YouTube Conversion

I'm not sure how many of you are aware, but there is a way to convert YouTube videos into a format that is accessible at the schools. We have always had YouTube blocked on our school servers, but I was shown a way to circumvent this problem. I had planned on sharing this earlier but completely forgot. If you go to the website www.zamzar.com and input the link to the YouTube video, it will be converted to a file that you can use in your classroom. You have to choose what format to have it converted to, but you are given many options. Just thought I would share this great resource!

Grading Parents???

This morning on my way into work, there was some interesting commentary on the radio. Apparently there is some talk of teachers grading parents. Are these people crazy? It is difficult enough trying to figure out what is going on with our students and assessing them, why in the world would anyone want to even attempt to grade parents? This is opening a whole new bucket of worms. I have my opinions as to how children should be raised, but that doesn't mean that I should be grading other people on how they are raising their children. That is just insane. I'm curious as to what opinions other people may have on this topic and any suggestions as to how this "grading system" should be set up or look like.

Happy ACT Day!

Well, here it is, the day our juniors have been looking forward to all year.....ACT day. I'm not sure as to how other students across the board are viewing the ACT, but I had some disturbing comments brought about by some of my students. I overheard many students talking about the test and saying that they had spoken to seniors that had taken the ACT last year. In the course of the conversation, those that had already taken the test told my juniors to not even try......the test is just way too hard. So instead of spending the day working on chemistry, I spent the hour attempting to convey to my students how important it was to do their very best on the test, no matter what section it was. I have a hard time believing that I convinced more than 50% of them, but hopefully I was able to get through to a few. I'm curious if others are having some of the same conversations with their students. Is it a shift in attitudes of all students?

MSTA Conference

Here it is, the weekend that many science teachers across the state anticipate every year. I am at the MSTA Conference in Grand Rapids. I spent all day yesterday sitting in sessions to gain ideas to use with my students. One of the sessions presented had to do with the state's content expectations. Oakland county has assembled Teacher Resource Manuals for the high school science content expectations. During the session, the presenter covered those found within the core of biology but shared the site where the others can be found. I looked through that site this morning and found some good resources. The standards have been broken down and activities have been included to use in your classroom. I haven't had a ton of time to look through it all yet, but what I did see appears to be helpful. If anyone is interested in checking these out, they can be found at: http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/science/resources.aspx

Today's Students...

I am not sure how many of you are teaching in high schools, but I have a concern. We are currently in the midst of snowcoming week. For those of you not familiar, snowcoming is essentially the winter version of Homecoming. Instead of crowning a Homecoming Queen, we "crown" Mr. Genesee. Throughout the week, there are many activities including door decorating, theme days, assemblies every afternoon, and a mock rock. The upsetting thing to me is that students are not interested in participating in ANYTHING. These are suppose to be fun days with lots of silliness. I am concerned that students are not willing to participate in these crazy activities. As I sit here in my classroom, I am covered in orange and black face paint wearing a Tigger costume for Disney day! I look around the room and there are ZERO students dressed for the day. I am curious if this is something that is occuring just in our school or if this is something that is happening across the board. Are students becoming "too cool" to participate in these activities? What is going on with these kids?

Scared silly.....

After reading some of what our new state leader is proposing, I find myself more uncertain as to our states future than ever. I don't understand how we are to move forward and become a thriving state again when all our leaders want to do is to continue to cut the funding to education. Is anyone else extremely concerned about this????

Activity Site

I have the pleasure of teaching a Sports Medicine class. I have used a previously noted website to show students videos of various surgical procedures. I have recently found another site that demonstrates some procedures using animations in which the students complete the surgery. It is very informative and walks the students through the process step-by-step. My students loved completing the activity. If you teach anatomy or sports medicine, it's a great tool to use with students.

The website can be found at www.edheads.com

Brawls in Sports?

I am an avid sports enthusiast. I watch everything from high school sports to the professional level. I don't understand why things are allowed to get so out of hand when it comes to professional sports..........specifically hockey. In an article located on Fox Sports there is some debate as to whether or not fighting still belongs in the NHL. Personally, I feel that it is way over the top. Why is this something that is acceptable in hockey, but not in any other organized sport? There is no need for this type of violence within the realm of hockey. It has become progressively worse and tensions continue to escalate on the ice. Maybe it's time to put a stop to this and make the time spent on the ice more about hockey and less about the fights that break out.

Something else is bad for us?

I was watching the morning news and caught the tail end of a story about milk. Now, it appears that milk is also bad for us. Researchers are finding that milk contains too much animal fat. It boggles my mind that the more scientists research, the more they find wrong with the foods that we eat and drink. I have concerns that we are causing drastic changes in our foods because of the chemicals that we are adding to the plants and animals that directly produce these foods. Wouldn't it just be easier and safer to just go back to the way things used to be? We don't need to inject animals to create overgrown chickens just so we can have a larger piece of meat on the plate at dinner!

