Title: Your Master Teacher knows that next week will be even better ...

Jokes:

A Fisherman's Tale

Two guys are fishing in a boat under a bridge. One looks up and sees a funeral procession starting across the bridge. He stands up, takes off his cap, and bows his head. The procession crosses the bridge and the man puts on his cap, picks up his rod and reel, and continues fishing. The other guy says, "That was touching. I didn't know you had it in you." The first guy responds, "Well, I guess it was the thing to do - after all, I was married to her for 40 years."

Animal Talk

A mother is reading a book to her 3 year old daughter. Mother: "What does the cow say?" Child: "Moo!" Mother: "Great! What does the cat say?" Child: "Meow." Mother: "Oh, you're so smart! What does the frog say?" The wide-eyed little 3 year-old looks up at her mother and in her deepest voice replies, "Bud."

On Our Mind:

Code Organ:

http://www.codeorgan.com/

From our Listeners:

Thanks for all of your efforts to try to keep me up to speed. At my age (23) ... I need all the help I can get!

My middle school uses Dropbox to track student discipline and parent contacts by team using Excel. We have found this to be an excellent way to keep track.

Thanks!

Linda

Hi guys,

Here are a couple more middle school science items you might like to use. On a side note, I did a recent podcast on a one day science institute I went to and did a summation of each of the sessions I went to, similar to what you do with the NMSA sessions you attend. I like the idea of summarizing things we attend--good idea, thanks! It is the "Power of Technology" and can be heard at:

http://k12science.net

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From the Twitterverse:

* wfryer old school, new school is one of the best video clips I've seen yet from PBS digital_nation http://bit.ly/bsVI2z

(Old School, New School:Chatham High School students, like many nationwide, are increasingly surrounded by screens. Their teachers debate how to handle their split focus.)

* hshawjr RT @irasocol: You have PowerTalk for spoken PowerPoints, right? http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/

* irasocol All your school computers have Firefox with Click-Speak, right? http://clickspeak.clcworld.net/

* irasocol You do have a bunch of Flash Drives in your school loaded with Free AccessApps, right? http://is.gd/9jKdz

* Curriki Dear Middle School Science Teachers, Stop, Drop and Click! Fab resources to follow: http://ow.ly/1bduO

* NMSAnews RT @Scholastic and @gatesfoundation announce the largest-ever survey of America's public school teachers: http://bit.ly/9VOBh3

* WebGalPat What does a 3 yr old digital native want from her library?: http://bit.ly/clycvt

* principalspage Questions About Google? I've Got Answers. http://post.ly/Po35

* drmmtatom Big, Huge, Free US Presidents Timeline Poster http://tinyurl.com/ykv5z2w #fhuedu508

* eduinnovation "Creativity is not an escape from disciplined thinking. It is an escape with disciplined thinking." Jerry Hirschberg #creativity

* jonbecker All public employees should pay attention to this case. The 1st Amendment is tricky: http://is.gd/9i12p

Advisory:

You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School

http://www.walkthetalk.com/pages/inspirational-movies.htm

Webspotlight:

What Your Master Teacher Knows

Marge Scherer

"Teaching is the most difficult profession of them all," educator Lee Shulman recently told a group of teachers and psychologists. The only time a physician comes close to doing what a teacher does is when the doctor faces an emergency room of multiple patients with multiple conditions, all of whom need immediate attention.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/What_Your_Master_Teacher_Knows.aspx

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

Title: Q & the Mysterious!

Jokes:

Wedding Woes

At a friend's wedding, everything went smoothly until it was time for the flower girl and her young escort to come down the aisle. The boy stopped at every pew, growling at the guests. When asked afterward why he behaved so badly, he explained, "I was just trying to be a good ring bear."

Sacrifice

Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one has to drop off, otherwise they are all going to fall. They were not able to choose that person, but then the woman made a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because as a woman she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids, and for men in general, without ever getting anything in return. As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping their hands.

