August 2009
August 31, 2009
Top 12 Academic Articles
This was a harder exercise than what it may appear... For this "Top #" I wanted to focus solely on academic articles (which I defined for myself as published in academic journals), and I wanted to provide a variety of topics - kind of like an overview of the main issues or areas in K-12 online learning/virtual schooling academia.
Travel Day - Top 12 Academic Articles « Virtual High School Meanderings
Sensing vs Intuitive Learners SCCS Student Survey
- Sensing learners tend to like learning facts, intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships.
- Sensors often like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises; intuitors like innovation and dislike repetition. Sensors are more likely than intuitors to resent being tested on material that has not been explicitly covered in class.
- Sensors tend to be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on (laboratory) work; intuitors may be better at grasping new concepts and are often more comfortable than sensors with abstractions and mathematical formulations.
- Sensors tend to be more practical and careful than intuitors; intuitors tend to work faster and to be more innovative than sensors.
- Sensors don't like courses that have no apparent connection to the real world; intuitors don't like "plug-and-chug" courses that involve a lot of memorization and routine calculations.
Back to School Ideas
So, it's the first week of school - you're anxious to meet your students and begin the school year, but you're looking for great lesson plans and ideas to get everyone off to a good start. This is the web page for you!
These internet sites have links to great links to help you and your students begin the school year in style:
SCCS Standard Look
Over the hill
Quote of the day
"People don't resist change as much as the way they are changed."
~Stephen Rose
My Best of series
I've separated my "The Best..." lists here by topics. A number of the lists, though, can fit into multiple categories, so it still might be useful to scan all of them.
My Best of series | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
TADO PD Lounge - What there is "Ta Do" in Educational Technology
Cyber School's newest development is an On-line Professional Development
Lounge for All Educational Staff from our own school division and
from around the world.
The Lounge is active and vibrant and updated almost daily by Cyber School Educational Technology Specialists.
The PD Lounge houses a multitude of both self-directed and guided short
courses geared specifically towards integrating technology into the classroom.
Communicate and collaborate with other educators regarding Smart Boards, Wikis's and blogs (Just to name a few).
In Addition to this, there is a vast amount of other Software Tutorials,
Smart Board lessons as well as access to Atomic Learning a company
who specializes in tutorials for most software applications used in schools.
*Please note: These tutorials can be used with or by students as well.*
Do you need some refreshers or introductions to Cyber Planets, Learning Communities, Hybrid courses or Blogs?
If so, Cyber School is posting videos of all staff delivered In-services so that
anyone can access them at anytime.
Click Here To Register for FREE!!!!!!
August 30, 2009
Active vs Reflective Learners SCCS student survey
ACTIVE AND REFLECTIVE LEARNERS
- Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--discussing or applying it or explaining it to others. Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first.
- "Let's try it out and see how it works" is an active learner's phrase; "Let's think it through first" is the reflective learner's response.
- Active learners tend to like group work more than reflective learners, who prefer working alone.
- Sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physical but take notes is hard for both learning types, but particularly hard for active learners.
This is what the survey of 122 SCCS students told us after taking the following index
Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
Descriptions of learning styles were taken from:
Learning styles and Strategies Richard Felder
Staff Ticket Help Desk
Illiterate
Quote of the day
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they have got a second.
William James
August 29, 2009
Comparison of Face-To-Face and Hybrid Delivery of a Course that Requires Technology Skills Development
Online learning continues to be among the fastest-growing sectors of higher education. K-12
teachers and education professionals outside of the K-12 classroom are among the consumers taking
interest in online learning. With many opportunities for technology-enriched learning, educators
are becoming more interested in educational technology programs that will provide them
with credentials necessary to serve in the growing areas of educational technology incorporation
and online learning.
Quote of the day
"The longer I teach, the less I talk."
