, and bright. I've been to two of his presentations, and know he likes to tweak folks into thinking.A couple of days ago he tweaked me in his response to my last post."Drawing with crayons" is to creativity what punching calculator buttons is to thinking. Both are tools. (I'd argue that creativity is a subset of thinking, but it's…

  • Gatto got it

    3 Feb 2010 | 3:06 pm
    Schools were designed by Horace Mann and Barnas Sears and W.R. Harper of the University of Chicago and Edward Thorndike of Columbia Teachers College and other to be instruments for the scientific management of a mass population. Schools are intended to produce, through the application of formulas, formulaic human beings whose behavior can be predicted and controlled. John Taylor GattoNYC's Teacher of the Year, 1989If public education truly created a thinking citizenry, it would be outlawed.Arne wants CEOs to run schools. Arne wants 15-year-olds to save the economy. Arne grasps desperately at…
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    Teacher Lingo

  • Screen Capture made fun with Jing!

    stemjen
    9 Feb 2010 | 6:54 am
    So, I was doing a training last evening, and one of the participant teachers asked me if I had tried Jing for screen capture.  I hadn't heard of it.  So, he showed me the demo at www.jingproject.com/.  So cool!  You can use Jing to capture anything you see on your computer screen and share it instantly...as an image or short movie.  Record your lessons from your desktop, share something on screen with a collegue instantly, even imbead the Jing links into facebook and Twitter.  Oh, and did I mention it's free? ~

  • Independent Speech Partners with Operation Smile

    Anonymous
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:24 am
    Operation Smile is an organization that provides surgeries to children who have a cleft condition such as a cleft lip or a cleft palate. Approximately 200,000 children are born with a cleft throughout the world. These children experience difficulties Read More......(read more)

  • Counting Down From Twenty Song

    info@havefunteaching.com (Have Fun Teaching)
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am
    Alright primary teachers, this counting song is for you! The Counting Down From Twenty Song from Have Fun Teaching will have your kids singing, dancing and moving around the room as they learn how to count from 20 to 1. This counting song is fun for kids Read More......(read more)

  • Selling Higher Test Scores

    Educational Activist
    9 Feb 2010 | 4:52 am
    I t's hard to imagine the nation's students profiting from the latest fad in education policy, the new mania for high-stakes testing; but commercial businesses already are. Read the complete article, by Edward Cohn, by clicking on the link below: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=selling_higher_test_scores...(read more)

  • blogger's block

    John Spencer
    9 Feb 2010 | 4:25 am
    I've never been through a period where I fail to blog. However, I have had periods where I think, "I need to come up with something better," or "This is starting to sound too much like what everyone else is saying." If I allow this spiralling mental monologue Read More......(read more)
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    Betty's Blog

  • It's because of you

    Betty
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:26 pm
    An aide leaned over to me today and told me that a student was misbehaving because of me. She explained that the behavior was all for my benefit. Okay, I was a little irritated. She was letting me know that I was the problem. Was she just letting herself off the hook? Did the kid really decide to act out because I was there? I really don't think so. I think the aide was trying to let me know that she was more knowledgeable than me. How silly is that? Substituting is so not easy. At my age, I take everything with a very large grain of salt. I mean, really. The kid did not respond appropriately…

  • Teacher morale drops for real?

    Betty
    5 Feb 2010 | 6:53 am
    A February 4th newspaper story titled " Teacher morale scores decline " could have just been the title. No article needed. With pressure coming from every direction, it's difficult to get up in the morning with a spring in your step and a smile on your face. A few years back our district discontinued its yearly morale survey. We were all disappointed as it helped to have a way to communicate our concerns. Perhaps the powers that be no longer wanted to know about the stress being inflicted on its worker bees. The biggest stress for me was the lack of support from administrators. Leading by…

  • Teaching with my big boot

    Betty
    2 Feb 2010 | 5:31 am
    Wearing a support boot up to my knee gets a lot of comments. Everybody asks what happened. Yesterday I changed my story from the truth (turning my foot to the point that it is swollen so much that the toes look like they belong on another planet) to a snowboarding accident. Of course, no one believed me, but at least I didn't have to explain my boring story again and again. Last night I started a new childbirth series at the hospital and was surprised that not one of my students inquired about my foot. Then it occurred to me that they had just met me and might have thought that I always have…

  • At least it's not broken

    Betty
    29 Jan 2010 | 10:06 am
    I turned my foot yesterday as I was running to the car in the rain. Ouch! Give me Advil and some leather to bite. When I arrived at the elementary school to pick up my grandsons, I wondered if I would be able to walk. I was able to limp up to the Kindergarten line and then escort the boys to the car. I thought about going to the Fast ER last night, but it was raining, and a class of wine sounded like a better idea. Maybe I could just go to sleep, wake up, and my foot would be happy again. OMG! When I stepped on it this morning, the pain was incredible. After a trip to the Fast ER, I am…

  • Seriously?

    Betty
    20 Jan 2010 | 5:09 am
    After TWO HOURS of encouraging :) my third grade grandson to do his homework, I have very little hair left. I believe that there is a smidgen left on the top of my head and maybe a little behind my ears. What on earth is happening here? Let's see. Vocabulary test, math test, required reading, and a word of the day crossword puzzle that was so small that I needed a magnifying glass to read the numbers. The math is just strange. After teaching sixth grade math for fifteen years, I felt pretty comfortable until I saw a subtraction problem that must be solved by adding up. Now, I don't know about…
 
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    Eric Stoller's Blog

  • ACPA wants us to Mingle

    Eric Stoller
    7 Feb 2010 | 9:15 pm
    Slightly hidden, due to a minuscule font size, within the recent ACPA eCommunity email update was an interesting question: “Are You Ready To Mingle?” Intrigued, I read the rest of the “mingle” text: Are You Ready To Mingle? Engage in real life social networking at the Boston 2010 Annual Convention. This new and innovative technology enables attendees to simply ‘click to connect’ at the event and then share their online profiles after the event. With over 4,500 ACPA members expected to attend the Annual Convention in Boston, the MingleStick may provide an…

  • The Student Affairs Collaborative blog

    Eric Stoller
    14 Jan 2010 | 7:05 pm
    The Student Affairs Collaborative blog is a popular multi-author Student Affairs site. The SA Blog, as it’s popularly referred to on Twitter, contains a lot of relevant student affairs reflections, polls and information from a variety of student affairs professionals. Yesterday, I was invited to be a member of the Student Affairs Collaborative blog. From now on, all of my posts that are tagged with “sachat” (short for Student Affairs Chat) will be auto-aggregated via RSS into the SA blog. This will be similar to how my current “higher-education” tagged posts get…

  • eduFire SuperPass giveaway

    Eric Stoller
    3 Jan 2010 | 2:34 pm
    Koichi, the Social Media Marketing Manager at eduFire and WordCamp PDX pal, recently sent me two free things: an eduFire t-shirt and a free month of eduFire SuperPass. While I am definitely going to keep the t-shirt, I have decided to give the free month of eduFire SuperPass to a randomly selected commenter on this post. All you have to do is post a comment. I will enter your name into a fancy random drawing Excel spreadsheet. Please note that commenting more than once will not increase your chance of winning the SuperPass. If you are a current eduFire student/instructor, I would love to read…

  • OSU furlough details

    Eric Stoller
    12 Dec 2009 | 7:04 pm
    The official OSU furlough numbers have arrived…here is the monthly furlough breakdown for 9-month and 12-month employees: 9-Month Employees Monthly Base Salary Rate at 1.0 FTE* Total Number of Furlough Days per Academic Year at 1.0 FTE** Total Number of Furlough Days for 1/1/10 to 6/15/10 at 1.0 FTE** Amount of Furlough Time Off Per Month for 1/1/10 to 6/30/10 at 1.0 FTE** $2,450 or less 3 days 1.83 days 2.66 hours $2,451 to $3,105 4.5 days 2.75 days 4 hours $3,106 to $5,733 5.25 days 3.2 days 4.66 hours $5,734 to $8,333 6 days 3.66 days 5.32 hours $8,334 to $10,934 7.5 days 4.57 days…

  • ACPA + NASPA + Student Affairs Technology

    Eric Stoller
    6 Dec 2009 | 2:44 pm
    ACPA recently sent out an email announcement calling for applications for the ACPA Technology Advisory Committee: The ACPA Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) is a member-driven advisory committee charged by the Executive Director of ACPA with developing the association’s long term Information Technology strategic plan and evaluating and recommending technology initiatives aimed at furthering the association’s strategic initiatives. In addition, the TAC is tasked with evaluating large-scale IT project requests to determine their applicability to long- and short-term association goals and,…
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    PTO Today Blog

  • Parent Groups in the News – Weekly Round-up

    Lisa Gundlach
    5 Feb 2010 | 11:12 am
    I continued to be inspired by the creative ways that parent groups raise money and/or create a sense of community at their schools. Here a few of my favorite event articles in the news this week: School Family Events: Enthusiasm is the key ingredient in this parent group-sponsored math night. PTO runs a fitness day where football rules. Creative PTO party animals set the stage for success. Teachers & parents with talent serve up plenty of inspiration at this school! Loved this PTA event that encourage middle schoolers to honor family history. And it always saddens me to post articles…

  • My Tip of the Week is Actually More of Question

    tsullivan
    4 Feb 2010 | 6:19 pm
    I have a question for you this week and figured you might also be interested in the results: Does your PTO or PTA or school organize community service efforts? Food drives, hat and mitten drives, holiday presents for the needy? That kind of stuff. I’m always impressed by the creative efforts of schools and parent groups when it comes to serving others. Would you mind sharing a quick snippet of what you do on our message boards? I bet you can get some new ideas for your own group from this thread, too. You might also like this article we ran a while back on a knitting project for…

  • A Green Thumb Challenge for Your School

    Lisa Gundlach
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:40 am
    courtesy of stock.xchng Just came across a really neat program called the Green Thumb Challenge, offered by the Green Education Foundation (GEF).  Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for parent groups, schools, and most importantly kids! The purpose of the challenge is to introduce kids across the country to the joys and healthy benefits of gardening. The program runs between February 1 and August 31, 2010 and has set the goal of 10,000 classroom and outdoor gardens. How cool is it to think of 10,000 schools and parent groups working together to teach their children more about nature,…

  • Parent Groups in the News- Weekly Round-up

    Lisa Gundlach
    29 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pm
    Well happy Friday PTO Today community! Can you believe that January is coming to an end? Felt like a fast month to me, how about you? When you live in New England, winter months flying by is a good thing. Here’s the news recap for this week: Found more great stories about schools and parent groups coming through for Haiti with creative ideas: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/darien/newsnow/x1920347013/Glenbard-schools-host-fundraisers-for-Haiti http://www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2010/01/29/news_update/252.txt…

  • Video blog: Back2School Program Show and Tell

    Lisa Gundlach
    28 Jan 2010 | 12:13 pm
    Tim talks about the 2010 Back2School Program and explains why parent group leaders should take advantage of this great opportunity to reach out and connect with parents at their schools.
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    Schoolfamily.com blog entries

  • What Does the Future Hold for Gifted Education?

    5 Feb 2010 | 1:14 pm
    We often hear from parents of children with high academic talent how difficult it is to advocate for their children and find the best gifted and talented resources.  That's why the latest news of President Obama's proposal to  eliminate the only federal program for gifted education is disconcerting. Tough economic times call for some very tough choices.  I guess when it comes to education there are no good cuts.  Given this latest news, it's more important than e Read more...

  • A Simple Card Game to Promote National Math Standards

    4 Feb 2010 | 10:27 pm
    “Roll for a Card” is a fun game that I have played with my own children and students to sharpen early learning skills. It's fun, easy, and takes about 15-20 minutes to play. Items Needed: One die from a pair of dice, and a deck of playing cards. (Use the cover design side of the cards, not the number side.) Players: One adult, one child, or up to fou Read more...

  • Improve Your Young Child's Drawing and Handwriting Skills

    28 Jan 2010 | 11:50 am
    In my last post I shared some simple activities that can help your young child improve cutting skills. Today's games are very effective in improving your child's drawing and handwriting skills. Fill a shirt-sized cardboard box top with sand or salt. (Don’t use sugar because your child might be tempted to eat it!) Have your child practice writing letters of the alphabet with her index finger, making sure to practice both uppercase and lowercase letters. Read more...

  • Healthy School Lunches: an Oxymoron?

    25 Jan 2010 | 7:07 pm
    Just came across this blog called "Fed-up: School Lunch Project" and was very intrigued. I've read with great interest countless articles about what parents are doing to reform school lunches, and how to have healthy school kids, but thought that this blog was unique. For starters, it's written by a teacher. &n Read more...

  • Simple Activities Can Improve Fine Motor Skills

    20 Jan 2010 | 6:53 pm
    Early school success is often based on the mechanics of a young child’s fine motor skills. These skills are needed for cutting, coloring, pasting and printing.In these next few weeks I’ll share some tips and activities that can help your child develop and streamline the fine motor skills needed to per Read more...
 
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    Education for Well-being

  • The Impossible Hamster

    admin
    2 Feb 2010 | 10:31 pm
    “Too big to fail.” That’s what we say these days when institutions, driven by myopia, greed, hubris, ignorance, and wishful thinking, become unsustainable. We bail them out for fear of making matters worse. “It’s a bad situation, but the alternative is worse”, goes the lament. Those that didn’t make bad decisions end up sharing in the loss. Failures are socialized. Profits are capitalized. Despite the complaints from many–especially those on the right– and a lot of press (and a recent book), this too big to fail concept seems to have no…

  • Jailbreak Your Learning: Video

    admin
    1 Feb 2010 | 5:19 pm
    The following video takes a look at who’s managing our learning in an age of rapid change, ubiquitous information, and social media. The inertia of hundreds of years of top-down, just-in-case instruction has proven difficult to redirect. Institutions, and the individuals they manage, continue to overvalue a top-down instructional model that was conceived in an era when information was scarce and access to expertise was difficult. Despite the tremendous variety of learning options being made available by social technologies, the idea that individuals should outsource their learning,…

  • From Bones to Smartphones: Information Tools Through the Ages

    admin
    26 Jan 2010 | 2:19 pm
    A Massively Multi-vennular Scattergram (Sorry about the name–couldn’t resist.) This graphic tries to illustrate how various technology layers have, over time*, allowed for the development of new information tools. The rate of tool development is growing exponentially, leaving many people and institutions confused, trying to catch-up, and wondering how to cope. Some organizations are making the most of these disruptive times, as are some individuals. Others are not and will soon become irrelevant. What will differentiate the winners from the losers? Not too long ago, an information…

  • Schools as Real Estate or Schools as Development

    admin
    24 Jan 2010 | 12:19 pm
    The research university will not survive the transition to knowledge based capitalism. Peter Drucker And many other interesting quotes from Richard Florida. Related Posts:Picture Says It AllFeedback that Lifts21 Steps to 21st Century Learning - Some Pull Quotes5ish Quotes - No. 2Myth Busted

  • Kinda Funny But Kinda Lame

    admin
    22 Jan 2010 | 11:25 am
    I’m torn. I guess we need to wait for HarvardOnline. Which will happen. Just a matter of time. Related Posts:Craig Venter on EducationNew Video. Mah or Meh?Lost GenerationWill Ferrell’s BestHelp Rock the Vote
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    The Core Knowledge Blog

  • Assumptive Teaching

    Robert Pondiscio
    9 Feb 2010 | 4:28 am
    Karin Chenoweth visited two large, suburban high schools recently, both serving significant numbers of middle-class and working-class African-American families.  Chenoweth, the author of How It’s Being Done: Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools, explains that at both schools, there’s been a lot of “assumptive teaching” going on.  That means …teachers assume a great deal of background knowledge [...]

  • The Rest of the Story

    Robert Pondiscio
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:55 am
    A little late to its own party, the Washington Post’s ombudsman explains what happened behind the scenes in the Turquemada incident.

  • 100 Years of Solipsism

    Robert Pondiscio
    8 Feb 2010 | 6:54 am
    There is a significant shortcoming in Susan Engel’s much-discussed and widely lauded vision of what children should do in school all day, writes Dan Willingham at the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog, and it’s that content is never mentioned.  “It’s all about process—reading is a skill, science is all about observing and finding patterns, and so on,” [...]

  • “Let’s Eat Grandma!”

    Robert Pondiscio
    5 Feb 2010 | 6:32 am
    No, “Let’s Eat, Grandma!”  Punctuation saves lives.  Brilliant.

  • Suing Over Curriculum

    Robert Pondiscio
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:41 am
    A judge in Washington State has rejected Seattle’s high school math curriculum and ordered schools to consider alternatives.  A district-wide curriculum called “Discovering Math” was adoped last year.  But two parents and a University of Washington professor went to court  to overturn the School Board’s decision.  Remarkably, they won.  The court ruled “there is insufficient evidence for [...]
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    Recorded Books K-12 Blog

  • January Blog Contest Winner

    recordedbooks
    1 Feb 2010 | 12:16 pm
    Congratulations to the January blog contest winner, Kurt Johnson! If you haven’t yet, be sure to go back and read his comment, about a weekend where he and his son enjoyed Washington D.C. institution Ben’s Chili Bowl and got a civil rights lesson along with their half-smokes. We didn’t have our usual number of entries last month—we hope it’s because you’re still recovering from the holidays! We’re taking some time off from the blog contest this month because we’re working on the 2010 annual catalog. Stay tuned to the blog and the twitter feed for…

  • Katherine Paterson: “Read out loud!”

    recordedbooks
    26 Jan 2010 | 4:16 am
    After reading the New York Times piece “New Envoy’s Old Advice for Children—Read More” this morning, I was glad to see that the newly named and soon-to-be-crowned National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Katherine Paterson encourages parents to read aloud to their children. Long-touted as a tool for reading readiness, reading aloud to children at least three times a week has been shown to help children identify letter-sound relationships, have sight-word recognition, and understand words in context (Denton and West, 2002). The 1985 Report of the Commission…

  • Send us your audiobook tips and you could be featured!

    recordedbooks
    8 Jan 2010 | 4:08 am
    First of all, don’t forget to enter our January contest to win a free audiobook! We’re currently hard at work on the 2010 Recorded Books K-12 catalog, and we love including stories and testimonials from our customers. If you use audiobooks in your classroom or school, send us a quick statement telling us what you think of them. We don’t need anything too fancy—just jot down your experiences with audiobooks and send them our way via email, blog comment, or twitter. Some ideas: 1. Share a story about a particular student who has shown improvement since being introduced to…

  • Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

    recordedbooks
    6 Jan 2010 | 8:24 am
    Hans Christian Andersen Medal and Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Paterson has been named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, replacing previous ambassador Jon Scieszka. Paterson has chosen “Read for Life” as her platform and will serve a two-year term as ambassador. Recorded Books is proud to offer 12 of Paterson’s works on audiobook, including Newbery Medal winner Bridge to Terabithia. Also be sure to check out our free lesson plans (both part 1 and part 2) and audiobook excerpts for the book.

