Monday, Monday

<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.archidose.org/wp/">A Weekly Dose of Architecture</a> Updates:</span><br /><br />This week's dose features <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/09/10/three-buildings-in-chiasso-switzerland/">Three Buildings in Chiasso, Switzerland</a>:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/09/10/three-buildings-in-chiasso-switzerland/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sep12-10-1024x649.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The featured past dose is the <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2000/05/01/ricola-marketing-office-building/">Ricola Marketing Office Building</a> in Basel, Switzerland by Herzog & de Meuron:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2000/05/01/ricola-marketing-office-building/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://www.archidose.org/May00/ricola2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="featured past dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />This week's book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/09/10/pamphlet-architecture-32-resilience/"><i>Pamphlet Architecture 32: Resilience</i></a> by Stasus (L):<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/09/10/pamphlet-architecture-32-resilience/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pa32.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's book review" /></a>   <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2011/10/book-review-pamphlet-architecture-11-20.html"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/book-pa11-20.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's book review" /></a><br />(R): The featured past book review is <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2011/10/book-review-pamphlet-architecture-11-20.html"><i>Pamphlet Architecture 11-20</i></a>.

Monday, Monday

A Weekly Dose of Architecture Updates:This week's dose features Three Buildings in Chiasso, Switzerland:The featured past dose is the Ricola Marketing Office Building in Basel, Switzerland by Herzog & de Meuron:This week's book review is Pamphlet Arc…

Read more »

Weekend Recap

I'm just don't do creativity with titles.  Wonder what this is going to be about?<br /><br />Well, I started my weekend/WW week off on the right foot.  I lost 4.8 lbs bringing my total back down to 26.8 lbs lost.  I'm pretty sure what kept me on track this week was the daily pre-tracking of my food.  There are no surprises this way.  I don't do surprises when it comes to meal planning!<br /><br />This weekend was a busy one, as will be all of my weekends in September.  On Saturday we celebrated with Joel's cousin as she walked down the aisle in a princess-y style ball gown.  She was beautiful!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLS_y3ZDKaO3Zyb_7NrX4SbrpSIp7lF8Egl3qRgwWfZWuyTWGvrvDGwlUIeO4ukaToP26zR65MJYgHhT-vlnvE4WaIGc6zwC19bgj5zy_91t0EvE7Wof4phVWov_iLk5UFmQ8E_7Cf-M/s1600/kathleen+in+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLS_y3ZDKaO3Zyb_7NrX4SbrpSIp7lF8Egl3qRgwWfZWuyTWGvrvDGwlUIeO4ukaToP26zR65MJYgHhT-vlnvE4WaIGc6zwC19bgj5zy_91t0EvE7Wof4phVWov_iLk5UFmQ8E_7Cf-M/s400/kathleen+in+dress.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The reception was held at Running Hare Vineyard in Maryland.  We were given two wine options, and I went with the white.  It was delicious!  So delicious that I spent <i>all day</i> Sunday recovering from a lovely hangover.  Not exactly my best move yet - seeing as how I had an exam on Monday and needed to spend Sunday reviewing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocyNF2TiwP8fEcvC6__9tR_8xM0tyNOd6IAqn1hGqE-4zJT_58q_1TSAPfThJB3gN5Z9aEQiXeiVK_WsQzBOi8ED6PSBFHpydV5JPmn-KFafaAKlJ6chVfQfi39inhoej4qof04foRcg/s1600/alcohol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocyNF2TiwP8fEcvC6__9tR_8xM0tyNOd6IAqn1hGqE-4zJT_58q_1TSAPfThJB3gN5Z9aEQiXeiVK_WsQzBOi8ED6PSBFHpydV5JPmn-KFafaAKlJ6chVfQfi39inhoej4qof04foRcg/s320/alcohol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />It was quite the show.  Everytime I drink like that, I immediately regret it.  Not because of the impending hangover (yes, it does suck), but more so because I know I acted foolish.  To some it might have been hilarious.  To me - ugh... what a disgrace!<br /><br />The GREAT news is that I earned an 'A' on today's anatomy and physiology exam and I'm <b>so </b>proud!  I definitely worked hard for it - studying daily - yes, even yesterday I managed to review my notes for a substantial amount of time.   The productivity has continued all day long as a result of that awesome start to my day.  I finally ordered  my blogger information cards (aka "business cards") for <a href="http://fitbloggin.com/" target="_blank">FitBloggin'</a>!  Will you be attending?<br /><br />Hope you had a great weekend! <br /><br />

Weekend Recap Weekend Recap

I'm just don't do creativity with titles.  Wonder what this is going to be about?Well, I started my weekend/WW week off on the right foot.  I lost 4.8 lbs bringing my total back down to 26.8 lbs lost.  I'm pretty sure what kept me on track this week …

Read more »

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/10/2012

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://storify.com/jacbalen/taxonomy-of-global-connection-1">Taxonomy of Global Connection · jacbalen · Storify</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">We're doing a new take on "quad blogging" in our Flat Classroom certified teacher program by literally having participants blog together on a Google doc. Here's a post from by @jasongraham99 @tashacowdy @jacbalen http://t.co/QfRpDsN9 that covers taxonomy of Global Connection as covered in Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds. Excellent work and a great explanation on how these five types of collaboration look in the classroom. </p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/flatclass">flatclass</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a> <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 09/10/2012

