March 2007
March 30, 2007
Now this is addictive.
If women ran the world
If my wife ran the world as well as my home...
Cyber School Teacher - Parent Interviews
April fools jokes work the best when they are not on April the 1st.
Step one of the Joke
It started with the following email to my online teaching staff.
I am getting lots of pressure from the higher powers to hold teacher parents interviews at the cyber school. It is felt that this is needed to make sure that the parents are involved in the educational process of their students. I have been debating against this concept and have tried to justify that the system we are using to track student (student tracker) is unique and designed to keep the communication with the home open. They are not buying it...so I need some help...let me know your opinion on cyber teacher parent interviews so I can continue to debate because at the moment it looks like we are going to have to set up an after school teacher parent interview in and around April the 1st of this year. Please reply to all when posting your comments so we can keep track of what people are saying.
Step two Staff responses.
The tracking system that we use and in particular the open gradebook that is provided allow parents the opportunity to access and monitor their children's progress on a daily basis. Further to this my email address along with the phone numbers where I can be reached are communicated to the students and parents, making myself always available. I would prefer to leave it that way at the discretion of the parents as to when they wish to talk to me as opposed to formalizing the process whereby we need to be at a particular location and time just in case someone might show up to meet with us. I believe the process we are following right now is transparent and allows the parents the opportunity to meet with us when needed.
Quote of the Day
To discuss an opinion with a fool is like carrying a lantern before a blind man.
De Gaston
March 29, 2007
How Online Learning Can and Should Completely Alter Your View of Education
“There are two types of education… One should teach us how to make a living, And the other how to live.”
Rethinking Teaching: How Online Learning Can and Should Completely Alter Your View of Education
If women ran the world
If my wife ran the world as well as my home...
Cyber School Teacher - Parent Interviews
April fools jokes work the best when they are not on April the 1st.
Step one of the Joke
It started with the following email to my online teaching staff.
I am getting lots of pressure from the higher powers to hold teacher parents interviews at the cyber school. It is felt that this is needed to make sure that the parents are involved in the educational process of their students. I have been debating against this concept and have tried to justify that the system we are using to track student (student tracker) is unique and designed to keep the communication with the home open. They are not buying it…so I need some help…let me know your opinion on cyber teacher parent interviews so I can continue to debate because at the moment it looks like we are going to have to set up an after school teacher parent interview in and around April the 1st of this year. Please reply to all when posting your comments so we can keep track of what people are saying.
Step two Staff responses.
I think that if they want PTIs then we should give them PTIs .... but it will/should be through the technology that we instruct with ... email, discussion postings, telephone and chat rooms. We could have chat room schedules set up for each instructor and parent. (We could be the first to conduct PTIs through a chatroom system).
We are not a face-2-face teaching environment, so our PTI should not be of a face-2-face nature.
Quote of the Day
The essence of learning is change, behavioral changes in people. To learn, a person must want to change, to be better, to do differently, and this resistance does not occur without resistance. Resistance may be slight, or it may be great, and it may take a variable number of overt and convert forms.
Lloyd Allen Cook
March 28, 2007
Fixed the harddrive but good
So, I had this harddrive that was not working very well. The tool I used to try and fix it was a high powered rifle. It did not fix it, but I do feel better.
Stupid harddrive, now I need to fix that stupid laptop of mine...
Mr. Kasun's Grade 7 Blog
This is a great example of education use of a blog
Welcome to our personal Grade 7 blog/webpage! I'm very excited that after a couple of years of waiting, this great form of communication has finally been developed for teacher use. We are officially the second class at St. Ed's to use it (behind the Grade 4s) and I'm confident more and more teachers will jump on board as they become familiar with the format. Personally, I'm quite new at the whole world of blogging but I'm already giving Mrs. Stromberg and Mrs. Kobussen a big thank-you for patiently teaching me.
Cyber School Teacher - Parent Interviews
April fools jokes work the best when they are not on April the 1st.
Step one of the Joke
It started with the following email to my online teaching staff.
I am getting lots of pressure from the higher powers to hold teacher parents interviews at the cyber school. It is felt that this is needed to make sure that the parents are involved in the educational process of their students. I have been debating against this concept and have tried to justify that the system we are using to track student (student tracker) is unique and designed to keep the communication with the home open. They are not buying it…so I need some help…let me know your opinion on cyber teacher parent interviews so I can continue to debate because at the moment it looks like we are going to have to set up an after school teacher parent interview in and around April the 1st of this year. Please reply to all when posting your comments so we can keep track of what people are saying.