Anonymous teacher
August 28, 2009
Quote of the day
"You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
- Yogi Berra
August 27, 2009
20 Useful Websites and Tools for Elementary School Teachers
Engaging students in an elementary classroom can be difficult. But there are a lot of sites online that can help. Here are 20 useful sites that offer lesson plans, web apps, and other aids for elementary school teachers:
20 Useful Websites and Tools for Elementary School Teachers
Quote of the day
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams
...Eleanor Roosevelt
Textbook Deathwatch: August 2009
Is the print textbook--that old-fashioned, heavy, expensive staple of the 20th-century classroom--soon to be a thing of the past? While it's hard to imagine the K-12 world, known for its resistance to change, throwing out math, language, and science textbooks in favor of digital content, our nation's current fiscal crisis, combined with major shifts in the way we access and process information, is bringing the subject to the fore.
Textbook Deathwatch: August 2009
Seven of 10 parents: I'd like my child to become a teacher.
The majority of Americans give their local public schools good grades, but they rate US schools as a whole lower, expressing concerns about everything from paltry funding to high dropout rates
Seven of 10 parents: I'd like my child to become a teacher. - Yahoo! News
August 26, 2009
Quote of the day
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?
~William A. Ward
Logged in
Try it first
Quote of the day
Real Saints aren't sad
Sad Saints aren't real
Saskatoon Priest
Clive Thompson on the New Literacy
As the school year begins, be ready to hear pundits fretting once again about how kids today can't write--and technology is to blame. Facebook encourages narcissistic blabbering, video and PowerPoint have replaced carefully crafted essays, and texting has dehydrated language into "bleak, bald, sad shorthand" (as University College of London English professor John Sutherland has moaned). An age of illiteracy is at hand, right?
Andrea Lunsford isn't so sure. Lunsford is a professor of writing and rhetoric at Stanford University, where she has organized a mammoth project called the Stanford Study of Writing to scrutinize college students' prose. From 2001 to 2006, she collected 14,672 student writing samples--everything from in-class assignments, formal essays, and journal entries to emails, blog posts, and chat sessions. Her conclusions are stirring.
Clive Thompson on the New Literacy
A Kindle for Every Student
In a proposal released last month, the group argues that a K-12 education system where each student has an E-book reader like Amazon's Kindle is "inevitable" and that we shouldn't wait "a decade or two" to achieve it.
A Kindle for Every Student - US News and World Report
How to Choose a Search Tool
This is an interesting table which will assist you in finding the right search engine.
Free Screencasting Tool for E-Learning
You may have heard the news last week that Articulate launched a new screencasting tool called Screenr. It is a free web-based tool that lets you create screencasts without installing any software.
» How to Use This Free Screencasting Tool for E-Learning The Rapid eLearning Blog
August 25, 2009
Quote of the day
Success is not a destination that you ever reach. Success is the quality of the journey.
~Jennifer James
Something
Why Cyber School Option
Should a 4-year-old have an iPhone?
My answer, after only a couple of months, is absolutely--with only a few caveats. The first is that I bought him a nice bright red safety case, so that he could find the iPhone easily, differentiate it from mine, and hopefully not break it if he dropped it (although as far as I know, that hasn't actually happened.) Second, I disabled the phone function, so he can't make or receive calls. Although he would no doubt enjoy calling his friends and relatives, given ATT's rates, it makes sense for him not to be randomly calling around the world, (Whether they would like hearing from him with the frequency he might choose is another matter.)
Handheld Learning - Should a 4-year-old have an iPhone?
August 24, 2009
Quote of the day
There are no failures - just experiences and your reactions to them.