Taxonomy of Global Connection · jacbalen · Storify We're doing a new take on "quad blogging" in our Flat Classroom certified teacher program by literally having participants blog together on a Google doc. Here's…

Read more »

Eracism Project 2012-2 Forming Now

<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Press Release September 8, 2012.</strong><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Announcing, the </strong><a href="http://www.eracismproject.org/index.html" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title=""><span style="font-size: small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Eracism Project 2012</span></a><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, (another <a href="http://flatclassroomproject.net/" style="color: #af5211; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Flat Classroom® Project</a>) - a global student debate that joins diverse cultures and includes authentic debate for global competence and international mindedness.</strong><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Fact based debate is a very essential skill with students who often equate the term "debate" with argument.  The Eracism project: A Flat Classroom® Project was envisioned by the<a href="http://ning.it/y0Mfey" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title=""> winning student team</a> from the <a href="http://flatclassroomconference.wikispaces.com/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">2009 Flat Classroom Conference</a> held in Doha, Qatar and their concept was to hold debates using Web 2.0 tools to improve cultural understanding.  <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Schools selected for the Eracism Project 2012-2 will be asked to enter a 4 person debate team, with the remaining students in the class being researchers around the topic, <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="color: #660000; font-size: medium; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />"Global management of natural resources will cause conflict between cultures"  </span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />The initial debates will be held asynchronously but in what organizers are calling a "simulated synchronous" environment with the final winning teams debating live in a virtual world.  <a href="http://eracism.flatclassroomproject.org/Eracism+2009+Archives" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">This project was first carried out in 2009</a> and was run again in March 2012 and will now start again in September 2012. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />We welcome applications NOW from teachers and their classrooms around the world. We also need judges and volunteers to help with debate coaching. To apply for this project as a class or judge or volunteer or request to be involved in the teacher information meeting, please complete <a href="http://tinyurl.com/Eracism12-2" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">this form</a>. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Classrooms in Upper Primary, Middle and High School are encouraged to apply (students of age 11 and above). Organisers will create two strands in this project based on demand. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/Eracism12-2" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Application</a> deadline is September 24, with announcement of project classrooms by Friday September 28, 2012.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />The first teacher online meeting will take place near October 1, 2012. Actual date and time to be advised. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #660000; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tentative Timeline</span><a href="http://www.eracismproject.org/index.html" style="background-color: white; color: #af5211; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title=""><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.eracismproject.org/index.html" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">This project</a> has a planned start date of October 1, 2012 with debates beginning October 15 and  concluding with the final debate held in a virtual world (and to be streamed live) in late November/early December 2012.  Schools applying must specify their school holiday dates so that they can be best placed in the project on the debate grid.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Phase 1 </strong>- Research & CoachingThis will happen at the school level as classrooms research the topic and practice debate at their local level. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Phase 2 </strong>- Asynchronous Debate RoundStudents will use VoiceThread to debate with each round taking approximately one week.  <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Phase 3</strong> - Synchronous DebateThe top two teams will debate live in a virtual world with the debate streamed live on the web for students and educators around the world to watch.  <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Phase 4</strong> - ReflectionStudents and teachers will reflect on ways to improve the methods for  global debates. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Process</span><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Due to the asynchronous components used, Eracism will use a hybrid debating style that is based on Conflict or Initiative Debating.  <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />The teams prepare their cases; they present their arguments and evidence; and, they rebut the other team's arguments and evidence. The debate cycle will generally align with the Middle School Public Debate Program found at http://www.middleschooldebate.com<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Each debate will be adjudicated by 3 judges and the winning team advances to the next round.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Most of the debates will be carried out on VoiceThread with the final debate being streamed live in a virtual world.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Thank you to the sponsors of this project: <a href="http://ed.voicethread.com/products/k12/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Voicethread</a>, <a href="http://www.wikispaces.com/content/for/teachers" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Wikispaces</a>, <a href="http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Collaborate/Overview.aspx" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Blackboard Collaborate</a>. (Virtual world platform to be announced soon)<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Co-founders of Flat Classroom® Projects, Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis, are delighted to have the leadership of Flat Classroom® Certified Teacher, <a href="http://eracism.flatclassroomproject.org/2012+steering+committee" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Eva Brown, and her students from Red River College, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada</a> take charge of this inspirational global collaborative project. The project opens eyes and hearts as students debate on an issue that will bring together diverse ideas, develop transferable skills and create lasting friendships. <br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />More information about Eracism: <a href="http://www.eracismproject.org/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">http://www.eracismproject.org</a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Application Form for Eracism 2012: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/Eracism12-2" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">http://tinyurl.com/Eracism12-2</a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Flat Classroom Projects: <a href="http://flatclassroomprojec.net/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">http://flatclassroomprojec.net</a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Contact us: <a href="mailto:fcp@flatclassroom.org" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">fcp@flatclassroom.org</a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Directors, <a href="http://coolcatteacher.com/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Vick Davis</a> and <a href="http://learningconfluence.com/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">Julie Lindsay</a><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />For more about the pedagogy and benefits of adding global collaboration to your curriculum, buy Julie and Vicki's book Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds from Pearson Publishing.  <a href="http://www.flatclassroombook.com/" style="color: #af5211; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="">www.flatclassroombook.com</a></span>