Formative vs. Summative Assessments

Over the last few months, many of us have been attempting to prepare our juniors for the upcoming ACT test. The big summative assessment, that according to some of my students, will determine their future. Ok, in my mind some of them are putting a little too much pressure on themselves when it comes to this test. Yes, it is a big deal, but are we putting too much into the whole idea? What happened to addressing what students know? What about all of these formative assessments that we are completing to determine if students are really understanding content? My concerns have increased since my students began commenting on the practice tests that they took in order to prepare for the ACT. Numerous students have voiced concerns that they have never of some the things found in those sample questions. Some of them have also complained that they have no idea what the charts and graphs mean or how to even read them. So, I am then forced to look at my teaching skills. Am I the one that is dropping the ball and not teaching my students the skills they need to take these types of tests? Is it too late to teach these skills by the time they get to me as juniors? Do I place blame on those teachers that came before me in the educational careers of my students? Or, maybe we lay blame on the test and those that created it. Many of my colleagues have argued that we should forget everything else and just "teach to the test". I'm not sure this is the answer either. Although, I'm not sure that there is a concrete answer out there. Anyone else have any ideas?

Surgical Procedures

I'm not sure how many of you are interested in viewing different types of surgical procedures or using them in your classrooms, but I have hit the jackpot in this department. I am teaching a Sports Medicine class and we discuss many different types of injuries and treatments for those injuries. On the website www.orlive.com there are many, many videos that demonstrate all different types of surgies. So far, I have shared an ACL reconstruction and total knee replacement with my students. Be warned, some of these are very graphic and bloody. Most of my students loved the videos, but others were not so crazy abut watching the procedures. I found that when I explained the process to them before watching, they were a little less apprehensive about what they would be seeing. If anyone uses the site and the videos, I would love to hear what you thought of them!

Fighting On The Rise

I recently found an article in which reserachers have found the aggression center that is found within the hypothalamus of the brain. It mentioned that when this region was triggered by electrical stimulation, mice became more aggressive and would attack other mice, regardless if they were male or female. This makes me curious as to if the same reaction would occur in humans. It seems as though there has been a significant increase in the number of scuffles and full-blown fights in our building within the last few weeks. Most of these incidents have occurred between young ladies. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen an increase in these behaviors or if it is just something that is happening here. I have some curiosity as to whether or not it is seasonally related or just girls being girls. There is nothing else like high school drama!

Chocolate Is Good For Us!

Finally, someone reports something we have all been hoping for! In the article found from Sicence Daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110207073748.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader), researchers have found that chocolate has a higher antioxidant capacity than many fruit juices. The results vary dependent on the variety of chocolate, however it appears that dark chocolate and cocoa powder are the best. It was found that hot chocolate had very little "super power" because of the processing of the substance.

Facebook Insults

Well, there it is. A student insulted a teacher on Facebook. They make it appear that this is something that never happens. The problem is that the student was "ratted out" and the school took action against him. The student was suspended........I believe it was three days. However, now we have groups coming forward saying that his freedom of speech rights were being violated. As a teacher, I have some specific feelings about how this is all playing out and how this is going to set a precedent. Some say that the school should not have attempted to punish him because it didn't happen at school. Some others say that the teacher should just ignore it. One of the most interesting comments I have heard came from another teacher. Her comment dealt with what would happen if the roles were reversed and the teacher had made a derogatory comment about a student? Immediately we all think that the teacher would be reprimanded in some way, but doesn't the same apply. Isn't it the right of that teacher to have free speech and to speak her mind? I'm curious as to what other educators think about this issue and if it has happened to anyone else.

Building Fluency

There it is.........one of the biggest and toughest challenges that we face as educators. It is our responsibility to teach fluency across the board. It doesn't matter if you teach math, science, or english, it is up to every one to make sure that our students are fluent in all subject matters. This is a topic that has caught the attention of our school improvement team through a program of response to intervention. I'm curious as to what other school districts are doing to ensure fluency among their student populations.

Article: The Write Way

Pre-School Benefits

I read an article today about a study that was completed and determined that sending children to pre-school was in fact beneficial, but felt that more should be offered for those children. It was found that the teachers did a good job at teaching the children some aspects of literacy. However, it was also recommended that there be a stronger emphasis on "vocabulary and exercises that build self-control". The researchers found that those students who spent two years in a pre-K program did better in literacy. I have a 6-year-old niece that spent two years in a pre-K montessori program. I think that the program was beneficial in a couple of different reasons. First of alll, the teachers did work with the children in terms of literacy skills. This in itself is an important aspect of any educational program. However, one of the other major impacts that these programs have is the socialization. Children need to learn to cooperate with others and how to behave in social settings. By sending children to these pre-K programs, I feel that younger children can attain these skills, along with others, which will give them a jump start when they do hit kindergarten.

Article: Pre-School Benefits

Bullying

I'm sure it isn't a news flash to anyone that bullying still continues in our schools. There was an article in Science Daily about just this topic. There was a study done to determine if there was any correlation between bullying and the amount of time spent with parents. According to the study, "it was children's perception of how much time they spent with their fathers that had the most impact on bullying behavior." I'm curious as to whether or not anyone has seen this in actual students that they encounter that are considered bullies?