Step two Staff responses.
The purpose of P-T Interviews has always been to keep the parents in the loop. From what I understand, the specific format of how that takes place has never been formally outlined. I have personally done many interviews over the phone. Have you thought if giving downtown an outline of the amount of time that a Cyber teacher presently communicates with a parent. Example if the teacher sends on average 10 e-mails to a parent and each e-mail takes approximately 3 minutes to read = 30 minutes of communicating with parents. And the other important factor is that the communication is on-going rather than a 5 minute hashing and highlighting of their child’s progress. 5 minutes of hashing and highlighting vs. 30 minutes of ongoing. NO CONTEST.
The other thing is that if they do pressure for P-T interviews then they need to supply the school time to accompany it. Every school is given a specific amount time off for interviews. At the elementary level we are given 1 full day (for the year). I think the high school has more time than that.
Are they willing to give Cyber Teachers the school day time to complete these interviews?
Quote of the Day
"To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."
Elbert Hubbard
March 27, 2007
School Safety Stats
One in six teachers report having been the victim of violence in or around school. This compares to one in nine teachers five years ago.
(The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1999: Violence in America’s Public Schools - Five Years Later, Metropolitan Life, 1999)
Twenty-five percent of students have been the victim of a violent act that occurred in or around school.
(The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1999: Violence in America’s Public Schools - Five Years Later, Metropolitan Life, 1999)
Twenty-eight percent of students, twenty-three percent of teachers, and thirty percent of law enforcement officials think that violence in local public schools will increase in the next two years.
(The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1999: Violence in America’s Public Schools - Five Years Later, Metropolitan Life, 1999)
Elementary school students are just as likely as those in secondary schools to be the victim of a violent act.
(The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1999: Violence in America’s Public Schools - Five Years Later, Metropolitan Life, 1999)
High school seniors from metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas were about equally likely to report being victimized at school in the last twelve months.
(The Condition of Education: 1999, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999)
Thirty nine percent of high school seniors reported something being stolen from them. (The Condition of Education: 1999, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999)
Although fewer school-associated violent deaths have occurred in recent years, the total number of multiple victim homicide events has increased.
(1999 Annual Report on School Safety, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice, 1999)
Twenty-five percent of high school students fear in-school violence.
(Kids Voting USA Youth 2000 Initiative: Voices * Involvement * Voting, Kids Voting USA / Behavior Research Center, 1999)
Peer group pressure is cited by fifty percent of seventh through twelve graders as a major factor in why violence occurs in schools. Drugs or alcohol is cited by thirty-nine percent, lack of parental supervision is cited by thirty-six percent, and lack of family involvement by twenty-five percent.
(The Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher, 1999: Violence in America’s Public Schools - Five Years Later, Metropolitan Life, 1999)
Twenty percent of parents worry a great deal about their children’s safety in school and traveling to and from school.
(Are We Safe?: The 1999 National Crime Prevention Survey, National Crime Prevention Council, 1999)
The juvenile gang problem affects communities of all sizes and all regions in the United States with the number of gang members rising in small cities and rural counties in the late 1990s.
(OJJDP Research: Making a Difference for Juveniles, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
The violent victimization rate for students in schools where gangs were reported was almost eight percent compared to the three percent rate for students in schools with no reported gang presence.
(Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Violent crimes by juveniles peak in the afternoon between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., the hour at the end of the school day.
(Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Nationwide, fifteen percent of high school students had participated in a physical fight in the past twelve months.
(Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Four percent of high school students felt too unsafe to go to school in the past thirty days. (Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Nine percent of high school students carried a weapon on school property in the past month.
(Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Seven percent of students were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past twelve months.
(Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Thirty percent of teens say they have been offered drugs at school.
(Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (Spring 1999): Teens in Grades 7 Through 12, Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 1999)
Nine percent of students reported that they avoided one or more places at school because of fear for their own safety.
(Indicators of School Crime and Violence: 1999, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice, 1999)
Although overall criminal victimization at school generally did not rise in the 1990s, violent victimization rose slightly.
(Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999)
Three percent (about 800,000) sixth through twelfth grade students carried a gun to school in the last year.
(The 12th Annual Parents’ Resource Institute of Drug Education (PRIDE) National Survey of Student Drug Use and Violence, Parent Resource Institute of Drug Education, 1999)
A total of 3930 students were expelled from school for bringing a firearm to school according to the most recent Gun-Free Schools Act Report.
