Building a blog for the next 1000 years or more

As long as there is electricity, there will be blogs.

In some form there will be a place for these words

========

The Ship

#

What is dying
I am standing on the seashore, a ship sails in the morning breeze and starts for the ocean.
She is an object of beauty and I stand watching her till at last she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says: "She is gone."
Gone!
Where
Gone from my sight that is all.
She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars as she was when I saw her, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to its destination.
The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her, and just at the moment when someone at my side says,
"She is gone"
there are others who are watching her coming, and other voices take up a glad shout:
"There she comes!"
and that is dying.

Bishop Brent

========

I found this in a search "the ship that goes over the horizon is still there grieving a poem for grief"  It would have been simpler to type "funeral poems" but this was a particular poem that I found comforting.

THIS IS A SKILL.  Can you build items that will last 50 generations?  

What is in your Digital Library?

An open letter to School Counselors, Parents and Students about "how to get a free website to show your work"

An open letter to parents, school counselors and students

I recently heard about Nanodegrees by Udacity

https://www.udacity.com/nanodegree   It's a way to show potential employers some skills that the student has collected.

Nanodegree Programs www.udacity.com Start on the path toward earning a Udacity Nanodegree in your chosen field by exploring program options and connecting with the online community.

I have taught a short course for Broward College in "how to blog" and I have some "earned experience" with making an impact on the Internet through blogs, social media, and website creation (using free tools like Google Sites).  I have developed a short system and checklist for spreading a message. 

Publishing through Createspace (to get name recognition on Amazon.com) could be a goal for all high school and college graduates.   I have an 11-step method that "gets the student out there" in under 30 minutes.  www.TINYURL.com/abcfreeworkshop.  

Tony Wagner, Harvard professor, says that "every student needs a digital portfolio to show their accomplishments."

Search:   "harvard pathbrite tony wagner portfolio"  and you'll see the article:

Tony Wagner: All Students Need Digital Portfolios

The single most important thing you could do tomorrow for little to no money is have every student establish a digital portfolio where they collect their best work as evidence of their skills. Where they’re working with their teachers and other adults to present their best work, so that they actually have real progress they can show.   -- Tony Wagner  Seven Survival Skills

Search "seven survival skills tony wagner"  http://www.tonywagner.com/7-survival-skills 

http://tinyurl.com/tonywagnerdp

FOR A FREE TUTORIAL, CLICK HERE

You can also have an impact by going to ResearchGate.net and Open Library

Research Gate  https://www.researchgate.net/home

Poster: I lost six hours of my life A student's view of school

Steve Mccrea

File name: Screen Shot 2016-12-28 at 12.26.56 PM.png

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31288.96009

This is a document that I uploaded and now it has a DOI number.  

You can see how I can add articles to the Open Library here

http://www.oalib.com/  this looks like a commercial activity.

TWO Conferences about Distance Education

Two conferences that are taking place in 2017.

Perhaps you will want to learn more about them.


May 2017

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that The International Conference on Teaching Languages to Young Learners will be held in Ephesus, Turkey on 16-18 May, 2017. This conference will be organized as part of the “SBATEYL: A Web and School-based Professional Development Project for Foreign Language Teachers of Young Learners” funded by the European Commission under Erasmus + Key Action 2 program.
Project Web Site: www.sbateyl.org
Conference Web Site: www.sbateyl2017.org

The conference will be convened at the beautiful Palm Wings Ephesus Hotel, Ephesus - Turkey. We believe the venue and timing of the event is as charming as the idea of sharing and disseminating our work. The conference hotel is a gorgeous five star luxurious resort, operating on an all-inclusive basis for our presenters' joy and comfort. Ephesus and the region should also be extremely pleasant and fragrant in this merry month of May. We believe our participants will be able to find plenty to do in their free times.

We are therefore pleased to organize The International Conference on Teaching Languages to Young Learners to bring theoreticians, researchers, and practitioners together to discuss the issues surrounding the area of early language teaching. We would like to welcome researchers, teacher educators, ESL/EFL experts, and practitioners from across the globe to submit papers to report their research findings; explore issues related to early language teaching; and share their classroom practices to foster the professional development of early language teachers and accordingly their classroom teaching practices in primary schools.