Eracism Project 2012-2 Forming Now

Press Release September 8, 2012.Announcing, the Eracism Project 2012, (another Flat Classroom® Project) - a global student debate that joins diverse cultures and includes authentic debate for global competence and international mindedness.Fact based …

Read more »

Circulation Desk - New Milford Public Library

<strong>Circulation Desk -</strong> <span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>New Milford Public Library</strong></span> seeks a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who enjoys working with the public and can offer excellent customer service. Duties are varied and will include: charging items in and out, answering the telephone, assisting patrons with library resources, patron registration and inquiries, and other duties as assigned. Proficiency with Microsoft Office required, experience with the ILS Evergreen preferred. High school diploma required, 1-2 years library experience and Bachelor's degree preferred. Part-time position. Hours are: Monday 12-5 pm, Tuesday 5-8 pm, Wednesday 5-8 pm, Friday 12-5 pm, 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays 9-5, 5th Sunday 1-5 (October –May). If interested, contact Sally Tornow, Public Services Librarian, <a href="mailto:stornow@biblio.org">stornow@biblio.org</a>; or Marilyn Gunerman, Administrative Assistant, <a href="mailto:mgunerman@biblio.org">mgunerman@biblio.org</a>, at 860.355.1191. Application deadline: <span style="color: red;">October 1st, 2012</span> or until filled.

Circulation Desk - New Milford Public Library

Circulation Desk - New Milford Public Library seeks a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who enjoys working with the public and can offer excellent customer service. Duties are varied and will include: charging items in and out, answerin…

Read more »

Adult Services Librarian - Stratford Library Association

<strong>Adult Services Librarian - </strong><span style="color: #48286d;"><strong>Stratford Library Association</strong></span> (full time). Join our dynamic, creative and innovative Adult Services team, serving a diverse community. Your primary responsibilities will be in Adult Services, providing reference services, teaching library skills, participating in collection development, expanding community outreach, developing programs, utilizing social media to promote the Library and offering technology ‘help-desk’ services for patrons utilizing the Internet, e-mail, social media, MS Office applications, downloadable library collections and Wi-Fi. You will also help out at Teen and Children’s Services as needed. Schedule includes days, evenings and weekends. You must possess an MLS degree from an ALA-accredited institution, experience with public library reference services and demonstrate a strong commitment to public service. Spanish/English bilingual desirable. Minimum salary $49,213 with excellent benefits. Please send a letter of application and resume to Barbara Blosveren, Library Director, Stratford Library Association, 2203 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06615 or email <a href="mailto:bblosveren@stratfordlibrary.org">bblosveren@stratfordlibrary.org</a>.

Adult Services Librarian - Stratford Library Association

Adult Services Librarian - Stratford Library Association (full time). Join our dynamic, creative and innovative Adult Services team, serving a diverse community. Your primary responsibilities will be in Adult Services, providing reference services…

Read more »

Gaga is coming!!!

<span style="font-size: large;">Lady Gaga is playing in Dublin this Saturday in the Aviva Stadium.  There are rumours that there is already a fan queuing outside!!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We had a busy weekend so I plan to take it easy for the concert.  Ciaran has a game of squash at some stage during the day.  There are a team of Americans coming over to play in his club - unfortunately we will miss the event dinner because we will be at Gaga.  Not that I mind that!!!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I have a busy week ahead of me but am off work on Friday.  I then need to drop my car in to the garage to get serviced on Friday.  It's all go but then I can relax and enjoy the show on Saturday night!!  I'm planning to hang out with my twin sister during the day on Saturday with my twin which will be nice too.....</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I wonder will she do a Bikram Yoga class while she is here?  If she does, she may go to the Ringsend Studio - Colin Farrell was back in Ireland a few weeks ago and he went here with his sister.  Maybe I should do a few classes and see if I can bump in to her!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I should mention that we ate in Tribeca on Saturday evening - I still reckon it is the best burger in Ranelagh.  Ciaran got the wings which everyone raves about but he thought they were just average. He will probably get the burger next time.  I do like this place, it has got a great atmosphere.  For dessert we shared a baked cheesecake which was surprisingly good as I don't normally like cheesecake.</span>

Gaga is coming!!!

Lady Gaga is playing in Dublin this Saturday in the Aviva Stadium.  There are rumours that there is already a fan queuing outside!!!We had a busy weekend so I plan to take it easy for the concert.  Ciaran has a game of squash at some stage during the…

Read more »