(Gun-Free Schools Act Report: 1997-1998, U.S. Department of Education, 1999)
Fifty-seven percent of expulsions for bringing firearms to school involved high school students, thirty-three percent involved junior/middle school students, and ten percent involved elementary school students.
(Gun-Free Schools Act Report: 1997-1998, U.S. Department of Education, 1999)
Nineteen percent of students reported being hit, slapped, or kicked by another student.
(The 12th Annual Parents’ Resource Institute of Drug Education (PRIDE) National Survey of Student Drug Use and Violence, Parent Resource Institute of Drug Education, 1999)
Forty percent of students say they have bullied other students with threats of hitting, slapping or kicking; six percent have threatened other students with a gun or other weapon.
(The 12th Annual Parents’ Resource Institute of Drug Education (PRIDE) National Survey of Student Drug Use and Violence, Parent Resource Institute of Drug Education, 1999)
Young people who carry guns exhibit high rates of other disturbing behaviors with forty-six percent reporting that they used illicit drugs in the last month, sixty-one percent reporting having been in trouble with the police, and eighty-six reporting having been in trouble at school.
(The 12th Annual Parents’ Resource Institute of Drug Education (PRIDE) National Survey of Student Drug Use and Violence, Parent Resource Institute of Drug Education, 1999)
Forty percent of students indicated that the behavior of other students in their school definitely or somewhat interferes with their performance.
(State of Our Nation’s Youth, The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, 1999)
Cyber School Teacher - Parent Interviews
April fools jokes work the best when they are not on April the 1st.
Step one of the Joke
It started with the following email to my online teaching staff.
I am getting lots of pressure from the higher powers to hold teacher parents interviews at the cyber school. It is felt that this is needed to make sure that the parents are involved in the educational process of their students. I have been debating against this concept and have tried to justify that the system we are using to track student (student tracker) is unique and designed to keep the communication with the home open. They are not buying it…so I need some help…let me know your opinion on cyber teacher parent interviews so I can continue to debate because at the moment it looks like we are going to have to set up an after school teacher parent interview in and around April the 1st of this year. Please reply to all when posting your comments so we can keep track of what people are saying.
Step two Staff responses.
Argument #1:
The concept of Parent teacher interviews is going to build a biased system in favor of Saskatoon Catholic Students over our non GSCS students. Parent’s of those students who are enrolled from outside of Saskatoon, (which could and should be an increasing number every year) will be placed in a position whereby they can legitimately argue we are show favoritism to our own students by engaging in a face to face process with parents and guardian’s which, while available to them is feasibly a very different thing.
Argument #2:
This is another example of making a new concept and a new method of educational delivery fit into the pre-conceived notions of conformity that have come from 100 years of institutional thinking. Quite honestly, When parents have access through phone and via e-mail on weekends and evenings, and there ARE many use this time to ask questions and find out about their child, why is the thinking that a traditional parent/teacher face to face interview giving them something which they do not already have a superior way to accomplish?
Which is preferable? Having one ten minute face to face meeting in which primarily the tasks accomplished will be introductions and a discussion of cyber school OR constantly available access throughout the course, when you actually have questions or need a specific answer to your query in regards to your child?
Quote of the Day
You think education is expensive, try ignorance.
Derek Bok
March 26, 2007
Zamzar
Have you ever wanted t convert files without the need to download software. This website will do it for you.
Zamzar - Free online file conversion
Cyber Teens
A great collect of links that would be interesting to teens.
Cyber School Teacher - Parent Interviews
April fools jokes work the best when they are not on April the 1st.
Step one of the Joke
It started with the following email to my online teaching staff.
I am getting lots of pressure from the higher powers to hold teacher parents interviews at the cyber school. It is felt that this is needed to make sure that the parents are involved in the educational process of their students. I have been debating against this concept and have tried to justify that the system we are using to track student (student tracker) is unique and designed to keep the communication with the home open. They are not buying it…so I need some help…let me know your opinion on cyber teacher parent interviews so I can continue to debate because at the moment it looks like we are going to have to set up an after school teacher parent interview in and around April the 1st of this year. Please reply to all when posting your comments so we can keep track of what people are saying.
Step two Staff responses.
The concept of a Parent Teacher Interview at the midpoint of the term makes sense in a face to face class; however, since we have no “midpoint” consistent with all students, an April 1st date would be irrelevant for most students. Some students could be nearly done their courses, others may be just beginning. Also, parents have more access to their students learning already. They can actually see everything that their child is doing by logging into the course. Further, they can email/phone us at any time since that information is made readily available to them on the home page. I’m not sure that an actual date of meetings would be servicing students and parents in a manner that isn’t already available.
