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Cannell's World Tour 2010-2011

January 2009

January 31, 2009

Email notes

Online Chapel Cyber Style

Quote of the day

Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner; put yourself in his place so that you may understand . . . what he learns and the way he understands it.

Soren Kierkegaard

January 30, 2009

The digital generation gap

Great FRONTLINE documentary on kids online, definitely worth checking out. From an online Q&A with the producers: "The report mentions that the Internet has created the greatest generation gap since rock 'n' roll. Caitlin, you're in your 20s; did you experience that gap while working with these kids?

The digital generation gap | Stanford Center for Internet and Society

Scuzzy

Let us Pray Cyber Style

Quote of the day

When I think about all the crap
I learned in high school . . .
. . . . . it's a wonder I can think at all.

Paul Simon

Your voice results 7 Part 3

What do you think of this quote... "When I go to school, I have to 'power down.'

• I think that when you go to school you really have to listen so that you have the chance to make it stick in your head.
• sounds like they dont want to learn, and dont want to work towards their future
• I am not really sure what this quotation means. For me, when I go to school I have to totally concentrate on what the teacher is saying, especially the higher the class level. I would not call what I do 'powering down'.
• We have to focus when we go to school becaue a lot of time school can be really boring. It takes a lot of effort to focus on school instead of other things.
• I think everyone is different and that some people have to power down when they go to school. sometimes you have to change your attitude.
• people shouldnt say that
• when i go to school i dont feel like doing anything because i dont have any power.
• i think thats weird.
• That probably applies to other students more than me.
• people don't like having to go out to go to school
• When you go to school you can power down physically but mentally. If you power down mentally it is just bad for your grades.
• I don't particularly have a comment.
• We're forced to go here. We're forced to sit for an hour in an uncomfortable chair and learn things we know are useless to our cause. It's far too easy for each of us to slip and slide our way through courses.
• you hvae to calm down and breathe and youll do fine
• That is definately something that I need to do.
• I think that it is exactly the opposite of what I do. I have to pay attention in school just to get through the day without falling asleep.
• I think this quote is very accurate. Every time people come back to school they have to try and 'power down', so they can listen and learn. It can be very difficult especially on Fridays.
• This quote could mean two things. 1) When this student goes to school they must settle down as they are extremely hyper or 2) They shut themselves down to the point where they are not paying attention and close the rest of the world out, leaving only them in the world they live.
• i think this means that when your out of school you have so much more fun! school is so boring. there are so many days when i just dont want to come to school. many of my classes i zone out and look at the clock every minute just waiting for the class to end.
• i have no idea what that means.
• thats pretty true
• Some people think its cool to not try and pretend that they are not smart and they think that this makes them cool.
• I don't exactly understand this quote.. power down how? If you're too unfocused or hyper for school yeah you need to concentrate. But if it means not fully listening or trying, well, why are you there?
• Not me.
• i think thats wrong
• From my understanding power down is like to shut down something. I don't think you should shut down anything when you go to school. You should keep everything on so you can function fully.
• some people are very high energy people and have to calm down to sit through class because teachers usually don't like students with alot of energy
• I agree with this quote but its not so much power down but more of a settle down and focus on the task at hand.
• Maybe this means that when you go to school, you have to follow other peoples rules. like school rules, classroom rules.
• I interpret this as turning off one's brain. Like i do when I'm dragged to see a romantic comedy. School was sometimes so boring that to prevent myself from going insane i had to "power down". Other times it was just because I didn't feel like listening. If that meant I missed something important, too bad for me. Like I've said. These are kids old enough to make their own intelligent, responsible decisions. If they forfeit the ability to learn and advance, tough luck.
• I think it says that we should power down when we go to school.. Sorry but i dont know what to say..
• I don't fully understand the teerm"power down".
• I am not sure what this exactly means I would guess that it would mean that this person is hyper and when they go to school they have to use all of that power towards school work.
• Not too sure what to think
• Yes, and no I would have to agree with this, because some classes are actually very exciting, and require you to be very active in your learning. Some how ever are very passive and you might be listening, but you aren't learning.
• meaning yu have more important things to do after school and there more important to you
• Uhh, I think it should be "power up". You have to use your brain while at school.
• I think that it means you have to calm down to focus
• when going to school, be more positive and power down on having bad times.
• I sort of agree because most people sit back and listen and agree with the teacher and they give up their power to express their opinion becuase its easier .
• Not a very good thing to do because odds are good, the most important thing you will be doing in a day is going to school. So if your shutting your mind off when you go it really shows what you think of school and how you think it will affect your future.
• This quote could mean that when a student goes to school they have to calm down or settle down because they have to listen to the teacher talk and if they are not paying attention they will get left behind.
• I agree to a light degree. When I go to school, I need to be in a relaxed state of mind in order to absorb information. If I am excited and jittery, I find it hard to concentrate on my current subject of priority. At the same time, you can only 'power down' so much, getting to a point of "I don't care im so exhausted and tired" won't do anybody any good.
• I like this quote. I actually do say "its time to power down" sometimes at school.

January 29, 2009

Debate

Learning Communities

Quote of the day

The central problem of an education based upon experience is to select the kind of present experience that live fruitfully and creatively in subsequent experiences.

John Dewey, 1938

Your voice results 7 Part 2

What do you think of this quote... "When I go to school, I have to 'power down.'

• lol thats lame.
• It makes sense, sometimes you have to focus on the more important things in life in order to be successful later on.
• that is not the case for me at all. i need to power up in order to accomplish all my work
• nothing
• not always true, some people just drift by never really trying and just passing.
• school is boring and feels to long
• I think that this is a false quote because if you go to school you are probably not really excited, and therefore you will need all the energy to get you go so that you can try and do your best with the work that is assigned to you.
• uh... I think it could be taken many ways, but if it's said as in buckle down and get it done, then yes I agree. I'm home schooled so personally If I actually had to go to school It would kind of suck because your stuck in a chair all day until the dismissal time. as for homeschooling if you just buckle down and get it done, you can be finished quicker. not to mention manage your time for other interest you have, such as learning an instrument, drawing, and so forth.
• School is the only time we rest in a day, and thats not going to be changing any time soon. Maybe if they stopped trying to fill our courses so that they last a full term they could shorten them to the useful stuff only and expand the practical stuff. Why should we all suffer because just one in a thousand of us wants to be nuclear scientist. If we should all suffer through pointless science why shouldnt everyone suffer through pointless sports so that one in a thousand of us will go to the NHL?
• When you go to school you have to be calm when in school.
• I don't agree with this, because powering down means going to sleep/ not pay attention. I admit that there are some classes where I "power down" but most of the classes it is the opposite. I have to Power up!
• I think that people get restless when you sit in different desks with different people for 5 hours a day.
• I think that this quote means that when going to school students can relax and be themselves.
• I don't agree with this one. I don't power down for school, I just use a different energy than I use for everything else. I do find that lately school hasn't been really interesting to me. I get sleepier in class and then I relate what I would be doing if I were at work. Sitting in class studying plants vs. hoping off and on a truck and writing -@11:23- or - 2B2B-. I am not tired at work although it is a very physically demanding job. I see a reason for doing what I am doing whereas at school I don't always.
• It's important to be apart of the classroom, but sometimes teachers make it difficult.
• To me power down means shut down, or slow down. Which would be true since I'm much more awake at night and after school, since teachers get mad when you talk, many have to slow down to be able to do what is considered as 'classroom behaviour'. This also helps some people to fall asleep in class. :)
• There are some courses that i don't use my brain to the best of it's ability because even the teacher can't explain to the class what i have written because the class does not have the brain capacity to absorb the information.
• When I hear power down I think of to shut off. I think this means that those students that are a little fidgety need to settle down.
• When i think about going to school...i think of boring classes that want be exciting..usually.
• I feel that's true. At school I feel sluggish and tired because I have to push all of my thoughts away just to listen to a teacher and to focus. But on the other hand we have to 'power up' our minds so we can understand and get the work done.
• Unfortunatly this quote is also true. I feel that sometimes school just has that effect to want to bring your mood down. Sure there is a time to work but school should also be a time to learn and have fun! When I'm having fun, I feel that work goes by faster and I learn the material easier!
• i don't get it
• Dont get either
• I don't think school should be about "powering down", it should be about being actively involved in learning and gaining power through knowledge! Cheesy, yes, but true.
• Yes and no. I have to keep a constant background vigilance to tone out a lot of the ignorant things said, and there have been times when I have to consciously fight to keep my temper with a teacher. I absolutely HATE it when a teacher who is a "specialist" in some area has less experience or has done less research than I have. It just... It makes me absolutely LIVID. I mean, is it really so hard to good nazi's and learning something BEFORE you try and claim that they were atheists? (They weren't, by the way, they stole from all sorts of religions so as to justify their evil, and actually punished and tried to wipe out atheism. Fun fact, huh?) Or am I really the only person on the face of the planet who takes sheer, unadulterated joy in learning something interesting, and knowing that all this knowledge and understanding makes me a better person? What is wrong with this world that that curiousity (and sometimes the venom that comes as an automatic reaction to willful, righteous obtuseness) gets me punished, told that I'm "cheeky" and that I'm "just looking for a reaction"? (How do they know what I'm looking for, anyway? If they could teach me their apparent mind-reading techniques, well, then I'd sit up and pay attention.) How did that happen in an EDUCATION SYSTEM?
• True again. It explains exactly why in schools the students are so tired in the morning classes. It's a suppressive atmosphere.
• when you go to school you have to listen and not be so hyper.
• This person is overactive and has to have more personal control at school.
• for me i enjoy going to school but for some this may be true
• I don't know what you mean by power down
• self imoprtance issues
• calm your self
• Ethier means they have to sleep or calm down to keep attentive.
• I think school really requires a lot of sitting around (other than gym class, which isn't much help to some), and some just cannot deal with the sitting down and shutting up for hours on end and supposedly learning something. For those people, it is just like dulling down their senses in order to deal with the reality of their learning situation.
• It means you cant have the same life as you would at home or outside of school. It means you have to settle down and pay attention because somebody has your time.
• not true. when one goes to school, they should be energetic. :)

