This link has been bookmarked by 423 people and liked by 2 people. It was first bookmarked on 06 Jul 2010, by someone privately.
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23 Apr 13
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ic şi cronologic destul de previzibil şi fidel tiparului de generaţie. Aşa ar fi trebui să denumesc articolul ăsta, de fapt, breaking-news-ul fiecărei generaţii.
Dacă atunci când eram într-a noua, eu vorbeam de balul bobocilor, iar colegii dintr-a unşpea de majorat, acum eu vorbesc doar care dintre colegi cu cine s-a căsătorit, iar iubitul meu -care-ai lui de cine-au divorţat. Adică, astea-s evenimentele majore ale vremii, surprinse din două puncte de vedere. Între generaţiile noastre e o diferenţă de 4 ani şi jumătate, 4 ani în care ai timp să semnezi acte, să dai şi să iei nume cu împrumut şi promisiuni pe viaţă. Ai timp să te juri în faţa veşniciei şi să-ţi faci cruci repetate, s
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iţi cum sunt ăştia de umblă cu capul pe umeri doar să nu le plouă-n stomac. Iar de mă retrogradează în regnul vegetal, măcar să fiu o buruiană isteaţă, cu ceva proprietăţi antioxidante şi multă clorofilă.
Azi-noapte n-am dormit deloc şi nu l-am lăsat nici pe domnul să doarmă, atâtea coate i-am tot dat: dă-te mai încolo, întoarce-te pe dreapta, suceşte-te pe stânga, trezeşte-te cu mine! Întotdeauna când eu nu pot să dorm, mi se pare că el sforăie. Şi de fluierat nu ştiu, că ar fi mult mai simplă rezolvarea.
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day, as you fend off a constant stream of emails, interruptions, and urgent requests? Is your adrenaline and anxiety regularly running high, while your sense of meaningful accomplishment is running low?
It’s time for a reality check about the way we’re working. Our current model is frantic, stressful, and just plain unproductive when it comes to the things that matter most. Beyond that, it just doesn’t serve our creativity.
To help us all recalibrate our workflow for sanity, sustainability, and meaningful productivity, we at 99U decided to create a smart, succinct book about how to manage your daily workflow that’s specifically tailored to creative minds.
Essential best practices for producing great work in a mixed-u
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I devote a standalone chapter to some of the main drivers that ignite our desire to buy, from sex, to nostalgia, to yes, our very human desire for freshness, and how marketers ruthlessly take advantage of our very human susceptibilities
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today's Scare-the-Pants-Off-You industry has its hooks in just about every product category.
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Think about it:
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Fear.
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The news media doesn't help matters any.
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cater to the every need, desire and fear of the new mother
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he last time we felt a little complacent, a little unguarded, was shortly after Labor Day 10 years ago when two hijacked planes flew into New York's Twin Towers
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fear that translates itself into a desire for freshness and simplicity, which then kickstarts our desire to return to purer, simpler times. At which point, the whole sequence starts all over again.
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what do they all have in common? F-E-A-R.
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Fear and stress, and our vigilance against them, have become our new normal--the problem being, in my experience, that fear and stress rob us of any and all perspective.
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it sometimes seems as though everyone and everything in the world has us in our crosshairs.
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In the U.S., what is popularly dubbed the "Mom Market"
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But with a lot of help from marketers, hasn't our fear-based culture caused us to lose connection to a bigger picture? Is this really the most frightening time ever to be alive?
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you can trace a lot of today's fear culture--and our attendant vigilance--back to the fear of being caught as unalert and unprepared as we were in early September ten years ago.
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Our enemies are abstract. They are everywhere and nowhere.
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is estimated to be a roughly $1.7 trillion industry
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it's worth relaxing your guard for a few moments, and thinking about.
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Why do we buy one thing over another, go someplace rather than another, or do one activity over another?
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Mr. Coleman"The Clark Forum at Dickinson College has a useful collection of K-12 syllabi, lesson plans, relevant documents and videos, including 9/11 award-winning lessons divided by grade level."
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- Coaching and encouraging others
- Connecting people together
- Teaching and delivering information
- Picking up new technologies swiftly
- Speaking fluently and engagingly
- Being photogenic
How about:
All of these could be an asset in almost any business. Let’s say you’re a website designer: being good with technology could enable you to help clients who have odd, obscure systems (and who want to stick with them). You don’t necessarily need to compete with the design-genius who only works on WordPress sites.
Sometimes, you’ll have known what you’re great at for years. I’ve known since I was about 13 that I could write well and write fast. (Unsurprisingly, I’m a writer…)
Other times, though, your strengths will surprise you. Something that you thought was a weakness will reveal itself in a new light.
When I was a kid, I got teased about my “posh” accent. For years, I hated my voice. I was afraid of doing audio, because I thought I’d alienate my audience. But then I went to America for a conference, and I found that to pretty much everyone outside the UK, I just sound endearingly British.
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It’s not cheating to play to your strengths.
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Your strengths are the things you’re good at and that you enjoy. They might be skills that came easily to you – or ones that you’ve developed over a whole lifetime.
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Making them a core part of your business
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The things that seem easy to you could be exactly what your clients would gladly pay you to do for them.
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Helping other people to know your strengths. You don’t have to go around bragging: you can demonstrate what you’re incredibly good at through the things you link to on Twitter or the ideas you blog about.
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carol lewis"As you view items in your reading list, they will be automatically marked as read as you scroll down (when in the "Expanded" view). If you'd prefer to disable this feature, you can turn it off inSettings.Dismiss
Jul 15, 2011 (4 days ago)
Ten Educational Gaming Sites… Formative Experiences For Elementary Core Learning
by mjgormans
Welcome to another informative post dedicated to learning in the 21st century. I dedicate this post to a wonderful group of teachers I have in an on-line graduate level class in the state of Indiana. I have been learning so much from them as together we have studied technology integration in the elementary school. I decided to search cyberspace for some free games created to promote the core curricula in the elementary grades. Since I created this list of sites that I believe allows students to progress through formative learning for that awesome group of teachers… I thought I would also share with another great group of educators… the readers of this blog. In fact, thanks for continuing to return and please also share this blog with others. If you haven’t subscribed please take a moment to do so. You can be guaranteed future posts by subscribing by either RSS or email. I also invite you to follow me on Twitter at mjgormans. I really do enjoy the networking with all of you! Now… about those games. Have a great week! – Mike
What could be better than free computer games for elementary students? Understanding that games allow kids to experience powerful formative assessment through interactive experiences is a great start. Teachers and researchers are just beginning to uncover the value that computer games and simulations can provide in the classroom. Computer games allow students to experience new challenges, learn from and understand failure and setbacks, analyze content and set goals, drive toward success, and invite new and rigorous learning experiences. It is for these very reasons that children spend hours with video games at home and it is also the reason that educators need to learn how to leverage games for optimal learning in the classroom. I hope you are ready to take a journey with me and examine ten sites I found that could just change your game plan in the classroom. Take a look!
1. ABCYa - How about learning by taking a trip, making some Tangrams, building a house, or trying a little vocabulary with the Slider Game? All educational computer activities on this site were created or approved by certified school teachers. They are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn. Grade level ( K-5) lessons incorporate areas such as math and language arts while introducing basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and early grade activities are equipped with sound to enhance understanding. There is even an app for the iPad!
2. PBS Lions- Just entering the site is fun as you hear about games, stories, video clips, and Lions To Go! It is designed to be navigated and enjoyed by young kids on their own. Have fun entering the Quiet Machine! First, the games focus on a variety of educational areas, as do the video clips, which are taken from the popular show Between The Lions. Next, the stories—featuring everything from new books to old folk tales to original and classic yarns. They do a wonderful job of introducing kids to a wide variety of storytelling methods and subject matter. Accompanying each story is a story-specific game to extend either the vocabulary or phonics found in the story itself.
3. Learning Planet - Another free site with a multitude of resources. If you wish to pay a little you will discover even more resources, and without the banner ads. The site is set up for students to play and learn, and for teachers to discover resources to use in their lessons. There are four categories for students including pre-school through kindergarten, first through third, fourth through fifth, and seventh and up. Want more details between free and pay? Be sure to check out the help page. There are also apps for the iPhone.
4. Cool math 4 kids – Wow, when entering this site you will soon understand that it may take a “moment” to explore. The site describes itself as an amusement park for math, especially designed for fun, fun, fun! There is even another site for pre-algebra and up… but I will keep it elementary for now! All of those imporatnt math standards are presented in an engaging manner. Best of all, it is all free as support comes from advertisers. Take a moment and click on over. I hope you have some time because before you know it… you will be engaged in a game!