Cyber School Interviews (April Fools Joke)
April fools jokes work the best when they are not on April the 1st.
Step one of the Joke
It started with the following email to my online teaching staff.
I am getting lots of pressure from the higher powers to hold teacher parents interviews at the cyber school. It is felt that this is needed to make sure that the parents are involved in the educational process of their students. I have been debating against this concept and have tried to justify that the system we are using to track student (student tracker) is unique and designed to keep the communication with the home open. They are not buying it…so I need some help…let me know your opinion on cyber teacher parent interviews so I can continue to debate because at the moment it looks like we are going to have to set up an after school teacher parent interview in and around April the 1st of this year. Please reply to all when posting your comments so we can keep track of what people are saying.
Step two Staff responses.
This step happened and I will post the responses in the next couple of days because some of them are very good.
Step three Fake interview day set up
I could not follow through because the responses started to make sense and I did not want to actually have teacher - parent interviews in the cyber school.
So I had to send out the following email to terminate the joke.
I love the conversation. There is no pressure from above, I just needed each of you to think through the process and comment on your belief of the Cyber School’s difference. Again, you have shown your desire to be open to new ideas, go with the flow and do what is necessary for us to be successful. I was going to push the discussion further and schedule in interviews for each one of you to see which of you would figure out that the time for the interviews was April 1St, which is April fools day, but I just could not do that to you.Again I love the opportunity to work with you and would like to again thank you for the discussion and I promise to try not to fool you all again. (Maybe)
Quote of the Day
The future comes one day at a time.
Dean Acheson (1893-1971) - American Lawyer
March 22, 2007
Technology through children's eyes
We've all heard the refrain: Kids today will live so much differently than we did. They'll grow up in world with the Internet, with information at their fingertips, where everyone has a cell phone strapped to them, etc., etc.
What I think is more interesting are the assumptions they're gaining as they grow. As I watch my 2 ½-year-old son navigate his world, I can see those assumptions at work.
USATODAY.com - Technology through children's eyes
Quote of the Day
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
Unknown
Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.
Unknown
March 21, 2007
Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School
The following is a group of powerpoints that were used at March 19th presentation to a group of instructional designer from around the province of Saskatchewan.
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.
Daniel Boone
March 20, 2007
Excuses for NOT laughing
Things are absolutely perfect the way they are.
Is this one of those right-brain approaches?
It is not in our code of ethics.
I’ll bring it to my committee for discussion
Can’t we just buy a laugh track?
No one has ever seen my teeth.
If I start laughing, I won’t be able to stop
I’m too old to start laughing now.
You don’t understand, I have a bad hip.
I’d like to read more about it first.
Maybe if I were paid more, I might reconsider.
My parents never taught me how.
I read that laughter damages brain cells.
I was weaned on a pickle.
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right.
Mary Kay Ash (Cosmetics entrepreneuse)
March 16, 2007
An interesting List
Here's who's shaping what you read, watch, hear, write, buy, sell, befriend, flame, and otherwise do online.
PC World - The 50 Most Important People on the Web
Expanding the academy concept: Art Academy
We are looking at expanding the academy concept, the cyber school allows flexible scheduling for the students which makes it perfect for academies. So being the artist that I am, I work on the logo first and the details second. What do you think?
Expanding our academy concept: Hockey
We are looking at expanding the academy concept, the cyber school allows flexible scheduling for the students which makes it perfect for academies. So being the artist that I am, I work on the logo first and the details second. What do you think?
Ways of preventing distress and depression
Planning financial, family & future goals
Eat well
Exercise regularly
Limit alcohol/drug intake
Know effects of medication
Rest
Maintain focus on priorities
Seek support when needed
Resolve conflicts
Maintain a spiritual connection
Have some fun
Create sets of loose routines
Positive self-talk
Laugh
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Big ideas are so hard to recognize, so fragile, so easy to kill. Don't forget that, all of you who don't have them.
John Elliot, Jr.
March 15, 2007
Saskatoon Police Newsletter: Safety Tip
Here is a Safety Tip that came in from Community Watch...put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get into your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
Pat O'Callaghan
Red Deer, AB
20 Tips for Good Web Copy
News Article Design: 20 Tips For Good Web Copy | WebProNews
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
There are a lot of great freeware products out there. Many are as good or even better than their commercial alternatives. This list features my personal pick of the "best of the best."