January 28, 2009

My Car

High School Hybrids Cyber Style

Quote of the day

Any experience is mis-educative that has the effect of arresting or distorting the growth of further experience.

Your voice results 7 Part 1

What do you think of this quote... "When I go to school, I have to 'power down.'

• All students are different and because of this, learn quite differently. Some students need to be kept more busy at school and they lose motivation because their work is too easy.


• I think that some kids need to relax before they go to school, so that they may forget about what is going on outside of the classroom so that they may actually pay attention and learn.


• sometimes I can see that...


• I think that this quote shows that students are sometimes "different"people than when they are away from school, because they feel like they need to act, talk and behave in a certain manor.


• act less energetic at school


• we all need to calm down from our life outside of school.


• i have to power up because i use my brain


• in math class


• I think that this quote means that a kid who doesn't want to go to school or be at school would say this. I think it means that kids like to party and be awake for endless hours just texting and school is a reason for them to relax a little bit and sleep if they have to. Not try your best


• School can limit creativity.


• I have some subjects where I have to focus by staying calm.


• Concentrate


• i dont quite see that because for me i have to wake up or im useless


• no i have to power up


• Some students get really restless and bored sitting in classrooms all day


• I think a lot of students feel like this because they view the school day as boring, unimportant, etc.


• school is so fascist that when you have a bit of excitement either the teacher tells you to pipe down or the course work depresses you and ruins your day. for some students school is a living hell


• dont get it, i think i have to keep trying to power up.


• i don't understand the question. what is 'power down'?


• School is a lot of work, and in order to be successful, you have to learn to put work before play.


• Powering down is the last thing one should do at school. You must maintain constant vigilance to achieve maximum success.


• it sounds like they arent willing to learn or put in any effort to their own education and future.


• You can't always be up beat and energetic. In order to focus, you have to 'power down'.


• School is to be a quiet place so that other people can learn as well.


• a student who is not intrested


• I don't know what that means.


• Metaphors to battery charges are unfamiliar to me, but I'm guessing it means you just get demotivated.


• power down?


• this quote is stupid this is when your power should be up and your learning the most


• relax to be able to comprehend learning


• Not really. I... Go to a catholic school. So in a lot of classes I do have to power down but... I'm not exactly the best at coping with random, inexplicable idiocy based on the idea that whatever the bible says is right. It's kind of scarring to be a bisexual teenaged girl consistently (if indirectly, I'm not open about that with face to face adults) being told that she's a disgusting, god-hated freak. Oh, and that thing about fetuses beign more important than my ability to not hate my life too. So basically I put most of my effort into repelling emotional breakdowns. Fun times!


• What are you high? or are we talkin lap tops? haha!

January 27, 2009

Relationships

Diocese and School Website

Quote of the day

Everything depends upon the quality of experience . . . just as no man lives or dies to himself, so no experience lives and dies to itself.

Your voice results 6 Part 3

What do you think of this quote... "It's not attention deficit - I'm just not listening!"

• i dunno


• People hardly listen these days. It bothers me when people around me get upset with the subject and the teacher, when they simply failed to listen in class. Listening is such an important skill to learn.


• It means that if somebody isnt interested in what they are hearing than they are not going to listen and theyre mind will be elsewhere.


• true!


• that you should always listen in class cause then it really helps when it comes to taking a test.


• have to make it interesting otherwise i wont listen


• they think its not a problem, but its a choice and they choose not to deal with it


• I think that this is a truthful quotation. I remember in grade seven my teacher had a quotation that went something like, "Listen and hear". I think that a lot of the time people hear the words that others speak, but are not really listening and paying attention.


• Some things are just really boring. We don't want to listen because we don't care. We will do other things and not listen to what the person is talking about


• I think that quote is irresponible and immature and rude.


• very accurate


• its not hard to do something in school but if u listening everything would be easy.


• i think thats funny, but true kind of. because some students dont listen in class.


• I think it definitely resembles things I've thought or said. If a class bores me or is too easy, I won't pay attention; it's just not worth it!


• I think htat eachers assume that when people don't listen they have attention deficit, but if they are super boring obviouly we arn't goin to listen


• I think that that quote can be accurate because I pay attention in most of my classes. Only in french class do I chose to not listen.


• I think people listen if they are intrigued and interested. Otherwise, it's a choice that is almost made subconsciously (which many would call attention deficit), but we have to learn to master that and overcome it to get by in todays educational system. Because it's not about what we want to learn, but rather what the system requires of us to learn.


• While this is a poor excuse, most classes are REDUNDANT, BORING and USELESS to the psyche of a teenager.


• your not intentionly listening but the vooice of the person, is in your head


• It is a little rude to say to someone, but sometimes that's just what happens.


• No, attention deficit is another issue than not listening. Listening is a choice, but being attention deficitt means that you do it without thinking. Sometimes it cannot be changed.


• That often happens during classes that are boring or that I don't like.


• I think this quote means you have a student is never paying attention and does not show any interest in what is being taught. You think this student has a attention deficit when the truth is he or she is not listening because what is being taught is completely boring and not appealing or interesting. Maybe teachers if they notice this is happening should find an more interesting way of teacher and mayber their students will listen and pay attention.


• when i toon out of a class i am usually thinking about something that the teacher said that made me think of something. i usually am out of in it classes but i am still listening. the reason why most students dont listen in classes because the teacher is boring or saying something that we dont think it worth while. some teachers have absoulte expression when they talk and its hard to stay focused.


• very true.


• Sometimes it is but some people just can't concentrate


• Some people think that school is a waste of time and they don't want to bother making the effort and pretend that they don't care and don't try.


• Hey, it's your education and your future, if you don't want to make the effort, you get what you get.


• I usually listen to teachers.


• ha ah i think thats funny!! lol so true!


• It is kind of a rude quote but is certainly true to a bunch of people. I remember back when I was in elementary they thought that there was something wrong with me because I didn't pay attention to a lot of things the teachers or students were talking about, I just didn't care to listen to it.


• some people don't care about school and are forcerd to go so they just don't pay attention.


• I don't agree with this because some people do have a harder time than others with learning and being able to focus on there class work and everything else but can't help it. There are also people who choose not to apply themselves and just dont' care. There are people out there who are attention deficit yet still apply themselves and are successful. It just depends on your state of mind and commitment.