5. Starfall - The people at Starfall state that their method of instruction motivates children in an atmosphere of imagination and enthusiasm, provides opportunities for child-directed instruction, and supports English language learners and struggling readers learning alongside their peers. The website and companion printed materials are clear and effective tools to help the teacher implement proven methods. The authors claim that the site contains scientific, research-based reading materials and the activities are modeled on the “Big Five” focus areas recommended by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Starfall.com injects their sixth… motivation! Spend some time and be sure to check out all of the areas!
6. Game Goo – You will soon find out that this game based site truly involves ”Learning That Sticks”. Once you get away from the urge of moving the mouse around the screen to see all the animations and hear all the sounds, you will begin to note the organization. The easy to use interface lets you know what is for beginners, intermediates, and advanced! I am sure you will find some fun at this site from the people at Houghton Mifflin Company!
7. Fun School Caboose – This site includes all the core subjects, plus it also includes sports and the fine arts! It provides games and activities for students in kindergarten through the sixth grade. Make sure you visit the teacher page for a complete listing of all this site has to offer. I promise that you will not walk away empty handed.
8. Pbskids - Another great site providing some awesome activities and games for those elementary kids. What young child doesn’t like puzzles, animals, and dinosaurs! Check out some of the super hero games featuring some of those amazing PBS characters. As I tried a few of the games I found them to include a impressive visual and audio reinforcement that young children will enjoy. Best of all kids will be rewarded with prizes and rewards. While visiting, take a look at some very engaging video on your journey!
9. Funbrain – Who says that these games have to be just for the little kids? This site includes fun engaging activities all the way up to, and including, eighth grade. I even had some fun… and I am a few years beyond that! Funbrain offers more than 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading, and literacy. As an added attraction, kids can read a variety of popular books and comics on the site, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Writes Again, and Brewster Rocket. Not always connected to the internet? This website even offers Funbrain To Go, where you can download these games and activities and learn from them where the internet sometimes is not!
Primary Games – As the site proclaims… “A fun place to learn”. Where do I begin? I could start with describing 15 different categories including subject areas, puzzles, downloads, virtual worlds, postcards, and even arcades. Perhaps that will get you to click the link and discover hundreds and hundreds of possibilities! Do you work with mobile devices? Then check out the mobile site for primary games! I know you will find an activity that will take your students beyond primary and into the 21st century of learning!
Well, there you have it… ten educational gaming sites that promote formative learning experiences in the elementary years. Now is the time to engage in some networking! If you know of a great gaming site that promotes learning, please share it either by comment or email (mjgormans@gamil.com). I would love to promote your ideas in a future blog. In fact, I am already working on a future post for older kids! Please continue to join me as I expound on other ways you can promote formative learning experiences and 21st century skills. But that’s not all… future posts will also contain resources on Digital Curriculum, evaluating web resources, Project Based Learning, STEM, Web 2.0, and so much more on 21st Century Learning. Please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email! Your subscription means a lot to me and I thank you in advance. You can also give this article a retweet if you scroll to the bottom! It’s a great way to spread the word and I appreciate your support. Remember to follow me on Twitter at mjgormans. Thanks, and until next time… find a way to get your classroom to join the game of learning in the 21st century. Have a great week! – Mike
Jul 9, 2011 3:24 PM
Free Lunch?… There are Free Math Snacks for the Computer and iPad… A Diet of 21st Century Education Skills!
by mjgormans
I thought it might be fun to check out some digital possibilities with math… and have I found a site to that you will want to sink your teeth in. It’s just plain delicious, entertaining, student oriented, fun, and will have kids smiling as they learn about number theory and applications. Before I give this delightful food for mathematical thought let me remind you to subscribe to this 21centuryedtech Blog. You can do it by RSS or email, and I promise you the best in 21 century skill educational material, Project Based Learning, STEM education, and technology integration! I sure hope you join me in this unique learning community and also remember to follow me on twitter at mjgormans. Now, enjoy an awesome snack filled with some great tasting Math! Have a great week! – Mike
When was the last time you had a great feast filled with numbers, equations, operations, and theory? Perhaps you are ready for some Math Snacks! This small but growing website has the recipe that will allow your students to byte into a healthy diet of mathematical understanding. Best of all, the games and videos can be integrated into a math science curriculum whether your dinner plate is a computer, iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Let me introduce you to a wonderful resource.
Math Snacks are short fun filled animations and mini-games that have been designed to present mathematics in a very different way. In fact, the developers hope these snacks don’t look like traditional math at all. The recipe is intended to develop Math Snacks that give students, especially those who don’t particularly like math, another way to look at math concepts. Best of all, Math Snacks principles have been designed to relate to the core mathematics concepts that students should know and be able to do in grades 6, 7 and 8. Of course the availability of Math Snacks on the Internet, iPhone and iPad, makes it possible for students to enjoy the games and animations during non-school time, as well as in class. Imagine students consuming a wonderful menu of Math Snacks on their way to and from school, at home, and in libraries or after-school centers. There is even colorful and motivational print materials for each animation that will assist learners in applying their conceptual understanding to additional math activities and problems. These impressive publications are rich in resources and include both teacher and student editions. There is even a game that motivates students to understand number theory through formative methods… something computer games are so good at doing! The list of math snacks, currently about six, promises to be around twenty by 2014.
In choosing math topics the researchers at Math Snacks look for gaps in mathematics understanding. Teams have compiled data on what students don’t currently understand and the concepts that teachers have a difficult time conveying to their students. Current topics include :
Atlantean Dodgeball - Set back in time at an ancient dodge ball tournament this video includes rulers, values, proper units, and proportional details. Students learn that various techniques are helpful in solving proportion, including tables, graphs, measurement, and equations. They understand that given an application problem, using the units can help to set up the correct proportion.. Last, when proportions are graphed on a coordinate plane, the graph is linear. There are great lessons and handouts that compliment and extend the activity.
Bad Date - This humorous animation visualizes the ratio of words spoken on a series of dates. Using an awesome hook to pull kids in, it addresses how proportions as multiplicative situations and proportional relationships can be related to a common rate in direct variations. There are great lessons and handouts that compliment and extend the activity.
Numbers Rights - Did you ever wonder if numbers had rights? Students are introduced to a passionate activist that clarifies equality on a number line while introducing number line properties. There are great lessons and handouts that compliment and extend the activity.
Over Ruled - One of my favorites involving a focus on proper units and proportional details. This animation demonstrates how various techniques are helpful in solving proportion, including tables, graphs, measurement, and equations. It explains how given an application problem, using the units can help to set up the correct proportion. Best of all, it demonstrates that when proportions are graphed on a coordinate plane, the graph is linear. There are great lessons and handouts that compliment and extend the activity.
Scale Ella – Involves a crusading superhero who clarifies scale factor to correct scaling problems that have been created by a villain. This animation helps students understand that objects which are scale representations of each other have the same shape, but not the same size. Also, it relates that size difference is related to the scale factor. It appears that resource material is still being developed and after viewing the video it should be interesting to see the emphasis of the related materials.
Pearl Diver – This is a number line math game. Students learn the number line while diving for pearls amidst shipwrecks and sunken ruins. It is highly recommended for grades 3-8 and of course fun loving seafarers. There is even a Sushi Round testing approximation skills! Students can catch the deadly eel and put it on their cutting board. Of course, it has to be divided in equal sections to get the most out of the catch.
So, if you and your students have the appetite to dive for a deeper understanding of math, your classroom could be ready for a math snack. Learn more about the awesome development team behind Math Snacks and visit the download page for all that is available. Make sure you check out those great accompanying resources found in the PDF files for students and teachers. I should also tell you there is a blog that will keep you up-to-date as the Math Snacks menu expands!
Thanks for joining me on another journey in 21st century education. Join me as I continue ” Going Digital”. But that’s not all… future posts will also contain resources on evaluating web resources, Project Based Learning, STEM, Web 2.0, and so much more on 21st Century Learning. Please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email! Your subscription means a lot to me and I thank you in advance. In fact, you can also give this article a retweet if you scroll to the bottom! It’s a great way to spread the word and I appreciate your support. Thanks, until next time… try a math snack… its rich in learning and contains no calories. Have a great week! – Mike
Jun 20, 2011 10:38 PM
Gapminder… An Amazing Website For All Curricula Promoting Inquiry And Divergent Thinking… A 21st Century Gem!
by mjgormans
Welcome to a special post devoted to a rich resource that can be applied across the curriculum including math, science, social studies, and language arts. Not only is this amazing resource an engaging website, it is a place where you can supplement lessons with information and problem solving, plus promote real student inquiry. I am excited to share with you some amazing lesson plans, outstanding videos, and interesting facts and figures. Before exploring this great resource please take a moment to subscribe to my blog by RSS or email. It means a lot to me to network with new readers. You can also follow me on twitter at mjgormans and find even more resources at my 21stcenturyedtech Wiki. Enjoy this new post and resource… and have a great week! – Mike
It has been a plan of mine to cover educational sites that not only provide convergent thought processes, but also promote divergent thinking. You see, students must be given the opportunity to inquire as they learn. It is important that students learn how to reflectively use answers to promote new questions. After visiting Gapminder I am sure you will agree that this website just may fill that important niche. Best of all, Gapminder can be used across the multiple curricula and grade levels. It also creates an awareness of the world and possible gaps between countries and people. First, a little history.