On Our Mind:

Retirement plans change for State of Michigan employees and teachers. (Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals)

New retirement rules for Michigan

* Retirement years cap at 30 years of earned time. Purchased years do not count.

o If you continue beyond 30 years, your employer will contribute 4% to a defined contribution account and the employee will contribute 3% and may contribute up to an additional 3% for a total of 10% cap.

* If this goes through there will be an incentive for districts to retain teachers with 30 or more years. Retirement contributions will go from 19% to about 10%.

Thanks to Dave Bydlowski for the feedback:

Check out his podcast here: http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Podcast.html

Here is some information from my February 11 -- 24 Michigan Science Matters eBlast:

MathCounts

From the Twitterverse:

Advisory:

Be Lucky (Richard Wiseman):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-its-an-easy-skill-to-learn.html

Webspotlight:

'Algebra-for-All' Push Found to Yield Poor Results

By Debra Viadero

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/02/10/21algebra_ep.h29.html?r=327944615

Blue Ribbon Middle School

Math comes to YouTube at Palmyra Area Middle School

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/02/math_comes_to_youtube_at_palmy.html

Q-Matrix

Get your kids to generate questions with a Q-Matrix.

http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/assessment/files/pages/strategies/Question_Matrix.pdf

Marble

http://edu.kde.org/marble/

FCC Expands Broadband Access at Schools

http://mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/FullArticle/CTECH/ntechnologyNews_uUSTRE61H6ZR20100219

Essentially, the bandwidth not being used by schools during school hours will be open to the community.

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Dr. Tatom provides great views on technology, middle school and more.

Shawn and Troy talk the twitterverse, Prezi, advisory ideas, webspotlights and more.

Advisory:

Project Implicit

Discover the bias within.

Stupid Inventions:

http://students.ou.edu/R/Basil.G.Rayan-1/

Webspotlight:

Word Clouds, Student Writing and Ownership

http://www.mguhlin.org/2010/02/word-clouds-student-writing-and.html

Doodle for Google

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/doodle-4-google-tell-us-what-you-would.html

Example: http://www.google.com/doodle4google/2009/images/us_doodle4google2009.gif

Competition

http://www.google.com/doodle4google/index.html

World Maths Day

This year features an exciting new format with multi-levels for all age groups. Teachers, parents and media are invited to participate for the first time. Can we beat last year’s world record of 2 million students from 204 countries correctly answering 452,681,681 questions?

http://www.worldmathsday.com/2010/Default.aspx?

Interview Of The Month: Marvin Marshall On Positive Classroom Management

from Larry Felazzo:

Marvin Marshall, author of the influential education book “Discipline Without Stress, Punishment or Rewards” and the newer book “Parenting Without Stress.”

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/02/02/interview-of-the-month-marvin-marshall-on-positive-classroom-management/

See also: Responsible Thinking Process by Ed Ford.

16 Ways to Use WallWisher

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_436f8kscmdc

Title: iPad, Do You?

Jokes:

Most problems can be

Ignored. The more difficult

Ones can be slept through.

I don't mind being

Teased, any more than you mind

A skin graft or two.

My brain: walnut-sized.

Yours: largest among primates.

Yet, who leaves for work?

Your mouth is moving;

Up and down, emitting noise.

I've lost interest.

There's no dignity

In being sick - which is why

I don't tell you where.

On Our Mind:

Dropbox:

1. Free

2. Backup no matter where you are

3. Constant access (Computer always has a copy, Access from anywhere with web connection)

4. Sync

5. No Flashdrives

6. Sharing

7. Cross Platform

Apple's iPad

Net Safety

http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/net-cetera.aspx

From the Twitterverse:

* shareski most schools have a few interested and able to post content. Classroom teachers struggle to find time to post

* ChristianLong @shareski Tell 'great stories' - period. Anything else is trendy (at best). Tell stories. Tell stories. And then tell stories.