• I think when you are not giving full attention, that means you will not understand what the teacher is trying to say and you will fail the class. If you are doing something else and listening, still you are not listening fully and you won't understand. Sometimes if you miss a little tiny subject, you will miss the whole unit.


• ADD is a term that is thrown around wildly these days. There's a big difference between can not and will not pay attention. I'd bet most of the kids taking ritalin are in the latter camp. You don't listen in class? Tough luck.


• I think that this quote states that a person is not listening but hen other people tell that its attention deficit. Like SERIOUSLY! lol


• I think that that person should listen so he/she can learn more.


• I think that it means that we should not judge people for what we see or think of them.


• Also valid. I think a lot of students just don't want to listen


• It seems like teachers that if you listen attentively, you are learning. Well, when a teacher is lecturing for the whole hour, you might be attentive, but you are passively not engaged. I think there needs to be a shift from passively learning to active learning. I never feel like i am ever activing understanding what the teacher is saying. I'm never anticipating what the teacher is going to say next, and I really don't think anyone has ever taught us how to learn.


• its rude and not used by me


• Hey! There's a shiny thing on the floor!


• I think that for people who don't listen thats proboly true


• knowing to listen but just not listening at all.


• In classes when the teachers talk to much, that could be true!


• Many people don't care or want to listen in class rather than not being able to pay attention


• I think its pretty funny


• Some students don't care anymore, they lack interst

January 26, 2009

Ram Needed

Darren's Rant Cyber Style

Quote of the day

Three things give the student the possibility of surpassing his teacher: ask a lot of questions, remember the answers, teach.

Jan Amos Coménius

Your voice results 6 Part 2

What do you think of this quote... "It's not attention deficit - I'm just not listening!"

• lmao i have adhd and thats just lame
• I think this quote is not very intelligent, and it seems like somebody would be asking for attention or just being plain rude. I guess some people could take it as funny though so I don't overly like this quote but it wouldn't bother me.
• i think its kinda funny
• i laughed a little.
• It shows your desire to succeed in school and eventually in life.
• Its true
• some classes a boring i think all classes can be fun with a good teacher
• If a topic doesn't really interest you then you probably don't want to hear it so you out your mind somewhere else and think of something else.
• I think it's pretty funny.. considering I zone out sometimes...
• School is a bore, any one of us, as soon as we get a decent job will recognize that work is easier. School is learning, work is using what you learned.
• This is saying that some people just don't care.
• Classes become boring when the teacher dosn't want to be there, so this makes the student stop paying attention, and they begine to daydream.
• I think that alot of people have trouble focusing on the task at hand when you are sitting in a desk not aloud to move and not involved in anything the teachers are saying.
• I think that students sometimes really have the tendency to not listen during lessons. And it is not a sickness, students choose not to listen.
• Ahh, not listening. Listening is one of the most important parts of school. But listening to an i-pod is much more interesting than learning about the cold war. More interesting than listening to student notices which will actually benifit you! I am big on listening. If I don't listen then everyone around me will be doomed!
• Everyone has the choice to pay attention or not, and that is what dictates their success
• Story of my life.
• Some kids just do not want to be in school and they are disruptive to the rest of the class. They are not ill or slow...they just have no interest in being there and there wishes should be granted...in some cases.
• I have heard this many times. Sometimes i even say it. School can be not the most exciting thing sometimes.
• It is so hard to pay attention all the time to a soeaker/ teacher. I feel bad for the teacher because i know for a fact half the stundents are not listening. Usually when assignments are assigned everyone asks eachother "what is going on?"
• I don't really believe in attention deficit. Some kids just don't feel like listening because how the teacher is teaching isn't the way that those children need to be taught.
• HAHA! This quote is kinda funny. and true. I think that alot of teachers try to keep students attention but if you can't make us interested in a subject, it's not like we are going to be able to listen. Beleive it or not students do have other things we would rather be thinking about it. During boring lectures even the best of us fall off..
• it's true for many people. If the course isn't interesting our attention isn't being held and we appear to be attention deficit.
• Dont get
• It's remotely amusing, like one of those quotes you'd see on a graphic tee-shirt that costs five bucks. I don't think much else about it... hah.
• Yeah. Very true. Except I'm more likely to fall asleep than I am to come across as attention deficit. (Either that or I come across as a mentally unstable maniac, but there you go, that's what I get for being an art student. :) )
• Unfortunately I have no experience with ADD or anything like that. I think that it is falsly diagnosed in many cases and the children are just plain bored because when you look at these children they are often the most intelligent. So in a lot of ways I agree with that quotation but I think it is a learned lack of listening. It starts from very young when it is still the responsibility of the role models to teach.
• true
• it means that people arnt listening in school.
• It's possible.
• i think that this is totally wrong
• I like it. Teachers always say that...well we probably have just choosen not to listen
• disrispectful
• little attention span
• Courses are uninteresting to students.
• It's one part denial, but one part accuracy of the situation. Why should people be listening to something that is completely not understandable to them, mostly because it is not geared towards there type of learning?
• were teenagers theirs other things to think about then things that happened 500 years ago

January 25, 2009

Your voice results 6 Part 1

What do you think of this quote... "It's not attention deficit - I'm just not listening!"

• A big problem in teaching/learning is the lack of motivation. A student who is unmotivated can bounce through the system by "playing school" or fall through the cracks, not realizing how exciting the material can really be. Some students just do not learn the same as others, and there is a lack of goal-setting in schools. The only goal the student can imagine at the time is the letter grade at the end, as opposed to what they can do with a wealth of knowledge after school is over.
• Some subjects are just extremely boring, and could be taught in better ways.
• exactly.
• That maybe the information being presented is of no interest to the person listening.
• school is sometimes boring so you somtimes jsut zone out and stop paying attention
• most students don't pay attention to teachers who are boring than teachers who are interesting and fun.
• Sometimes its true...
• wtf
• I think that this quote is almost every students day at school. So many kids these days don't like having to get up early to go to school and have to sit for an hour in every single class, yes we may find it boring but in the long run it will help us with our career.
• You can choose to not listen
• It is hard to learn abour something you are not interested in.
• Some students just choose not to listen.
• They are bored.
• this is the case with a lot of kids because they either dont understand what they are doing or are bored with it
• I think it is true
• I think some students get bored in school
• I think this type of situation often happens during one's high school experience. Sometimes it is caused by a lack of interest in the subject or by distractions.
• school does not put things in layman terms they make everything so wordy. I wish teachers would get to the point
• lots of students just don't listen, its true.
• what if you do have an attention deficit or A.D.D?
• Sometimes students find that the teachers are not engaging and so, their attention wanders. In order to keep a students attention, the teacher has to be interested in and engaged in what they are teaching.
• Quite a few people now seem to not listen. Kids should care more about this stuff. It could one day become important in their lives.
• people thik it is their choice, but they dont want to
• i guess
• These days, almost everything is classified as a "disorder" of some kind. Just pop a pill to solve problems. That doesn't solve problems, it just ignores them. Sometimes, we don't sleep well, eat well or get enough exercise, and that definitely contributes to being restless, therefore, not listening.
• so true
• People never listen. It bothers me when students in my class complain about the course or the teacher, when they simply weren't paying attention. Listening is a really important skill to develop.
• It's true.
• deffinately not listening
• in have ADD i think its rude and horibel when im not focused i listen better when im forced to focus is when my brain will block it out and then i start to get 60s and 70s insteed of 90s and 80s...
• i think alot of people r like this.
• Hahahaha, yeah, that sums it up. Except... I'd be more apt to say "I'm sleeping because this class is a waste of time, and I'm only here because our pathetically inept school system requires I have this credit." But, you know, that would get me kicked out, so I just pretend to be sheepish about it.
• It's called denial...good luck kid!

T3 Line

Cyber Planet

Quote of the day

Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform.

Susan B. Anthony

January 24, 2009

An New Online Resource For Canadian Educators « Virtual High School Meanderings

So the National Film Board of Canada has flung open the vault to make many national treasures freely available online. Wow. This is such an amazing set of resources, covering the entire range of Canadian culture. Films that helped define who we are.

National Film Board

Geek dating

Your voice results 5 Part 3

Tell us what you think of this quote... "We study the right facts the night before the test so we achieve a passing grade and thus become a successful student."

