Science Teaching TEDTalks Updates (@tedtalks)

	TEDTalks Updates (@tedtalks)
2/5/13, 11:13 AM Today's #TED: Hey science teacher—make it fun! Ditch the jargon and textbooks and make science sing through stories! on.ted.com/TylerDewitt

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Tweet from AMLE (@AMLEnews)

	AMLE (@AMLEnews)
2/5/13, 8:10 AM No grades, mixed age classes, advisor for every student, flex sched, no teaching to the test. The Center School (NY) ow.ly/hpgMK

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Project-Based Learning AMLE (@AMLEnews)

	AMLE (@AMLEnews)
2/4/13, 10:25 AM Do's and Don'ts for Better Project-Based Learning, Watch the video about Austin's Butterfly ow.ly/hoMpv via @Larryferlazzo #PBL

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Scratch Team at MIT (@scratchteam)

	Scratch Team at MIT (@scratchteam)
1/28/13, 12:51 PM Scratch 2.0 beta is out! beta.scratch.mit.edu

Scratch is a perfect tool to introduce everyone to programming. Remember the wisdom of "program or be programmed," and find some way that Scratch can find its way into your classroom so you can help students learn that computers are tools that are controlled by humans. 

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Clean a Dry Erase Board with Baby Wipes

OK, this is not digital information technology, but a great tip for teachers!

Clean a Dry Erase Board with Baby Wipes
LIFEHACKER | FEBRUARY 3, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/i89kV


If you've ever left dry erase ink on the board for a few days, you know it can sometimes be difficult to remove. Cleaning weblog How to Clean Things s... Read more

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

The Best Scientific Visualizations of 2012

Cool is the best way to describe this.  Happy Friday. 

The Best Scientific Visualizations of 2012
GIZMODO | FEBRUARY 1, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/i5Q71


Every year, the International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge seeks to find the most visually striking scientific art and design. It's... Read more

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

EBooks Scientific American (@sciam)

	Scientific American (@sciam)
1/31/13, 9:48 AM Born Again Textbooks bit.ly/TfMuHa

I still read plenty of books, but this explains why ebooks are here to stay. 

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Fwd: January 31, 2013 Weekly Blast2

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: January 31, 2013, 7:44:00 AM EST
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: January 31, 2013 Weekly Blast2
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

©2012 New England League of Middle Schools.. All Rights Reserved

 

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Communicating Criticism (@Michelle_Mazur)

	Michelle Mazur, Ph.D (@Michelle_Mazur)
1/31/13, 1:57 AM 12 Most Crucial Tips when Communicating Criticism su.pr/AIjZN4 #speaking

This advice is intended for business people, but is spot-on for educators as well. We tend to have a narcissistic streak in ourselves when we assess or evaluate; these tips will make us more effective with our feedback. 

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Fwd: Live The Effects of Health and Poverty on Education

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Classroom 2.0" <mail@classroom20.com>
Date: January 30, 2013, 2:54:14 PM EST
To: "gary@hackscience.net" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Live Thursday - The Effects of Health and Poverty on Education
Reply-To: do-not-reply@classroom20.com

