Webinars - a great tool for professional development

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><em>webinarsSubmitted by Fiona Beal</em><br /><div closure_uid_69yzax="106">SchoolNet is planning to introduce regular webinars for educators in the areas of technology integration and good classroom practice. I am in the process of contacting South African educators that I know of who have expertise in certain fields to see if they would be willing to share their expertise and host a webinar somewhere along the line. But what about you? To start off we will confine this to SchoolNet Premium members. If you are a SchoolNet Premium member and you have something you would like to share that could benefit us all, please let me know. Initially the time span will be 45 minutes with another 10-15 minutes for interaction...and we'll take it from there! </div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>30 tools in 50 minutes</strong></span><br /><br /><div closure_uid_69yzax="108">But now. let me talk about a webinar I listened to last night. It was wonderful. It was given by Steven Anderson  <a href="http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/">Web20 classroom</a> fame. I was keen to hear what he had to say about 30 tools in 50 minutes. Educators LOVE knowing about resources so the session was packed with people from all over the globe. (By the way the webinar was presented by Simple K12).</div><div closure_uid_69yzax="177"><br /></div><div class="separator" closure_uid_69yzax="176" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIg-11_9o_J56hyVsILI9QO5IniqYC1MLtLBur1sRnIYWHNYcUWxMPhNShzrZtHO3p1ZLAY8UTV6oylZu4YEnjNtdhn5-WFpm6ND7a8RVNfCRHQhRLO-d97wpEjEOyn3Md16DiLCjC4Y/s1600/30-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIg-11_9o_J56hyVsILI9QO5IniqYC1MLtLBur1sRnIYWHNYcUWxMPhNShzrZtHO3p1ZLAY8UTV6oylZu4YEnjNtdhn5-WFpm6ND7a8RVNfCRHQhRLO-d97wpEjEOyn3Md16DiLCjC4Y/s400/30-4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left">He divided his favourite tools into 6 categories. I liked his emphasis to start with. It is not about tools. The focus in any lesson should be on the content and good curriculum delivery.  The tools certainly spice things up and catch the learners' attention. It's a case of 'Right tool, right time, right job, right people'. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Images</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) <a href="http://compufight.com/">Compufight.com</a> searches Flickr for images with the Creative Commons License. <br />2) <a href="http://flickr.com/">Flickr.com</a> for storing, looking for and sharing pictures.</span></div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://aviary.com/">Aviary.com</a> is a free Google very-easy-to-use photo editing site</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://piknik.com/">Piknik.com</a> is another great photo editing site</div><div align="left">5) <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/">Big Huge Labs.com</a> to create varied fun photo items</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">OK, so I have tried Big Huge Labs and have created a mosaic and here it is!</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCwWq7_Mpue-bMzk0lEmeNsqPK98N87F9QRYxfAinsOVGBV8SlKcDpQ5lRmY1yxNAw-_RfZk4AyD9yQL6Dv_hf3DAovBZg7oSZmgHDU57hKN89fRi0mVOfng_43zG_dNnz6wnX74Lvfk/s1600/30-TOOLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCwWq7_Mpue-bMzk0lEmeNsqPK98N87F9QRYxfAinsOVGBV8SlKcDpQ5lRmY1yxNAw-_RfZk4AyD9yQL6Dv_hf3DAovBZg7oSZmgHDU57hKN89fRi0mVOfng_43zG_dNnz6wnX74Lvfk/s400/30-TOOLS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">What I love about using these free tools in the classroom is that the learners can go home and try them out there. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Audio and video</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://vocaroo.com/">Vocaroo.com</a> is a very simple audio recording site. Great for sending a simple message to your students. </span></div><div align="left"><a href="http://screenr.com/">Screenr.com</a> is a simple, free easy 5 minute screencasting site - you can recap a way to do a Maths problem for example. </div><div align="left"><a href="http://jing.com/">Jing.com</a> Also for screencasting but can do a bit more than screenr</div><div align="left"><a href="http://skype.com/">Skype.com</a> for free computer ro computer calling. You can do screen sharing as well. What about getting authors to come in on Skype and say something about their book?</div><div align="left"><a href="http://voki.com/">Voki.com</a> sends a message. Use for introductions, instructions etc. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnwkTEAFywlBAsgToxDg9pdXjK1OwgndFjMQbnbkTB0dtxndnu9FM97npeVt6VWPvI0PjWjGJEh5fXi_DZF7TSHp2bp7gAbUSpDnAITrkdZG3vfisERFeFZrf_6fm6KqQs_9vBw7k0H8/s1600/30-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnwkTEAFywlBAsgToxDg9pdXjK1OwgndFjMQbnbkTB0dtxndnu9FM97npeVt6VWPvI0PjWjGJEh5fXi_DZF7TSHp2bp7gAbUSpDnAITrkdZG3vfisERFeFZrf_6fm6KqQs_9vBw7k0H8/s400/30-9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Collaboration</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">1) <a href="http://en.linoit.com/">Linoit</a> is a corkboard brainstorming tool</div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://pbworks.com/">PBWorks</a> and <a href="http://wikispaces.com/">Wikispaces</a> for wiki collaboration</div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://ning.com/">Ning</a> a great collaboration site but no longer free</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://google.com/">Googledocs </a>amazing for sharing - 100 can work on the same document</div><div align="left">5) <a href="http://google.com/">Google Forms</a> are very useful</div><div align="left"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSLrqKk_TcIvjty7dVkBDwHcIZxvSFmFFPqWKdFnpR5svtjDj7uHBdLT_yzEY1vbFAtLXRt6OVp3TFi9Zq_R9DFsEfCaANML_MAk9dzY1f-f1zNdz1EHP3uXt3YIpWaIKFN5hZHk8hOA/s1600/30-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSLrqKk_TcIvjty7dVkBDwHcIZxvSFmFFPqWKdFnpR5svtjDj7uHBdLT_yzEY1vbFAtLXRt6OVp3TFi9Zq_R9DFsEfCaANML_MAk9dzY1f-f1zNdz1EHP3uXt3YIpWaIKFN5hZHk8hOA/s400/30-11.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Chat and backchannel</span></strong></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) <a href="http://todaysmeet.com/">TodaysMeet</a> is a really useful classroom tool. Very popular at conferences. </span></div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://tinychat.com/">Tiny chat.com</a> for video chatting </div><div align="left"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjvge-7dRyuYbf-g8db9qZMjlBMh_671z4JhA9Gch7YYxfYRR3qcpyh3DyFNXrtihyYP7IFDtHOxvqYnZHK-QauypR12xHzwTXN92EUi2oDn0o93UaCdP_xR1u292LxLsr0Tp41Wik3o/s1600/30-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjvge-7dRyuYbf-g8db9qZMjlBMh_671z4JhA9Gch7YYxfYRR3qcpyh3DyFNXrtihyYP7IFDtHOxvqYnZHK-QauypR12xHzwTXN92EUi2oDn0o93UaCdP_xR1u292LxLsr0Tp41Wik3o/s400/30-13.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Presentation tools</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">1) <a href="http://creativecommons.com/">Creative commons.org</a> has a great search feature on site </div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://sliderocket.com/">Sliderocket.com</a> has amazing, professional presentation templates and tools. You can also set up collaborators.</div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi.com</a> for different kinds of presentations</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://livebinders.com/">Livebinders.com</a> is a three ring binder on the web. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWogR8BiV9QnIlHFLT-MySHzjslk8ZttyMnCktjtNp8ODkV7baExt5OTvOrdnOS8F8M7Wf32ar_D9LxcwKV2Q6PCqnsys69VlQzgQhvYSewEDpk4bA0IAMIqZfOZOGaV5veOiktFPbbg/s1600/30-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWogR8BiV9QnIlHFLT-MySHzjslk8ZttyMnCktjtNp8ODkV7baExt5OTvOrdnOS8F8M7Wf32ar_D9LxcwKV2Q6PCqnsys69VlQzgQhvYSewEDpk4bA0IAMIqZfOZOGaV5veOiktFPbbg/s400/30-15.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Mindmapping</strong></span></div><div align="left">1) <a href="http://mindmeister.com/">Mindmeister.com</a> a free web-based mindmapping tool, very simple to use and exportable.</div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://bubble.us.com/">Bubble.us.com</a> is also a web-based mindmapping tool with less options than Mindmeister. Easy to use. </div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://lovelycharts.com/">Lovely charts.com</a> a bit more difficult with lots of icons</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://popplet.com/">Popplet.com</a> is also a great mindmapping tool<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5uuCu9V6vEINho_g42040UKvdJpHdanULlKYfcYk4ARON8FxbQESIYUM5HtiUbgH8PNPmfFa1OwaGd92eHM4UJEY0XLkfgxcP8B3Y-Sw8-b-FoiU9GN1aFMUJOJWaN9AbfFfAeaz3YE/s1600/30-18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5uuCu9V6vEINho_g42040UKvdJpHdanULlKYfcYk4ARON8FxbQESIYUM5HtiUbgH8PNPmfFa1OwaGd92eHM4UJEY0XLkfgxcP8B3Y-Sw8-b-FoiU9GN1aFMUJOJWaN9AbfFfAeaz3YE/s400/30-18.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Essential tools</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) </span><a href="http://embedit.in/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Embedit.in</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> can embed s nearly everything into a blog or website</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2) </span><a href="http://zamzar.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zamzar.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> converts one file type into another one</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3) </span><a href="http://twitter.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is a must for every educator. 140 character microblogging tool.  </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4) </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1292099083"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Readit later.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> keeps track of information - anything you don't have time to read right now you just click.</span><br />5) <a href="http://diigo.com/">Diigo.com</a> allows you to keep bookmarks and also share your bookmarks. You can also automtically save them to delicious another bookmarking service.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">6) <a href="http://google.com/">Google calendar</a> keeps you updated amd you can share shedules. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD84o81ERwLdjeW6F_6cxGHrc89CkHvZVu-nRskjmbmsP4O8JckCpCa0yQAW_Ud2STcjC5VdvMzDiBIsosdobEqh3Lkixa9QObq4MTH8o_8JUYq-CxTOpaw7BbaI9tIzF5FTFljwohZRM/s1600/30-21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD84o81ERwLdjeW6F_6cxGHrc89CkHvZVu-nRskjmbmsP4O8JckCpCa0yQAW_Ud2STcjC5VdvMzDiBIsosdobEqh3Lkixa9QObq4MTH8o_8JUYq-CxTOpaw7BbaI9tIzF5FTFljwohZRM/s400/30-21.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div closure_uid_69yzax="178" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span id="goog_1292099084" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That's just a quick overview of a few useful tools. I wonder what you would add to this list? Please feel free to add some suggestions in the comment box. It would also be great to hear how these can be used in lessons.</span>  It would also be useful to hear what the problems are in using Web 2.0 tools in your classroom. </div></div>