Down the road of failure to find success

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895_FAIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Adaptation of above image illustrating an Inte..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="360" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895_FAIL.jpg/300px-Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895_FAIL.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Adaptation of above image illustrating an Internet meme (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Train_wreck_at_Montparnasse_1895_FAIL.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote>"You let us go down the road of failure so we could find success," said Blakelee -</blockquote><br />one of my beautiful students. I had asked them to find a mindmapping program that they could edit simultaneously. <br /><br />They took the first app that came up in the search. I knew it wasn't collaborative but I let them go down a 20 minute trail in the wrong direction. They backed up and started reading reviews of apps and finally found <a href="http://www.mindmeister.com/" target="_blank">mindmeister</a>.<br /><br />When we debriefed on this unit (aptly about search) they said they would never forget that they shouldn't always trust the first result.<br /><br />I asked, "Why?" and Blakelee said it. <br /><br /><blockquote>"You let us go down the road of failure so we could find success."</blockquote><br />It was so profound that I asked if I could quote her and she said -<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"if you use my first name, I want to be mentioned by name."</blockquote><br />Sure, Blakelee. Your maturity is beyond most and your words taught me something I hadn't seen before. When I step back and let you and other students make mistakes and help guide you to find the answers yourselves - learning becomes permanent and yours. You never forget, and isn't that what teaching is all about.<br /><br />You and your classmates rock my world on a daily basis. I love you dearly. I'll show you this post in the next week and maybe you'll understand that teaching you all is the calling of my life. I also want you to understand that you and I are both put here on this planet for a purpose.<br /><br />Our purpose is to help and encourage others. You encouraged me by saying this. You encourage others by allowing me to share it. Though surrounded by corn fields and pecan groves, we can reach out and help others throughout the world have a classroom like ours - a privilege I wish for every teacher and student on this globe.<br /><br />It is OK to fail - sometimes the road to success starts with failure.<br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=4483d4b1-7181-4c89-b02c-1a89a09b29bd" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Down the road of failure to find success

Adaptation of above image illustrating an Internet meme (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"You let us go down the road of failure so we could find success," said Blakelee -one of my beautiful students. I had asked them to find a mindmapping program that they …

Read more »

guest post - the aestate

Hey guys, this is Jessica from <a href="http://www.theaestate.com/" target="_blank">The Aestate</a>. So excited to be filling in for Elizabeth while she's enjoying her beach vacay. When she suggested a Room-to-Outfit post, I realized I'd never actually done one before. I'm not even sure how that's possible, but I didn't think the first one I ever did would be inspired by a nursery. However, the first room that came to mind is this gorgeous, edgy nursery done by Tamara Kaye-Honey for the 2012 Hampton Designer Showhouse. I'm kind of obsessed with the colors in this room...<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOACKxqorxBk2mKk_I-rQva1PHcu6zlNaKF6zCJbGKxR17GswWi5fXNo3N08GgdfRNOErFKqjCp-9G9XSiV1IMfH2SYmJZVwsbIXryI1v4m9OGZ2SErF3bm8ABK4hqpEZgN7G7FIB3hCoO/s1600/tamara+kaye+honey+house+of+nursery+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOACKxqorxBk2mKk_I-rQva1PHcu6zlNaKF6zCJbGKxR17GswWi5fXNo3N08GgdfRNOErFKqjCp-9G9XSiV1IMfH2SYmJZVwsbIXryI1v4m9OGZ2SErF3bm8ABK4hqpEZgN7G7FIB3hCoO/s1600/tamara+kaye+honey+house+of+nursery+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://bitohoney.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tamara Kaye-Honey</a>}</td></tr></tbody></table>Room or outfit, I don't think you can ever go wrong starting with classic black or a deep grey. Mixed with white, they make a great basic color combo. Throw in some playful turquoise and coral and top it off with some sophisticated gold accents. Faux leather pants and leggings are quickly replacing jeans in my real-life wardrobe, btw. Most of them are just as comfortable as yoga pants but look so much more chic. Plus they look great paired with comfy flats and over-sized tops.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmI7Dpu3BMzgbrykUocFrJc_ZKrZC7IP_pUtNoK2VIgo7OkiMHsSVt2TgN09EMkiVxhrk0_rBuycWFU-KmRxVipaDBF0Yj2U80PNM5du5a4yY8fan5LXaFajfernsnEY6GpqK57pRgdu5/s1600/outfit-to-room-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmI7Dpu3BMzgbrykUocFrJc_ZKrZC7IP_pUtNoK2VIgo7OkiMHsSVt2TgN09EMkiVxhrk0_rBuycWFU-KmRxVipaDBF0Yj2U80PNM5du5a4yY8fan5LXaFajfernsnEY6GpqK57pRgdu5/s640/outfit-to-room-3.jpg" width="502" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/322107" target="_blank">YSL Tote</a> // <a href="http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Warehouse+Stud+ikat+tee/173248204,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Ikat Tee</a> // <a href="http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Warehouse+Stud+ikat+tee/173248204,default,pd.html" target="_blank">Scarf</a> // <a href="http://www.katespade.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Kate-Site/default/Home-ShopHome" target="_blank">Watch</a> // <a href="http://www.eluxe.ca/en/ted-rossi-python-bangles-mini-set-of-3-seafoam.html" target="_blank">Bangles</a> // <a href="http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/318448" target="_blank">Shoes</a> // <a href="http://shop.mango.com/US/p0/mango/leather-effect-leggings" target="_blank">Pants</a> // <a href="http://www.shopbop.com/thompson-cuff-dannijo/vp/v=1/845524441941200.htm" target="_blank">Cuff </a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you, Elizabeth! xo</div><br />

guest post - the aestate

Hey guys, this is Jessica from The Aestate. So excited to be filling in for Elizabeth while she's enjoying her beach vacay. When she suggested a Room-to-Outfit post, I realized I'd never actually done one before. I'm not even sure how that's possible…

Read more »

A report back on a fantastic TeachMeet held at Somerset House on 29th August 2012