Tom Krause
Formula for Success
SCCS: Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award
One of the reasons why I like Darren and the Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School so much is because they are good at what they do (see SCCS makes me proud for proof). The latest reason appears to be:
Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award (Ryan Hauber)
SCCS: Microsoft National Innovative Teacher Award « Virtual High School Meanderings
eLearning On The Rise
It seems more and more like this recession will further enhance the position of eLearning amongst various training options an organization could choose from for their learning and development initiatives. In March earlier this year I wrote - 'while the times are tough, they are on our side' (by 'our' I meant all technology enabled learning solution providers). Then In May I'd posted about the growth of eLearning outsourcing as projected by an India-based research agency - Valuenotes and more recently about how training companies are adopting eLearning using us as their training back-office. All of these lead upto what I have always believed in - that this downturn will lead to renewed growth in eLearning industry. Here's more to support that thought.
eLearning On The Rise | Upside Learning Blog
Public Education
August 23, 2009
Registrations Begin
Psychic Girlfriend
Quote of the day
Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.
- John Wooden
August 22, 2009
Keeping it together
Homeless
Quote of the day
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
Bertrand Russell
August 21, 2009
Quote of the day
Excuses are the tools a person with no purpose or vision uses to build great monuments of emptiness!
August 20, 2009
Blogging About Generational Differences
A good collection of articles about Generational DifferencesBlogging About Generational Differences « Virtual High School Meanderings
Opening Education reports - 2020 and beyond
At the present time the UK education system is witnessing a rash of crystal ball gazing. The Education 2020 report provides a vision for personalised learning for the next 13 years; the Building Schools for the Future programme is engendering debates about the institutions and structures of schooling for the next 50 years; and the 21st century curriculum reviews at QCA are generating discussions about the purpose and function of education for the next 100 years. These discussions are not restricted to the UK; since the late 1990s nation states around the world, and international organisations such as the OECD and UN, have been exploring the future of education in the 21st century.
Things are getting interesting
Chris began by challenging folks to picture any high school at dismissal time and observe the mad rush for students to turn on their devices, the same devices that are banned in most schools. He argues that the more we continue to ignore the role these devices play in students lives, the less relevant our schools become. These devices will only increase in importance and use as our students become adults.
Things are getting interesting
Management
One week until school
Quote of the day
Yesterday is yesterday, if we try to recapture it, we will only lose tomorrow.
-Bill Clinton
August 19, 2009
The Blaine Game: Are Public Schools Inherently Anti-Catholic?
The article argues that while the development of the public school was un-catholic, in the sense that it did not give Catholic Church authorities what they wanted, its development was not the result of bigotry, but rather of concern about the proper governance of mass education in a republic. It concludes that scholars and judges should engage in more sophisticated analysis of the past, rather than resorting to the casual use of terms like "bigotry" and "anti-Catholicism."
The Blaine Game: Are Public Schools Inherently Anti-Catholic?
Students May Not Be as Software-Savvy as They Think, Study Says - The Chronicle of Higher Education
When it comes to basic computer applications, even members of the millennial generation may not know as much as they think they do.
A study by North Carolina Central University found that most students overestimated their skill levels when they were asked how they perceived their ability to complete certain tasks and then tested on those tasks.
Researchers surveyed 171 undergraduates, the majority of whom believed they had either an average or high skill level in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The students were then tested on three different skill levels -- basic, moderate, and advanced -- in each of those applications.
Students correctly perceived their skill level only in PowerPoint, the study said, with 81 percent of students who thought they had at least an average skill level actually performing that way.
Mobile internet use increases sharply in 2009
An April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows that 56% of adult Americans have accessed the internet by wireless means, such as using a laptop, mobile device, game console, or MP3 player. The most prevalent way people get online using a wireless network is with a laptop computer; 39% of adults have done this.
Best Practice Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education
This list of best practice strategies is based on "Institutional Policies/Practices and Course Design Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education," produced by WCET in February 2009 and updated in April 2009. In May 2009, the Instructional Technology Council (ITC) surveyed its membership to invite feedback and additional strategies to enhance the WCET work.
Best Practice Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education
Quote of the day
People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
~Dave Barry
Schoolkid Laptops: How Portugal's Doing It Right
Though Portugal has been out of the exploration business for nearly 500 years, the government is charting new territory in preparing its students for the global knowledge economy.