webinars Webinars - a great tool for professional development

webinarsSubmitted by Fiona Beal SchoolNet is planning to introduce regular webinars for educators in the areas of technology integration and...

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Making lemonade...with a broken wrist?

I bet you thought I was going to say "making lemonade with lemons". My last few post have been trite sayings, albeit true. Especially the "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger".<br /><br />I'll be the first to admit I was a big baby yesterday. I was an emotional wreck. Going in for what I thought was nothing more than an x-ray that I was sure would prove nothing was wrong with me and the pain was totally imaginary, and then walking out with a full knuckles to shoulder cast was devastating. Add in the time of three months minimum in the cast and possible surgery, well, I guess I was in a state of shock. All I could do was cry.<br /><br />My first thought was my upper body weight lifting. I couldn't lift weghts for three months. That was like the end of my world as I knew it. Yes, I know. BIG BABY.<br /><br />Then there was all the stuff I couldn't do for myself. Open jars, do my hair, fasten my bra, carry more than one item at a time (like breakfast AND a cup of coffee). Let's not forget my job. I'm a software developer (among other things). It's hard enough to code and type with two hands. Try it with one hand. The list of what I <u>couldn't</u> do was endless.<br /><br />Of course, top of the list of what I thought I couldn't do was weight loss. My illogical thinking was, great, now I'm physically challenged. I can't exercise. I'll for sure want to eat ALL the time, and of course, lots of bad foods (and don't tell me there aren't any 'bad foods", because in my world there are such things). With no exercise, and eating like a pig I'll definitely balloon up to 300 pounds in no time. I'm doomed! Life as I knew it is over!<br /><br />That was yesterday. Today was a hell of a LOT better. <br /><br />I'm not saying any of this is easy, because everything is a  lot harder with only one hand. But it's not impossible. Except making a decent looking ponytail. I haven't figured out that trick yet. I just have to focus on being creative in figuring how to do simple tasks with only one hand when two would be much better.<br /><br />I'm off to bed now, Very tired.

Making lemonade...with a broken wrist?

I bet you thought I was going to say "making lemonade with lemons". My last few post have been trite sayings, albeit true. Especia...

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What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZZEgaD8XqUA_tML0imMvh5pigGxiWEY4CHnUHkPmvtUQbrf-VeWp5PaxaaZGurSuXVaOiQjCZU4BNDjVAUvpPuwLsRCfQUeMOm20KMtsz41jeAy8qDL-7bEbU_2xArBh9EB8uhJMgAeD/s1600/cast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZZEgaD8XqUA_tML0imMvh5pigGxiWEY4CHnUHkPmvtUQbrf-VeWp5PaxaaZGurSuXVaOiQjCZU4BNDjVAUvpPuwLsRCfQUeMOm20KMtsz41jeAy8qDL-7bEbU_2xArBh9EB8uhJMgAeD/s200/cast.png" width="185" /></a></div>Don't I look miserable? I tried to smile but honestly, I just want to cry.<br /><br />I have a severe fracture of my scaphoid wrist bone. Only the most important bones in my wrist.<br /><br />A full cast for three months...if I'm lucky. The alternative is surgery in a month if it's not healing properly. I don't like either option but I hate surgery.<br /><br />Several of you suggested seeing a doctor after my bike accident. Since I was still having wrist pain I scheduled an appointment for this morning with an orthopedic surgeon. I actually saw three surgeons this morning. The first was a young intern, barely wet behind the ears, then the real doctor, then the #1 orthopedic surgeon in the area (at least that's what they told me), he just happen to be down to the Federal Way Clinic from the Seattle Virginia Mason Clinic. He's the one that made the diagnosis and had them put me in this miserable cast. <br /><br />This is life I guess. Ironic because I love doing upper body workouts. Well, that's not going to happen for three months. I guess I'll focus on abs and lower body. My cardio will have to be walking. Lots and lots of walking.<br /><br />Even worse than not being able to exercise my regular routine is that I can't type with my left hand. I type for a living, software development. Not good. <br /><br />I just want to cry.<br /><br />Before my day went to hell at the doctor's office, I weighed in at 188.4. That was a nice number to see (much better than 199.8 from two weeks ago). It's going to be a real battle to keep going with my weight loss with my arm out of commission, but I intend to keep up the good fight in spite of this setback with the cast.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Don't I look miserable? I tried to smile but honestly, I just want to cry. I have a severe fracture of my scaphoid wrist bone. Only the ...

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Overcoming the unemployed "stigma"

<div class="ArticleHeadline"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/th/ar5l1186hws7js4tk5th.gif?time=7/12/2011 6:12:50 pm" /></div><div class="hdr_org_bld"><b><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Michael Froehls, Ph.D., author of "The Gift of Job Loss"</span></b> </div></div><div class="ArticleContent">In the movie "The Company Men," several managers get laid-off. One of them is afraid that the neighbors will find out. He dresses up in the morning, and then leaves home in a suit, only to return for dinner as if coming back from work. Apparently, he perceives the social stigma of unemployment to be higher than the many negative consequences of his behavior -- living a double life, missing opportunities within his network, and the inconvenience and inefficiency of scheduling an unproductive day. In short, a behavior that is emotionally destructive, wastes time and does not achieve positive results. <br />Let's take a closer look at the issue of social stigma. It comes in two parts and either one or both might apply to you:<br /><br />1. <b>Your own perception</b>: You blame yourself for job loss. Or you feel like a victim. Either way, you are in shock. You might even think that your worth as a human being has declined. You believe there is social stigma attached to your situation without even knowing whether this is the case or not.<br /><br />2. <b>The perception of others</b>: People might look down on you. Yes, for someone who has never experienced job loss and doesn't understand today's job market, unemployment is your fault. <br />The good news is that you can largely overcome both issues. Once you conquer your own fear and act accordingly, you will also raise the probabilities of overcoming any negative perception of others.<br />How to overcome your own negative perception<br /><br />1. <b>Understand the facts</b>. Losing a job is nothing unusual during your 30-40 years of work until retirement. You have to expect it. Your risk of being dismissed is independent of your level of hierarchy, education or skills. Even your performance might not matter. If a merger happens, or a cost cutting program eliminates your unit, your job is history. Bad luck. Don't blame yourself. Move on.<br /><br />2. <b>Don't view yourself as unemployed.</b> Don't call yourself "unemployed." View yourself as somebody "between jobs," somebody who is given time in exchange for losing a job. You might not even know at the time of lay-off whether employment, self-employment, or something else is in your future. <br /><br />3. <b>Use your time strategically. </b>Don't just apply for jobs and watch TV the rest of the day. Use your time wisely. Perhaps, you would have better job prospects if you were certified in your field? Go for it. Want to check out a different city with better opportunities in your area of expertise? Your time has come. Always postponed becoming fluent in a foreign language? Learn one now. Never had the time to shed unwanted weight? Put in the effort now. The options to use your time to lay the groundwork for your personal and professional future are countless. The benefits could be amazing. By staying active, you are less likely to feel sorry for yourself. You acquire new skills and become a better job candidate. Your energy and emotional well-being will show in the confident way you act in front of others. This includes the HR managers who will be impressed by you.<br /><br /><b>How to overcome the negative perception of others?</b><br /><br />1. <b>It does not matter -- disregard the noise around you</b>. Who cares what others think? Whether you are unemployed, belong to an ethnic, religious or political minority, or whatever perceived shortcomings you have, there are always people who look down on you. Disregard them. You can't please everybody. And should you come across companies that do not like to hire unemployed applicants, view it as their loss. <br /><br />2. <b>Change the perception of others through your actions</b>. Notwithstanding the above, you will be surprised by how you can turn social stigma into admiration, even inspiration. If you use, let's say, a few months of your time between jobs to invest in your job skills, get healthy, help a charity, and enjoy a long-postponed dream vacation with your spouse, you will be surprised at how others now might perceive you as smart and driven. Why? You were strategic and used your time wisely, while others just waited for better things to come. Your positive attitude plus the results achieved will make you a stand-out job candidate.<br />In sum, don't let perceived or real social stigma of unemployment weigh you down. Your attitude and actions can help you overcome your own negativity and the views of others. Your odds of landing your desired job have just gone up. <br /><br /><i>Michael Froehls, PhD, is an independent management consultant and former global executive. He is the author of "The Gift of Job Loss." After losing his job during the recession, he used his time strategically by traveling, learning, and spending quality time with family. See <a href="http://www.thegiftofjobloss.com/">http://www.thegiftofjobloss.com/</a>.</i></div>

Overcoming the unemployed "stigma"

Michael Froehls, Ph.D., author of "The Gift of Job Loss" In the movie "The Company Men," several managers get laid-off....