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><i>Submitted by Fiona Beal</i><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">On Wednesday 29th August at 6pm I made my way to the Helderberg Basin’s second TeachMeet. This was held at the beautiful Cape Dutch style school  Somerset House in Somerset West and I knew I was in for a treat. If you as a teacher have never been to a TeachMeet, please consider it – you come away inspired and enthusiastic and you just want to try EVERYHING that was recommended. </span><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teachers appeared from all around Somerset West, ready for an engaging evening. Somerset House always provide a light supper of soup and rolls before the event so that everyone can start networking straight away. So, let me tell how the evening transpired. First of all Siobhan Lowe, the enthusiastic ITC teacher at Somerset Huse welcomed everybody and explained how a TeachMeet works. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fsYoxQ1ItPl2vvPV9ubo511EdfyclPEN2WxQz-x0pTiM5S_q_XnY9cmdje0i58xwWgNQsC7hQAeo5s-8-3-P_eD2cFU0BaFDWfZurwpxUDb8dwTZS97savBvCVrHFNPQyTbiD0ybPWY/s1600-h/image%25255B2%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1LENWF-mCcmnHtwnsWimUhU0IGDBNK6dTbCXcvbJx_swrw4xQ80KeVwbsK19mlUnQHsK6qkORqKlp6AKG7LDyQurGgekU7s4hS4v6pcLWvpBkaf_tTlOnNwDPjdqr4TrDPwBFOq5tAw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />We used the Class Tools random name selector to choose the speakers at random.<br /><a href="http://www.classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine">http://www.classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine</a>. This always brings an element of fun to the evening. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH9uPTkc0eTjWMm8LLCmzQxh-hch9y2c3qKsPbmlweNIhvCYQvW3wQC1gakOvCt_i6kajCIYezdB9pXjVHiUh4VdKoLUpFM7hdF14qsBxwP8nXBpQ1r0U0QSt-E3rP13AqUAG8Aiu8Zo/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluuWT207qgL9LGwZNYS11CpROF5Uak710jfgnkZE6rrU1DbKLbJZg5bd9k3b30PegTcWJ06mJvV2201L0y1rgagdDYPHGeNkCkAcVGyQnR-vsDUsui7ooZwkOhQc8sGHZK8jda-F_LAk/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />1) </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The use of BYOD at Somerset House</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Somerset House is a private primary school which has recently embarked on a BYOD (Bring your own device) pilot for technology. The principal, Chris Storey, was very excited about how successfully the pilot is progressing and gave us a report back at the TeachMeet. The BYOD approach is being used at some High Schools around South Africa, but Chris didn’t know of any primary schools to date that are trying this out. The parents and students at the school have responded very favourably to this approach, and there are some interesting plans afoot to make it work even more successfully in 2013. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8mC5oiMgJssgCuRlNZY6985JYlTcDa4CWw8HIQbJMJv1KuF7yyI0qn-l0ERFTuMfAO1GZaAfQQEbUVGxbgRbHiYWbHKO2vjB4b1d_eXDo13o49jxU7PjTMp_cIWD78AMcd7CCIsEFyY/s1600-h/image%25255B9%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53HPqlXcn7bvTt1xXMkbZlrO36MxVWYVWZenQYjvU8bT2Be7H6C-zXaNUuJnWGMonROc1_nJuT-yme9MJhHxVa-25PNP5xNZkOlonKg9AJfvWRA3fxLRIljwtUwFAQLVWnbfNa2BVsz0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chris Storey also showed a motivational YouTube video called ‘Engage Me’ where pupils from Robin Hood Primary School, Birmingham, worked with a film crew from the National College for School Leadership to express their desire to use their favourite technologies for learning in school. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZokqjjIy77Y?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">2) KeepVid is a marvelous way to download and store useful video clips</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Barbara Brear, the librarian at Somerset House, showed us how she uses KeepVid to download YouTube videos for easier viewing, and then she renames them and organises them for easy access. This was a very helpful, practical session. Barbara also proudly showed her latest Grade 4 History projects where there was no evidence of any plagiarim or copy and paste. At Somerset House the students do their projects at school tduring school time. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52CoPC5zrvJ4Aec1YkdoIZDjWFAeJ1VQ8eiV2PARxbgReIrfg9vdDjSSuZqDfJPb73rA68XBf3AFdpxEUa3qYoo7XsL3lYVt1Kk5ftI247967iHE0C-SsMKB_rtyj09MG6NqqyCgMoWI/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKbGjrJ8eYBG3fb8MRqYcllG89uavUSCMeYJyEoSP-fuHuqmSUDeEZBTY_FKOGe61O_Zjg2miAFG8nIyTwtyrKn7apxNkfd9NllZc4MK_JzbzyYWmouLmLor9Mc94Dpammf42EGF9xtI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">3) A groupwork lesson on creating an edible version of a plant or animal cell</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />This presentation was given by Debbie Underwood of Somerset College where she showed the steps of her group lesson on creating an edible version of a plant or animal cell. She played ‘The Biology Song’ which she ad discovered on the Internet, and showed some of the results of the lesson. What a great way to learn about cells!