Artificial Leaf, DC Power Supplied Homes, LED lights, Solar Panels

After looking more and more into the idea of the Artifical Leaf by Dr. Daniel Nocera the concept of cheaper energy may become a reality when his patents are approved. I've been doing research on using a DC power supply in place of some AC power in a home to save money. Next year during home school I'm hoping to implement this idea with my 2 sons. With the recent up grades in LED lighting and Solar Panels a DC powered home is becoming a reality.

Here is an article covering the basics of using already existing camping and car style DC systems in your home.

http://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-to-make-12v-dc-power-system-easy-as.html

This Blog covers some of the advantages and disadvantages of using DC power.

http://chrisgammell.com/2008/06/12/can-dc-power-an-entire-home/

Existing LED lights that replace the Floresent bulbs in your home are expensive because each one requires a converter to convert AC < DC in each bulb. Here is an example of existing DC power source in your home using a phone line 40 -70V.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-get-free-electricity-from-phone-jack-127041/

USB cables and your computer can already distinguish the amount of power needed to operate different devices so why not use them in your home. Here is a USB fridge.-

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-usb-mini-fridge-159116/view/

I hope to add more as I research more.

Interactive Learning and Survival- Little Fox's Webinar

This webinar by Edutopia focuses on the brain and why basically entertainment always wins over boring educational material. It's all about "Making Learning Stick!" That's what it's all about. We need to rethink and involve our students in education not just read about it. Stimulating Curiosity and Discovery is the key.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMZnfFD1maU&feature=relmfu

After getting a few more phone calls this week about 4 more children I maybe getting to raise because my sister's a drug addict it made me really think. After growing up myself as a welfare child with parents addicted to drugs this week reminded me how hard it is to focus on learning when the world around you is so dangerous and falling apart. "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."(James 4:14b) I can remember all the bad things why not the good sometimes.

Edutopia my Professional Organizations

Edutopia by George Lucas is my choice. Not just because he made Star Wars the greatest movie ever made! :) I picked it because it incorporates Active Play, Vygotsky's "Zone of Proximal Development", Scaffolding, Piaget's "Play as Assimilation", Social Play and Creative Play and Learning at all ages. (Frost) I've already begun using this site to learn more about how people learn. One example is there article on how NASA is turning it's technology inward towards education with STEM. With the motivation of the Space Race of the 1960's NASA is finally getting the hint we need to focus on here in order to learn more about space and science. Learning should be as fun and entertaining as going on an adventure. To explore and discover as during the "Age of Discovery" with ships and The New World. As teachers we must move outside the just the face-to-face education and embrace learning as a skill not just something a classroom only activity.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-online-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron

Skype, gmail chat, Elluminate with Amy and Peaches

Me, Peaches, and Amy were finally able to link up and Skype online. We discussed everything from what our favorite technology was, the final unit project, and computer technology in general. Not to mention we talked for almost 30 minute covering our careers and use of technology. None of us had a webcam but all 3 of us had pictures on Skype. I took a screen shot that I will delete later. I'm never one much on displaying personal info and at 1st was a little skeptical about Skyping.

In the end though I had a good time and it was really nice to actually talk to fellow students. It give the class the personal touch. I kind of wish we would have done this at the beginning of the course rather than the end. :( This might be one of the 1st classes where I can honestly say I"m going to miss my online companions. Soldiers in the trenches who survived this class! I learned a lot thought and I hope to use a lot of the technology from this class in the near future. Overall this online Skype session made me really miss going to a classroom to learn and getting to know the people a little better.

I set up an Elluminate session also but no one showed. :( I really like the technology that Elluminate program but for the amount I'll be using it I'll just stick with the 30 day trial for now. I posted a powerpoint presentation and really, really like that I was able to display my desktop. I have to figure out how to do that on xfire, gmail or some other free program. I know I pinch pennies and make them scream.