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How to connect with an employer via LinkedIn

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder Writer <br /><br />Used right, LinkedIn can be a job seeker's golden ticket. <br /><br />Savvy job hunters can use the site to gain all kinds of advantages: information on the types of people a company hires, the name of the hiring manager for a particular job (and if they're really lucky, an email address) and even the ultimate "in," a personal connection at a company of interest.<br /><br />But, for every job seeker that expertly navigates the online networking scene, there are plenty of others who fumble their way through it, often over- or underestimating the role the site should play in their searches.<br /><br />"LinkedIn is a valuable tool, but sometimes when people search for a job they can confuse activity with productivity," says Tony Beshara, president of Dallas-based placement firm Babich and Associates, and author of the book "Unbeatable Résumés," for which he surveyed more than 2,000 people about their LinkedIn use. "No matter what activity you're doing, whether it's writing your résumé or browsing profiles on LinkedIn, if that activity isn't actually getting you an interview, it's not as productive as something that would get you an interview."<br /><br />If your online networking has been less than productive (read: if it hasn't actually lead to a connection to or interview with an employer of interest), then you might need to revamp your LinkedIn strategy. These guidelines will help ensure the time you spend on the site is most effective. <br /><br />When reaching out to your contacts:<br /><br />· Don't be shy<br /><br />The whole point on LinkedIn is to connect with people, so if you're hesitant to reach out to a former co-worker you haven't spoken to in a while, don't be. She's on the site for the same reason you are -- to network with people -- so she probably expects the occasional introduction request. <br /><br />"Interestingly enough, everybody that's on LinkedIn expects the same thing out of everybody else," Beshara says. "[The thought is] 'What I do for you today, you'll do for me tomorrow.' People are a lot more open to responding to you because they know that somebody else is going to do the same thing for them, or that you're going to do the same thing for them the next time." <br /><br />· Don't be needy<br /><br />When you do find someone in your network who has a connection or works for a company you'd like an introduction to, your approach will play a big part in the person's response.<br /><br />"Make it known early in the process that you're not expecting your networking connections to do the hard work for you," says Diane Crompton, author of the books "Seven Days to Online Networking" and "Find a Job through Social Networking." "In other words, if you want them to introduce you to a contact at their employer, say something like 'I'm not expecting you to endorse me for this position or intervene on my behalf.' This will take the emotional burden off of them should they feel too much ownership in your job search process."<br /><br />If your networking contact is new, or someone you don't know very well, it's especially important to make it know that you'll be the most active part of the equation, Crompton says. For example, "Ask if you can use your contact's name as a door opener to get the conversation going with your desired end recipient. By doing this you've taken them off the hot seat in terms of their involvement," she says.<br /><br />· Take it off line<br /><br />InMail, LinkedIn's messaging function, is great for making initial contact with someone. But once that's done, move the conversation to email or a phone call. Not everyone checks their LinkedIn profile consistently, so communicating this way is often ineffective and slow. <br /><br />If you're browsing your connections and find out that someone you know pretty well works at a company or has a connection of interest, you can even skip the InMail message altogether. <br /><br />For example, says Beshara, "Once you find somebody you know at an organization, call them up and say 'Hey Mary, this is Tony, I understand you work with Leroy, and I'd like to get a hold of him. Can you tell me a little bit about him, or what's going on at your organization?' That sort of thing." <br /><br />When making introduction requests:<br /><br />· Let your contact know it's coming<br /><br />If you plan on asking a contact for an introduction and have his email address, send him a "heads up" to let him know it's coming. Doing so will help you gauge his reception to your request, Crompton says. "[Plus], not everybody is active on LinkedIn everyday and this will ensure that your message doesn't sit in their LinkedIn Inbox for a long period of time," she says. <br /><br />· Make a good first impression<br /><br />Something that not all job seekers realize before they send introduction requests: "When using the 'Request an Introduction' function on LinkedIn, you'll need to create messages to your 'bridge' (middle) contact as well as to the end recipient," Crompton points out. "Keep in mind that both people receive both messages, so if you're on a casual name basis with the introducer you'll still need to keep the communication more formal and professional, knowing that your end recipient will also get the message you sent along to the middle connection."<br /><br />When researching companies<br /><br />· Find the hiring manager<br /><br />If you're interested in a particular job, try finding the hiring manager for the position on LinkedIn. Job descriptions will often include the title of the person the job will report to. <br /><br />If the position reports to the director of marketing, for example, pull up the company page, and see if you can find the person with this title. If you do find the hiring manager, "it's absolutely OK to reach out to him or her directly," Beshara says. If the person's email address isn't listed, you can often find the company's email format online (for example, FirstName.LastName@companyX.com), and you can plug his or her name into this format. <br /><br />· Look at who they hire <br /><br />Browsing company profiles and looking at the company's LinkedIn page will not only give you a better idea of whether or not you're the type of person the company usually hires, but will also clue you in about potential alumni connections you may have missed. <br /><br />"You can look at employee profiles and find out what kinds of people the company has hired in the past, what companies employees come from, if you went to school with any of them , etc.," Beshara says. <br /><br />If you find a common bond between you and someone you'd like to reach out to, "Use the transparency of LinkedIn to assess the best approach for communicating with your end recipient," Crompton suggests. "Customizing your message by using these commonalities will build rapport and make your initial approach that much more 'warm.'"<br /><br />Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.

How to connect with an employer via LinkedIn

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder Writer Used right, LinkedIn can be a job seeker's golden ticket. Savvy job hunters can use the site to gai...

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EdTechConf eXtended @ Elkanah!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>This guest post is submitted by<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"> <a href="http://karenstadler.wordpress.com/">Karen Stadler</a>, </span></em><em>a Senior Primary technology integration co-ordinator at Elkanah House, a private school in Cape Town. Elkanah House has been consistently introducing many new technology initiatives in their endeavour to integrate technology with classroom teaching. You can read Karen’s post about how technology happens at their school at </em></span><a href="http://bit.ly/nXBeck"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://bit.ly/nXBeck</span></a><em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> . (This was actually a competition entry for which she won a trip to the BETT conference in the UK in 2010). One of the Elkanah House initiatives is to hold a technology conference at the school at the end of this term. Read on....</span></em></div><div style="color: #666666; font: 12px/17px Verdana; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">The day has arrived!  We are happy to announce that our school will be hosting the very first EdTechConf eXtended event at the end of September!</div><div style="color: #666666; font: 12px/17px Verdana; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">All the details are below – simply<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">click on the picture</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to register. We hope to see many new faces at our conference!</div><div style="color: #666666; font: 12px/17px Verdana; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">[<strong style="margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: red; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">PLEASE NOTE</span></strong>: If you attended the inaugural EdTechConf in May this year, we kindly suggest that you pass this invitation on to your colleagues. This will aid the EdTechConf team in their efforts to reach out to as many teachers and administrators as possible, and avoid disappointment due to possible content overlap. Thank you!]</div><br /><a href="https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=ICVEX01l6XZboo4vdZ95Xw"></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=ICVEX01l6XZboo4vdZ95Xw"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhSxsWSCH8WVpJDUvcy5tTjopYSPjKUl0BnOdgY27Zt6TiAdLETE13euOCNwsJBCprbwXFS25MyKQJW7_cLIfV-Vi8-eoEPM1TTz7u3bSPwD01GYXDNDQxrfhrslyUdkcnJz9tCD2xDo/s400/elkconf_invite+%25281%2529.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /></div>

conferences EdTechConf eXtended @ Elkanah!

This guest post is submitted by Karen Stadler , a Senior Primary technology integration co-ordinator at Elkanah House, a private school in ...

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Another year older...another year better?

