The Art of Possibility - Leadership

Rethinking Leadership

So much of what Zander has to say relates directly to what we do as teacher-librarians. This book is definitely worth reading.

"Zander believes that leaders need to create a connection rather than division, call up passion rather than fear, and have unlimited vision. A leader exists to empower others. If leaders calls up passion and confidence in the people they lead, then the leaders themselves will be successful." [*]

Presentations by Ben Zander - co-author
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTKEBygQic0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZIC2f0fMKY

Summary of main points from the book

http://www.frumi.com/images/uploads/theartofpossibility.pdf

http://www.peace.ca/possibility.pdf

Preview Zander DVD

http://www.trainingabc.com/leadership-an-art-of-possibility-with-ben-zander/

Google preview of book (first 41 pages)

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Planning a Seussabration for March 4th to 8th?

Can you read with a fox? in a box? in your socks?

Are you thinking ahead to March 2, Dr, Seuss' birthday? Many schools use his birthday to as an excuse to launch a week of fun activities centered around reading! Here are some links to explore:

NEA's Read Across America Day - Seussville

http://www.seussville.com/Educators/educatorReadAcrossAmerica.php

Tony Pope, LMS at McHenry Primary School has posted some great ideas for a "Seuss-abration" on the LM-Net listserv.

https://www.readability.com/articles/ydniqgos?legacy_bookmarklet=1

Scholastic ideas

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2012/02/lets-celebrate-dr-seuss

Pinterest ideas

http://pinterest.com/notjustcute/dr-seuss-celebration/

Family Craft ideas

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/marchholidays/l/blmar2nd.htm

Edujourney

http://edujourney.net/Holiday/Dr%20Seuss.htm

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"Using the internet in place of memory doesn’t make us dumber" - ExtremeTech

Give your brain a workout with Google - it's good for you!

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/145677-using-the-internet-in-place-of-memory-doesnt-make-us-dumber

Recent research indirectly supports the need for TLs and teachers to help students develop good internet searching skills - it could actually be good for your brain!

"A UCLA study, published in 2009, clearly shows that a group of people with experience searching the web had twice the brain activity of a naive group when searching for information. By giving their brain a frequent workout with Google, those experienced with the web have strengthened their neural circuitry, and that potentially means that actively using search engines could help stave off decline of mental capacity. The research into this area is far from completed, but early signs are promising."

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Techweb's TechEncyclopedia

A tech-term lookup service

http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/

TechWeb is an online resource for news coverage of the information technology industry. One of their "freebies" is a tech-term lookup service that provides quite detailed explanations of of IT terminology, along with diagrams and tables to extend the definition. This could be quite useful it you are often confronted with a barrage of technospeak, or if you teach IT classes and want the best definitions to pass on to your students!

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Planet Four - Citizen scientists explorirng Mars

Help planetary scientists better understand Mars

http://planetfour.org/

With the help of Stargazing Live, 56,903 citizen scientists are exploring the surface of Mars like never before.

"We need your help to find and mark 'fans' and 'blotches' on the Martian surface. Scientists believe that these features indicate wind direction and speed. By tracking 'fans' and 'blotches' over the course of several Martian years to see how they form, evolve, disappear and reform, we can help planetary scientists better understand Mars' climate. We also hope to find out if these features form in the same spot each year and also learn how they change."

The human mind is better than computers at analyzing images with the complexity of the Martian surface. Participants' notations will be collected with those made by other volunteers. An average of these markings will produce an reliable map of the 'fan,' and 'blotch' features on the surface of Mars.

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Changing Results for Young Readers - Symposium videos

Engaged, successful readers - CR4YR

http://changingresultsforyoungreaders.bclibraries.ca/symposium.htm

The goals of the "Changing Results for Young Readers" initiative is to increase the number of BC children who are engaged, successful readers.

In a Symposium held in August 2012, participants heard about the different elements that make up the CR4YR initiative. Click on the links below to learn more and view clips from the event.

• "Changing Results for Young Readers" CR4YR Trailer
  
• Social and Emotional Learning in Reading: Kim Schonert-Reichl
• Self Regulation in Reading: Deb Butler
• Reading Instruction - Evidence Based Practice: Faye Brownlie Part One
• Reading Instruction - Evidence Based Practice: Faye Brownlie Part Two
• Indigenous Principles of Learning in Reading: Trish Rosborough, Laura Tait, & Paige Fisher
• Spiral of Inquiry: Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert
  

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Film Online: Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns & More

Freely available movie classics

http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline

Where to watch classic movies online? Open Culture has listed 500+ films divided into the following categories: Comedy & Drama; Film Noir, Horror & Hitchcock; Westerns & John Wayne; Silent Films; Documentaries, and Animation. While they are not all appropriate for the classroom, you will find some gems that could be used in Lit, English or Drama classes. Take a close look at the documentary section.