Cyberbulling

Cyber Bullys come in all shapes and sizes. After playing online multiplayer shooter games I've encountered a number of cyber bullys that do everything from try to track down your physical address to ping your IP address and try to hack your firewall. All this just over games online. I cannot imagine the amount of cyberbulling that goes on in place like school with access to facebook and other social networking sites now available. I know in the gaming PC community crashing servers, hacking, and hurassing PVP(Player vs. Player) type games can get pretty bad. The key point is never share personal information and utilize different gaming accounts to prevent cyberbulling. I read a few articles on cyberbullys on the web. Here is one that caught my attention about how we focus so much on getting the newest best technology but fail to realize what dangers it puts us in. The Aricle is called "Parents spending more on technology but forgetting safety." We teach our kids about being safe crossing the street but give them a cell phone and are shocked to hear they are getting illegal images, annoying phone calls, and taking pictures of things they shouldn't. In this article it says "33% of parents closely monitor their kid’s use of the internet and one quarter of parents admitting they haven’t spoken to their kids recently about who they should share their mobile number with."(Cyberbullyforum) Another article I glanced at was Psychology of Cyberspace. I hope to read it more extensively when I find the time. This article is about the ego and cyberspace and social interaction. I know a lot of use base our social standing in our comminity and it directly impacts our ego. This can be used for good and bad. Good to encourage learning, communication and understanding. The bad to attack and anti-socialize others. I hope to write more on it later after I find the time to read some of its article in depth.

Week 11- Evaluating my Own Blogs

Beautifu Posts, Perfect in every way, Should be a Journalist! "Do I get an A?" Just Kidding while reading through the Rubics Assignment I'm beginning to think grades are not as important as skills.

I noticed I usually write about ideas and concepts but I don't always complete the idea. I don't always summarize what I've written about to give the readers closure. I could also include More Open ended questions to get the reader to think about the ideas I'm writing about more. I have noticed a change in my posts over time. My more recent posts do focus more on a complete idea rather than just random thoughts. My composition has improved. I've started to use a lot more picture references, videos, and support for my writings.

As I reflect back on my 1st post about "SimulationEducation - Hands on Approach to Learning" I'm approaching a half circle. The thought of creating a Hands on Approach to learning by facilitating is becoming an tangable Idea. I lay awake at night as my mind races though how to reach students, how to engage them and utilize there full potential. How to reach children suffering from ADHD, Social Anziety's, and Learning Disabilities. I'm develping the weapons to fight this War against illiteracy, poverty, and "this person is a lost cause" concept.

Through Webquests I've learned how to focus on creativity to challenge students. I've learned to use games to teach and strengthen skills. Someday I still hope to make them. I've learned to use co-operative documents using PBworks. I've even gotten a 1st hand glimps of one being used in an acually classroom my 6th grade son is in. They are using items I'm learning about in this class to teach. He is now in AP Reading and AP Math based on these concepts. I hope to teach him using Podcasts and Vodcasts a new concept I had never done before this class.

I've come across teacher that are working on the same ideas and through there creations and examples I hope to make my own. The Flipped Classroom is one area I'll be revisiting. The concept of using the classroom to syncronizing online learning at home. I'm currently looking over the idea of creating a Rubics. I love the idea of using a Rubics rather than grades. Rubics focus more on the skills learned, kind of a "G0 or NO GO" concept the Army uses.

I know my writings are not as creative or narrative as some in this classroom's blogs I've read. I need to work on that. I've learned a lot so far focusing on skill rather than grades. I hope to learn more even beyond this class or blogs I've written. If I use blogs I'll make them internal in my classroom and not public.

Robotic Legos Teach Elementary School Students STEM Skills

Robotic Legos Teach Elementary School Students STEM Skills

In order to motivate students you must create a learning environment they can understand and want to be a part of. What better way than using toys, especially Legos. Lego's have come a long way from just using them like blocks.

Lego's by Age
For ages Preschool to 8th I recommend using Lego Education website. It provides Legos in prepackaged sets to teach primarily robotics and a lot more.

Beginning with Robotics
LEGO® Education WeDo

Intermediate
LEGO® Education

Advanced
LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education
Mindstorm site

Here is some Ideas about the Intermediate set used to teach Physics and gear ratios. Here is some ways to Use this set to teach renewable energy. If you click on select curriculum you can gear different aspects of the project to fit different age groups. Legos are perfect for teaching engineering.

Legos for Mathmatics
Legos are excellent for teaching math concepts like addition, subtraction, fractions, geometry, and many more. In an article called LEGO Math Activities By Teri Ann Berg Olsen she points out 22 Lesson Ideas you can use to teach math with Legos. She didn't even go into using Lego's to teach Scale Modeling, Perimeter, or Area. WierdRichard is a great site to look over for math subject ideas with Legos

Youtube like Legos are great for Learning. If there are still any doubts just sit down with a set of Lego's for 15 minutes and before you know it your creativity and creations will turn into hours of learning. The problem is you may find yourself forgetting about your other duties or goals.

Podcasts and Vodcast?