The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities
Techniques for Surviving & Thriving
1. Hang on to your sense of humour.
2. Have fun everyday.
3. Have some goal, a purpose in life.
4. Spirituality and philosophy give a sense of unity.
5. Practise mental relaxation exercises.
6. Look for balance.
7. Learn to say “NO”
8. Learn more about how you respond to change
9. Validation
10. De- stress
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land amoung the stars.
Les Brown
March 14, 2007
Technology Used Wiki
Help us make the list:
We are interested in finding out what technology you use in your school division.
Try this sometimes
Get a group of children in a room with a light fixture hanging just out of their grasp. Then watch what happens: one child will jump to touch it, and before you know it, every kid in the room will be leaping like Michael Jordan. They're testing their skill, stimulated by the challenge of reaching something beyond their normal grasp.
Put the same children in a room where everything is easily in reach, and there will be no jumping, no competition, no challenges.
The problem with education is a low ceiling of expectations. We have built schools that demand and teach too little, and the children have stopped jumping.
Carroll Campbell
Laughter Session
1. Clapping in a Rhythm 1-2,
1-2-3 along with chanting “Ho-ho-ha-ha-ha”
2. Deep breathing: inhale through the nose ; prolonged exhalation (3 times)
3. Shoulder, neck and stretching exercises ( 5 times each)
4. Hearty laughter with hands high in the air.
5. Greeting laughter
6. Appreciation laughter
7. One meter laughter (4 times)
8. Milk shake laughter(4 times)
9. Silent laughter (without sound)
10. Humming laughter (with mouth closed)
11. Swinging laughter
12. Lion laughter
13. Cell phone laughter
14. Argument laughter
15. Forgiveness/apology laughter
16. Gradient laughter
17. Heart to heart laughter
18. Closing chant
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Success builds character, failure reveals it
Dave Checkett
March 13, 2007
Tools to improve keyboarding skills
The ability to type faster than you can write by hand is more important today than ever. I remember as an elementary teacher and later an elementary computer lab teacher / technology integration facilitator using the commercial program Type To Learn from Sunburst Technology, to help students learn better keyboarding skills. Now, however, more FREE options for helping students learn “home row” are available than ever.
Moving at the Speed of Creativity ? Blog Archive ? Tools to improve keyboarding skills
The Web smiley's motto: Grin and bear it
Author Vladimir Nabokov said in a 1969 New York Times interview that "there should exist a special typographical sign for a smile--some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket."
The Web smiley's motto: Grin and bear it | CNET News.com
Educational podcasting for teaching and learning
Welcome to educators, parents and carers everywhere. This is the first and best UK directory to locate quality podcasts from over 350 carefully selected podcast channels for educational use - ideal for teaching and learning activities with children, young people and educational professionals.
Podcast directory for educators, schools and colleges
Open Educational Resources
OER Commons is the first comprehensive open learning network where teachers and professors (from pre-K to graduate school) can access their colleagues' course materials, share their own, and collaborate on affecting today's classrooms.
Humour Homework
1. Regain your smile. Smiling is a million dollar habit.
2. Identify your humour style and the humour styles of those you work with.
3. Perform the Laughter Rap. Write new verses for it.
4. Ask a colleague to become your laughing buddy. Form a larger coalition and become known as “The Three Wise Guys.”
5. Hang onto your sense of humour and have fun every day.
6. Watch a funny movie.
7. Read the comics every day and cut out the ones that remind you of your life. Find the humour in them.
8. Sort through family photos and write funny captions or one liners to go with your favourites.
Humour Homework cont’d
9. Create a humour environment. A ha ha bulletin board.
10. Recall several of the most embarrassing moments in your life.Find the humour in them.
Now practise telling stories about them in humorous ways.
11. Anytime something annoying or frustrating occurs, turn it on its head and find the humour. Think about it like it happened to someone else. Laugh at him and then at yourself.