</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV2kfqe3tnK5FQ9OsxzleBAvIkWxwOgmQlt5hbEhlTWypROyV1V2MaUGEG4jmUQprseYKbqkV1YKXggGkTfFXDYx50BB5t1L6mEHSO_BRNlKAJ5cOFD8sGt5FkJ9BGxP8hSSIBYcQGpg/s1600-h/image%25255B20%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc5vpfrO3uHXjZSxSbvw5-aC7jHnELpVjfO2W7WrbYI5JwczsDtwuhfPbIeTq5nhl2vADjpS5R0Qdrn9hy5SprUnHHUnawMdtIqLm-61AJbZMUTBCcPNB4CaOMSsZ2ZFj3k553WmYvg0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 400px;"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="133"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9Gv791XrVszS-KjMLrcyjT6wmDrFZwjsI8nmOCPkXfw0NapW8B3FU6l_UmO2kcq8H8-RroaB6tmf6D17iS08em7EML-hoX6y5mcB14r6WR6iGkGZ11mChih9C2ARdTxaYXQhPAzZjcI/s1600-h/image%25255B25%25255D.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU8f_1R5cJSO2wWP2xxpXbAU9iq_Ydhz_UsfcNw8d8xSMdWvPqfWbZ73ZRByA-DI-94SFeMQf3tpngmrqBn1ukMljZ_EINlHMSezFUdblHFZ3iwG_9G6OgNZd2uHgopKjObG1x934K1I/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="200" /></a></div></td> <td valign="top" width="21"></td> <td valign="top" width="245"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61ULHAOZ1bxTBgO1_031S90R5cEqe1O6b1Up1OM0PIqXcO2tXasrafsIDt_D3EgW8db7dGihKtXIECv5YM7Ew_dcHk751M_akP1qLSiqlz2mIgrCX8zKGUzw4yCgpqkdcLYIyaOGKp8k/s1600-h/image%25255B32%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBNYQHnx2rOw2vfExWkkt4TgQ_TW9fv4v0kFiDL1KtvYqSvhFkgGU00HQnqW55FAE9T2fLi3bd4_uCEfUPFYc0dIXmLYzJIQ4NA2Q7GKCzFODQblbCXpbA9hyad0bNrb8pPoZ8Gc_gBs/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="200" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4) Flippin’ Verbs – using the Flipped Classroom approach</span></b> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Jenny Martin from Somerset West showed her new way of teaching verbs using the flipped classroom approach. She was amazed at how quickly her students learned and recalled everything about verbs very effectively in one week – something that had taken so<i> much longer using her previous approach. Jenny used Symbaloo, </i><i>PowerPoint and </i>Popplet among other web tools and the students had to create multimedia presentations to explain verbs. The results were‘verbilicious’. Jenny even interviewed her students who told us that they much preferred this way of learning. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpY4g-_y3B5JKSGYGBB445UKo92pKvHb6aTBYGirBSwnNZNx2bEHNvPXlpsaIvVNhyphenhyphenvOFrSsfW30g_KaLhbbilCBLu_viC1amMZYL2Y6BRDYvqnp8uo9s6CSkOLuW3ih1dzNNNYSnFGs/s1600-h/image%25255B35%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWIeZ0vAnhq76NcnSCfGKPWdVZCBm2ecYd-7yyqi_FwDcszW8tjsTBDA-7EXdusHgeF-z_m2sXJXdJcaIvvKZhTHu87Wt5UDsAPsnXJruwur_1RLG8p0qi4bhRM-NTMlrqFpwsAnEoU8/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">3) Make a weather map using ICT as a resource</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />This was a Grade 3 Life Skills lesson presented by Karen Bind of Somerset House.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuH1u1AjjCWnncTrtxf35gtBoaC0iZu4H55NhBOV1mVSQGfsdAYJ0SRNQSZLIA5tnPY_PYUygS1vLTgKijTiaruMR7bQbAFaohg2qJDjWGMCnlEA2s2cGZzd9XuuqOfTjsjHdba3HLsE/s1600-h/image%25255B41%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BZXpvDn7E-mo7x98oZ8B3-QQDmG8XSJ7A86KEpCMPz-zG0U6bI4_qman4FRYQXaJHtezRgOjvB6qod-ztvImQJzi18qyYBWaGbtQklFRnBZRUJRgj0xfHYuO4GCS_v3OgCQ3ESz5nTw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karen's class learned about weather at the time of the London Olympics so she was able to bring in useful UK information that interested the learners. For example she introduced the lesson using a BBC weather game: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/games/weather_report.shtml">http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/games/weather_report.shtml</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Karen was also able to show Prince Charles giving the weather forecast when introducing the section on giving a report back! This was such a fun lesson and I am sure Karen’s students presented great weather reports as a result of it. </span></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4) Teaching the short story</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Michelle Botha is the new Head of Department at Somerset House and demonstrated a lesson she had used at her previous school on teaching the short story using various multimedia. Her students had really enjoyed this lesson and had easily grasped the elements of writing a story especially from a song that Michelle used.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLBOkF5XaYlQe4NTloYTRpaiEqQIvabQ9HkQeXjw_aabyy1kOCg_RmRhNmllCHcKNzlqnkgi3HL2e65Sd4Agoidk4HiudEEsvcdUUF9juFQR8aselTkIppjcwedtHbrQYA8QACe4uKVw/s1600-h/image%25255B44%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3QePQzO67I_PmLJ3-KDF3Zj0Uc8MQokFCvOdS3Ug5H2KsFHiGJ0VdoB7qpU2ZQDPHFGdNJwjQDa5tK_qCaFqjYWgTj2vvogdjI294uUMe8jx_5qT2yoB1synxnK-58RxTU4sM2PmBAo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">5) Using QR codes in the classroom</span></b></div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Michelle also demonstrated how she uses QR codes effectively at school. She gave a very good summary of the steps on how to get started, but unfortunately I don’t have access to her presentation. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oKn46XORs6hFYzwVBsw6DhOMYOi47LWHYeUGwsKz1yLtE0g5IRpvfAxGaQW0ImQskfWsHBi15fLcawfG_OGCKf4By1ewmBkj8KPugszlKKtJvmUlqISyUmlz9fmkR_fdmvU3QmUWIwU/s1600-h/image%25255B48%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYv6M4yZvUbEt3Vqe8eiiey5wICd0cF2Ji_7IE-_cf9j7OGGPM-YPXijBMzkVGwMDQ8NtOsWTrl04grKPo8H7Ctu3cRxYMZQeONB-VWeGnYaJ63_HzhzT2UcGVLe6axH2iI67-XgSAvI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="386" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">6) Use Mybrainshark to give voice to your PowerPoints online and create lovely videos</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Fiona Beal from SchoolNet talked about her latest find MyBrainshark from <a href="http://mbrainshark.com/">http://mbrainshark.com</a>. With this tool you can create the most amazing multimedia videos that contain one or more of the following – Powerpoints, Word and Excel documents, videos, JPEGS etc . You can include voice over and narration. This is a great tool for student projects and also for flipped classroom scenarios. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIxyt9N-ObZj4zKzzvg4fbsonwUugKsJiCTyNFvwphyDTraqUzHpaLfDYhTUP_yrzDmVi-G0lkG6mOGh7HTf5erXSiFQgnHhEdmpTHrvxW3TgSY_L_5nv24z3U5qE4uVrSvlSjya7sSo/s1600-h/image%25255B63%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizY9CsKnwEnCKOsUeH3L1LRT1UqGWuOLjImmO6g7KeS4EkOW4S5HT5OJ80O4nyHGEMnTTgYZKQqhD585pGO90-Qt54SFgsMsLwW5qdR69l_SIApffPyVeQDQboOIWBFr8MjEOLtDOkhcI/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">7) Twitter, #edchatsa and SchoolnetSA</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Siobhan Lowe from Somerset House spoke about three different things:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">a) The benefits of using Twitter as a teacher for professional growth</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEEgjZGq5Xzi_EFiU6CSo-1RHQtB4KLcKvk34Pbn3eJZVxtj7n7ieYXmD3JiVxI-eMHDDQeiHqbJE140mIF__KOSiGMqfSA4zIoPelx8cRJN9Z7Mf-OBnJwb1oAxNTHPC8GbVUTr0oMA/s1600-h/image%25255B52%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWTYhjLRVjWuHUy1WMq3_WUFXr-RUatroyJyy0XjfupCnHQsruTf3vr-8ov-xQYFnqD02uHQcd3PQBMBt_cH9TqeU-F7Pie1Q9ZO7Gk1iihm7Pl6IGDVkyS1R3g1IUvxgqTlgoDgzDNE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">b) The value of joining in the Monday night #edchatsa discussion on Twitter from 8:30pm – 9:30pm.</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrDvfWqO7apFRBLahYuno3tHaPWtLqBrQbQB2Lgl9pnBnA9GYXpvQNqt24VxgYezAVnDtFA_DVKqfKzlhZv6cmKzn9NlHqRGYaPdXAyeg9D8QZtdLTZMPqYj8d27K1J1TagRq8fG0pxQ/s1600-h/image%25255B56%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL7rzQrF9inFkiqlSRA9oKSUYT8t6KWz6MIuldYrcD_WvBPe5x6SamRz0EAGaw9N5qu-yKCpw1AT4OYvcgCAXpRRg21ATD35KRAbdm4cJt1lDR7K9rR91M4s0vSbOFyq-bbi31U5Qu0c/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">c) The value of becoming a SchoolNet premium member.</span></b></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Siobhan said she really feels that SchoolNet has mentored her over the past year and a half, and she urged the teachers present to join as premium members (a free membership) and experience the same benefits. Since I am from SchoolNet this was very encouraging to hear! So if you are reading this please just go to the Schoolnet site <a href="http://www.schoolnet.org.za/">http://www.schoolnet.org.za/</a> and select ‘Sign up for SchoolNet membership’. We’d love it if you joined us!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFcPU8q-voJVaSSdATDSjBseDDYYLgQpVspIirwxpzb2JUAR950cLoQK5Ee1UIF60116v29D0khTlp8uBJmJdlTWbSocDi72UZZhI_G0YOLp-_fE5M-qXaMbqHPkoa-t_YZzj0jp6NmM/s1600-h/image%25255B60%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hrTcqIIPitCdD45P9bCqFEKeEtIckDcv5mubKmRbZzhNkYnZ_PBVTpP0sFfW8x8gDPOZre9F9jOibmhqx8EYw_mtDNgYtnMpGmlNCgwNZF8oPbFcJZnprYfK6BxLKkb_Viwx0otO72U/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a></div>. <br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What I loved about the TeachMeet was seeing how teachers are combining good pedagogy with multimedia for a really great classroom experience. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, all too soon it was time to go, but this was an evening well spent among enthusiastic teachers who want to make a difference in education in South Africa. We really thank Somerset House (and Siobhan Lowe) for hosting this inspiring evening and hope they will be hosting more of these in the future. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Record of tweets at the event </span></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you would like to see a record of the tweets for the hashtag #SHttwt from the evening I captured them using Storify.com.  You can view them at this URL:</span></span></span></span><br /><a href="http://storify.com/fibeal/somerset-house-teachmeet-on-weds-29-august-2012#publicize">http://storify.com/fibeal/somerset-house-teachmeet-on-weds-29-august-2012#publicize</a></div></div>