Today was my 56th birthday. I sort of felt like a wreck this morning. My injuries from my bike crash last weekend are still plaguing me. My wrist still hurts, my knee is still swollen and feels like a water balloon is attached to it, and to make things worse, I woke up with a sore throat and sneezing today. Happy birthday to me.<br /><br />We had plans to head up to Mt. Rainier to hike at Sunrise. The cooler was packed with healthy food and the backpacks with hiking supplies. I was very disappointed to tell my husband it probably wasn't a good idea for me to go hiking because I felt like crap. Luckily, I'm married to a very understanding person and what could have been a really rotten birthday turned into a day of fun. <br /><br />My husband brought me a dozen roses and a cute card with kittens that sang happy birthday with kitties meowing. I'm a cat person so it was very appropriate. He signed it "Love, from all of us!".<br /><br />We sat around in our bathrobes until noon and then ate one of the healthy sandwiches I'd made for lunch. Flatout bread, hummus, spinach, chicken breast. Yummy!<br /><br />Dessert was birthday cake of course. When my husband took it out of the box I was really surprised he'd picked out such a great cake. It had whip cream frosting with strawberries mixed into the frosting, and it was coated with white chocolate shavings around the outside edge. I was eager to take pictures, and was snapping away as he took it out of the box, making over what a pretty cake he'd chosen. He couldn't stop laughing, and I couldn't figure out why. Can you see what he thought was so hysterical?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtESGnpc5ng1cwNx2l8jUhg1VvjW14oEY-8szEF292QgoNsrkVnitm4OSctsHbWljsWHwcHyFxM7A8PXtoiEoJSq_GVMmZ8-42teWKl4dpxZ4gPQ7HTv0b0GmpLk9U4ynvvvqPLD3b_e5P/s1600/65.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtESGnpc5ng1cwNx2l8jUhg1VvjW14oEY-8szEF292QgoNsrkVnitm4OSctsHbWljsWHwcHyFxM7A8PXtoiEoJSq_GVMmZ8-42teWKl4dpxZ4gPQ7HTv0b0GmpLk9U4ynvvvqPLD3b_e5P/s320/65.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I didn't even notice it said 65! I'm 56, NOT 65! Funny guy. <br /><br />We decided to go see a movie we'd both had been dying to see and we both loved it! I love Westerns and I love Sci-fi. This was a perfect match! Oh, and now I'm in love with Daniel Craig. I hated him as 007, but he was great in this movie. Super sexy guy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBwoesmDljCjuZrx8vlV6oJYiKEvFI4w_KrVyMobTh1bX2VMH74-IaR2B0qavlah0c7N3zh7YXhsBROJOXAXwsoT_PXlta10vTYsmj1EEOgqJVZ1Ipq2dphMRnxxybEbenFPhPgLZw7MA/s1600/a%2526c.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBwoesmDljCjuZrx8vlV6oJYiKEvFI4w_KrVyMobTh1bX2VMH74-IaR2B0qavlah0c7N3zh7YXhsBROJOXAXwsoT_PXlta10vTYsmj1EEOgqJVZ1Ipq2dphMRnxxybEbenFPhPgLZw7MA/s320/a%2526c.png" width="213" /></a></div><br />Then we decided to go for a walk down at the boardwalk at Redondo beach:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZIgh1LQtDk7TAYrMlauYaq9WtSx0bqTEEBTxQEFQS_NZTEQUIutyiS761lHuo83o6_flq0A8C5UriJEdE6Q-6F2KkjqF6fTRSEMUJSdRSsadktN7dA-ifljkBLBk9HdiQPXtNotIXgJ5/s1600/pier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZIgh1LQtDk7TAYrMlauYaq9WtSx0bqTEEBTxQEFQS_NZTEQUIutyiS761lHuo83o6_flq0A8C5UriJEdE6Q-6F2KkjqF6fTRSEMUJSdRSsadktN7dA-ifljkBLBk9HdiQPXtNotIXgJ5/s320/pier.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><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;"></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/AVvXsEiOe1m8xm6n6aMcCE4f-BWTpEfaDy-ygss8sMZqc_pC6e65oIqE-Ve225Y2SLyLT-h6xnaM6UfgJCW04peRmjvaN78buHJuSnO2F0x9zjkttuS2f7idGqa51g_qCvMu0jJ4uEMLYNfA9LeX/s1600/pier2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe1m8xm6n6aMcCE4f-BWTpEfaDy-ygss8sMZqc_pC6e65oIqE-Ve225Y2SLyLT-h6xnaM6UfgJCW04peRmjvaN78buHJuSnO2F0x9zjkttuS2f7idGqa51g_qCvMu0jJ4uEMLYNfA9LeX/s320/pier2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Me...56 years old! (that's my BodyMedia on my left arm).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtecdtPkbFRjyobA8dUkucU_aCGgyn6zfhIzkXOSbqwxjtUP8qMad_EAdsUUy9-EHy5MSQD4oqeZyvSZZUN9VCEGJKFA09vfD52wnWOBzE03SkJ1pK1-iRHjtaqLSsxo9iYV58xy2Axuc/s1600/me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtecdtPkbFRjyobA8dUkucU_aCGgyn6zfhIzkXOSbqwxjtUP8qMad_EAdsUUy9-EHy5MSQD4oqeZyvSZZUN9VCEGJKFA09vfD52wnWOBzE03SkJ1pK1-iRHjtaqLSsxo9iYV58xy2Axuc/s320/me.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />After walking around for a about an hour we were hungry, so we went here for dinner. Not my picture because I forgot to take one! From their website.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PXsyc67OJz-4fCJBPlRHkyysrVPf47tzWpv59RLcZWRlhO6Yy3_OxeOYN-0KasszHmRVs6e07CKKsMxLZsZIjITXbh6_i07c2Sks7BvhBnBIKihRqswWC0nQbbAcdYSgDhRVM2pGfQL4/s1600/saltys.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2PXsyc67OJz-4fCJBPlRHkyysrVPf47tzWpv59RLcZWRlhO6Yy3_OxeOYN-0KasszHmRVs6e07CKKsMxLZsZIjITXbh6_i07c2Sks7BvhBnBIKihRqswWC0nQbbAcdYSgDhRVM2pGfQL4/s640/saltys.png" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> My dinner...Crab and Shrimp Louie, and a glass of wine (yum..forgot how much I love wine). I only dipped my fork in the wonderful shrimp louie dressing...it was to die for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZD45SSJp67qTJ-QFGgNMKemNEVoO52XWm__oGtFM-HldCBTQHwMMhyvSNVPpanBlRnzW25pF-RfnRfKuFi7DkqnY9jTRfqXC2iYunCOJIUH0oHWzLu8-w1u0TS_L8OrK0mskqg8P_1Yfd/s1600/dinner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZD45SSJp67qTJ-QFGgNMKemNEVoO52XWm__oGtFM-HldCBTQHwMMhyvSNVPpanBlRnzW25pF-RfnRfKuFi7DkqnY9jTRfqXC2iYunCOJIUH0oHWzLu8-w1u0TS_L8OrK0mskqg8P_1Yfd/s320/dinner.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the way back to the car and the sun has gone down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUCyFnjTSqKwie-HOWZVuuHMtLiq8ETKUs1-AqkO63i2HFVbcZQbvRhd2KYyvcKlWZzuhxTud_mG0I5uf6YxMoc2_JrqP6I-VUJZ5rGaa78BenlVomKaLK3l4MOjXKNRIa02AMHuSWL4k/s1600/roadhome..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUCyFnjTSqKwie-HOWZVuuHMtLiq8ETKUs1-AqkO63i2HFVbcZQbvRhd2KYyvcKlWZzuhxTud_mG0I5uf6YxMoc2_JrqP6I-VUJZ5rGaa78BenlVomKaLK3l4MOjXKNRIa02AMHuSWL4k/s320/roadhome..JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSRRfDVWXpq29JxIoGQlIF9-S3vKQvFpsp6KY0xhzN7rXfL_ZbmRWhfeigQ5KsJ55Vh3EArWSxWgXI-FRlo2TTUgqRRMrwjW-JLI-Yu7wQwlyri2nOXSfG2W3M6MEemDH9hf_cRAS2nts/s1600/roadhome2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSRRfDVWXpq29JxIoGQlIF9-S3vKQvFpsp6KY0xhzN7rXfL_ZbmRWhfeigQ5KsJ55Vh3EArWSxWgXI-FRlo2TTUgqRRMrwjW-JLI-Yu7wQwlyri2nOXSfG2W3M6MEemDH9hf_cRAS2nts/s320/roadhome2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcbpBhH_vFE3Cpo89M_YgNJvrVn0thGc8Do3BL5xG49Bl1PkQc4KC2-1ZIoBX2uyucFbYsrtPN6J1aOOcTKVSyNBa6LcBKH3AJSkSZVLKbHswfDKHQ3dEzp7MZwqFLpXUh_DXuw-jzbfe/s1600/pier5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcbpBhH_vFE3Cpo89M_YgNJvrVn0thGc8Do3BL5xG49Bl1PkQc4KC2-1ZIoBX2uyucFbYsrtPN6J1aOOcTKVSyNBa6LcBKH3AJSkSZVLKbHswfDKHQ3dEzp7MZwqFLpXUh_DXuw-jzbfe/s320/pier5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />So overall, it was a pretty great birthday. Being 56 really isn't so bad. <br /><br />

Another year older...another year better?

Today was my 56th birthday. I sort of felt like a wreck this morning. My injuries from my bike crash last weekend are still plaguing me. My ...