We are also glad to have very distinguished scholars in the area of child second language acquisition, early language teaching and learning as plenary speakers in our conference. The plenary speakers are:
 

Helena Curtain, University of Wisconsin, USA
Belma Haznedar, Boğaziçi University, Turkey
Fiona Copland, University of Stirling, United Kingdom
Graham Hall, Northumbria University, United Kingdom 
Yasemin Kırkgöz, Çukurova University, Turkey

We are also pleased to announce that the first 60 fully registered international participants of theGlobELT 2017 Conference (www.globeltconference.com ;18-21 May 2017) will be granted free attendance and accommodation at The International Conference on Teaching Languages to Young Learners 2017, Palm Wings Hotel, Ephesus, Turkey. All-inclusive accommodation and registration fees will be fully covered by EU Funds, thus making attending GlobELT and The International Conference on Teaching Languages to Young Learners an enticing 2-in-1 academic feast.  

I hope you will not miss on this golden opportunity in a unique venue.

Hope to see you in Ephesus in May!
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hacer Hande UYSAL
Conference Chair

March 2017

http://dspace.qou.edu/contents/smart/index.html

http://www.conferencealerts.com/show-event?id=179057

1st International Conference on Smart Learning for Community Development Conference 20th March to 21st November 2017 Ramallah, West Bank, Palestinian Territories Website: http://dspace.qou.edu/contents/smart/index.html Contact person: Mahmoud Hawamdeh The 1st International Conference on “Smart Learning for Community Development” concern effective technology enhanced learning theories, methodologies and tools for a teaching excellence framework in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Organized by: Education Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 10th January 2017 Check the event website for more details. 8 Skype: mahmoud.hawamdeh

Write in another language and help extend the brain life of your readers.

I wrote a message to my family and replied to some questions as follows:

SIM

Não  

Eu não tenho certeza

At the end of the letter I added the translation.

YES

No

I'm not sure

This shows caring.  I'm hoping to extend their brain's functioning... I searched 

"learning new phrases in another language extends brain functioning" and got this article.

https://bebrainfit.com/brain-benefits-learning-second-language/

Being Bilingual Improves Cognitive Skills and Overall Brain Function

A lot of research has been done on the effects of learning and speaking languages.

People who speak two or more languages have significantly better overall cognitive abilities than those who speak one. (2)

✓Foreign Language Learning See Amazon.com for best selection and value

Compared to people that speak one language, adults who speak multiple languages are more likely to:

• have higher general intelligence (3)
• be better at planning, prioritizing, and decision making (4)
• score higher on standardized math, reading, and vocabulary tests (5)
• be more perceptive of their surroundings
• avoid falling for marketing hype 
• understand others’ points of view (6)
• have better focus, concentration, and attention (7)
• delay immediate gratification in the pursuit of long-term goals (8)
• have better memory and memorization skills, including better working memory (9)
• exhibit mental flexibility (10)
• switch between tasks quickly
• be creative (11)
• have good listening skills (12)

Why not click and learn more?


Here's another article (in The Atlantic)

For a Better Brain, Learn Another Language

The cognitive benefits of multilingualism

Cris Kelly/Shutterstock

• CODY C. DELISTRATY
 
•  OCT 17, 2014
 
•  HEALTH

 The dementia-delaying effects of learning a second language are not contingent on becoming fluent; it just matters that a person tries to learn it. Even if you’re still confounding your sí’s and oui’s, as Bak says, “Just having the basics of those linguistic connections can delay dementia.”

Plus, speaking more than one language means you’ll have access to all sorts of new words. So the next time you need to, let’s say, express your burning desire to squeeze a fat baby’s legs, you’ll know what to say. That’s gigil in Filipino.

CLICK HERE    http://tinyurl.com/sunanotherlanguage

How to get ready to teach "reading across the curriculum" ... pass the Reading Subject area

Prepare for READING tests with this QUIZLET list of questions


https://quizlet.com/87238931/practice-test-questions-based-on-praxis-flash-cards/

Go ahead, it just takes two days of reading and then you take the test.

FTCEPrep.com is my "go to" for test prep for the Florida tests for teachers...

http://www.ftceprep.com/Reading12/index_t1.cfm?utm_expid=133745716-8.WNBBssAYQ_mwBmufZzg1bA.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Do you want to become a teacher in Florida?  Pass a test and you can teach!


http://www.ftceprep.com
These test prep materials WORK!