teachmeets A report back on a fantastic TeachMeet held at Somerset House on 29th August 2012

Submitted by Fiona BealOn Wednesday 29th August at 6pm I made my way to the Helderberg Basin’s second TeachMeet. This was held at the beautiful Cape Dutch style school  Somerset House in Somerset West and I knew I was in for a treat. If you as a teac…

Read more »

South African teachers–please help SchoolNet choose the best AYV submission

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 445px;"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="6">        </td> <td valign="top" width="246"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMru-GlJI6pn_Z2Zxs9Odv64NNlTYwNMKLaY9-W7NMvpCr4D0RCZUDGTyOR6plq9GahUjsXYYYiUmpGqsf4zRtkqrv26ZXFYc98CZvYeWrkqp-ImgVTDb4m8Mr214fzrfQWEgQW3kz3qo/s1600-h/image%25255B9%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS7b22e9FYkXiMVJX5DCS2RVtS-2AR9JIXI72w_auuwhyzlNYV_oNgqumL3Ylp2g6RuLwvnqpJpNFlkuFPYoIyMoOuvfhRJLNZBuPe-LKHukvqUy5rg21BGZpsTW9n4TZZijXaDkjy9w/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="320" /></a></td> <td valign="top" width="6"></td> <td valign="top" width="185"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg735x4NxuSTrqGFQ5nTJQ7-herGqgVE0WIpohBsoO7riKAWCcgj_IZ87owNC-XTYro44ADaIMdFg9TMLDQEKGLQ-k4SU-P1wU118Etck0AxyIB0EfjtGZx09omTiQkmwBYyWokQgRoqi8/s1600-h/image%25255B13%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPGuvqa_-epLXAgT_c67uKoUJEQxxN4Q_91V3Zn7-P8Uefrx1D_vHHppK3fTHotc37q16nOH4Lms0PAYgZrVH-6zMyihq7QMEgsX37vrIRE8bfjeKUHndUhtChqah5Bj-9tHNC3wXR6Q/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-color: -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="200" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Please help SchoolNet vote for the best media project</span></b><i><br /></i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you are a South African teacher we invite you to consider assisting SchoolNet with judging the best Adobe Youth Voices media project for 2012? The teachers who were selected into the project worked with their students to create a film that give a voice to youth concerns. The film that is chosen by our premium members as the best media project carries with it a WONDERFUL prize for the teacher who has been responsible for the project at his/her school. That teacher will be flown to Cape Town to accompany Omashani Naidoo from SchoolNet (who oversees Adobe Youth Voices in South Africa) to the e-Schools ICT Conference from 2- 4th October at Wynberg Girls High School. The prize includes airfare, accommodation and all accompanying costs. A handsome prize, don't you think? </span><br /><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So please will you assist us by choosing the best media project by watching the 7 short videos mentioned below and selecting the best one. Thereafter open the Google Form which repeats the information in this email but also has a section for you to fill in and say <i>why</i> you think your choice is the best media project. (This is the only criteria for judging).Press SUBMIT when you are done and we will receive the results. Thank you so much for helping us with this - we appreciate your support. The closing date for voting is Wednesday 12th September 2012. (And by the way, if you would like to enter the next AYV project which starts soon please contact Omashani at <a href="mailto:omashani@schoolnet.org.za">omashani@schoolnet.org.za</a>) </span></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Join SchoolNet as a premium member</span></b></div><br /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This judging is for SchoolNet premium members, a free membership for South African teachers, so if you are not already a member please just go to our website http;//schoolnet.org.za and look for ‘Sign up for SchoolNet membership’ at the top of the page. Thereafter just follow the prompts. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is the link to the Google form:<br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/schoolnet.org.za/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDIxdlRCQW9SQldNZEF0OEFBdnhUbnc6MQ">https://docs.google.com/a/schoolnet.org.za/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDIxdlRCQW9SQldNZEF0OEFBdnhUbnc6MQ</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here are the videos with their links:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bullying <br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWBP9xpLXh8&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWBP9xpLXh8&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hold on <br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcJi7SZm5rc&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcJi7SZm5rc&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Water is Life - use me wisely <br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRqlutCaZWw&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRqlutCaZWw&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dance is my language<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e83NDrYdb2Q&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e83NDrYdb2Q&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">South African heritage<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5lZj9-nWRE&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5lZj9-nWRE&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can make it <br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8K49mExArY&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8K49mExArY&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Rise of Racism and Hazardous Stereotyping in South Africa <br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkddFbwAWok&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkddFbwAWok&feature=youtu.be</a></span></div></div>

Adobe Youth voices South African teachers–please help SchoolNet choose the best AYV submission

         Please help SchoolNet vote for the best media projectIf you are a South African teacher we invite you to consider assisting SchoolNet with judging the best Adobe Youth Voices media project for 2012? The teachers who were selected into t…

Read more »