Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education.

Eileen Award:

Scoopit:

Twitter:

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Google+: Patti Gray

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Jokes You Can Use:

Advisory:

Cost of a penny

http://what-if.xkcd.com/22/

Middle School Science Minute

by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or [email protected])

Public Laboratory (not lavatory :)

Troy Patterson, of the "Middle School Matters" podcast mentioned Raspberry Pi recently, and it got me to wondering if most people knew what it is. Raspberry Pi is is a credit-card sized computer which can help kids do spreadsheets, play games, watch HD videos and learn programming, all for about $25.

It got me to thinking of other "Do It Yourself" gadgets that middle school students might also enjoy. This then took me to the Public Laboratory:

http://publiclaboratory.org

a community where you can learn how to investigate environmental concerns using inexpensive "Do It Yourself" techniques.

From the Twitterverse:

#mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Resources:

Transcribe

http://transcribe.wreally.com/

Why Everything Sucks

*Note - some Not Safe For Work Language (NSFW) is present.

http://twentytwowords.com/2012/11/25/craig-fergusons-rant-against-the-deification-of-youth-and-stupidity/

Questioning Autism?

Questioning Autism? is an iOS app designed to help concerned parents understand the signs and symptoms of autism, and to convey their observations to their pediatrician. The app features 12 simple questions, and the ability to share the observations with notes via email. Parents and caregivers can track a child’s progress over time, and save their observations for multiple children. Also included are helpful resources and the ability to share the app socially.

http://asddad.com/2012/11/20/questioning-autism-app-is-available/

15 Cheesy Christmas Music Videos on YouTube

http://mashable.com/2012/11/24/cheesy-christmas-music-videos/

Historical Figure Greeting Cards

This morning I used the web version of the Trading Card Creator to create an Abraham Lincoln trading card. To create the card I found a public domain image of Lincoln, uploaded it to the template provided by RWT, and completed the fields that asked for information about Lincoln's life. When my card was completed I was able to download it to my computer. I could have also emailed it to myself or to a friend.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/11/create-trading-cards-for-historical-and_27.html

Web Spotlight:

Primary Sources

Docs Teach offers seven free tools that teachers can use to create interactive learning activities based on primary source documents and images. The seven tools are Finding a Sequence, Focusing on Details, Making Connections, Mapping History, Seeing the Big Picture, Weighing the Evidence, and Interpreting Data.

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/11/create-your-own-interactive-primary.html

I used to think...

In a beautifully candid and beautifully written piece for PLP Network's Voices from the Learning Revolution, Canadian teacher Shelly Wright examines how her thinking and her classroom practice have changed.

http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/teachmoore/11-2012/read-i-used-think-teacher-reflections

http://plpnetwork.com/2012/11/08/think/

The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Too many kids already hate school. Why do we want to make them do more of it?

http://practicaltheory.org/blog/2012/11/23/the-beatings-will-continue-until-morale-improves-2/

News:

Homework

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/23471.html?emailID=23471

AMLE Annual Conference Sessions:

Dr. John Medina: Brain Rules