  • January Blog Contest

    recordedbooks
    4 Jan 2010 | 3:53 am
    After taking a month off, we’re back to start off 2010 with a blog contest! We perused the list of holidays celebrated in January. So many good options! Should we celebrate Peculiar People Day (January 10)? Penguin Awareness Day (January 20)? Squirrel Appreciation Day (January 21)? National Corn Chip Day (January 29)? It was a tough call, but in the end we decided to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 18, 2010). To celebrate King’s message of peace and nonviolent activism, we’re giving away an audiobook about another, earlier peaceful protester, Rosa Parks. I Am…
 
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    Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

  • Trivia Tuesday: Honor Codes at Tuck, Yale SOM and Duke/Fuqua

    Clear Admit
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:50 pm
    Business ethics have been front page news for much of this decade. One way that business schools build ethical standards into their programs is through adopting school-wide honor codes that provide guidelines for student behavior. Although many schools have such codes, today we’ll examine the approaches taken by Tuck, Yale SOM, and Duke/Fuqua. At Tuck, all students agree to abide by an Academic Honor Principle that emphasizes honesty and integrity both inside and outside the classroom. Closed-book mid-term and final exams are often unproctored or given as take-home tests, and students are…

  • GMAC Survey Shows Encouraging Job Statistics for Recent MBA Grads

    Clear Admit
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am
    The majority of last year’s MBA graduates accepted job offers within a few months of finishing school despite the tight labor market, according to a recent report from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC). Results from GMAC’s semi-annual Alumni Perspectives Survey, released last week, showed that three-quarters of survey respondents who graduated from full-time MBA programs in 2009 had a job by September 2009, when the survey was conducted. Meanwhile, a whopping 96 percent of survey participants who completed part-time MBA programs in 2009 reported having jobs by September,…

  • Admissions Tip: Waitlist Correspondence

    Clear Admit
    7 Feb 2010 | 11:32 pm
    In addition to actively evaluating the applications of Round Two applicants at this time of year, many top programs revisit their Round One waitlists and consider the strength of those individuals with respect to the new information about the pool. While schools vary in their receptivity to correspondence from applicants, those programs that do welcome additional materials offer a great chance for waitlisted candidates to reaffirm their interest in the school and keep themselves fresh in the mind of the adcom. With the notification dates for a number of second round schools coming up in a…

  • GMAT Tip: How to Analyze a Critical Reasoning Question

    Clear Admit
    6 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am
    Today’s GMAT tip comes from our friends at test prep firm ManhattanGMAT. In this article, ManhattanGMAT instructor Stacey Koprince offers advice on Critical Reasoning problems: This week, we’re going to discuss how to analyze and master a particular GMATPrep® Critical Reasoning problem. First, set your timer for 2 minutes and try this GMATPrep® problem: “Because no employee wants to be associated with bad news in the eyes of a superior, information about serious problems at lower levels is progressively softened and distorted as it goes up each step in the management hierarchy. The…

  • Good News About Job Prospects on Business School Campuses

    Clear Admit
    5 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am
    After two tough years, it seems like job prospects may be getting a little better for this year’s graduating class of MBAs. In a blog post Monday, the dean of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas shared that he’s seeing an up-tick in recruiter visits for the school’s spring Career Expo. And according to a report yesterday in Bloomberg News, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School also sees job prospects improving this spring. Thomas Gilligan, dean of UT’s McCombs School of Business, shared some promising news in a post to the school’s blog earlier this…
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    DoE: Dave on ED

  • Math Anxiety Epidemic

    Dave Saba
    26 Jan 2010 | 8:44 am
    What spreads faster then H1N1 in elementary schools now? According to an article in Business Week entitled Female Teachers Pass on Math Anxieties it is a fear of math. read more

  • Race to the Top

    Dave Saba
    22 Jan 2010 | 2:03 pm
    I decided to spend my Friday afternoon reading through some Race to the Top applications. I focused on states where ABCTE is accepted as a TRUE alternative route to teacher certification and read through Pennsylvania, Florida and Oklahoma. First - this was a TON OF WORK for these states and the people that put these together must have spent some very long hours getting it done. Second - these states proudly mention ABCTE is a route to certification and they meet the point requirements of Race to the Top! Yay us!!read more

  • Toothless Redux

    Dave Saba
    20 Jan 2010 | 1:12 pm
    Joanne Jacobs writes up some of Andy Smarick’s great work in her Show me the reform blog. Andy sees a lot of toothless reforms in Race to the Top and Joe Williams over at DFER thinks that NYC just blew chunks. They are right on the money, so to speak and it is a case of history repeating itself.read more

  • Education Shift

    Dave Saba
    19 Jan 2010 | 7:53 am
    The political divisions in education continue to erode in this new era. With Race to the Top forcing more states to adopt progressive education reform initiatives, party lines are getting blurry. ABCTE was once known as an education reform pushed by the right and opposed by the left. No more. In the past year we have had Democratic legislators introduce bills on behalf of ABCTE and now two different Democratic Governors have issued proclamations supporting ABCTE’s efforts at teacher recruitment.read more

  • Substitute Teaching creates the lost year

    Dave Saba
    14 Jan 2010 | 12:49 pm
    There is an outstanding op ed by Carolyn Bucior in the New York times on substitute teaching. it is outstanding because the facts are just incredible and it is extremely well written by someone who is has been a substitute teacher for years. So let’s review the facts: 77% of school districts give no training to substitute teachers at all - throw 'em in and hope for the bestread more
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    nashworld

  • The Extended Value of Classroom Networks

    nashworld
    5 Feb 2010 | 1:19 pm
    Connected An interesting thing happened on the way home from Educon 2.2 last Sunday night.  Walking through the terminal and against my exhaustion, I reflexively checked my mail.  Lazy eyes lifted open, I flicked my thumb scrolling… trolling for a demand of action.   I’m hyper-connected.  I pay for it.  And yet, I’m a better teacher and leader because of it.  Cutting to the chase, here is the simple, yet interesting email I received: Background Here are the things you must know/appreciate/love about the aforementioned interaction… Principles of Biology is the…

  • Is This a Sluggish Strategy?

    nashworld
    18 Jan 2010 | 12:18 pm
    The following verse was created in response to and in reflection on the following mass-media story:  Sea Slug Surprise: It’s half-plant, half-animal.  Overall, this post starts with a bit of participation and play, continues with the story of how the “Sci-Po” fun began, how I gave it a shot in the classroom, and why this sort of thinking matters.  It then ends with a few specific resources for biology teachers. Is this a sluggish strategy? Thieving genes seems crazy to me When seeking food in the mighty sea. It doesn’t take a Phd To locate a parcel of green algae. And…

  • Making Friends With Failure

    nashworld
    10 Jan 2010 | 9:33 pm
    Expectations So here’s the setup… today’s Daily Shoot challenge was to capture a silhouette of some sort.  My plan from the warm confines of my living room this afternoon? =>  Turn it around a bit.  Grab that copper likeness of the sun from a nearby wall, take it to the river with me and my little girl, and have her hold it out at arm’s length, directly in front of the sun… thereby creating a silhouette of the sun… by the sun. I’m here to tell you that it didn’t work out as smoothly as I had thought it might.  My near-three-year old…

  • Decisions: The Currency of Educational Action

    nashworld
    31 Dec 2009 | 2:29 pm
    Choices… decisions… education. Three simple words deeply embedded within my world. For years I have been amazed while reflecting on the cascade of decisions a teacher makes in even one class period with a typical group of 20 or so students. I felt compelled to ponder this subject a bit more after reading Dr. Dial’s recent blog post “Making choices through an educational lens” Teacher Decisions The number of seemingly-small choices and decisions a teacher makes -in planning and on the fly- would melt the minds of many. I would further suggest that the more a…

  • Growing a Tree of Professional Development

    nashworld
    16 Dec 2009 | 9:47 am
    Arboreal aspirations? During a time of the year when perhaps sugarplums should be dancing in my head, I seem to be conjuring trees.  More precisely-  massive, skyward-reaching, luxurious and well-rooted trees.  I can’t seem to keep from dwelling in the metaphor of a tree as it relates to a professional development plan.  My school, and most recently my district, have been hurtling down the path of a 1:1 laptop implementation in the near future.  As an instructional coach in the school that is essentially leading the way down that path, I have spent a great deal of time spearheading…
 
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    Teaching College English

  • Tip 44: Mid Semester Review

    Dr Davis
    7 Feb 2010 | 4:57 am
    For the future, have you considered doing a mid-semester review by which your students can give feedback on what is going well and not so well in the class? These tend to improve your end-of-semester evaluations for at least two reasons: 1. You can make some changes mid-semester that actually improve student learning. 2. Students feel that you have listened to them and thus will rate you higher. I know it sounds like a fluff exercise, but in a few cases, I had no idea that some issues were really hindering student learning. I made some changes that did not affect the integrity of the course,…

  • Want to Cringe over Interviews?

    Dr Davis
    7 Feb 2010 | 4:50 am
    9 MLA Interviews is quite a melange of disasters. It’s all in good fun, though, since it is not actual interview disasters, but rather the worst of the interviewee examples.

  • What to do with a Good Student Paper

    Dr Davis
    6 Feb 2010 | 4:47 am
    The Chronicle has an article about Student Pulse an academic journal for students. The students get paid for every view of their article. (Or perhaps every 1000 views of their article?) So, if you were wondering what to do with a good student paper, possibly Student Pulsemight be a good idea.

  • A New Core Curriculum

    Dr Davis
    6 Feb 2010 | 4:33 am
    Two of the colleges I have taught at are revising their core curriculums substantially right now. Because of that, an article caught my attention. My own immodest proposal models a core curriculum that centrally includes critical thinking about, and analysis and practice of, public rhetoric, at the local, national, and international levels. Far from being a radical proposal, it is a conservative one in returning to something like the 18th-century rhetoric-based curriculum in American education. That curriculum, as the historian of rhetoric S. Michael Halloran describes it, “address[ed]…

  • Getting Published: Advice from Higher Up the Food Chain

    Dr Davis
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:46 am
    ProfHacker discusses the two approaches to being published, the traditional years-long approach and the “down and dirty” article. As I reached the last year before submitting my application for tenure and promotion, a senior member of my department told me I should get a down-and-dirty article out. He said I should take something from the past that was already pretty much written and just get it out so I’d have something else in submission. He said I shouldn’t spend too much time on it but should just clean it up and get it out. In June 2008, I pulled up the file for an…
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    There is No One Right Answer

  • Media Use Among Children and Teens

    27 Jan 2010 | 4:01 pm
    If I were to ask you how much time per day children and teens spend with various media - computers, televisions, video games, etc - what would you say?Would you imagine it is more time than young people spend in a school on any given day?In a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation called GENERATION M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds (January 2010) they found that young people spend 7.5 hours per day engaging with various media - but because of multi-tasking they pack 10.75 hours of stuff into that 7. 5 hours (and that's every single day). And that's the average! 11-14 year…

  • The Future of Business Education

    27 Jan 2010 | 1:37 pm
    If you haven't already seen it I posted a blog post on our main blog about the Future of Business Education. This post was inspired by a video interview by the McKinsey Consulting firm of Blair Sheppard, dean of Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. As the dean of the school he's feeling like business schools need to change to provide a different and better product for a new era.Check out the post athttp://www.innovationlabs.com/2010/01/future-of-business-education/and let me know what you think. Will business schools be able to make the necessary changes to not only keep up with the…

  • The Best Platform for School Portfolios

    12 Nov 2009 | 6:18 pm
    Over the last few weeks I've been working with several clients focused on Career and Technical Education. One of the projects involved helping State Directors of CTE craft a vision and a set of principles to guide development of CTE into the future. The other project focused on helping one state understand and define for themselves what it means to be 'college and career ready' (a new jargon that is getting more and more focus and will possibly be made into policy nationwide.During these sessions, as has been the case for more than 10 years now, there was considerable conversation about the…

  • School Violence - Painful Lessons

    12 Oct 2009 | 6:25 pm
    It might seem that I have a negative attitude about schools and schooling. I can understand how it might seem that way since much of what I write about seems to lean in a specific direction. I'd like to offer another perspective or another possible way of seeing the things I write about. In much of what I write about I am advocating for examining our thinking about why schools exist and trying to understand a little more about what we do in schools and schooling. I am not doing this from an academic perspective. I am a concerned citizen that would like the best for each and every young person…

  • A Must See Video - Making Schools the Nexus of Community Activity

    28 Sep 2009 | 6:21 pm
    This link below is a must see video by an architect that designs schools. This is one of the best and most understated presentations I've ever seen about the possibilities for redesigning schools to be integrated into the community and a 'nexus' of activity.http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/mpstudy/movies/movie3.htmlHe describes something that is actually a great opportunity - some day - to do an invitational design process with experts from different domains in a community. He calls it a NEXUS development team with experts in 6 domains (that make up a community). He defines something amazingly…
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    EurakAlert!: Education

  • Frank Semcer is first to be honored with Stevens' Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

    4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    (Stevens Institute of Technology) In recognition of his pioneering vision and business savvy, Micro Stamping chairman Frank Semcer will be the first recipient of Stevens Institute of Technology's newly created Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

  • Informatics experts contribute to special Health Affairs edition on e-health in the developing world

    4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    (American Medical Informatics Association) Five articles, whose lead or senior authors are nationally known informatics leaders and members of the American Medical Informatics Association, appear in the February 2010 issue of Health Affairs and provide a glimpse into the future of health care delivery in an increasingly information-driven era of health care in the developing world.

  • Rice physicists kill cancer with 'nanobubbles'

    3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    (Rice University) Scientists at Rice University have discovered a way to use lasers and nanoparticles to identify and treat individual diseased cells with tiny vapor "nanobubbles." In research published in the journal Nanotechnology, the scientists described how to use the method to explode nanobubbles and kill cancer cells. In laboratory tests, they showed they could tune these nanobubbles for "theranostics," a combined approach that melds diagnosis and treatment into a single procedure.

  • Economist's study finds that immigration doesn't threaten US-born students' chances at college

    3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    (Kansas State University) Evaluating students' Scholastic Aptitude Test scores over seven years, a K-State economist concluded that US-born students' scores weren't negatively affected by immigration and their chances of applying to a top college weren't diminished.

  • Nano imagining takes turn for the better

    2 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm
    (Rice University) Stephan Link wants to understand how nanomaterials align, and his lab's latest work is a step in the right direction. Link's Rice University group has found a way to use gold nanorods as orientation sensors by combining their plasmonic properties with polarization imaging techniques.
 
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    Mark it Right

  • A podcast for translators

    delightedscribbler
    5 Feb 2010 | 1:06 pm
    A fellow translator and twitter friend, Celine, tweeted a link to a podcast on  free and open source software for translators.Well, I had a listen and decided to subscribe. The podcast is Speaking of Translation and the hosts are Eve Bodeux and Corinne McKay. I don’t know them, but I’m glad to have found their show. It’s useful. It looks like they’ve just started–this is their 6th episode. It lasts about 25 minutes. Here are some titles to give you an idea of what they talk about. Episode 6 – Free and Open Source Software for Translators Episode 5 –…

  • Updates on useful links

    delightedscribbler
    20 Dec 2009 | 2:21 pm
    Here are a few new additions to the Useful tab: I’ve added a link to the reference material section called Technical English Spanish vocabulary. It’s great for engineering specs and the like. There’s also a new category for tools with a word count site that works for PDF, HTML, XML, CSV, and text files. If you have useful links to share, let us know in the comments!

  • English-Spanish Dictionary

    delightedscribbler
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:53 pm
    How in the world do you say that? James Reed has gotten a hold of a sizable English-Spanish dictionary of business, technological, and legal terminology. It’s a PDF, so everyone should be able to download it easily. Buy it here. It’s a  2,545 page dictionary by Jaime Aguirre, each page with four columns. This dictionary is not kidding! It’s now part of my arsenal. Oh, and before anyone asks, no one asked me to post this, nor is this an affiliate link. I receive nothing at all in return–that’s the sort of thing I would disclose to you. This link is posted as a…

  • Fanny pack or bum bag?

    delightedscribbler
    12 Oct 2009 | 4:30 am
    by Anna Lamont Now I thought that bum bags (fanny packs) had gone out with the Ark, but lately I’ve seen all manner of reference to them by perturbed Americans who have come to realise that in Britian, ‘fanny pack’ is not something to be said in public (and if said in polite company may cause an elderly aunt to faint quite away). Relax, dearest cousins. If you wish to wear one whilst in Blighty, just call it a bag. “Where’s the camera, dear?” “It’s here, dear, in my bag”. There! Problem solved. Right, now we can all relax. But the subject of stowage is fraught with…

  • The 411 on Business Networking – MIR discount!

    delightedscribbler
    28 Sep 2009 | 2:48 pm
    It’s official. As of a few minutes ago, The 411 on Business Networking is available. I’m rather excited. So far, the feedback from my test readers is positive. They’re using words like “fun”, “easy to digest”, and “quick reference” to describe it. You guys are going to like it. About the most common word by both readers and editors has been “useful.” This word makes me the happiest. The idea is to make networking easy, effective, and painless. As promised, Mark it Right readers get a big discount: 40% off. Here’s your…
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    International Higher Education Consulting

  • What should I research for my dissertation?

