Middle School Matters

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: iTunes: MSM Fan Twitter: Chuck Taft, Mary Yonker Vales, Craig Frehlich Diigo: Annette Duffy Advisory: Stupid Calculations Take a variety of obscure thoughts and put math to them... http://www.stupidcalculations.com/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-BEST 6-8 TRADE BOOKS PART 4 Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12. This list includes books published in 2012. This is the fourth in a series of 4 podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 - 8. The books included in this podcast are: 1. The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth, by Anita Silvey 2. The Polar Bear Scientists, by Peter Lourie 3. Wild Horse Scientists, by Kay Frydenborg From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: HTML Tables Copy your spreadsheet cells and, poof, an html table. This can be very helpful to quickly create HTML tables. http://tableizer.journalistopia.com/ Teachers Training Teachers Video Lots, and I do mean LOTS, of videos about teaching. Most are about technology and using technology as a teacher. http://teachertrainingvideos.com/ EduGalaxy Because of Winn Dixie Study Guide: http://edgalaxy.com/literacy/ Web Spotlight: Principal: Why our new educator evaluation system is unethical http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/20/principal-why-our-new-educator-evaluation-system-is-unethical/ Mindset Matters http://www.personalizelearning.com/2013/06/mindset-matters.html Stabbed With a Pencil http://bcurrie.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/stabbed-with-a-pencil/ Technology Safety As an educator in today’s modern world, your guidance is critical for students to navigate through the intricacies of new media and cybersafety successfully. To help you teach your students to safely and ethically use their digital devices in the classroom–and throughout their communities–iKeepSafe has created the following programs: http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/ Want to Improve Teaching? Listen to Students Half-Baked Ideas . . . Why do I want a Microsoft Surface RT? Pick up your Microsoft Surface RT at the Grand Hyatt Ballroom . . . for free. Why in the world would they give away a $499.00 tablet? Get yours here if you’re going to ISTE: https://wicexperience.itnint.com/RegOnline/RegLogin.aspx

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Advisory: What Career Is Right For Me? http://www.rasmussen.edu/resources/what-career-is-right-for-me/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) Middle School Science Minute-Best 6-8 Trade Books Part 3 http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/5/2_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Best_6-8_Trade_Books_Part_3.html Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12. This list includes books published in 2012. This is the third in a series of podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 - 8. The books included in this podcast are: 1. Super Nature Encyclopedia: The 100 Most Incredible Creatures on the Planet 2. Scholastic Discover More: Elements 3. Moonbird: A Year on the Wind With the Great Survivor B95 From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Free Vintage Posters Useful for graphics. Be aware that some images may be inappropriate. http://www.freevintageposters.com/ Dictionary of numbers Chrome extension that explains large numbers in terms of common things. http://www.dictionaryofnumbers.com/ Shakespeare Uncovered http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/shakespeare-uncovered/1/ Developing Communication Skills With YouTube & iPad Videos http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2013/05/16/developing-communication-skills-with-youtube-ipad-videos/ Web Spotlight: Grading Apple's digital textbook technology Shortly after his world history students began a pilot program testing a digital textbook for the iPad, Ken Halla noticed something different: His students were actually reading their textbooks. “To call it a book anymore,” Halla said, “is a false pretense.” A year later, Apple’s digital textbook effort still seems to be in the early stages. Where they’re used, the tablet and the digital textbooks find enthusiastic responses. But there’s a long way to go before students using iPads to read their iBooks becomes the rule, rather than the leading-edge exception, in American education. “Textbooks for middle school aren’t available,” said Marsha Messinger, language arts and social studies teacher at Robert Saligman Middle School of Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia. “They [the textbook publishers] are working their way from college down.” ….is ready to push iBooks and other digital textbooks when more schools are ready to buy. But the same educators who complain about the lack of available content also offer high praise for the iBooks that do exist. Teachers have never relied entirely on textbooks. Often they cobble together lessons out of worksheets and other reading materials that fade as copies are made from copies. College students have traditionally bought class “readers” filled with excerpts and articles. Now? If teachers find an article or a PDF that illustrates their point, they can plug it into iBooks Author and distribute custom-tailored, in-house digital supplements for their students. “They don’t really have a set textbook, so the little bits and pieces that they’ve found to teach from, that’s the way they pull it all together,” “For the faculty that has been using it, aggregation has been a key driver,” he said. “Rather than run off a four-page PDF, they take it and dress it up with some video and pictures.” Creative Strategies’ Bajarin said that textbook publishers—like newspaper publishers before them—have proven reluctant to give up the income associated with printed-paper products. http://www.macworld.com/article/2039650/grading-apples-digital-textbook-technology.html#tk.rss_all The Periodic Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zUDDiWtFtEM#!