• I think that the definition of a successful student should never just apply alone to whether or not a student "knows the right facts" but whether they can apply them, and if they really understand their true meaning in a more than two-dimensional manner.
• yes thats what you do is study?
• it is false. that is just using your memory and you dont actually know the curiculm. you are not truly a succesful student.
• Any person can memorize the right facts and get a great mark on a test. In real life, a person isn't given a report card that summarizes how they're doing. So I think that in school, the true measure of the success of a student is how much they learn and grow from their teacher.
• students goal should not be just to pass. it should be higher that it would push them to work harder.
• I think that people should learn to study a couple nights before the text instead of studying the night before the test and then you have a better chance of failing cause you just cramed it all in one night.
• maybe a few nights before the test
• that is memorizing, not learning. that wont help you in the work world
• I somewhat agree with this quotation. I am sure it is the case for most students, who only want to pass the class, but for me there is no point in taking the class if I can't remember the information later on. Therefore, I think it is important to put in a real effort to try to learn and absorb the information so that you can remember it later in life if you need it.
• We don't have to study a week in advance because as long as we pass the test we will pass the class, therefore, we will be successful students.
• It doesn't always work that way some people have to study weeks before to get a good grade. So i don't think that you can always become a succesful student by studying the night before.
• yeah its accurate if u want to get to university, never take marking away because it is not going to go away
• we go all over our note to review everything we learned beofore so we can successful on the exam.
• i think thats about right for most students.
• This would have sounded like me a few months ago, and a lot of my high achieving friends. I have a new attitude now (to a certain extent) as I have learned to try and get interested in the subject, and learn things for sake of discovering something interesting and thinking about my world in new days. If you're wondering how I learned this: I talked with my dad). Mind you, this usually applies only in certain classes (usually my AP classes). In other ones I am simply interested in getting the high mark, and being done with the course. Sometimes I wish there was more of an emphasis on learning instead of high marks. In the past I know I have become very obsessed uniquely with getting the high marks, and became extremely stressed if I got a mark that was even slightly lower than my high expectations. This can sometimes take away from the actual learning experience. For example on receiving an essay back in an English class I'll be more concerned with the mark which I received than what I did wrong/what I can improve on.
• when people cram the night before there short term memory kicks in, if quized on the same stuff a week later they probably wouldn't know the answer because it is not stored in their long term memory. I think that people take advantage of test dates!
• By studying the night before tha answers are fresh in your brain, but chances are that you will forget them easily without prolonged expossurte to the subject.
• I think that studying for tests the night before is good. It helps you recall the facts you need to know the next morning/day.
• Quite honestly, I think that tests are an irrational way to mesure the successfulness of a student. Every person learns rather differently in every subject matter you throw their way; It's one of the beautiful things about how unique each human is.
• Tests are useless. Memorizing facts and dates and numbers is useless. Students know this, they know how to get around it, and they know how to pass a class without knowing the material. Teachers know this, too, and they do nothing about it. We're trapped in outdated ways of learning and teaching, and its not beneficial. We should not only be learning the basics, but real world applications such as how to end hunger, change the world, and be what you're meant to be.
• we need to work hard the night before, to remeber everything.
• I think it is a good think to do before a test.
• This is the story of my life, but I do not think I am doing the right thing. I want to learn in school, but I get better marks if I mindlessly memorize and do not learn. Until the educational system changes and moves toward information learned and not marks, kids will not be learning the right way.
• I think this quote is kind of funny, because it is partially true. The majority of students simply review the material the day before the test so they can get a passing mark.
• This quote for me is saying you have a student that is successful for they can read something and cram the night before an exam and remember things, which is lucky. When a teacher looks at a student with good grades they think this student is successful and will be successful, but the question is how long before studying the night before isn't good enough. What a teacher may forget is to take the time to look at the students who study for weeks before an exam but become flustered and make silly mistakes. With this ending up in a bad grade or grades, now this hard studying person is not considered as successful as the student is has done less work, but does not fail under pressure.
• i know lots of people including myself that work better under pressure because they have to get something done. people who do their work ahead of time or study more are most likely to have a better grade but they dont have a social life.
• cramming the night before does not work well.
• Maybe not the night before :)
• This does not make a successful student. Memorizing facts does not mean that you truly know or understand something and will probably just forget them shortly after the test anyways.
• Well I can study that way and do fine but I know not all people can, it is smarter to embed the information in your mind after several days of spaced out studying, considering the facts and implications and thinking about your work.
• it's reasonable for me. I usually leave stuff to last minute but i still learn and get the job done.
• We make sure we know it
• I don't like this quote. Usually when you study anything the night before the things you study will probably be forgotten unless you studied ahead of time, then it would just be a harmless review to see if you remembered all the stuff you studied from earlier so then you are good to go for the test day.
• This is true it helps you to learn how to work and apply yourself
• I agree and disagree with this quote because yes we study the night before an exam so we can successfully pass it and acheive a good grade but you dont' just study certain facts you study it all to become a successful person not just a student.
• I think one cannot study and learn everything the night before the test. In order to gain a good grade and become a successful student, one must study everyday to acquire high marks rather than just passing grade.
• It works, sometimes. Some classes will always be disliked by some students. You can't please or engage every one of them. Encourage them to obtain better study habits, but realize that they're old enough to make their own decisions good or bad. If they refuse to study and therefore will most likely fail, tough luck.
• I think the quote is true.. because if you fail a grade you are not gonna be successful
• I think that it wrong because you shouldn't cram for a test.
• I do not agree with this quote. For me I need to study before the test well in advance
• I think it is really valid. I don't think we really take anything from school. Just become good at memorizing
• I think this quote is true, because they have got us to believe that the more facts you can repeat, the more you understand. when has being a trivia expert ever won someone a major prize? I think every student is interested in learning, but we aren't interested in wasting our time not learning, and feeling stupid. Also, theres an attitude that if something is not on a test, its not important. tests don't cover all the information we need in life.
• your to lazy to study so you just read over all your work the night before the test
• That doesn't work! You need time to remember things over time! Cramming doesn't work.
• I think that isn't true and it dosen't work that way

Blog Cyber Style

Quote of the day

Good teachers are costly, but bad teachers cost more.

Bob Talbert

January 23, 2009

Microsoft Canada Ignite IT Awards

Cyber tracker program was designed to fill the tracking holes left by the built in tracking tools found in most learning management systems, email and student attendance systems. Tracking on-line students is a confusing and time consuming task to prevent them from "falling through the cracks". Most on-line educators are allotted very little time to teach, track, and grade students. This program enables instructors, administration and counselors to view where a student is at all times during the course and easily communicate their concerns or accolades. The program is unique because it is web-based. The program, allows for an infinite number of communication components to be developed. The ability to customize the program to each individual educational facility by simply using their registration database or by using the registration database developed inside the program makes this program absolutely universal and global.

Microsoft Canada Ignite IT Awards

Cyber School Explained Part 15

Teaching How to Learn | blog of proximal development

t's not surprising that interactions with peers and even adults in an interest-driven community are more engaging and more fulfilling than traditional classrooms where teachers and their textbooks and tests are often presented as more important than independent thinking and personal growth.

Teaching How to Learn | blog of proximal development

Welcome to Bank Jr!

Bank Jr. is an educational banking website designed for elementary school students. I discovered Bank Jr. through Donna Murray's excellent blog. Bank Jr. is an interactive website on which students can learn the in's and out's of banking. Bank Jr. has a glossary of terms, a help center, and savings wizards. Bank Jr. also provides students with a history of money and a look at how different countries use money. The teachers section of Bank Jr. provides an extensive glossary of terms and some lesson ideas. Bank Jr. does not provide full-length, detailed lesson plans, but it does provide PDF's of worksheets and handouts that teachers may find useful for teaching banking lessons.

Welcome to Bank Jr!

Got a Tan

Your voice results 5 Part 2

Tell us what you think of this quote... "We study the right facts the night before the test so we achieve a passing grade and thus become a successful student."