Gapminder is a non-profit venture, a modern “museum”, on the Internet. Its intent is to promote sustainable global development and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. It achieves this by:
Keeping a set of tools and up-to-date statistical content of the world in an interface that allows for time progression.
Producing videos, Flash presentations and PDF charts displaying major global development trends with animated statistics in colorfulpictures and graphics.
At first look, you will note that Gapminder is user friendly and has close to 500 data sets to explore and incorporate into your lessons. You may wish to start at Gapminder World. Here you will find a that graph shows how long people live and how much money they earn throughout the world. Click on the play button to see how countries have developed since 1800. Imagine the multitude of divergent lessons focused on inquiry that can be based upon this one graph. Be sure to note all of the possible ways to display the data. Next, explore a page dedicated to how 200 years changed the world. By viewing this animated graph and video your students will discover that 200 years ago all countries were poor and life expectancy was less than 40 years. Can your students answer the question, “Why has health only improved in a few countries since the 1800′s, yet today no country has a life expectancy of less than 40 years?” As you continue your exploration, discover how to provide relevance and inquiry. You will find this concept while exploring a page dedicated to the Rise of Asia and possibly even predict when India and China might catch up with the USA in income per person?
Especially useful is a section of the site dedicated to providing educators methods for using Gapminder in classrooms around the world. This informative education page features quality examples and resources. Some of the featured resources on this page include Gapminder’s Main Interactive Graph. Be sure to go to the Download guide (pdf) to get a great start. You can even use Gapminder World without the Internet. Install Gapminder Desktop on your computer. This can be especially useful for slow or no internet connection! The desktop application automatically updates against the online graph and you or your students can easily create your own favorite graphs and save them as bookmarks. Be sure to watch the video supplied on the desktop page to assist you as you begin. There is even more as you will discover below.
Teacher’s guide: Lesson on 200 years that changed the world
This teacher guide explains how you can use Gapminder World to lecture about global development from 1800 through today.
Life Expectancy PowerPoint
Life expectancy is a very important measure when we compare the health of different countries. Teach your students what it measures.
Global Quiz
Teacher’s guide: Quiz about Global Development
A teacher’s guide to a quiz about global development. The quiz uses Gapminder World. All you’ll need is the Internet, a computer and a projector.
Human Development Trends 2005
A thematic package of animations for your lecture. Click and choose which of the 9 sections you will use. (Available in many languages.)
Gapminder’s card game
This card sorting game challenges students’ perceptions about the contemporary world.
Take a moment and discover more classroom ideas from Digital Geography. The Geographical Association also provides some wonderful ideas for using Gapminder in the classroom. The NYC iSchool has some awesome resources to spark problem solving and inquiry. In fact, at NYC iSchool high school students discover whether statistics reveal or distort reality! These students learn world history from the Industrial Revolution to the present day by using the Trendalyzer software found in Gapmaker that converts international statistics into moving, interactive graphics. As part of the course students will analyze Trendalyzer data, devise a research question, conduct original research, then draft and present a statistics driven history paper. A small sample of questions that the students in this program will explore include:
1. Does the increase of economy effect the growth in population between Spain and Vietnam?
2. What happened in Kuwait in 1938 that caused such a jump in GDP?
3. How does the literate females to males ratio affect the economic growth in China?
4. How did oil production affect the GDP and life expectancy in the United Arab Emarates?
5. How did WW2 affect the economies of Germany, Russia, and Japan?
Be sure to take a look at the video located on the education page. It is an excellent example of students expanding convergent thinking as they explore in a divergent style. If this all isn’t enough, I am sure that you will be able to find and inspire students with some outstanding videos… including some from TED. Another must visit includes the Gapminder Labs. Here you can develop lessons with an emphasis on US History, China, and world agriculture. I hope you can see that while Gapminder may show some gaps between countries… it will leave no gap in allowing your students to inquire and develop their divergent thinking skills.
Please continue to join me as I expound on other ways you can promote divergent thinking and 21st century skills. But that’s not all… future posts will also contain resources on Digital Curriculum, evaluating web resources, Project Based Learning, STEM, Web 2.0, and so much more on 21st Century Learning. Please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email! Your subscription means a lot to me and I thank you in advance. In fact, you can also give this article a retweet if you scroll to the bottom! It’s a great way to spread the word and I appreciate your support. Remember to follow me on Twitter at mjgormans. Thanks, until next time… diverge your students’ thinking with inquiry using Gapmaker. Have a great week! – Mike
Jun 4, 2011 10:37 AM
Part 2: The Digital Curriculum… Textbook To Flexbook… Free, Open Source, Engaging!
by mjgormans
1 person liked this
Everyone is talking about a digital curriculum free of those hard copy textbooks that have been a part of schooling since the advent of the one room schoolhouse. This is the second post in a series devoted to investigating resources that can open up a world of digital curricula. In my first post, I started with ten thoughts for reflection as you go digital. In this post I introduce an organization dedicated to providing free digital textbooks. Before exploring further, please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email. Your subscriptions mean a lot to me! You can also follow me on twitter (mjgormans) and of course visit my 21centuryed Wiki. Now, enjoy a visit designed to help you put some flexibility in your textbook as you bring learning into the digital world.. Have a great week – Mike
With so many schools beginning the journey towards a 1 to 1 initiative, it really is time to investigate how a digital device in every child’s hand can transform learning… even down to what a student carries in a book bag! In fact, could it be that the book bag may just have to find a new name? After all, why carry around an encyclopedia of books when that same print can be stored in a digital manner? Additionally, why limit it to print? One group providing a free and open source alternative is the CK-12 Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. C-K12 is building an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the “FlexBook”, In fact, CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high quality educational content that can serve as both a core text and at the same time provide an adaptive environment for learning. The people at CK12 state that, “content generated by CK-12 and the CK-12 community will serve both as source material for a student’s learning and provide an adaptive environment that scaffolds the learner’s journey as he or she masters a standards-based body of knowledge, while allowing for passion-based learning.”
So… what is a FlexBook? They may be best described as customizable, standards-aligned, free digital textbooks for K-12 education. FlexBooks are customizable textbooks that teachers can use online,via flash drives, CD’s, or as printed books. Teachers can even share FlexBooks with other educators and they can also customize them to fit their students, locality, standards, and current events. They contain high-quality online materials that are aligned with national and state textbook standards. Since FlexBooks are online they are kept up to date much more easily than printed textbooks. Teachers can use the books as they are provided by C-K12, use only parts of them, or add their own materials along with other content from the web. By now I am sure you understand the word “flex” in Flexbook. This unique flexibility made possible by digital technology allows for adding or deleting of material (including graphics and videos), adjusting the difficulty of the language, and making any other changes students may need. Imagine teachers providing the valuable handouts, readings, videos, pictures, and sound bites they have always used and including these pieces in the textbook, or should I say Flexbook!. Best of all FlexBooks are free, so teachers can modify the FlexBook each time they find something that works better in their classrooms.
Currently, the Flexbook Library contains 50 books with many more soon to be added. Flexbooks at this time are almost exclusively focused on math and science for middle-school and high-school students. In fact, be sure to check out these Flexbooks in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. You can be certain this library will grow, as it is the goal of CK-12 to ultimately encompass all subjects for K-12, as teachers and authors create books and donate them to the FlexBooks Library.
By now you maybe wondering how to get started. First, take a moment and be sure to sign up and register. Next, you may wish to look at the step by step web page devoted to helping educators learn more. Have a question? Be sure to take time to read over the list of Frequently Asked Questions. There is also a wonderful three minute quick-start overview video, along with a page filled with helpful step by step tutorial videos. Topics of these basic tutorials include Book Assembly, Basic Chapter Editing, and Creating Chapters from Scratch. More advanced tutorials include Advanced Chapter Editing – Images, Advanced Chapter Editing – Multimedia, Advanced Chapter Editing – Links, Advanced Chapter Editing – Equations Editor, Advanced Chapter Editing – Paste from Word, and a video that allows you to learn how to Print and Share. Want to learn about a topic that isn’t covered on the website or in a video tutorial? Sign up for a free online webinar to have your specific questions answered. You will find more information about up-coming webinars at this link. It may also be interesting to see what states Flexbook has already aligned with specific state standards. For those interested in saving money, try this calculator that compares the cost of traditional textbooks with digital Flexbooks. Apple iPad users may discover more by reading about the ePub format and Flexbooks. These books are also available for download directly from Apple’s iBookstore. CK-12′s FlexBooks are also available as Amazon Kindle eBooks. Learn more at this page dedicated to Flexbook and the Kindle, or view all the books on Amazon.
