International Space Station

The Space Shuttle Endeavour left the International Space Station for the final time over the weekend. Here is a cool way to "see what they see". The International Space Station Astro Viewer shows the location of the Space Station relative to the earth.

You will find two maps featured on the Astro Viewer. One displays the current position of the Space Station and its track relative over the Earth. The other displays the current view of the Earth as astronauts would see it from the Space Station.

Click the Observation tab, enter a location, and you find a list of the next sighting opportunities for that location. The green bars on the chart indicate the brightness of the ISS on its pass.

Food Culture

I don't believe that I have ever had the opportunity to write about or provide something interesting to the folks in the "Foods rooms" - So here you go!!

Do you have trouble keeping all the various food world personalities and organizations straight? Check out the handy subway/food culture map created by the Hartman Group.
To be honest, I am not entirely sure what to make of this, but I love the organization of the map and how all of the chefs and organizations intersect (AND I am not sure why Rachel Ray didn't make the list!) At any rate, the map plots relationships between people, places and things in our greater food culture.

Enjoy Foodies!!!!!!!!!!!

Sum, Sum, Summertime Reading

As we approach the end of another school year, I am reminded that I haven't written anything "non-techie" in quite some time. In preparation for summer and summer reading, here without any judgement are some options for your summertime pleasure.



The LA Times Summer Reading list-Catagorized

Amazon's summer reading

On a separate note, "the Queen" will continue. I have an "insider" who has graciously agreeded to pass my posts along. I have one more post for this school year and then it is on to the next chapter.

A JUKEBOX for the ages

One of my tech blogger friends shared this information last week- I had trouble with it's functionality initially-but now find it very cool. If you are an audiophile in any way you will be excited by the National Jukebox.

The Library of Congress has created the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives.

It is an archive of more than 10,000 recordings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925. These are recordings that were made using an acoustical recording process that captured sounds on wax cylinders. The recordings in the archive can be searched and listened to on your computer. You can search the archives by recording date, recording type, language, and target audience. The National Jukebox has also arranged playlists that you can listen to in a continuous stream.
This could be a great resource for teachers of history, music, and music history. You might have students choose recordings that they like, research the performers, and research the cultural and or political context in which a recording was made, or trace the evolution of a particular style of music.

Thanks to Richard Byrne for the heads up!

GOOGLE Science Fair

If you are interested in science in any way, shape or form, take a look at the GOOGLE SCIENCE FAIR. The semi-finalists in the inaugural fair have been posted. There are 60 projects that were selected from a pool of over 7500 entries from more than 90 countries around the world. You can vote once in each of the three age-group categories until May 20 at 11:59 PM EST. The People’s Choice winner will be announced on May 23, along with 5 finalists in each age category.

Fake Facebook

This is one of those: "If you can't beat 'em---- Join 'em" ideas!

My Fake Wall is a simple and free web service for creating a fake Facebook wall. To create a Fake Wall you do need to register for an account-Once you create an account you can create fake walls and post them online.
You start with an empty wall- then, by adding a few images, and some posts you can give the wall a more authentic look
Click here to see the beginning of the Fake Wall I created for Harry Potter.
To get other ideas check out other walls that have been created-on the home page as examples-Cinderella, John Lennon, etc

Applications for Education
Creating a fake Facebook page using My Fake Wall could be a fun way for students to publish information about historical figures-living and dead. Students could also use My Fake Wall to create fake Facebook pages about characters in the novels they read.

March Madness

With March Madness is just a day away, I'd like to pass along a couple of seasonally appropriate sport science videos that you might be able to incorporate into a science or math lesson.

ESPN's Sport Science analyzes two prominent features of basketball: Three Point Shooting and Distraction.

Three Point Shooting uses Ray Allen as an example of phenomenal three point shooting skills and the development of the perfect shot.

Distraction illustrates whether or not all of those waving, screaming fans behind a basketball hoop actually impacts the player's free throw success.