    8 Feb 2010 | 10:36 am
    After 3.5 years of night classes in downtown Chicago and then reading for and writing my comprehensive examinations (all while working full-time and having one then two and now three kids) I have been at the dissertation proposal stage for sometime now. However, I changed my topic a little over a year ago because I turned into a chapter entitled “Qualitative Standards and Learning Outcomes for Study Abroad” for the upcoming book A History of Study Abroad: 1965 to Presentto be published in March 2010 by Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad (I believe that everyone…

  • Video of the Week - American Education Abroad at WACDC

    5 Feb 2010 | 8:55 pm
    For this video of the week I selected this April 1, 2008 panel discussion hosted by the World Affairs Council in WashingtonD.C.I think it is a great discussion on international educational exchanges and public diplomacy and I recommend scheduling time to watch it.Please note that it runs one hour and twenty-five minutes so plan accordingly.I have copied and pasted the video description below: In the face of growing negative global opinion, international views of American education may hold a key in improving US diplomatic relationships by fostering better understanding between the US and…

  • USCCD Online Database of Non-Profit U.S. Citizen Diplomacy Organizations now over 1,000 Resources

    4 Feb 2010 | 10:02 am
    The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD) announced the launch of a comprehensive expansion of resources and search capabilities for their online database of non-profit U.S. Citizen Diplomacy organizations. Their database now has over 1,000 resources and has grown over 300% from last year!Check out the database and put it on the radar of those who you think will be interested.This is the first IHEC Blog post about the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy in 2010 but it will not be the last. Great things are happening in Des Moines, Iowa so stay tuned! Rather than hear about all of the great…

  • Emergency Assistance for Haitian Students on U.S. Campuses

    3 Feb 2010 | 10:07 am
    Last week, the Institute of International Education (IIE) announced that they will provide emergency grants to Haitian students studying in the United States. The Haiti-EAS (Emergency Assistance for Students) is available to provide grants up to $2,000 to Haitian students who are experiencing “serious financial difficulties due to the recent tragedy in their home country. Nomination forms should be submitted to IIE by February 12, 2010.U.S. campus administrators can learn more about this generous support for their Haitian student population at www.iie.org/HaitiEASPhoto credit: ChrisM70

  • IHEC Blog nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010

    2 Feb 2010 | 9:24 am
    Yesterday I received news that IHEC Blog was nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010 competition held by Lexiophiles and bab.la. Voting is open through February 14th so if you have a few free minutes between now and the end of voting period please take a few (maybe several) to look at the various nominated blogs and cast your vote hereAdditionally, you may find my other website/blog International Education Blogs & News (IEB&N) to be of interest. You can access IEB&N here.
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    Copy / Paste by Peter Pappas

  • Treading Water in a Swelling Sea of Information

    Peter Pappas
    2 Feb 2010 | 9:49 am
    You are awash in information. It's easy to deal with the other cheap stuff you bought and no longer want. Just look at all those T-shirts in the back of your closet. Consuming information is different. It competes for your limited attention, and your ability to critically filter out unwanted "informational noise" is emerging as a new literacy.

  • Shouldn't Staff Development Model What We Want to See in the Classroom?

    Peter Pappas
    25 Jan 2010 | 4:02 pm
    Recently I was asked to return to work with a group of high school teachers who were in their first year of transition to teaching in a block schedule. I thought the best approach was to model it in a typical block format with three different activities that demonstrated real-time transitions in an 80 minute block.

  • Fiction is a Lie that Tells the Truth: Reflections on Life and Literature

    Peter Pappas
    16 Jan 2010 | 12:36 pm
    Serious fiction is a lie that tells the truth. Fiction can introduce you into the lies and truths of other people's minds and hearts, to your own country and time, or strange, foreign places and other eras, into the most public forums and the most private scenes of human intimacy; it can make you see, hear, feel, love, hate, forgive, judge, understand, and yet not be bound by the consequences of all those activities, though you are there as a participant-observer in the most personal and informed ways.

  • The Reflective Principal: A Taxonomy of Reflection (Part IV)

    Peter Pappas
    7 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am
    Part IV of IV: The Reflective Principal. In an effort to help schools become more reflective learning environments, I've developed this "Taxonomy of Reflection." - modeled on Bloom's approach. It's posted in four installments and includes reflective guides for students, teacher and principals.

  • The Reflective Teacher: A Taxonomy of Reflection (Part III)

    Peter Pappas
    6 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am
    Part III of IV: The Reflective Teacher. In an effort to help schools become more reflective learning environments, I've developed this "Taxonomy of Reflection." - modeled on Bloom's approach. It's posted in four installments and includes reflective guides for students, teacher and principals.
 
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    School Climate Blog

  • Upstander Videos

    lnaefe@csee.net
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:57 am
    In Fall 2009, CSEE launched the Stand Up to Bullying Video Contest as the first guided activity of the BullyBust Partner School Program. This activity was designed to help educators and administrators develop school-wide awareness of bullying behavior and to empower students and adults to stand up for themselves and others. By working with students in small groups to develop brief video announcements, schools used this activity to build a shared understanding of how school life should be and to introduce students to upstander behavior in a way that was fun, easy and participatory. The school…

  • Making Change at the District-Level

    lnaefe@csee.net
    8 Feb 2010 | 6:26 am
    How do you focus on improving school climate from the district level? Our next newsletter shares guidelines, best practices, stories from the field, funding opportunities, and additional resources to help administrators begin planning for school climate improvement.In the meantime, here are resources from CSEE to start the conversation: School Climate District Guide: The district guide is designed to support district policymakers and education leaders plan and implement improvement initiatives. It contains an overview of research and information about quality practices, policy options and…

  • Free Download: School Climate Podcast

    lnaefe@csee.net
    4 Feb 2010 | 8:25 am
    How can your school or district develop a positive school climate that fosters teaching, learning, and the development of the whole child? ASCD Whole Child’s new podcast asks this question and connects you with practical next steps: Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save] Listen to Dr. Jonathan Cohen, President of CSEE and co-chair of the National School Climate Council,  and Marvin Kreps, director of Curriculum and Instruction for Rhinebeck (N.Y.) Central School District, discuss how school climate standards can help educators and communities improve the quality and character of…

  • Survey on Classroom Violence Directed Against Teachers

    lnaefe@csee.net
    3 Feb 2010 | 8:04 am
    The Center for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE) at the American Psychological Association (APA) is requesting educator participation in a survey concerning classroom violence directed against teachers. After completing the survey, you’ll receive a brochure outlining prevention and intervention strategies related to violence in the classroom. Click here to begin the survey. The survey was developed by a panel of experts appointed by APA and is designed to elicit the attributions and reactions you have surrounding your past or current experiences. The outcomes will further the…

  • School Climate Podcast: Developing the Quality and Character of School Life

    lnaefe@csee.net
    2 Feb 2010 | 11:56 am
    This month’s Whole Child podcast is one you will not want to miss: School Climate: Developing the Quality and Character of School LifeThursday, February 4th: Stream or Download the Podcast Here Dr. Jonathan Cohen, president of the Center for Social and Emotional Education and cochair of the National School Climate Council, and Marvin Kreps, director of Curriculum and Instruction at Rhinebeck Central (N.Y.) School District, will discuss how school climate standards can help educators and communities improve the quality and character of school life. Learn more about the podcast here at Whole…
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    New Globals

  • Uruguay Farm Photo #15: Man vs Ants (Ants Win)

    Maya
    9 Feb 2010 | 4:39 am
    We are learning about the flora and fauna of Uruguay.  Here are this week’s lessons: 1) When it rains for days, the underground ants rise to the surface, making piles of dirt that look like gophers attacked your lawn overnight. 2)  Do not go near these piles of dirt wearing Crocs–fake or real. 3)  When pouring boiling water on fire ant hills (as recommended online), remember that ants can run. 4) When dumping clumps of ants in pond for potential food for frogs/birds, keep in mind that some ants swim very, very well. 5)  When you try to outsmart ants outside, they will seek…

  • Uruguay Farm Photo #14: Frog in Mehari

    Maya
    8 Feb 2010 | 12:51 pm
    It’s been raining like crazy for the past couple of days.  We’ve had frogs in our house.  And thanks to parking next to the frog pond, we’ve had frogs in our car.  This one looked like he was going to make a jump, but he rode all the way to town.  Couldn’t find him when we returned.  I wish him well in his new life in Rosario.

  • Uruguay Farm Photo #13: Storm Cloud Over Clothesline

    Maya
    28 Jan 2010 | 12:05 pm
    One fun thing about living in the wide open spaces is that you can watch the weather coming from miles away.  Here’s a threatening storm cloud that blew in the other day.  (Didn’t get any rain from it.)

  • Uruguay Farm Photo #12: Sunrise Over Meadow

    Maya
    28 Jan 2010 | 4:11 am
    Most mornings, we’re up before the sun and sipping coffee while listening to the birds.  Nice way to start the day.

  • Uruguay Farm Photo #11: Sunset

    Maya
    16 Jan 2010 | 4:01 am
    Every night, we eat outdoors while listening to the frogs and watching the sunset.  A beautiful way to end the day.
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    Spinning A Learning Web

  • Lines-learning just got cooler: another tool for iPhone toting actors

    Kate Foy
    4 Feb 2010 | 12:26 am
    I’m not all that keen on the name of this handy little iPhone app: ‘Hollywood Helper – Broadway Buddy’ – yuk!   ‘Lines Coach’ is plain, but it might well have served for an application that helps you to learn lines without your script, and which also understands how most actors work with pencil and paper.  HH/BB also takes a familar approach to lines-learning as action through intention. Despite my quibbles on the name, I like it very much and suspect that an acting coach worked with the developers to bring it to the iPhone.  The nice people who…

  • Group or Page: What’s best on Facebook for an arts company?

    Kate Foy
    1 Feb 2010 | 10:44 pm
    Image by See-ming Lee ??? SML via Flickr I’ve been a fan for a long time of the blog/website as the hub of an individual’s or a group’s digital world.  Couple a blog with various outlier social networking applications like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and so on, and you expand your outreach.  Not everyone uses social networking, though with over half a million signing up every day for Facebook, that most ubiquitous of apps, it’s kind of hard to believe. Nowadays with the gradual federation of apps and services ‘talking’ to one another, it’s possible to…

  • From Custodian to Curator – the challenge for the digital age

    Kate Foy
    22 Jan 2010 | 6:30 pm
    I was a conference delegate last month at the Apple University Consortium’s 2009 Create World Conference.  Justin Macdonnell, a keynote presenter put some nicely provocative issues to the floor of digital arts creatives and creative arts academics gathered at Griffith University in Brisbane. Justin’s keynote, ‘In the Absence of Criticism’ revolved around a couple of questions.  Firstly, in an increasingly web-based world how can we ensure our ‘repository’ of arts-related digital materials are looked after and curated adequately? He was concerned…
 
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    Free Technology for Teachers

  • Wikipedia in the Classroom, David Warlick's Comments

    9 Feb 2010 | 3:08 am
    Yesterday, I published a post titled Textbooks, Wikipedia, and Primary Source Research. That post generated some responses that somewhat surprised me. A few readers told me that their schools either block Wikipedia or have policies that don't allow students to use Wikipedia. These comments and emails reminded me of a video of a David Warlick presentation from late 2008. In the video (embedded below) around the 45 minute mark, David was taking questions from the audience and one of the audience members asked about Wikipedia. The audience member brought up all of the common complaints about…

  • Physics 4 Kids

    8 Feb 2010 | 5:54 pm
    Rader has been producing useful self-study lessons and quizzes for kids for quite a while. Many readers have probably seen this Rader before, but it's worthwhile to post for the benefit of those who aren't familiar with Rader's offerings. Physics 4 Kids is one five collections of science resources for kids produced by Rader.Rader's Physics 4 Kids is part of a series of Rader's 4 Kids lessons about science. Physics 4 Kids takes students on tours of different sub-topics of physics. After each stop on the tour there is a quiz that students can take to test their understanding of each topic.

  • Study Guides for Black History Month

    8 Feb 2010 | 5:40 pm
    Shmoop, a study-guide provider that I've mentioned in a few other posts, recently published a list of 47 study guides for Black History Month. If you're still looking for resources for Black History Month, Shmoop's list is a good place to look. In addition to guides for English and history you will find resources for teaching with music.

  • Five Good Places to Find Math Tutorial Videos

    8 Feb 2010 | 2:44 pm
    When I was a middle school and high school student, mathematics was the one subject for which I had to have visual demonstrations in order to comprehend its concepts. Unfortunately for me, when I was in high school I couldn't just jump on the Internet to find mathematics tutorial videos as today's students can. The following are five places that students can find free mathematics tutorial videos. Math A Tube is a compilation of videos from a variety of users and other websites. Videos are categorized by mathematics topics and sub-topics. The videos demonstrate everything from basic addition…

  • Visualizing President Obama's Budget Proposal

    8 Feb 2010 | 1:41 pm
    The New York Times has an interactive infographic of President Obama's 2011 budget proposal that depicts the various parts of the proposal in comparison to each other. The portions of the budget that are the largest, occupy the largest section of the graphic. Place your mouse pointer over any section of the graphic to reveal the numbers for the subsections of each portion of the budget. You can also compare the 2011 budget proposal with the 2010 budget.Hat tip to Cool Infographics.Applications for EducationIf US current events are a part of your curriculum, the US budget is probably going to…
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    doug - off the record

  • Feeling Good and Bad

    dougpete
    9 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am
    I had kind of mixed feelings of being incredibly flighty within the past week.  I know that it’s a trait of myself and I admit it openly.  I like to explore and I’m often abandoning ship on one piece of technology whether it be hardware or software.  I find it really euphoric to find something new that has the potential for changing the way that I do things.  I’m always on the hunt for something new with the potential of making me more productive or to give me deeper insights to an existing practice. A few years ago, I really clued in on the message from Dr. Elliot…

  • links for 2010-02-08

    dougpete
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm
    Habits of the Heart: Human Body Gallery Guide: This is a guide to the activities and displays you will find at the Human Body Gallery at the museum. Click on the numbers to see images and a short description of each of the topics (tags: body heart lungs videos lessons lessonplans) Math Playground How to do almost anything in Math (tags: playground math) Pino – twitter client – Downloads A Linux Twitter client. (tags: twitter pino web2.0 linux) Formulas for Excel Some ideas for calculations in Excel (tags: formulas Excel calculations calculate) 10 Answers You Should Know Before…

  • Digital Story Telling

    dougpete
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:10 am
    The big game has come and gone.  The game was pretty exciting and there was a deja vu moment for Vikings fans when we saw an interception by the Saints to put the brakes on an Indianapolis drive.  It’s a definite that a single play doesn’t make or break an entire game but an interception sure lets the air out of a rally. For many, the big thing was watching the commercials.  As I indicated yesterday, for many Canadians, watching the US commercials is not an option as CTV has its own broadcast rights for the game.  But, living this close to the US border opens options for us,…

  • links for 2010-02-07

    dougpete
    7 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm
    8 Reasons to Wake Up Earlier : COED Magazine 8 Reasons to Wake Up Earlier (tags: improvement work better) Digital Storytelling Tools for Educators by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano in Education This guide was written especially for educators, who want to teach 21st century skills, such as collaborating, communicating, and connecting, through digital storytelling (tags: storytelling books creating) Online Stopwatch/Timer The perfect online stopwatch (tags: stopwatch_timer clock timer) Home A cool threeD realtime avatar buildier. (tags: home 3d avatar online) Mocklinkr Make your life easier and…

  • Super Bowl Sunday

    dougpete
    7 Feb 2010 | 4:23 am
    As I write this entry, there are about 12 hours to go until kickoff.  It’s a huge media day if you’re into media and understanding all that’s going into things.  In fact, in so many ways, it seems like the game itself is secondary to everything else.  Most definitely, the game lost much of its appeal for me when the Minnesota Vikings were eliminated but I’ll still be glued to watching the game.  This old offensive coordinator is looking for a really close, high scoring game.  I’m not a fan of either team but have a real appreciation for Payton Manning’s ability to read a…
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    Recess Duty

  • Free App A Day

    recessduty
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:26 am
    Description: Free App A Day is a website that sponsors ONE app each day on the iTunes store to become FREE in price. Implementation: As most of the apps are games, I have accumulated some, SPRING FLING  and  COMPRESSION , that will be used on incentive days for students who are done with all their work.  Some of these games really are thought provoking and makes kids react to tasks that need to be accomplished. There NEVER seems to be enough money in education, I feel that this website allows for some FREE relative apps that can be useful in the correct setting! View Live Site …

  • Proportion Solver

    recessduty
    7 Feb 2010 | 8:03 am
    Description: A simplistic app that allows for students to “enter three” to “get one”.  The interface is simple, the typing of the data is simple, and the result is simple. Price: FREE Implementation: I used this app as a COMPLETION task AFTER students mastered the cross multiplication and solving of a one step algebraic equation.  As you can guess, the students said, “Why didn’t you show us this earlier?”  Very reason, so that the process is learned and then a more efficient way (the app) can by used. View Live Site goPLay!

  • Appshopper

    recessduty
    25 Jan 2010 | 8:13 pm
    Description: Appshopper has been on the playground for a little over a week.  It has become a valuable resource in the endless pursuit of the app.  Appshopper “keeps tabs” on all of the apps in the iTunes app store.  How does it do that?  It provides up to the minute “price checks”.  Think of it this way, “Your sitting at your computer and all of a sudden you here, ‘Attention Apple iTune shoppers there’s a blue light special in aisle 9.  The “x” app has dropped from $2.99 to Free for today only!”  Yee Haw, let’s jump on…

  • TwtPoll

    recessduty
    25 Jan 2010 | 8:07 am
    Description:  A very simple way to create a poll for Twitter users.  No password or login is required, only the @ followed by a Twitter username.  Another great aspect is the ability to see if anyone RT’s your poll question.  An end date to the poll and eliminating multiple votes from the same web address also make Twtpoll a useful tool. Implementation:  I had written a blog post on whether classroom teachers would rather have 30 netbooks or 30 iPod touches.  I wanted the Twitterverse to chime in and posted a Twtpoll.  Once the poll was created a specific URL was given, which was…

  • Google as a “Dropbox”

    recessduty
    23 Jan 2010 | 6:36 am
    Description: The document aspect of Google has just become another tool!  Intended or not, it has become my “Dropbox“.  In the documents “homepage” of Google an upload button appears.  Upload anything and it will be placed in your Google Docs cloud. Google has also increased the amount of storage they allow – about 4GB free and the opportunity to purchase more for pennies on the gigabyte. Implementation: Unfortunately, when I learn about a new educational resource on the web, usually a login and password is needed.  This then requires me to create an account.
 