Join me Thursday, January 31st, for a live and interactive FutureofEducation.com conversation with Stephen Bezruchka, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Health Services, the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. A recent set of widely-reported studies are highlighting statistics that don't surprise Stephen, but are shocking to those previously unfamiliar with their findings. The National Research Council and Institute of Medicine's U.S. Health in International Perspective found that U.S. citizens suffer from poorer health than nearly all other industrialized countries, and of the 17 high-income countries looked at, the United States is at or near the bottom in at least nine indicators--including infant mortality, heart and lung disease, sexually transmitted infections, and adolescent pregnancies, as well as more systemic issues such as injuries, homicides, and rates of disability. In Differences In Life Expectancy Due To Race And Educational Differences Are Widening, And Many May Not Catch Up, researchers found that when "race and education are combined, the disparity is even more striking. In 2008 white US men and women with 16 years or more of schooling had life expectancies far greater than black Americans with fewer than 12 years of education—14.2 years more for white men than black men, and 10.3 years more for white women than black women." Stephen and I will discuss the connections between education and the poverty and health outcomes from these and other reports, and why they are unfamiliar to most, given the similar documentation over many years. Hopefully we'll also get a chance to explore the role of institutions in masking or redirecting attention away from these issues (see my recent post on rethinking education reform in light of institutionalization), the effects of inequality as a deeper story, early-life impact on health, the catch-22 of compliance-driven schooling when dealing with scientific and social problems, and ultimately what we can do with this information. See you online! Steve Steve Hargadon http://www.stevehargadon.com Date: Thursday, January 31st, 2013 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern (international times here) Duration: 1 hour Location: In Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate). Log in at http://www.futureofed.info. The Blackboard Collaborate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Blackboard Collaborate, please visit the support and configuration page. Recording:  A full Blackboard Collaborate recording and an audio mp3 recording will be available after the show here and at http://www.futureofeducation.com. Mightybell:  A Mightybell space with interview resources and conversation is at https://mightybell.com/spaces/21414. Stephen A. Bezruchka is Senior Lecturer, Global Health, Department of Health Services, the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. Stephen also works with the Department of Global Health MPH program. He has spent over 10 years in Nepal working in various health programs, and teaching in remote regions. He tries to draw attention to the socioeconomic determinants of the health of populations.  His research interests include: effective methods of disseminating determinants of population health to the general population so they work to change societal structures to improve America's health; theories of global health asking the question why do countries order by health outcomes such as life expectancy in the Health Olympics?; medical harm and the lack of interest in the USA for responding to this marked health risk; medical tourism and its affect on host populations (Special thanks to Craig Seasholes for connecting me with Stephen.) Visit Classroom 2.0 at: http://www.classroom20.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network   To control which emails you receive on Classroom 2.0, click here

Google Science Fair 2013 launches to find the next generation of teenagers hoping to change the world

Google Science Fair 2013 launches to find the next generation of teenagers hoping to change the world
THE NEXT WEB | JANUARY 30, 2013
http://pulse.me/s/hWGGW


Google Science Fair 2013, the technology giant's third international competition focused on finding the brightest and most revolutionary teenagers, h... Read more

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

What to look for in classrooms...

Check out the full post here...

1. Voice – Students should have the opportunity to not only learn from others but also share their learning with others as well.  We live in a world where everyone has a voice and if we do not teach our students to use this effectively, they will definitely struggle.  To me, this is so simple yet so essential.
2.  Choice – This is not only about how students learn, but also what they learn about.  How do they further their learning in areas of interests to them?  Throughout the first few years of university I did poorly, yet in my final few years my grades were better than they ever had been.  What was the difference?  I actually cared what I was learning about.  Strengths based learning is extremely important.
3.  Time for Reflection – Classrooms are an extremely busy place and I understand that many feel that they are rushed through the curriculum, but I think that taking the time to connect and reflect on what is being learned gives learners a better opportunity to really understand what they have learned.  I know many classrooms have DEAR time (drop everything and read), so why do we not have time to simply write and reflect?  This is not only for students, but for teachers and administrators as well.
4.  Opportunities for Innovation – Recently I visited Greystone Centennial Middle School during “Innovation Week” and saw students that created a hovercraft (not kidding) using things that they had around the house.  They were able to guide it around the gym and it was able to carry people around.  These kids were in grade 9.
When I asked the students about this opportunity, they had told me that they had saw something similar on YouTube but it was missing a few elements that they wanted to add.  They made it new and better.  I can only imagine what the students will do after they leave school because of this day, not in spite of it.
5.  Critical Thinkers – In the “factory model” of education, students were meant to be compliant and basically do “as they were told.”  This is not something that sticks with a child only, but goes into adulthood as well and it creates “yes” people who tend to lose all originality.  One of my best friends and my first admin partner, told me to never just let him go out on his own with his ideas without questioning them and sharing my thoughts.  His reason?  He wanted the best ideas, not his ideas.  He wanted me to ask questions.  He wanted to be successful.  It was not his ego that was important, but the success of his staff and students.  I have learned to ask the same of all those I work with and although it can turn into spirited conversations, it is was best not only for school but all organizations.  We need to have students that are able to ask questions and challenge what they see, but always in a respectful way.
6.  Problem Solvers/Finders – Ewan McIntosh has a brilliant Ted Talk discusses the notion of “problem-based learning” and how it is not beneficial to give students problems that aren’t real.  Instead, he focuses on the idea that students need to be “problem finders”; being able to find some tough challenges and then being able to solve those problems.  Megan Howard shares a wonderful story of how one of her grade six students was able to see that there was a problem with classmates losing their school uniforms and then being able to use QR codes to be able to identify them.  Let’s start asking kids to really look into finding what the problems are and giving them some purpose in solving something real.
7.  Self-Assessment – I don’t think that I have ever heard a teacher say, “I can’t wait until we get to write report cards!”  That being said, I think we spend too much time focusing on being able to tell others what our students can do and know, and not enough time helping students understand those things themselves.  Portfolios are a great way to share this knowledge and will actually have students develop their own understanding of what they know.  If you can write in a report card that a student can do something in October, yet they can’t do it in January, is that report card still relevant?  I think that we should spend more time working with students to teach them how to assess themselves and not just do it for them.
8. Connected Learning – When I first started teaching, I remember really struggling with science.  It was a subject that I struggled with as a learner and that continued on as a teacher.  I now think that if I was in the classroom, that the best person to teach science wouldn’t be me, but a scientist.  With most people that having a computer also having a Skype account, there are many that are willing to share their expertise in different areas.  This does not only have to be via technology, but we should also be bring in experts from our community to talk to students.  I know many teachers have done this for a long time, but technology opens the doors to people that we could not even imagine being a part of our classroom even ten years ago.  Even Shaquille O’neal has made some time to  Skype with students in one school.