To solve the YouTube issue- both videos available here

Still no lesson on the "Science of Picking the Winner!" :)

Disaster Simulation -STOP THE DISASTERS

This morning's earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan provides an opportunity to incorporate current world news into a science lesson. Here is a fun resource for teaching about earthquakes and tsunamis( and other potential disasters)
Stop Disasters is a game designed for students to learn about natural disasters, disaster prevention, and city design. The game is sponsored and created by ISDR the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. This group brings many organizations, universities, institutions together for a common objective: reducing the number of dead and injured by disasters triggered by natural hazards. They say of their game:" The on-line game aims at teaching children how to build safer villages and cities against disasters. Children will learn how the location and the construction materials of houses can make a difference when disasters strike and how early warning systems, evacuation plans and education can save lives. Children are the future architects, mayors, doctors, and parents of the world of tomorrow, if they know what to do to reduce the impact of disasters, they will create a safer world."


There are five game scenarios that students can play: tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires. The scenarios are set in geographically accurate contexts of Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Caribbean. The Information tab provides a wealth of information and teacher resources on the 5 disasters. The game overview gives students their goals: building and housing, a budget and limits of acceptable destruction as well as the time allotted.

The game would be really nice on a SMARTboard as a whole class project. It's interactivity allows the students to create, warn and save their "population". I suggest that you play it first to see all of the options available. Enjoy!

Doodle Time!

It is that time of the year again - It's time to "DOODLE FOR GOOGLE"!!

This is yearly a competition where K-12 students are invited to use their artistic talents to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see. This year GOOGLE wants young people to dream about future possibilities--so this year they are asking U.S. kids to exercise their creative imaginations around the theme, "What I’d like to do someday…"

Whether students want to find a cure for cancer or take a trip to the moon, it all starts with a piece of 8.5" x 11" paper. And, one lucky student artist will take home a $15,000 college scholarship and $25,000 technology grant for their school, among many other prizes. In the past there has been a cap on the number of entries that a school could submit- Not this year-- The only stipulation is only one per student.

Student submit their 'doodle"on white, landscape sheet of 8.5" x 11" inch paper PLUS a supporting statement of up to 50 words explaining the "What I’d like to do someday…" theme.

Entry deadline is March 16- For more information: Doodle for Google

Recycling in the new year

Welcome back!!
Maybe you got some new gadgets over the holidays.

Maybe you're just cleaning out old "toys" in the new year.

Maybe you are preparing for the new Iphone.

Whatever the reason, you've probably got electronic gadgets that need to go.

There are more and more options for recycling and quite probably I will miss some, but, here is a list of companies, web sites and organizations that are equipted to recycle electronics:

The EPA( Environmental Protection Agency)
Ecosquid (included on the EPA list)- a place to compare cash offers and recycling options from across the web in one easy search.
The Consumer Electronic Association
A chart of "big box" stores that have programs.
Apple has it's own program- available only online

All of the programs are responsible, ecological, and (mostly) free recycling.
Be a good consumer and steward of the earth!

The Magical Shoe Box

In the spirit of "remember what it was like to be a first year teacher?"-- I share with you THE MAGICAL SHOE BOX.

My niece is a first year teacher in the Chicago Public Schools and following in the footsteps of "the queen" she decided to blog about her experiences.

If you are even remotely interested in re-kindling that first year enthusiasm, it is worth the time to read. She is a wonderful young woman and I like to think that I played a small part in her decision to go into education( the truth is-- both of her parents are teachers!).

Enjoy the read and follow if you wish!

Tracking Santa

Here is a fun web-site for the child in all of us-- Not school related, but certainly a series of fun activities-- especially for those of you with small children as we lead up to Christmas.

NORAD is the bi-national (U.S.-Canadian) military organization responsible for the aerospace and maritime defense of the United States and Canada. Simply said, the men and women of NORAD watch the skies.