Please explore my twelve points to consider when investigating the implementation of Flexbooks.
1. Provide sustainable in-service for teachers. This is a big shift and teachers must be provided with successful professional development to transform from hard copy to digital.
2. Allow time for teachers to collaborate, create, and plan their digital curriculum; you might be an adoption cycle away from full implementation.
3. Gather resources to facilitate the entire curriculum. Just as the regular textbook is only one resource, so is a Flexbook even though it may provide more opportunities to engage students. Additional resources beyond a Flexbook must still be available and accessible.
4. Provide proper technology and include necessary maintenance.. This also includes internet connectivity that is capable of supporting 1 to 1. Plan for possible and probable network disruptions.
5. Consider the wide diversity of students’ needs in their home environment and have plans to facilitate for this wide spectrum.
6. Spend more time discovering resources and less time writing standards… after all most standards are already provided by national and state agencies. Teachers need to have time! Notice the continued emphasis on time for teachers to develop and customize.
7. Consider the local community when seeking material for a Flexbook as this will allow relevance and meaning for students. It will also allow for community connections and field trip possibilities. Best of all, it will gather support of community stakeholders.
8. Remember that transformation from hard copy to digital must be done in small measurable steps. Start planning and preparing now and you could see big gains in several years. Encourage teacher collaboration and sharing while providing time to do so!
9. Keep in mind that the flexibility in a Flexbook means that content should go beyond text and allow for a wide array of learning styles. It also allows for topics to stay current and be updated as needed.
10. While there may be cost savings, keep in mind that these savings could be spent in ways to further support students and teachers. This may include additional engaging materials for students, and professional development for teachers. It will be money well spent, placing even the Flexbook at the periphery of the curriculum… and students more at the center.
11. Realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. There will, of course, be costs for infrastructure, professional development, and planning/implementation time.
12. A great amount of quality digital curriculum resources are currently available by publishing companies for a fee. These types of sources still must be investigated and should be purchased and implemented where applicable.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that a digital curriculum will provide access to a virtual and flexible textbook that will facilitate necessary understanding of content by all students. It will be available in a variety of formats to be read on tablet, iPod, Droid, laptop, desktop, or possibly a piece of real paper! As the virtual and flexible textbook matures it will become interactive, filled with engaging media, and will provide a nonlinear experience. It will allow for a curriculum that facilitates both convergent and divergent thinking. Most of all, it will be flexible as it meets the needs of all learning styles. So you can see, the textbook will remain a good friend as it transforms BIT by BIT. As it moves from the center, the new digital curriculum will put kids in the middle! As you continue your journey in the world of the 21st century you just may find that the Flexbook may be the start of a new and different way of looking at our old friend!
Join me in this continuing series devoted to ” Going Digital”. But that’s not all… future posts will also contain resources on evaluating web resources, Project Based Learning, STEM, Web 2.0, and so much more on 21st Century Learning. Please take a moment to subscribe by RSS or email! Your subscription means a lot to me and I thank you in advance. In fact, you can also give this article a retweet if you scroll to the bottom! It’s a great way to spread the word and I appreciate your support. Thanks, until next time… start thinking of ways you can go flex your digital curriculum. Have a great week! – Mike
May 23, 2011 7:55 PM
Part 4: Games in Education… Video Game Design to Teach STEM and Language Arts!
by mjgormans
2 people liked this
Welcome to another post devoted to learning in the 21st Century. As you may know I have several series posts I am writing at the current time. They include Digital Curriculum, Project Based Learning, and Website Evaluation. This post is a fourth in a series of posts dedicated to Games in Education. Please take a moment to subscribe to this Blog by RSS or Email! I enjoy seeing new subscribers that I can network with! Your subscription means a lot to me! Also, you can follow me on Twitter at mjgormans and explore my wiki of resources at 21centuryedtech.wikispaces.com. Now let’s get into the game… and have a great week! – Mike
In this post I would like to introduce you to a fantastic site that utilizes two of the games that I have covered earlier in this series. The site is, Level Up, and is hosted by Scholastic and sponsored by the AMD Foundation. Level Up features a series of standards-based lessons that provide students with the knowledge and tools to design their own video games. Best of all, it can be done right from the comfort of your classroom!
There are two versions of this easy-to-use program created for your classroom. Here’s how it works:
1) Use either Game Star Mechanic for for Beginners and Intermediate…. or use Activate for Intermediate to Advanced.
2) Teach the classroom-based lessons.
3) Reinforce students’ new STEM, language arts, and/or social studies knowledge by having them build an original game.
4) Encourage students in grades 7–12 to submit their video game designs to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for a chance to win scholarships and awards. Students submit work to one of 108 Regional Affiliates of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Guidelines for the 2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will be made available on this provided link in the Fall 2011.
Plan 1 – In Gamesstar Mechanic students will include the Core Subjects of Language Arts, Visual Arts, Science, Math The four below lessons and worksheets are perfect for classes interested in using basic game design techniques to reinforce core skills.
Lesson 1: A Mythical Tale - Students will use writing and research to learn about myths and storytelling.
Lesson 2: An Escher Encounter - Students will learn so much about art and design by designing their own games.
Lesson 3: Laws of the Jungle - Students learn about ecology by creating an environment for a game, complete with predators and prey.
Lesson 4: Recipe for Disaster - Students use ratios to construct rules for a game and find out how mistakes are like bad cooking!.
Plan 2 – Using Activate students will explore the Core Subjects of Science, Math, Computer Science, and Physical Education The four lessons and five worksheets listed below are perfect for knowledgeable students looking for real-world applications of their science and math skills.
Lesson 1: Systems Thinking: Creating a Digital World - Students will learn that the world is made up of systems.
Lesson 2: Action & Reaction: Writing Rules for Your World - Students will observe Newton’s Third Law of Motion in action.
Lesson 3: Problem Solving: How to Improve Your World - Students will learn how to solve problems
Lesson 4: Build a World: Putting It All Together - Students will combine their understanding of systems and meaningful decisions.
Want to learn more? Take a moment to watch these videos or visit these links.
Games for education Change – Why is game design a great classroom tool?
Inspire Students - Learn more about the value of using video games to inspire students
Teens! - Find out more about how to create and play your own video games.
Be a Game Changer! - Your students could win scholarships and awards by creating an original video game for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Institute of Play - Check out this research on gaming in education.
I hope you learned just a little more about gaming and education. In fact I am sure you will find the lessons and resources interesting! . Make sure you get ready for my Web Evaluation Series along with further exploration in Project Based Learning and Digital Curriculum ! Please take a moment to subscribe to this Blog by RSS or Email! Your subscriptions mean a lot to me! As always, you can follow me on Twitter at mjgormans and explore my wiki of resources at 21centuryedtech.wikispaces.com. Please share this post with other by using the retweet button below… and have a great week as you get into the game! – Mike
May 15, 2011 11:10 AM
Alan November’s BLC 11 : A Conference? … More Than A Conference… It’s A Society Of Learners!
by mjgormans
In this post I want to share with you one of the most amazing conferences I have ever attended, or have had the opportunity to present. I am sure you are aware of Alan November, an outstanding student centered education leader who advocates for effective educational transformation. Alan is probably best known for challenging educators’ thoughts about what’s possible in the world of teaching and learning Take a moment to read this post and I am sure you will want to make the trip to Boston, an awesome city, this summer! Have a great week! – Mike
Note – Join me for another ISTE Webinar entitled ”No Future Left Behind: 21st Century Classrooms Where Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants Converge, Learn, Transform, And Create”. This is a webinar you will want to keep for Professional Development at your school. Note that there is a cost for this webinar. Wednesday, May 18, 2011 1:00 Pacific/2:00 Mountain/3:00 Central/4:00 Eastern. Learn More.
The website for BLC11 states ”Get ready to have your brain tickled with ideas from around the world.” I guarantee that not only will your brain be tickled, but your enthusiasm will be ignited, your knowledge will be compounded, and your journey towards effective learning will be empowered. At BLC11 you will learn from and network with representatives from around the world including some of the most prestigious leaders in the field of education. The conference program features hands-on pre-conference workshops, keynotes and over 90 main session workshops, all in an intimate setting allowing for real discussion that will build your learning community.