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    TotalGadha GMAT

  • Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2010

    Dagny
    25 Jan 2010 | 7:58 am
    Methedology Used: The rankings are based on data collected from two main sources, alumni and business schools. This year a total of 156 business schools met the criteria for participation and completed the school survey provided. Some 21,328 alumni, of the graduating class of 2006, were then asked to complete an alumni survey and just over 8,000 responses were submitted. The FT always surveys graduates three years after they have completed the degree to assess the effect of the MBA on their subsequent career progression and salary growth. Of the 156 schools, 48 were excluded because of…

  • Business Week Part Time MBA Rankings 2009

    Dagny
    7 Jan 2010 | 12:24 am
    Following are the 2009 Part Time MBA Rankins from Business Week. Read Full Report Here Methedology Used to rank Part Time MBA Programmes: A student survey, sent to 12,414 part-time MBA students at 99 programs and completed by 4,222 (34%), measures general student satisfaction. The academic quality score consists of six equally weighted measures: average GMAT score, average work experience, the percentage of all teachers in the part-time MBA program who are tenured faculty, average class size in core business classes, the number of business electives available to part-time MBA students, and…

  • Part Time MBA : Pros and Cons

    Dagny
    4 Jan 2010 | 11:00 pm
    Oflate a lot of students have been coming up with basic queries related to part time MBA. Who must opt for part time MBA? Is part time MBA worth pursuing? Can I change careers after doing part time MBA? So on and so forth. So today we would be handling all such queries regarding part time MBA. Part time MBA programs are becoming popular among people these days. For professionals who don’t want to take hiatus from their ongoing careers as well as add an extra feather to their qualifications, part time MBA is a great option. Part time MBA Programs give you: 1. Flexibility: Most classes are…

  • Go Grab those MBA Interview Opportunities

    Dagny
    25 Dec 2009 | 1:29 am
    Samantha is an applicant for the MBA 2010-2012 session. She has an above average GMAT (say 680), 3.0 GPA, is a state level Tennis player, has a 4+ years work experience at a Software Company, and has some A grades in some quant course that she took at the community college. If we just assess the profile, it doesn’t sound anything great or outstanding. There would definitely be people in her applicant pool who would have stellar GMATs, work experience from companies such a McKenzie and Microsoft or superior grades, national sport players and alike. So does that mean that Samantha should…

  • Business School Profiles of 18 European Business Schools

    Dagny
    21 Nov 2009 | 10:53 am
    US MBA vs UK MBA has always been a topic of contention among MBA aspirants. Being a mathematician’s wife keeps my love for numbers alive and fresh all year round. We have already assessed some numbers for 40 US Business Schools in terms of age, class size, work experience, GMAT scores and GPA earlier. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers of top 18 European Business schools. School Place GMAT Score Work Experience 1 HEC Paris France Average-600 Average-5.5 years 2 London Business School UK Average 697 Average -5.3 years Range- 600-800 Range 2-12 years 3 Insead France / Singapore…
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    Veritas Prep Blog

  • Round Three or Not Round Three: Part One

    Scott
    8 Feb 2010 | 9:44 am
    This is the time of year when, every time the phone rings here at Veritas Prep HQ, there's a good chance it's an applicant calling to ask us if he should apply to business school in the third admissions round, or if he should wait until next year. The answer, as is the answer for most things in life, is "It depends."Notice that we didn't say, "No way!" and we also didn't say, "Heck yeah!" There are some important macro trends to consider when applying in Round Three (or any any round, for that matter), but how good your chances are still depends on you and the quality of your application more…

  • GMAT Tip of the Week: Standardized Parts

    Brian
    5 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am
    What do Eli Whitney and Honore le Blanc have in common? And what does their commonality have to do with your impending GMAT exam?Le Blanc is widely credited with having invented the concept of standardized parts in manufacturing. A gunsmith in the 1700s, his idea was to standardize each component of a gun, so that when one part broke, it could easily be replaced by another instead of needing to be individually repaired by a blacksmith or replaced by another gun entirely. His idea didn't make it too far in France, where other gunsmiths and blacksmiths wholeheartedly opposed this threat to…

  • Veritas Prep Announces 2009 GMAT Instructor of the Year Winners

    Brian
    4 Feb 2010 | 8:11 am
    If it's February in Southern California, it must be awards season. This past weekend, Los Angeles played host to the Grammys, and the nominees for this month's Academy Awards were announced. Just a few miles west, at Veritas Prep headquarters in Malibu, the academic services team at Veritas Prep sorted through its 2009 evaluation data to select its winners for the almost-as-prestigious Instructor of the Year award.To be considered for the Instructor of the Year award is an honor in itself. Veritas Prep's GMAT prep instructors are no strangers to award and honors, with the faculty possessing…

  • Kellogg Admissions Officers Offer Insights in Online BusinessWeek Chat

    Scott
    3 Feb 2010 | 9:32 am
    Earlier this week Beth Flye, assistant dean and director of admissions at the Kellogg School of Management, and Carla Edelston, senior associate director of the school's Career Management Center, fielded questions from applicants during a live online chat on BusinessWeek. In the chat Flye and Edelston offered up some good nuggets for applicants who are in the thick of the MBA admissions process.When asked about how much Kellogg "weighs extracurricular activities," Flye's response was right on target with what we tell our clients: "We do review extracurricular activities as that area shows us…

  • Five Things That Make UCLA Anderson Unique

    Scott
    2 Feb 2010 | 8:33 am
    Continuing our series of admissions insights clipped from Veritas Prep's Annual Reports, our in-depth insider's guides to 15 of the world's top MBA programs, this week we investigate a few things that make UCLA Anderson's approach to graduate management education unique. (Our Annual reports are absolutely free with registration, but we thought we'd share some snippets here to help get you started in your Anderson research.)UCLA Anderson's methodology is composed of a multi-faceted approach primarily delivered through lectures. The following are five key aspects of a UCLA Anderson education…
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    Certification Map

  • Lessons from the Field: Interview with Diane Hulme

    alexjmann
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am
    This post is part of the Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers. – Diane Hulme is  a Georgia certified elementary and middle school teacher, currently employed part time at a private school for children with learning differences. Diane has been teaching for about 16 years: 6 years in a public school system; 8 in several private schools, and 2 years of…

  • Lessons from the Field: Interview with Ruth Sheffer

    alexjmann
    4 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am
    This post is part of the Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers. – Ruth Sheffer teaches high school English in a technological high school in Jerusalem, Israel. This is her 30th year. During our interview, she proclaimed “I’m still alive!” What inspired you to teach? Nothing I just kind of fell into it by accident. It was a good job…

  • Lessons from the Field: Interview with Stephanie Barry

    alexjmann
    2 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am
    This post is part of the Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers. – Stephanie Barry, a teacher of 8 years, is a speech-language pathologist. Currently, she is in private practice while previously working in elementary schools throughout the Phoenix Metro area. What inspired you to teach? I wanted to help children succeed in school. I loved school but…

  • Lessons from the Field: Interview with Kim Taylor-DiLeva

    alexjmann
    29 Jan 2010 | 7:00 am
    This post is part of the Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers. – Kim Taylor-DiLeva, a teacher of 12 years, started out teaching elementary school. Now, she occasionally teaches preschool sign language classes, but mostly to train teachers through inservice workshops. What inspired you to teach? I wanted to make a difference – to help children to…

  • Lessons from the Field: Interview with Jennifer Ryan

    alexjmann
    27 Jan 2010 | 7:00 am
    This post is part of the Teachers Certification Map’s “lessons from the field”, a series of posts featuring passionate, inspiring educators from across the country discussing some of the lessons that they have learned over the years that would help young teachers as they embark on their careers. – Jennifer Ryan is currently a program trainer for preschool teachers in the San Diego Area. She has been working with preschool children for 20 years; I have been an assistant teacher and then became a lead teacher about 10 years ago. What inspired you to teach? I am inspired daily by the…
 
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    Dr. Stephen Jones

  • Black History and the Importance of Education - Feb 08,2010

    Dr Stephen Jones
    8 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm
    Dr. James Peterson will be our special guest. We will discuss the significance of Black History and the value of education at all levels. During the discussion we plan to highlight all of the accomplishments of black americans. We will also discuss activities that promote the value of education in our community.Black History | Education | African American Studies | Community | Students

  • Dental Heath Equals Total Health - Feb 01,2010

    Dr Stephen Jones
    1 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm
    Too many people neglect their teeth and suffer from various problems. Dr. Babara Peterson Demiranda will share her dental expertise. Her specialty is braces. She will explore all aspects of dental health. This is a program to kick off Black History Monthdentist | education | health | students | parents

  • College Preparation Boot Camp Part - Jan 25,2010

    Dr Stephen Jones
    25 Jan 2010 | 3:30 pm
    The program participants will discuss strategies that help students to succeed while in college. This is the part of the college preparation series. It is never to early for a high school student to get prepared for the challenges they will face in college. You can learn some of the best study skills tips that have benefited students all over the country. college | students | k12 | education | news

  • Total Health Makeover for 2010 - Jan 11,2010

    Dr Stephen Jones
    11 Jan 2010 | 3:30 pm
    It's a new year and it is time to renew your health. This program will talk about physical fitness, healthy eating, emotional and intellectual health. You can take care of yourself and feel better during 2010. Health | fitness | diet | education | news

  • 10 education Tips for 2010 - Dec 21,2009

    Dr Stephen Jones
    21 Dec 2009 | 3:30 pm
    During this program we will discuss how to achieve your education goals. We will explore how you can eliminate patterns that prevent you from reaching your goals. Let's discuss how to win in 2010Education | 2010 | College | Parents | High School
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    MBA Admissions Blog by MBA Game Plan

  • New GMAC Survey Says Most 2009 MBA Grads Found Jobs by September

    mbagameplan
    5 Feb 2010 | 8:03 am
    Building on our recent post about the MBA job market appearing to thaw, GMAC just released the results of a survey that shows that three-quarters of 2009 full-time MBA grads had jobs by September. Of part-time MBA graduates, 96 per cent of them had jobs by then. While those statistics are pretty encouraging, the salary numbers present a slightly less rosy picture. Many MBA grads found that the starting salaries they were offered were lower than those offered to their counterparts from previous years. The median starting salary for all survey participants who finished school last year was…

  • Top Ten MBA Admissions Myths from Chicago Booth

    mbagameplan
    2 Feb 2010 | 7:23 pm
    A little while ago Chicago Booth’s MBA admissions office created a Top 10 Myths page, inspired by all of the myths that the school’s admissions officers frequently read in online communities and hear from prospective applicants at events. Their page covers it all pretty well, but we’ve reprinted it here with a few of our comments (in italics) to offer up one more viewpoint where we think it’s necessary: Myth 1: The GMAT is the most important part of the application. There is no one admissions requirement that is more important than the other. While the results of your…

  • Is the MBA Job Market Finally Thawing?

    mbagameplan
    28 Jan 2010 | 7:32 am
    A recent Reuters article described the job outlook for a bunch of MIT Sloan students as they returned from their annual “Tech Treck” job trips, in which they visit employers all over the United States. It sounds as though companies — especially the more tech-oriented ones that Sloan students visit — could finally start hiring again this year. According to the article: And what they found gave them reason to hope; tech outfits are finally seeing demand pick up, energy companies are pushing hard to develop renewable fuels and together the two sectors could lead the way…

  • Financial Times MBA Rankings for 2010

    mbagameplan
    25 Jan 2010 | 6:38 pm
    The Financial Times has just released its 2010 business school rankings, with London Business School holding on to the #1 spot. LBS and Wharton actually shared the #1 position in last year’s rankings, but :BS has pulled ahead of its American rival. The Financial Times’ top ten MBA programs in 2010 are: London Business School Wharton Harvard Business School Stanford GSB INSEAD Columbia Business School IE Business School MIT Sloan Chicago Booth Hong Kong UST Big gainers vs. last year include Booth (which cracked the top ten), HKUST, Indian School of Business, and HEC Paris.

  • Edward Snyder to Take Over at Yale SOM

    mbagameplan
    20 Jan 2010 | 7:20 pm
    Today the Yale School of Management announced that Edward A. Snyder, currently Dean and George Shultz Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has agreed to become the next Dean of the Yale School of Management. Snyder, who last fall announced his decision to step down from the role of Dean at Chicago Booth on June 30, 2010, won’t actually begin his term immediately. He will take a year off, and then step into the Dean’s office at Yale SOM on July 1, 2011. Current Yale SOM Dean Sharon Oster will continue on in her current role until then.
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    Boarding School Blog - onBoarding Schools

  • A Vignette For Frustrated Parents

    Brian Fisher
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pm
    When I wore the dean of students hat at a boarding school in NH, I spent a good chunk of my time talking to parents about how their kids were doing and feeling. From parents, the communication was often concern that their students weren’t listening, growing, and or assuming responsibilities as fast, or to as large an extent, as the parents desired. My advice- much like any advice that I offer- began with “breathe.” I would then take the parent(s) through where their child stood, how the family communication was working, what they should expect from their student, ending…

  • Temple Grandin, Hampshire Country School Alumna, Subject of HBO Movie

    Brian Fisher
    5 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am
    Autistic; she thinks in pictures; she has difficulty reading social situations with people; author; and noted large animal veterinarian. You listen to Temple Grandin speak and wonder “how did all of this complexity get wound into one person?” Grandin is the subject of the upcoming HBO movie “Temple Grandin,” (Saturday, 6 February, 8-10 PM). Reviewing the movie, Barry Garron writes in The Hollywood Reporter (Temple Grandin- TV Review): “…Jackson’s (director) genius is his decision to give viewers a second perspective on Grandin’s life. He shows…

  • Winter Diversions: The Search is On!

    Sherri Bergman
    5 Feb 2010 | 7:18 am
    Editor’s Note: Winter is a long, slow time in boarding schools; there’s just know way around it. The days are short and cold. In New England, the sun rises after 7AM and sets before 4:30 in the afternoon. Along with the seasons, students and faculty can find themselves in a rut- routine wise. The newness of the school year has worn off and it’s too soon to anticipate spring. Lethargy can set-in. The community needs motivation and reasons to get up and out. Every school has their winter dose of fun- winter carnival, singing groups, a great basketball team. Events that…

  • Steven Strogratz: “what math is all about and why it’s so enthralling to those who get it.”

    Brian Fisher
    4 Feb 2010 | 12:03 pm
    Share this with math teachers. “English In Real Life” was a fixture of my classroom. It wasn’t a set lesson. It was a few minutes at the opening of the period where students could share and show that they’d connected something that we’d covered in class to the larger world. Their connections ranged from reading/finding words that had been on a vocabulary quiz- to character concepts and traits that they’d connected from reading to movies- to showing how an advertisement worked to manipulate readers through language. The goal- as always- was to connect the…

  • Identifying and Serving the Highly Capable Child

    Leo Marshall
    1 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pm
    As an independent school educator of some thirty-plus years and a director of admission at a number of highly-selective independent schools for twenty-two of those years, I must admit that I am becoming increasing concerned about the overuse of the term “gifted child.” Now, as a disclaimer, I believe profoundly that every child has a gift for something and that those gifts are often overlooked in large or small schools. And no, I am not talking about that hard-working A’s-all-the-time, terrific test taker. We all have them; we all identify them easily; and, of course, we love them as…
 
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    Patrick Malley

  • Obama seeking to eliminate school pass-fail report cards

    Patrick Malley
    1 Feb 2010 | 10:36 am
    Obama seeking to eliminate school pass-fail report cards as part of NCLB overhaul Instead, under the administration’s proposals, a new accountability system would divide schools into more categories, offering recognition to those that are succeeding and providing large new amounts of money to help improve or close failing schools.

  • The Ultimate Moodle Dropdown

    Patrick Malley
    30 Jan 2010 | 9:44 pm
    For the past few years, I’ve struggled to include a variety of menu bars in my Moodle themes. I’ve tried everything from the simpler CSS-only menus to a slew of fancier menus that require javascript. Some of them have looked really nice. But, none have completely satisfied my need for a light, attractive, and customizable drop-down menu that supports multiple sub-menu levels while still offering basic functionality when javascript is disabled. Until now. The menu that I’ve found has been under my nose the whole time. It’s the Yahoo User Interface (YUI) Menu included in…

  • Online Lesson Plans

    Patrick Malley
    26 Jan 2010 | 1:13 pm
    Back in the day, before I ever learned about Moodle, or had a care about “the power of the internet to empower students to learn,” I purchased the domain mrmalley.com. I saw it functioning as a place to offer content for my students online. No presumptions. No grand expectations. Just a website. Well, as the story goes, in looking for a system to manage my content, I stumbled upon Moodle 1.5, and before long I was administering my own online learning environment. It was fantastic. I only used mrmalley.com for online learning for one year before my district asked me to install and…

  • MoodleMoot Goshen 2010

    Patrick Malley
    23 Jan 2010 | 12:23 pm
    2010 Goshen MoodleMoot Dates for this year’s Goshen MoodleMoot have been set for July 26-28. Last year’s Moot was a great success, and I’m happy to have been so involved. Goshen College is only a 45-minute drive from my house. The facilities and catering there are fantastic, and last year’s Moot offered something for everyone who attended. The highlight for this year’s Moot? Martin Dougiamas, Moodle Founder and Lead Developer, will attend the Midwest Moot and present the keynote address. There will be informal opportunities to meet Martin in person and to discuss…

  • Find, Change, and Install New Moodle Themes

    Patrick Malley
    13 Jan 2010 | 9:29 am
    Find, Change, and Install New Moodle Themes Here’s a quick video from Dave Mozealous that goes through the process of finding, changing and installing Moodle themes. In it, he says that Simplicity is a core theme. That’s not true. However, there is a good chance it will be included in the core for Moodle 2.0.
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    Dear Librarian

  • What’s a “Google Jockey?”

    Dear Librarian
    19 Jan 2010 | 6:25 pm
    A “google jockey” is the person who finds information–usually from the web–to help support a lesson, lecture, or event. Say a fact is needed to help support understanding–the google jockey hops on to the Internet and finds a fact.  Take these three examples: Example #1: The teacher is describing lunar eclipses to a classroom of students. The google jockey might venture out to search the web to find when the next eclipse will be. This site from NASA might provide the information for when the class would be able to see a lunar eclipse. Example #2: A group of…

  • How are biographies ordered in the library?

    Dear Librarian
    17 Jan 2010 | 6:53 pm
    Most books are commonly ordered by their Dewey number plus the first three letters of the author’s last name. Individual biographies on the other hand are ordered differently. General biographies–usually about a group of similar people–are categorized under 920 in the usual way by the author’s last name. However more specific biographies about individuals and their areas of interest are given the 921-928 call numbers.  At our library at ISB we limit all our individual biographies to 921. To mix it up, the person the biography is about is the name listed on the spine…

  • What’s glogging?