In June, Portugal completed the major phase of the largest deployment of laptops for education in the world to date, equipping nearly a million secondary school students throughout the entire country with high-performance computers and mobile Internet connectivity.
Internet Evolution - Rob Salkowitz - Schoolkid Laptops: How Portugal's Doing It Right
August 18, 2009
Helping Hand
School Ownership
Quote of the day
People with sharp tongues often cut their own throats.
- unknown
August 17, 2009
Social Media and Open Education
Check this course out...
Here is some information for non-registered students.
Alec Couros is the instructor for this course and is inviting people to join if they are interested. From what I know of Alec this is worth the time.
Digital Textbooks: 3 Reasons Students Aren't Ready
For higher education students who spend an average of $702 per year on course materials, mostly textbooks, the prospect of going digital is an appealing one. Among the theoretical benefits of digital textbooks is the possibility of significant cost savings due to lower overhead costs -- bits are cheaper than printed pages, after all. Unfortunately, students shouldn't chuck their backpacks any time soon; there still exist some major hurdles that digital textbooks must overcome before they widely replace traditional, printed textbooks on college (and high school) campuses.
Digital Textbooks: 3 Reasons Students Aren't Ready
Escaping the Comparison Trap
One kind of comparison which unfortunately is still employed frequently is comparing delivery modes, in particular comparing online and other forms of distance learning with traditional classroom-based instruction...
Education at the crossroads
Actually, there isn't one, there are three choices that anyone offering higher education is going to have to make.
Should this be scarce or abundant?
Should this be free or expensive?
Should this be about school or about learning?
The combinations...
Education at the Crossroads -Seth's Blog
Planning for Success
Confuse
Quote of the day
It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong, and an even bigger one to keep his mouth shut when he's right.
- Jim Fiebig
August 16, 2009
Internal marketing and e-learning success
Traditionally, e-learning implementation plans have focussed on technical issues, however, it is the human element that will dictate success or failure. Hardware can always be upgraded, but perceptions are more difficult to alter.
Experience has shown that in order for e-learning to succeed and for it to become fully integrated into the organisation the training must have a high profile and make an impact right from the start. A full internal marketing campaign is required to ensure high levels of take up and completion rates.
Internal marketing and e-learning success
Online high school grows in popularity
Nearly 1,000 Oklahoma high school students will not be sitting in traditional classrooms this year. Instead, they'll complete courses online through the Oklahoma Virtual High School Web site.
OKVHS offers more than 90 fully accredited courses for students in sixth through 12th grades, with state-certified instructors who are available 14 hours per day, five days a week. And nearly all homework, research and testing is conducted online, although end of instruction exams must be completed in-person.
Online high school grows in popularity - Shawnee, OK - The Shawnee News-Star
Vegetarian
Summer Holiday Cyber Style
Spirituality for Kids
I've had a few parents ask me recently how to help their kids develop their spiritual essence. I love this question. Kids are naturally spiritual. They live in the present moment. They love unconditionally. They don't believe their minds. They don't compare themselves and think they are unique. They overflow with joy.
Quote of the day
Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.
Plato
August 15, 2009
Myths, lies and bull
Its time to start (re)exposing the myths, lies and mountains of bull around education - especially in relation to social media, openness and online learning. If we don't try and gain some perspective on all this, our efforts to develop appropriate educational practices will amount to changes of no significant difference, resulting from a whole lot of pissing in the wind, pushing crap uphill, and hitting our heads against brick walls. You've heard it all before - the same as it has been for most efforts that have come before.
Leigh Blackall: Myths, lies and bull
What would you do?
Answer
Quote of the day
All experience is an arch to build upon.
Henry Brook Adams
August 14, 2009
Personality
TakingITGlobal In the House
Series: 10 Steps To Moving It Forward
Thank to Michael Barbour for the post it is always cool to see the whole series in one place.
Series: 10 Steps To Moving It Forward « Virtual High School Meanderings
TakingITGlobal - Inspire. Inform. Involve.