I've never tried to watch or download a podcast until today. I had a really hard time trying to figure out how to download the podcast and vodcast to my mp3 player from the NOVA site. Very Very Frustrating but I think I have finally figured it out. I went to the Nova Podcast site and was able to stream the podcasts easily to watch on my PC using my yahoo account on directly on the website. My Question was How Do I Download It!!

Downloading (Subscribing to Podcasts)

First let me point out that I do not have an Ianything - no Ipad, Ipod, ect... so to the best of my knowledge itunes will not work with my cheap mp3 players by ematic. Itunes uses a different codeing besides mp3, mp4, acc.

So I had to track down a Podcatcher. I looked them all up in wikipedia and finally decided on Doppler. Now I installed the Doppler program. Next I opened it and went to the Nova site and followed these directions. It appears you have to right click on the xml then subscribe. You do this by Right Clicking on xml and select Copy Short Cut. Then click the add in Doppler to add the Podcast subscription you want. (Whew what a Pain!) After 4 hours I'm still trying to download only what I want. It will download everything in the subscription. ugh.

Ok Now I opened the Doppler files that it downloaded. Right clicked opened the containing folder then dragged that .mp3 player fomated file into my ematic MP3 player.

Why is it so hard to just download a MP3 file using podcasting. Podcasting is like a television program that you set your DVR to record but it will record all episodes not just the one you want. Wouldn't it just be easier to just list the mp3 files seperate and let you download them individually.

Well after all that it finally worked I was able to lisen to an MP3 from Nova about Electrical Blackouts. While Podcasting is interesting it just seems to be a complex way of giving people MP3 or MP4's(Video) they dont really need. It's a forced subscription in my opinion. I will be tracking down the MP4 and 3 I like and downloading them but as for having a subscription to a channel.... I'll try to prevent it.

After thoughts after cooling down.

Some advantage I see is that now I can download MP4's and other files to watch or lisen to on my MP3 player or my Laptop to broadcast in a Classroom.

If I could find a subscription or create a subsciption for my classroom I could send them videos each time they loaded the program using Doppler.




(Update) As I was about to run out the door I notice a file on my PC called NOVA so I put it into my removable harddrive so I could take it with me to work. I got a change to look it over on break and wow Podcasting is perfect for On-the-Go educational material. That site downloaded 15 videos that I can watch anywhere. I can see whole lessons being put on video and Podcasted or Vodcasted. I normally have to copy and past everything to a word document and print it out to look at it later when I don't have internet access but this podcasting could be the key to overcoming that.

(Update 2)
The University of North Colorado has launched a Vodcasting site. This site took me to Flipped Class Network a Vodcast Educational site. Appearently the concept of having students learn at home and apply at school has been around for a while.

Trying to Make Sense of it all (Not part of the Course for my own Understanding)

So much information to digest and I'm reaching a point of frustration. Will this ASSURE model change to something else in a few years? Frustrated with how Lessons seem to be so complex on creating.

Analyze Learners and Learning Theory
Using my Information Processing Habits(Mind Styles) of Concrete Random(trial and error) (p89) and Concrete Sequential(Hands on, Direct) I'm trying to digest everything we have learned so far. I understand that not all people learn the same way or we each have Multiple Intelligences(p89 Gradner). In order to understand how our students learn we should give them Entry Tests or assign prerequisites. We also need to know what Motivates our students. Keller's ARCS Model address Attention, Revelance, Confidence, and Satisfaction and seems to agree with Maslow's Hiarchey of Needs. Keller even mentions Maslow's Hiarchey under Revelance in Needs Matching. Learning Theory can be broken into 4 Different Theory Category's-Behaviorism(Stimulus-Response),Cognitivism(Learners process, store, and retrieve information for later use), Constructivism(Connectivism or Social Constructive)(learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge, social interactions, and motivation affect the construction).


My question is now How do we assess students and find this information out? I understand we can look over there previous classes they have taken but that does not tell use how the student learns and what works best. I've found a few sites like NC and Idpride.net . I wonder how Learning styles match up with Leadership styles?