* cookp prezi is offering some pretty sweet (and free) educator accounts. http://prezi.com/profile/signup/edu/

* shareski Multiple video for Skype users. http://bit.ly/58nzQr

* drmmtatom RT @FocusLeadership: "The boss depends on authority - the Leader depends on good will." Anonymous #fhuedu610

* drmmtatom RT @lclandfield: Six things we always say as teachers - new blog post up at http://bit.ly/a5qeXo

* bhsprincipal RT @tomwhitby: It has never been a question of Teaching in the 21st Cent. It is more about Accepting the 21st Cent. Attitudes. #educon

* Aaron_Eyler "Flipping" Curriculum and how it can revitalize our schools: http://bit.ly/8X5zDC #education #teacher #edchat

* skipz Why don’t more teachers integrate technology more effectively?- http://snipurl.com/u64ku

* bhsprincipal RT @ShellTerrell: Transform the instructors first? http://bit.ly/5zGoM3 via @mcleod

* jimconn Wow. RT @msprincipal62: "Our schools are not failing. They are obsolete--even the ones that score best on standardized tests." Tony Wagner

* gardenglen Interesting Blog read "Motivating the Unmotivated" http://bit.ly/99GCJS via @educationweek

Advisory:

Tongue Twister:

Mr. See owned a saw.

And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.

Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw

Before Soar saw See,

Which made Soar sore.

Had Soar seen See's saw

Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,

See's saw would not have sawed

Soar's seesaw.

So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.

But it was sad to see Soar so sore

Just because See's saw sawed

Soar's seesaw!

Webspotlight:

Multiple Intelligences Survey

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

Scribble Maps:

http://scribblemaps.com/#

Origins

http://www.originsonline.org/dd_classroom.php?resource_type=148

Seven Places to find Free e-books:

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/01/seven-places-to-find-free-ebooks.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

Dance Rules:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0126102dance1.html

Graph paper:

http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

Title: The Revolution in the Classroom

Jokes:

On Our Mind:

Head on over to iTunes. We're looking for some feedback.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=261383649

From the Twitterverse:

* willrich45 Reading: "Quality of Questions on Common Tests at Issue" http://j.mp/77l7Hi We'll get the assessments we can pay for. Sigh.

* tom_peters "Do one thing every day that scares you"-Eleanor Roosevelt. May be best business [and personal] advice ever.

* readtoday Excellent discussion on merit pay and Race to Nowhere http://bit.ly/5oIhdQ #edchat

* mcleod The bumpy road to student-centered instruction http://post.ly/Jt3J #education #learning #teaching

* novemberMonster If you haven't seen Khan Academy (http://bit.ly/tumDj) for #math make sure to check it out. Awesome. Video: http://bit.ly/4XHb2i #edchat

* jdthomas7 "2¢ Worth » Applying PLN — A Continuing Question for Me" ( http://bit.ly/5Zo3NH ) #edchat #edtech

* Russsauntry Why didn't anyone tell me about this genius? http://bit.ly/64SUsn google tips for teachers. Any more for Twitter? #edchat #edreform

* educatoral RT @msmithpds: make an online game more relevant for your students by using classtools.net #edchat

* UT_CoE 25 Ways to Motivate Teachers. http://bit.ly/8CPPkE #edchat #teachers #education (via @morsmal)

* NMSAnews NMSA is seeking 12-15 members with an interest in reviewing session proposals for its upcoming Annual Conference http://bit.ly/8K3Dof

* NMSAnews It’s not too late to submit to present at NMSA2010. Deadline for concurrent sessions: January 31, 2010 http://bit.ly/8mBslV

* web20classroom Free Technology for Teachers: Seven Places to Find Free eBooks http://bit.ly/64b6AM

* netbook_news VIDEO: Sharper Image LCD Projector only $149 http://tmogul.com/tweet/m_XbV

* chickensaltash All we need is Radio Saltash - Doing a radio show in your lessons: http://bit.ly/4CXIxC #edchat #teaching

Advisory:

MultiTask

Webspotlight:

Sweet Search

Dabble Board-

Cosketch-

Google Resources for Education

Revolution in the Classroom

Putting New Standards Into Practice a Tough Job

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

The Terrible 2's (There are 52 weeks in a year . . . well, you get it.)

