October 2006
October 31, 2006
Emoticons and Smilies
We were looking for a good website about this...and here it is.
October 30, 2006
Spam just getting more and more fun.
This is the report of the email within our school system...its gates are being continouously attacked by the spammers.
Here is the latest Spam blocker stats.
Note in April, 2006, we received 1,000,000 emails with 15% let through as good and we are now over 2,250,000 with 11% let through as good email.
It is now over 70,000 per day.
Monthly Inbound Good vs Junk - Spam Report
Good Email vs Junk Email (All Spam, All Virus, All Phishing, Policy, and DHA)
Oct, 2006
Good Email 247468 (11%)
Junk Email 2085585 (89%)
Sep, 2006
Good Email 155963 (8%)
Junk Email 1790695 (92%)
Aug, 2006
Good Email 121425 (7%)
Junk Email 1617660 (93%)
Jul, 2006
Good Email 126230 (9%)
Junk Email 1220404 (91%)
Jun, 2006
Good Email 156606 (13%)
Junk Email 1071610 (87%)
May, 2006
Good Email 162561 (15%)
Junk Email 949482 (85%)
Apr, 2006
Good Email 148168 (15%)
Junk Email 862631 (85%)
Mar, 2006
Good Email 190617 (17%)
Junk Email 900521 (83%)
Feb, 2006
Good Email 171082 (18%)
Junk Email 772474 (82%)
Jan, 2006
Good Email 137839 (15%)
Junk Email 783556 (85%)
Dec, 2005
Good Email 113539 (21%)
Junk Email 428450 (79%)
Nov, 2005
Good Email 99282 (25%)
Junk Email 302638 (75%)
Oct, 2005
Good Email 7857 (22%)
Junk Email 28505 (78%)
October 27, 2006
Quote of the Day
There must be such a thing as a child with average ability, but you can't find a parent who will admit that it is his child. ~ Thomas Bailey, Florida State Superintendent of Schools
October 26, 2006
The K-12 Online Conference 2006
I did not get a chance to partake in this conference but leave it up to Stephen Downes to stir the pot. I like the comments...k-12 is different than post-secondary...it is great to see others are starting to come to that conclusion.
The K-12 Online Conference 2006
The Future of Things
The Future of Things (TFOT) is an online magazine dedicated to bringing original content on science, technology, and medicine from around the world. TFOT aims to provide comprehensive, accurate, and high quality coverage of emerging scientific and technological innovations. TFOT's news stories and articles are unique, not only because they include detailed analysis and commentary, but because of the inclusion of in-depth interviews with leading scientists, engineers, and other visionaries who describe their work and offer us a glimpse into our future.
HP's Memory Spot Chip is Spot On
A prototype of a tiny wireless chip capable of storing and transmitting data was recently revealed by HP. When the new chip hits the market in about two years, it will enable a variety of applications ranging from digital wristbands that store patient medical information to a new form of storing digital versions of documents or sound bytes on paper and printed pictures that can be accessed using a reader-equipped device.
Learning and Gender
Girls, they might find, are behind boys in elementary school math or science scores. They’ll find high school girls statistically behind boys in SAT scores. They might find, upon deeper review, that some girls have learning disabilities that are going undiagnosed.
Boys, they’ll probably notice, make up 80 to 90 percent of the district’s discipline referrals, 70 percent of learning disabled children, and at least two-thirds of the children on behavioral medication. They’ll probably find that boys earn two-thirds of the Ds and Fs in the district, but less than half the As. On statewide standardized test scores, they’ll probably notice boys behind girls in general. They may be shocked to see how far behind the boys are in literacy skills; nationally, the average is a year and a half.
“What Would You Do If Every Student Had Their Own Computer In Class?”
One of these “digital interns” asks, “What would you do if every student had their own computer in class?” While the question is fairly general, I’d love to see members of the edublogosphere lend her some ideas.
“What Would You Do If Every Student Had Their Own Computer In Class?”
October 25, 2006
Quote of the Day
I would never join a club that would have me as a member.
My Brother
Stackopolis
Your goal is to create a series of buildings. All you need to do is check the blueprint and move the tiles around. Just don't let time run out on you!
October 20, 2006
Urban Legends Reference Pages
Is it true or not check it out here...
Movie Mistakes
Open your eyes and you might see some of these mistakes.
The Onion
The Onion is not intended for readers under 18 years of age. But it is bizaar check it out.
News of the Weird
Welcome to News of the Weird, the weekly syndicated newspaper column (founded 1988) that is the most widely-read bizarre-news feature in the United States--indeed, the gold standard of weird-news reporting, appearing in more than 250 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.
LMS Review
An interesting read...it never does state which is the best LMS...so if that is what you are looking for this is not the article.
October 19, 2006
Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences
This was a document sent out in our system that I thought was well thought out and should be shared.
The following are a few suggestions that may assist you in the Conferences.
1. Greet parents as they approach you (smile) and shake their hand. If the student is with them also welcome him/her and encourage them to stay for the conference. The information you discuss with the parents should not be new to the student.
