Happy Holidays

This is my last post for EDU 653. It has been a pleasure working with you in class. I am glad we were able to help each other out especially during what seemed like complicated and confusing times.

I look forward to completing my last two classes with most, if not, all of you. Graduation is soon upon us!!!

Happy Holidays

Scrub Club

For those of you who teach lower elementary or have kids at home then you may enjoy this link. Scrub Club is a website that teaches kids how to wash their hands and how to prevent the spread of diseases. This link offers videos, comics, and games. There are also free downloads for teachers. Enjoy!

Scrub Club

Creating Your own Games

Have you ever wanted to create your own game, but couldn't find just what you were looking for? This website offers seven tools to help build your own perfect game.
1.) Sharendipity
2.) ClassTools.net
3.) Purpose Games
4.) What 2 Learn
5.) Yo Yo Games
6.) Jeopardy Labs
7.) ProProfs Brain Games

Games

Titanic Footage

For those you you who are history teachers, history buffs, or just love the Titanic like me, then you will love this link. This link has some of the only original footage of the Titanic. It has the Titanic in the shipyard under construction, interviews with some survivors, and some underwater footage.

Titanic Videos

Facebook: Cheating Spouses

According to ABC News, 20% of divorces are a result of Facebook. Articles like this make me so upset, especially because I have seen it happen twice. I had two good friends who started cheating on their husbands because of Facebook, both have ended in divorce. In my opinion Facebook allows people to hide behind a computer and say things they would never be able to say publicly...people test the waters. There is a website dedicated to Facebook cheating. This website gives tips on how to catch a cheater.

Check out the link below:

Facebook Cheating

Eating Healthy at the Mall

CNN Health highlights how to eat healthy as you tackle Christmas shopping. I am one for greasy food, but knowing there are healthy alternatives may make me think twice before grabbing noodles from the Chinese food stand :) Some of the foods include grilled salmon with brown rice from P.F. Changs, broccoli beef with white rice from Panda Express, 6 inch veggie delight from Subway, and Asian sesame chicken salad from Panera Bread. For a full list please visit the site below.

Healthy Food Choices while Shopping

Save Paper-Create Planning Calendars

This is a great tool to use if you have a bunch of wasted papers lying around. Those papers can be turned into weekly or monthly planning calendars. This website offers PDF templates and they are updated quarterly. Enjoy!


ReprintMe

Acne and Depression

I found this article quite interesting...especially since I teach middle school students whose moods can be at a high one day and at a low the next. According to CNN Health, the British Medical Journal did some recent research and found that acne can actually lead to depression and suicide attempts. Doctor's say that appearance is linked to self-esteem. One more thing we can keep our eyes open for as we teach :)

Create Drawings with Crayola

Crayola has created a new site for people to use to create drawings online. I am really excited about this as my 3 year old son is really starting to enjoy playing on the computer. He mostly likes watching train videos on YouTube, but I truly think this will capture his interest. You can create a drawing on a blank canvas. There is also coloring pages for Pre-K teachers. Kids can also create and color their own portraits.

Crayola Site

Tis the Season to be Jolly...and Buy Gifts :)

The Toy Guy, Christopher Bryne, has created a list of the top educational toys and games for the season. I love buying educational toys and games as presents. I feel kids get too many toys that provide no learning opportunities.

Here are some toys and games that are mentioned...
vTech V.Reader Animated E-Book System
LeapFrog Leapster Explorer Learning Game System
Hyper Dash Extreme
Woody's Run Around Round Up Game
'Tis the Season for Technology (this could be used in the classroom)

For the complete article and video, check out the site below:
The Toy Guy

Kid's Cold Remedies

Flu season runs from October to May in the United States. On average, adults get 2 to 4 infections a year and children get 6 to 12 a year. This is the most frequent infectious disease. In 2008 it was strongly recommended that cold and cough medication not be given to children under the age of 2. Keeping that in mind, here are some tips to try to not only keep yourself healthy, but your kids as well. I know we are all surrounded by germs!
1. Wash your hands with soap and water
2. Find foods that help support your natural immunity, such as multi-colored foods
3. Get plenty of vitamin D (natural sunlight is the best...hard to find in MI in the winter months)
4. Stay hydrated
I hope everyone stays healthy this year...I know a bug has already been passed through my family :(

Principal Accused of Trespassing

This article made me laugh but made me irritated at the same time. According to ABC News, the principal of Chester Academy, in Chester, NY went to one of his student's houses after he found out they stayed home sick. The father of the child is claiming the principal barged in and caught the boy in his underwear and then felt the kid's forehead to see if he truly was running a temperature. This article seems almost so bizarre to me, I wonder if the dad of the child is making it up or at least exaggerating the story. I have seen firsthand how parents try to manipulate schools and how they feel their child can do no wrong. I am getting more and more frustrated at what the state is requiring of us and how little the parents do to help. Sorry I needed to vent a little :)

What your Email says about you...

I found this post humorous more than anything. This article is stereotyping people's email account. For example, if you have an AOL account, then "you probably had the same email address since 1977 :)". Hotmail is pretty much the same thing as AOL. Yahoo ended up with a hung jury. Gmail says "you pretty much know your way around a computer." If you own your own domain then you are "e-savvy," and finally if you use your work email as you personal email then "1. you spend too much time at work or 2. you want people to be impressed by where you work." I have a hotmail account and a work email account...I think this article would consider me very uncool :) Oh, well, at least I have one and check it frequently, right??!!