• being a success means studying and stuff all the time. not just once in a while
• I think that anybody who wants to achieve good grades and wants to become a successful student knows that they have to study the night before in order to get a passing grade because otherwise, you're not trying hard enough.
• i dont think that u can just study the facts to become successful. u need to learn them to be successful
• i think this quote is very true.
• We are not really learning as much as we should, just putting in minimum effort to pass.
• Boring
• i dont like the quote tests are stupid. say if your becoming a docter theres never going to be a situation where you will not remember something and some dude dies because theres always going to be somebody who knows more than you that you can ask for help or the internet
• I think that this is true because most students do only start to look over their previous work the night before any tests becasue if you start studying before then, you won't have the information fresh in your brain.
• I do!! I study my info and pray for a good grade..
• The really successful students are the ones that can pay attention in class, the rest of us just make sure we know what we need to know when we need to know it.
• This means that if you study hard the night before you will do better on your test.
• This means that if a student is passing a class, they automatically are sucessful because they are not failing. This shows how teacher are not doing their job. Teachers are teaching what needs to be taught, not what they need to teach in order for their students to have a good future.
• I think this is true, when teachers dont filter the content and go off on tangents and tell stories it is hard to find the important things and remember them.
• I think is is a nice quote. Studying things specially the night before the tests and being prepared will help us students be successful in life.
• Education is only based upon marks and not that of the value of what you are learning. To be successful you must also retain what you have learned. Such is the fact that I can tell you that our feel perspire 3/4 of a cup of persparation each day. We need to learn things that will actually be used, such as the previous fact. If someone asks you why their feet are so cold, tell them "your feet loose 3/4 c. of persparation daily and when this hits the cold air of a Saskatchewan winter, the results are chilling.
• you need to remember the facts later in life, rather then for one test
• Basically true, for those who study. I only study the night before. Some don't study at all though and may or may not get a passing grade.
• I disagree...i think it is the lon term use and memorization of skills that makes you remember them. If you only study the night before a test, do well on the test but never use or apply what you have learned then it is very likely that you will forget it!
• I think this quote is false. I think we all know that the proper study technique is to do a little at a time, a week before the test. Our brains sometimes don't work as good as we want, and can't take in all that info and remember it the next day.
• Defiantly not the best quote ever. I could never be a succesful student if i only studied the night before the exam.
• I think that this is a quick way to help you memorize little facts. I myself do this after studying a lot I just look at what is needed at the end then go to sleep. This way these facts are the last things imprinted in our brains.
• I think this quote is wrong. I usually never study for tests because if you have a good teacher and you pay attention in class, by the time a test rolls around you should alread y know the information.
• that's what i do, and i have an 80's average
• I think its true
• That definitely does not mean you are a successful student. High grade scores are not always the best way to measure how good a student is. Especially if they are achieved by cramming, because I know from personal experience, you NEVER remember stuff that you crammed the night before a unit test until final exam week!
• Nah. I can't be bothered anymore. If I think something is a waste, I just don't do it. I do barely enough to pass, and then if it's something I care about, I throw my heart and soul into it, because my life really does depend on it. I'd have gone insane by now if I didn't have art. I really would. ... I kinda wish I could just draw you a picture for all these quotes. It would be more accurate. But you'd understand it less.
• Agree. 100%. There is really nothing more to say on that subject. Most teachers will even agree with that I think. I think that it all depends on your teacher. I have had teachers in the past who have really taught me things, and it is usually their enthusiasm and compassion that help their students to really genuinely learn. And those types of teachers are far and few between. Conversly though, there are times when the subject matter is just interesting to any given student and then one will actually absorb the information and truely learn it.
• ummm irrelivent... to everything
• you have to be able to remeber what you are learning to be a succesful student.
• It takes more than one night to really learn something. You aren't successful until you really KNOW.
• i believe that if it works for you, go for it
• i agree you only have to study right before so you dont forget it during the test
• Thats not true for everyone. I study just to make sure I pass, as long as I pass I don't care what grade I have
• that the person speaking is a low acidemic achiever and does not deserve a high grade
• it sounds like the person crams their brain with infomation without following the directions of studying that whole week before that night???????
• Author seems to think success is purley based on grades.

Quote of the Day

Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.

Lee Iacocca

January 22, 2009

Math and Algebra Help - Videos from MathTV.com

This site contains a pile of math videos.

Math and Algebra Help - Videos from MathTV.com

TADO Picture Showcase

This is the opening of the TADO picture showcase. These images are posted in Facebook by members of the group called Teaching and Developing Online Fans. These image are taken by the members and are copyright free. This is a great collection of awesome images which will continue to grow. If you are interested in having your image shown as a TADO image get into face book and post some images.

TADO Picture Showcase

Cyber School Explained Part 14

Cup Holder

Quote of the Day

Only a teacher? Thank God I have a calling to the greatest profession of all! I must be vigilant every day lest I lose one fragile opportunity to improve tomorrow.

Ivan Welton Fitzwater

January 21, 2009

Your voice results 5 Part 1

Tell us what you think of this quote... "We study the right facts the night before the test so we achieve a passing grade and thus become a successful student."

• I think this is true, as long as you have studied previously and then the night before the test is just a prep.
• You have a poor teacher.
• I think that we retain some pretty usless information just because someone else thinks that it is important. We sometimes do just study what we need to know because we want to pass and the information that we would like to learn and keep in our heads, is sometimes looked at as unimportant and a waste of time.
• being a successful sudent is more than just passing
• it's true. most people study the night before so its fresh in their minds the next day and hope that they pass the test
• You can study the night before but its better to do it for a couple days in advance Tue,
• I think that this quote summarizes what goes through almost every students mind. These days we procrastinate so much that we leave everything to last minute and we gt even more stressed out. Therefore we feel happy if we barely pass because we barely studied and had so much going on at that time.
• School is about getting good marks, not learning
• Simply how life works, if you put in the effort, you will get results.
• I agree because if you didn't study well you may get a low mark.
• we should reach our potential and do better.
• thats what mosts kids do now because tests arent a test of how smart we are just how well we can remember information
• its a bad motto and should do more then that
• I think this quote is accurate with many students
• I think this quote is much like the quote above. The only criteria to become a "successful student" (in the opinion of many students) is only to achieve good grades, thus to achieve a passing grade is to be a good student, regardless of whether or not one truly understands the subject.
• Memorizing for the test only and unlikely to forget after the test.
• shows that schools only talks about the most general facts. school doesnt explain the whys behind the facts.
• that may be true to get passing grades, but i think to be a successful student you must try your best.
• who is we?
• This is saying that to become a successful student you can study just to pass, but there is more to learning that simply a passing grade and to get more, you have to work more than the night before.
• Unfortunately, that is not true. I used to use that method, but I no longer do. It takes time for things to stick in your head. In addition to that, just passing shouldn't be good enough. You are supposed to try your hardest and the bare minimum isn't worth it.
• that isn't learning, that is memorising something and putting it on paper, in the work world it wont help you.
• Following this quote doesn't work; not a plan for success.
• numbers are a stupid evaluate someone
• I don't think being a successful student has much to do with the grades you recieve - it's easy to memorize facts and get a good mark on a test. I think the measurement of success as a student is how much you learn and grow from your teachers.
• A successful student is one thing. A successful life is another.
• i do not study at all, that quote is not for everyone
• stupidly right are system is based off of lets cram this into there heads and then after the final they forget everything but i have done bad on tests but still rember important things form grs. 1 and 2
• yeah that sounded like me, just get a good grade, but it all goes out the next day??wasn't always the most interesting stuff??
• That? That is the quote of someone who's a grade A student who isn't actually learning. They're memorizing and then dropping the informatino instead of absorbing it, and find those of us who actually want to, you know, LEARN SHIT pretty pissed, because they get more praise than we do.
• I think you don't need to study to become a successful student - one needs to listen to become a successful student.

Image of the day

I am starting a online photo gallery. This gallery will be a blog which will display, copyright free images submitted by whoever would like to contribute. From the submitted images and image a day will be chosen to be displayed in TADO. The teaching and developing online blog (TADO) is viewed by people from all over the world and will be an neat experiment for someone to get there favourite image on the web.

Do you have the next image of the day?

If you have a favourite image post it here in comments and I will move it over to the photo gallery.

What Wiki would you use...

The following was asked on the webct user listserve:

We are looking at using Wikis as part as an evaluation tool in our CE 8 system. We heard of multiple Wikis out there, but would like your opinion of what Wiki do you use with your Blackboard system, and is it a Power Link?