2. Begin the conference with something positive about their child. Prepare to discuss strengths and weaknesses, work habits, attitude, and emotional development as well as attendance policy and evaluation procedures. At some point in the discussion, raise your concerns if you have any. Always prepare 1 or 2 key points that you want to cover.
3. If possible, suggest ways that the parent might help their child to improve in your class.
4. Allow the parents the opportunity to ask specific questions about their child’s academic progress or about course curriculum.
5. Listen with enthusiasm. Try not to place yourself in a situation where a parent becomes upset. If such arises, offer to discuss the situation at a later time in a more private location where there is a better opportunity for dialogue.
6. Write down valuable information during the conference. Try to include dates for further reporting as well as the nature of the discussion. The back of your teacher planner has a section that allows you to take notes quickly.
7. It is critical that you remain within the time lines scheduled for the conference. All other teachers are counting on you to do your part in ensuring that parents move efficiently to and from conferences at the scheduled time. When the tone sounds stand, shake their hand and thank them for taking an interest in their child’s education.
8. One sign of our faith is that there is always hope. This hope must also be expressed in a positive statement toward the student and the parent, even in the most desperate of circumstances. A statement such as “the student will fail the class no matter what they do” is not an acceptable statement.
October 18, 2006
Elementary School Cyber Planets
Here is an example of what this is all about...
The grade 2 Cyber planet is a secure online elementary school classroom. The classroom includes secure e-mail, chatrooms & bulletin boards. This classroom allows teachers to monitor their students activities while logged into the classroom.
The grade 2 Cyber Planet also includes "Subject Stuff". The websites found in this area have been evaluated and include sites and activities for grade 2 students divided by subject area. Be confident that your students are not only on safe sites but aldo educational sites!
Elementary school Cyber Planets
AOK12S continues to grow
The AOK12S has now incorporated a Resource Blog into its Online Learning Communities. The blog is used to filter and categorize all of the resources, web sites, lessons, unit plans etc, that have been submitted or found by Association staff, Association members or educators of the Saskatoon Catholic School Division. The resources span throughout all grades K-12 and cover every subject area. We also filter though all of the resources posted on other SCS blogs and add the resources to the appropriate category in the Resource Blog.
The resources include full courses developed by SCCS and others who have shared their material. To view an example of this blog please click the screen shot below. If you are interested in accessing all or more of these blog resources please join the AOK12S free of charge!
We were having a discussion around the pod about...
What is the longest word you can type using only one hand???
Here is what came up.
Trivia -- according to wikipedia
The longest common English word that can be typed using only the left hand (using conventional hand placement) is stewardesses. The words sweaterdresses and aftercataracts are longer and can also be typed with only the left hand, but they are not in all dictionaries.
October 17, 2006
Exploratorium online exhibits
Now this has some neat stuff on it...check this one out.
Today's Front pages
"Today's Front Pages" is an online presentation of one of the Newseum's most popular exhibits. Every morning, more than 400 newspapers from around the world submit their front pages to the Newseum via the Internet.
Copyright statement
For all you course designers here is a statement I found in a hymn book while I was in church...it is worded nicely and is something that should be included in all courses.
We have made every effort to trace the ownership of all copyrights. We express our appreciation to those individuals and publishers who granted permission for use of their materials. If any omissions or infringement of copyright has occured through oversight, we apologize. Upon notification from copyright holder, the error will be rectified immediately.
October 11, 2006
Drawing Lessons
Articles introduce such topics as understanding talent, buying supplies, and setting up a studio. The curriculum addresses many common questions and concerns, and provides an introduction to diverse aspects of preparing for the process of learning how to draw.
Senses Challenge
Put your senses to the test with our Senses Challenge.
Check it out.
Yahoo time capsule
This sites concept is very cool and the graphics are even cooler.
October 6, 2006
Open Thinking (Wiki)
This wiki was started as a place where we (Alec, Heather and Rob) could plan our Open Thinking Booth for the 2006 SACE conference. We decided early on that we would share this wiki with anyone who cares to have a look.
On this wiki you will find a list of resources that we, as educators, find useful.
October 5, 2006
Top 100 block sites
Here is a list of the top 100 sites that are blocked by the blocking software we use within our school division. Do you recognized any of these sites. Well, if you only surf at school, you would not.