12. Every night at dinner, make family members share one funny story or even an embarrassing moment of their day.
13. When a person offends you or makes you angry, respond with humour rather than hostility.
14. Sign up to receive the Top 10 List from David Letterman.
15. Find something humourous in every day.
16. Exaggerate and overstate problems. Making the situation bigger than life can help us regain a humourous perspective.
17. Focus humour on yourself. “Because of my lack of hair, I tell others I’m a former expert on how to cure baldness.”
18. Listen to a recording of laughter. Record people laughing; especially children.
19. Make your kids giggle or tickle laugh.
20. Play music during low energy moments.Get out of your seat and move your body.
21. Sing happy songs such as “Zippedy Doo Dah”
22. Hold a meeting without flipcharts, computers etc. Put paper and crayons on the tables.
23. Smile, laugh out loud, laugh silently every time you hit delete on your keyboard.
24. Read a children’s book out loud.
25. Read or write humourous poetry.
26. Hold a tell a joke contest.
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers. The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven.
Edward de Bono
March 12, 2007
Four Humour Styles: The Laughing Classroom
Are you a Joy Master?
Positive
Inspiring, Humanizing, High-level Play
Healing, Inclusive, Warmhearted, Innocent
If you have checked 5 or more statements, congratulations! As a Joy Master, you know how to take humour to its highest form!
As a role model, your warm sense of humour will be an inspiration to others.
Are you a Fun Meister?
Positive
Slapstick, Clowning, Naïve, Imitative, Entertaining
Negative
Ridiculing, Dark Humour, Tragedy and Suffering, Hurtful, Degrading
If you have checked 3 or more in either category, you are definitely a frolicking Fun Meister.
Challenge yourself to turn negative traits to positive ones that can be appreciated by all!
Are you a Joke Maker?
Positive
Wordplay, Teaching Stories, Parody, Instructive, Insightful
Negative
Insulting, Biting, Satiric, Stereotyping, Destructive
If you have 3 or more checks in either category, you are probably a jovial Joke Maker.
Challenge yourself to turn negative traits to positive ones that will bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Are you a Life Mocker?
Negative
Cynical, Sarcastic, Exclusive, Coldhearted, Worldly, Dehumanizing
If you have checked 5 or more statements. BEWARE!!! What you consider a sense of humour is really your method of lashing out and hurting others.
Take time to analyze what messages you are giving to yourself about the world and your place within it. Look at the positive qualities of the Joy Master, Fun Meister, and Joke Maker to see if they can help you become lighter and more loving toward yourself and others.
by Diana Loomans & Karen Kolberg
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So, I believe that dreams -- daydreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing -- are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. Imaginative child will become the imaginative man or women most apt to invent, and therefore to foster civilization.
Frank Baum
March 9, 2007
Multimedia meets multi-literacy age
A young student in Ottawa fields an unusual question in class from a fellow student in Africa: where do you keep your cows and goats? In Snow Lake, Man., a young teen's essay on AIDS receives praise from a nurse in Botswana. And a Winnipeg student's animated rendering of a calculus problem generates comments from students around the world.
These are examples of a new approach to collaborative learning adopted by a handful of teachers in an attempt to bring education into the 21st century.
The High Fives of Humour
5 Social Benefits of Laughter
Builds a sense of team.
Promotes creativity.
Increases communication.
Enhances self-esteem.
Reduces conflict.
5 Positive Results from Laughter
Enthusiasm
Confidence.
Optimism.
Joy.
Openness.
5 Physical Benefits of Laughter
Reduces stress.
Enhances immune system functioning.
Acts as an internal massage.
Regulates blood pressure.
Feels good.
5 Ways to Recognize Laughter
Exhalation of breath.
Shaking of chest and sides.
Watering eyes.
Contraction of facial muscles.
Cheeks turning bright red.
5 Qualities That Reflect Fun & Enthusiasm
Vocal variety.
Animated facial expressions.
Exuberant energy level.
Passion about work.
Willingness to take risks.
5 Basic Competencies Enhanced by Humour
Communication skills.
Creative/critical thinking skills.
Cultural awareness skills.
Cooperative learning skills.
Coping skills.
5 Habits to Assure Wonderful Human Relationships
Acceptance.
Appreciation.
Admiration.
Approval.
Attention.
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
The effort of using machines to mimic the human mind has always struck me as rather silly. I would rather use them to mimic something better.
Edsger Dijkstra
March 6, 2007
What is the future of higher education
When I see entries like this, I am always curious why they restrict it to higher education? Should it not be "What is the future of education?" I think Pre-University education will have a larger impact on society then a change in higher education. Pre-university education impacts everyone unlike higher education which is a select portion of society that tends to spend time studing themselves.
Open up the research, study education.
ODCE Conference: What is the future of higher education?
The Big Smile Oath
I do solemnly swear,
To turn up each side of my mouth,
And to smile as often as possible,
I agree to laugh several times daily.