    Dear Librarian
    14 Jan 2010 | 10:42 pm
    Glogging is a form of online web logging similar to blogging yet it’s more graphics based.  Rather than writing a post, you actually express yourself through a digital type poster.  Glogster is easy to use and let’s you post pictures in a collage type manner to express how you’re feeling.  Also, you can add music to your post or even turn your glog post into an actual video.  This new form of web journaling takes blogging to the visual level.  Also, there’s a social aspect to it as well; you can become friends with other gloggers and make your own little glogging…

  • Are there any cool slide show apps online?

    Dear Librarian
    30 Nov 2009 | 11:11 pm
    There are many ways to create a fancy looking slide show aside from the usual Power Point method. In fact, many of the applications may be found for free online.  Here are some favorites:

  • Do you know of any good sites about electricity and magnetism?

    Dear Librarian
    15 Nov 2009 | 10:11 pm
    There are many resources to be found about electricity and magnetism.  There’s even a lecture from a professor at MIT that’s been video taped to help understand the connection between these two scientific concepts of electricity and magnetism.  While it’s very long (1 hour and 41 minutes!), it’s filled with clear examples and demonstrations of how electricity and magnetism work. Here’s the video of a lecture given by Walter Lewin to young students taken from MIT World: Along with this video there are many websites offering valuable information. For example try…
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    WeboWord-Vocabulary Visually!

  • Exculpate – Prove somebody innocent

    weboword
    8 Feb 2010 | 10:59 am
    Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. Pronounced as Ex (emphasized) + Kull (from Skull) + Pate {Listen to it here} It comes from Latin Exculpare meaning to remove from blame based on Latin Culpa meaning blame, the root of Culpable. Useful synonyms – Absolve, exonerate, acquit, vindicate Situational Uses: The witness’s account was crucial in exculpating the accused for his alleged crime. We often rationalize to exculpate ourselves of our own guilt. Post from: WeboWord Unable to follow the daily updates? Subscribe to WeboWord Express…

  • Vivid – Characterized by striking clarity or truth to life

    weboword
    7 Feb 2010 | 10:53 am
    Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. Vivid also means: Very bright Producing strong and distinct mental images Lively Pronounced as Viv (emphasized) + Vid {Listen to it here} It comes from the Latin root vivere which means to live. Vivere is the root of words like: Viva – Long live! Vivacious – Lively and high spirited Vivarium – A place for keeping and watching animals Vivify – to give life or liveliness/vividness to someone or something Situational Uses / Sentences: The author’s vivid portrayal of the poignant…

  • Latent – Hidden; Present yet unexpressed

    weboword
    6 Feb 2010 | 10:39 am
    Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. It comes from Latin Latere meaning to be hidden. Pronounced as Lay + Tuhnt (emphasized) {Listen to it here} Situational Uses / Sentences: Meditation is the process of rediscovering, enjoying and using the positive qualities already latent within you. Many diseases remain latent within the human body and do not appear until old age. Post from: WeboWord Unable to follow the daily updates? Subscribe to WeboWord Express today @ http://www.weboword.com/express and give your vocab building a boost!  

  • Barren – Bare of Vegetation

    weboword
    5 Feb 2010 | 10:29 am
    Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. Barren also means: Unable to have children Something not producing any useful result Lacking in a particular thing Pronounced as Ba (from Band) [emphasized] + Run {Listen to it here} It comes from Middle English Bareine meaning fallow land. Situational Uses / Sentences: The barren icy wasteland slowly warmed to become thick woodland. Afghanistan, a country troubled with conflict and drought, looks barren in recent news footage. Post from: WeboWord Unable to follow the daily updates? Subscribe to WeboWord…

  • Hyperbole – Exaggeration

    weboword
    4 Feb 2010 | 10:20 am
    Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. It comes from Greek Hyperbole meaning to overthrow from Hyper (meaning Over) + Bole (meaning to throw). Pronounced as Hi + Per (emphasized) + Buhlee {Listen to it here} Situational Uses / Sentences: The food in the restaurant was quite good, but it couldn’t live up to the hyperbole that had been used to describe it in the advertisement. – Merriam-Webster Online Unusual news should be treated with a pinch of salt; most of the stories are typical press hyperbole to boost sales. Post from: WeboWord…
 
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    YouTube: Education

  • Fareed Zakaria on Education: NEWSWEEK & YouTube

    NewsweekVideo
    26 Jan 2010 | 3:37 pm
    Fareed Zakaria on Education: NEWSWEEK & YouTube 1/26/10: In preparation for President Obama's first State of the Union address, NEWSWEEK International Editor Fareed Zakaria discusses the problems facing US high schools and middle schools and answers citizentube users' questions on controlling education costs. Questions from users: "What do you think about having general religious classes in middle school and high school?" -Eric Clausen, Florida "What do you think about adding an hour to the school day" Tristan, Utah "How can we control the cost of…

  • Carey Mulligan gets An Education

    itn
    31 Oct 2009 | 1:06 am
    Carey Mulligan gets An Education Carey Mulligan, Emma Thompson and Dominic Cooper star in a coming-of-age drama set in the 1960s. . Follow us on twitter at twitter.com From: itn Views: 3426 8 ratings Time: 03:03 More in Entertainment

  • An Education Review: Rotten Tomatoes Show

    Current
    16 Oct 2009 | 10:20 am
    An Education Review: Rotten Tomatoes Show Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox join forces with bloggers, comedians, students and citizen critics to review "An Education." For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: rottentomatoesshow.com For more about movies from Current current.com From: Current Views: 3501 30 ratings Time: 03:09 More in Entertainment

  • An Education Trailer HD

    AllMovieHD
    9 Oct 2009 | 4:26 pm
    An Education Trailer HD An Education From: AllMovieHD Views: 54405 79 ratings Time: 02:23 More in Entertainment

  • Carey Mulligan: 'An Education' controversy?

    ew
    6 Oct 2009 | 1:01 pm
    Carey Mulligan: 'An Education' controversy? Buzzed-about star on reactions to her film, in which a 16-year-old schoolgirl falls for a man in his early 30s From: ew Views: 6702 38 ratings Time: 04:35 More in Entertainment
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    Pairadimes for Your Thoughts

  • The Trap

    Dave Truss
    7 Feb 2010 | 8:11 am
    Being the edu-nerd that I am, I often look at parallels between my experiences inside and outside the world of schools and education, (see Bubble Wrap for another example). Now, two-and-a-half weeks into my Thailand & Vietnam holiday, such parallels are jumping out at me, and I think of them as ‘traps’. It seems that everywhere we go on this holiday there are tours being offered and trinkets to buy. The packages and prices are all designed to steer you to the ‘deluxe’ version, “…for just a little bit more, you can also get…”. Then on the way…

  • Olympic and Blogging Fever

    Dave Truss
    6 Feb 2010 | 9:13 am
    For me it is a little bit difficult to think about the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics right now… I’m in a car outside of Hanoi, Vietnam heading to Ha Long Bay for an overnight boat cruise. The car ride is about 3.5 hours long and so I thought I’d use this time to plug a great project happening on the other side of the globe. If, (unlike me), you are at a school that is in session during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, be sure to share this link with your students. Chris Kennedy, Assistant Superintendent of West Vancouver School District, has helped to organize 12 student…

  • Augmented Identity

    Dave Truss
    15 Jan 2010 | 9:31 pm
    Augmented Reality (AR) has been around for a while. Fans of Monday Night Football have always had the television advantage of ’seeing’ the first down line conveniently added for their viewing pleasure. A more advanced version of augmented reality can be seen here, where you can see information about all the nearest subway locations in New York superimposed onto your iPhone’s camera view. And now from Ewan McIntosh I’m introduced to this application of Augmented Reality, possible due to face recognition software. Ewan says, “…In a schools context this could…

  • Broken Presentations and Broken Photocopiers

    Dave Truss
    14 Jan 2010 | 11:50 am
    Yesterday morning I did a keynote presentation for our High School Pro-D day that I called:  ’It’s not about the Technology -(and it’s not a secret)‘. I’ll share this online after I get back from holidays. The night before the presentation I sat and looked at what I had prepared and hated it. I wrote on Twitter: “I’m just over 10hrs away from presenting & want to totally revamp my presentation. Not a great feeling.” ~ It really wasn’t. I appreciated the support and advice given to me, especially from Lisa Thumann, Jen Wagner and Shelly…

  • T’was two nights after Christmas… A story of lost innocence.

    Dave Truss
    28 Dec 2009 | 9:55 am
    It was only two nights after Christmas and both kids were tucked away in bed. Then the older of the two came from her bedroom and, doing all that she could to contain her tears, she sat on her mother’s lap. “Mummy, I think I’m old enough to know and I want you to tell me the truth… is there really such a thing as Santa?” The Discovery by Norman Rockwell We already knew it was to be her last Christmas fully believing in the magic of Santa. Most of her friends were already non-believers and she would often ask us “Do you believe in Santa?” “Well what do you…
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    Teaching That Sticks

  • Black History Interactive

    7 Feb 2010 | 2:46 pm
    History.com has a terrific interactive site featuring Black History Milestones (this link takes you to the page on Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier). Perfect if you're looking for a reliable yet accessible starting point for Black History Month! You'll especially appreciate the slider which allows you to move from early events such as the introduction of slavery in the Americas to more recent events including the election of President Obama. The site includes archival images and video to supplement the article accompanying each milestone. Additional resources…

  • Using Edmodo in the Classroom: Five Days Later

    5 Feb 2010 | 6:47 pm
    I recently posted about Edmodo, comparing it to Ning for kids. The fact is, it looks and acts more like a Facebook/Twitter hybrid, but the fact that students can choose to post and interact in groups gives it a Ning feel as well.Before I tell you how it went, here are the guidelines I provided to students via our class newsletter:Do not reveal any personal information on Edmodo. No telephone numbers, addresses, or other students’ names. To check someone’s username, click on their class group (schoch12, schoch56, etc.).Do not post photos or videos showing yourself or…

  • Upcoming Workshops

    3 Feb 2010 | 4:44 am
    If you're in Central New Jersey in late February with absolutely nothing to do, you might consider joining me for my How to Teach a Novel Workshop.This free workshop, sponsored by New Jersey ASCD, will be held from 4:00 to 5:30 at Bedminster School in Bedminster, NJ. More details are available via this brochure.In addition to being free, the event will include refreshments and door prizes, plus credit hours to those who need them. Come join us for a great time!Note: Donut pictured here is for illustrative purposes only. Your refreshment experience may vary.ALL WORKSHOPS:Most recently I…

  • Edmodo: Ning for Kids!

    30 Jan 2010 | 12:26 pm
    While I personally love Nings (I belong to sixteen Nings and counting) and would enjoy for my students to be able to dialogue in such an environment, the fact is this: students under the age of 13 are expressly forbidden by the Ning Terms of Service (and federal law!) to participate in such a forum.So I spent a good deal of time searching around the web and experimenting with other sites, The best one I found for the purpose of classroom social networking is a site I knew about all along: Edmodo. About a year ago Mashable called Edmodo "Twitter for Education," but with the release of Edmodo…

  • Rethink Scholarship

    29 Jan 2010 | 8:05 pm
    Very cool. Practice what you preach.Rethink Scholarship at Langara 2010 Call for Entries from Rory O'Sullivan and Simon Bruyn on Vimeo.
 
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    Teach with Picture Books

  • Recommended Picture Books for Black History Month, Part One

    31 Jan 2010 | 7:05 pm
    Just in time for Black History Month come three excellent picture books which help teachers discuss the experiences of Black Americans by examining both well- and little-known real life events. My personal favorite of the three titles featured here is Let Them Play. One reason is that it shared a story I hadn't heard before. But what made more of an impression upon me was the reminder that not even children were immune from the racism of 1950s America. Written by Margot Theis Raven and illustrated by Chris Ellison, Let Them Play is the story of the Cannon Street YMCA…

  • Authors and Illustrators Pronouncing Their Own Names

    30 Jan 2010 | 9:42 pm
    Well, the no nonsense title just about says it all. At this TeachingBooks.Net page you'll find an audio collection of children's writers and illustrators pronouncing their own names. Time for a quiz! Sound these out before you click on them: How do you say Kevin Henkes? Louis Sachar? Jon Scieszka?I love this simple site because I totally sympathize. Have you seen my name? Keith Schoch. Just so you know, it's pronounced shoke, which is simple enough, right? But giving a kid with a developmental speech problem a th and a sh in the same mouthful is kind of a dirty trick. If you…

  • Picture Book Giveaways!

    24 Jan 2010 | 4:38 pm
    Long time reader Melissa emailed me: "Keith, you're killing me. You get me so excited about picture books, but you haven't had a giveaway since December! When's the next one?"First of all, it's good to hear that I can still get anyone excited, and secondly, Melissa's right. It's time to give away some books.In the past I've always asked for an email to enter, but a fellow blogger gave me a hard time about this. She said I was making it way too easy, and making everyone else (other book bloggers) look bad. Sorry; that wasn't my intention. I was instead taking a jab at the corporate sites…

  • Step Into History!

    23 Jan 2010 | 9:20 am
    It seems that in elementary school we focus a majority of our time and efforts on fiction. Although I moved up to sixth grade this year, I've noticed that the fiction focus remains. Is it any wonder, then, that the same students who excel at reading, discussing, and writing about characters, plots, and themes struggle with social studies, science, and math texts?I think a great way to hook students on nonfiction is to offer them well written, well illustrated picture books that compliment their self-selected reading (often chapter books) and at the same time their content areas of study. One…

  • The Quirkles: Language Learning Through Science

    22 Jan 2010 | 2:52 pm
    A recent Education Week article pointed out the fact that experts are recommending an earlier start to teaching science. Most preschool and kindergarten teachers I know wouldn't argue with this suggestion; in fact, these same teachers encourage their students to interact in a truly hands-on way. After all, when you teach three, four, five, and six year-olds, every subject is hands-on anyway, whether you intend it that way or not.In connection with this emphasis on science, preschool through lower elementary teachers will be happy to know that a series of science picture books was…
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    Active Learning Blog Carnival

  • No child left thinking

    Deirdre
    27 Jan 2010 | 1:23 pm
    Video of Dr. Joel Westheimer speaking about his article.http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4223796

  • Another school year begins

    Deirdre
    3 Sep 2009 | 1:47 pm

  • So Long, Farewell, Goodbye

    Deirdre
    14 Jun 2009 | 12:41 pm
    I began this carnival in 2007 to promote both Active Learning and Educational Blogs. When I began the journey there were very few blogs about education and now there are 100,000’s of them. I have regretfully come to the conclusion that there is no longer a need for this blog carnival and this is the last edition. I might resurrect it as a university only blog in the fall, but that has yet to be decided. My Active Learning links (1,200+) will remain available at http://delicious.com/active_learning or through clicking on the key words in the right hand column of this blog. Best wishes to all…

  • Media Literacy ABC's

    Deirdre
    2 Jun 2009 | 2:21 pm
    A great little video for introducing Web 2.0 tools

  • For She Was Born in Another Time

    Deirdre
    9 May 2009 | 3:18 pm
    The latest effort by the New Humanities Collaborative to tell the story of how reading and writing have been transformed by the web. What does it mean to write? to read? to publish? The answers to these questions, once obvious, must now be reimagined. Can the educational system rise to the challenge of preparing students to live, work, think, and thrive in an environment of ceaseless change? Part OnePart Two
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    SensoryEdge Educational Toys and Kids Furniture

  • Classroom Kitchens: Teaching Cooperative Play & Hours of Fun

    SensoryEdge
    8 Feb 2010 | 2:33 pm
    If you teach young children, your classroom probably includes some toys that are perfect for stimulating the imagination. After all, those in preschool and kindergarten usually need several breaks during their day, and encouraging creativity is often a positive thing. For this reason, classroom kitchen centers are the type of classroom furniture that you should consider purchasing. Not only can they allow several children to play cooperatively at one time, but they usually fit perfectly into the corner of any classroom.If your class consists of younger kids who may or may not be interested in…

  • Pediatric Psychological Trauma Conference

    SensoryEdge
    4 Feb 2010 | 7:02 pm
    The aim of the Pediatric Psychological Trauma Conference is to bring specific attention to the biological and psychological consequences of severe distress and pain that are commonplace in pediatric medicine and to improve the quality of care that young children birth to five receive throughout the health care system.http://www.pediatricpsychologicaltrauma.org/The interdisciplinary focus of the conference is unique, with distinguished contributors from epidemiology, neuroscience, medicine, nursing, psychiatry, and psychology who will address key questions, identify barriers to change, and…

  • The Joys Of A Step Stool For Toddlers

    SensoryEdge
    1 Feb 2010 | 6:23 pm
    Life can be frustrating for little ones who aren't tall enough to see over the kitchen counter. When you're a toddler all you want is to learn how to do things by yourself. You want to pour your own juice, you want to get your own fish crackersand in our house you want to desperately try to change the tv station. You want to be able to do these things, but you just aren't tall enough. Heck, you'd be happy to be able to wash your own hands in the bathroom without having to have somebody lift you up so you can reach the sink. As a toddler you know these things, and it makes life kind of…

  • Bean Bags at School: When Kids Need to Chill

    SensoryEdge
    27 Jan 2010 | 5:54 pm
    If you're a teacher, your classroom probably has plenty of places to sit. After all, you have to have a desk and chair for each child so that they can learn each day. If you teach younger children, you might even have a few foam or vinyl mats in the room for either story time or naptime. However, if you want seating that is truly comfortable and quite popular with both kids and adults, consider purchasing bean bags for your classroom.Vinyl BeanbagsSome teachers do know the value of comfortable seating in their classroom, and may place small or large vinyl kids couches in the corners of the…

  • New Guidecraft Toys & Furniture Awesome Fun for 2010

    SensoryEdge
    24 Jan 2010 | 3:02 pm
    We just received our catalog from our friends at Guidecraft and we're really excited about the new products they have coming this year. Guidecraft has always been known for excellent quality products at affordable prices. Most of their designs were made with schools and preschools in mind. However over the last few years they've come out with some really fun products. Some of our favorites are:The Kids Mission Style Table & Chair SetThe Moon & Stars Toy BoxThe Playoffs Storage Step StoolThe Retro Racer Upholstered RockerMost of these items are arriving in early April. Follow us at Twitter for…
 
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    Empowered High Schools

  • Nine Levels #5 (IPA Webinar)

    Charles
    5 Feb 2010 | 3:14 am
    Empowered High School Model Level 5 from Illinois Principals Association on Vimeo.