1860 180solutions.com
552 youtube.com
480 live365.com
473 musicmatch.com
192 adtegrity.net
167 addictinggames.com
84 btgrab.com
76 myspace.com
70 wizteen.com
63 t45ol.com
58 piczo.com
57 xtremetop1.com
54 miniclip.com
48 pulsix.com
46 victoriassecret.com
45 xanga.com
43 jarkey.net
37 hi5.com
35 candystand.com
34 lavalife.com
33 lovehappens.com
29 toplistcity.com
26 shockwave.com
25 lasenza.com
23 parkingspa.com
19 newgrounds.com
19 runescape.com
17 habbo.com
16 msn.com
15 mate1.com
13 bullz-eye.com
13 live.com
13 orkut.com
12 azlyrics.com
11 bebo.com
10 asian-links.com
10 dailyhaha.com
10 fastcoolcars.com
10 freedesktopwallpapers.net
9 celebritywonder.com
9 popularscreensavers.com
9 wwe.com
8 askmen.com
8 deviantart.com
8 freewebz.com
8 teagames.com
7 2flashgames.com
7 cduniverse.com
7 mikefullerton.com
7 sfondideldesktop.com
7 wallpaperbase.com
6 216.73.86.52
6 explosm.net
6 ifilm.com
6 inksling.com
6 kontrabandcontent.co.uk
6 nexopia.com
6 yahoo.com
5 clickzs.com
5 ebaumsworld.com
5 gunsnbuns.org
5 mistressomega.net
5 ridindirty.com
5 webjay.org
4 adultadworld.com
4 albinoblacksheep.com
4 canoe-inc.com
4 clitgames.com
4 fifagame.website.pl
4 flashflashrevolution.com
4 flowgo.com
4 img.artlebedev.ru
4 maidenform.com
4 match.com
4 mousebreaker.com
4 mp3.com
4 myshoutbox.com
4 trackyourstats.com
4 www.artlebedev.ru
3 aarrgghh.com
3 advancedanime.com
3 all-my-sports-posters.com
3 animegalleries.net
3 cockybastard.com
3 facebook.com
3 gaiaonline.com
3 geocities.com
3 gofish.com
3 graffiti.org
3 im.lide.cz
3 lifesite.net
3 minijuegos.com
3 neave.com
3 pogo.com
3 publispain.com
3 spidertattoo.com
3 temptatts4u.com
3 www.best-news.ru
3 www.club-internet.fr
2 11skins.com
I am not sure what this means but it is kind of neat to see the list.
Recent Trends for Youth Internet Use
A 2005 National Study conducted by the Media Awareness Network found:
94% youth 9-17 are using the internet at home.
43% of grade 5 kids and 86% of grade 11 kids are using instant messaging daily.
86% of youth have at least one e-mail account.
44% of parents don’t know about it.
56% of youth use chat rooms.
33% are going to adult chats.
17% of grades 7-11 kids had intentionally visited porn sites in the preceding six months.
Of youth who reported bullying, 27% reported being bullied online.
Youth who have their own computer with internet reported twice as much time online.
October 4, 2006
Society DOES create education.
Many of the problems we have in our schools are a result of outside forces, most of which cannot be controlled in any way by the schools themselves. Before we start saying our schools suck, we better acknowledge that society sucks as well.
Society DOES create education.
You do NOT have a right to an education.
It all comes down to what you believe education is all about. Is education about creating good citizens of the state? Or, is education just about providing knowledge and skills to improve your life. For most of world history the latter was true, only in recent liberal enlightened decades has the former become true. "Education is a right because everyone must be indoctrinated, schools will raise our kids to become good citizens", they say. It goes back to the first principle: schools are not day care.
You do NOT have a right to an education.
Quantity is not Quality
All of the teaching and behavior control techniques drilled into each teacher's head in college are worthless if the students are not motivated to learn. All the standards that every politician and administrator want met are worthless if the students are not motivated to learn. Quality education requires motivation, quantity education does not. Quantity is what we got now, if quality means sacrificing quantity, who would not make that exchange?
School is not Day Care
The truth is parents do not want their kids spending more time at home. Especially when you have single parent or two working parent households, where shorter school days mean higher day care costs. This is why a "less is more" strategy will never happen: adults want more freedom from their kids. One of many reasons why our schools are failing.
Education does not create society
While few educators will openly admit it, controlling student behavior is priority number one (if you are going to be treated like daycare, you may as well act like it). Keeping the school board happy by saving money is often priority two. Giving students a good education is a distant third. As awful as it sounds, it is an absolute truth: Given a choice between a teaching method that will get students to learn, and a method that will get students to behave, many teachers will pick the latter. Should we blame the teachers? No, blame society...
Education does not create society
October 3, 2006
Ten Signs that You Need to Find a Different Kind of Education for Your Child.
Many parents do not realize that the education world has changed drastically since they were in school. Back in those days, schools were smaller, class sizes were smaller, dropout rates were lower, violence in school was almost unheard of, teachers were not terrified of showing affection to the children, or of teaching and discussing moral values. Even through rose-colored glasses, we know that school back then was no picnic, was far from perfect, but at least the teachers and usually the principal knew every student by name at a minimum, something which is not necessarily true today.
Ten Signs that You Need to Find a Different Kind of Education for Your Child.
Basic Education for the Digital Age
In the early part of this Century, education provided tools such as reading, writing, and Îrithmetic and also structured the day in ways that mimicked the factories and offices into which graduates would go when their education was done. A problem today is that much of what we are doing in education has not changed, while the world around us has changed dramatically. That contrast has significant implications.
Basic Education for the Digital Age
Quote of the Day
Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire.
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