Here's a video showing what happens when you use any other type of material.  Look at the comments.   It's important to use FTCEPREP

You can see a FREE CONFERENCE. This is the CONFERENCE of the FUTURE

Here is what I noticed on the Internet today...


This is your virtual ticket to the Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit!

The Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit is a nine-day, FREE virtual event. It brings together some of the brightest minds in education to discuss technology, pedagogy, inquiry and more.

You’ll get one new inspiring, practical presentation each day. Take your own notes, or download a PDF “key takeaways sheet” from each video.

The summit runs from December 16 to December 24. During the winter holidays, schedules get a little hectic. But don’t worry! The videos will be available for another week, until December 31.

Our presenters include:

• Two Global Teacher Prize finalists
• A New York Times best-selling author
• State and national teachers of the year
• Creators of some of your favorite teaching resources online

Presentations topics include:

• Integrating technology in the classroom
• Creating engaging, exciting lessons/classes
• Infusing lessons with inquiry and student choice
• Connecting students to people and experiences worldwide (for free!)
• And much, much more!

The videos won’t be available forever! Like any conference, this digital event has a beginning and an end. Once the summit comes to an end, the videos will disappear!

Go ahead, ask for the free ebook

GetMattsStuff.com

Cooperative Video Games are helpful to develop skills

Here's an interesting article from USA TODAY

What may be surprising is that kids who play video games scored 23% higher in creative tests involving tasks such as drawing pictures and writing stories, according to MichiganState University.

THEY CAN ALSO DEVELOP SOCIAL SKILLS of cooperation.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2012/12/01/video-games-can-be-good-for-kids/1736649/


TwoPlayerGames.org includes Fire Boy and Water Girl (who need to cooperate to get through the maze)

REMINDERS about Internet URBAN LEGENDS and how to check accuracy

Here are two useful sites

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/microsoft.asp   and  

http://www.spamprimer.com/send-this-to-everyone-you-know-no/

You can learn about the problem with these urban legends at these two links.

• 
  

  ESTO TOMÓ DOS PAGINAS DEL MARTES LOS EEUU HOY - ES PARA REALPLEEEEEEASE LEÍDO que estaba en las noticias! Esto es real. Tenga la seguridad de que AOL e Intel seguirán con sus promesas por temor a enfrentarse a una demanda colectiva multimillonaria similar a la presentada por PepsiCo contra General Electric hace no mucho tiempo. Por favor, no tome esto por una carta basura. Bill Gates compartiendo su fortuna. Si ignoras esto, te arrepentirás más tarde. Microsoft y AOL ahora son las mayores compañías de Internet y en un esfuerzo por asegurarse de que Internet Explorer sigue siendo el programa más utilizado, Microsoft y AOL están ejecutando una prueba beta de correo electrónico. Cuando envía este mensaje a sus amigos, Microsoft puede Y lo rastreará (si es un usuario de Microsoft Windows)? Por un período de tiempo de dos semanas. Para cada persona a la que envíe este correo electrónico, Microsoft le pagará $ 245.00. Por cada persona que usted envió a que lo reenvíe, Microsoft le pagará $ 243.00 y! Por cada tercera persona que lo reciba, se le pagará $ 241.00. Dentro de dos semanas, Microsoft se pondrá en contacto con usted para su dirección y luego le enviará un cheque.RegardsCharles S Bailey Gerente General Operaciones de campo 1-800-842-2332 Ext. 1085 o 904-1085 o RNX 292-1085I pensé que esto era una estafa yo, Pero dos semanas después de recibir este correo electrónico y el envío de ella en. Microsoft me contactó para mi dirección y dentro de días, recibo un cheque por $ 24, 800.00. Debe responder antes de que finalice la prueba beta. Si alguien puede permitirse esto, las puertas de Bill es el hombre. Es todo gasto de marketing para él. Por favor, envíe esto a tantas personas como sea posible.

Sent from Messenger

What if your phone is off? What if your phone runs out of power? You can find it with these KEY FINDERS

There are a lot of good phone finders on Amazon.  I tried to get you one but it was too hard to choose — they will actually ring your phone even if it’s on silent. They connect to a “loop” that you attach to keys or put into wallet, etc.