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Why not hold a TeachMeet in your area?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Submitted by Fiona Beal</em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can hear you asking, “A TeachMeet? What is that?” I asked the same question before attending the Partners in Learning Institute in July 2011. Baldev Singh, one of our presenters, who is a founder of imagineeducation.org in the UK introduced the idea to us. He said this informal type of professional development is starting to supercede other forms of professional development in the UK.  If there is one way to enhance the spread of technology integration in the classroom, this is it!  We soon discovered that TeachMeets are also popular in the USA (where they are often called EdCamps) and all over Europe. Oooh, I’d love to introduce this idea in South Africa!</span></div></div> <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/AVvXsEh1KYjJNSo1odxDMC56UxSK0PF2TpTB6YrFlQ5SemwK4gpKaAb5IhUQeYjDwtLg-NYxYEA623GbxffxYUsahAVPzdHTnGAxj67iA_bucSxTnQBPtcUGo0bKgkbByOJYJ8vxbDBVtwB3oOM/s1600/baldev+singh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KYjJNSo1odxDMC56UxSK0PF2TpTB6YrFlQ5SemwK4gpKaAb5IhUQeYjDwtLg-NYxYEA623GbxffxYUsahAVPzdHTnGAxj67iA_bucSxTnQBPtcUGo0bKgkbByOJYJ8vxbDBVtwB3oOM/s320/baldev+singh.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Baldev Singh from </span><a href="http://www.imagineeducation.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">www.imagineeducation.com</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what is a TeachMeet?</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a nutshell, teachers choose a successful lesson they have done in technology integration, and depending on the time limits set by the TeachMeet organizers (can be 2 minutes, 3 minutes or 7 minutes), they use a data projector and computer and share their lesson. TeachMeets can be held anywhere and at any time. <br /><br />Before leaving for the PIL Institute week we were asked to watch this YouTube video on TeachMeets by Brainpop. </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://youtu.be/53KUW79lhrg">http://youtu.be/53KUW79lhrg</a></span><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/53KUW79lhrg" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some of the ‘rules’</span></b></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span></strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />*<span id="goog_1400297682"></span><span id="goog_1400297683"></span>The teachers listening take notes, photos, videos, they tweet or just listen.<br /><span id="goog_165567202"></span><span id="goog_165567203"></span>*Presentations need to be short and sharp<br />*Can use technology to present i.e.  PowerPoint, video, photos etc.<br />*It is fine to hold up a poster or even sing a song.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> *You need to plan before the time</span><br /><strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some of our teachmeets at the PIL Institute week</span></strong></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We loved the TeachMeet session where we presented to the USA Innovative Teacher finalists. If I can find any of the presentations on video I'll post them here. One that I did find on YouTube was from Dan Roberts from the UK. He cleverly got us singing a Songsmith song together using wireless microphones scattered around the room.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u4EIVDZAH0U" width="425"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://youtu.be/u4EIVDZAH0U"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://youtu.be/u4EIVDZAH0U</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What happens if there are too many people wanting to share something?</span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The organiser uses some kind of random selector so that you never know who is next. If you are not selected this time, there will be another time…the next TeachMeet.  I found this random name generator on the internet:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine">http://classtools.net/education-games-php/fruit_machine</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The organiser could alternatively draw names from a box, or use an Excel spread sheet random selector. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">TeachMeets from our PIL group on other occasions</span></strong></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some more examples of TeachMeets given by two of our PIL Institute group members on other occasions back in the UK. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jan Web, a teacher from the UK,  organises TeachMeets. Here is a video from YouTube where she is presenting a TeachMeet on using Microsoft's free tool called Mouse Mischief.</span><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3xCzQe8pTCU" width="560"></iframe><br /><a href="http://youtu.be/3xCzQe8pTCU"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://youtu.be/3xCzQe8pTCU</span></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact Dan Roberts from the UK  presented a TeachMeet at the Bett Show this year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jq8IuB5ijAU" width="560"></iframe></div><a href="http://youtu.be/Jq8IuB5ijAU"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://youtu.be/Jq8IuB5ijAU</span></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Other examples of TeachMeets found on YouTube</span></strong></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are a few more TeachMeet videos from YouTube illustrating the essence of a TeachMeet. You’ll notice that these are slightly longer – 7 minutes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kerry Turner on a Schools' History Project teachmeet</span></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N_Di1PB02X0" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><a href="http://youtu.be/N_Di1PB02X0"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://youtu.be/N_Di1PB02X0</span></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Julian Wood on 'What is a PLN?' (‘We' is better than ‘me’)</span></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VMisdq38P_M" width="425"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://youtu.be/VMisdq38P_M"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://youtu.be/VMisdq38P_M</span></a></div><div 425?="" allowfullscreen="" class="Mso<iframe width=" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VMisdq38P_M"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What happens if the teacher talking goes on too long?</span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The organiser has some way of telling them time is up. They stop immediately, hard as it is. A stopwatch is essential for an organiser. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How long does a TeachMeet session last?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the UK apparently they are very common in pubs from 5 – 7pm.  The length of time depends on who is organizing but often it is a two hour session.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What are the benefits?</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It seems like there are so many benefits in our social media age. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">*Teachers meet teachers from other schools.<br />*Teachers share their great ideas and learn from others. <br />*After the TeachMeet you mingle and ask questions from people who shared something you liked.<br />*They are great fun. <br />*Teachers love building on ideas, and in the wave of technology integration that is happening they will be encouraged to integrate technology with the curriculum which benefits our digitally-minded learners. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">As Baldev Singh told us, every teacher is a source of knowledge and its our simple ideas which can transform another teacher’s classroom. It’s the power of collective wisdom.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you show us a preparation template?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is the one created by Baldev Singh:</span></div><br /><div id="__ss_8789545" style="width: 425px;"><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0px 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal/teachmeet-template" target="_blank" title="TeachMeet template">TeachMeet template</a></strong> <iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/8789545" width="425"></iframe><br /><div style="padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" target="_blank">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fionabeal" target="_blank">fionabeal</a> </div></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please comment here about TeachMeets if you have attended one.  If you live in South Africa and introduce one, please let me know how it went.  If you happen live in Cape Town and introduce one, <em>please</em> invite me!  If you want me to help you organise one in Cape Town please contact me! (schoolnetsablog@gmail.com)</span></div>

teachmeets Why not hold a TeachMeet in your area?

Submitted by Fiona Beal I can hear you asking, “A TeachMeet? What is that?” I asked the same question before attending the Partners in Learn...

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I Love Lucy...A Few Reasons Why

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPEoXql9ZPem964Qzcw8U-5FRbH7KmOFQoeVwmW2uxyB_NhY_GRktbGcLBki9sEG4xTHUHRSxoMc81H12fyvbAnZZg8JkzMiTCYGXP6AXC9OFyBqTrws2M4916D26L3DtQ8-DIvgIK6rs/s1600/Lucy+by+Amsel+w+border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPEoXql9ZPem964Qzcw8U-5FRbH7KmOFQoeVwmW2uxyB_NhY_GRktbGcLBki9sEG4xTHUHRSxoMc81H12fyvbAnZZg8JkzMiTCYGXP6AXC9OFyBqTrws2M4916D26L3DtQ8-DIvgIK6rs/s640/Lucy+by+Amsel+w+border.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lucille Ball by Richard Amsel</span></td></tr><br /> </tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="goog_250145484"></span><span id="goog_250145485"></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is my entry in the "Loving Lucy Blogathon" hosted by True Classics...for more, <b style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://trueclassics.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/the-loving-lucy-blogathon-entries/">click here</a></b>.</span></i> <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><br /> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDOimK1qDWbD7KKg7vEMwG9BZ3_HmYgoegDh8DnRg1xn7wUanqxLMNxj-TTVvmkTSqkQdcvs26viNVOxvgNpMgBGWdbODIdPeNxWuxu_R9HEYNi9kP3SBtHSr6ADGxbIqGqAlsKy-i_c6/s1600/lucy+ewww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDOimK1qDWbD7KKg7vEMwG9BZ3_HmYgoegDh8DnRg1xn7wUanqxLMNxj-TTVvmkTSqkQdcvs26viNVOxvgNpMgBGWdbODIdPeNxWuxu_R9HEYNi9kP3SBtHSr6ADGxbIqGqAlsKy-i_c6/s200/lucy+ewww.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr><br /> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ewwww!"</td></tr><br /> </tbody></table>One reason I love Lucy is that my mom always reminded me very much of her. Both were smart, attractive and there was more than occasionally something they kept from 'the man of the house' (how I remember the phrase, "don't tell your father"). Mom was talented, ambitious, determined and funny, like Lucy. There were times, in certain situations, that she would imitate Lucy's famous "Ewwww!" take. But mom was what was then called a "housewife," a homemaker extraordinaire and PTA queen - Lucy was the greatest comedienne television has yet known.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As has often been noted, Lucille Ball was in Hollywood for years before she broke out on TV. She'd been tagged "Queen of B-Movies," which is something, but clearly not enough for an actress who'd shared the screen with the likes of Tracy and Hepburn, Astaire and Rogers, The Marx Bros., Bob Hope and Henry Fonda. Her popular radio series, "My Favorite Husband" (CBS, 1948 - 1951) was the stepping stone that led to Lucy's television super-stardom on "I Love Lucy," which debuted on CBS TV in October 1951.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've always been especially fond of the Lucy episodes from seasons 4 and 5, beginning in February 1955, when the Ricardos and Mertzes traveled to Hollywood. These shows included cameos by various stars (including John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Van Johnson and Harpo Marx) and industry legends (Hedda Hopper, Dore Schary) along with the usual Lucy hi-jinks. But I think some of my affection for these shows is also tied to the fact that Lucy and her gang had come to Southern California, my own home ground.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />I don't know how many times I've seen this Lucy sketch with William Holden (Season 4, Episode 17, "L.A., at Last," first aired February 7, 1955), but it still makes me laugh out loud. It's my favorite Lucy routine of them all and one of her two or three very best. The lunacy begins when Bill Holden, whom Lucy has already accosted and made a scene over at the Brown Derby restaurant, arrives at the Ricardo's hotel room with Ricky. Lucy improvises...</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z76QqL_AozI" width="425"></iframe></div><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Not long ago I watched the amusing <i>Miss Grant Takes Richmond </i>(1949), in which Lucy and Holden co-starred. He hadn't yet collaborated with Billy Wilder, a teaming that would launch the actor's great film stardom, and Lucy was still a year or two from her move to TV.  I have to think that the two must've relished working together in this 1955 sitcom classic, two former B-stars now both firmly ensconced on the A List, and having a great time of it.<br /><br /><b style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://evesreellife.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/another-lucy-classic/">Click here</a></b> for another of my favorite Lucy skits.<br /><br /><u><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Turner Classic Movies Schedule of Lucille Ball Films, August 6, 2011</b></span></u><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:00 am Eastern/3:00 Pacific, <i>Du Barry Was a Lady </i>(1943)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">8:00 am Eastern/5:00 Pacific, <i>Panama Lady </i>(1939)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">9:30 am Eastern/6:30 Pacific, <i>Without Love </i>(1945)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">11:30 am Eastern/8:30 Pacific, <i>Miss Grant Takes Richmond </i>(1949)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:00 pm Eastern/10:00 am Pacific, <i>The Fuller Brush Girl </i>(1950)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">2:30 pm Eastern/11:30 am Pacific, <i>The Long, Long Trailer </i>(1954)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">4:30 pm Eastern/1:30 Pacific, <i>Best Foot Forward </i>(1943)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:15 pm Eastern/3:15 Pacific, <i>Dance, Girl, Dance </i>(1940)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">8:00 pm Eastern/5:00 Pacific, <i>Stage Door </i>(1937)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">9:45 pm Eastern/6:45 Pacific, <i>The Big Street </i>(1942)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">11:30 pm Eastern/8:30 Pacific, <i>Easy to Wed</i> (1946)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">1:30 am Eastern/10:30 pm Pacific, <i>Lured </i>(1947)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">3:15 am Eastern/12:15 Pacific,<i>The Affairs of Annabel </i>(1938)</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">4:30 am Eastern/1:30 Pacific, <i>Annabel Takes a Tour </i>(1938)</span></div>