Standards and Objectives (Working)
I understand that each State has it's own Standards for each grade level like NC State Standards at LearnNC.org . To my understanding States are still working on this NET-S or standards for technology for use by students. I'm trying to use Burner's Discovery Learning, reflection, and Conectivism which is how I assumilate new knowledge and campare it with what I have previously learned to achieve understanding. I'm still trying to get use to this Lesson Plan Concept and including Bloombergs Taxonomy and State Standards. I'm learning from the perspecitive of a soldier using Soldier's Common Tasks being like the State Standards. The difference being the Soldier's Tasks are set Lesson Plans and Standards Combined where as Teachers the Standards are set but the Lesson Plans must be created based on the Teacher.

http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/cnm/cresource.htm

Select Strategies, Technology, Media and Material (Working)

-Dramatic Play Kits for All Ages(Idea)

Utilize Technology, Media, Materials

Require Learner Participation

Evaluate and Revise (AAR After Action Review)

Voki Test


Best Educational Games-
Uncharted Waters
Scribblenots
Professor Layton
Civilization
Top Secret(RPG)
Math- Design and Build Items(Haven't found a game yet)

Databases the Evil of the Microsoft World

I hate Microsoft Access with a passion. I understand how to use it and have used it in a classroom enviroment but it system of searching is to complex and not user friendly. It is like comparing Windows to DOS. In DOS you had to type specific commands and if you miss just one letter or symbol you got the message "Error". The same with Access. If you don't know how to use it and put in just the wrong piece of information in your search.... the wrong information appears. Very Frustrating!

I read through the article "introductions for third and fourth grade to databases"
just to see how a teacher could introduce Access to younger students. I have to disagree with her. I don't see how student caught on to Access in under 10 minutes unless the program was made so that students couldn't type anything wrong. After doing Access for a month in one of my computer classes I still cannot always get the information I want. I will use Databases in my classroom but it will be more like Delicious or some other form of user friendly specifically designed databases not Access.

Spreadsheets making Data into something Tangable

Integration of using Spreadsheets in the classroom is a must. I remember life before speadsheets and having to collect data, calculate data, and then trying to show others research using graphs, charts, and accounting using ledgers and books. Spreadsheets make data manipulation and calculation much easier. It may take some work initially learning to use tools like Microsoft Excel but in the end it's worth it. I understand students get frustrated at just making spreadsheets on information they only use once. I've had to create spreadsheets using tons of information that took hours just to post the document and then start all over again for the next project. My statistics class was the worst! A simple page of 5 questions you had to answer could take days to finish. Looking back I don't think this was the best way to be introduced to how to use Spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets should be an on going assignment using the same spreadsheet but adding to it. I loved my Physics class were we used speadsheets to collect data then manipulated the data into multiple graphs representing different senarios and probabilities. Spreadsheets should be taught more in school since in the business world they are used daily. At work we use a spreadsheet template everyday then compile the data on those templates into a montly report showing productivity. In my classroom I will ensure students learn to create spreadsheet templates and compile data and utilize that data all through the year. Spreadsheets can be a great teaching tool since they can be used to compile vasts amount of data and turn it into something everyone can understand.

Word Processing as a Teaching Tool

How I would integrate Word Processing into the classroom. The Greatest thing about Word Processing is that it is a canvas for the painting of ideas. It's realitively free and open for creation for any student. All you have to do is inspire them to create.

Word Processing now can be used not for just creating essays but can be a tool to create a masterpiece of information and artistic design. One plan of mine is small project can be started at the beginning of the year, lets say a journal, on a subject. Students can add to it daily, weekly, monthly, during directed working periods or during free time if they are creating something they enjoy. One Paragraph per day can add up to be 180 paragraphs over a school year or at 4 paragraphs a page that turns into a 45 page paper single spaced.

The coolest thing about word processing now it that you can add pictures, graphs, equations, color, design, codes, and much more. No longer are students restricted to just writing on paper and pasting things together... now they can copy and paste them using a word processing program to create an idea or thought into something tangable. This is also the downfall of word processing.

With word processing being so easy to copy and paste students must be taught not abuse the power of word processing. Word processing can be an instument of good teaching the NET-S of Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, and Research and Information Fluency but most importantly we must emphasis - Digital Citizenship. Most importantly "advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology"(NET-S) must be empasized. It makes me sick of hearing students and professionals deliberatly plagerizing and having others do there work using the power of word processing. Giving references or Give credit where credit is do is easy and helpful on explaining yourself and ideas to others. Delibertly having someone do your work is just wrong. Without teaching Digital Citizenship and respecting others work students can learn the evils of technology instead of the good.

Class Blog Assignment- MS Word (Mana from Heaven)

Microsoft Word (Stop Changing Your Layout!)

I remember when our High School got its first computer lab. That was in 1988. The internet for practical purposes did not exist outside of colleges, the military, and they were still talking about Telenet and CompuServe. I started to learn to type on a type writer and worked with some of the first IBM computers used in our classrooms. Our Computer Lab teacher had a terrible time keeping us kids from smuggling in games and playing them on the servers when she wasn't looking. In the 1987 we had a small lab where we learned to write programs using DOS. It took hours just to make a picture on the screen using command lines like "go to" and "run". Now I can't keep up with the changes on MS Word because the format changes every 3 years it seems like.