  • Nine Levels #3 (IPA Webinar)

    Charles
    5 Feb 2010 | 3:13 am
    Empowered High School Model Level 3 - “Summative Assessments” from Illinois Principals Association on Vimeo.

  • Nine Levels #4 (IPA Webinar)

    Charles
    5 Feb 2010 | 3:10 am
    Empowered High School Model Level 4 - “Formative Assessments” from Illinois Principals Association on Vimeo.

  • Nine Levels #2 (IPA Webinar)

    Charles
    5 Feb 2010 | 2:58 am
    The Empowered High School Model for 21st Century Schools Level 2 - Standards and Benchmarks from Illinois Principals Association on Vimeo.

  • Nine Levels Overview, #1 (IPA Webinar)

    Charles
    5 Feb 2010 | 2:56 am
    The Empowered High School Model for 21st Century Schools Level 1 - Model Overview: Managing Continuous Program Improvement from Illinois Principals Association on Vimeo.
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    International Education Blogs & News

  • IHEC Blog nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010

    2 Feb 2010 | 12:32 pm
    Yesterday I received news that IHEC Blog was nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010 competition held by Lexiophiles and bab.la. Voting is open through February 14th so if you have a few free minutes between now and the end of voting period please take a few (maybe several) to look at the various nominated blogs and cast your vote.

  • International Education Blogs & News Looking for Blog Submissions

    12 Jan 2010 | 10:05 am
    International Education Blogs & News (IEB&N) is seeking blog URL submissions from international education professionals and organizations who are blogging about issues related international and intercultural education to be added to the site.IEB&N is also seeking blog URL submissions from students, faculty and other academics (Fulbright grantees for example) who are blogging from abroad about their experiences. IEB&N is seeking blog URLs from anyone in the world who is studying and/or researching in a foreign country. Interesting blogs, for example, could be from German…

  • IHEC Blog now has a Facebook Fanpage

    22 Oct 2009 | 11:36 am
    This past weekend I created a Facebook fanpage for IHEC Blog. My intent when I first opened a Facebook account was to create a page for IHEC Blog but I experienced a few difficulties in this endeavor so my Facebook account became simply a personal account. Only in the past 2-3 months have I become more active in my Facebook usage and have started to become a fan of and/or joined various groups including:350.orgAcademic Programs International - APIAmerican DiplomacyAsiaLearnAspire by API - High School and Gap Year Study AbroadAustraLearnDAAD North AmericaEducationUSAEuroLearnFoundation for…

  • IHEC Blog will Participate in Blog Action Day 2009 Focusing on Climate Change

    29 Sep 2009 | 10:37 am
    October 15th will be Blog Action Day 2009 and International Higher Education Consulting Blog has registered and will participate. The theme of Blog Action Day 2009 is Climate Change and my plan is to highlight the various efforts and resources in the field of international education that focus on climate change. Examples of what might be included in my Blog Action Day post are:- Social networks/listservs for international educators that focus on sustainability and greening the field- study abroad/exchange programs with significant course content focused on climate change/the environment-…

  • Interviewed about being an International Education Blogger

    10 Sep 2009 | 12:34 am
    During the NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference in Washington D.C. (May 2009) I was interviewed on video by Ruth Marie Sylte of Manitou Heights (Conversations about Crossing Cultures and Bridging Divides in the Information Age) about being a blogger. Here is our conversation:I want to thank Ruth Marie Sylte for making and posting my first and only video to YouTube! You can view Manitou Heights YouTube channel here
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    TradePub: Education

  • Chief Learning Officer

    1 Feb 2010 | 12:20 am
    Chief Learning Officer provides valuable guidance and insight to global enterprise education executives. The very people who oversee, authorize, fund and support learning and development programs turn to CLO as a trusted source when implementing initiatives for employees, customers, partners and suppliers. CLO gives them access to the knowledge and strategies they need to align workforce development with their overall business objectives.Request Free!

  • Government Video

    1 Feb 2010 | 12:20 am
    Government Video serves A/V professionals in the public services including:Federal GovernmentState/County/City GovernmentPublic InstitutionsPrime ContractorsIntegrators/Dealers/VARsSystems Designers & InstallersManufacturers/Manufacturers RepsIndependent TeleproductionPost ProductionDuplication/Multimedia/Animation & Graphics HousesConsulting Firms/ServicesOthers Allied In The FieldRequest Free!

  • Tech & Learning

    15 Jan 2010 | 3:20 am
    For almost 30 years, Tech & Learning has served the K-12 education community with cutting-edge news, practical resources and expert strategies for transforming education through integration of digital technologies. No other resource helps educators get up to speed with the emerging technologies and products in order to best prepare students for the global digital workforce.Request Free!

  • Technology Solutions Designed with One Goal in Mind

    12 Jan 2010 | 9:20 am
    Every issue is loaded with the latest industry trends and Dell Solutions and products geared to your needs. Sign up today for Dell email updates!Request Free!

  • Student Group Tour Magazine

    27 Oct 2009 | 11:20 am
    Every issue contains information focusing on student oriented destinations, itineraries, travel trends, and information covering all aspects of student travel. With the regional breakdown, articles and advertisements are placed within their respective section of the magazine for easy reference.Request Free!
 
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    tweenteacher.com

  • Is Education a Mudslide?

    heather
    5 Feb 2010 | 7:03 pm
    “It’s like trying to stop a flow of lava with a Scott’s paper towel. It’s been this way for years!” The lady who said this wasn’t talking about education, but she could very well have been. The lady in question is my mom who took this picture of the view from her home office.  She looks out on a hillside opposite her side of a rustic canyon in Los Angeles. In case you can’t tell, it’s a photo of workmen slapping tarps onto a hillside that has been threatening to bury Laurel Canyon Blvd for quite some time. Somehow the view reminds me of…

  • I’ll Take that Education to Go: Individualization vs. Standardization

    heather
    21 Jan 2010 | 2:42 pm
    We live in a world of double-decaf-non-fat-lattes-with-room. We live in a world that is slowly beginning to customize everything from our coffee orders to our spa treatments. But it won’t just stop with luxury items. Some teachers complain about the effort that differentiation entails, that need to offer rigorous curriculum for a wide range of learners. But just you wait: individualization is coming just around the corner, where students will be able to order up their own education, their own schedule of classes to go. And those schedules won’t be limited to what’s only…

  • How do we “Fix the Schools?”

    heather
    10 Jan 2010 | 9:23 am
    Ellen Berg, my colleague in The Teacher Leaders asked this very simple question the other day. I had so much fun in answering and I believe so deeply in the power of this simple question that I wanted to share my comment and throw the question out to my readers. I believe in teachers, and I believe that the only way schools can be “fixed” is to have our voices at the table. And just as many times science has its infancy in science fiction, perhaps the answer to this question lies in educational-fiction first. So think about it. Pretend budget isn’t an issue. Pretend there…

  • LA Times Article: Bailing on Schools Doesn’t Fix Schools

    heather
    7 Jan 2010 | 9:27 am
    So a colleague of mine commented yesterday on my article “Is TFA a Volunteerism Succubus?” David Cohen (fellow member of The Teacher Leaders Network and creator the ACT ning) said the following in response to my article: “…They won’t invest in deeper structural improvements, won’t risk the political fallout of admitting that poverty matters in school performance, and have become cheerleaders for the quick and cheap fix.” So this got me thinking about an article I saw in yesterday’s LA Times. The LA Times reported that in an attempt to get…

  • Is TFA a Volunteerism Succubus?

    heather
    6 Jan 2010 | 8:51 pm
    The New York Times recently published an article, which shares an analysis of the post-service Teach for America corps and their subsequent level of civil service. To those involved in TFA, the findings were somewhat cringe-worthy. To the rest of us, however, they were not so shocking.(...)Read the rest of Is TFA a Volunteerism Succubus? (555 words) © heather for tweenteacher.com, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: civil service, education, New York Times, Teach For America, TFA Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
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    El Milagro Weblog

  • STAMPEDE TO THE TOP: A RACE TO RUIN

    Kevin W. Riley
    30 Jan 2010 | 10:27 pm
    Several things happened this week that gave me pause: First I saw on CNN the story about a little fourth grader in Texas who hung himself in the school restroom.  The child psychologists all attributed his death to depression and the economy and the pressure he likely felt as he made his way through school.  But he was nine.  And while depression may be on the rise (like obesity and diabetes and other childhood illnesses) it hardly explains such an extreme response. I wondered…  what was it about his school that added to his hopelessness?  Or what could have been different for him?

  • ON THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S OATH

    Kevin W. Riley
    19 Jan 2010 | 10:03 pm
    One year ago this morning.  Hope. Today, I am not so sure.  But I haven’t given up yet.  I am still astride the bandwagon.  I have seen signs of the change that history promised.  Then I realize, change is in the eye of the beholder: I had hoped for an end to war. I had hoped for an end to Wall Street’s hammer-hold on our nation’s leaders. I had hoped for jobs and for the arrest of the economy’s free-fall. I had hoped for clean air again. I had hoped for harmony; an end to partisan bickering. I had hoped for health care for our children. I had hoped for a better…

  • ZERO IN-TOLERANCE

    Kevin W. Riley
    6 Jan 2010 | 2:14 pm
    The airport security line at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field was as long as I have ever seen it yesterday.  It stretched from the central hallway of Terminal One, past the baggage claim area, up the escalator, across the footbridge to the southeast parking and halfway down I-5 to National City. Well maybe not that far. But it was the expected overreaction to one Nigerian douchebag who tried to launch a rocket from his briefs to bring down the very airplane he was sitting on, and instead lit himself up like a silvery flare. Overreaction is a political calculation designed to confuse systemic…

  • MORE THAN JUST THESE THINGS, OUR LIVES CHANGE WITHOUT HAIKU- LOST IS HUMAN TOUCH

    Kevin W. Riley
    27 Dec 2009 | 1:29 pm
    The Huffington Post includes a list of12 common items that have become obsoletethis decade Check ‘em out.  If newspapers, and landline phones, and calling, and cameras with film, and fax machines, and wires and CD’s and dial-up internet and telephones and encyclopedias and the yellow pages and catalogs and hand-written letters may have all become obsolete… what in if anything, became obsolete in our public schools during the same time period? Plenty. Here are 12 things that have become obsolete in public schools during the past NCLB decade: • Critical Thinking •…

  • THE THIN LINE THAT SEPARATES A ROUTINE FROM A RUT…

    Kevin W. Riley
    20 Dec 2009 | 10:23 pm
    In the daily rhythms of the classroom, there is a thin line between a routine and a rut. The very best teachers have mastered the art of daily routines:  those practices and systems that frame all good instruction.  Like dancers, the routines provide a foundation– a consistent flow– so that improvisation, expertly timed, can flourish; so that creative energy can be saved for the more nuanced moves. There can be more artistry and risk taking. When the daily routine is mastered– it becomes invisible. Like good magic. The organizational structure, the daily tasks, the…
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    Pensamientos

  • Estévanico

    [Marcy Webb]
    3 Feb 2010 | 4:14 pm
    Here is a story for Black History Month you may be interested in sharing with your students. Enjoy, and, Feliz Mes de Historia Africana-mericana.

  • Major Picasso Retrospective Coming to the Met

    [Marcy Webb]
    25 Jan 2010 | 1:59 pm
    In April 2010, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will host a major retrospective of Pablo Picasso's work.  Click here for more information.

  • What's Most Important?

    [Marcy Webb]
    20 Jan 2010 | 9:43 pm
    Learning how to learn is life's most important skill.   T. Buzan The teachers at my place of employ have just finished writing midterm reports, and each time, the report of a particular student challenges me to reflect on what is most important for learning and for teaching, especially if the student in question is struggling. A case in point: One of my Spanish Two students - aka the Twosies - turns in all of his homework, and performs reasonably well on quizzes and tests. However, he lacks initiative when working independently, is inclined to key his peers shoulder the brunt of the…

  • Dr. King from the Perspective of the Spanish-Speaking World

    [Marcy Webb]
    17 Jan 2010 | 9:28 pm
    Here is a link which will take you to a variety of resources for discussing Dr. King in Spanish. Enjoy the day!

  • Fluenz May Actually Have The Right Approach

    [Marcy Webb]
    11 Jan 2010 | 11:22 am
    For years, people - students and adults alike - have been sold on the idea that one learns a foreign language in much the same way as one learns his/her native or first language.  Perhaps under the most ideal conditions, this would be true. But, since most learning doesn't occur in the most ideal of situations, the approach used should be designed in order to best navigate the conditions which are present. Thus the reason why I think that the Fluenz language learning system may have tapped into something that most language scholars have wanted to ignore: One doesn't learn a foreign…
 
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    Learning & Technology

  • Apple iPad Unveiled

    Alison Pendergast
    27 Jan 2010 | 2:31 pm

  • 1 in 4 Take Online Courses

    Alison Pendergast
    26 Jan 2010 | 2:27 pm
    Courtesy of Sloan-CAccording to a new study published today by the Sloan Consortium, 1 in 4 students took at least one online course in the fall, 2008 semester.  That's a 17% increase from just a year prior. All total, more than 4.9 students took online courses in 2008, up from 3.9 million the previous year. The annual report, widely considered a benchmark for distance education, also reported several other key findings: Public institutions (74 percent) are more likely to believe that online is critical for their long-term strategy than either private for-profit (51 percent) or private…

  • Time's Preview of Apple's New Tablet

    Alison Pendergast
    15 Jan 2010 | 11:40 am
    Apple's planned product announcement for Jan 27, 2010 has fueled speculation that Apple will be launching a state-of-the-art tablet device. Below is an interesting view from Time's SI Managing Editor on how Apple's device could enable the creation of innovative, addictive experiences by content publishers, media companies, and advertisers.

  • 3rd Generation E-Readers Debut At CES

    Bill Kimball
    8 Jan 2010 | 9:17 am
    Source: Skiff.comThe Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been the de facto launch pad for new electronic gizmos and gadgets for decades (Anyone remember Atari’s Pong? It made its appearance at CES 1975). As such, it’s little wonder this year’s CES has brought out the third generation of e-readers complete with color screens, image capability, and even a flexible (albeit durable) model. CNN Tech reports: “Since Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007, a growing cult of book lovers has embraced it and rival products such as the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble's…

  • News on Apple Tablet

    Alison Pendergast
    16 Dec 2009 | 7:10 pm
    CNET is reporting Apple plans to launch a new tablet device sometime in early spring. "Apple will ramp up production on its long-rumored tablet in February with an eye toward a spring launch. That's the word from Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner who says his checks into Apple's supply chain indicate that the manufacturing cogs for the [device] are creaking into action.  According to Reiner, the tablet will have a 10.1-inch multitouch LCD display and a price point of $1,000." More here
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    TotalGadha GMAT

  • Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2010

    Dagny
    25 Jan 2010 | 7:58 am
    Methedology Used: The rankings are based on data collected from two main sources, alumni and business schools. This year a total of 156 business schools met the criteria for participation and completed the school survey provided. Some 21,328 alumni, of the graduating class of 2006, were then asked to complete an alumni survey and just over 8,000 responses were submitted. The FT always surveys graduates three years after they have completed the degree to assess the effect of the MBA on their subsequent career progression and salary growth. Of the 156 schools, 48 were excluded because of…

  • Business Week Part Time MBA Rankings 2009

    Dagny
    7 Jan 2010 | 12:24 am
    Following are the 2009 Part Time MBA Rankins from Business Week. Read Full Report Here Methedology Used to rank Part Time MBA Programmes: A student survey, sent to 12,414 part-time MBA students at 99 programs and completed by 4,222 (34%), measures general student satisfaction. The academic quality score consists of six equally weighted measures: average GMAT score, average work experience, the percentage of all teachers in the part-time MBA program who are tenured faculty, average class size in core business classes, the number of business electives available to part-time MBA students, and…

  • Part Time MBA : Pros and Cons

    Dagny
    4 Jan 2010 | 11:00 pm
    Oflate a lot of students have been coming up with basic queries related to part time MBA. Who must opt for part time MBA? Is part time MBA worth pursuing? Can I change careers after doing part time MBA? So on and so forth. So today we would be handling all such queries regarding part time MBA. Part time MBA programs are becoming popular among people these days. For professionals who don’t want to take hiatus from their ongoing careers as well as add an extra feather to their qualifications, part time MBA is a great option. Part time MBA Programs give you: 1. Flexibility: Most classes are…

  • Go Grab those MBA Interview Opportunities

    Dagny
    25 Dec 2009 | 1:29 am
    Samantha is an applicant for the MBA 2010-2012 session. She has an above average GMAT (say 680), 3.0 GPA, is a state level Tennis player, has a 4+ years work experience at a Software Company, and has some A grades in some quant course that she took at the community college. If we just assess the profile, it doesn’t sound anything great or outstanding. There would definitely be people in her applicant pool who would have stellar GMATs, work experience from companies such a McKenzie and Microsoft or superior grades, national sport players and alike. So does that mean that Samantha should…

  • Business School Profiles of 18 European Business Schools

    Dagny
    21 Nov 2009 | 10:53 am
    US MBA vs UK MBA has always been a topic of contention among MBA aspirants. Being a mathematician’s wife keeps my love for numbers alive and fresh all year round. We have already assessed some numbers for 40 US Business Schools in terms of age, class size, work experience, GMAT scores and GPA earlier. Let’s take a quick look at the numbers of top 18 European Business schools. School Place GMAT Score Work Experience 1 HEC Paris France Average-600 Average-5.5 years 2 London Business School UK Average 697 Average -5.3 years Range- 600-800 Range 2-12 years 3 Insead France / Singapore…
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    Teachers Love SMART Boards

  • SMARTBoards and Ad-free Resources - Volume 3

    James Hollis
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:21 am
    The final installment in my battle against educational resources that contain inappropriate advertisement will focus on interactive resources provided by education publishers. This is a key topic since the educational field is quickly moving away from static textbooks to interactive and customizable media formats.  If the education publishers don't react quickly, they won't be part of the transition. Here are a few education publishers who seem aware of this transition and are already providing exceptional interactive educational content for the classroom: TES iboard Interactive Resources …

  • SMARTBoards and Ad-free Resources - Volume 2

    James Hollis
    4 Feb 2010 | 6:01 am
    Volume 2 of SMART Boards and Ad-free Resources will focus on two non-profit organizations dedicated to helping teachers and students find and use exceptional interactive educational resources. 2Learn.caThe non-profit organization 2Learn.ca is one of those amazing resources that I really should have highlighted months ago. The fact is, I was introduced to this resource approximately a year ago and I saved the link in my bookmarks and I completely forgot about it until I started researching information for this particular blog post. Finding 2Learn.ca after such a long absence makes me feel both…

  • SMARTBoards and Ad-free Resources - Volume 1

    James Hollis
    3 Feb 2010 | 8:24 am
    I have received a great deal of response to my last blog post about interactive educational resources on the Internet that either have inappropriate advertisement or too much advertisement. The next three blog posts (Volumes 1 through 3) will attempt to demonstrate that teachers have alternatives when using interactive resources from the Internet.This volume will highlight three of my favorite websites that are provided by Governments agencies or Public Service Broadcasters.LearnAlberta.ca Locate ResourcesThis could be the best resource I've ever seen for providing and finding interactive…

  • SMARTBoards and Advertisement in Education

    James Hollis
    1 Feb 2010 | 2:22 am
     Yesterday on Twitter, I posted the following tweet... I felt compelled to tweet this after looking at a site that I've used many times over the last four to five years. This site (which I really like) is created by an educator (who is amazing) and contains some fantastic resources for other teachers. Unfortunately, it is completely covered (devoured) with advertisements. It's okay to make a profit...even in education. However, many teachers would like to share web resources with their students so they can use them at home and it really makes it difficult to recommend websites that have more…

  • SMARTBoards and Scholastic Interactive Whiteboard Activities

    James Hollis
    28 Jan 2010 | 7:20 pm
    For over 85 years, Scholastic, Inc. has worked very hard on achieving it's main objective of "helping children around the world to read and learn."  For me, it's great to see a company that's been around so long realize that interactive whiteboards can be an extremely powerful tool for the classroom. Not only have they created an incredible resource for teachers, students, and parents called Scholastic.com, they've created separate Interactive Whiteboard Activities section. Scholastic also seems to realize that many teachers are still learning how to use resources effectively with an…
 
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    The Teaching Palette

  • “Shhh” Noise Control

    I love the buzz and energy of an art room filled with students actively involved in the creative process.  Because of this, I allow my students to talk during art production, as long as they remain on-task and the noise level doesn’t become disruptive.  However, some of my classes have a harder time with this [...]