BLC first started as a “jam session” of ideas among friends and education colleagues and now, in year twelve, it has grown into something truly special. My first venture to Boston for this conference was the summer of 2009. After completing studies towards administration, supervision, and technology at Johns Hopkins University, I had the opportunity to attend and even present at BLC09. Little did I realize what an eye opening experience this would be. It was after this conference that I first started this Blog. While still small in scale, reaching an estimated audience of about 1000 people a day, I still remember the day I decided to start this blog. It was a wonderful presentation at BLC09 that gave me the inspiration. I was also engaged by Benjamin Zander’s startling new perspective on leadership. His stories, music and concepts allowed me to explore opportunities I had never considered . Returning to BLC10 last summer was equally rewarding ! The keynotes, presenters, and attendees I met inspired me to promote with others the idea of becoming a member of a society of learners. When you have time, take a look at these two keynotes from last year: Dr. Mitch Resnick talking about Scratch in this video, and Dr. Michael Wesch in this video providing an interesting insight into youth culture. I especially enjoyed this must see short video promoting The Learning Society. It is definitely worth your time to give this a view!
This year’s BLC11 world class event, which will take place at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel from July 24-29, 2011, has another great line up in store. An amazing group of Keynotes include Dr. Eric Mazur, who is author or co-author of 229 scientific publications and 12 patents. He has also written on education and is the author of Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997), a book that explains how to teach large lecture classes interactively. In 2006, he helped produce the award-winning DVD Interactive Teaching. Another keynote, Geetha Narayanan, is Founder-Director of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology as well as Mallya Aditi International School in Bangalore, India. As a visiting faculty member at Westminster Institute of Education, UK, Geetha has taught in both the master’s and undergraduate teacher education programmes. She has also been a visiting faculty member and researcher with the Lifelong Kindergarten Research Project at the MIT Media Lab in Boston, MA. She has spent much time developing and implementing programs that blend design thinking, problem, project or place-based learning with new digital technologies as well as business models that sustain a creative community of students and faculty through the conceptualization, development and implementation of various forms of educational entrepreneurship. Also included, Rob Evans, a clinical and organizational psychologist and the Executive Director of The Human Relations Service in Wellesley, Massachusetts. A former high school and pre-school teacher, and a former child and family therapist, Rob has worked with schools and families for thirty years. He has consulted for more than 1,400 schools across the country, working with teachers, administrators, boards and parents. He is the author of many articles and three books, The Human Side of School Change, Family Matters: How Schools Can Cope with the Crisis in Childrearing, and Seven Secrets of The Savvy School Leader: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving. Not to be misssed is Stephen Wolfram a distinguished scientist, inventor, author and business leader. He is the creator of Mathematica, the author of A New Kind of Science, the creator of Wolfram|Alpha, and the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. Building on Mathematica, A New Kind of Science and the success of Wolfram Research, Wolfram in May 2009 launched Wolfram|Alpha—an ambitious, long-term project to make as much of the world’s knowledge as possible computable, and accessible to everyone. Take a look at his amazing TED Video and be prepared for even more at BLC11. You will also enjoy listening to Ewan McIntosh, a teacher, speaker and investor, regarded as one of Europe’s foremost experts in digital media for public services. Having founded NoTosh Limited in 2009, he now invests in tech startups and film on behalf of public and private investors, works with those companies to build their creative businesses and takes the lessons learned from the way these people work back into schools and universities across the world.
Make sure you check out the list of great pre-conference workshops from some of the best people in their fields. You may find yourself spending the day in the MIT labs, working with digital photography in Boston, working with Web 2.0 technologies, creating a digital story, discovering more about STEM, investigating PBL, or spending the day with Alan November exploring the idea of leadership and managing transitions. It is an awesome line up of workshops, so be sure to check out this link of outstanding opportunities. These workshops are all followed in the next three days by general sessions presented by some of the very finest. In fact, I hope to see you at one of my presentations involving PBL, STEM, and 21st Century Skills. Take a look at a list of all the presenters you will have the opportunity to network with. Best of all, there are opportunities that allow you to be part of the conversation, as you build your own learning community.
Take a moment to view the conference information provided. Here, you will find a wealth of information about BLC11 along with the registration form. If you do decide to register, and I hope you do, make sure you go to the discount code on the registration form and enter MGBLC11. It is my way of thanking you, my Blog readers, with a $25.00 discount. Boston is an awesome city to explore, the Boston Park Plaza is a majestic and inviting hotel, the Boston Common is right outside the door, and you will be surrounded by an amazing group of educators assisting and networking with you as you grow to become a true 21st Century Educator.
I have learned that even after over 30 years of teaching, I am looking forward to having still another opportunity to professionally grow this summer at BLC11. Take a moment to look over the conference information and perhaps I will have the opportunity to network and learn from you this summer in Boston. Please feel free to follow on twitter (@mjgormans), I will return the favor and we can learn from each other. You are also invited to subscribe by email or RSS to this Blog, and also feel free to visit my 21centuryedtech Wiki. In the meantime, take a moment and consider expanding your learning community in Boston this summer at BLC11. Have a wonderful week! – Mike
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15 Jul 11
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A Christian joke (that's not anti-religious!)
from Customers Suck! by El Pollo GuerreraSo, it's been a long week at work (see this thread for why), but today someone brought in this little joke that made me smile, so I thought I'd share.
Quote:
The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and make-up.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her vehicle with her hands up.
He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a holding cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
he said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off and swearing a blue streak. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper sticker and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk...
So naturally I assumed you had stolen that car!”
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กลุ่มเพื่อน" หรือ "Circle
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’an passé, c’est un iPad, premier du nom, que nous vous proposions de gagner.
Un an plus tard, c’est tout logiquement que nous vous proposons de gagner l’iPad 2. Si vous le gagnez, vous pourrez dès lors suivre Gizmodo ainsi que les autres blogs de NetMediaEurope depuis votre nouvelle tablette.
L’iPad 2, c’est 2 APN, l’un en façade, l’autre au dos, 512Mo de RAM, un SoC A5 avec des capacités graphiques 8 fois supérieures à celle de l’iPad grâce à son GPU PowerVR SGX543MP2. C’est aussi un profil affiné et un poids revu à la baisse, une autonomie revue à la hausse. -
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This and nothing else is the desperately sought and tragically fragile writer’s process: in his imagination, he sees made-up people doing things–sees clearly–and in the act of wondering what they will do next, he sees what they will do next, and all this he writes down in the best, most accurate words he can find, understanding even as he writes that he may have to find better words later, and that a change in the words may mean a sharpening or deepening of the vision, the fictive dream or vision becoming more and more lucid, until reality, by comparison, seems cold, tedious, and dead. –John Gardner, “Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Novelist?” 1983
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istant regions—usually the hot and tropical ones—and many of those areas are also home to some of the world’s poorest populations. To ensure people at the origin of global supply chains receive just treatment, adequate pay, and access to health, education and a good quality of life, the Fair Trade standard was created. Fair Trade regulations often have positive environmental consequences, but at the root protects people—facilitating farming practices and trade relationships that empower farmers and their communities.
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Any day now, the Governor of Georgia is expected to sign a harsh law similar to Arizona’s.
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- Mp3 store integration for purcha
ree big factors in my view that will all contribute to Amazon’s success:
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Aaron McRann$8500 - 92,000 miles 2001
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02 Apr 11
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"Music Tech Teacher is a site developed by a music technology teacher, Ms. Karen Garrett, in Birmingham, Alabama. On Music Tech Teacher you can find dozens of online music lessons, quizzes, and games designed to help elementary school students learn to read music, learn to play music, and learn about music technology. Take a look at the piano practice section of Music Tech Teacher to find some basic piano lessons that can be learned using just a keyboard or mouse. Or explore the quiz section about musicians to test your knowledge of people like Ellington, Joplin, or Gillespie.
Applications for Education
Music Tech Teacher could be an excellent resource for teachers looking to find some music activities that students can use independently at home or in the classroom. Don't have enough pianos or keyboards to go around? Use the online piano practice to introduce students to some of the basics before they take a turn at the real thing.
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A London entrepreneur is planning to convert a half-dozen unused subway stations into clubs, bars, and live music venues. Ajit Chambers' plans have apparently been blessed by London Mayor Boris Johnson, but other officials are skeptical. From The Independent:
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Some complain that the source of the problem is the lack of mid-tier investment banks. Others complain that the lack of analyst coverage is the issue. In both cases, it's a cause and effect problem. The cause is Sarbanes Oxley and the lack of volume.
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Executive Branch on this one simple thing that would unleash innovation and jobs - watering down Sarbanes Oxley.
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One thing I was struck by was that the start-ups I chose to profile in 2009 have absolutely exploded in popularity and value. Baidu was worth $12 billion at the time of the writing. It is now $41 billion. Constant Contact, LinkedIn, Twitter and Zynga were other companies I profiled. Each of them has grown in value from 2-10x since the time of the writing a short eighteen months ago. I don't know if it makes the lessons from these founders captured in the book that much more valuable. I think we sometimes need to spend more time studying the lessons learned from start-up failures and perhaps this is something I will devote more energy to in the months ahead.