I laughed when Mrs. Keesee wrote "think of one instance of a time when you wanted to do something in Microsoft Office and could not figure out how to accomplish it?" Just when I can figure out how to do anything without MS word they changing the format and where all the buttons are placed! I really enjoy the new things like charts, pictures, equations, and spell/grammar check (Greatest Invention Since Sliced Bread!). Without MS word and word processing my teachers would still be telling me, "Butch what is this.... It looks like Chicken Scratch!" My handwriting is terrible an archeologist put it in a museum next to a mummy. I still print everything because my cursive has been known to cause temporary blindness. Luckily MS word came up with this wonderful Invention and even created a help button that has always looked like a question mark or said Help.

PS- Want to talk about frustration...posting from MS Word with hyperlinks to here seems impossible.

Kerpoof Eval Website Online Tool for Teaching (Working)

After looking over the site Kerpoof and letting my son play on it for the last 20 minutes I have to give Kerpoof 5 stars out of 5 stars! The site allows you to make books, movies, pictures, and more. My son was hooked after I sat with him and let him explore it for 10 minutes. We tried the Storybook and Movie maker. It allows younger and older students to use there imagination to make what ever they can imagine. We made a collaborative project about a 2 cats talking and farting.

This program can be used in all Bloomerberg's Taxonimys. From Knowledge and comprehension to synthesize and evaluation this program if used in the right ways can be used to make it all. As a teacher you can use it to make topics interesting and funny to allowing students be creative and make there own. It can be used to cover all the NET-S if incorporated properly and creatively and works well on individuel and collaborative projects. I will be using this program in my classroom!

I have looked over what a few others have made and its not exactly easy to search for items. Someone needs to set a delicious style of bookmarking. Here is an example of a movie someone made. I wish I could post my sons but I guess movies must be reviewed before made available to the public.

20 minutes by my son from sitting down to finished product-
http://www.kerpoof.com/#view?s=2gs11abOmgo3dMg7-c-1a6cb1

Panda vs Rabbit- I'm estimating about 1hr to 2 hrs to make this movie-
http://www.kerpoof.com/#/view?s=g3739x65e201-0196b7-x6

Save me- about 3-4hours to make if the person who made it just started-
http://www.kerpoof.com/#/view?s=f507b706d311-baafe3-x2

http://www.kerpoof.com/

"You will also complete the related Blog Assignment 2 in which you will provide a written review of your chosen web-based application. Be sure to explain how you think you might be able to incorporate the tool into your unit plan. You should discuss the extent to which the program can be used to enhance your students' cognitive and/or social abilities, address different learning styles and abilities, and provide a developmentally appropriate use of technology." (Gayla S. Keesee)

Eggheads Weather Observation and Forcasting

http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather/
This Game is Free and Online. I played it for about 15 minutes and it's great for learning and having fun. I wish they had a more indepth program that encompassed more weather data but they do have the following links to information-
Weather Glossary
Fahrenheit to Celsius &
Celsius to Fahrenheit Converter
Interesting People in Weather
Weather Class Lesson Plans

Not quite as good as NASA's weather videos or some of NOAA's information but close. This is a good game for about 4th grade and up.



PS- Here is the Blackboard free link I'll be setting one up soon. (Not a requirement for this class but I'm dieing to make one!)
https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-BBLEARN/pages/learn.html

Week 6 Blog #1 NET-S?

Assignment-
"Choose one of the NETS for Students and relate it to what you learned this week and how you could implement it in your classroom. Be specific and cite examples. Be sure to title your blog post to represent the topic/NETS*S you chose..."

I think I understand that NET-S is(pages 106-107 compared to the ISTE website) and I've been to the NET-S wiki even but I wish it was more indepth and I'm not buying the 3 books. I've tried signing up on the ITSE website but it won't let me and If they are trying to sell it why would I wan't to buy it? Anyway enough griping the 6 NET-S is http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
NET-T
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Under the NET-S ISTE site the 1st Concept in NET-S is "
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. "

I would like to say Using Powerpoint in the Classroom is one of the best parts of children demonstrating creative thinking, constructing knowledge using technology. I'm not talking about teachers making powerpoint but those little rug-monsters making Powerpoint. I've only seen my kids in middle school do it but I think we strongly underestimate grades 4 and 5 in computer applications. I showed my son in the 4th grade how to make a powerpoint slide and he went to it like it was a video game. I wish I could show you what he made but it's late, he has the flu, and I have to get up at 0500 to go to work and it would take to long to download into Powerpoint sharing.