Desi Arnaz I Love Lucy Loving Lucy Blogathon Lucille Ball William Holden I Love Lucy...A Few Reasons Why

Lucille Ball by Richard Amsel This is my entry in the "Loving Lucy Blogathon" hosted by True Classics...for more, click here . ...

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Another New World Order ?

<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;">Austerity and the Destruction of Democracy in Europe</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Implementing austerity measures on PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain) countries as envisioned by the IMF, Germany and France will lead to public uprising and undermine democracy. By tightening the screw on common people the establishment will foster radicalism and racism which will play in the hands of the far right as well as the far left political movements who could grab the opportunity to tumble democratic values of Europe by implementing autocratic political systems. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the economy is in turmoil and unable to recover, in most cases it ends in war. Europe is one of the few places in the world which has not had an armed conflict for more than 60 years. Statistically speaking it is overdue in order to “reboot” its economy and the signs of this to happen are imminent. Historically speaking, it was not rare that European countries waged wars among themselves because of cultural and political differences, thus one cannot rule out that history does not repeat itself and pave the foundation for another NEW WORLD ORDER. See: <a href="http://www.prisonplanet.com/new-world-order-still-a-conspiracy-theory.html">http://www.prisonplanet.com/new-world-order-still-a-conspiracy-theory.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></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;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AhMxsu-54pY?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JfvHutiTL9s?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ttHYQUY-PO0?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

Another New World Order ?

Austerity and the Destruction of Democracy in Europe Implementing austerity measures on PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain) countries...

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Happy Friday!

As I struggled to wake up this morning after a late night (more on this later), I was delighted when I stepped onto the scale to see a 1.4 pound loss this week!  Thank you Lord - I'll take a loss anyday... even if I have lost these sames pounds over and over again.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteL1GEXjwvmPZ9P4vgPW3SOGaJKDfWxLkx_uswzPAa1DBsAMMZjg81LRmCluzF148JkwG93PMZGwKpmQsUhKIz8hK9Y-2TT7wfh4jC5Body92LqDEe56oe5MsWdgHR9u-dODH17v399I/s400/happy+friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteL1GEXjwvmPZ9P4vgPW3SOGaJKDfWxLkx_uswzPAa1DBsAMMZjg81LRmCluzF148JkwG93PMZGwKpmQsUhKIz8hK9Y-2TT7wfh4jC5Body92LqDEe56oe5MsWdgHR9u-dODH17v399I/s320/happy+friday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Last night we had a wedding rehearsal dinner for Joel's friends who will be getting hitched this Saturday!  I <3 weddings :).  The wedding is taking place in Baltimore, and that is an hour away from us.  We didn't get back from the dinner until around midnight.  I am a girl who needs her sleep, and so waking up at 5 AM was rather complicated after only a few hours of shut eye...<br /><br />I can already cross off half of an item from my <a href="http://the-big-weight.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-goals.html">August goals list</a>!  I printed out my goals and stuck them up at my desk at work...now I just have to do the same for the fridge at home.  <br /><br />Stay tuned for some wedding pics!

Loss Miscellaneous Random Weight Loss Thoughts Weight Watchers Happy Friday!

As I struggled to wake up this morning after a late night (more on this later), I was delighted when I stepped onto the scale to see a 1.4 p...

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I miss my left hand

Since my bike accident last Saturday when I sprained my left wrist, my left hand has been pretty useless. I can type (although even typing hurts a little), but I can't even lift a coffee cup without wincing with pain. I accidentally lifted my purse with my left hand today, and it almost brought me to my knees with pain. <br /><br />I'm really regretting my decision not to see the doctor after my accident. It took the swelling in my hand three days to go down so that it looked more human (it looked like a fake hand), and it's still a bit swollen. I can't wear my wedding ring or my watch. Since it sort of hurts all the time, I've decided to go see the doctor. Even if there's nothing they can do, at least I'll feel better knowing it will heal someday (I hope!).<br /><br />My most favorite part of going to the gym is the weight lifting. I detest cardio, always have and probably always will. Since lifting even a five-pound dumbbell this week was out of the question, I stayed out of the gym (it kind of broke my heart, but I didn't go). Plus I was trying to give my body time to heal, especially my wrist.<br /><br />My bike accident was actually pretty serious, and I have the bruises all over my body to prove it. The bruise on the inside of my right knee is amazing. I've never seen anything like it. It's eight inches in length and four inches across. It's still a deep reddish purple, and it's still very sore to the touch and kind of burns all the time (maybe the doctor should look at this too). I was looking at it tongiht and thought it looked swollen. I measured my knees and the bruised one is <b>two </b>inches bigger than my undamaged knee. No wonder it looks so fat!<br /><br />Even though I stayed out of the gym all week, my <a href="http://www.bodymedia.com/">BodyMedia</a> really motivated me to still get in my exercise. I set it to give me goals to meet so I would lose two pounds a week. It set my goal at 10,000 steps, one hour of moderate exercise and 30 minutes of vigorous exercise per day. Calorie intake at 1910 per day, although I'm aiming more at 1,300-1500.<br /><br />These are tough goals to make but I'm amazed at how motivated I am to make them. This BodyMedia is the best investment I've ever made in my weight loss journey (that and my Polar heart rate monitor - I still use it). I know I sound like a commercial, but I really love this thing. I bought the armband and the Bluetooth display. At first I thought the Bluetooth display was a waste of money (for another $99). But it's really fun to check it during the day to see how many calories burned or how many steps I've taken. It makes me get up from my desk and run downstairs to get water and ice (no ice machine on my floor). Just that little jaunt is 100 steps and they all add up.<br /><br />When I get home, I can't wait to sync up my BodyMedia on my computer to see how I've done during the day and where I am on the calorie deficit. Entering my meals is so much easier than Weight Watchers and a lot more fun because you can see all the details of what you eat.<br /><br />I was surprised that my total calories each day are almost always a balance of the following: Carbs = 50%, Protein = 25% ,and Fat = 25%. It various a little, but it's been pretty close to that every day, and I'm eating different foods and a different calorie amount almost every day so I can't figure out how this is happening. I don't know if that's a good balance or not, but I think the Zone Diet is 40 / 30 /30. I've never done the Zone Diet but I have a friend that swears by it.<br /><br />For my exercise I've been walking/running at lunch. When I get home, if I haven't made my exercise goals I go for another walk/run, usually it only takes another 20 minutes. Tonight at 8pm I went for a 25 minute walk/run. I met and actually went above my exercise and step goals.<br /><br />I've done a fair job of meeting these goals most days. A couple days I either ate too much fruit (darn those nectarines, plums, cherries and apricots!) and/or got stuck at my desk during lunch (like yesterday) and didn't get any exercise. <br /><br />I was down to 189 on Tuesday, but then my weight jumped back up to 191 the next morning, and I didn't overeat. My guess is it's the swelling in my knee, and my other bruised and injured body parts. <br /><br />My night binge eating has basically stopped. I don't really know why, other than I can't bear the idea of entering my binge foods into the BodyMedia website. The one night that I did go crazy on the fruit, I entered in every bite. I was at 2005 calories, which is more than I think I should be eating, but seeing how many calories I'd burned that day made me feel a little better.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscWRU401z4AsBuv2mFdOgvsWlDrS1exCqcmDMy8jhsPReneR7W_5i-a_u68M1NSNzIwHwYeog8CS-kv3aHzb01anqqCs9oa_G32__ddDfoG2Z6fR4FZR_dhtjimgzEeRDRy3tv9dWEKaP/s1600/mon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscWRU401z4AsBuv2mFdOgvsWlDrS1exCqcmDMy8jhsPReneR7W_5i-a_u68M1NSNzIwHwYeog8CS-kv3aHzb01anqqCs9oa_G32__ddDfoG2Z6fR4FZR_dhtjimgzEeRDRy3tv9dWEKaP/s400/mon.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tomorrow morning I'm going to the gym to do some lower body weight machines and maybe the StairMaster. When I ballooned up to 199 a couple weeks ago I couldn't even think about the StairMaster, but I'm feeling more fit and ready to tackle it now.<br /><br /><br />I usually never post what I eat, but just for fun, I thought I'd post my 2005 calorie day from Monday. You can all see what a pig I can be at times. My late night snack was 761 calories!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRZ0qfrNBhN_CmzwpaHCo0YpLKtGndXQKHHwWT-rsvtAcCfd4bp4UAfEqrJdUf9UzHh8BAytFcb5CZD1uQT3MZ7Altf3TCkXFo2d1jpIGM1FBSSs4g4ujdOQT1c3VDY06UbfR6oDoopGE/s1600/2005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRZ0qfrNBhN_CmzwpaHCo0YpLKtGndXQKHHwWT-rsvtAcCfd4bp4UAfEqrJdUf9UzHh8BAytFcb5CZD1uQT3MZ7Altf3TCkXFo2d1jpIGM1FBSSs4g4ujdOQT1c3VDY06UbfR6oDoopGE/s400/2005.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsP6cSZCZ1BEM1OB47EOUD4yKKm-BBbtVaVizYN1D8FBRYIUYeinwTECWDwZDDs6RzBrgP7aF2Nf1ejq2mSisnTy2JROvKU-ZC13ap8nr5Pip_Qa6plSHhl_BwhsPAq_rOee7MC-c1Jkj/s1600/2005_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsP6cSZCZ1BEM1OB47EOUD4yKKm-BBbtVaVizYN1D8FBRYIUYeinwTECWDwZDDs6RzBrgP7aF2Nf1ejq2mSisnTy2JROvKU-ZC13ap8nr5Pip_Qa6plSHhl_BwhsPAq_rOee7MC-c1Jkj/s400/2005_2.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a fairly decent review on the BodyMedia & BodyBugg (both made by the same company):</div>http://www.livestrong.com/article/366271-bodymedia-vs-bodybugg/

