Middle School Matters

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 "

Shawn & Troy continue the NMSA09 wrap up.

On Our Mind:

NMSA Director Search!

From the Twitterverse:

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

* JohnMikulsk Furious about new privacy changes on Facebook. I have 2 requests from students now that they can easily search for me and see profile pic.

* scottmerrick Looks like the Tue. night ISTE Speaker Session will be SIGVE folks at table at the Skypark or the Campfires. Speedchatting here we come!

* chickensaltash Please show your support for the Edublogs Awards http://bit.ly/5X19J1 #edtech

* eduinnovation Enjoying Ommwriter on my Mac. The gang at @ommwriter have found a way to make technology used for writing soothing and inspiring. (It has to be better than Google Wave!)

* InstructorG 50 Inspirational Quotes for Teachers http://bit.ly/6c9nX3

* drmmtatom RT @MSMatters: RT @NMSAnews: NMSA Executive Director Resigns http://bit.ly/5MLr7D

* cfanch so, educators, what books should I add to my amazon wish list? -or- to my books to download to ipod? (no kindle yet...)

* simfin iPhone and iPod Touch Apps for Education http://ow.ly/LfoS (via @russeltarr ) (via @dianadell)

Advisory:

Conversation Starter:

Today's episode of CNN Student News has a short segment in which there is a discussion about the differences in the ways in which male and female students learn. The segment talks about the idea of all male or all female middle schools. This segment could be a good prompt for getting students to reflect and discuss the ways in which they learn.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/12/student-conversation-starter.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

Webspotlight:

Proprofs - Online Game Creation

Practicing new skills and learning new facts is often presented as less than exciting, but education does not have to be this way. Good teachers have always known that puzzle games are some of the best ways to get old and young alike well on their way towards mastering a subject area. ProProfs is dedicated to the mission of combining education and entertainment, providing free online puzzles, brain games, and other fun resources to get people actively involved in the learning process.

http://www.proprofs.com/

Free Audio Book: A Christmas Carol

(http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Literature/European-Classics/A-Christmas-Carol/29311)

Footnote:

Footnote helps you find and share historic documents. We are able to bring you many never-before-seen historic documents through our unique partnerships with The National Archives, the Library of Congress and other institutions.

http://www.footnote.com/

Reading Practice Can Strengthen Brain 'Highways'

by Jon Hamilton

Intensive reading programs can produce measurable changes in the structure of a child's brain, according to a study in the journal Neuron. The study found that several different programs improved the integrity of fibers that carry information from one part of the brain to another.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121253104

NMSA09:

Getting School Wise:

Carol Josel

www.Schoolwisebooks.com

http://www.schoolwisebooks.com/blog

mailto://carol.schoolwisebooks.com

"Helen Ladd: "One theory of action seems to be that holding teachers accountable for their student's scores . . ."

"The Pretty Good Student . . . " by Charles Osgood.

Time activity

Jokes:

Always wanted to be a procrastinator, but never got around to it.

~~~~~

My friend has kleptomania, but when it gets bad, he takes something for it.

~~~~~

Did you hear about the big fight that Madonna, Cher, Jewel, and Fabio had?

They're no longer on a first-name basis.

~~~~~

It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of living.

~~~~~

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.

~~~~~

I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

~~~~~

How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Neighbors-Ditto-Display-Looks-Like-a-Bright-Idea-78523157.html?yhp=1

From the Twitterverse:

* lthumann - Wow! I'm looking at Free Technology for Teachers: 30+ Alternatives to YouTube http://bit.ly/UfEkv --> Great list! #edchat

* Glengarden - RT @nharm: http://www.animatedexplanations.com/ Full of animated movies, interactive tutorials & instructional videos, all free

* KammieK - RT @LarisaBelliveau: In The Age Of Realtime, Twitter Is Walter Cronkite http://bit.ly/7vpvEm

* RT @web20classroom 10 Technologies to Use in A Laptop/Tablet Classroom | Digital Learning Environments http://bit.ly/5JnkCz

* tombarret - 10 Digital Writing Opportunities You Probably Know and 10 You Probably Don't http://bit.ly/7Ryqaj

* Orrin_Woodward - Every uncomfortable experience in life gives you the choice of growing bitter or better.

* web20classroom Collaborative drawing with Flockdraw http://j.mp/6tJpiI

* web20classroom RT @AldridgeDuff: Amen to that, Russ. RT @RussGoerend: I think students and teachers could live without grades. Parents on the other hand...

* jimknight99 #1 reason kids don't engage is they don't see the relevance of the learning--Bonnie Davis #NSDC

* AngelaMaiers 10 Unique Gifts You Can Make with Help from the Web http://ow.ly/Ic3P

* brasst @plivings I plan PD w/middle school teachers like I do for students - lots of mini-activities; movement time, etc. No one wants boring PD!