We have worked with MediaWiki because it's the original engine behind Wikipedia. We found students would do "format plagiarism" by looking at a Wikipedia article, grabbing the source and changing the content.

You can find Deakin's MediaWiki setup in EduGarage.
Slightly different approach, but does pretty much the same thing.

We have had some faculty and students say MediaWiki is too difficult and they have gone to over Peanut Butter Wiki, even without a Powerlink for seamless authentication. But with PB Wiki being hosted in the States, there are all those other "south of the 49th parallel" issues we have to contend with.

I understand Atlassain's Confluence (http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/) is also popular and can be integrated with a Powerlink. It's the wiki engine behind Blackboard's Wiki Knowledgebase (http://kb.blackboard.com)

Finally, if you look at presentations from past Blackboard/WebCT conferences you will find some presentations that Bonita and I did on use of wikis in online learning along with Ron and Amy's presentation on their implementation of MediaWiki at Simon Fraser U.

Thanks to Bob Boufford for this information.

Cyber School Explained Part 13

Coasters

Quote of the Day

In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less.

Lee Iacocca

January 20, 2009

Moved my email subscribe service

I have moved my email subscribe service to google feedburner. I have transfered all the subscribers from feedblitz. You will have to confirm the transfer.

Hope this causes no trouble for anyone.

Teaching and Developing Online QR Code

Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). QR Codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards or just about any object that users might need information about. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone's browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical world hyperlinks. Users can also generate and print their own QR Code for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR Code generating sites.

Cyber School Explained Part 12

Your voice results 4 Part 3

Tell us what you think of the following quote... We have learned to 'play school'.

• I think that it means that students have learned to conform to the charade that is "normal" learning. In other words, we have been taught how the "one way" to learn, and therefore are merely playing at a game much as we would in Kindergarten when we played "doctor" or "house". There is not just "one way", but we have forgotten how to find the other ways.


• school is not fun so this quote doesnt make any sense.


• i think it means that you learned a way to pass school without actually knowing your school courses.


• I don't really know what that means.


• school is fun. you just have to learn how to enjoy, appreciate and take things easy.


• I think that it means that when your little you dont really know what to expect when you first go to school and then once you are there you actually know what to expect. and you get use to it.


• lol ok then


• we need to push ourselves and challenge our selves to be able to learn


• To me this quotation means that people are just going through the motions of school. Not enough people are putting in the effort that they could be.


• We know how to act in school because its part of our life and we do it everyday.


• I don't like this quote. i don't think you can really play in hightschool


• i dont get it at all


• it means that we play school by doing all the school work on time and doing all the homeworks to get smarter and smarter.


• I dont know


• Well, I'm a high achiever... school is important and I know it. Personally I don't think that I 'play school', but I can understand how it might be said of other students I know. 'Playing school' implies that it isn't taken seriously, and I think a few other students I know might see school as a game where you're simply trying to beat the system i.e. study and pay attention as little as is possible to get as good of grades as possible.


• I think it means that people just go their who0le lives in school going with the flow. They just do what they have to do just to get by sort of "faking out" tje educational system. Now don't get me wrong alot of poeple try but the ones who don't give a bad name to school and kinda make it suck


• At school I think that you dont "play", only at reccess. "Playing school" I think is a useless quote because if you play along you wont learn anyting useful.


• nonsence.


• What that quote says to me is that school has become nothing more than a game; such as that of a child. The difference, in my opinion is that our game has lost it's imagination.


• Nobody takes school seriously any more. There's a million ways to squeeze your way through a class, and even when people fail they don't seem to care that much. Lets be real, people. School is important. On the other hand, some kids have no aspiration to go to University because its so expensive. A person may be smart, but unfortunately they'll never have a chance to be what they can be because: a) the scholarships given at the school are a WHOPPING $100. Yeah, that won't even pay one class. b) There aren't many scholarships anyways, and from my observations they're all given to the same kids. That reeeeeeallly gives some incentive. I'll work my butt off here just so Mr.McSmartyPants gets all the benefits. Its too bad that I'm not the class of 2010 Einstien. c) So what's left? Paying. Cold, hard, cash. I've got a newsflash for the kids of St.Joseph, not everyone's mommies and daddies are forking out the green for you to go to school for something you aren't even going to like. And once you get out of that course, are you goiong to understand the real meaning of that education that your parents so generously paid for? So there's loans for those who can't. What do I want to do after high school? NOT be in debt, thank you very much. But back to High School. there needs to be more oppourtunity for SUCCESS. People have to know that when they work hard, they will be rewarded. They have to know that "growing up and getting a rich job" is not what their goal should be, but rather growing up and doing something they love. Its too bad, though, that the High School community and the University community don't care enough about these young adults to let them know, and let them do. Too often the mentality is that of "You do school, you get rich" and become unfortuantely unhappy. So to sum things up, there needs to be more drive, more push, and more pull (towards things we love doing rather than things that will get us rich). The mentality of school has to shift, and its probably the parents that have to switch the most. They always say, "you can be whatever you want to be (within reasonable boundaries aka something that you can use towards us in old age. A new lakeside cottage, please.)" instead of "You do whatever in life keeps you and your family healthy, and happy". So what I would like to see is mroe information being presented, more career information, more speakers, more conferences, and more exploration. And not just for the students, but for the parents as well. Parents and students working together so that that student can acheive what they're the best at, and so they know that they can do it. They need the tools, they need the support, and once these things are in place, anyone can be whatever they want to be. The sky is the limit.


• we learnt to have fun and give it our all, when were in school


• This one is true in my opinion.


• Being successful is more of how to do things properly than actually learning.


• I'm not entirely sure what this quote means, but if it refers to children pretending to be teachers, etc. then yes we have learnt to 'play school' although its never the same as school. We make it more fun and entertaining.


• We learn to go to school everyday and school can be a place of fun times, happieness and learning. Although you are learning you can be having fun.


• i think it is talking about us, as students. we have learned so many excuses to get out of tests or anything that we just dont want to do. we slack off and we care no more about the real education that teachers are trying to teach us


• makes no sense


• i think it explains a lot about school ethic


• I think this means that some people think that they have figured out how to get through school without really getting what they should out of it, they think they can almost fake their way through school.


• High school isnt so much about the content you learn, it is learning how to learn, so if you go on to secondary education or courses, you know how to get the information properly.


• play school? not even sure what that means.


• That we have tried to have fun while doing school


• We have learned to have our own roles in school like a play. Throughout the years of school you gradually figure out who you are, what type of group your in and who you want to become when you are out of school effects how you are in school so as in a play it creates your character.


• i don't know what you are trying to get at


• I agree with this quote. When you learn to take the time and enjoy what your learning then school doesn't seem like stressful work anymore. If you take interest in what your learning its fun and you can enjoy going to school and all the work and commitment that comes with it. It doesn't seem like so much of a job.


• I think it mean that we have learned to have fun at school.


• No clue, to be totally honest. I'm assuming you mean you're making school more fun and enjoyable and thus more interesting for teenagers. If that's the case, good. That's exactly what needs to be done to spice classes up. I don't mean constant class involvement, I just mean try to make each day different from the last.


• I think it says that school is fun.. its like when we play :)

Your voice results 4 Part 2

Tell us what you think of the following quote... We have learned to 'play school'.

• like when you are a child and pretend to be a teacher and students with your firends..


• I think it's alright.


• i am not really able to understand it completely right now but i would think it means something about how school has turned into almost playtime for kids. they dont go there to learn as much as they do to socialize.


• im not to sure what i think at this moment.


• it is not an accurate representation of the real world.


• Its not very relevant


• I think that this quote is a good quote, because we do really have to learn to get along with the people that you go to school with. If you and you class mates, friends don't get along with one another you are not going to have a fun, memorable school year.


• I wouldn't really consider doing school playing. Sometimes there is information that catches my eye and it's interesting and a bit fun to learn, but definitely not all.


• School isn't taken seriously. For one your with a bunch of your friends and you just want to have a good time. Secondly, we all need our sciences and math, but how many of us are actually going to use the wave model of light or any other equation we learn later on in life. Whereas gym is going to affect us for the rest of our lifes and so will industrial arts, home ec and so on. I'm not saying science is bad, I'm just saying there is practical sciences and then there is theoretical and non-practical sciences.


