Are you a Bee or a Squirrel? Maybe a Zebra or Giraffe??

"To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few." - Emily Dickinson

In a class that several of our staff are taking, we watched the Video "Animal School" produced by Raising Small Souls (a great website to check out as well).  It prompted lots of discussion as we shared our thoughts about how this applies to us every day as educators  - what it means in connection with the children we teach, love, guide each day.  We are all unique - just like snowflakes, no two people are exactly alike.  That's what makes humanity so wonderful!  Variety - creativity - surprises!  One person's strength is another's weakness - that's how we compliment each other, and learn from each other.


What does that mean for our children?  As parents and educators, do we expect ALL of our children to be enthusiastic athletes or amazing musicians or perhaps outstanding academics?  Maybe we expect ALL of this from every child??  As educators, we want each child to be proficient at everything they do - Math, Science, English, Geography, Music, PE.  Are we expecting more of our children than we even expect from ourselves?  

I am an accomplished musician.  Science, however, is NOT my forte!  Once I hit chemistry in high school, I knew this was NOT my calling!  Is that bad?  Should I have stuck it out and taken all the science I could and attempted to build up my science knowledge?  Of course, my musicianship would have suffered.  I wouldn't have had as much time to practice or do the other "extra" musical activities that I loved.  My time would have probably been spent trying to figure out the allotropes of carbon instead!

How do we as educators celebrate the uniqueness and gifts of each of our students while at the same time prepared them with a "well-rounded" education?  How does this all connect with the state testing that is required of schools?  Lots of questions, lots of ideas.  

Watch for yourself, and ponder. Leave a comment, add to the discussion!  Which animal do you identify with in the video?  Which animal do you see your children identifying with?  

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Ed who??

During the TIE Conference, we have been using Edmodo to connect with each other, as well as a place for presenters to store their presentation material and other information to share.  I had heard of Edmodo before, but never really explored it very much.  I'm learning how to use it this week, as well as contemplating ways that I might use it in my classroom.

The format of Edmodo is very similar to that of Facebook.  This alone makes it appealing to students!  It's like Facebook for education in a way.  Besides communication between students and educators, Edmodo can be used for assessments, assignments, alerts, and polls to name a few.  Edmodo also has apps.  Some of these are free, others are purchased.  There are LOTS of apps.  These are great ways to engage your students with games and interactives, content creation tools as well as classroom management tools.  They are easy to install.  One thing I noticed yesterday, was that some of them seemed to not work on the iPad.  That is something I'll have to check out further.

I will be spending some time this summer exploring how to use Edmodo.  I think it is worth a try!  Here are a few sites to look at to get an idea of what Edmodo can do for your classroom:

http://help.edmodo.com/teachers/teacher-rollout-resources/twenty-ways-to-use-edmodo/
http://blog.edmodo.com/2010/11/23/we-asked-you-answered-15-more-brilliant-ways-to-use-edmodo/
http://blog.edmodo.com/2010/11/17/7-brilliant-ways-to-use-edmodo-that-will-blow-your-mind/
http://www.slideshare.net/seyfert6/20-ways-to-use-edmodo

Mental Floss

John Green debunks 50 common misconceptions that most people have about topics such as vikings, exploding birds and peanut butter. Enjoy and floss out all those misconceptions!

The Arts ARE Important!

There are so many schools who do not have art/dance/music/theater instruction as part of their curriculum, or have these crucial classes offered sporadically to their students.  The arts ARE important!  So often, art educators are told to justify their subject because we cover math or reading standards.  Yes, we have ALWAYS incorporated these skills!  BUT, our subject areas are vital and essential because of THEIR OWN value!!!  From creativity, to self-confidence, to collaboration, to problem-solving, the arts not only instill a love for the arts in children, but develop within them many other  traits that will serve them well throughout life! Character, self-discipline, a sense of accomplishment, are all part of a students' development as they grow.  The arts provide an opportunity for students to develop and flourish as they mature. 

A recent article by Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post sums this up well.  Take a moment to read and share with your school board!  

The Top 10 Skills Children Learn From The Arts

The Butterfly Circus

This is an AWESOME short film.  22 minutes long, so take some time, enjoy a cup of coffee, and keep the kleenex nearby.

 "At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus discovers a man without limbs being exploited at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed. "

Teens and phones...

It's inevitable.  It WILL happen.  Your child will have his or her own phone.  Independence.  Access.  What we as parents may consider a privilege, our children consider a necessity.  How can we as parents keep some kind of control over the freedom that comes with a child having their own phone?  I think that Janell Burley Hofmman has a great place to start the conversation with your child.  She outlines an iPhone contract that might come in handy for anyone to use as a tool in your own family. Check out "To My 13-year-old An iPhone Contract From Your Mom, With Love."

Draw A Stickman!

Draw A Stickman is a cute site that my students LOVE to go to!  It is also an iPad app.  There are two basic story lines to choose from.  Students draw various parts of the scene throughout the story.  Their drawing is then animated as the story progresses. Some good mouse control practice as well as a good time is to be had here!

New Cyber Safety Website for Teachers and Students!

Internet Safety is a BIG part of educational technology.  There are many resources to check out when developing lesson plans. 
I ran across this site the other day.  FBI-SOS (Safe Online Surfing) Internet Challenge—and it was developed with the assistance of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and with the input of teachers and schools. It is EXCELLENT!  Anyone can use the site, but it is geared towards grades 3-8.  There are 6 grade-specific "islands" that the students visit and explore. Students are introduced to various aspects of cyber security through games, videos, and other interactive features.  After that is complete, they are given an online exam.  Here is more information about the site:  http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/october/new-cyber-safety-website-for-teachers-students/
The site itself:  https://sos.fbi.gov/

Thanksgiving Resources

I'm on a teacher resource roll this week....here's a BUNCH of Thanksgiving ideas...and in the "pearltree" format.  Check it out!  Pretty cool!  Thanks to Teacher Reboot Camp for posting this resource!
Find all the Thanksgiving resources and tools in the Slide presentation listed here!  