And to give and receive at least three hugs per day!
I vow to have frequent bouts of silliness,
And more happiness for no reason.
From this day forth,
I promise to laugh long and prosper.
From What All Children Want Their Parents to Know: 12 Keys to Raising a Happy Child
By Diana Loomans & Julia Godoy
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, journalist
March 5, 2007
The 25 Most Common Mistakes in Email Security
25 tips to bring newbie Internet users up to speed so they stop comprimising your network security.
The 25 Most Common Mistakes in Email Security
Open Source - only in an ideal world
Sure, in an ideal world, it is the way to go. There should be transparency of data, users should be able to get stuck into the source code if they wish and tweak the software to meet requirements, customers should not be locked into long term contracts with vendors deliberately making it difficult for them to upgrade, change their service etc - that is in an ideal world, not the world we all operate in.
Dave Tosh :: Weblog :: Open source - only in an ideal world
The Laughing Oath
To be stated while wearing a great big grin:
I do solemnly swear from this day forward
To grease my giggling gears each day
And to wear a grin on my face for no reason at all!
I promise to tap my funny bone often,
With children, family, friends, colleagues & clients,
And to laugh at least fifteen times per day.
I believe that frequent belly laughter
Cures terminal tightness, cerebral stiffness,
And hardening of the attitudes,
And that HA HA often lead to AHA!
Therefore, I vow, from this day forth,
To brighten the day of everyone I meet,
And to laugh long and prosper!
We the Teachers
WetheTeachers sprung out of a hypothetical idea that Nate and Amy had in the fall of 2005. After getting frustrated from fruitless searches for lesson plans and ideas, Amy wondered why there were so few websites that effectively catered to teachers. There is a lot of information, but little is organized. Even worse, many times the resources you need are only available with a yearly fee.
Amy told Nate, and together they imagined a website that combined both the resource aspect of teacher-focused sites, and the community aspect of social websites. Many months of work later, the site was born!
I wonder which one I am?
Some people create joy wherever they go.
Others create joy whenever they go.
Anonymous
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.
Louis E. Boone
March 2, 2007
The BBC's Fifteen Web Principles
Tomski: The BBC's Fifteen Web Principles
When I become an Administrator....
I want to print out my email messages, and have my secretary read them to me.
I want to attend meetings all day, so I never have time to be in the classrooms with students and teachers.
I want to spend lots of time disciplining the kids in my school rather than inspiring them.
I will insist that all my teachers use the chalkboard and the overhead projector every day.
I want my teachers to ask all the questions, so the students can provide the answers.
I want to write a technology plan once, and then forget about it for five years until we have to revise it again.
I want to communicate with parents, teachers and students using paper and pencils.
I want to talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
I will make sure every teacher is on the same page of the curriculum guide each minute of the day.
I want to standardize learning, instill fear in both teachers and students, and make sure all the students stay quiet and on task all day long.
I will tell my teachers to focus all their attention on preparing students for their tests.
I will make sure every student in my school is treated exactly the same.
I will stifle creativity, and make sure no one is allowed to think out of the box in our school.
I want to say “no you can’t do that” at least one hundred times each day.
I won’t waste time getting to know the first names of every student in my school, because too many of them move away anyway.
I want to do all the talking, so the teachers and the students can do all the listening.
I want to roll out a new instructional reform program at the start of every school year, and discontinue it at least two months afterward.
I want all the professional development for my teachers to be one-shot training with a different person they never see again in their lives.
I want to do whatever parents want who complain to me or the superintendent, whether or not I think it is right or it is best for the child and our school.
I want to stop learning.
Moving at the Speed of Creativity ? Blog Archive ? “When I Become an Administrator” movie ideas
Technology in Illinois
Illinois delivers a wealth of high tech educational resources and services. The list below provides information on many of those resources and services.
Illinois.gov - Technology in Illinois - Education
Edublogs Tutorials
Here is a great list of tutorials for those of you who are in education and blogs.
Cyber Pod Work Environment Rules
1. Sickness
This is no longer allowed under any circumstances.
We will no longer accept your doctor’s statement as proof of illness.
If you can walk to your doctor, you can certainly do work.
2. Leave of Absence for an Operation
This practice must stop from today.
We wish to discourage any thoughts that you may need all of whatever you have and should not consider having anything removed.
We hired you for all that you are and to have anything removed certainly makes you less than we bargained for.
3. Death, other than your own
You must arrange to attend funerals very late in the day after your work is done.