• We have to work and enjoy school.


• I don't think that school is being taught seriously enough. The teachers are slack, and as student, we are learning thinks that will not have anything to do with our lives in the future.


• I dont beliave we have learned to play beecause out classes are very simple and dont involve students. We are not aloud to play and have fun, only learn what we are told.


• I think that that quote means that in school maybe with influences students have learned nopt to take school or their lessons seriously.


• notes. quiz. notes. project. test. new unit. noes. quiz. notes. project. test. School is all one jumble of scheduled activities such as these. Some thrive on it while others wither. School is very calculated and it is all based upon remembering something for one day, as opposed to remembering something for life. (from grade eight {I'm in 11} Richard Bedford Bennett is the only PM to be burried outside of Canada). I know this since I was interested in RH RBB. If I am asked about grade nine science I can tell you about three whole things. Anyways, I am rambling, onto the next question!


• school is important for socialisation


• Personally, i think this means that students go through the actions of school, but often don't take anything in. They do what they need to to pass, and in most cases, that's about all they do. If they even do that.


• I beleive that in many courses there are no right or wrong answers and the teachers are there to teach you how to come up with the correct answer. This is a good thing, but in some courses there are answers and they are coppied and no teacher really knows what a student has in their minds...also teachers in face to face school are either too helpful or not helpful enough there is no happy medium. So i beleive many students have learned to 'play school'.


• I am not too sure. I have never really heard anyone say this.


• At first i dont get the quote but the first thing to come to mind is that kids learn of ways to play school by gettign around situaitons without doing work and such...if that makes any sense.


• To me saying one has learned to play school means that they're only portraying what they think school should be and it all seems to be a joke.


• I don't know what the quote means..


• I think it is a bit silly. I think some classes should involve play and back and forth banter, such as english, but others probably shouldn't involve a lot of play, such as math.


• These will be bitter. Just a bit of warning. My first reaction to this is definitely "Well, I haven't, but I've met people who have, and I wish I could."


• I agree to some extent. I mean...over half of the time I was in school I felt like I was merely wasting time...like I was just going somewhere to keep from having nothing to do in a way. And really, what games to children play? school is defionately one of them it it seems that how school is once you get there really follows that same formula.


• stupid


• It means that in going to school, you learn how to take it easy but still be serious when the time comes.


• i think that it is saying that you are able to have fun while learning.


• Doesn't mean anything to me


• that school is a shell of real life, andd that it really holds no signiofigance in real life.


• it sounds weird kind of confusing


• Sounds like the author thought that school is just a routine and nobody actually learns anything.

Ironic Sans: Thsrs - The Shorter Thesaurus

1. Enter a long word. Look Up 2. Receive shorter synonyms.

Ironic Sans: Thsrs - The Shorter Thesaurus

Any Key

Quote of the day

Education is like a double-edged sword. It may be turned to dangerous uses if it is not properly handled.

Wu Ting-Fang

January 19, 2009

Presentation technology in the future.

The projection and presentation technologies of the future will move from group presentation to personal presentation. The current LCD projector which is currently used in group presentations will be built into the handheld computer or wearable computer. The projector will not project onto a screen but will be projected into a 3D floating projection. This projection will allow the presenter to walk into the presentation and manipulate the object (files, images, etc) via touch. The personal aspect of the presentation would be a push technology which would allow each person to interact via a smaller version of the large group presentation a foot or so in front of where they are sitting. The presentation technology can be manipulated by the viewer at a different pace than the person presenting. The presentation will be archived in each viewer's personal device allowing one to review it at a later date. It will also record the presentation in a couple of different fashions. First will be the basic presentation, second the presentation with the presenter's actions and audio, third with presentation and the viewers' actions. Presentations will be viewed onsite as well as across the net so location will not be an issue.
Presentation halls and rooms in general will not have windows but will have screens which will be wall size and project the outside. These will be used to allow light to enter, give one the view of the outside or any place one needs to project. This flexibility will allow a presenter to take the audience to any place he wishes or imagines.
The problem with the current projection/presentation technology is the amount of equipment which is needed to make a presentation happen. The laptop, LCD projector and screen combined can be a little bit of an issue to transport and require a room to make the presentation happen. A burned out bulb or an incompatible laptop could cause some potential presenter a great deal of anxiety (he says from experience). Other issues from the current system are a screen which is on an angle making the top of the projection uneven. Keystone, although a great feature of LCD projectors, are a pain to work at times but nowhere close to being as difficult as the best gyro mouse, presentation clickers or thingies one uses to control the presentation.

J! Archive

Very cool and very addictive.

J! Archive

Cyber School Explained Part 11

Mouse Use

Your voice results 4

Tell us what you think of the following quote... We have learned to 'play school'.

I think that we are sometimes like programmed robots that are all taught the same information in the same style, we some people may need alittle more attention and description than others. We sometimes tend to learn what we need to get us through the school system and leave it at that, as playing a role.

having fun at school

i think its true because people tend to tell the teachers what they want to hear and we dont actually like school so we pretend that we do.

How can you learn to PLAY SCHOOL

I think this quote means that when we were little kids we enjoyed watching and pretending to act like our parents and teachers. Therefore we learned how to 'play school' with one another. I know when I was a little kid, I loved dressing up and playing house and playing school.

School can be beaten by writing the answering the way teachers want

Same routine everyday.

I partly agree.

That we don't always put the effeort into school that is needed.

i dont quite understand what that is saying

no idea what it means

School is fun and serious at the same time

I think it's somewhat accurate to describe how students feel about high school. Because of the grading system, most students only worry about achieving high grades instead of truly understanding and learning the concepts, thus they are "play[ing] school" and not truly learning.

Not taking school seriously.

you dont think outside the box and everything is in order, school ruins creativity

i've never heard that quote, sounds like people are faking school maybe.

i don't understand the question. who is we?

Well, school is a lot of work, but some teachers try to make the work more fun and engaging.

Some people have, through cheating and other assortments of ways, people have effectively played their way through school.

education is more important thatn we take it for, we need to push ourselves mentally, and physically

School doesn't have to be completely boring. It can be engaging and interesting as well.

no school kicked our ass

I don't understand what it's referring to.

Students learn how to take advantage of the knowledge that is given to them, or loopholes and shortcuts, be it educational or something deeper.

what does that mean?

it fells like school is a game how you get along with teachers piers school work its all a game just matters how you play it

Hurm. Not sure what you mean by that. But my first thought was "Yeah, a lot of people do know how to fake it. Wish I was one of them. All I can fake is mediocrity so I'm not harassed by well meaning teachers."

What I think or finish it> haha Hmm - I think it sounds dumb.. and to finish the quote I would say " We have learned to play school when we were young"

Quote of the day

Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy.

Robert Heinlein

January 18, 2009

Cyber School Explained Part 10

Compress Files

Quote of the Day

We strain to renew our capacity for wonder, to shock ourselves into astonishment once again.
Shana Alexander

January 17, 2009

Your voice results 3

Let us hear your voice results

Do you believe that school work will have any bearing on their success in later life?

replies	Yes	No	Maybe
114	71	9	34
	62.3%	0.8%	29.8%

Check out the website: Hear your voice website

Successful Presentations

I have presented at conferences all across Canada, the United States and Australia. Some of these conferences have been forty five minutes long and some of them have been six hours. The most successful of these has been my ability to engage the audience. Sometimes this is difficult to do if it is a large group. While presenting to smaller groups of three to eight people it is easier to engage the audience because there are less of them to engage. Large groups are more difficult but what I try to do is not to change my presentation style based on the group size. This tends to be a skill that I would like to improve.
The content that I present has changed as I have gotten better at presenting. When I first started, I was very concerned about my PowerPoint content and timing of the slides. I practiced my presentation and found it very difficult to deviate from the planned presentation. As I have gotten more versed in the material and have created a large collection of PowerPoint presentations I have now found that some of my best presentations occur when I am forced to deviate from the planned format. This is also a technique which works to engage the audience by allowing them to feel they can dictate what is being presented.
Much of the most well received material that I have presented is personal experience I have had while creating the Cyber School over the last eight years. Many of the post presentation evaluations have confirmed this fact. Data and statistics can be read in published articles. When asked to present, you are being asked to provide your personal opinion and experience and not that of others. If they wanted others, then they would be the ones presenting.
Knowing my audience has also assisted me in my presentation by allowing me to know at what level the material should be. One of my worst presentations was to a group of grade seven and eight students. I made the mistake of presenting material which was more geared to an older audience and if you would like to see a presentation go bad, quickly bore a group of eleven to thirteen year olds!

