CHRISTMAS SONG PICTURE GAME

Thank you to JAMES STANUSZEK of Ohio for creating the illustrations 
and to"ROBIN WOOD" of Missouri, for a copy of the Game!!

To play this game, you can print the picture sheet right off this site. Robins says to give people a sheet of blank paper and a pencil to write their answers on, then give them 5 minutes to figure out as many as possible. They can not talk to each other or copy. She usually gives prizes to the top two or three winner and a cassette of Christmas songs to the person with the worst score.

Blogging

For this entire semester we’ve been asked to blog at least twice a week mostly about information we found regarding education or for those who were there for kinesiology.  I enjoyed having class about technology with more than just education majors in the class because we were able incorporate the same tools, to other majors.  I also enjoyed reading blogs done by others in the class.  Their perspective on education or others aspects of life kept the reading interesting and lively.   Many others posted random thoughts of the day or about how their week was going.  I’m still trying to get over the fear of putting personal information online.

            I started out blogging about The Citizen Schools, a system in Boston where students learn through apprentice ships how to get jobs, and cars, etc.  However I soon learned that I needed to research more about different educational features.  That’s when I experiment with my Blog and found different additives to the page, like games, and the sunset of the day.  I have also found several other blogs about the field of special education that I find extremely useful. 

            I did however find one blog that we’ve talked about several times that I found to be quite disturbing.  Tardblog.com is a blog making fun of students with disabilities, but the Google search says it’s meant to help parents of disabled children.  I found it to be a very offensive and almost rude at the suggestive things that were displayed on the page. 

            I enjoyed blogging while in class, finding interesting articles and neat little lessons for classes.  I however had a hard time putting anything personal online.  I’ve had one too many run ins with creeps chatting me, etc.  Therefore, will I continue to blog after EDT 400?  Only time will tell.  I now have to power / knowledge to create a blog if it ever deem necessary.  I’m not quite sure if I’d ever be able to use it in a classroom with special education students, but I myself could make a blog about my classroom allowing parents access.  This would help the parents feel part of their students’ life at school.  

Beyond Technology

In the article Beyond Technology, we learn that technology is changing the way of life as we now know it. No longer will most people being doing manual labor. Instead our finger will be earning us the cash, just by sitting @ home on our computers. "For example, a few years ago there were 10,000 people working for IBM in the Chicago office, a fifty story black tower. There used to be a clear sense of schedules, reporting lines, and physical space. Today, there are only 3,500 people based from Chicago. And, 80% of them work out of their homes." This is unbelievable how we can earn cash just by sitting at home. Now those who want to stay at home and help raise their children can do so and still hold a place in the working world. Another example of this would be the family a took care of for three years. Their dad was a medical sales man and mom worked outside the home. While Dad did a bit of traveling, he was mostly working from home and therefore at times i felt awkward because he was there and really there as no need for me to be to.
School seems to be going in a completely different direction as well in that we are getting more tech savy and it looks to me that some day there will be no classrooms.
Students as Learning Associates: Reengineering the Job Description of Students
Students help prepare their own lessons and the only tough thing i see about this happening is the balance between teacher and parents help for the student. They'll have to have a very cooperative relationship.
Students as Knowledge Producers
Kids ideas will be posted nationally for everyone to see and therefore they have to be on their A game.
Connect Students to Community
They want kids as young as kindergarten to start faxing other students across the world / state / country.
Collegiality

• most frequently asked questions from parents
• goals for every course,
• examples of past student's work,
• recommended homework assignments for the entire year,
• hot button connections to other sites on the Web that support learning,
• action research projects
  

Teacher Evaluation
teachers share their wisdom with each other and help each other learn new techniques.
Equity
Every family should be able to afford a Computer weather it be lap top or desktop.
Permeability
Everyone should able to share their ideas and resources instead of none at all.

College Week Live Online

Today I've been talking with prospective students through the Internet! How cool is technology today? The schools also participating in this online college fair are:

Binghamton University	Calvin College
Bryn Mawr College	Century College
Columbia University	Cleveland Chiropractic College
DeSales University	College For Creative Studies
Dowling College	Concordia University
Drexel University	Ferris State University
Eastern University	Hope College
Global College of Long Island University	Idaho State University
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology	Illinois Institute of Technology
Hofstra University	Illinois State University
Ithaca College	Millikin University
Kean University	Mount Mercy College
Keuka College	Northland College
Mercyhurst College	Northwood University-Midland, Michigan Campus
New York Institute of Technology	Robert Morris College
Pittsburgh Technical Institute	Saint Louis University
Rutgers	Saint Mary's College
St. John's University	Black Hills State University
SUNY Cortland	Wartburg College
SUNY Institute of Technology	Wayne State University
Susquehanna University
Temple University	Texas
Unites States Military Academy	Northwood University-Cedar Hill (Dallas), Texas Campus
University of Scranton	Sam Houston State University
	Schreiner University
Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University	The University of Texas at Austin
Central Connecticut State University	Trinity University
Lesley College	University of Houston
University of New Haven
United States Coast Guard Academy	Southeast
University of Bridgeport	Alabama State University
Saint Joseph College	Anderson University
Fairfield University	Christian Brothers University
Becker College	Eastern Carolina University
Dartmouth College	Florida Atlantic University
Emerson College	Florida International University
Emmanuel College	Florida State University
Green Mountain College	Mars Hill College
Johnson & Wales University	Marshall University
Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	Middle Tennessee State University
Merrimack College	Millsaps College
Mount Ida College	Morehead State University
New England College	Montgomery College
Northeastern University	Northwood University-West Palm Beach, Florida Campus
Providence College	Old Dominion University
Regis College (MA)	Palm Beach Atlantic University
Southern New Hampshire University	Richard Bland College
Suffolk University	Savannah College of Art & Design
Thomas University	Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic
Unity College	Talladega College
University of New England	Union University
Wentworth Institute of Technology	University of Alabama
Wheelock College	University of Alabama at Birmingham
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	University of Alabama, Huntsville
Yale University	University of Kentucky
	University of Mary Washington
Alaska Pacific University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Arizona State University	University of North Carolina at Pemboke
Bellevue Community College	University of Tennessee
California Institute of Technology	Virginia Military Institute
Chaminade University of Honolulu	Wake Forest University
Coleman College
Colorado State University	Argosy University Online
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University	Bay State College
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising	ECPI College of Technology
Grand Canyon University	Ivy Bridge College of Tiffin University
Gnomon School of Visual Effects	South University Online
Hawaii Pacific	Southwestern College, Professional Studies
Laramie County Community College	Strayer University
Menlo College	The Art Institute of Pitt Online
Regis University (CO)	Westwood College
San Diego State University
Stanford University	Edith Cowan University- Australia
The Academy of Art University	Global College of Long Island University
UCLA	Perth Education City- Australia
United States Air Force Academy	National University of Ireland, Galway
University of Arizona	University College, Cork- Ireland
University of California, Riverside	Bangor University- UK
University of Phoenix	Cardiff University- UK
University of Northern Colorado	Richmond- The American Intl University in London
Warner Pacific College	University of Wales, Newport- UK
Westwood College	University of Glamorgan (Wales)- UK
	University of Wales, Lampeter- UK
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology	York St John University- UK
University of Northern British Columbia	Semester at Sea

We've been able to IM through this site just like you would correspond with someone at an open house, only this program is not face to face. Instead its key's to keys and Internet face to Internet face. I've had several students already IM me asking questions and its been my pleasure to inform them about school, just as if they had walked in the doors of the Buchanan and asked for info. If you guys want to check it out, here's the link: College Week Live

I actually talked with a student an believe i helped bring her to U-Maine at least for a visit! That's all we can ask for! :)

Shutterfly

In a snapshot, Shutterfly makes it fun and easy to be throughful and creative with your memories. I have been using shutterfly.com for years now. They delives award-winning prints from my digital camera right to my door.  They also make memory-keeping and gift giving easy with their personalized photo books, greeting cards, and dozens of phot gifts.  It's a great way to store pictures and create fun things with the pictures you take.  They also have great sales.  When it comes around Christmas time i always order many picture calanders as presants.  It's a presant that lasts all year long.  

The major benefits:

• Free online photo storage
  
• Free online photo sharing
  
• Free photo software
  
• Photo Borders
  
• Back-of-print messaging
  

No more Birthday's in School :(

Many schools just like Duxbury elementary are closing their doors to junk food because survey says that parents have nutrition as their first priority.

"That doesn't mean they want to have cupcakes removed from birthday celebrations and replaces with celery sticks and boxes of raisins-especially those little boxes with 32 raisins that always come out in one inseparable clump!" http://paulharrisonline.blogspot.com/2004/06/no-cupcakes-for-you.html The schools response in incorporating this rule into the school system is because they are scared of the obesity rate increasing.  I for one believe the children should have more time to do outdoor activities and exercise and then we would not have this problem about worrying about the nutrient and health of our students.  

It's also sad that this is actually a discussion right now.  Whether or no cupcakes should be allowed in school or not.  They have so much more they should be worrying about!

Halloween Scavenger Hunt

I found this neat idea written by: Melissa Kelly @ About.com Directions: Find the answers to questions 1 - 20 on the following Web pages to complete the following Halloween Scavenger Hunt. If the page is a list of other Web pages, you will have to follow links to find an answers.

• Parenting of K-6 Children - Kids Halloween Stories
  
• Entertaining - A Harry Potter Halloween Party
• Family Internet - Halloween
• Halloween Games
• Travel with Kids - Haunted Happenings
• Southern American Cuisine - Halloween Recipes Index
• New England for Visitors- Spooktacular Salem

Now For the Questions....

1. What kind of worms are in wormy apples?

2. What do you get when you cross a Snowman with a Vampire?

3. Name the Halloween Haunted House in Bentleyville, PA.

4. From where does the name 'Halloween' come?

5. In what year did the Salem witchcraft trials occur?

6. What color should the Walkman box be sprayed in order to complete the Walkman costume?

7. In 'Halloween Checkers', what type of creature is on your pieces?

8. What label should you look for when purchasing costumes?

9. What do you make the Halloween Spiders legs out of?

10. Who wrote The House of Seven Gables?

11. What three ingredients are needed to make 'Goopy Slime?"

12. In the Easy Halloween Maze, what are you trying to help the skeleton find his way to?

13. Who wrote 'The Raven'?

14. What sign should hang over the entrance to a Harry Potter Halloween party?

15. Where can you see memorabilia from pirates like Blackbeard?