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Advisory: What is a second? How long is a second? Who decided what a second is? How did people agree that a second is a second? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NXRVtfCpLr4# Hand Gestures Many times we tend to use our hands to explain our needs and thoughts. The same hand gesture may mean something quite nasty and offensive to a person from a different cultural background. Hand gestures are a very important part of the body language gestures. In this article we shall understand what are hand gestures. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hand-gestures-in-different-cultures.html The Etch-a-Sketch http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hq3Et9gOISI Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-BEST 6-8 TRADE BOOKS PART 2 Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12. This list includes books published in 2012. This is the second in a series of podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 - 8. The books included in this podcast are: 1. Book of Blood by HP Newquist 2. Invincible Microbe by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank 3. Sneed B. Collard III's Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards by Sneed B. Collard III Also wanted to share a couple of comments regarding the last show: 1. A great place for free textbooks is: ck12.org They produce free texts that can be used on computers, kindles, iPads, other tablets, etc. Their books geared to middle and high school. 2. Regarding funding of the Common Core. The House has talked about not funding anything for MDE regarding Common Core. But it is far from reality. The House must propose its budget, then the Senate, their budget, then a team of 6 comes together to finalize the budget, from the two plans. It does not have anything to do with districts funding the common core, only MDE. From the Twitterverse: Resources: Parenting Variety of short videos that are useful for parents. http://m.kidsinthehouse.com/ Web Spotlight: Response: Using -- Not Misusing -- Ability Groups In The Classroom By Larry Ferlazzo on May 12, 2013 11:55 PM Standards Based Grading Videos A Dress-Code Enforcer's Struggle for the Soul of the Middle-School Girl JESSICA LAHEYFEB 14 2013, 12:18 PM ET http://m.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/02/a-dress-code-enforcers-struggle-for-the-soul-of-the-middle-school-girl/273155/ Half-Baked Ideas . . . Conference Would you give up a day in summer to learn about Moodle (online learning)? Would you pay for it? What would you want to get out of it?

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Twitter: Sarah Cooper Happy Birthday Award: Ron King Advisory: 7 Bridges http://mashable.com/2013/05/03/google-maps-seven-bridges/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-BEST 6-8 TRADE BOOKS PART 1 Each year the National Science Teachers Association announces the outstanding science trade books from grades K-12. This list includes books published in 2012. This is the first in a series of podcasts that will look at the best books for grades 6 - 8. The books included in this podcast are: 1. Alien Deep: Revealing the Mysterious Living World at the Bottom of the Ocean by Bradley Hague. 2. Black Gold: The Story of Oil in our Lives by Albert Marrin and Alfred A. Knopf. 3. Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Generated Paper http://generatedpaper.com/en Web Spotlight: News: The First Race to the Top By WILLIAM J. REESE Published: April 20, 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/opinion/sunday/the-first-testing-race-to-the-top.html?ref=opinion&_r=2& You'll Be Shocked by How Many of the World's Top Students Are American http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/youll-be-shocked-by-how-many-of-the-worlds-top-students-are-american/275423/ In Utah’s digital shift, students turning the page on traditional textbooks A shift from traditional textbooks to e-books is gaining speed in Utah, as the state Office of Education coordinates efforts to develop digital texts in science, math and language arts. At least two state math texts are already available and the first of the science texts will be released this summer. But schools can use the savings from free open-source textbooks to buy digital devices for students to read them, said David Wiley, an associate professor in instructional psychology and technology at Brigham Young University who studies innovation as a Shuttleworth Fellow. Or, he added, schools can print out open-source textbooks at a lower cost than buying traditional texts from publishers. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56179223-78/digital-textbooks-students-open.html.csp Free Teacher PD Courses https://www.coursera.org/courses?cats=teacherpd