Cyber School Explained Part 9

Cut and Paste

Quote of the Day

The secret of eternal youth is arrested development.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884 - 1980)

January 16, 2009

Your voice results 2

Let us hear your voice results

Do you believe your school courses are interesting?

replies	Yes	No	Sometimes
119	24	11	84
	20.2%	0.9%	70.6%

Check out the website: Hear your voice website

Cyber School Explained Part 8

Shahi - A visual dictionary | Blachan Lab

Shahi - A visual dictionary | Blachan Lab Shahi is a visual dictionary that combines Wiktionary content with Flickr images, and more!...

Shahi - A visual dictionary | Blachan Lab

Mouse Pad

Quote of the Day

The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

January 15, 2009

Cyber school Explained part 7

White out on the screen

Quote of the Day

We have, I fear, confused power with greatness.

Stewart L. Udall (1920 - ), commencement address, Dartmouth College, June 13, 1965

January 14, 2009

Quote of the Day

You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom.

You might be Canadian Part 15

Cyber School Explained Part 6

January 13, 2009

Sage or Guide?

Found my name in this article...

Sage or Guide? « Random Thoughts

Sage or Guide?

Great Plant Escape

My name is Bud. My good friend Sprout and I are helping Detective LePlant on his search. You will find that plants are an important part of your life. We will need your help to find clues, do experiments, and solve problems as we journey into the world of plants. He promises lots of fun, but remember, we're here to solve a mystery!

Good luck! We'll be with you all the way!

Great Plant Escape

Scrapbooking, Free Ecards, Birthday and Greeting Cards at Smilebox.com

Smilebox® makes it easy to connect with friends and family in a more creative and compelling way.

Unlike other solutions that focus on organizing, editing, and sharing photos or sending pre-packaged ecards, the Smilebox service enables users to create something truly powerful by:

1. Choosing from hundreds of unique multimedia designs
2. Easily personalizing them with photos, video, music, words, and style
3. Sharing them via email, blog, or print

Smilebox creates a new category of service called "creative messaging," which draws elements from photo services, scrapbooking, and ecards to deliver a new medium for communication unparalleled in its ability to convey mood, thought, and emotion.

Scrapbooking, Free Ecards, Birthday and Greeting Cards at Smilebox.com

Shidonni - Creative Fun for Kids

We have created Shidonni as a place to nurture kids' creativity and imagination.

We wanted to go one step further from the templates we found online and give a remarkable and personal experience, which allows kids of all ages to express themselves.
The answer was simple! Give any 4 year old a pen and a paper and see them create their own pets, friends, worlds, galaxies and stories.
Shidonni is mimicking just that. In Shidonni, kids get their own online "pen and paper" to sketch animals. The moment they do, their creations come to life 'virtually'.
Kids can then create worlds for their animals, feed them, play with them and share them with their friends.

Shidonni is ideal for kids aged 4-10 years old, but anyone can play. This is why we have added many layers of safety and privacy. We monitor any creation that is being shared globally and at this point, we are not allowing any type of chat or messaging. Our strict privacy policy can be found here.

Shidonni - Creative Fun for Kids

Quote of the Day

If you are willing to admit faults, you have one less fault to admit.

You might be Canadian Part 14

Cyber School Explained Part 5

January 12, 2009

Made me laugh.

Quote of the Day

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

You might be Canadian Part 13

Your voice results

Let us hear your voice results

Do you believe that school work is meaningful?

replies	Yes	No	Sometimes
90	42	5	43
	46.7%	5.6%	47.8%

Check out the website: Hear your voice website

Cyber School Explained Part 4

January 11, 2009

Quote of the Day

He who never made a mistake never made a discovery.

You might be Canadian Part 12

Cyber School Explained Part 3

January 10, 2009

Quote of the day

A closed mouth gathers no feet.

You might be Canadian Part 11

Cyber School Explained Part 2

January 9, 2009

BuiLD YouR WiLD SeLF

My son is going to love this one...

BuiLD YouR WiLD SeLF

Quote of the day

Your heart understands what your head cannot yet conceive; trust your heart

You might be Canadian Part 10

Listen to Fables, Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Lullabies, and More!

Listen to Fables, Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Lullabies, and More! | Speakaboos Speakaboos is a collection of online children stories read by celebrities

Listen to Fables, Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Lullabies, and More! | Speakaboos

SecretBuilders

SecretBuilders is a site that can be used to supplement the teaching of various topics, including literature, arts, sciences and humanities. The site gives children an opportunity to interact with famous historical and fictional figures from world civilization, making learning more enjoyable and effective. We can provide teachers with examples of how to incorporate SecretBuilders into their school curriculum. A few examples are provided in the Classroom Activities section below.

SecretBuilders

The Week in Rap

A week's worth of news, rapped. New every Friday.

The Week in Rap

Cyber School Explained Part 1

ICDL - International Children's Digital Library

The mission of the International Children's Digital Library Foundation is to excite and inspire the world's children to become members of the global community - children who understand the value of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online.

ICDL - International Children's Digital Library

KIDO'Z Browser - A browser made for kids

Why KIDO'Z Browser ?
Safe & free internet browsing for kids.
Easy to use. Kids don't need to know how to read or write.
Direct access to the best sites, videos and games for kids on the net.

KIDO'Z Browser - A browser made for kids

Museum Box Homepage

This site provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.

Museum Box Homepage

Free Computer Training Quick References, Cheat Sheets

CustomGuide - Free Computer Training Quick References, Cheat Sheets

January 8, 2009

Geeky Mom: Online Learning

The main thrust of the article is actually about how to motivate and compensate faculty for teaching and developing online courses. Course releases and monetary compensation are among the incentives already tried and have somewhat succeed. Someone in the comments suggested allowing the development of these courses to count for tenure. I think that's a step in the right direction. The subtext of the whole discussion seems to be about whether these courses are "real" courses and whether the people who teach them are "real" faculty.

Geeky Mom: Online Learning

KartOO visual meta search engine

KartOO is a metasearch engine with visual display interfaces. When you click on OK, KartOO launches the query to a set of search engines, gathers the results, compiles them and represents them in a series of interactive maps

KartOO visual meta search engine

Let us pray

I am not sure if I had a chance to announce our new prayer site. Kelli Boklaschuk spent a large amount of time creating a site which will allow our cyber school students, GSCS teachers and internet users the chance to express in digital format what they would like to pray for. I like the format and she did a very good job of the site. This like many of the things we do, is a ground breaking website, it has been up for over a month and the web is respecting its intent and it has not been abused by the spammers.

Thank you Kelli for all your work on this site.

The prayer site can be seen at:
Let us pray

Quote of the Day

There are no short cuts to any place worth going.

Using Blogs to Enhance Learning

We think that teachers should be tempted to put web 2.0 tools to work as a method for increasing engagement in students.

Using Blogs to Enhance Learning - Some Helpful Tips -- Open Education

You might be Canadian Part 9

January 7, 2009

State of the Nation Study: K-12 Online Learning in Canada

Online learning is a powerful innovation that expands education opportunities for all students.
Online learning has tremendous benefits in areas where students are geographically dispersed and
Canada has been a leader in establishing K-12 online learning opportunities for students.
This report provides important research on the programs of online learning in elementary and
secondary schools across Canada and a framework for better understanding the trends.

A snapshot

PD Program

Quote of the Day

Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.

You might be Canadian Part 8

January 6, 2009

A survey and request for help.

I am collecting information from high school students by getting them to complete a survey...if you can help this process in any way that would be great.

We are starting to collect information about high school education, we would like to hear your opinion hence we have a new survey in the student survey area. This survey will ask your opinion about face to face high school. This collection of information is a world-wide survey of students, who better
to talk about high school education than high school students, join the movement.

Anyone can take the survey go to the following url:

Your voice survey

After you have done that check out the movement website:

Education Reform movement

Video in TADO