Here are a few of the offerings:

• Cyrano De Bergerac- Michael Gordon's tale based on the classic French tale. (1950)
• Great Expectations – Based on the great Charles Dickens novel. (1946)
• Pygmalion – Film based on George Bernard Shaw's play. Won Oscar for best screenplay. (1938)
• The Machine Stops - A UK science fiction TV show adapted E.M. Forster's 1909 techno-dystopia story, The Machine Stops. (1966)
• A Christmas Carol -- Marc McDermott stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in this 1910 silent film version of Dickens' classic ghost story.
• Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde  – John Barrymore stars in the renowned silent adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. (1920)
• Animal Farm – The animated film based on George Orwell's classic novella. (1954)
  

"Open Culture editor Dan Colman scours the web for the best educational media. He finds the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & movies you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between."

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"Copyright Matters!" 2012 version

Learn about the CMA & recent Supreme Court decisions on fair dealing

http://www.cmec.ca/140/Programs-and-Initiatives/Copyright/Copyright-Matters-/index.html

"Copyright Matters!" takes into account Canada's new copyright law and recent Supreme Court decisions on fair dealing, and provides practical information for teachers on their rights and responsibilities with regard to the use of copyright-protected materials in educational institutions. Students, parents, and education administrators may also find it useful.

Download your copy of Copyright Matters!

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SocialSmarts: Privacy, the Internet and You - comic book

Graphic novel helps youth navigate online privacy risks

http://www.youthprivacy.ca/en/gn_intro.html

"Canadian kids are digitally savvy and they value their privacy, but they are often unsuspecting about the potential privacy risks of new digital communications technologies.

"The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has created a graphic novel, Social Smarts: Privacy, the Internet and You, to help young Canadians to better understand and navigate privacy issues in the online world.

The 12-page graphic novel is designed to appeal to tweens and younger teens. Download a PDF or view in HTML. (Hard copies can also be ordered from the site.)

Also available in French

http://www.youthprivacy.ca/fr/gn_intro.html

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Reading with Meaning (Second Edition) - Stenhouse Publishers

Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades

http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9702&r=sb10r115

Preview this book on the Stenhouse site.

"In the second edition of "Reading with Meaning", Debbie Miller shares her new thinking about comprehension strategy instruction, the gradual release of responsibility instructional model, and planning for student engagement and independence."

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Teaching Reading Workshop: video clip

Differentiate a reading lesson through structure and questioning

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/reading-workshop-overview

In this 5 minute clip, Rick Kleine explains how he structures his guided reading system, demonstrates questioning strategies to facilitate peer discussion and increase engagement, and provides examples of differentiated learning and instruction for students. (View the complete 26 minute lesson on this site.)

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Teaching Middle School Art: Symbolism Art Lesson with a FN focus

Representing ideas using First Nations inspiration

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/symbolism-art-lesson

Watch Ms. Wallace in this 14 minute video clip as she explores elements of design, important aspects of First Nations culture and the integration of Art with other subject areas.

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Public Domain images for projects

Sources of images for projects

http://www.infotopia.info/pd_images.html

Infotopia is an academic search engine (a custom Google search) that points students and teachers to websites selected by TLs and teachers. This public domain images page offers places to look for quality visuals for student projects. Remind students that they still need to credit their sources in their bibliography.

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10 Simple Ways to Make Reader's Theater Magical

Transform RT from "ordinary" to "extraordinary".

http://wonderteacher.com/10-simple-ways-to-make-readers-theater-magical/

"Because Reader's Theatre does not require costumes, props, staging, or memorization of lines, it's one of the most beginner-friendly Arts Integration Structures out there. Generally, teachers simply have students stand in the front of the room with their scripts and read their parts fluently, with expression."

However… Susan Antonelli can't resist adding that little dash of magic that takes RT from "ordinary" to "extraordinary!" Read her 10 simple ways to transform RT!

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Get them Reading: 6 Tips for Engaging Reluctant Readers

Enticing students to read.

http://wonderteacher.com/get-them-reading-6-tips-for-engaging-reluctant-readers/

If providing reading time for students is essential to helping them be better readers, how do we handle those kids who "fake read" and don't engage in reading?  Susan Antonelli's blog post takes Dr. Pat Cunningham's response to this question and expands on it giving her strategies for "leading kids to water."

Here is Dr. Cunningham's initial response to that question:

"Well, they say you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, and I guess that's true. But, you can do a lot of things to entice him to drink! You can show him how to drink day after day. You can lead him to the same watering hole at the same time every day and surround him with other horses who are drinking. You can offer lots of different flavors of water and  tell him how great the water tastes. You can invite other horses to share testimonials about how wonderful their drinking experience has been and give him small samples that might make him thirsty. You can even present him with his very own custom bottle of water- flavored with his favorite things."

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