  • Educational Digital Content With Kitzu

    Searching for great images and content for your classroom? Then you’ll want to look through the unbelievable resources at kitZu created by the Orange County Department of Education. The online collection of digital kits covers numerous subject areas such as science, music, mathematics, history, visual art and more. The content includes free educational and copy [...]

  • Improve Curriculum Delivery with Document Cameras

    If there is only enough money in your budget to splurge on one piece of equipment for the art room then a document camera, in my opinion, is it. A document camera is not a fancy overhead projector but a versatile piece of equipment that can help improve the way you deliver curriculum. The most obvious [...]

  • Magic Garbage

    When your students are working on messy projects that leave tons of paper scraps on the floor consider using the Magic Garbage technique to motivate a super fast clean-up. I learned this tip from my colleagues in my masters cohort and it works beautifully with my elementary students. When it’s time to clean up, explain to [...]

  • 10 Best Image Sources For Creative Projects

    Educating students (and lets face it, ourselves) about copyright and digital citizenship has become increasingly more important as more and more teaching resources are found online.  While creating original image content may still be the best way to gather images, it is not always practical or even geographically realistic. Copyright-free and public domain images often [...]
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    Teaching Social Media Marketing At UCLA Extension

  • Gary Vee talks about Consumer Expectations

    29 Jan 2010 | 8:54 am
    Love @garyvee - talk about Crush It! all the time in our classes. He is spot on here:

  • Why Social Media Participation Matters: PR 2.0 for Marketers

    26 Jan 2010 | 7:58 am
    Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 1:00pm ET (check your local time)Register Now People are bombarded with information. People have short attention spans; they use online or mobile technology to log in for that shot of "instant gratification" and to view only the information they consider important and find interesting. It's a 24-second "Feed Me Seymour!" tweet cycle in a 24/7 conversation about brands, companies and products.Join us for this free webinar with HubSpot's PR Manager, Pamela Seiple, and HubSpot's Director of Marketing, Jeanne Hopkins, to learn why PR 2.0 should be a part of your…

  • Social Media ROI - Socialnomics

    30 Dec 2009 | 9:38 am

  • CASE STUDY It Pays to Listen: Avaya’s $250K Twitter Sale

    9 Dec 2009 | 9:06 am
    By Casey HibbardPublished November 12, 2009Avaya can hear you. Maybe you just praised the communications giant online – or took its name in vain. Whatever you said, it’s on the company’s radar.At a time when businesses are using social media to promote content and start discussions, Avaya has found that listening trumps talking.“We’re listening to social media and responding,” said Paul Dunay, Avaya’s social media ringleader, who is global managing director of services and social media marketing.“There is no Tweet that goes unturned. No forum post that goes unturned where our…

  • UCLA Extnsion Business & Management on Entourage!

    8 Dec 2009 | 4:04 pm
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    More Than a Test Score

  • Is Gaming Your Thing?

    April Conyers
    8 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm
    Even in the down economy, the gaming industry still made around $20 billion in revenue in 2009. It continues to be one of largest growing industries and game makers are confident that they will be even more successful in 2010. So, we want to know - are you interested in working in the video game industry? Do you need a special edge to yourself in the door or perhaps you haven’t worked on a game before or your exposure to graphics programming is basic? Take a look at the following master’s programs that can definitely help you achieve your goals. If you’re interested Shout Out to…

  • Super Student Desmond Garcia

    David Blake
    7 Feb 2010 | 12:56 pm
    Desmond Garcia, winner of the Super Student Stimulus II Zinch Scholarship, is a busy student.  Working as a bilingual collector and beginning his Junior year at The University of South Florida he has earned over 15 different honors and awards.  A great model student with high dreams that hopefully will be a little easier to attain with a super student stimulus! When/where did you hear about Zinch and the “Super Student Stimulus Scholarship”? I actually heard about Zinch and the “Super Student Stimulus Scholarship”, from a friend in October of 2009. After hearing about it I…

  • Wealth of Nations Scholar Catherine Lee

    David Blake
    5 Feb 2010 | 3:45 pm
    Catherine Lee is an active business student that stays busy! Between figure skating, translating and attending school she was able to showcase herself on Zinch with her profile.  We hope our contribution to her education can help her with her aspirations of starting her own business! How did you hear about the “Wealth of Nations Scholarship“? Being on the lookout for aid, I applied to many scholarships on Zinch as my email frequently updated me on, and had applied to previous Zinch-sponsored scholarships. What was your reaction when learning you had won the “Wealth of…

  • Education Hacker Andrew Bleich

    David Blake
    4 Feb 2010 | 3:40 pm
    Andrew Bleich is a hardworking student that has seen that current education systems are not perfect.  Andrew plans to work with Teach For America and is dedicated to helping improve education.  Recently Andrew has been accepted to Stanford University! Congratulations Andrew! But with a great school can come a great price tag.  Hopefully this Zinch scholarship can help Andrew get a great education at Stanford and help better education for future generations. How did you hear about the “Hacking Education Scholarship“? I heard about the “Hacking Education Scholarship”…

  • FAFSA

    David Blake
    3 Feb 2010 | 3:18 pm
 
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    University of Michigan-Dearborn News

  • Student receives national scholarship

    29 Jan 2010 | 12:30 pm
    DEARBORN / Jan. 29, 2010---Menas Houstoulakis, a junior studying criminal justice at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, was selected as a recipient of a $2,000 national scholarship offered by the Tau Sigma National Honor Society, an academic society that recognizes and promotes the academic excellence and involvement of transfer students. UM-Dearborn established a campus chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society last June, making it the first school in Michigan to form a chapter.     Houstoulakis received the second largest scholarship offered nationwide.  Houstoulakis…

  • Kindergarten open house is Feb. 11

    21 Jan 2010 | 12:26 pm
    DEARBORN / Jan. 21, 2010---The University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will host a kindergarten open house from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11 at the ECEC, located at 18501 Rotunda Dr., Suite 300 between the Southfield Freeway and Oakwood Boulevard.     Visitors can view the kindergarten classroom and meet the teacher.  Parents also can learn about the ECEC’s individualized, active-learning program in a stimulating environment with an excellent teacher/child ratio.   Full-day and half-day kindergarten sessions are…

  • Early Childhood Education Center Open House

    21 Jan 2010 | 12:16 pm
    DEARBORN / Jan. 21, 2010---The University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will host an open house from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the ECEC, located at 18501 Rotunda Dr., Suite 300 between the Southfield Freeway and Oakwood Boulevard.     Visitors can view the ECEC classrooms and meet one of the teachers.  Parents also can learn about the ECEC’s individualized, active-learning program in a stimulating environment with an excellent teacher/child ratio.   Full-day and half-day sessions are available.At the open house,…

  • Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

    12 Jan 2010 | 2:05 pm
    DEARBORN / Jan. 12, 2010---To commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the University of Michigan-Dearborn will host a week of programs and events dedicated toward nonviolent social improvement and the development of positive communities.     The week will kick off on Monday, Jan. 18, when volunteers from campus and the surrounding community spend the day helping others in honor of the 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Day, which commemorates the achievements of the late civil rights leader.    The MLK Day of Service runs from 8…

  • New art exhibition to open

    12 Jan 2010 | 2:03 pm
    DEARBORN / Jan. 12, 2010---The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery at the University of Michigan-Dearborn will present an exhibition of 17th, 18th and 19th century colonial period religious paintings and sculptures from Latin America Jan. 15 through Feb. 12.                Most of the works were painted by anonymous artists and include images of angels and saints as well as the Holy Family and other Christian subjects. Many of the paintings are very sophisticated, rich in color and decorative in nature; others are rendered in the folk…
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    stickylearning

  • Exploring the learning landscape

    Michael Eury
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:05 pm
    In my previous post I asked the question, 'Is Autonomous Learning the same as Informal Learning?' I'd been reading Daniel Pink's new book Drive and my mind had turned to thinking about autonomy, learning and motivation. The post itself was a fair reflection of this thought, but not the end. Over the last week I've kept being drawn back to questions about, and relationships between, informal/formal/autonomous learning. This led me to doodle a new thought: In my post on autonomous learning I had looked mainly at who was in control of the learning, in fact I defined Autonomous Learning as: "you…

  • Autonomous Learning - is it the same as informal learning?

    Michael Eury
    2 Feb 2010 | 4:18 am
    Formal learning and informal learning. I get the idea here, there is learning that is structured and there is learning that happens outside of structured environments. Marcia Conner's explanation of informal learning is a good starting point in understanding the thinking underlying informal learning. I have also written previously on informal learning in these three posts: Informal/Social Learning - Concertina Style Permission Learning - encouraging the informal Fish are the last to recognise water = informal learning As you can see I've used the term, informal learning myself, however, my…

  • PresentationZen Design - Review

    Michael Eury
    13 Jan 2010 | 8:49 pm
    Garr Reynolds' new book, PresentationZen Design, is his follow-up to his first book, PresentationZen of 2008. His first book was in many ways a summary of Garr's presentation style, looking at presentation preparation, design and delivery. I suppose it is no surprise that his second book expands on one key area from his first book, slide design - I say it is no surprise because it is Garr's design style that most defines him. If you already have his first book, this new book is really chapters 5, 6 & 7 expanded, however don't take this as a negative, what Garr has done here is to write a…

  • 10 Best (Learning) Books of 2009

    Michael Eury
    11 Jan 2010 | 8:43 pm
    After my longest break away from the stickylearning blog I thought a good place to begin was by reviewing the 10 books that I got the most from during 2009. When writing blog posts I draw ideas from a pretty wide range of areas and my reading over the last year has been equally wide. If you haven't seen or read all the books in the list, I can highly recommend all of them! 1 The Designful Company A clear winner for my best 2009 book! Marty Neumeier's book has had me coming back to re-read bits of it time and time again and has definitely influenced how I view design in learning. I think this…

  • Online social networks, learning and viral expansion loops

    Michael Eury
    14 Dec 2009 | 10:18 pm
    It's just about Christmas time and now is the time of end of year catch ups and Christmas parties. The most common question at these is, 'so what have you been up to lately?" I respond, 'well I'm becoming more and more interested in the use of social media and microblogging for learning', I then get puzzled looks that say, "too much time on your hands", "what is he talking about?" and they nod politely! Some go as far as to put words to their thoughts with "isn't that sort of thing just for bored celebrities?" Well, maybe that's what bored celebrities do, who knows? For me though I see a real…
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    Teaching with Contests.com

  • 2010 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge

    Ed Conti
    5 Feb 2010 | 2:02 pm
    Looking for a way to get kids excited about science homework?   What if he or she had the chance to win $50,000 in U.S. Savings bonds? Discovery Education and 3M are searching for “America’s Top Young Scientist” in the 2010 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, which will award one gifted middle school student $50,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds (a $25,000 cash value). Research shows that science test scores start to drop in middle school when interest in science begins to wane.  In an effort to foster the development of our nation’s next generation of scientists, Discovery…

  • Nature’s Voice Our Choice’s World Water Day 2010

    Ed Conti
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:40 pm
    Nature’s Voice Our Choice’s World Water Day: Students Give Water a Voice Competition (deadline March 22;) Water around the world is in trouble!  Every community’s essential water supply is threatened each day by a multitude of sources that can contaminate it.  As an essential component of our daily lives, water quality needs to be assessed and addressed now and in the future.  For some communities, water appears to be clean, but it is not safe.  For others, it is visibly undrinkable.  In all cases, water can be polluted both at the source and along the way to our faucets…

  • Miller Levine Tropical Biology Scholarship

    Ed Conti
    20 Jan 2010 | 8:41 pm
    Organization for Tropical Studies/Pearson Education Miller Levine Tropical Biology Scholarship (deadline March 1; opportunity for teachers to travel to Costa Rica and explore tropical ecosystems) All details: CLICK HERE ShareThis

  • Foundation Grant Information List

    Ed Conti
    20 Jan 2010 | 8:35 pm
    The George Lucas Educational Foundation Grant Information List: CLICK HERE ShareThis

  • Be Part of the Solution…

    Ed Conti
    12 Jan 2010 | 4:34 pm
    DASH+ challenges high school teams to use their creativity, science, technology, engineering, and math skills to design, describe, and pitch the next generation of automotive dashboards. All details: CLICK HERE ShareThis
 
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    Network Video + Education

  • Take Incident Report Data in Context

    5 Feb 2010 | 2:22 pm
    Two weeks ago this blog highlighted the challenges schools have when reporting safety and security incidents. While that article dealt with a Maryland school district, it’s apparent that Pennsylvania schools grapple with the same issue (Source: readingeagle.com, February 1, 2010, School safety reports imperfect, Berks educators agree). This article explains how a conservative school district may appear to have more incidents per student because it reports more incidents, but that it doesn’t mean that it’s more unsafe. In fact, it may be safer due to its focus on identifying issues and…

  • The Perception (and Reality) of School Crime

    29 Jan 2010 | 10:35 am
    For many schools across the country, drugs are a big problem. However, often illegal drugs are less prevalent than the improper use of prescription drugs. In light of this, the Benton Police Department in Arkansas plans to conduct Operation Medicine Cabinet on Saturday, February 6th. The program encourages parents to dispose of old medicine properly and rewards parents with gift cards that drop off medicine at the police department and other locations next Saturday (Source: TodaysTHV.com, January 20, 2010, Operation Medicine Cabinet to combat prescription drug abuse in Arkansas). According to…

  • The Art (or Science) of Reporting School Security Incidents

    22 Jan 2010 | 12:30 pm
    Is the reporting of school safety and security incidents an art or a science (Source: WTOP.com, January 15, 2010, Montgomery County grapples with school safety report)? If it’s a science, then schools simply would note their security/safety incidents and let the report speak for itself. If there were 20 fights during the school year, then that’s how many would be in the report. If it’s an art, however, then of those same 20 fights, it’s possible only 10 would appear in the report. Montgomery County, Maryland, is not the only district dealing with this issue, but it is the district…

  • Don't Forget About Security

    15 Jan 2010 | 12:42 pm
    Thieves stole nine flat-screen televisions, television production equipment and an undisclosed amount of money from Johnson Middle School in Melbourne, Florida, on New Year’s Eve (Source: Florida Today, January 11, 2010, School slowly returns to normal). Additionally, they vandalized the school, breaking windows to access classrooms and destroying musical instruments such as cellos. Overall, the break-in “resulted in more than $30,000 in damaged and stolen school property.” There are two main issues concerning this crime that warrant attention. First, the school did not have video…

  • Communicating the Value of Security Upgrades

    8 Jan 2010 | 1:58 pm
    Schools in Lynn, Massachusetts, plan to upgrade their security programs with access control systems this year (Source: The Daily Item, December 27, 2009, Security upgrade coming for Lynn schools). Eighteen schools will benefit from the upgrade, which costs $75,000. With the new system, the school will issue access control cards to employees, allowing administrators to keep track of people entering and leaving buildings. While the article simply highlights the basics of the new security upgrade and explains that the mayor-elect wants to bring back school resource officers, it’s the comments…
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    EducationGrant.com

  • What Not to Do With Your Student Loans

    Sandra Proulx
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:31 am
    Two years ago, Cynthia M. Tiemann of St. Peters, MO, took out seven college loans in her daughters’ names totaling nearly $140,000. She had no intention of paying their tuition with this money, as she forged the names of her two daughters and 71-year-old mother as a cosigner. Instead, she gambled it away at a local casino. How’d they find out? The girls’ father suggested to one of them that she learn about her credit, so he suggested that she pull her credit report online. That’s when she found out about the student loans that were taken out in her name nearly 18 months…

  • FAFSA Deadlines

    ttopor
    5 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am
    FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is used to apply for financial aid from your school, state, or government.  The application deadline for federal student financial aid and state student financial aid may be different, and you may be required to fill out additional application forms. The FAFSA needs to be filled out in order for you to receive federal aid, state aid, or school aid. School financial aid is given as loans, grants, or scholarships from the school you are attending (or wish to attend) State financial aid is given by the state you live in as loans or…

  • Think You May Not Qualify for Financial Aid?