Jokes:

Buddaist Monk walks into a restaurant. What can I get you?

Make me one with everything.

Thanks Steven

On Our Mind:

Thanks to you, we're a Top 20 podcast in K-12 education. Please help us by voting on iTunes.

From the Twitterverse:

Advisory:

Masters of Disaster:

http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/educatorsmodule/ed-cd-6-8-main-menu-1.html

Try this with your Advisory:

Webspotlight:

A National Yardstick for Gauging Math Progress

States Show Uneven Performance; Even Top Achievers Fall Short

By Christopher B. Swanson

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/01/14/17math.h29.html?tkn=R[MF4Qzo6orsW67cZxBzNGAHZdia9LvSag4Z

http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2010/17overview.h29.math.pdf

Debunking the Case for National Standards

By Alfie Kohn

I keep thinking it can’t get much worse, and then it does.

A decade ago, many of us thought we had hit bottom—until the floor gave way and we found ourselves in a basement we didn’t know existed. Now every state had to test every student every year in grades 3-8, judging them (and their schools) almost exclusively by test scores and hurting the schools that needed the most help. Ludicrously unrealistic proficiency targets suggested that the federal law responsible was intended to sabotage rather than improve public education.

* Let’s be clear about this latest initiative, which is being spearheaded by politicians, corporate CEOs, and companies that produce standardized tests. First, what they’re trying to sell us are national standards. They carefully point out that the effort isn’t driven by the federal government. But if all, or nearly all, states end up adopting identical mandates, that distinction doesn’t amount to much.

* Second, these standards will inevitably be accompanied by a national standardized test.

* Third, a relatively small group of experts—far from classrooms—will be designing standards, test questions, and curricula for the rest of us.

Advocates of national standards say they want all (American) students to attain excellence, no matter where they happen to live. The problem is that excellence is being confused with entirely different attributes, such as uniformity, rigor, specificity, and victory.

...common-core-standards Web site, don’t bother looking for words like “exploration,” “intrinsic motivation,” “developmentally appropriate,” or “democracy.” Instead, the very first sentence contains the phrase “success in the global economy,” followed immediately by “America’s competitive edge.”

Yes, we want excellent teaching and learning for all—although our emphasis should be less on achievement (read: test scores) than on students’ achievements. Offered a list of standards, we should scrutinize each one, but also ask who came up with them and for what purpose. Is there room for discussion and disagreement—and not just by experts—regarding what, and how, we’re teaching and how authentic our criteria are for judging success? Or is this a matter of “obey or else,” with tests to enforce compliance?

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/01/14/17kohn-comm.h29.html?tkn=WXUFzMageZQH55f62llSx04pEy9h1dTAV7g0

Epson has new "short throw" data projectors.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/11/04/epson-introduces-two-ultra-short-throw-projectors-designed-with-k-12-education-in-mind/

NMSA09:

Teaching in 4-D: Rick Wormeli Closing Keynote

Expertise

Creativity

Collaboration

Events & Happenings:

Podcast 103: #SkypeFail and Lesson Planning Made Easy

Jokes:

Shout out:

LindaB23

Answer to our Palindromic question from Doc Tatum: "Concerning last podcast - Feb. palindrome: Australia, they do day then month (01-02-2010) Keep up Gr8 work w/ podcast!! Monte"

I produce the Michigan Science Matters Network on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. If you like this information, I can try to send it on a regular basis. You can hear the podcast at:

k12science.net and you can view the hyperlinked eBlast at: msta-mich.org/smn

Keep up the good work,

Dave Bydlowski, Wayne RESA

National Lab Day

For more information, please visit:

http://nationallabday.org

On Our Mind:

Race to the Top $$

Through Race to the Top, we are asking States to advance reforms around four specific areas:

* Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;

* Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;

* Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and

* Turning around our lowest-achieving schools.

From the Twitterverse:

Webspotlight:

Lesson Writer: www.lessonwriter.com

Create comprehensive literacy lesson plans and student materials from any content in minutes.

There are some things that I would like teachers to know, so thanks for giving me the opportunity to bring them to your attention and feel free to include or leave out according to what you think your audience is interested in.