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It is not an exit unless the stock is public and liquid and you can sell immediately and turn it into cash.
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When Ev Williams sold Blogger to Google, the Blogger shareholders got privately held Google stock which appreciated a lot when it eventually went public. When Summize sold its twitter search service to Twitter, the Summize shareholders got Twitter stock (and some cash) and that Twitter stock has appreciated significantly since. In these kinds of transcations the Blogger and Summize shareholders would not have made much of a return if they had taken cash. By taking stock, they turned their company sales into fantastic transactions.
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"it's not the IQ of the group, it's how well they communicate,"
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aking a note from the seller is not very attractive. A note has very little upside (compared to stock) and it is not immediate cash. With a note you are still taking risk that the purchaser could falter and not be able to pay the note. It is true that a note will not fluctuate with company performance like stock. If the purchaser remains in business and solvent, the note will be paid at face value with interest. We've received notes as consideration in a few situations over the years but it is very rare in the venture capital and startup business. As a matter of practice, I like to avoid them.
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I am now being told by investment bankers that if a company's revenue is less than $200 million and the projected market capitalization less than $1 billion, they are at risk of being relegated into the "public company ghetto" - a sad corner of the public markets where you have no analyst coverage, no float and so no liquidity.
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He has openly resolved to reject any other argument no matter what its merits if it doesn’t have the right conclusion. The acceptability of any argument is determined solely by whether it gives him the conclusion he already favors. Trying to argue him out of that conclusion is doomed to fail because the only legitimate function that reasoning can be put to, as he sees it, is in support of Jesus.
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He has openly resolved to reject any other argument no matter what its merits if it doesn’t have the right conclusion. The acceptability of any argument is determined solely by whether it gives him the conclusion he already favors. Trying to argue him out of that conclusion is doomed to fail because the only legitimate function that reasoning can be put to, as he sees it, is in support of Jesus.
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He has openly resolved to reject any other argument no matter what its merits if it doesn’t have the right conclusion. The acceptability of any argument is determined solely by whether it gives him the conclusion he already favors. Trying to argue him out of that conclusion is doomed to fail because the only legitimate function that reasoning can be put to, as he sees it, is in support of Jesus.
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He has openly resolved to reject any other argument no matter what its merits if it doesn’t have the right conclusion. The acceptability of any argument is determined solely by whether it gives him the conclusion he already favors. Trying to argue him out of that conclusion is doomed to fail because the only legitimate function that reasoning can be put to, as he sees it, is in support of Jesus.
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He has openly resolved to reject any other argument no matter what its merits if it doesn’t have the right conclusion. The acceptability of any argument is determined solely by whether it gives him the conclusion he already favors. Trying to argue him out of that conclusion is doomed to fail because the only legitimate function that reasoning can be put to, as he sees it, is in support of Jesus.
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the Jesus People would rather have their team lose with a Proud Christian at the helm than win with anybody else.
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Perry doesn't have any idea how old the earth is but figures that this child is smart enough to figure it out. What does that say about him? And of course, creationism has not been legally taught in Texas schools since 1984.
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it was not enough for Rand merely to glorify her own preferences, she also had to denigrate the preferences of those with different aesthetic tastes. Her entire aesthetics seems orientated toward disparagement. And for Rand, there was plenty to disparage.
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The Objectivist aesthetics is largely a rationalization of Rand's own aesthetic prejudices and hatreds.
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Despite all her high talk about reason and objectivity, her aesthetics remains rooted in her own blatantly subjective feelings.
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Somehow, I think this mindset also explains how George W. Bush got elected…
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we have to pitch the idea and someone has to buy in order for it to happen.
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Elaine JohnsonStudent reviews of this teachers 1st semester using project based learning. :) Very interesting Great feedback
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<tr style="height: 25.55pt;"><td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 25.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b><u>Type of Feedback</u></b></div></td><td style="border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 25.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b><u>Explain</u></b></div></td><td style="border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 25.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b><u>Positives</u></b></div></td><td style="border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 25.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b><u>Negatives</u></b></div></td><td style="border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 25.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b><u>My thoughts</u></b></div></td></tr><tr style="height: 202.9pt;"><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; height: 202.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b>Grades</b></div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">I think we all know what these are…</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">It gives kids an indication of where students are from a grading<br>standpoint. It gives a concrete placeholder on their learning based on<br>predetermined grading scale.</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Grades do not motivate students to do better or learn more. Grades<br>are not always clearly articulated and are often based in an antiquated<br>system of assessment. Grades are often an indication of behavior more so than<br>learning. When grades are given it is often the end of learning.</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202.9pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">I am<br>realistic to know that my students need grades to prove their learning to<br>parents, colleges, etc. Getting rid of grades may not be possible, but<br>looking at how, what, and when we grade would be a great first step. </div></td></tr><tr style="height: 118.55pt;"><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; height: 118.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b>Standardized Test Scores</b></div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 118.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">These are those lovely state and federally mandated tests we give.</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 118.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">I may get shot for saying this but they do provide some level of<br>accountability that subject matter is being taught. These tests do aim to<br>ensure that various curriculum areas are being addressed on a large systemic<br>scale. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 118.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">These tests are often used as be-all end-all indicators of student<br>learning which they are not. They are one piece of the pie and should be treated<br>as such. They cost millions of dollars and take away time that could be used<br>on learning. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 118.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">I know nobody likes these tests and I agree. However, if you get rid<br>of standardized testing completely, where is the accountability for teachers?<br>There should be away for our students to provide evidence of their learning<br>in an easier, cheaper, and more effective way. <span></span></div></td></tr><tr style="height: 202pt;"><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; height: 202pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b>Conversation</b></div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">This can be done in a formal meeting or informal conversation with<br>student about work, behavior, life, etc.</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">This is very personal and builds a great relationship with students.<br>It gives them more feedback than can often be captured in a grade or in<br>written feedback on an assignment. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">This is often very time consuming and can be subjective in nature. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 202pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">This really works well if you have a strong and trusting relationship<br>built on a mutual respect. Personally, I talk with each kid as often as I<br>can. These conversations are not always about work but you can learn a lot about<br>a student and where they are coming from in regular short conversations.</div></td></tr><tr style="height: 79.05pt;"><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; height: 79.05pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b>Written comments on student<br>work</b></div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 79.05pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">These are annotated notes that a teacher makes on a piece of work<br>that a student has turned in. The format of these can change depending on the<br>work turned in. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 79.05pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Written comments are much better than a simple letter grade or score.<br>If done properly can give good feedback on what a student is doing well and<br>where areas of growth are. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 79.05pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">This can be time consuming as well and can also be subjective.<br>Another negative is written feedback can be taken out of context or be misinterpreted.</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 79.05pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">I use written feedback and it can be a great tool. Key to it being<br>successful is making sure it is straight forward and honest without being judgmental.</div></td></tr><tr style="height: 7.1pt;"><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b>Parent Teacher Conferences</b></div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Those twice a year meetings with parents and teachers to discuss<br>work, grades, progress, etc. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Chance to sit with parents and discuss student’s progress and get<br>their feedback as well. Can give feedback directly to parents that may not<br>always being getting home through a student. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">These are often driven by grades and do not happen regularly enough<br>to have a lasting impact on student learning. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">While parent conferences are good, teachers should be in more regular<br>contact with parents to provide feedback than twice a year. </div></td></tr><tr style="height: 7.1pt;"><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 91.75pt;" width="122"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><b>Incentives</b></div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 128pt;" width="171"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">This type of feedback could be a sticker, award, candy, or other<br>external motivator</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 147.7pt;" width="197"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Some kids will work hard for a Jolly Rancher… This can be <span>a</span> <span>a</span> good initial motivator to<br>get things started but has little lasting effects.</div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 135.35pt;" width="180"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Some kids will work hard for a Jolly Rancher…and that is the only<br>reason they are working hard. It programs a kid to work for rewards instead<br>of for the learning. </div></td><td style="border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color black black -moz-use-text-color; height: 7.1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 125.75pt;" width="168"><br><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt;">I am not a fan of this because it causes kids to work for the sake of<br>a “prize” rather than for learning or growth. </div></td></tr>
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I've come to realize that standardized tests serve mostly to make dreadful forms of teaching appear successful.
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The Internet doesn’t steal our humanity, it reflects it. The Internet doesn’t get inside us, it shows what’s inside us. And social media isn’t cold, it’s just complex and hard to define.
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If our schools are designed to produce workers, how is this different from a feudal society?