I miss my left hand

Since my bike accident last Saturday when I sprained my left wrist, my left hand has been pretty useless. I can type (although even typing h...

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Will you be the next to attend a Microsoft Partners in Learning Institute week?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Submitted by Fiona Beal</span></i><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Any teacher interested in integrating technology with the curriculum would jump at a chance to visit Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond to attend their Partners in Learning Institute, wouldn’t they? Well I consider myself in that category and from 24th – 31st July I had the privilege of such a visit! This PIL Institute is a new part of Microsoft's vision for teachers, and you could be one of the next attendees! Microsoft is planning many more of these training events… </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Who attended this training?</span></b><br />Microsoft’s educational wing known as Partners in Learning shortlisted 50 innovative teachers from 31 countries to attend the inaugural training in Redmond. Three South African teachers were selected - Cheryl Douglas, Ngaka Ralekoala and myself.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><i></i></span><br /><script src="http://zoom.it/Onlc.js?width=auto&height=400px"></script><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Where did we stay?</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">We lodged at the incredibly luxurious Hyatt-Bellevue Hotel in an area between Seattle and Redmond known as Bellevue. The hotel had magnificent views from the rooms. The conference staff organised a very busy week right down to the last detail late at night – but I must say that every second was well worth it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><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/AVvXsEj8ouYs1RqjNDygFCwhNZ03TXnRpBa4dz4TYWJE6oOlQeR3TExfWGukCQ0Q1CWZJrA4rln6qA7TTaefiSzuxBW1UCNbdoXe6AbhAWpmDRABN3UphyphenhyphenZ2lz69aIoM-1XU1h1H-9XxLPbgCNA/s1600/hotel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ouYs1RqjNDygFCwhNZ03TXnRpBa4dz4TYWJE6oOlQeR3TExfWGukCQ0Q1CWZJrA4rln6qA7TTaefiSzuxBW1UCNbdoXe6AbhAWpmDRABN3UphyphenhyphenZ2lz69aIoM-1XU1h1H-9XxLPbgCNA/s320/hotel2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">A room with a view at the Hyatt-Bellevue in Bellevue</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><b>What was the purpose of the PIL Institute? </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The purpose of the Microsoft Partners in learning Institute is to grow innovative teaching and learning </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">practices</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> around the world through a cadre of teacher trainers who will take what they have learned to their communities to coach and train other educators</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">.</span></span></div><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/AVvXsEjuc_8VMKBnIxWc0uUEwU7nInffFGZ_5O5Dhuirqp76iE8FWtP5xoqGDjy2fSMtKMR59n0DWB7mfsSOeV-iu963fdXdK7zNSywpttyuHvXEk7bLRKTDzLrudYgspU8QuZUZX4FjhGR1N0E/s1600/baldev1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuc_8VMKBnIxWc0uUEwU7nInffFGZ_5O5Dhuirqp76iE8FWtP5xoqGDjy2fSMtKMR59n0DWB7mfsSOeV-iu963fdXdK7zNSywpttyuHvXEk7bLRKTDzLrudYgspU8QuZUZX4FjhGR1N0E/s320/baldev1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Baldev Singh from <a href="http://www.imagineeducation.net/">www.imagineeducation.net</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><b>What did we do each day?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">D</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">uring the day we had training, workshops, discussions, field trips, work sessions and some learning excursions around which we created a project. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">I also enjoyed the </span><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">TeachMeet</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">  where we got the chance to give two minute presentations on something successful we have done in technology integration. I would LOVE to introduce this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TeachMeet </i>idea in South Africa. It would really enhance technology integration, I think. We also learned at length about 21^st century skills and how to create and assess activities using 21^st century skills. (We have homework to do on this due for the 15^th August). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">It was marvelous to get to talk to teachers from all the different countries and find out how education happens in their country. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Another treat was to be able to view the 102 USA finalist entries for the Microsoft Innovative competition. I always love to see what teachers come up with. </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><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/AVvXsEi-Us1y2BRhphJK3cX1tGvzBinDat53LbqaLZRwJEuyYosc1LAK52Gn4G0NM8QBiOX4sanGSxkyXrdQBO5VCJ3TQ-0mdRxLOwekuymW07b5rwSRyi5ryeN2DysEGn3ifJAjZlQLwURVme8/s1600/DSCF4715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Us1y2BRhphJK3cX1tGvzBinDat53LbqaLZRwJEuyYosc1LAK52Gn4G0NM8QBiOX4sanGSxkyXrdQBO5VCJ3TQ-0mdRxLOwekuymW07b5rwSRyi5ryeN2DysEGn3ifJAjZlQLwURVme8/s320/DSCF4715.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">One of the USA PIL Innovative Teacher entries</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Here is a slideshow of some of the USA PIL Innovative teacher entries:<br /><embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Ffionabeal%2Falbumid%2F5637820872517497249%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a summary of the USA projects:<br /><a href="http://bit.ly/qfUTvX">http://bit.ly/qfUTvX</a> </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The winners of the USA IEF have now been announced:</span><br /><div><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/aug11/08-01IEF11PR.mspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/aug11/08-01IEF11PR.mspx</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">One of the highlights was to visit the Microsoft Home of the Future at Their Headquarters in Redmond.</span><br /><div style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/mshome/VideoGallery.aspx">http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/mshome/VideoGallery.aspx</a></span></div><div style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Who were our presenters?</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The Institute was run under the Directorship of Maureen Cain. Our presenters were of the highest quality and everyone benefitted from their professional input as well as from the warm friendship and enthusiasm of the fifty teacher participants. <span class="Apple-style-span">One of the conference presenters was a Technology Integration specialist, Sonja Delafosse, from the Lake Washington school district. Now that is a job I would enjoy – helping teachers integrate technology into their lessons, because then both the students and the teachers benefit. What do you think?  Their classes seem to have netbooks at their disposal.  Sonja explained how technology integration in schools is very important to the parents of that area, since Seattle houses Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon.com, and Google also has offices there. In fact while we were participating in our Partners in Learning Institute, Google was holding one of its Google certified teacher courses at the same time.  </span></span></div></div><div style="clear: both;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Did we do a lot of sight seeing? </span></b></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The 50 of us were transported everywhere by luxury coach.  Seattle is a great city. It is very green with beautiful trees and fresh clean air. Some call it the Emerald City. We didn’t have time for much sight-seeing in our busy schedule, but as mentioned, Microsoft cleverly arranged learning excursions in groups, with each group visiting a tourist site, and creating and completing a project about it. We stored these in our Partners in Learning Network shared folder, and shared them with one another. </span></div><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/AVvXsEg3HvDk0Vm97JS3qH5Fi0o2aZ0MlBHPAEi2SYKGjcJ5GcUHBbi55Wu7HBzilx_sJuFj-j-U71p9UhQwbhBppgR2L1OLwFdBcsxGsU6umgG8D0K1D4oeRpHekHmRX9KIJlEUZcWx4433KKo/s1600/Our+group+for+underground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HvDk0Vm97JS3qH5Fi0o2aZ0MlBHPAEi2SYKGjcJ5GcUHBbi55Wu7HBzilx_sJuFj-j-U71p9UhQwbhBppgR2L1OLwFdBcsxGsU6umgG8D0K1D4oeRpHekHmRX9KIJlEUZcWx4433KKo/s320/Our+group+for+underground.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Our group visited the Seattle Underground</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With so many great Microsoft tools tools at our disposal everyone felt as though they had been everywhere...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The Seattle Underground via a photosynth made by Wichai...</span></i><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/rntjow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://bit.ly/rntjow </span></a></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=7fb39566-4f35-4d75-8e13-a44e3f088a10&m=false&i=0:4:2&c=0.00205078:-0.108068:0.00120274&z=595.845555452404&d=2.32396468923907:-2.45784581855064:-2.38653051201723&p=0:0&t=False&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>The Space Needle via a photosynth made by their group</i>...</span><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/pkSuZD">http://bit.ly/pkSuZD</a></span></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=869b4d72-195a-437c-a1cc-395a544fb4d4&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>The Pike Place Market via a video made by Jugoslava..</i>.</span><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/ogWCcU">http://bit.ly/ogWCcU</a></span></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CUAS_bcV1_8" width="425"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Seattle using a flashcard application made by Birgy...</i><br /><a href="http://flashcards.educationlabs.com/#/Play/?deckid=4721">http://flashcards.educationlabs.com/#/Play/?deckid=4721</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>The Seattle Art Museum via photosynth made by their group..</i>.</span><br /><a href="http://bit.ly/nvcofi"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://bit.ly/nvcofi </span></a></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=352a6d31-ee70-43b9-97f1-aeaf674bbfc2&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false" width="500"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><i>A video to sum it all up made by Bram...</i></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/r57qWJEOkpM" width="560"></iframe><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.65pt;">Honestly I can’t believe Microsoft’s commitment to teachers – it is awesome! The company is playing such an active role in education. We saw previews of how Partners in Learning wants to facilitate change through educators. They are launching a completely new Partners in Learning Network in November, which we saw a preview of, and I think this will facilitate a powerful network of teachers world-wide. I loved this sign at Microsoft. After eventually working out that it stood for ‘Pedestrian crossing’, for me it still seemed to say… ‘Xing into pedagogical change’.  I have come back with a renewed vision for professional development. <i>Thank you</i> to Microsoft. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAXSYN8KsRbW1gVgzQDCMTy-l7aluIDw0OwqJEwt8Cx3A15RO2vR4SCAQQ08x0rSQpVg9RyfJao44YF_4TvZTEyxXdXRSuLxIIp4UalG3mGmeCpAqk5WWVLt4XJVPHcN4TSvfFhQOqGA/s1600/dsc06188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAXSYN8KsRbW1gVgzQDCMTy-l7aluIDw0OwqJEwt8Cx3A15RO2vR4SCAQQ08x0rSQpVg9RyfJao44YF_4TvZTEyxXdXRSuLxIIp4UalG3mGmeCpAqk5WWVLt4XJVPHcN4TSvfFhQOqGA/s320/dsc06188.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 9.65pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">THE END</span></div></div></div>