Here is a site of at least one person that would agree with me-
http://www.suite101.com/content/create-simple-power-point-presentations-a60525
It tells how to teach kids to use powerpoint. I'm sure If I searched longer I could find a great site that gave and actual Lesson Plan for Powerpoint for 4th Graders. That will have to done later.

The NET-S just seem too simple kind of like a Mission Statement for a company but no meat or examples until I found these (Learning Standards being adopted for teaching Technology like it's English, Math, ect...


I found a great website I think that has the same concept at NET-S but as Standards. http://www.learnnc.org/scos/
It's under the Computer and Technology Skills.

I believe they are the same as this site http://www.sd281.k12.id.us/curriculum/Subject%20Areas/inform%20lit%20committee/ilit/nets/netsstd.htm

Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computer and other technologies.

Week 6 Blog 2 advantages and disadvantages of incorporating mobile computing devices

After going through the Week 6 Module on Hardware:Beyond Computers I was pretty amazed at some of the technology's and a little skeptical on others. I know were suppose to be discussing Mobile Computing Devices like Ipod(An overprice POS if you ask me). I personally see many of these devices as want-to-be laptops. They do less than laptops and are not designed to be upgraded. Bad choice if you ask me. I just did a quick search to compare prices of Laptops vs Ipods vs Ipad vs Kindel. Here are the Results-

Laptop- Acer New with more than enough HD, RAM, and Processor- $248
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-Aspire-One-10.1-AOD255E-Netbook-PC-with-Intel-Atom-N455-Processor-Windows-7-Starter/15739065

Ipod- about $209 dollars not expandable except with 8gb slot
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=ipod&search_constraint=0&tab_value=Online&ic=48_0&ref=244741+4294074289&search_sort=4&selected_items=+

Ipad-$499
http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Kindel 6" -$139 cheapest
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Y27P3M

Sorry but the New Laptop win! If they really wanted to make something for education thats portable they need to make a Laptop like the Nintendo DSi with a Nerf Case. Portable, practically indestructable, trackable with Wifi if Lowjacked, you can type on the DSi, pictures, communicate, record data, and with the right software surf the web. But our society is based on the consumer concept that you have to throw something away to buy something new. Stupid.

Anyways loved the Whiteboards, Personal Response system/mouse mischief(this has some major potential!), GPS (I'll be doing landnav in my classroom), and using your printer creatively. Creative printing is probably the most under looked at easy to use resource that could be making schools money. That and creating a WIFI center around schools. Instead we get studid fundraiser where our kids sell us junk. Why not let google set up an internet cafes in or next to our schools or set up libraries like a Barnes and Nobles.


http://www.edutopia.org/tips-protect-laptop-computers-theft

8 of 8 Identifying Lesson Topics (working)

8)Identifying Lesson Topics
How should teachers identify lesson topics to include in instruction?

Pages 12 through 16 cover how curriculums are made.

Taking a break after working all day trying to catch up, spending some time with the kids, going to school full time, working 40+ hours, raising 4 kids and doing foster care is about to break me. Now with having to create a curriculum for my son because they are overcrowded, underfunded, and don't know what a nurse is... is just too much. 1 Nurse for every 3 schools how stupid.

7 of 8 Meeting the Needs of All Students

7)Meeting the Needs of All Students
What should guide teachers' planning in order to meet the needs of all students?

Student's learning and overall well being. I find this to be funny in light of No child left behind and teachers teaching to the standardized test to ensure kids pass no matter what. LOL! It's so funny it makes me sad. So much for learning just make sure they pass the test. My son was the top reader in 2nd and 3rd grade. Within the Top 2 in the entire grade level. This year instead of focusing on learning the teacher is focusing on ensuring all kids will pass the test. I've watched my son cry at least 2 days a week after he leaves school. He has gone from loving to go to school to HATING it with a passion. Yesterday I disenrolled him and were going back to enjoying learning! Needs of the students are something in the past now schools focus on needs of funding no matter what.

6 of 8 Instructional Cycle (Working)

I'm beginning to think these were all do on one post.
6)Instructional Cycle
Describe three stages of the instructional cycle.


Stage 1: Intended Instructional Outcomes
Stage 2: Planning
Stage 3: Assessment