Providing this is adhered to, we will consider letting you go 1 hour earlier.
Please be sure to put this in writing.
4. Death, Your Own
This is acceptable as an excuse, but…
We would like at least two weeks notice as we feel it is your duty to teach someone else your job.
Treat this point as important.
5. Personal Hygiene
Entirely too much time is being spent in the washroom.
In the future you will follow the practice of going in alphabetical order.
For instance, those with surnames beginning with “A” will be allowed to go from 9 to 9:05 and so on.
If you are unable to go at your appointed time you must wait until the next day when your time comes around again.
6. Quantity of Work
No matter how much you do, you’ll never do enough.
If you disagree please see your District Representative.
7. Quality of Work
The minimum acceptable level is
PERFECTION at ALL times.
8. Advice from the Workplace Specialist
Eat a live frog the first thing in the morning and you will be hopping around all day.
Certainly nothing worse can happen to you the rest of the day.
9. The BOSS is ALWAYS RIGHT even in his/her absence.
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Quote of the Day
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The solgan "Press On" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge
March 1, 2007
GROWING UP DIGITAL
The content and technology are continually changing. This article reminds us that learners are also changing. For the past decade, faculty who won awards for teaching expressed concern that they could no longer hold the attention of their students. John Seely Brown, Chief Scientist at Xerox and director of its Palo Alto Research Center, hired 15 year olds to design future work environments and learning environments. He observed that the students did not conform to the traditional image of learners as permissive sponges. It requires us to rethink and redesign education for the Digital Age.
Educating the Net Generation
The Net Generation has grown up with the information technology. The aptitudes, attitudes, expectations, and learning styles of Net Gen students reflect the environment in which they were raised - one that is decidedly different from that which existed when faculty and administrators were growing up.
EDUCAUSE | Resources | Educating the Net Generation
The New Face of Learning
What happens to time-worn concepts of classrooms and teaching when we can now go online and learn anything, anywhere, anytime?
Resources for March
Check it out, here is a great list of march resources.
AOK12S Newsletter
Welcome to the sixth newsletter of the Association of Online K-12 Schooling. The goal for this newsletter is to provide members with Association news, upcoming events and to showcase new developments in online K-12 education.
Association of Online K-12 Schooling: March 2007 Archives
Through Children's Eyes
Sometimes children say it the best...Or so my three year says. Here is a comment made by a child, don't you love the way they think.
Administrator Virtual Course Tour
Each year in the second semester I spend some time reviewing your courses with each of you. Last year we had a personal interview and talked about what level your course was on the four level scale. This year I am one year older and do not wish to take up your time with the personal interview. I am going to do a virtual tour of your course, but to do this I need each of you to complete the following questions:
Mathematiques Grade Nine Answers
This course offers a full Math 90 curriculum. Each concept has an explanation along with several examples, including many movie files which are quite appealing to all students especially the visual learner. Marks for each assignment and exam are shown immediately for the student to keep a close eye on their progress and the teacher is an email away for any questions that arise.
Student Comment:
One student loved how it was user friendly and easy to get around.
Which of the following are used in the course?
Daily Journal ................................No
Dropbox........................................Yes
Chatroom.....................................Yes
Discussion Board..........................Yes
Fax machine.................................No
Computer marked assignments.......Yes
Flexible deadlines.......................... Yes The students have guidelines but are expected to be finished the course on time. The actual assignments don’t have due dates, but I watch that they keep a good pace. If they are not finished what needs to be done by midterm, they can still submit those after the midterm report.
RSS Feeds....................................I have no clue what that means
Blog.............................................No
Read TADO..................................No
Marks for communicating...............No... never thought of that though
Cyber Tracker saves time...............Yes
Brown Bag useful..........................I have not been able to attend as I start at EDF at 1:00pm
How many times a day do you check your...
Phone messages.........................When I get to work and when I leave.
Check your email.........................At least 5
How many times a week do you...
log into cyber tracker...................Almost everyday
get to the cyber pod....................I have only made it a few times
How many...
students in your course............... 5
course email do you get...............55
discussion board entries..............1
Most useful site(s) linked to the course.
I think I need to look into this…I don’t think I have any.
List one different element in your course.
The amount of Flash Files. I think they are a valuable tool for the visual Math learner.
Comments
Quote of the Day
A boss creates fear, a leader confidence.
A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes
A boss knows all, a leader asks questions.
A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.
A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.
Ewing Russell H.