NORAD Tracks Santa is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program produced under the auspices of NORAD. Every year on Christmas Eve, "NORAD Tracks Santa" purports to follow Santa Claus as he leaves the North Pole and delivers presents to children around the world.

The program began on December 1 with a "Countdown Village" website. This portion of the site has a series of interactive pages for children regarding Santa and his village and workshops.

Even a big kid like me can enjoy visiting Santa as he makes preparation for the "Big Day". On Christmas Eve, you can even track Santa using Google Earth.
Finally, the site is multilingual--ENJOY!

Google Science Fair

Another cool GOOGLE idea to share!

On January 11, 2011 Google will kick-off a global science fair. There weren't that many details , but here is what I can report.

The Google Science Fair will be open to 13-18 year old students. Students can enter individually or in small teams. Google's partners in this project include National Geographic, CERN, NASA, Scientific American, and LEGO. Teachers can register now to receive free resource kits, bookmarks, stickers, posters, and notification when registration for the Google Science Fair opens.

I have registered and will share info as I receive it - Science teachers, you may wish to do the same.

Holiday Shopping

WeAreTeachers is an online community for teachers. It combines the expertise of their member community, the resources and knowledge base of partners and the momentum of social media to recognize and reward innovative teaching ideas. WeAreTeachers offers a unique forum for innovation and collaboration... AND, like any good online community at this time of the year, they have complied a Holiday Gift Guide. These fun gifts t are not only affordable, but are also teacher-recommended as educational. A good place for gift giving ideas that are practical, fun and educational-SHHH- keep that last part a secret!
The site is also a nice community of resources for all teachers - I highly recommend saving it as a favorite and if you are so inclined--- joining their community.

Veteran's Day-This year it is personal @ PSHS

Tomorrow's honor procession recognizing PSHS' own hero, Andrew Meari will certainly provide ample opportunity for Veteran's Day and "war hero" discussions. For those of you seeking additional resources, here are some good ones:

The History Channel

A Picture Story and American Remembers Its Veterans (2 different slide shows)on MSNBC

Remembering War’s Costs, Around the Globe is a slideshow from The Wall Street Journal.

EL Civics has a lesson for ELL students - Makes a good intro to the day and the military.

THE BEST in my opinion

National Geographic has a film called Arlington: Field of Honor-A tour of one of America's most sacred places. Explore its hallowed history in this powerful portrait (there is a very brief commercial prior to the film)

The Science of Football

The folks at NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, have done it again.

You may remember a January 2010 posting about the science behind the Olympic games.
Now, in partnership with the National Science Foundation and National Football League, they unravel the Science behind Professional Football through a thoughtfully narrated and annotated series of video clips. Each video segment/lesson, has a "flip cue card option". This option "flips the video screen over and provides general information and a description of the clip, keywords(which could easily be the vocabulary portion of the lesson),and a link to Lessonopoly, a free software portal developed by Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

Video segments/topics include: Newton's Laws of Motion, Geometric Shapes, Kinematics, Nutrition, Hydration & Health, Projectile motion, Torque and Center of Mass and the Science of Football Vectors

CyberSafety-OWN YOUR SPACE

Young people have been immersed in technology since elementary school. They download music, Google their homework, and are constantly IMing friends. They check email before dinner, and tweak their Facebook page before bed. While they're doing all of this, they also need to protect themselves.