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110128144324.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Superbugs

I had the chance to read over an article today about how humans are actually "helping" bacteria to evolve and essentially become stronger and more resistant. This is something that we have been told for years was happening, but how many of us actually listen to what is being said. Our school provides industrial-sized bottles of hand sanitizer to each teacher to have in the classroom. I understand the need to have anti-bacterial materials in the building. However, I placed this giant bottle on my desk for student use. Despite the large number of students that I have throughout the day, I was still amazed at how quickly this bottle disappeared. I'm wondering if this is a commonality at other schools, or just the students in my building being so paranoid. I try to explain to them that they don't need to "sanitize" every 10 minutes, but I think my words are falling on deaf ears. The article can be found at: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/69205/title/Pneumonia_drugs_helped_evolve_a_superbug

I'm just curious at to what others are experiencing in the classrooms.

Amazing Experience

I was provided an amazing opportunity this week. A friend of mine teaches Forensic Science to juniors and seniors in our building. She was able to have a guest speaker from the local medical examiner's office come in to that class and talk to them about what they do and some basic forensic information. During their discussion, they mentioned the importance of autopsies. The students were very interested and Brenda (teacher) and I were invited to view an autopsy. So, there it was, bright and early Monday morning we headed down to the morgue. We were able to view 2 autopsies that morning, one external and one complete. I can honestly say it was an absolutely amazing experience. I was able to take the information back to my students and share with them what we had seen. I have mostly sophomores and freshman, but they were so intrigued. I think that discussing this with them, many of them may find that they want to venture into some of the other science electives and maybe even dive into that forensics course. It was something that I will never forget and my students continued to ask questions throughout the week. I'm sure more will arise over the weekend also!

Teaching Vocab/Reading Literacy

Recently I attended an RTI (Response To Intervention) Workshop. One of the key components that our team discovered was that the students in our district have literacy issues across the board. It's not just in English class, they have difficulty with reading and comprehension in most, if not all, core classes. I came across some suggestions/tips for teaching vocabulary on the Edutopia website. If anyone has some strategies for literacy, I would love to hear them. We are trying to compile some strategies to share with the staff.

Physical Activity In The Classroom

Edutopia has an interesting poll on their website........"Does physical activity improve student focus?" If I had seen this poll two years ago, my answer would have probably been VERY different. At that time, I would have said absolutely not. However, I had the opportunity to attend a conference and listen to a speaker that was absolutely phenomenal. She was bound and determined to get us to try getting our students up and moving for at least half of a class period every day. My first reaction was that this lady was crazy, if I have my students up moving around I will never get them back on task to finish the work for the day. But, I attempted to do what she suggested. I'm not going to lie......I was astonished by how well the students responded to being up and moving around. Not only were they more engaged in what we were doing, they were ready to regroup and finish the lessons. This is something that I have tried to incorporate into my class at least 3 days a week. It doesn't always happen everyday.

Planet Makeover

Although I teach various science courses, Earth Science is not one of the them. However, as I was browsing through some Popular Science articles and came across one that sounded rather interesting. The article, New NASA Game: Extreme Planet Makeover, Gliese 581d Edition, caught my attention. In the article, there is a link to the site where you are able to create your own planet. I think that this could be a great activity for those who teach Earth Science to help students understand more about why the planets are different based on distance from the sun, type of star, etc.

Keeping Your Digital Secrets Safe!

Is there a sure-fire way to keep your information safe and private out on the web? Also, how can we keep our children safe on the internet? This was the topic of an article found at Science Daily from January 18th. We are all aware that with the digital age in full swing, it becomes more difficult to ensure privacy on the web. On many of the social applications that exist, there is no simple way to access or even adjust your personal settings. One example that was provided was the use of Facebook. Currently there are tools being developed that will help to give individuals the ability to gain a higher level of control over their privacy settings. I agree that this is something that needs to be implemented, however, what can we do to help encourage our children, as well as students, to improve their privacy settings within those social applications and increase the safety aspect of so many youngsters being so willing to share so much information with anyone and everyone that is willing to take the time to search for them?

Media literacy...............where is it headed? There was an article published on Edutopia entitled Why Media Literacy is Not Just For Kids by Suzi Boss. The article brought forth many interesting ideas. One important idea she addresses is that creating a society of individuals that are media literate, it has to be a national community education effort. I agree that we need to improve the literacy of the masses, however, there needs to be a great effort to first improve the level of media literacy of those that are responsible for teaching the current student population. There area many educators that are not as technologically literate as the students they are attempting to engage in their classrooms. We need to address these issues in order to make our students and general population more globally competitive. However, is simply using the technology and the tools enough or do we need to push our students to think further outside the box and to create and design their own tools?

In an article that was published today from Science Daily, an American Heart Association science advisory states that "all secondary school students should be required to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and receive an overview of automated external defibrillators (AEDs)". I have mixed feelings about this idea and I'm sure that there are many others that may feel the same. I agree that having more individuals with knowledge in these skills would be beneficial in many circumstances, but is it something that needs to be "required". There are so many other requirements that secondary students have to meet now, is this really something that we need to add to their already demanding list requirements?