Caution! Minds at work | Motivational resources | Sparky Teaching

My friend Kristin Lukow posted this great site of motivational posters on her blog, Musical Musings with Mrs. Lukow, and I wanted to share! Check out her blog also!  These would be great in any classroom.
According to the website:

Caution! Minds at work' is a free set of 26 posters, the inspiration for which came from hearing about a street artist in New York (called 'TRUE'). He tried to brighten up the otherwise dull journeys of commuters on the subways by producing Health and Safety stickers with alternative, positive messages on.

These stickers mimicked the style of the official notices which were displayed on the trains, telling travellers what to do and what not to do. The twist was that TRUE's stickers showed optimistic messages.

Go to Caution! Minds at work | Motivational resources | Sparky Teaching download the free PDF!

YESSIAN MUSIC - YES!

I've just stumbled upon this ingenious combination of people who emerge their talents, imagination, skills and passion into creative expression. Yessian is a global collective of producers, composers, music supervisors and recording artists.  Dan Yessian and Chris Plansker have recently won a 2012 Emmy.  In addition to hit singles, the group has worked in advertising as well as film and TV.  Browse their website to get a glimpse of their work!

Enjoy this awesome short fly-over of some of America's most beautiful land.  You will be glad you did!

Partysaurus Rex!!

Toy Story's Rex, the green dinosaur, gets a chance to shed his party-pooper past in Disney•Pixar's new animated short.  Hop on over to Disney Videos.  I guarantee you will laugh and want to watch it again!

Gaming in the Classroom

Games lubricate the body and the mind.

---Benjamin Franklin

The abundance of technology available to us as educators today is opening up a world of unlimited possibilities when it comes to finding sources for our students to learn with.  Gaming, blogs, wikis, QR codes to just name a few!  Does gaming really help our students learn?  Are students "playing" or "learning" - or both??  Here's an interesting infographic.  You decide.

Courtesy of: Online Schools

APPLES!

An apple a day makes me smile at you!

This is one of my FAVORITE apple songs! This was one of many songs we sang last Wednesday on Johnny Appleseed Day! The video below was put together by Cyndy McAtee.

Monica Autry created a PowerPoint for this song, of which many slides are included here. The song is a Plank Road Publishing song. The full performance recordings of this music selection is copyrighted material belonging to the Plank Road Publishing, Inc. Music by Teresa Jennings.

ENJOY!!!!

Got Ice??

Ever gone to the freezer to get some ice, and discover that the ice cube tray did not get filled by the person who emptied it?? Frustrating isn't it!? That is one thing nice about an automatic ice maker in your refrigerator - if it is working anyway!!

For those ice-challenged people out there, here is a simple recipe for making ice cubes....and to enhance your viewing experience, be sure to click on the Ratings and Reviews tab (almost 500 of them!)...maybe you will want to add your own experience in trying out this delicate recipe! Enjoy!

How To Make Ice Cubes

Our children are WIRED!

Our world is changing at a rapid pace, especially when it comes to technology. Apple is taking the lead in technology and educational applications - and it shows! iPads, iPod Touches, the iPhone are all commonplace not only among adults but among youth as well. Take a look at this infographic at Edudemic to see the implications for your children!

Johnny Appleseed Day!!!

Today is Johnny Appleseed Day!

Johnny Appleseed was a legendary American who planted and supplied apple trees to much of the United States of America. Many people think that Johnny Appleseed was a fictional character, but he was a real person.

Johnny was a skilled nurseryman who grew trees and supplied apple seeds to the pioneers in the mid-western USA. Appleseed gave away and sold many trees. He owned many tree nurseries in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana, where he grew his beloved apple trees and then sold or traded them. Although he was successful with his trees, Appleseed lived a simple life. He was a vegetarian, wore raggedy clothes, and was a very religious man. It is said that as Johnny traveled, he wore his cooking pot on his head as a hat (this may or may not be true)!

Johnny Appleseed was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, on September 26, 1774. His real name was John Chapman, but he was called Johnny Appleseed because of his love for growing apple trees.

Johnny died at the age of 70; he is buried in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He had spent 50 years growing apple trees and traveling to spread his precious trees around his country so that people could enjoy apples. In 1966, the US Postal Service designed a 5 cent stamp honoring Johnny Appleseed.

---Enchanted Learning

ABCya

A great site for young learners is ABCya.com. ABCya provides Web-based educational games and activities that have been created by teachers for primary and elementary school students. All activities are free, and all activities are interactive. The site is easily navigated, with audio instructions for the younger children.

We often use ABCya.com in our technology classes. Grade levels include K-5. The Kindergarten activities would work well also for Pre-School aged children.

Grade level lessons incorporate areas such as math and language arts while introducing basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and first grade activities are equipped with sound to enhance understanding. Fun children's Holiday activities are available in grade level sections! Concepts covered range from reading, upper and lowercase letters, building from parts to a whole, math concepts, drawing, connecting the dots......it's a big list!

Check it out! Your kids will love it!

Don't Laught At Me

"Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names,
Don't get your pleasure
From my pain.
In God's eyes we are all the same."

Labor Day History - 11 Facts You Need To Know

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.--Martin Luther King Jr.

For most of us, Labor Day is simply a day off of work. Have you ever wondered where the holiday originated? It wasn't in the United States! When was the first Labor Day celebrated in the United States? What are some Labor Day traditions? Here's an interesting slide show from Huffington Post detailing facts about the Labor Day Holiday!