conferences Microsoft Will you be the next to attend a Microsoft Partners in Learning Institute week?

Submitted by Fiona Beal Any teacher interested in integrating technology with the curriculum would jump at a chance to visit Microsoft’s hea...

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Post Baby Update

<p>Howdy friends! I wanted to give everyone an update! Tuesday I had my 6 week check up with my doctor. I had to wait until this appointment to start any type of exercise and…other things! <img alt="Winking smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-winkingsmile" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0l-x9qkg8mszI7otce9WcWCQEIFsm3c3jdHCBUZbX_lapHZbt-OWw-hu6nO2K6SVFeEZz9csZXkRyqq_LIUbE0MwdRUI8yPhOU445W_mtSw1m5Ld9akRvEA2Zp7wDQUdHVsxSOFCnGxt_/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"> Anyway…she said that I was good to go with exercise, but just to listen to my body, which was my exact plan! </p> <p>I had already researched and decided on using the couch to 5K plan. Click <a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml">here</a> to see the program I printed. Yep, I printed it! I’m putting it on my fridge and going to check each day off as I complete it!</p> <p>Wednesday was day 1! I got my (new) running shorts on, grabbed my garmin, buckled Adelyn in our new (to us) jogging stroller, and we were off! Day 1 was a 5 minute power walk warm up and then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-erMPGxdySLXk7ZOF9H4oF6Ck9Cw6sZ-eVSZuRV3ztTwPr1jRG-5i9-vPhV54sEQITa02mH7sN0KcxHTtQWBPEyCW5JPGoSkscNmSpR51NzRLxOSCgVC4T9HpQRkbLB6nYNtA_Ah5o-1/s1600-h/DSC004815.jpg"><img alt="DSC00481" border="0" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAksa3Gvvj-RryM_fb06N7l08cKChXzsaj3e2plfFyZgomKeBcxokbXBJi9B5QCsXpCCw2g5r2_4YCxxFD8JClITXmKU5yOIdu_eMb44OeN4f07uk8XB1HUl54hJvWHQuYNyXMG1uIecI6/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC00481" width="342"></a></p> <p>I didn’t know what to expect, but I sure didn’t expect my rear to feel like it gained an extra 10 lbs!! Seesh!! I felt like I had a ba-donk-a-donk! I talked to a few other fellow new mama’s and happily found out it gets better! Thank goodness!</p> <p>I found day 1 to be completely do-able and I’m looking forward to more runs with my baby girl!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPT8Of-ENTnPp0TY-lEvxxv66ADrOb4iNDyZ539D6N66ltiG0SadP9Jn8fEH2EO8K7kurN0pARJ9WhfRJd-rUTnXuiVT5esOUHRiOoi64hoVeWQMXQ9ETdwif8U2-oFBL24skG8_NPe-y6/s1600-h/DSC004865.jpg"><img alt="DSC00486" border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitG9uaKY_RQlT0M1xj6osd6eBnc_IenVkqXDvtmdX8sP-wrDRakXUFJsHV40Dv6wWftE1LivzgNvcD02HXsPCBto0916_PeiAemwYEexw0_Hcqo-jCrATDzNy6Ulau0ulhLqK9QnUVhtTW/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC00486" width="351"></a></p> <p>Speaking of Adelyn, check out what she thought of her first time in the bumbo! That toothless grin melts my heart every time!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymtNETu7ZRoARrfai1HvKyVUtvfoW9xky4HIauNHDAS-NwIuzK5u_kuhoJ375dNNelhjKe2KGXyHQ0uk8ECTlPv1NXJOM2nCRUuNCrzkjwQNMWIZcEb_RUKUxkVxe1hzY64JlVShwdgFr/s1600-h/DSC004784.jpg"><img alt="DSC00478" border="0" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESOXVAvd6EvDGHB6_kfkjuah_69CWh3XPaiq3FLYDgWxCau2g8iZkM6YzeQ-pdbKkH850SqdeiOn1JWeHh51mlnt6ARwqaT8asujjxMHfCGexZw-9Muuc8DSoRpCXKboUZELs0c1TWxyj/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC00478" width="324"></a></p> <p>So the other part of this post baby plan is focusing on my eats as well. I think it would be hard not to with a fridge filled with all these fruits & veggies! Monday I cleaned, chopped, & packaged carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple, and watermelon!<img alt="DSC00476" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRV2UbyzzB7GHzuPdKlk2Yu6f-zIJO3gHOkSE48QakF-r9ruOUzOLwy4Z_MdK13ptvbs5eZxML9LmA6kFtmFYvhtoWJ3eWU5VU2nPwVAAQMiUq0Xlr-UOItqRYEVwnOtSLos2aX2H50faA/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC00476" width="404"></a></p> <p>I’m hoping with adding exercise into my routine it boost the weight loss and help me tone! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!</p> <p>Adios <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmh4zvEp-d5QWHTgNZGj-vOV4wnW172KR9tqcUzHrMQ0lj5DtFT5QbpfpMmu8zimo8V3uek8nexk0Y6lcqKgeixx4hiCPJd48Ic5h3OLymtIzOOih20LmfZCQNATiKhZaPirxCcmNCKVo/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"></p>

Post Baby Update

Howdy friends! I wanted to give everyone an update! Tuesday I had my 6 week check up with my doctor. I had to wait until this appointment to...

Read more »