This is the second posting pertaining to this presentation that will be happening in Saskatoon. The reason we are posting it a second time is because of the change we have made in the timing of this presentation...it will be at 3:30 p.m.
When I was in Asia with Microsoft I had the opportunity to meet with Katherine Walraven (Education Program Manager) at TakingITGlobal. She is willing to come to Saskatoon to see if we would be interested in accessing Taking It Global. At the end of August she will be flying past Saskatoon and I have convince her to land here for a day or so. She would be willing to present Taking It Global network and how it could be used in our schools on August 31 at 3:30 p.m. This is a program that I have been following for a couple of years and I think it has a lot of merit and would be something we will be using in the cyber school student lounge next year, but since I was thinking of having her drop by I was thinking about expanding the viewing audience.
Please reply to the email below if you would be interested in attending said presentation so I can set up an appropriate venue:
August 31, 2009
3:30 P.M.
Location: TBA
Below is some information about the program
Website: http://www.tigweb.org/
The Vision
Youth everywhere actively engaged and connected in shaping a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world.
Our Mission
We enable a collaborative learning community which provides youth with access to global opportunities, cross-cultural connections and meaningful participation in decision-making.
Who We Serve
We serve youth primarily between the ages of 13 to 30 through:
• an online community and initiatives that focus on enabling actively engage youth.
• education programs geared towards middle and high school students.
What We Offer:
• Global online social network and hub for civic participation
• Content & tools for educators to facilitate rich, interactive learning experiences
• Outreach & Collaboration tools for events, networks, campaigns, and causes
• Research, development, and sharing of best practices on youth engagement
• Facilitated learning experiences through workshops, webinars, and e-courses
Why Bother?
• Global awareness and understanding across cultures is key to the future of the planet
• Student dropout and disengagement rates are at all-time highs, and costing billions in lost economic opportunities and crime
• Preventable diseases and health issues are on the rise globally, with young people often the most vulnerable and affected
So Far...
• 4 million young people reached in 2008, over 14 million since launch in 2000
• Engagement across 12 languages, and in every country and territory in the world
• Thought leadership through presenting at over 500 education, technology, development, business, and youth conferences and events
• Partnerships across sectors with over 8 U.N. agencies, dozens of international civil society organizations, several top-tier technology companies (Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, HP), and leading-edge foundations across North America.
• Global recognition from the World Economic Forum and Tech Museum of Innovation
I am aware of the poor timing of this presentation but this worldwide organization is not the easiest to book and it is very exciting that she can make it to our corner of the world.
TakingITGlobal - Inspire. Inform. Involve.
WordCounter
Wordcounter ranks the most frequently used words in any given body of text. Use this to see what words you overuse (is everything a "solution" for you?) or maybe just to find some keywords from a document.
Wordcounter is useful for writers, editors, students, and anyone who thinks that they might be speaking redundantly or repetitively -- and it's free! Eventually, I'm going to expand it so that you can upload documents, but not yet.
Quote of the day
The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.
Ben Stein
August 13, 2009
Online textbooks offered free to students
When California math and science teachers return to their classrooms this month, they'll have 10 free online textbooks at their fingertips to help them teach everything from calculus to chemistry.
Online textbooks offered free to students
Progress
Thank a teacher today
Quote of the day
I like to do all the talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments.
O.Wilde
August 12, 2009
Thank Teach Tuesday Twitter style
We should choose a day on twitter where people thank a teacher like #followfriday but #thankteachtuesday we could share stories of thanks.
@kleigh129: I have actually written thank you's to nearly all the teachers who influenced me. Amazing experience. #thankteachtuesday
@mctoonish: sent an email to several teachers a few years ago to thank them. #thankteachtuesday
@kconger: Yes, I sent my Freshman English teacher from 25 years ago a thank you note on Facebook. Made her day! #thankteachtuesday
Top ten for summer: A learning list for teachers
Summers seem to go by quickly, especially for teachers who take classes, read up on the latest educational theories, and search for new ways to inspire and engage their students. What can you do, learn, even download in the limited time you have? Improve your technical skills and expand your resources with these classroom tools.
