MUD DAY!!!

Yes, International Mud Day is TODAY!!!!! Okay, lets celebrate - or here's mud in your eyes or all over for that matter!  Check out the World Forum International Mud Day site at http://worldforumfoundation.org/wf/wp/initiatives/nature-action-collaborative-for-children/international-mud-day-2011/ lots of information on how to celebrate!!!!  Okay, I am leaving now to go play in the mud!

Company offers Internet lessons for students with autism

A new company is looking  to educate children with autism about online safety,  how to use the Internet and social media.  The company, Autism Expressed, offers lessons and allows students to set up their own Facebook and Twitter accounts has been picked up in various schools and clinics.  Check out the entire article at TechCrunch for more information or follow the link attached to Autism Expressed.

Smartphone apps seek to help stop student/school bullying!

Check this out ----- several new apps are intended to help stop school bullying ---- the app Stop Bullies allows student to report incidents of bullying anonymously by sending photos, messages and other information to the school administrators.  Back Off Bully or BOB, was created by students and has similar features including resources on bullying and a function that allows students to schedule counseling appointments!  Check out the article on Mashable for more information and links to the apps.

Summer is HERE!!!!!

And YIKES is SUMMER HERE ------ real feel temps of 100!  Well at least school is out ---- however ----- I believe there is no room at the beaches ------ so if you have not reserved a spot of sand, you are out of luck!  Well instead head to the LIBRARY!  We have air condition and we always have new resources heading on the shelves!  Happy first day of SUMMER!

This is Hampton Beach, New Hampshire!  I would imagine that most beaches are like this!  Lots of space here in the air conditioned Library and we are open until 6:30 pm!

The Third Webinar in the Reducing Achievement Gaps by 4th Grade: The PreK-3rd Approach to Action is take place on Wednesday, June 20th

Okay, the third webinar in the series is Not So Simple:  Standards and Their Implementation to be viewed on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 3 pm to 4:30 pm. Too often, standards are seen as simple answers to complex question surrounding achievement gaps.  Early learning standards and the Common Core State Standards can be launching points for the implementation of high quality curricula, prekindergarten through third grade.  Rather than prescribed outlines of what, when, and how to teach, standards are best viewed as tools from constructing high quality teaching and learning experiences that address the needs of all students, especially those at risk for poor school outcomes.  Effective standards promote balanced teaching for learning across content and developmental domains, and contribute to enduring academic, intellectual, and social-emotional outcomes.  Engaging educators and families in understanding, aligning, and implementing standards supports professional learning, school quality, and school-family partnerships.  Educational leaders and teachers must have the knowledge, skills and support to use these tools in intentional ways to plan and implement instruction that is content-rich, informed by developmental science, and responsive to the young children they serve.

The webinar is co-hosted by PreK-3rd Grade National Work Group, the Chief State School Officers Implementing the Common Core System (ICCS) project, and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices.

Please RSVP by email to Cathy Wagner at wagner@ctserc.org  Space is limited.  If you wish to participate independently register at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/752152903.

Robot helps students stay engaged and retain information!

Wow --- the Lost in Space Robot ---- you know the Robot always sent with young Will to keep him out of trouble---okay and always went with Dr. Smith and never kept him out of trouble ---- child - adult you get the message!  And then there were the two from Star Wars - yes, I know droids and not the phones ---- had my own encounter with R2D2 (but that is another story altogether!).

Okay enough about the Lost in Space robot and droids, now about this current robot, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a robot teacher that can detect when students are apparently losing focus and emit cues such as a raised voice or arm movements (oh --- so like the Robot --- warning Will Robinson he would say as he swings around his arms) to keep the students alert during lessons.  Researchers found, after an experiment, that students given such cues by the robot were better able to retain what they were taught!  Check out the article at New Scientist, and for all the teachers, don't worry they really are just trying to minic what human teachers do to keep students' attention from slipping! 
                           

Mobil technology - a help for those with dyslexia

Check out this article on a study being done at Landmark school (a private school in Massachusetts for students with language-based learning disabilities).  The study is being conducted by a researcher (Dr. Matthew Schneps, a Harvard astrophysicist at the Laboratory for Visual Learning at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) who has dyslexia found that his ability to read improved with features that both restricted the amount of text he could see at one time and allowed him to scroll up manually ---- makes sense ---- made me think ---- wow!  Here is a link to the article and I hope you get a wow too!   http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679833/using-mobile-screens-to-make-reading-easier-for-dyslexics 

Okay --- Let's think summer ---- a few weeks early!

Okay, it is getting harder and harder to keep every one's attention from SUMMER!  WELL, do you think I 'm any better-------well, no!  So perhaps I should not blog this article????-----yes, your right, I am going to blog about this article no matter what you may think -------

In the Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tenn.) is this article; Education experts share antidotes for summer brain drain.  Okay, I know what you're thinking ------ right we are not even out of school yet ----- but what better time to see this article ----- for me it offered other ways to get or keep kids learning in the summer ----- here are some of the suggestions:  Play games, Go online, Go places, A step further, Mind games, Summer blockbuster, Just get out, Virtual learning, Volunteer, and Get a hobby.   Sound intriguing or a little different from the normal ---- read a book, answer some questions, do these math problems (don't get me wrong - some of the activities are reading and math, science - there is even a list of books by grade level etc. in the article)---- at least check out the article by following the link at the end ----- WHO KNOWS maybe these are not bad ideas, come on check it out here http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/may/28/education-experts-share-antidotes-for-summer/
 and get ready ----- SUMMER is a few weeks away!