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Advisory: Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE MINUTE-SENSE OF PLACE http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/4/8_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Sense_of_Place.html From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Sound Gator Looking for sounds for a presentation? http://www.soundgator.com/ Online Timers Cursive Writing . . . There’s an App for That! "Cursive Writing HD” is an useful application for all ages who are taking their first step into learning cursive writing. Web Spotlight: The Oyez Project 8 Amazing On-line Courses for Students The recent surge in free online courses, led by top universities such as MIT, has opened up a whole new level of distance learning to students all around the globe. As well as entire degree and university courses that can be pursued online, it’s also possible to find fantastic shorter courses on specific topics that can be ideal for use in the classroom, or for students to follow in their own time, whether researching a specific project, or as part of a flipped classroom model. Here are 8 of the best free online courses for students... http://www.fractuslearning.com/2013/04/26/free-online-courses-for-students/ Monolingual VS Bilingual infographic http://visual.ly/monolingual-vs-bilingual?utm_source=visually_embed Testing Examples http://www.ccsstoolbox.com/parcc/PARCCPrototype_main.html http://www.parcconline.org/samples/mathematics/grade-7-mathematics Listener Response: What are your thoughts on homework assignments? Read the Twitter chat (Storify version) with Ken O'Connor, Rick Wormeli, Nancy Blair, and many others. http://storify.com/thomascmurray/sbgchat-on-quality-assignments-4-10-13?utm_source=t.co&awesm=sfy.co_q4Sh&utm_campaign&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter News: The Future is Uncertain. It's Time to Start Asking the Right Questions. Asking questions is essential to learning. That was an essential lesson from one of history's first great teachers, Socrates. Or, as the wise Rabbi Steven Greenberg puts it: "we train children at the Passover seder to ask why, because tyrants are undone and liberty is won with a good question." And yet, children are not asking questions nearly enough. In fact, data from the U.S. school systems tells us that the average high school student asks one question of substance per month in a classroom. http://bigthink.com/big-think-tv/the-future-is-uncertain-its-time-to-start-asking-the-right-questions iPad App/idea: Cursive Writing . . . There’s an App for That! "Cursive Writing HD” is an useful application for all ages who are taking their first step into learning cursive writing.

MSM 241: Common Core - Calculate, Visualize and Code. Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Twitter: Brian Brushwood, Joy Kirr, Amber Gress Advisory: Point of View From the Twitterverse: RT @barbarawmadden: #rechat You want to pick up on some cool metaphors...Watch ONE episode of Duck Dynasty. :) #rechat #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Mural.ly Visually organize documents. https://beta.mural.ly/ Calculators Use can use the site or install it on your blog/website. Available: Scientific Graphing Programming Equation Solver http://web2.0calc.com/ Web Spotlight: 11 kinds of people I've noticed and how to decide who you want to be Posted by Vicki Davis The poo-poo-ers The look-through-ers The get-round-to-ers The froo-froo-ers The pontificators The never-follow-through-ers The preener seeners The jump-in-to-ers The I-know-everything-because-I'm-rich-er The slackers The do-ers http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2013/04/11-kinds-of-people-ive-noticed-and-how.html WOW Math Need help with Algebra 1 & 2 or AP Calculus AB? This website can help you. Why the name WOWmath? Well, I have found that many students, parents, and teachers say "WOW!" when they see all the resources I offer on this website. So, I hope that this site will make you say "WOW" as it helps you in your math class. http://wowmath.org/ 10 Apps For More Organized Project-Based Learning There are a variety of ways to support students in project-based learning, including organized digital learning spaces that support creative thinking, collaboration, and ultimately project management. Below are 10 apps for more organized project-based learning. http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/10-apps-for-more-organized-project-based-learning/ News: Today, School is a Little Less Interesting There is a growing percentage of America’s teachers, who have never taught in classrooms without the intimidation of high-stakes testing. Every year, there are fewer teachers who have known the experience of confidently entering their classrooms with creativity, passion and the freedom to replace their textbooks with learning experiences that are unique, personal, powerful and authentic. We must kill high-stakes testing before we do not have anyone left, who remembers how to be a teacher-philosopher. http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=4123 Common Core: friend or foe? Common Core – a unifying force or another educational policy hoop to jump through? I, for one, will continue to champion the Common Core. Here’s why. As I work to implement the Common Core this year, I have had many opportunities to collaborate. I have worked with my peers, both in-building and across the country through virtual networks, such as the Center for Teaching Quality’s Collaboratory. I wonder, have we been underestimating our students’ abilities all along? But the standards have become a catalyst for discussions that need to happen in all corners of education. It doesn’t matter who created the Common Core; it matters who is implementing the standards in the classroom every day. That would be teachers like me. http://www.ednewscolorado.org/voices/voices-common-core-friend-or-foe iPad App/idea:

MSM 240: Evaluate 2000 Calories, Lessons, Makayama. Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Twitter: John Harrison, Seb Haire Advisory: What does 2000 Calories Look like? Here's what your daily allowance actually looks like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rgaqwFPU7cc Inspired by: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm How long does Trash last? http://visual.ly/trash-how-long-it-really-lasts Most Valued Possessions http://www.petapixel.com/2013/03/21/portraits-of-refugees-posing-with-their-most-valued-possessions/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) Water Stewardship http://greatlakesearthpartnership2012.wikispaces.com/Water+Stewardship+Curriculum http://www.therouge.org/ From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Lesson Plan Organization Looking for a place to enter and organize your lesson plans? This provides quick links to the Common Core. http://www.commoncurriculum.com/ Web Spotlight: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/creating-classrooms-we-need-8-ways-into-inquiry-learning/ News: Realistic Expectations for New Teacher Evaluation Systems http://www.danagoldstein.net/dana_goldstein/2013/04/realistic-expectations-for-new-teacher-evaluation-systems.html Common Core supporter: ‘I see the opportunity being squandered’ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/20/common-core-supporter-i-see-the-opportunity-being-squandered/ Essay-Grading Software Offers Professors a Break http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/science/new-test-for-computers-grading-essays-at-college-level.html?_r=1&

MSM 239: The Genius Hour & Self Defense . . . Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Twitter: Karen Webster Google+: Dawnette Brenner Advisory: WHAT IS POVERTY? http://www.thepovertyline.net/ Ice Cream Currency Calculator Who values ice cream the most? What about other items? http://visual.ly/ice-cream-currency-calculator Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) Progression of Ideas You can find more info at: http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Entries/2013/3/15_Middle_School_Science_Minute-Progression_of_Ideas.html From the Twitterverse: RT @middleweb: The developmental needs of tweens are unique @RickWormeli has 5 strategies for tween tchrs http://bit.ly/13rjHVO #mschat #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Genius Hour — Let Your Students Challenge Themselves http://www.angelamaiers.com/2013/03/genius-hour-let-your-students-challenge-themselves.html Web Spotlight: The Senate Social Network http://visual.ly/senate-social-network-diagram?view=true News: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/27/tech/web/internet-junior-high-school/index.html Teachers and school staff turn to self-defense training http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/24/teachers-self-defense-training/1987841/ Study: Middle School Algebra Push Yields Minimal Performance Gains http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/03/27/26mathside.h32.html?tkn=SXCCNl9EenxZ4V7fdKm8Cqcg%2FpMV5AP8%2B806&cmp=clp-sb-ascd Are We Creating a Generation of Observers? By Stephen R. Herr http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/03/27/26herr.h32.html?tkn=NXCF2%2FjcKyr2FM%2Fv9Y%2B%2BQbQJ%2Fo0VSM%2F5lf8n&cmp=clp-sb-ascd Common-Core Tests to Take Up to 10 Hours Districts will get 20 days to administer By Catherine Gewertz iPad App/idea: Stage Turn your iPad into a Document Camera https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stage-interactive-whiteboard/id584574701?mt=8 Stand: http://www.ipaddocumentcamera.com/ http://www.maxcases.com/shop/max-handstand-dx/ AppleTV Half-Baked Ideas . . . Are conferences better if they are free or paid?

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: A man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it’s state of the art. It’s perfect.” “Really,” answered the neighbor. “What kind is it?” “Twelve thirty” Steven Spielberg was busy discussing his new action adventure about famous classical composers. Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were in the room. "Who do you want to play?" Spielberg asked Bruce Willis. "I've always been a big fan of Chopin," said Bruce. "I'll play him." "And you, Sylvester?" asked Spielberg. "Mozart's the one for me!" said Sly. "And what about you?" Spielberg asked Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I'll be Bach," said Arnie. Eileen Award: Google+: Corivida Raven, eMail: Robert Jackson Diigo: Rob Belprez Advisory: Family Research The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned. The “Do You Know?” scale turned out to be the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/fashion/the-family-stories-that-bind-us-this-life.html Snooze Do your students use the snooze button? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=P6zcSFA7ymo Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) Meaningful Science I was recently reading the March, 2013 issue of Science Scope, a magazine for Middle School Science Teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association. Inez Liftig, Editor of Science Scope writes a column entitled "The Editor's Roundtable." In this month's column, she wrote on the topic of making science meaningful. Here are her four suggestions: 1. Get to know your students. 2. Use authentic tasks to build conceptual bridges between school and everyday life. 3. Design tasks at the right level. 4. Give students choices. From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Open Sankoré http://open-sankore.org/ Teach This http://www.teach-this.com/ http://www.opusmath.com/ Web Spotlight: http://thisisnthappiness.com/post/43964027331/james-baldwin-illuminated John Hattie - Educational Research Part 1 & 2 of edited highlights of a talk given by John Hattie who has led a team at Auckland University, New Zealand which compares the effect on learning of over 100 classroom interventions. This section looks at methods with negative, or very low effect sizes. Hattie points out that most educational debate is about things which do not really work well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sng4p3Vsu7Y&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pD1DFTNQf4 iPad: Makayama Movie Mount for iPad 2nd, 3rd, 4th Gen Movie Mount (See also Show 176) iPad Video Production With the Movie Mount, you get 10 new features for your iPad (beware that the additional equipment is not incuded): Attached a tripod for stable shots, pan & tilt camera movements. Standard screwfitting. Use 37 mm conversion lenses, such as wide angle and zoom*. Such as: US / EU Slide on-the-fly between the built-in lens and the conversion lens. Use shotgun microphones for better sound (requires splitter cable). Such as: US / EU Use an optical viewfinder to shoot in bright sunlight. Such as: US / EU Use a video light for better performance in low light. Such as: US / EU Easier iMovie editing, with a 9 degrees working angle. The mount allows your iPad to stand upright and be used as monitor. The free Movie Mount iPad app allows you to manually control video recording Fully compatible with Smart Cover. http://www.makayama.com/moviemount.html Half-Baked Ideas . . . Are conferences better if they are free or paid?