Top ten for summer: A learning list for teachers
10 Gadgets That Transform Your Bathroom Into a Home Office
With my IBS I am so into this...
10 Gadgets That Transform Your Bathroom Into a Home Office - tgif - Gizmodo
Teacher Summertime
Fiction
TakingITGlobal in the house
When I was in Asia with Microsoft I had the opportunity to meet with Katherine Walraven (Education Program Manager) at TakingITGlobal. She is willing to come to Saskatoon to see if we would be interested in accessing Taking It Global. At the end of August she will be flying past Saskatoon and I have convince her to land here for a day or so. She would be willing to present Taking It Global network and how it could be used in our schools on August 31 at 1:00 p.m. This is a program that I have been following for a couple of years and I think it has a lot of merit and would be something we will be using in the cyber school student lounge next year, but since I was thinking of having her drop by I was thinking about expanding the viewing audience.
Please let me know if you would be interested in attending said presentation so I can set up an appropriate venue:
August 31, 2009
1:00 P.M.
Location: TBA
Below is some information about the program
Website: http://www.tigweb.org/
The Vision
Youth everywhere actively engaged and connected in shaping a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world.
Our Mission
We enable a collaborative learning community which provides youth with access to global opportunities, cross-cultural connections and meaningful participation in decision-making.
Who We Serve
We serve youth primarily between the ages of 13 to 30 through:
• an online community and initiatives that focus on enabling actively engage youth.
• education programs geared towards middle and high school students.
What We Offer:
• Global online social network and hub for civic participation
• Content & tools for educators to facilitate rich, interactive learning experiences
• Outreach & Collaboration tools for events, networks, campaigns, and causes
• Research, development, and sharing of best practices on youth engagement
• Facilitated learning experiences through workshops, webinars, and e-courses
Why Bother?
• Global awareness and understanding across cultures is key to the future of the planet
• Student dropout and disengagement rates are at all-time highs, and costing billions in lost economic opportunities and crime
• Preventable diseases and health issues are on the rise globally, with young people often the most vulnerable and affected
So Far...
• 4 million young people reached in 2008, over 14 million since launch in 2000
• Engagement across 12 languages, and in every country and territory in the world
• Thought leadership through presenting at over 500 education, technology, development, business, and youth conferences and events
• Partnerships across sectors with over 8 U.N. agencies, dozens of international civil society organizations, several top-tier technology companies (Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, HP), and leading-edge foundations across North America.
• Global recognition from the World Economic Forum and Tech Museum of Innovation
I am aware of the poor timing of this presentation but this worldwide organization is not the easiest to book and it is very exciting that she can make it to our corner of the world.
Darren Cannell
Administrator
Saskatoon Catholic Cyber School
2701 Porter Street
Saskatoon Saskatchewan
Canada S7J 3K7
Http://www.scs.sk.ca/cyber
306.221.4936
Quote of the day
Forgive many things in others nothing in yourself
Ausonius
10 Things You Must Do to Earn Your Audience's Trust
Do you think some of these might apply to your student's trust????
10 Things You Must Do to Earn Your Audience's Trust
As Classrooms Go Digital, Textbooks May Become History
It is about time.
As Classrooms Go Digital, Textbooks May Become History - NYTimes.com
August 11, 2009
Alcohol
Back to Face to face
Quote of the day
Kind words and good deeds are eternal. You never know where their influence will end.
- H. Jackson Browne
What Does Research Say About Online Learning
Online learning has made a major impact in the world of education. Recent studies show that online learning is an effective and reputable way to earn a college degree.
Want to know more? Here are some highlights from online learning research reports:
What Does Research Say About Online Learning - Online Learning Statistics
10 Reasons to Choose Online Education
Online education isn't the best choice for everyone. But, many students thrive in the online education environment. Here are 10 reasons why online education continues to grow in popularity.