Then there are these apps:http://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-apps-to-find-your-phone-565016/

Here’a a sample from Amazon.  There are more at Amazon.

1. 

   CUBE Key Finder, Phone Finder, Highest Quality Item Finder on the Planet - 1 Pack

   3.4 out of 5 stars 525

   $25.00  Prime
2. 

   Tile Mate - Key Finder. Phone Finder. Anything Finder - 1-pack

   4 out of 5 stars 421

   $24.99  Prime

Some EYE CELLS reset our daily clock AND help with SHORT TERM MEMORY

TURN ON BRIGHT LIGHTS to help SHORT TERM MEMORY... neuroscientists have discovered light-sensitive eye cells ‘intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells’ (ipRGCs). They absorb light in order to properly set our circadian clock.

In the decade since then, many studies have suggested that ipRGCs do even more than clock-setting. The latest of these reports, out this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that these cells — and the light-sensitive protein they contain, melanopsin — are involved in short-term memory.

from a freelance writer

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/13/how-light-wakes-up-the-brain/

Therapy Shoppe has the COOL ATOM MOLECULE for kids and adults to play with.

Interesting items.  One of the most helpful wire "things to manipulate" is a cool model of an atom.

You can find it here at https://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/1138-new-products-brand-new-innovative-therapy-sensory-products


The COOL WIRE ATOM can be found HERE

How to persuade your child to listen to a story (a reminder from your school's librarian): 20 minutes of reading to your child (DAILY)

Reminder From Your School’s Library and Media Center

Guidelines to have Maximum Benefit for your brain from reading

Reading is a way to grow our brains.  If we read the same book every day, if we re-read the same pages that we read yesterday, we are not building new memories.  Let’s find new articles every day.

1. NEW INFORMATION

The purpose of reading is to expose our brains to new information.

We recommend 20 minutes of independent reading.  We also suggest that you can spend some of the time reading the same book.  

2.  VARIETY

Please also add articles from the internet or magazines or newspapers so you get a variety of reading in the 20 minutes.  For example, you can read pages from a novel or short story for 15 minutes.  Then you can read a short article in the newspaper or online about yesterday’s events.  You might spend 5 minutes on reading other items.

3. READING ALOUD

Our school also recommends that an adult read to the child at least three minutes.   The minimum time for reading is 43 minutes per day, every day for fifth grade:   40 minutes of reading to yourself and 3 minutes of listening to another reader.

4.  READING EVERY DAY.

We ask you to read daily.  This includes Friday, Saturday and Sunday.   PARENTS can set an example by taking 20 minutes to read on their own.

5.  AFTER READING

Please remember that reading is improved when we talk about the new information.  We can remember more when we teach and talk to other people about the things we read about.

After you read for 40 minutes, remember to take two minutes to talk with someone about the pages you read.   Your parents might ask, “What did you read about?” and you can give three details that you remember from the story or article.  Then you can give the main idea and explain if the article is trying to inform or entertain or persuade or give instructions about how to do something.  

Thank you for following these rules and guidelines about reading.   We can all grow our brains by reading to each other and by reading independently (by ourselves).   Both kinds of reading help the brain get more information and practice organizing new information. We also connect older information to new information and sometimes we update the information that we carry inside us.

Here is an interesting quote:  “Reading aloud provides children with a model of confident and expert reading.  Many parents and teachers make reading aloud a vital part of their teaching practice.”

Yes, parents are teachers, too.

The goal is to love the story. That’s the point of reading, unless you’re reading for meaning. When my oldest daughter didn’t “take” to reading as I’d hoped, I let her listen to hours of audiobooks and read aloud to her multiple times a day. I wanted her to get hooked on the stories in the chapter books, without the frustration of reading them. Like her, all readers — and especially struggling readers — learn to love stories by hearing stories.   -- Melissa Taylor   readbrightly.com  

References    http://www.readbrightly.com/importance-of-reading-aloud-to-big-kids/  

http://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-and-development-at-home/ideas-to-help-with-reading-writing-and-maths/#Year5

http://tinyurl.com/readtoyourchild   Recommend this link to your friends and neighbors