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Scoopit: Twitter: Robert McGarry, Ashley Blankenship, Michelle Corbat, Jonathan Swegels, Sally Baldridge, Andy Zimmer, Emil Ahangarzadeh Facebook: Karen Decker, C. Joan Seager, Linda Perukel Google+: Jason Neiffer iTunes: eMail: Diigo: Keith Schoch, Ron King Advisory: Brain Food Lateral Thinking Puzzles http://www.rinkworks.com/brainfood/p/latreal1.shtml Good Will Hunting http://twentytwowords.com/2013/03/04/the-math-on-the-chalkboard-in-good-will-hunting-was-relatively-simple/ Restaurant run by Owner with Down’s Syndrome http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y6He0FWoFj0 Oreo Separating Machine http://twentytwowords.com/2013/03/02/physicist-builds-ultra-important-machine-an-oreo-separating-robot/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) Fire Blanket I was recently reading the NSTA Ready Reference Guide for Safer Science, Volume 2, written by Ken Roy, director of environmental health and safety for Glastonbury Public Schools in Glastonbury, CT. Within the book are topics dealing with "Safer Science" and questions that teachers have sent him regarding "Safer Science." From the Twitterverse: Free World Digital Library for Teachers & Students http://flip.it/shSB2 #fhuedu642 #fhuedu320 ~ for @MSMatters followers #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Twitter Is Perfect for Socially Awkward People http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/02/twitter_is_perfect_for_socially_awkward_people.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-TW Use Celly to Setup a Free Text Messaging Group Chat http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2013/03/03/use-celly-to-setup-a-free-text-messaging-group-chat/ Web Spotlight: Students Share Characteristics Of Their Favorite Teachers http://edudemic.com/2013/02/characteristics-favorite-teachers/ Homework Why’s and Homework-Wise If we are relying on homework as the main way to teach responsibility, we are in trouble. http://chriswejr.com/2010/10/13/homework-whys-and-homework-wise/ Words Matter: What Values Do Your Words Convey? http://www.angelamaiers.com/2013/03/words-matter-what-values-do-your-words-convey.html Primary Source Analysis Guides for Students and Teachers http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/03/primary-source-analysis-guides-for.html Why we have our best ideas in the shower: The science of creativityPosted on Thursday, February 28th, 2013 http://blog.bufferapp.com/why-we-have-our-best-ideas-in-the-shower-the-science-of-creativity News: Amplify Tablet comes to the Education Market http://www.amplify.com/tablet/ iPad App: Too Noisy for iPhone, iPad, and iPod