MAMSE: Contact your local MAMSE board member and volunteer to be a Regional Coordinator!

Webspotlight:

A Closer Look at "A Christmas Carol"

Primary Source: take a look at the editing that Dicken's did when writing "A Christmas Carol". (Warning- it's written in cursive, which may be a strange language to some middle schoolers).

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/30/nyregion/dickens-christmas-carol-pages.html

SimplyBox

A neat way to save and share web sites, and parts of web sites, graphically. This can also share bookmarks with Delicious- thus, when you dropped something in a box, it would also put a bookmark in Delicious for you.

Here's how they say that teachers can use SimplyBox:

I am a teacher, how do I create accounts for my students?

a) You, as the teacher, can create a second account with SimplyBox in the name of the entire class. Then you would need to give the kids the user name and password you created for the account. By the way, the account then is only accessible by people that have the user name and password for the account. The students then will be able to see the content of the boxes in the account and add comments - from any computer. Now, if they need to add content to the account, they would need the SimplyBox toolbar (the one with the "Box It" button) downloaded on whatever computer they are using.

b) You can simply use Public Boxes (you create them under the Sharing menu option). Each Public Box has a URL. So, students can access the URL and see the content of the box and their comments to the different items. And the creator of the Public Box can delete the box at any time. Since this is a Public Box, students will not be able to add content to the Public Box, only comments.

NMSA09:

Roadblock to Success: I AM STUPID!

Classroom Management

Todd Johnson

Assertive discipline tried and found not to work.

Podcast 98 NMSA09 Follow up 3 Get Your Wave ON!

From the Twitterverse:

* lthumann - Wow! I'm looking at Free Technology for Teachers: 30+ Alternatives to YouTube http://bit.ly/UfEkv --> Great list! #edchat

* KevG How To Quickly Fix A Phone or MP3 Player With Water Damage http://bit.ly/6sMfzi/

* unklar Empowering Principal Leadership Behaviors - http://shar.es/aic38 I shared this w/ my principal and I hope he's not mad.

* web20classroom RT @tomwhitby: Educator Guide for integrating Social Media http://bit.ly/5RuTwM <--Awesome stuff!

* Worldclass52 RT @dianadell: Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons class lessons http://ow.ly/Gs1c

* netbook_news NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on NVIDIA Tegra tablet prototype hands-on http://ow.ly/GqpJ

* kjarrett : Spent the last hour or so exploring @diannekrause's INCREDIBLE tech integration wiki http://ow.ly/EizF & trading emails w/her. So inspiring!

* DanielPink: Why yawning "brings you into a heightened state of cognitive awareness. " http://bit.ly/2V0zyZ

*

Advisory:

Pictures of our World. Have students take pictures of "their world". Have the students narrow down their choices to 1 picture. Discuss why the picture is important.

On Our Mind:

MAMSE: Contact your local MAMSE board member and volunteer to be a Regional Coordinator!

Charter Colleges: Marvin Olasky proposes charter colleges to further democratize education.

Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott

Webspotlight:

Students live in a Digital World. Are schools ready to join them?

http://www.nea.org/home/35939.htm

FastPencil: Turn your blog posts into a book. http://ow.ly/E8z3

What happened to Second Life? BBC questions current model of marketing in virtual environment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8367957.stm

ANKI:

Spaced Repetition

Anki is a spaced repetition system (SRS). It helps you remember things by intelligently scheduling flashcards, so that you can learn a lot of information with a minimum amount of effort. (Available for Mac/Linux/iPhone-iPod Touch/Windows)

http://ichi2.net/anki/index.html

NMSA09:

Strategies That Motivate Students

Notes: Ross Burkhardt on Writing for Real Reasons

Events & Happenings:

Calendar of Events:

NMSA News:

* NMSA Annual Conference: Baltimore 2010.

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.

* OMLA Registration Form

* 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!

* MAMSE Exhibitor Form

* MAMSE Registration Form

* MAMSE Presentation Form

* Theater Education Opportunity: Eastern Michigan University's Quirk-Sponberg Theater has announced their Fall 2009 Season.

"The Prince, the Wolf and the Firebird"

By Jackson Lacey

Directed by Pam Cardell

December 4, 5, 10, 11 at 7PM

December 5, 6, 12 at 3PM

School Matinees: December 9 and 10 at 10:00 am. Tickets $4.00 for students and every 15 students gets a chaparone in for free.

* Classroom 2.0’s Live Calendar.

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

* Second Life:

* No Events specified. Regular Tuesday meetings are scheduled. See the board on the ISTE Island for up to the minute details.