Own Your Own Space is an ebook designed to educate tweens and teens about protecting themselves and their "stuff" online. This book is about keeping safe—protecting your data, your identity, and yourself without giving up all the great stuff the Net puts at your fingertips. It isn't a fluffy, general overview book. Each chapter goes into great detail explaining the technical threats that students' computers face online as well as the personal threats to data that can also be threatened.
Chapters include:
Chapter 1: Know Your Villains
Chapter 2: Drive-By Malicious Code
Chapter 3: Data Grabbers and Dumpers
Chapter 4: Spy vs. Spy
Chapter 5: Giving Spam the Curb
Chapter 6: Pretenders and Pirates
Chapter 7: Phishing for Dollars
Chapter 8: Taming the Cookie Monster
Chapter 9: Safe Cyber-Shopping
Chapter 10: Private Blogs and Public Places
Chapter 11: Any Port in a Storm
Chapter 12: Look Pa, No Strings!
Chapter 13: Protective Tools
Chapter 14: Tweaks
Appendix A: A Check List for Mom and Dad

The book is available to download as a complete book or as individual chapters compliments of Microsoft and is also linked on the PSHS Student Resources page.

The book is written by Linda McCarthy, a Security Architect in the office of the CTO at Symantec. Linda has been in the security field for over a decade, and has broken into systems around the world to show executives how easy it is to break into their networks. A portion of the proceeds from this book have been designated by the author for nonprofit work to educate teens about Internet security.

Thanks to amazon.com for the information!

VOTE EASY

Now that we are in the midst of campaign season and everyone is growing tired of political ads, along comes a web site to help us make sense of it all.

Vote Easy is an interactive map designed to help voters identify the Congressional candidate that is most closely aligned with their views on a selection of twelve issues. Once you select your state(all 50 will be available Oct 8) and congressional district(the program will do it for you with an address), potential voters answer each question then specify how important that issue is to you. Based on those responses Vote Easy will indicate which candidate in your Congressional district is most closely aligned to your views.

Vote Easy is "created by Project Vote Smart headquartered in Philipsburg, Montana and established in 1988 in order to provide voters with accurate, unbiased information on candidates, issues and legislation.They do not accept money from any groups that have any kind of political affiliation and are comprised primarily of volunteers who spend their days tracking and inputting information for public access. "


This is a great activity for Civics classes as a tool to get students thinking about the twelve issues (Among them :Afghanistan, Taxes, Social Issues, Health Care, and Education) presented to them. After students answer all of the questions and find out which candidate was most closely aligned to their views, it would be interesting to have them take it again to see what type of answers it would take to be aligned with the other candidates.




Thanks to Diana Laufenberg for the tip!

Changing the World--One Map at a time

Here a new way to visualize our world based on different kinds of information.

Show World is created by Mapping Worlds, an Amsterdam-based company that develops custom interactive data applications. They take demographic, economic, environmental, and political data and create maps based on that data.

Initially, you have the opportunity to take a world view or a US view(Japan is also available). Then, select a subject from the top menu and watch the countries (or states)on the map change their size based on various kinds of data. Each time you select a different data set, the size of each country increases or decreases in comparison to other countries. For example, if you select the data set about steel production, the size of China is huge relative to African countries. On the other hand, if you select the data set for students not in school, the African countries swell while China decreases in size.

Show World is a great way for students to visually interpret data. What a great discussion starter this could be. It could also be the starting point for research about the economic and social conditions of countries around the world.

Thanks to Richard Byrne for the tip!

EDheads- Activate your mind

Let's talk about Edheads. A site that provides various interactive activities that would be perfect on a SMARTBoard or AirSlate. Edheads has created unique, educational web experiences designed to make the featured concepts understandable using the power and interactivity of the Internet. Adding these activities to a SMARTboard or AirSlate adds an extra dimension.

Currently these high quality activities are free. Note that there are ads on the site(They are trying to remain free!) "Edheads helps students learn through educational games and activities designed to meet state and national standards. We partner with various school systems in the United States, which help us research, design and test our activities every step of the way!"

The front page features activities the likes of: Design a Cellphone, Virtual Hip Replacement surgery, Simple Machines, Weather and Crash Scene Investigation. Teacher guides are available for each activity. All of the activities include some additional work-research, reviewing research, interviews as well as an evaluation of results.

While some of it looks a bit elementary, I can assure you that viewing the photos of an actual hip replacement is not for the faint of heart!

It is worth your time to take a look at the activities-Enjoy!