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why are there no protests from the Tea Party or Fox News about these big-government policies in Lansing that suspend democracy? There is a word for this kind of anti-democratic collaboration between business and government, but we haven't used it much since the 1940s: fascism.
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Who can resist this argument? Only five states do not currently allow collective bargaining for educators. Those states and their SAT/ACT rankings are as follows:
South Carolina: 50
North Carolina: 49
Georgia: 48
Texas: 47
Virginia: 44 -
it is absolutely true that the moment and place of America's greatest social mobility - New York City from 1900 to 1960 - combined a vast public health system with a vast public housing system, strong minimum wage laws, free university tuitions (1847-1976), great libraries in every neighborhood, and a highly affordable 24-hour transit system which made expenses such as car ownership unnecessary.
It is these systems which, in European nations, have shifted societies toward equity, and made their educational systems much more effective at equalizing opportunity. -
Go back and watch a few of the demos from sciencefix.com. Notice how the phenomenon is explained to the viewer. There is no attempt to actively engage the audience in attempting to formulate their own explanations. There are no questions being asked. While some might say, “this is a video, not a classroom”, I know that many demos are carried out in much the same way in science classrooms. While the demonstration might pique students’ interest, too often this interest is used to simply explain to students what happened and why rather than having students attempt to create explanations.
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Conversely, William Deresiewicz, in The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (in The American Scholar), pokes at prestigious IHEs, suggesting that elite universities "teach students to believe that people who didn't go to an Ivy League or equivalent school weren't worth talking to, regardless of their class" and "inculcate a false sense of self-worth." His main argument: those attending select colleges are authority- pleasers, gathering credentials, measuring personal value through standardized rankings, winning competitions and admission into a perceived club of meritocracy--rather than pursuing genuine scholarship.
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I wish the union were more flexible and innovative? More responsive to novice teachers? Lighter on its feet, when it comes to policy analysis? Sometimes. But I remind myself that a union is only as reflective and imaginative as its membership. I am an integral part of union's work and mission--and if I don't speak up, I have only myself to blame.
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Just like business should not be mixed with pleasure, neither should assessment be mixed with accountability.
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The first question to be asked is, why do corporations, which do everything they can do to avoid paying taxes to support schools, get to make the decisions for our children?
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A bigger issue for me is that neither VoiceThread nor VoiceThread Universal works with the kind of "light" screen readers used by those with dyslexia. The readers in Firefox (FoxVox, Speaking Fox) and Opera cannot read the text. The text cannot be copied to Microsoft Word and used with WordTalk, or copied to Balabolka, or higher end Text-To-Speech systems like WYNN.
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We don't deliver, we offer. We don't manage, we take advantage of who our kids are.
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Rule #1: Use best judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.
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Some principals hope a mediocre teacher will get better, and grant tenure. Why? There is considerable evidence that high-needs schools recruit and hire haphazardly, making keeping a marginal but reliable teacher a better solution than using scarce resources to roll the dice again. And unions provide due process for egregiously bad teachers for the same reason defense attorneys represent the accused: because they paid their dues and are entitled to the assistance.
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Try this in your classrooms. Liberate students from the cognitive waste going to mechanical issues which have nothing to do with effective communication. Help them to become communicators and storytellers, and let your teaching focus on construction of effective writing, and what separates "writing" from "talking" in our culture.
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- February 21, 2011 -- Leading or Getting Out of the Way?
- December 28, 2010 -- Visual Leading
- November 7, 2010 -- The Easiest Thing To Do
- October 29, 2010 -- What I see
- October 24, 2010 -- How soon is now?
- September 13, 2010 -- Opening Doors
- February 23, 2011 -- Innovative Instruction
- February 16, 2011 -- Drawing Outside the Lines
- February 12, 2011 -- Progress
- February 10, 2011 -- The Ideal Classroom?
I think that we are doing a great job at creating this balance at school. Where are you at?
Add starLike Share Share with note -
they become, especially if you actively correct mistakes within the program, as the software learns to match your pronunciations with correct words.
Setting up Windows Speech Recognition
Getting best results from Dragon -
the last year was Will Richardson’s “No, Actually You’re Out of Balance“. Will
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P.S. It is an amusing thought to realize that the most powerful people in America are now philanthropists—those rich enough to give away a lot of money as long as they can control its uses. As the daughter of the leader one of NYC's biggest philanthropies, I can imagine my father's denunciation of their paternalistic practices of philanthropy. More on that later (since I found an amazing speech on just that subject that Joe Willen gave almost 50 years ago).
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My suggestion was that not only might students be comfortable - and in my mind students cannot be cognitively uncomfortable (and thus ready to learn) without being physically and psychologically comfortable - but that we might be teaching actual social skills as well.
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I was watching a video created at Educon 2.3 about how teachers model.
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I propose the reason for all the data is that there are people who love numbers more than people. Therefore, they focus on data and not students. They seek to make teaching a scientific process instead of a artful practice; likely because they lack people skills. They are afraid to truly interact with others. They have found a home in education, where kids are no longer the focus. How can that be?
Sad thing is, the majority of people are afraid of their math skills, so they believe that someone who can discuss numbers must be smarter, and therefore correct. Bad assumption.
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Because the Common Core is designed to preserve education as a self-contained hazing ritual for wealth and power maintenance.
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The first step is to measure whatever can be easily measured. This is ok as far as it goes. The second step is to disregard that which can't be easily measured or to give it an arbitrary quantitative value. This is artificial and misleading. The third step is to presume that what can't be measured easily really isn't important. This is blindness. The fourth step is to say that what can't be easily measured really doesn't exist. This is suicide.
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Rememver: Pens, pencils, typewriters, keyboards... these are all tools for getting words from your brain to "paper." These tools have no particular value in and of themselves, they are simply a means to an end. If there is a better tool for many of your students - and now there is - you are doing nothing but holding your students back by not using it.
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it is clear to me that the school public has had it with so-called accountability and teacher-bashing. But this same trend is also picking up steam. In part because my allies are largely invisible to the media and the supporters of the anti-union, anti-public schooling reform crowd is unbelievably visible in every form of media ever invented.
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Then I learned, thanks to a correspondent, not to be too upset by blog comments. He said that there are people paid to post negative or positive comments about products, people, and ideas. Apparently such people create hundreds of fake identities to simulate public opinion. Oh, well, just another good reason to inform yourself, reach your own judgment, and not be swayed by the crowd, which might consist of one person pretending to be dozens or hundreds.
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we are mis-measuring our economy and K-12 schooling to the peril of democracy.
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Solving this was once difficult and expensive. Now, however, it is free and easy. Every Windows computer running Windows 7 or Windows Vista comes equipped with a top performing Speech Recognition/Voice-To-Text system, free, included.
You may not have seen it yet. You need to look in your Programs menu, under "Accessories" and then "Ease of Access." Right click on "Speech Recognition" and pin that shortcut to your start menu, and send it your desktop. -
But the author does not see that the system has dramatically failed the "15-25% [of students] that were chronically disruptive," and that he wishes were removed from the school (or in KIPP philosophy, never admitted). Education for some.RSS Feed
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Demonstration is passive, modeling should be active. However, if you simply show kids something, or tell them something they are not likely to be actively thinking. Instead, show the kids something, then ask them a question about it.
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I'd love to persuade folks that this approach works. But what we should all be required to do in public education is institutionally defend our reasons for believing that "our" approach helps nourish future citizens of democracy, plus keeping long-term data that will support our conclusions or lead us to revise them. Instead of spending public dollars on trying to make us all alike, we should be spending it on developing diversity that serves critical common purposes. Instead, we've settled on finding a "consensus" (among elites) on standardized tests as the unifying force.
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I don't think the problem has much to do with the innate ability to initiate. I think it has to do with believing that it's possible and acceptable for you to do it. We've only had these doors open wide for a decade or so, and most people have been brainwashed into believing that their job is to copyedit the world, not to design it.
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ssential that if we continue to improve our schools, but working in pockets and isolating from one another, so we can do our “own thing” is not the way to do this. Teachers need freedom to be professionals, but our schools also need a collaborative vision where we are pulling from the collective wisdom of our organizations
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Mare Parker-OToole"Using Soundflower to play a video in a webinar
from Library Web Chic by Karen
Shared by you
So I gave a webinar on OCLC Web Services today. One thing I wanted to do was play a video which was made by Demian Katz that demonstrated how VuFind using WorldCat Identities and Terminology Services. The problem was how to get the audio to the participant.
Option 1 – Play it through my speakers had hope my USB headset picked it up
Option 2 – Find a program that let me send the audio from Quicktime to WebEx and/or Skype and also allowed me to pipe my voice through as well.