* Video: Educational Uses of Second Life

Jokes:

I'm a 7th grade life science teacher, so we often use microscopes. My room is a retro-fitted science classroom, so I don't have big lab benches for microscopes - instead I bring in my power cords from Christmas lights. The first time any class uses microscopes, we spend a good ten minutes of class going over the procedure for plugging in and turning on the microscopes. One particular fifth period I had just instructed the students to plug in the microscope and turn them on - and after sufficient wait time announced "At this point, everybody should be turned on." This is when I got some very strange looks from a group of boys in the corner, and all I could do was laugh.

Earlier this year, I was reviewing Celsius/Fahrenheit conversions. I was explaining to the kids that there was a messy mathematical formula we could use to do these conversions, but for our purposes I helped them out and gave them a side-by-side picture of the two thermometers that they could draw lines across to make the conversions. "This way you all can avoid the getting your hands dirt with all the math for now." To which one of my smartalic boys blurted out "But what if we want to do it the dirty way?" As the rest of the class burst into laughter, I chuckled inwardly and then explained that we'll have plenty of chances to get our hands dirty in science this year, but this won't be one of those times.

Kate K.

From the Twitterverse:

* Ransomtech "If a podcast can capture everything you do in class, you deserve to have nobody coming." http://bit.ly/3LGs2N

* SimpleK12: Don't miss this: Exclusive4 Admins/Tech Coords The importance of ur teachers using Virtual Field Trips in the classroom http://bit.ly/2KQIe3

* blairteach: RT@colonelb Do we need a new high school model? Will our K-12 culture even allow us? http://bit.ly/VJQCS

* zoe1971: RT @web20classroom: An Interesting Graphic from #edchat on Information Overload....http://is.gd/4YQzQ

* kate_k: Best example I've seen of using Facebook for course-management! The teacher even uses 'events' for due dates. http://bit.ly/gpDrh

* TWilliamson15: Just Posted:http://bit.ly/1suaS4 We're Talking...But Who's Listening? A rambling piece generated from numerous conversations today...

* web20classroom RT @kelleygarbero: RT @MATH_IS_IT: Great Algebra activities to reinforce learning, http://bit.ly/p2ETB

* kjarrett: Love this too - @mcleod's Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please? - Dangerously Irrelevant http://ow.ly/CrGQ

* russeltarr Mathematics in Movies: Nice list for Maths teachers building up a DVD collection!: http://tinyurl.com/mahrna

* web20classroom RT @stevejmoore: #ncte everyone follow my colleague @kristinlhoward ! She just joined Twitter and needs your connections!

* drmmtatom Education Week: Bill Would Replace Key Federal Literacy Programs: http://bit.ly/7r4EQI via @addthis

* AngelaMaiers What Does Learning Mean 2 U? New 30 sec. vid/post http://bit.ly/8WvVcG Would love to hear/see your response #WDLM2U

* web20classroom Yep...Santa Claus is following me...I hope I get coal this year...with the price of fuel going up and up and everything....

NMSA09:

Taking the Challenge Out of Challenging Students – Unlocking the Mystery of Hard-to-Manage Kids

Diana Day

Dr. Debbie Silver: Helping Teachers Find the “Beat of Their Different Marchers”

Website: www.debbiesilver.com password: iamateacher

Shawn & Troy discuss advisory ideas, share some shout outs, spotlight a few web sites, and look forward to the NMSA09 conference.

From the Twitterverse:

* canyonsdave So true. @Edu4U: RT @baded: If you think you don't like change, wait and see how you like irrelevance. #otf09

* web20classroom RT @joycevalenza: Classroom 2.0 today: New diigo features w/MaggieTsai 12:00pm Eastern In Elluminate at http://tinyurl.com/cr20live

* web20classroom RT @stevejmoore: Google Wave Wiki for Educators http://j.mp/2goA7h

* schoolwise "...Every dollar spent on a teacher=more valuable that a dollar spent on a variety of other ed reforms." ~ Z. Vanderhoek

* Lilylauren So I just rulked (run/walked) this http://www.gmap-pedometer.c... and I am going to brag cos I can - stab me if you don't like it

* gardenglen Great resources 4 teaching about soil: http://url.ie/2qxt

* gardenglen RT @jenwagner: http://twitpic.com/nlway - @gardenglen I bet we see this used a lot at upcoming conferences. (grins)

* schoolwise Info 101 - School Bus Safety and Stopping Laws: http://EzineArticles.com/?i...

