I can’t fix needy schools, but I can give volunteer to be a class reader.

I can’t wish every soldier a Merry Christmas but I can send Christmas cards. *

I can’t end the war, but I can pray for the safety of all of our bravest.

*Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Height, MD   20791-5456
Deadline is December 9th, 2009

Lessons of Liberty

The “Lessons of Liberty” initiative is an opportunity for American students to learn more about our country and its values, as well as the people that have been called upon to defend its freedom.

How Schools Can Participate In “Lessons of Liberty ” 

• Schools will have access to a multitude of resources for participating in the “Lessons of Liberty” initiative through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education.  Schools, educators, parents, and students can visit the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site at www.va.gov/vetsday to find classroom materials and curricula, ideas for activities, and resources for getting in touch with a veteran in their community. Additional ideas may be found on the Department of Education Web site at www.ed.gov.

• Leading veterans organizations — including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Military Order of the World Wars — are supporting the Lessons of Liberty effort and can be reached through their Web sites.  A directory of veterans organizations is available at http://www.va.gov/vso.

• The “ Lessons of Liberty” initiative can be continued throughout the year through a variety of activities, including:
  • For Elementary and Middle School Students:
    • Read books about American history and government
    • Learn about outstanding leaders in America, past and present
    • Visit a historic site, such as a battleground
    • “Adopt an older American” and become a friend with a veteran
    • Participate in the “Friendship through Education” Initiative
  • For High School Students:
    • Register to vote
    • Pledge to mentor younger students on the “Lessons of Liberty”
    • Volunteer in community organizations
    • Organize student public service projects
    • Participate in the “Friendship through Education” Initiative
  • For Parents, Teachers and Administrators:
    • Prepare students for veteran visits through civics lessons
    • Encourage students to perform community service
    • Lesson plan ideas available at www.va.gov/vetsday and http://www.va.gov/kids

Voki is a free Web 2.0 tool that allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and use them on your blog, profile, and in email messages.

Voki is a combination of the Latin word “vox” meaning voice and “Loki” the mischievous god of Norse mythology. Now, there is an across the curriculum application! With Voki you create a customizable speaking avatar that accepts text, as well as recordings using your built-in computer microphone and/or audio files. Voki provides several HTML code options for your finished avatar that can be embedded into most wikis or blogs.

Here is a YouTube tutorial video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssGHaNX3O4g and a slideshow from slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/markmodra/voki-activities-presentation

 As stated in The Edublogger, “educators use them to add a human element to their sites or to engage students.” They are also great as attention getters and warm-up/bellringers.

Suggestions for use in ESL classrooms may be found at this link:
http://instructify.com/2009/09/17/voki-trailfire-mashup-special-needs-education/

 So give Voki a whirl and let me know how it goes and how you put it to use in your classroom.

He later discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle as well. For example, this principle says that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, 20 percent of your products or services will account for 80 percent of your profits, 20 percent of your tasks will account for 80 percent of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth five or ten times or more than the other eight items put together.

I wonder…how would this apply to the classroom?

We vowed to change that dynamic this time around.

Enter    Ruby.

Ruby is a “goodle” a greyhound/poodle mix (Don’t ask me how–I defer to the biology teachers among us)

Here is how Thematic Curriculum applies to this:

Science: Newton’s 1st Law of motion states that every object (Ruby) will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force (Kozmo, the bull dog next door)
Community Friends/Music: Our neighbor Bob might have chosen to play Stravinsky’s Rites of Spring, but instead he used courtesy and polite dialogue to deposit Ruby back in our living room.
Math: Husband Jim will swing by Lowes tonight and pick up the necessary implements to dissuade Ruby’s future romantic overtures. He will use math skills of measurement, proportion to figure the amount of materials to buy and use currency skills for purchasing.
Technology/Language Arts/Photography/Speech: I learned of all this AM activity via text message, cell phone, IM, descriptions and photos.
Texas History: Texans, whether human or dog species are known for their rejection of all types of fences and confinement.
Poetry: At dinner tonight I will recite, Robert Frost’s delightful poem, “Mending Wall”

…”good fences make good neighbors”

What other curriculum connections do you see?

June 11, 2008 From Education Week: Teachers Achieving ‘Highly Qualified’ Status on the Rise

June 5, 2008 From Science Daily: Gaze aversion helps educators understand the educational progress of students.  

June 5, 2008 From Edweek: States Notch Slow, Steady Progress Toward Consistent Graduation Goals

June From Scott MacLoad’s blog: “…they continue to think about using data from a compliance mindset rather than using data for meaningful school improvement.”

May From eSchoolnews: Researchers Identify Key Ed-tech Trends