MSM 236: A Quandary, 200 calories and Cross Cutting Concepts of Baby Food Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Eileen Award: Scoopit: Twitter: Facebook: Brigitte Darling Google+: Jim Peterson iTunes: eMail: Advisory: Quandary http://www.quandarygame.org/ Check out the Teacher’s page: http://www.quandarygame.org/teachers One Sentence Stories Have students create one sentence stories that describe them in the future. These can be video’d. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ndqdD6EXat4#! Dan Pink’s Version: http://www.danpink.com/2011/01/whats-your-sentence-the-video Baby’s first foods http://visual.ly/babys-first-foods-around-world 200 Calories What does 200 calories look like? http://imgur.com/a/w9nHF Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) Cross Cutting Concepts From the Twitterverse: Resources: Tapestry http://tapestry.is/ Historical Dictionary A glossary of historical terms http://www.historytoday.com/dictionary Public Domain Images These are images that are free to use for presentations. http://pixabay.com/ Web Spotlight: In Iowa, our Department of Education brags about elementary schools that cut recess http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/02/in-iowa-our-department-of-education-brags-about-elementary-schools-that-cut-recess.html A Liberal Decalogue: Bertrand Russell’s 10 Commandments of Teaching by Maria Popova http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/02/a-liberal-decalogue-bertrand-russell/ Several years ago, we decided to design a more comprehensive way of evaluating our students' success in our middle school. We acknowledged that grades are just one measure of how students can experience success in school. The SAP has changed our school. Our students are aware of where they are in their education experience, and have ownership in the process. Almost every student knows his or her grades, attendance, Acuity and STAR score as well as overall points. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators are crystal clear about whether a student is on track to pass or fail. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/02/guest-post-student-accountability.html The Independent Project The Independent Project is an alternative student driven school-within-a-school that was started at Monument Mountain Regional High School by a student. Eight students were accepted into the pilot program of the school, which ran for one semester and is now complete. The school, dubbed The Independent Project, is now in the stage of redesign and replication. http://www.theindependentproject.org/the-white-paper/ Mycestro™ A 3D mouse that fits on the index finger and allows you to control your computer with hand gestures and mouse functions. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mycestro/mycestrotm-the-next-generation-3d-mouse?ref=live Markup Our mission is to achieve a paperless classroom. With Markup, teachers can grade assignments on the iPad. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1834203895/markup-paperless-grading-for-teachers?ref=category News: Perfectly preparing a generation for its own history “The fallacy of competitive education is its obsession with remembered right answers. The fallacy of right answers is that today success depends less on right answers and more on finding good answers and using them to accomplish meaningful goals. What does the game of school do to children who are more inclined to find and invent good answers than memorize correct answers? …. As long as we race [to the top], scoring points by teaching the same answers for the same tests to every child, then we’re perfectly preparing a generation for its own history.” http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/02/perfectly-preparing-a-generation-for-its-own-history.html

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Why was the broom late for work? Did you hear that Oxygen and Magnesium are going out? Did you hear about the two antennas that got married? What is ET short for? Eileen Award: Scoopit: Twitter: Facebook: Google+: iTunes: eMail: Advisory: From rotary to Siri: How the phone numbering system came and went The recent death of John E Karlin of Bell Labs, the father of the push-button phone and other innovations, has sparked a lot of reminiscing about land line phones. According to the New York Times, Karlin was also "the most hated man in America" for killing the named exchanges (like Butterfield 8). However the story of how our phone numbers got to be the way they are is a much longer and more interesting one. In 1950 it got really interesting, with the introduction of area codes. The designers wanted to minimize the number of numbers people had to dial, so all the area codes were set up to have 1 or 0 as the second number. The switches were set up so that if first number dialed was a 0 then it went to operator. If the second digit was 1 or 0, then it was an area code. If the second number was another number, then it knew it was a local rather than long distance number. That's how it was going to distinguish between 7 and 10 digit numbers. http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/number-crisis-world-zone-1.html Bazooka shoots ping-pong balls at Mach speed The magic of physics can turn the mundane into something marvelous. Mark French, a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University, designed a supersonic air-powered ping-pong ball cannon that shoots the lightweight object at speeds so fast I would consider the device a lethal weapon of science. A ping-pong ball reportedly blasts out of the special cannon at speeds equivalent to Mach 1.23 -- nearly as fast as an F-16 fighter jet. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57569069-1/bazooka-shoots-ping-pong-balls-at-mach-speed/ Ocean Facts: In celebration of the upcoming premiere of DinoFish on Nat Geo Wild (Sunday, April 1, 10pm EST/PST), I’m excited to present the first of what we we hope will be a long series of comic strips by Dr. Byron Beekle. We will be presenting a whole series of these comics today and through the weekend, we hope you enjoy. http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/30/amazing-ocean-facts-premiere/ Telling the Truth http://gawker.com/5982653/something-tells-me-john-is-lying-about-not-eating-those-sprinkles MIT Media Lab http://learn.media.mit.edu/ The Shame of Smell... http://www.retronaut.com/2013/02/when-tears-of-shame-smell/ Blend into the environment http://bencebakonyi.com/index.php?/projects/transform/ Things that fit perfectly into other things http://thingsfittingperfectlyintothings.tumblr.com/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) INTERVIEWS TO EXPLORE STUDENT IDEAS By the way, I added a Twitterverse to my bi-monthly Michigan Science Matters Network eBlast. Check it out at: http://www.msta-mich.org/educator-support/84-science-matters/256-science-matters-e-blast-january-24-2013 From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: http://thisishangingrockcomics.tumblr.com/post/42546243887/actual-diary-entry-from-when-i-was-in-5th-grade-oh Copy Right Poster http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/teachers-copyright.jpg A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html A Cleaner Internet We make iPhone, iPod and iPad apps as well as browser extensions that declutter the video viewing experience. http://clea.nr/ Web Spotlight: Killing Lincoln http://killinglincolnconspiracy.com/ Dio Make your own space. https://www.dio.com/ News: Disease and sleep: Recent studies find new links