GirlTalk Radio:

Girls are talking. You should listen.

http://www.braincake.org/girltalk/

TRAILS:

TRAILS is a knowledge assessment with multiple-choice questions targeting a variety of information literacy skills based on sixth and ninth grade standards. This Web-based system was developed to provide an easily accessible and flexible tool for library media specialists and teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses in the information-seeking skills of their students.

http://www.trails-9.org/

Word Warriors:

Here's the Word Warriors' 2010 list of sadly underused or overlooked but eminently useful words that should be brought back to enrich our language:

http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/2010/

The opposite of this site: Lake Superior State University's Unicorn Hunters

NMSA09:

Got Student Leadership?

Session Description: Can you imagine a positive, contagious, and exciting cultural change in your school? This presentation introduces a vibrant/dynamic school wide student leadership program that develops life skills, enhances student voice, increases student spirit/ participation, and much more. In addition to participants walking away with fun, hands-on activities that teach life skills to their students, they will also leave inspired and motivated to initiate a culture changing leadership program in their school.

Events & Happenings:

Jokes:

Things Not To Do During Exams

For your classroom: http://www.mathteacherstore.com/middle/midlpost/5-8/155101main.htm

Letter:

Mr. TB: Thanks for letting us know we've been out of contact. We had an issue with the xml file which is now fixed.

From the Twitterverse:

* phsprincipal They may not listen to what you say but they always see what you do! http://post.ly/GTSK

* crafty184 RT @loonyhiker: just found out that "today's date 01-02-2010 is a palindrome"

* GameClassroom Schoolhouse Rock...great way to learn about Adjectives: http://bit.ly/5uwcql

* drmmtatom RT @NMHS_Principal: Pre-Algebra thru Calculus resources (tutorials, sample problems, quizzes) http://bit.ly/6MzuKF

* elemenous Friday 5: Best of 2009 http://www.lucygray.org/weblog/2010/01/friday-5-best-of-2009.html

*

bjnichols Project/problem-based learning..8 Innovative Schools Provide Ideas & Inspiration for 21st Century Education http://bit.ly/21vGS9 #edchat

* dianadell Large collection of iPhone/ iPod Touch Apps for (Special) Education http://ow.ly/P6QU

* drmmtatom RT @web20classroom: @TechnologyToday: 59 FREE Websites offering Interactive Educational Gaming Resources: http://bit.ly/7s3kQg

* bhsprincipal Why merit pay will not work - Read drive by @danielpink. What's Arne Duncan's Twitter name?

* Dumb Arguments for Stupid Ideas: http://gothamschools.org/2009/12/24/dumb-arguments-for-stupid-ideas/

Advisory:

Things that happen in one minute:

http://www.insurance-quotes-for-you.com/20_Things_That_Happen_In_One_Minute.html

Webspotlight:

Free Books:

This collection features free e-books, mostly classics, that you can read on your computer, smart phone, or Kindle. It includes great works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. To learn how to download these ebooks to your computer/mobile device, please visit our eBook Primer.

http://www.openculture.com/free_ebooks

LoudLit:

Literature for your eyes and ears.

http://www.loudlit.org/

Top Documentary Films- Free

An aggregation site for documentary films. They don't host them. Well organized and easy to use. You'll probably need to download the films.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/

Newspaper Headline

Create the banner and lead article for your own newspaper.

http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp

15 TED Talks for Teachers to Watch Before 2010 by Free Tech 4 Teachers (Richard Byrne)

OK so we're a little late- you can still watch them.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/12/10-ted-talks-for-teachers-to-watch.html

NMSA09:

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

* NMSA is looking for both an Executive Director and an Assistant Executive Director.

Other News:

* ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week. Join ISTE in their Second Life conference location for their weekly talks on education.

* The Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 18 & 19, 2010. Jack Berckemeyer will be keynoting.

o OMLA Registration Form

o OMLA Presentation Form

* The Michigan Association of Middle School Educators Annual Conference is coming up March 4-5, 2010 in Dexter, MI. MAMSE will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary!

o MAMSE Exhibitor Form

o MAMSE Registration Form

o MAMSE Presentation Form (Presenter Deadline Extended!)

* Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

o Classroom 2.0’s Ning Blog: Archived content is available.

* Second Life:

o Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.

o Video: Educational Uses of Second Life

* Google Teacher Academy for Administrators: "For more information, please check out: http://www.google.com/educators/gtaforadmins.html

OR

Apply before midnight, January 25th here: https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dE1lYmFfTU4zN1RQWDBpX20wb3BsWXc6MA "

On Our Mind:

Interim Executive Director Named: Dr. Pino

Get your tax deduction on school supplies. (IRS website)

Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott

From the Twitterverse:

* rmbyrne Free Technology for Teachers: Week in Review - My Trip to GTA http://ff.im/-cOg0Q

* AldridgeDuff "Brain gym" for students is pointless - no basis in science http://bit.ly/7TJ9dy

* B_A_Bookworm Change your hubs name in your Blackberry or IPhone to Santa Claus and email him pics of your children misbehaving. Works!RT @kidswap <-LOL!

* pcmike Windows Mobile on Life Support, Drops Behind iPhone (PC World) | PC Mike - Tech News and Reviews http://ow.ly/NxUw

* netbook_news Using Google Apps? 5 Ways to Avoid Getting Hacked http://ow.ly/NCC5

* principalspage Salvation Army Bell ringers. You'll Never Look at Them the Same. http://post.ly/FZ02

* Pags21 RT @judiehaynes: RT @NMHS_Principal: Differentiate your lessons w/the Differentiator http://bit.ly/qAkId

* jswiatek Star Wars Weather - enter your zip code and see the weather explained in Star Wars terms - http://www.tomscott.com/weather/starwars/

* markgammon I'm doing this now w/ someone | RT @Minervity: How to collaboratively write a blog post using Google Wave - http://bit.ly/5H6888

* smeech @mjmontagne ... came across Harvard professor from http://bit.ly/7ga2mk entry on "Great Teachers".

Advisory:

Advisory Coat of Arms:

russeltarr Latin motto generator: My younger students had great fun with this when designing Medieval Shields - http://tinyurl.com/m2jdfr

Webspotlight:

Interactives

"Interactives" provides educators and students with strategies, content, and activities that can enhance and improve students' skills in a variety of curricular areas.

http://www.learner.org/interactives/

Money Soap

It pays to get 'em to shower after PE ...

Letters

What's the best way to share documents like in DropBox? Is there a better program than DropBox?

DropBox Screencast

DropBox Wiki

Eight (or more) Tech Tools to Blend into your Classroom

Todd Williamson

Session Description: This session will focus on web-based tools that allow your students to collaborate, communicate, and create. Join us for a fast-paced (possibly lightening fast) look at eight (or more) tech tools that you can use to enhance your teaching and student learning. Oh, and they're free too!

Create multiple tabs on one web site. This means that the teacher need only send the students to one URL to see all of the sites. Great tool to solve the problem of students writing down multiple web sites.

No registration needed. Stickies on a wall. Useful as graphic organizer. Students can move the notes around.

Chatzy:

Edmodo

Animoto

XtraNormal:

Make Beliefs Comix

Wallwisher

Netvibes

ShareTabs:

http://www.sharetabs.com/?8techtools

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

* NMSA is looking for both an Executive Director and an Assistant Executive Director.

Other News:

* ISTE Eduverse Talks are the recorded sessions held on ISTE Island every week.

* The Ohio Middle Level Association will hold their annual conference February 18 & 19, 2010.

* The Michigan Association of Middle School Educators Annual Conference is coming up March 4-5, 2010 in Dexter, MI.

* Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

o Classroom 2.0’s Ning Blog: Archived content is available.

* Second Life:

o Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.

o Video: Educational Uses of Second Life

* Google Teacher Academy for Administrators:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dE1lYmFfTU4zN1RQWDBpX20wb3BsWXc6MA "