* math2go Robert Marzano & interactive whiteboards: http://bit.ly/14CFgC

* funnelbrain Happy to annouce that we have just launched the Academic Decathlon Online Srimmage with our partners from the... http://bit.ly/Xzin6

*

Advisory:

One Letter off Movies: #oneletteroffmovies

* Urbane Cowboy

* A Streetcar Named Desirex

* Where the Mild Things Are

* Sat VI

* Boy Story

Longer Temper:

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/10/22/i-like-this-lesson-because-it-make-me-have-a-longer-temper-part-one/

On Our Mind:

Shout out to March Wells III: Still on dial up....2 hours to download our Podcast. The Dedicated Listener Award goes to . . .

Shout out to L.C.: Thanks for the idea- Snag jokes from Reader's Digest (so you know they're funny) and then put them into cartoon form.

Should the National Middle School Association change its name? This was brought up an annual conference or two ago . . .

Oscar the 3 legged wonder dog.

Webspotlight:

Comparison of cell sizes:

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/

Schoology

https://www.schoology.com/home.php

WatchKnow:

http://www.watchknow.org/

Stress, Control, and the Deprofessionalizing of Teaching:

By Thomas Newkirk

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/21/08newkirk.h29.html?tkn=SLXFVNI0pzgQlNmS03dWjNd3b5GbnRR0ra9D

What Ted Sizer Meant to Us

By Patrick J. McQuillan

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/29/10mcquillan.h29.html?tkn=PPLF+9RZuGGEuUfRwqevXDYZDDbIdJzHfqkX

From the Twitterverse:

* KD9SR Participating in DEN Virtual Conference (Discovery Educator Network) http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/virtcon09/ #DEN

* JohnMikulski Blog Post: Intro to Podcasting for Teachers http://trunc.it/2r1va

* willrich45 "For U.S. college students, Internet technologies have become so ubiquitous as to seem invisible." http://bit.ly/2pg53 What about educators?

* willrich45 EduCon 2.2 -- Call For Conversations and Registration" http://j.mp/9Y5Bh Don't Forget to submit proposals by Nov 1!!!

* MrsPendergest Ghosts and Legends http://tinyurl.com/yjmuyxf is an extension of http://tinyurl.com/ylocf87 with this http://tinyurl.com/ygwdtys (Local History)

* cfanch Key Curriculum Press is having a good sale on books for $7.50. We're stocking up! http://keypress.com/x24726.xml

* math2go Instructional coaching: http://instructionalcoach.org/articles.html

* rmbyrne Free Technology for Teachers: Week In Review - The Most Popular Items http://ff.im/-aoUeM

* cshirky --hope-this-works (hackintoshing my HP Mini...)

* paulallison Favorite thing that Ted Sizer used to say: "You should be able to have dinner with the people who set standards for your children."

* tonitones Apple: we can find engineers - but we can't find engineers who will work in a group #adecamp09

* tonitones is the mindset in your school built around a culture of creativity and a strive for innovation? #adecamp09

* http://twitter.com/search?q=%23ADEcamp09

* NMSANMSAnews Start your conference experience now. Join NMSA09 Conference Connections http://nmsa09.ning.com/

* schoolwise NCLB cheats gifted kids says http://tinyurl.com/yhw59l3. Agree? Me, too.

Advisory:

What's My Line? Cartoon Edition: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16000

Take the cartoon, erase the text and let students then create text to fit a scene. It doesn't have to relate

On Our Mind:

One of the biggest classroom management mistakes teachers make is that they take disrespectful behavior personally.

http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2009/07/31/how-to-handle-disrespectful-students/

Webspotlight:

Create easy flow charts (for Free):

http://www.slickplan.com/

Google Apps for Education Lesson Plans:

http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/lesson_plans.html#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=educators_newsletter&utm_medium=email

Museum Virtual Box:

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.

http://museumbox.e2bn.org/index.php

The CU On-line Handbook:

So while online is not a cure-all or “magic bullet”, it does have the potential to revolutionize how we think about, and deliver education.

https://www.cudenver.edu/Academics/CUOnline/FacultyResources/Handbook/Documents/2009/CU_Online_Handbook_2009.pdf#page=50

News:

Stress, Control, and the Deprofessionalizing of Teaching:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/21/08newkirk.h29.html?tkn=SLXFVNI0pzgQlNmS03dWjNd3b5GbnRR0ra9D

Twitter Lessons in 140 Characters or Less

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/21/08twitter_ep.h29.html?tkn=XTSF0PfbwZav1%2BekG07b5iRl6u4Y9q5vJbpA

Nearly half of Dallas 5th-graders not ready for middle school

As Dallas schools focus on getting all students ready for college, they face a daunting challenge uncovered by a new district tracking system: Almost half of fifth-graders are not even ready for middle school.

To be considered ready for middle school, fifth-graders had to pass the state TAKS exams in reading, math and science, and could not fail more than one core academic class, according to the district's formula.

"You don't just get on the college track in high school. You're really on the college track well before that," Dahlander said.

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