gary@hackscience.net has shared something with you

If we are concerned with competitiveness and preparing our citizens for "the flat world" (I have been rereading Friedman's book this winter), then may we should pay attention to the rest of the world also.

Check this out:

http://edudemic.com/2013/01/how-u-s-and-chinese-classrooms-use-education-technology/#.UQfawwiVQU4.email

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Tweet from AMLE (@AMLEnews)

	AMLE (@AMLEnews)
1/28/13, 10:52 AM Sixth grade teacher Lorraine Boulos ponders why the big push for collaboration ow.ly/hbXWE #education #edchat #midleved

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

College or not? (@willrich45)

	Will Richardson (@willrich45)
1/27/13, 11:00 PM College or No? Stuck Between Present Realities and Future Promises buff.ly/X5o9So Interesting moment. #edchat #highered

Will Richardson is someone we should send our reluctant-to-change colleagues and leaders to see-- as well as those leaders changing in the wrong directions and for the wrong reasons. Anyways, he tweeted this article recently and it struck me as a topic that deserves attention in middle schools. 

Options to the traditional college experience abound today, and the reasons are many. By building students' awareness a few years before they graduate from high school, we may be able to encourage a more thoughtful approach to high school years and life beyond. 

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Fwd: Webinar: Simple Ways to Incorporate Engineering into your Curriculum

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Begin forwarded message:

From: STEM Education Research Center <information@plcelearning.com>
Date: January 25, 2013, 3:32:38 PM EST
To: gary@hackscience.net
Subject: Webinar:  Simple Ways to Incorporate Engineering into your Curriculum
Reply-To: information@plcelearning.com

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

February 5, 2013 9:00am PST 10:00am MST 11:00am CST 12:00pm EST Join Kellie Dean, Director of Training for PCS Edventures, on Wednesday, Feb. 5th at 10:00 am MST for an exclusive look at how to integrate engineering concepts into your curriculum. Dean will show you how you can keep students engaged while teaching them the principals of engineering. Engineering is one of the fastest growing career fields and a vital 21st century skill. Dean will show several examples of engaging lessons that enable students to learn while having fun. Register for this free webinar today! If you would like a personal review of STEM products and programs, please click here.

Forward email This email was sent to gary@hackscience.net by information@plcelearning.com |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. JK Thomas and Associates | 204 102 135th Street | Surrey | British Columbia | V3T 4C2 | Canada

Education Planning (@willrich45)

	Will Richardson (@willrich45)
1/24/13, 6:30 AM "Do we want the federal government to be the principal architect of a national education system?" buff.ly/WPjl3l #edchat Good Q.

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Tweet from Will Richardson (@willrich45)

	Will Richardson (@willrich45)
1/23/13, 12:02 PM Student Advisory: A Model for the 21st Century buff.ly/YmSdhq Some great suggestions. #edchat #cpchat

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Apps for creation (@AngelaMaiers)

	Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers)
1/23/13, 3:57 AM RT @mkurashige: Wow! Awesome! MT @sjunkins: 82 Apps for Student Content Creation. buff.ly/WBtD5h #ipaded #mpimiddle

Any list that starts with the selection criteria used on this list must deserve our attention!

- Dr. Gary Ackerman

Tweet from Marc Prensky (@marcprensky)

	Marc Prensky (@marcprensky)
1/22/13, 3:01 PM Our best teachers have adapted: from being givers of information to kids, to being coaches, guides & partners for kids teaching themselves.

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- Dr. Gary Ackerman