    Sandra Proulx
    4 Feb 2010 | 7:17 am
    What’s one of the best ways to qualify for financial aid? Fill out the FAFSA. Sallie Mae’s study, How America Pays for College 2009, found that nearly one in four families didn’t qualify for financial aid (federal grants or student loans) because they didn’t complete the FAFSA. They disqualified themselves solely on assumption! 30% of lower-income families did not fill out the FAFSA because they didn’t think that their family would qualify for aid. There is no excuse this year – the FAFSA has been simplified, the Department of Education has increased federal…

  • Top 10 Scholarship Scams

    ttopor
    3 Feb 2010 | 6:55 am
    Top 10 Scholarship Scams Don’t be a victim of a scholarship scams! Applying for college scholarships may be time-consuming, but researching available scholarships that meet your needs will provide you with a better chance of receiving money towards your college education. Protect your time, money, and information while applying for college scholarships – avoid these popular scholarship scams: Unsolicited or random emails offering scholarship assistance If the scholarship requires you to send money upfront, but you see nothing in return – scholarships don’t ask students for money, they…

  • A Closer Look at Pell Grant Qualifications

    Sandra Proulx
    28 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm
    On Wednesday, President Obama proposed more money for Pell Grants that help qualified low-income students afford college. Starting in 2011, the maximum award will automatically increase alongside the rising cost-of-living, which would increase the maximum federal Pell Grant to $6,900 by 2019. In the 2005-06 school year, the number of Pell Grant recipients grew to 6.2 million from 4.7 million. The average Pell Grant awarded also grew to $2,223 from $1,885. So, the proposed increase that President Obama mentioned on Wednesday would mean even more Pell grant money for even more qualified…
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    Smart Classroom Management

  • Why Having Fun Makes Classroom Management Easier

    Michael Linsin
    6 Feb 2010 | 11:42 am
    Years ago I was asked to teach a summer school science class to a group of eighth graders. Because many had failed a similar course during the school year, more than sixty students signed up. Another teacher was brought in to help. His name was John Dugan, and we hit it off right away. John was hilarious. After a test, [...]

  • Your Daily Checklist For Effective Classroom Management

    Michael Linsin
    30 Jan 2010 | 12:56 pm
    Perhaps more than any other profession, teaching requires you to be mentally prepared before the heavy lifting of the day begins. If you’re feeling hurried, stressed, or distracted in the moments before the students arrive, teaching can be unforgiving—particularly in the area of classroom management. This is why it’s important to spend a couple of minutes every [...]

  • Why You Should Never Argue With Students; And How To Avoid It

    Michael Linsin
    23 Jan 2010 | 12:40 pm
    Let’s begin this weeks article by looking at a common scenario. You’re leading your students to class after visiting the library one day, and you notice Andrew kicking the heels of the student in front of him. He is clearly doing it on purpose. You stop the line, walk over to Andrew, and say, “Andrew, please stop kicking [...]

  • Why Behavior Contracts Don’t Work

    Michael Linsin
    16 Jan 2010 | 10:28 am
    When a teacher seeks help in handling a difficult student, typically one of the first things recommended is a behavior contract. Behavior contracts are popular because they give teachers a definite plan for improving behavior. And where there is a plan, there is hope. If you’re unfamiliar with how they work, behavior contracts are created collaboratively—usually the teacher, [...]

  • How To Command Respect From Students

    Michael Linsin
    9 Jan 2010 | 2:03 pm
    Have you ever noticed that some teachers don’t have to work as hard at classroom management? Certain teachers can walk into a classroom, and almost magically, the students become calmer, more mature, and more receptive in their presence. These teachers may use the same classroom management plan as everybody else, but somehow, year after year, their students [...]
 
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    Al Jamiat Magazine

  • Worst College Mascots

    aljamiat
    21 Jan 2010 | 1:33 pm
    Source: www.toptenz.net

  • Kazakhstan to Arizona State University

    aljamiat
    11 Jan 2010 | 12:21 pm
    My first experience with skateboarding Hi! My name is Zhandos Orazalin. Today, I’m going to tell you about my first experience with skateboarding. I’m from Kazakhstan, which is a fascinating country located between Europe and Asia.  It’s a size of whole of the Western Europe, it has stable government and it’s becoming a very attractive place for investments. [Watch Zhandos Orazalin talk about his experience at ASU & learning to skateboard] The President of our country has established a scholarship named “Bolashak” which allows the best students from Kazakhstan to study in…

  • What University Life Used to Look Like

    aljamiat
    6 Jan 2010 | 9:49 am
    These great photos made their way to us this morning, and we thought our international readers would enjoy seeing them. Looking through them I don’t see a big difference – people are having fun, groups of students are enjoying their college time together. Granted, everyone is dressed nicely and for some reason appear to be well over the age of 18, but looking through them I see student life as it is today. College life may look different today, with Uggs, sweatpants, and phones glued to everyone’s ears, but at the end its still about education, friendships, networks, and…

  • Life Beyond the Classroom

    hannah
    22 Dec 2009 | 7:44 am
    cc license, 350.org When most students prepare to go to college, they think about things like the major they will choose, the profession they will seek, and the kind of income they will one day earn to support themselves and their lifestyle.  To be sure, education plays a major role in students’ achieving all of these things.  Yet academics alone should not be a student’s only concern, according to some college admissions professionals. “When you choose a college, you need to think about life beyond the classroom, as well as what you learn inside the classroom,” says Thomas…

  • Facebook: What is Your Online Image?

    hannah
    21 Dec 2009 | 12:51 pm
    cc license, Gauldo A friend of mine recently started going to a large four-year university, after having attended our local community college. While at the community college, she refused to join Facebook. It only took three weeks to go by at the university and suddenly she was an active Facebook user, like so many others I know. Social networking sites, specifically Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace are now a part of the culture at American Universities. Their names have become verbs. You can now “facebook” someone, as easily as you can call someone. Their impact on a student’s social life…
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    Imagination Soup

  • Geometry fun with tangrams

    admin
    9 Feb 2010 | 7:12 am
    Want a fun math activity?  Try tangrams.  Theses are seven shapes, or tans, which come from China.  It’s geometry and it’s a lot more fun than proofs!  (Or is it just me who still hates... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Author Study of Robert Munsch

    admin
    7 Feb 2010 | 1:39 pm
    We think Rober Munsch is hilarious!  Do you agree? Kiss Me, I’m Perfect will make anyone who’s received a “grandma gift” groan with recognition. Stephanie’s Ponytail... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Rock Star Music For Kids

    admin
    4 Feb 2010 | 9:55 am
    Joanie Leeds’s kid music CD “I’m a Rock Star” literally rocks and jazzes and hip-hops.  I’m admit that I’ve been listening to it non-stop and oh, did I say I?  I... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Learning Valentine’s Day Crafts

    admin
    1 Feb 2010 | 8:37 pm
    Valentine’s Day learning? Yup, I love Valentine’s Day crafts so I figured out a way to make crafts a learning experience. How, you ask?  Read on, my friends. 4- 7 year olds:  LETTERS and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • ENDED Win a Wiz Kidz Thinking Skills Card Game

    admin
    26 Jan 2010 | 7:00 pm
    Congratulations to Hallie Doyle! Random.org picked you as the winner. The Wiz Kidz card game is really fun!  You pick two cards — a letter card and a category card.  So, if you get the letter... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
 
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    Faculty Focus » » Articles

  • Political Bias in the Classroom: Perception and Reality

    Darren L. Linvill, Ph.D.
    9 Feb 2010 | 5:10 am
    The proper role a faculty member’s personal political ideology should play in the university classroom has been an issue of debate since Buckley published Man and God at Yale in 1951. This debate has gained prominence in recent years with the growth of groups such as David Horowitz’s Students for Academic Freedom (SAF) and the work of organizations such as the American Council of Trustees and Alumni who both feel that a pervasive liberal bias in higher education is threatening the value of students’ education. The perception of bias has lead to legislation in 28 states since 2004, all…

  • A Checklist for Facilitating Online Courses

    Mary Bart
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:32 am
    There are two common assumptions about teaching online that can sink even the most well-meaning neophyte. One is that “teaching is teaching” regardless of whether it’s face-to-face or online and there’s no reason to deviate from the proven principles that work so well in the traditional classroom. The second assumption is that teaching online is all about the technology, and if you design your course properly, it pretty much runs itself. Of course both assumptions are false, but where does that leave online instructors looking for guidance on the right way to teach an online course? A…

  • For a Successful Online Teaching and Learning Experience: Communicate

    Lawrence Ragan, PhD.
    5 Feb 2010 | 4:12 am
    Regardless of the size of course enrollments, the key to a successful teaching and learning experience for both the learner and instructor is communication. Clearly defining and communicating the expectations will address the uncertainly of what role and responsibility is required of each participant. The efficiency and effectiveness of this communication will evolve with experience. Chances are it will not be perfect the first, second or maybe even third offering. Refining the course management is a continual “work in progress” that requires a commitment on part of the instructor to…

  • Researchers Recommend Providing Students with Partial Notes

    Maryellen Weimer
    4 Feb 2010 | 4:30 am
    Course management software programs make it especially easy for instructors to provide students with a set of complete lecture notes. It seems that more instructors are doing this, as witnessed in the regularity with which students ask that the instructor’s notes be posted. But is giving students a complete set of notes a good idea? Previous findings, like those of Kenneth Kiewra, recommend against this practice. Kiewra’s research demonstrated both a process and a product benefit of note taking. The process benefit accrues when students make selections about what to note and when they use…

  • Extra Credit Assignments: An Innovative Approach

    Tena Long Golding, PhD.
    3 Feb 2010 | 4:15 am
    My students are always asking for opportunities to earn bonus points. I offer a variety of assignments during the semester, but they still want bonus points, which they seem to think are easier to obtain than the required points. Generally, I’m opposed to bonus options because I feel that if students are struggling with the current assignments, they do not need an “extra” assignment for extra credit. In addition, the word “bonus” seems to suggest something for nothing. I want my students to realize that grades are earned, not given. However, I recently tried a bonus activity that…
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    Projects, Dissertation, Thesis

  • Exchange rate risk and its determinants.: Evidence from international stock markets

    admin
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:51 am
    This paper evaluates if international stock markets are exposed to fluctuation in the exchange rate and whether this exposure is related to exports, imports and inflation. Eight countries are studied: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Hong Kong, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The empirical investigation covers the period from 1995 to 2004 and [...]

  • Do energy taxes decrease carbon dioxide emissions?

    admin
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:48 am
    This paper investigates the environmental effectiveness of the energy taxes. That is, whether these have decreased the CO2 emissions and how they have changed the structure of the energy consumption. Time series data for the years 1960-2002 is used. The results show that the oil and coal taxes seem to favour a substitution towards less [...]

  • Neighbourhood Politics in Transition: Residents’ Associations and Local Government in Post-Apartheid Cape Town

    admin
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:46 am
    This study focuses on the changing practices of South African residents’ associations and their relationship with political parties and local government from 1990 to 2006, with the aim to examine how associations in Cape Town respond when they are confronted with a new democratic institutional and political context.Two empirical questions guide the analysis: How do [...]

  • Social Phobia: The Family and the Brain

    admin
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:42 am
    The present thesis investigated family history and neurobiology of social phobia. Social phobia is a disabling disorder characterized by a marked fear of scrutiny in a variety of social situations. By using a validated questionnaire, study I related family history of excessive social anxiety to social phobia and avoidant personality disorder in epidemiologically identified probands [...]

  • Locating Biotech Innovation: Places, Flows and Unruly Processes

    admin
    8 Feb 2010 | 1:39 am
    This thesis begins by making two observations. First, that the regional economic landscapes in which we all live our daily lives, and which provide the basis for employment and prosperity, are constantly changing. Second, that one of the most popular strategies currently pursued by regions and nations for coping with such change, relies heavily on [...]
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    Want to Know it? Answers to life's questions

  • When was the Chocolate Chip Cookie Invented

    Want to know it
    8 Feb 2010 | 11:25 pm
    Chocolate chip cookies are popular treats eaten all over the world. But when was the chocolate chip cookie invented? This post will answer that question and then tell you how chocolate chip cookies were invented! When was the Chocolate Chip Cookie Invented? Chocolate chip cookies were invented sometime during the 1930’s by Ruth Graves Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. Sources differ about exactly when Ruth Wakefield invented the recipe. Some suggest 1930, others 1933 and some 1937. Wakefield discovered chocolate chip cookies by accident… How Were Chocolate…

  • Top 10 Movie List

    Want to know it
    8 Feb 2010 | 5:04 pm
    Here are my top 10 favorite movies of all time, with some honorable mentions for those films that just missed out! Top 10 Movie List 10. Avatar. Sure, Avatar has a predictable plot and is not the most original story you’ll ever see. However, the amazing 3D special effects make the film absolutely incredible. Avatar is the first film I have rated highly only for its amazing visuals. I hope Avatar paves the way for more stunning 3D effects. 9. Toy Story 2. One of my favorite from Pixar. They really know how to make great films (except for Cars- that was terrible). Who doesn’t love…

  • Interesting Topics to Write About

    Want to know it
    8 Feb 2010 | 4:36 am
    Can’t think of anything to write about? This list of interesting topics to write about is designed for you! Interesting Things to Write About Movies! Everyone loves a good movie and there are heaps of things to write about on this topic. You can do box office reports, reviews or news. Quotes and jokes. People enjoy a good laugh or something to think and ponder about. The Creation/Evolution/Intelligent Design debate is fascinating and is great to write about if you are interested in the topic. Watch too much TV- write about it! You can talk about television ratings, do news reports or do…

  • What to do in Ireland

    Want to know it
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:35 pm
    Ireland is the 20th largest island in the world. This post will take you through some things to do if you travel to Ireland. Please follow the links to learn more (they lead to other websites and open in new windows or tabs). What to do in Ireland Go on a historical walking tour around Dublin. Visit the Kilmainham Goal Historical Museum. It is located on Inchicore Road in Dublin. Get pampered at a spa! The Irish House Party is fantastic for tourists. You will learn about Irish music, dance and culture in a very fun and relaxed environment. You can find the email address of the Irish House…

  • What Causes Salmonella

    Want to know it
    5 Feb 2010 | 5:18 am
    Salmonella is a type of bacterial infection. People who contract salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting and abdominal cramps. But what causes salmonella? This post will answer that question. What Causes Salmonella? Feces (poo) of many animals and humans contain salmonella bacteria. Many raw meats may pick up feces during the butchering process. Hence, they must be cooked otherwise they will spread salmonella. Raw seafood can also contain salmonella if it comes from contaminated water. Some surface water contains salmonella. Standing water (such as that in an unused water dispenser) can…
 
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    Accepted Admissions Almanac

  • Higher Education Gender Gap Stabilizes, Mostly

    Accepted.com
    8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
    There's been a lot of press lately on the gender gap in higher education. As of the most recent report by the American Council on Education, while men currently make up only about 43% of college enrollment, the gender gap is for the most part holding steady. The following chart, published by Inside Higher Ed, shows the percentage of male undergraduates who are ages 24 or younger, according to race and ethnicity. Group 1995-1996 1999-2000 2003-2004 2007-2008 All 48% 46% 45% 46% White 49% 46% 46% 47% Black 37% 40% 40% 41% Latino 45% 45% 43% 42% Asian 54% 50% 50% 49% Native American n/a 45% 44%…

  • Another Week, Another College and B-School Round Up!

    Accepted.com
    8 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am
    Round 3 MBA Special: Save $100 on all orders over $1,000 placed by February 22, 2010. Can be used for MBA essay editing, waitlist letters, and mock interviews. Use coupon code R3100. In the State of the Union address, President Obama urged colleges to “get serious about cutting their own costs.” To assist in the goal of making higher education more affordable to the greatest number of students, Obama plans to increase federal support for education by 6% in 2011. Obama also supports the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which, if passed by Congress, would eliminate…

  • MBA Tour Washington DC Event Cancelled

    Linda Abraham
    7 Feb 2010 | 8:51 am
    Due to a massive snow storm The MBA Tour's Washington DC event has been cancelled. It was originally scheduled for Sunday February 7 and then postponed to Tuesday February 9. It is now cancelled.   By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.

  • NYU Stern Changes Face

    Accepted.com
    5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
    NYU Stern was hit particularly hard during the financial crisis, mainly because of its proximity (both in location and in interests) to NYC's Wall Street. Now, according to a recent article in BusinessWeek,Dean Peter Henry (the new NYU Stern Dean as of January 15), is working towards creating a more global educational profile with a lower dependence on investment banking. In short, Dean Henry is attempting to remove Stern's reputation as a "finance school" and instead transform the school (and its reputation) into a more diverse program that doesn't just churn out students for careers in…

  • Application Tip: Be Factual!

    Accepted.com
    5 Feb 2010 | 11:00 am
    While most universities only require verification on test scores and grades and will rely on the applicant's integrity for the rest of the details, reports MercuryNews, the University of California system will further investigate applicant assertions. So if you didn't really donate your last paycheck to save the whales, then don't say you did. And if you aren't really descended from a Sioux Indian chief, then don't say you are. And finally, if you don't really dance for the Rockettes, then don't say you do. In short, be honest. The UC "application police" won't just be checking for plagiarism…
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    SAGrader Blog

  • Weekly Round Up

    Happy Friday! We hope you had a productive week. Here are a few interesting reads we found this week – enjoy! How to Teach with Google Wave Though it’s an older article, it’s full of good stuff about using Google Wave in your classroom. One of Wave’s biggest advantages? Allowing classes from different colleges [...]

  • Textbook Alternatives

    It seems as if textbooks are a thing of the past. If you’re looking to incorporate textbook alternatives into your classroom but don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas. PDFs – You can share chapters or excerpts from books, articles, or just about any other type of document by creating [...]

  • Get Your Students to Speak Up During Class

    Do you ever have a class period where it feels like your students are asleep? You’re introducing an exciting new topic but no one seems to be interested. You throw out a question but no one volunteers an answer. How do you get your students to wake up and speak up during [...]

  • Weekly Round Up

    It’s the end of another great week! Here are some interesting reads we wanted to share. Have a fabulous weekend! Despite problems, laptops boost student test scores With all the hype about laptop programs in schools, do they really benefit the student? Do they cause more harm then good? Here’s a good [...]

  • Five Steps to Becoming an Edupreneur

    Here at SAGrader, we like entrepreneurs. Without them – or a certain one, I should say – we wouldn’t exist! But thanks to the passionate and innovative spirits of individuals like our founder, the world of education is able to incorporate today’s technology into the classroom and offer a modern, connected, and just [...]
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