Check out the link for full descriptions...
What your e-mail address says about you

Vocaroo

This program allows users to make voice recordings for free without installing any software. Once you have made the audio recording you can either publish it or get rid of it. This program also allows you to embed the recording anywhere (the site provides the embed code for you). You also have the option to download the recording. I think this is something worthwhile to check out. Especially with what we have had to do with our classes. This will be an easy way to record audio and put them in our blogs, websites, or PowerPoints.

VOCAROO

Online Sign-Up Forms

What a great tool!  It almost makes me a little disappointed that we don't do a lot of field trips at the middle school level.  I would love to use this.  This is a free and easy tool that allows teachers to create an online webpage to organize group activities.  The page can be made private or public.  You can visit the page at Sign Up Genius

Using Facebook Safely

I was so excited to see this article.  I have to admit I am an avid user of Facebook, but it also makes me nervous and I am constantly checking my settings to make sure only "my friends" can see my posts, etc.  But what makes me even more nervous is the fact that I know my students are using it and they are not very knowledgeable when it comes to internet safety.  Facebook has published a 32 page guide on Facebook safety for parents to use.  Hopefully this will get out to our parents and they will actually read it.  This article can be found on Free Technology for Teachers and is titled "Connect Safely-A Parents' Guide to Facebook."

Obesity in Fruit Flies

This article cracked me up!  According to ABC Health, Fruit flies are annoying little pests, but after reading this article I have a little (not much) more compassion for them.  Scientists have found that fruit flies have some of the same molecular mechanisms as humans in regards to high cholesterol and diabetes.  By studying these mechanisms in fruit flies, scientists can then apply them to humans.  So, even though fruit flies can drive us all batty, if scientists can determine why some people are more prone to obesity than others (besides poor dietary choices) then I guess I can tolerate them a little more.

Tips for Great Sleep

I am sure many of you can relate with me when I say I have trouble sleeping.  Especially since I have two kids and my 6 month old is still waking up in the middle of the night.  CNN Health posted an article for things to look for if you are not sleeping well.  Tips include having new moms check their thyroid, saying goodbye to sadness, exercise, taking note of how many times you have to make a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night, examining the medications you are taking, and seeing a doctor if you are a chronic snorer.  After reading this and taking into consideration some of the tips...I hope to get a semi-decent nights sleep :)

Resources about the Great Depression

History fascinates me.  I sometimes wish I would have been a history teacher.  On the website "Free Technology for Teachers," there are free resources about the Great Depression.  October 29th marked the 81st anniversary of Black Tuesday (the day the stock market crashed), which eventually led to the great depression.  Even if you can't use this in your classroom, it would be a great resource or history lesson if you have older kids at home.

Site for Oomfo

Here is the link to oomfo (the site about PowerPoints)

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/10/add-some-oomph-to-powerpoint-slides.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Creating PowerPoints with more Oomph

I was reading posts on the Free Technology for Teachers site and came across a way to make your PowerPoints a little more exciting.  This intrigues me because I am trying to incorporate more PowerPoints into my teaching and requiring my students to give more presentations.  Oomfo is a free add-on to Microsoft PowerPoints.  It allows you to insert animated charts and graphs.  There is a video that shows a quick demonstration...if your into PowerPoints it might be worth checking out :)

Google Internet Traffic

CNN Tech released a report that Google traffic accounts for 6.4% of all internet traffic.  This is a new record.  It has gained more than 1% internet share since January.  There is only one other global ISP that handles more (but the article did not mention which one).  The article also mentions how Googles share could be a little more (8-12%) if you look at traffic offloaded by Google Global Cache deployments.  Internet traffic is also growing at a rate of 40-45% each year. 

Halloween candy often picked off by parents

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I found this article very fitting.  According to USA Today and author Nanci Hellmich, Halloween is the biggest time of the year for eating candy.  Approximately 5% of candy that is consumed for the year occurs on Halloween and the week following Halloween.  What is even more interesting is that parents eat one candy bar for every two the child(ren) bring(s) home.  Most of the snack size candy bars contain 60 - 80 calories each.  Eating many of these can cause people extra weight gain.  If you find yourself not able to resist, it is recommended to give candy away to a senior center as treats or not give away your favorite candy to trick-or-treaters (that way you won't be tempted by the candy in your basket).

Cholera Outbreak

There has been a suspected Cholera outbreak in Haiti.  At least 135 people are dead.  According to ABC News, the outbreak has occurred in rural Artibonite, which is the home of thousands of earthquake refugees.  "Cholera is a waterborne bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours. Treatment involves administering a salt and sugar-based rehydration serum."

Internet Bullying

This is a great topic/poll on Edutopia.  I see bullying all the time at the middle school level.  Kids are really cruel at this age.  This is one reason I like to teach this age level...hopefully I can make a difference and all kids can see how important and special they are.  But, is bullying happening more now that kids can be masked behind the computer?

Tylenol Product Recalled

For those of you who follow products that are recalled, you may be interested in this, especially because it is from the makers of Tylenol.  Tylenol 8-hr. caplets in 50 count have been recalled due to musty or moldy odor.  They say adverse medical events are remote.  This was found on CNN.com.