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAyLzAxLzZiL1FUZTVoZ2cuMTczNWYuanBn/b9ee4fce/fb8/QTe5hgg.jpg Which side of the chicken has more feathers? What do you call a man who shaves 20 times a day? Why should you never trust an atom? What do you call Santa’s little helpers? What did the hat say to the hat rack? Eileen Award: Scoopit: Twitter: Facebook: Karen Decker Google+: iTunes: eMail: Advisory: Money Tips for Parents & Teens http://dailyinfographic.com/money-101-for-parents-teens-infographic The Radio Show http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/29/radio-an-illustrated-guide-ira-glass-jessica-abel/ The $2 ebook is available here: https://store.thisamericanlife.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RADIO%3AANILLUSTRATEDGUIDE Water Changes Everything http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2012/12/31/water-changes-everything.html Magic Trick http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tlQiuCeezUA Politeness http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nhekhBKkDXw Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) I was recently reading the NSTA Ready Reference Guide for Safer Science, Volume 2, written by Ken Roy, director of environmental health and safety for Glastonbury Public Schools in Glastonbury, CT. Within the book are topics dealing with "Safer Science" and questions that teachers have sent him regarding "Safer Science." The focus of this podcast is on a question from a teacher regarding the teaching of science in a mathematics classroom. By the way, I added a Twitterverse to my bi-monthly Michigan Science Matters Network eBlast. Check it out at: http://www.msta-mich.org/educator-support/84-science-matters/256-science-matters-e-blast-january-24-2013 From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Reading Rockets Reading, and a love for reading, begins at home. The Reading Tip of the Day widget offers easy ways for parents to help kids become successful readers http://www.readingrockets.org/sharing/widgets/tipoftheday/ iCivics http://www.icivics.org/ Web Spotlight: The One Math Skill You Need to Succeed at Work http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3856-how-elementary-math-class-can-improve-today-s-worker.html? Where the iPhone 5 Kicks the Mars Rover’s Butt http://slashdot.org/topic/bi/mars-rover-curiosity-less-brainpower-than-apples-iphone-5/ Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 01/29/2013 Posted by Vicki Davis http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2013/01/teach-this-teaching-with-lesson-plans_29.html The Google Science Fair is an online science competition open to students ages 13-18 from around the globe. We're looking for ideas that will change the world. To get started, all you'll need is a Google account. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/google-wants-to-hear-from-teenage.html News: Data: No deus ex machina CA Gov. Jerry Brown: “I would prefer to trust our teachers” California Jerry Brown just gave his State of the State address. http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2013/01/24/ca-gov-jerry-brown-i-would-prefer-to-trust-our-teachers/ Why You Truly Never Leave High School Tony private schools aren’t paying their teachers based on test scores http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/01/tony-private-schools-arent-paying-their-teachers-based-on-test-scores.html

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: Why is 6 afraid of 7? What do you call a pencil without lead? What is Mozart’s favorite fruit? How do you make an octopus giggle 10 times? Why do gorilla’s have big nostrils? Eileen Award: Scoopit: Jim Farmer Facebook: C. Joan Seager Ordering a Pizza by Phone in 1974. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=94d_h_t2QAA#! Living to 100 The Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. Most people score in their late eighties... how about you? http://www.livingto100.com/ Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) I was recently reading the January, 2013 issue of "Science Scope," a magazine written for middle school science teachers, published by the National Science Teachers Association. I went on to read the Editor's Roundtable, written by Inez Liftig. The title of the editorial is, "You Can't Wing It." The purpose of the editorial is to emphasize the skills that are needed by teachers. By the way, I added a Twitterverse to my bi-monthly Michigan Science Matters Network eBlast. Check it out at: http://www.msta-mich.org/educator-support/84-science-matters/256-science-matters-e-blast-january-24-2013 From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Subzin Find quotes from movies quickly and easily. http://www.subzin.com/ Free Online OCR Convert pdf, jpgs and more to editable documents. http://www.onlineocr.net/default.aspx Mission US http://www.mission-us.org/ Google Cultural Institute http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/home Web Spotlight: Hollywood Hates Math A super cut of Math in movies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3uYBoWH3nFk Learn Something New Take a class online. Based out of London. The idea is to share knowledge from those who have been doing something. Billed as helping the next generation. http://www.theamazings.com/ Crisis-I Feel Like Switching Careers http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/01-2013/crisis-i-feel-switching-careers Take Control of a Noisy Class This could be useful for basic classroom management. There are 3 videos to watch. http://www.behaviourneeds.com/noisyclass/video-1/ Mindset Examples http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TTXrV0_3UjY Picasso, Kepler, and the Benefits of Being an Expert Generalist http://99u.com/articles/7269/Picasso-Kepler-and-the-Benefits-of-Being-an-Expert-Generalist News: http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=3783 Palaeolithic Park? Harvard professor seeks 'adventurous' woman to give birth to baby Neanderthal http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/palaeolithic-park-harvard-professor-seeks-adventurous-woman-to-give-birth-to-baby-neanderthal-8460273.html iPad App: European Exploration: The Age of Discovery Explore the new world as a European power in the 15th Century by funding and sending expeditions out into the unknown. Hire captains, build ships and outfit voyages to learn of the wonders of the new world. Expeditions can be dangerous however, so be careful or else Europe may never hear of your discoveries! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/european-exploration-age-discovery/id393625741?mt=8 HotKeys https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hotkeys/id374164481?mt=8 13+ Things Your Kid's Principal Won't Tell You Straight from the principal's office: Use these tips for a better school year.

