Around the holidays, I talked with my mom about holiday cards. She was talking about the time it takes her to sign and address the cards she would be sending. A few years ago, I switched to making cards with photographs from online sites, as it seemed everyone else was doing it – so it must be a good idea!

I talked about the labels I print to stick on the envelopes and my mom said she was not going to use labels and I, being defensive as I am, thought maybe I was being too impersonal with cards and not spending enough time on them. But then I thought about the time I invested in choosing ‘just the right’ photos for the card and the formatting time so it would be ‘just so’.

This got me to thinking about the trade-offs we all make for the different tasks we do. These are a personal choice and, in the end, it is best to appreciate everyone for their own way of doing things.  I enjoyed the labeled photo cards and the handwritten cards and made sure I took the time to think about the investment each person had made with the method they chose for their holiday cards.

I am keeping a list of trade offs that we make and assessing each one for its value. Are you making trade offs? Are they worth it?

Related articles

• Be More Productive by Making Better Daily Choices (blogs.hbr.org)
• Thomas Hills: Why human intelligence isn’t evolving faster (guardian.co.uk)

Today at school, I heard a teacher say something like, “You won’t get that one wrong, right?” to a group of students.

This got me thinking about the messages we send with the words we use. Would it be more meaningful to ask something along the lines of, “How will you recall this information?”

After teaching a graduate class about human learning, I have really been thinking about how the main job of a teacher is not just to transmit knowledge, but to help students make connections between bits of information and then how to get that information organized.

Storage and organization of information in our memory will lead to better recall and application. The next time I ask students to remember something, I will work hard to help them figure out HOW they will remember it and recall it later. What connections did they make? How does the information make sense to them?

• Meet Common Core Standards with Pixie

  Pixie is software students can use to write, paint pictures, and tell stories. Pixie provides a fun way for elementary students to explore and respond to curriculum topics related to the Common Core Standards.

  tags: commoncore elem_sites

• KidsHealth : Kids Home Page

  A lot of information on the elementary level.

  tags: health Science Body humanbody elem_sites

• How the Body Works Main Page

  Kids Health videos and quizzes

  tags: health Science Body anatomy interactive elem_sites

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Today I helped oversee an activity involving QR Codes. The high school social studies teacher organized a scavenger hunt around the building. Students were organized into groups, given a prompt paper, and set off to scan codes and respond to prompts about the Civil Rights era.

Related articles

• Giant QR code fights graffiti, ‘restores’ mural (news.cnet.com)

The edcamp Harrisburg organizer team discussed a possible theme for the November 12th event. We tossed around a few ideas, but in the end settled on empowerment.

• What does empowerment mean to you?
• Are you seeking empowerment on a daily basis?
• Do you help others feel empowered?

A definition of empowerment from Wikipedia reads:

Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.

The edcamp events embody this notion of empowerment in that the organizers are volunteers working to put on a great event to empower others. The participants are educators and other folks that come together to share and gain knowledge, thereby empowering others as well as themselves. Educators must feel empowered to do the very best job they can do ~ we owe it to ourselves and to our students.

Come to edcamp Harrisburg for inspiration and empowerment!

Microsoft Image

Related articles

• Counting Down! (edcampharrisburg.org)
• EdCamps Everywhere! Find One or Host One (freetech4teachers.com)
• About Harrisburg University (edcampharrisburg.org)

• Getting Organized

  “Having a well managed and organized classroom is the key to a successful learning environment. “

  tags: elem_sites organization classroom Classroom_management

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

A friend of mine has a blog for elementary students to share their comments and practice good writing skills. She posts a new post every Monday and asks that students respond in the comments using only their first name. If they wish, they may add the name or initials of their school.

What a fun, easy way to get students communicating with a wider audience. The prompt for this week is about World Teacher Day and asks students to share about how a teacher has helped them and/or is important to them.

See what is brewing at the Purple Teapot!

I really love getting emails from teachers like this one:

My ladibug document camera is here.  I was so excited…I put the iPod under and demonstrated how to record stories!!!   And we practiced successfully today!!!  Tomorrow the students pick their own book to record.  Attached I have shared two photos!!!!

Sadly, then, I must send the pods back to their owner……It was so fun!  I so am continuing to WISH for my own set !!!!

Thanks for listening!!! W-

The Internet Archive, a California-based organization that collects audio, moving images and Web pages for historical purposes, has put together a television news archive of that day’s coverage.

More than 20 channels were recorded with more than 3,000 hours of television. Besides major U.S. networks like ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC, the Internet Archive has posted online TV recordings from Moscow, Paris, London, Baghdad, Tokyo, Ottawa and elsewhere.

The site is available at http://www.archive.org/details/911/day. Read more from AP News: http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_15996/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=dJOyfBQq

Image Citation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spam/4418972629/sizes/s/in/photostream/

• Ten Tips for Classroom Management | Edutopia

  “Learn how to improve student engagement and build a positive climate for learning and discipline for grades K-12.

  We’ve all heard this about students: “If they are engaged, they are managed.” And this is absolutely the truth. But we still need rules, routines, trust, and student ownership to make a classroom run smoothly and effectively. This guide will address those practical aspects of managing a classroom, with suggestions and resources appropriate for grades K-12.”

  tags: edutopia management newteachers elem_sites

• EveryDay Math – Teacher Home

  Select your grade level along the left side.

  tags: elem_sites math edm everydayMath interactive

• smart board 2nd grade Math

  tags: elem_sites math edm everydayMath interactive 2ndgrade

• Everyday Math Resources

  “The Center School District has adopted the Everyday Math Series for grades K-5.This page lists resources relating to Everyday Math.”

  tags: elem_sites math edm everydayMath

• Everyday Math – Grade 2 Games

  “EveryDay Math Grade 2 Activities
  All activities/games are organized by lesson for your convenience.”

  tags: elem_sites math edm everydayMath 2ndgrade

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.