While Option 1 would work, it is klunky and yucky. So I decided for option 2. I knew that I’ve read about people recording Skype calls so that they had both their voice and the voice of the person they were talking to. Lots of people doing this used Soundflower or Audio Hijack Pro. So I assumed something like this might work for my purposes. Audio Hijack Pro cost money (there is a trial version) and it also provides recording capabilities, which I didn’t need. Soundflower on the other hand is open source and does exactly what I hoped. It allows you to take the audio output from one program, send it to Soundflower, then use Soundflower as the audio input for another program. Simply put, awesome.
The only downside is that I could make Soundflower the input for Skype, which would get the video is sound or I could make my headset the input. An annoyance but not a deal breaker. What I did was set Skype’s input to my headset while I was talking, then to Soundflower when I was playing the video, then back to the headset when the video was done. I don’t think that was noticeable to the participants. It was an inconvenience that required more work on my part but it was workable. Maybe if I had more time I would have found a way to avoid this but all in all this solution worked.
Anyone out there know how to overlay my headset input and Quicktime audio and push them back to Skype?
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Judi Window"Facebook has recently announced a lengthy list of significant design and feature changes for Pages.
One particular item is emerging with perhaps the greatest challenge and the highest potential for Page owners. There is a new way to present custom content on Facebook Pages. Tabs and FBML are going away. Get ready to friend iFrames. Here’s a basic rundown and some tips on how to make the switch." -
24 Feb 11
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November Rain
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22 Feb 11
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The Great Recession and its aftermath are entering a new phase in the United States, which could bring even more severe assaults on the living standards and basic rights of ordinary people than we have experienced thus far. This is because a wide swath of the country’s policy- and opinion-making elite have singled out public sector workers—including schoolteachers, healthcare workers, police officers and firefighters—as well as their unions and even their pensions as deadweight burdens sapping the economy’s vitality.
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"People always assume that if someone doesn't know something, it's because they haven't paid attention or haven't yet figured it out," Proctor says. "But ignorance also comes from people literally suppressing truth—or drowning it out—or trying to make it so confusing that people stop caring about what's true and what's not."
After years of celebrating the information revolution, we need to focus on the countervailing force: The disinformation revolution. The ur-example of what Proctor calls an agnotological campaign is the funding of bogus studies by cigarette companies trying to link lung cancer to baldness, viruses—anything but their product.
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Lenin's famous formula: ‘a revolutionary period is characterized by the inability of those at the top to rule and govern in the old way and the stubborn refusal of those below to be governed in the old way.’
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The greasy rebranding is in its final stages, ‘Star wharf’,, faux heritage, something left over for the sake of authenticity
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Why? Because the default mode of (your? mainstream culture's? students?) thinking is in terms of corporations, celebrities, and consumption
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And though I remain critical of those who would claim a Twitter or a Facebook revolution, I'm starting to think that the reciprocal amplification of network and street is making a difference. The network by itself can't do it. But it's helping--it's adding intensity and audience. Protestors all over know we are watching. We are seeing ourselves differently. We are seeing ourselves fight back. The transformation is most powerful for those in the squares and on the streets. But we who are watching, who are trying to share and extend and support even in our limited networky ways, we are changing, too. We are seeing another world becoming possible.
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how I've incorporated the ideology that tells me that the more I am working the better I am, even when this is obviously false. I'm not better--I'm exhausted, disconnected, distracted, and confused. Also, the amount of work I do doesn't influence my pay and I have tenure. So I work out a sense of commitment, professionalism, all those things that bourgeois ideology convinces us are important.
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Making money, pursuing pleasure? I'm with Aristotle in dismissing these as lives of grazing animals. Differently put, surviving (bare life) seems not to be a life we choose, plan, or aim toward but rather one given to us that we deal with as best we can. I am fortunate enough not to be in this position (yet it figures in my fantasy world of survival after the money's gone, that is, after peak oil and the collapse of society).
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I'm starting to think that my diagnosis of capture in affective networks is so right that no one even cares anymore or can even imagine that digital networks would function in any other way
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People graze all day on information tailored to their existing worldview.
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In many ways, Timberwolf was a perfect symbol of the insane faith-based mathematics and blackly corrupt marketing that defined the mortgage bubble. The deal was built on a satanic derivative structure called the CDO-squared. A normal CDO is a giant pool of loans that are chopped up and layered into different "tranches": the prime or AAA level, the BBB or "mezzanine" level, and finally the equity or "toxic waste" level.
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We must defend the humanities at all costs, but not be satisfied with a simple lyrical claim as to their importance - after all, the government knows very well how popular they are, they just don’t want to fund them, and they certainly don’t want them in the hands of working-class students.
But these subjects belong to everyone: shame (if no surprise) on those ‘liberals’ who do nothing to protect these courses, never speak out for them, never use their ‘celebrity’ to fight for their preservation but seek instead to make a profit on the government’s brutal attempt to remove them from all except an elite group of institutions.
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So, on the one hand, it seems that you assume that new media are primarily celebrity, corporate, consumer access devices. But I think there is another hand, that is, I think that you also assume that there is something vaguely democratic and free (liberatory) about networked media. If you think this, then it makes sense to worry about the effects/impact of the first hand (celebrity, corporate, consumer). But if you only think of new media in terms of the first hand, then you have to figure out what opportunities there are for critique, change, freedom, politics, etc.
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and look more closely at the Alliance of Youth Movements material with respect to the mid-east revolutions. This is a big deal, I think. It makes me think of the Cold War. This was never only and completely a bifurcation and stand-off. There were cultural and economic exchanges, opportunities the US used to try to reach Soviet intellectuals. And of course there was the US push to present its consumer culture as the standard of progress and successful living. Is not the push to format the revolt against extreme inequality as a mediated exercise in democrat but our own repetition of this imperialism?
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While I cannot elaborate further on this point, I would like to finish by pointing to the tendency of numerous researchers to focus only on structures, institutions and other mechanisms of power without taking into account the forms of resistance they provoke. Politics, understood as relations of force, is thus emptied of its content and Tunisian history appears condemned to eternal inertia.
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we will need it to protect our stolen caviar.
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‘The mistake lay in my belief that matter and form can and must develop separately from each other, and so I obtained not a real form, but something like a desk with drawers into which I then poured sand’ (Letter from Marx to his Father in Trier, 1837).
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18 Feb 11
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17 Feb 11
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16 Feb 11
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Aubrey CharlierThis blog post is a great way to help teachers make the correct accomodations in their classrooms based on the specific needs of the child.
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11 Feb 11
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08 Feb 11
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Tác động của tuyên bố này cũng làm đồng đô-la sụt giá so với các đồng tiền khác và giá vàng tăng vọt trong khi chỉ số chứng khoán tăng nhẹ.
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06 Feb 11
Hans Heiner BuhrRobert Scoble mentioned that Vic Gundotra (new head of Social at Google) mentioned to him that the release of Google's social strategy (whatever that is) would be in the "US Summer 2011".
Now what that means is anyone's guess but from what I have gathered over the past year - is that Google Circles (Google's Social Strategy Name - no idea if thats what its final name will be) is a massive project in Google and from another source in June/July 2010 ( Kevin Rose ) who talked with a senior Googler - is that the project when released will not look like anything ever done by Google before and will be huge - this reference I believe is related to the user interface. The UI in Google's products is utilitarian at best and very basic. This new service will be totally different from a look and feel perspective - so I guess that this will be launched in its own website for this reason.-
The second part of the retrospective presented a single work that comprises a series of paradoxical objects. Close to philosophical studies, these almost Socratic exercises of doubt are mostly empty, precarious objects: Finger (1978) is a black box with a hole in the centre under which reads ‘Finger, or the Designation of Oneself as an Object External in Relation to Oneself,’ as you can point at yourself with your forefinger passing the arm into the box. Nothing here is shown for the mere pleasure of showing and, as Monastyrski says, ‘it is precisely consciousness (and not the artistic object) [...] that is the site of artistic occasion.’ Monastyrski’s work thus escapes the trap of a fetish object. During the viewer’s interaction with another non-object, Cannon (1975), a change of perceptual paradigm occurs when – while peering into a hole and expecting a visual effect – we hear the sound of a doorbell. Monastyrski adds: ‘If you think that you understand something, there are all the reasons to doubt.’ To produce such non-objects in a country where, from the Soviet era on, being an artist still mostly means a non-professional and sub-rosa practice is, if not heroic, then at least honest.
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03 Feb 11
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02 Feb 11
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ryone is wondering what happiness is and whether it is worth chasing or can even be caught. Amy Chua suggests it comes from achievement, the achievement of yourself and your own children (although in a subsequent article, she seemed to revise some of her thoughts, suggesting that sometimes you have to accept that a child is different than you want them to be).
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31 Jan 11
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Shot-Counter Brings Video-Game Guns to Real Life Ah-ah. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Did he fire six shots, or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But, being as this is a .44
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27 Jan 11
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