10 Reasons to Choose Online Education - Benefits of Online Education
August 10, 2009
Is Lower Teacher-Student Ratio Better?
There are five Kindergarten classes. Each has 15-16 students, except the class Truman is assigned to. It has 23. It also has a full-time teacher's aide, which I suppose makes the ratio better than in the other classes ... but still. I turned to MuniNetGuide for some guidance on what class sizes may mean. Student-teacher ratio is "generally used as a measure of school quality and state effort, on one hand, and inefficiency, on the other, by politicians, policy makers, the press, local educators, and Education researchers," says John Sietsema, data consultant with the National Center for Education
Is Lower Teacher-Student Ratio Better? : Blisstree - Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles
Why I Left Teaching Behind
When I was a first-year teacher fresh out of college, I got a lot of questions about my chosen profession. I usually said that I was inspired by my grandmother, who taught in the Boston public schools for 35 years. The real truth was that, like many of my peers, I had fallen in love with the idea of the job. Urban classrooms struck me as seductively gritty, and it only seemed right that I "give back" after spending 22 years in a suburban, Ivy League bubble. I rarely voiced this sentiment because I was afraid of sounding cavalier.
Four years later, the question I encounter is equally thorny: Why leave teaching? It's not just a question about how I'll pay my rent. Reformers have big plans to transform failing urban schools, and their work hinges on finding a way to keep strong teachers in the classroom. By throwing in the towel, I have become one more teacher abandoning her students.
By Sarah Fine -- Why I Left Teaching Behind - washingtonpost.com
Gay-friendly online high school believed to be first of its kind
Brooklyn Suchy was in sixth grade when she wore her Gay Straight Alliance shirt for all to see: "GSA, like it or not, I am what I am."
It was at a restaurant in Newport where her shirt drew the ire of a group of girls. They called her names. They shoved her. And then they locked her in the restaurant's bathroom.
"Others don't accept people who want to be who they want to be," said Brooklyn, now a ninth-grader at Crosswinds East Metro Arts & Science School. The 15-year-old Landfall girl considers herself bisexual.
Those were the kinds of stories that prompted one local educator to begin an online high school catering to students like Brooklyn. Named the GLBTQ Online High School, it is based in Maplewood and believed to be the first of its kind. (GLBTQ represents gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning.)
Other online schools exist, as do bricks-and-mortar schools that serve gay students. But the Minnesota program is the first to combine the two features, according to the International Association for K-12 Online Learning.
Gay-friendly online high school believed to be first of its kind - TwinCities.com
Quote of the day
As handy as a whiskbroom and twice as intelligent.
Peter DeVries
Teacher children
Deja Vu
Quote of the day
By the time you learn the rules of life, you're too old to play the game.
Some Mistakes
Thinking outside the box
August 6, 2009
Mouse
August 5, 2009
Computer vs Man by Darren Cannell
My first book is a cartoon book.
Darren's view of the world of computers will bring a smile to the faces of geeks all over the world.
Computer vs Man by Darren Cannell (Book) in Computers & Internet
Pigs do fly by Darren Cannell
My second book on Quotes.
While surfing the web, I come across quotes that after reading I say: Exactly, that is what I am talkin about, ya, for sure, I wish I would have said that, Holy how true is that! Read these I dare you, you will say the same.
Pigs do fly by Darren Cannell (Book) in Self-Improvement
Dog
Quote of the day
Dying is a very dull, deary affair. and my advice to you is have nothing whatever to do with it.
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
August 4, 2009
Skydiving
Quote of the day
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams...John Barrymore
August 3, 2009
Hitting the target
August 2, 2009
One life jacket
Quote of the day
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
August 1, 2009
Sand art
Animator vs Animation
Love the way this played out. Very creative
SMART Board Resources
Welcome to a Website containing SMART Board Resources for all educators.
SMART Board Resources / FrontPage
Feet on the Ground
Quote of the day
Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him
Wayne Dyer