Presented in collaboration with the Association for Middle Level Education. Jokes You Can Use: A spider just crawled under the keyboard, oh wait, it’s under “control”. What’s Michelle O’Bama’s favorite vegetable? What are the strongest days of the week? My friends and I put on performance about puns. It was basically a play on words. Why do the French only use one egg for an omelette? What did the shy pebble wish? BTW, you mentioned Chemistry Jokes during the podcast. Well you are right, I so share them "periodically." Here you go: Tell a Potassium Joke? K ( What did the element say to the police? I CU (Copper) Do you know any jokes about sodium? Na How much do I make? Iron enough Can Money Buy Happiness We often hear it, but how true is the phrase 'Money can't buy happiness'? Is there a correlation between the two, and if so, what can we learn from it? It turns out, if you think money and happiness are exclusive, you simply aren't spending it right. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JSIkdWxotKw#! 2012 Sports Illustrated Kids of the Year http://mashable.com/2013/01/15/brothers-cerebral-palsy-video/ 4:42 Family Treasures Posted by Vicki Davis I'm supposed to turn in the words for my son's annual ad today. I've been writing at 5 am. It is just one page. One page to summarize how I feel and what I want him to carry with him. http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2013/01/family-treasures.html Translation Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire - Translated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LMkJuDVJdTw Middle School Science Minute by Dave Bydlowski (k12science or davidbydlowski@mac.com) I was recently reading the Winter 2012-2013 issue of Green Teacher Magazine, a magazine for Education for Planet Earth. I read an article entitled "Concrete Without Quarries" written by Sam Stier, Dona Boggs and Dave Jones. The focus of the article is on sustainable chemistry labs inspired by nature. They provide a lab that helps students create concrete from car exhaust and seawater. But the greater focus of the article was to get teachers who teach chemistry to students to think of the approaches and message we send. They provide a framework for sustainable chemistry inspired by nature. From the Twitterverse: #mschat every Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Resources: Free Plagiarism Checker Duplicate Content Checker for Students, Teachers, Writers. Free Turnitin Alternative. http://plagiarisma.net/ Google Doc Sharing Simplifying Sharing through Google Docs with students. Control whether documents can be seen by just a few students or groups or the whole class. http://www.youpd.org/doctopus Listening Circles http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2013/01/listening-circles.html Web Spotlight: The Shape of Stories By Maya Eilam My take on visually presenting Kurt Vonnegut’s theories about archetypal stories, designed after researching the subject. http://mayaeilam.com/2012/01/01/the-shapes-of-stories-a-kurt-vonnegut-infographic/ silenc http://ciid.dk/education/portfolio/idp12/courses/data-visualisation/projects/silenc/ How to Read Faster: Bill Cosby’s Three Proven Strategies http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/16/how-to-read-faster-bill-cosby/ Why you can’t cry in Space http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/01/why-you-cant-cry-in-space/267147/ Look at yourself objectively In the 1840s, hospitals were dangerous places. Mothers who went in to give birth often didn’t make it out. http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/semmelweis News: U.S. Education Deserves the Same Statistical Sophistication as Baseball and Elections by Martin Carnoy (Co-authored with Richard Rothstein) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-carnoy/us-education-deserves-the_b_2481128.html Half-Baked Ideas . . . Moodle and BigBlueButton- if each teacher was given $100 to get their own shared hosting, would it be considered expensive? from Moodle Community.