“I Learn, You Learn, We Learn” Blog

Get a jump start on your classroom lesson plans for next week. Include DEstreaming video content and make history come alive for your students.   Visit the Calendar within the Teacher Center of DEstreaming for more videos of history during this week.**Note - Before clicking on the links below, sign in to your DEstreaming account

Science - Oct 18 -1962- Nobel Prize awarded for discovery of DNA structure

The image of DNA , above, is one of many found in DEstreaming that you can use in presentations in your classs.

DNA double helix. National Institutes of Health. 2008. Discovery Education. 6 October 2008
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

Math -Oct 18-1945-Dusa McDuff, mathematician

Social Studies  - Oct 17 - 1777- British surrender at Saratoga

Art & Humanities - Oct 12 -1935- Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer

Language Arts -Oct 14 - 1926- A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh published

Health & Guidance - Oct 15 - 1904- Marty Mann,“First Lady of AA”

Famous People -Oct 16-1758- Noah Webster, author

Commemorations - Oct. 12 - 1492- Columbus reaches the Bahamas

Ken Blanchard…the best selling author of The One Minute Manager said this:

“Every once in a while a small book comes along that deals with a profound subject in a simple, elegant way.

A Peacock in a Land of Penguins is that book!”

Follow Perry as he makes his journey from the Land of Learning to the Land of the Penguins and ultimately the Land of Opportunity. This story echoes one that is unfolding each and every day in organizations all across the country – how to build a corporate culture of creativity and capture the talent, energy and commitment of all employees.

To watch the short inspirational movie , visit http://www.perrythepeacock.com/ 

From SimpleTruths.com

Web Wednesday is a feature of the online “Big Deal Book”. This Wednesday’s theme is Understanding and Preparing for our International World in the 21st Century

Check out the book for more online deals. You’ll find everything from grant opportunities to free and inexpensive finds

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Key to Global Competitiveness
If the United States does not create an education system that is capable of imparting 21st century skills to learners, the country’s economy and competitive standing in the world could suffer, says the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in a report entitled 21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness: A Resource and Policy Guide. “We need to recognize that a 21st century education is the bedrock of competitiveness—the engine, not simply an input, of the economy,” the report states. The guide summarizes the challenges and opportunities that, if left unaddressed, will curtail our competitiveness and diminish our standing in the world.See below for ideas on how to help your students develop the skills necessary for work and life in the 21st century.

What Is a Market?
A multidisciplinary group of economists, political consultants and educators developed Our World Economics to help middle school students tackle the questions of globalism: Where do our products and services in the United States come from? Why do 600 million children worldwide live in poverty? Can we promote economic development while being respectful of the environment?Our World Economics explores three broad themes that complement social studies, geography, government and civics curricula:

1. Observing Our Divided World familiarizes the class with some of the commercial relationships and economic distinctions between our planet’s wealthiest and poorest nations.

2. Economics As Allocation explores supply, demand and pricing, as well as colonialism and historic trends in the accumulation and distribution of wealth.

3. What Is Valuable? explores a world heritage cultural site and a global priority nature preserve to introduce the concept of common goods—resources normally considered “free,” but also vulnerable.

Materials include videos, group and individual activities, a class market, Internet research assignments, a game, essays and guided discussions.

* Web Wednesday is a feature of The Big Deal Book - Amazing Resources for 21st Century Educators

…………..just ask Anthony Cimino a 4th grade teachers at  Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Schenectady. Congratulations to Anthony for winning a DEN duffel bag just for commenting on the DEN Stream-a-thon blog post!

 Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

This past weekend was an exhausting, fantastic, fun, informative , jam packed, 2 days for everyone who made their way to the NY/Northeast DEN Regional Conference.  Educators from MA, CT, NJ and NY attended the event hosted at Hudson Valley Community College.

On Saturday, participants were treated to a presentation by Discovery’s Lance Rouguex who helped us understand the need for us not only to learn a second language, but that language being the one our student’s  currently speak.  Each participant become experts in understanding DEstreaming and had the chance to meet and network with educators from other New England states.

On Sunday, technology expert, Sal DeAngelo talked about not just ”Teaching Our Students to Whistle”  but teaching our students so they actually learn what we’re teaching.  Teams continued to work on , and then present,  projects ranging from “The Properties of Metals” from our SHS Science Department to “Simple Machines” from our elementary teachers.

On Sunday we had a special guest, Regent Bowman, from the NYS Board of Regents drop in to see why the teachers were so excited about DEstreaming and the DEN.

Here’s a shout out to all who attended from Schenectady City Schools. They, as well as the educators from CT, NJ and MA,  are to be commended for their commitment to learning new ways to integrate technology during their time away from school.

 Sal DeAngelo - Keynote

William Mau - SHS Social Studies - who, in the photo above, is proudly dancing for the DEN (and a Discovery prize)

Kevin Dorsey - MPMS Technology

Suzanne Bernadt - Elementary Library Media Specialist

Meredith Bernadt - Howe Elementary

Laura Canders -SHS Science

Katie Raymer - SHS Science

Nicola Dutre - Oneida Health

Rick DeCarr - FDR Elementary

Christine Bernard - King Elementary

Get a jump start on your classroom lesson plans for next week. Include DEstreaming video content and make history come alive for your students.   Visit the Calendar within the Teacher Center of DEstreaming for more videos of history during this week.**Note - Before clicking on the links below, sign in to your DEstreaming account

Science - Oct 11 -1995- Nobel Prize awarded for work on ozone layer

Math -Oct 11-1881- Lewis Richardson, physicist

Social Studies  - Oct 8 - 1871- Great Chicago Fire begins

The image above is of the Great Chicago Fire.

The aftermath of the great Chicago fire.. IRC. 2005.unitedstreaming. 29 September 2008
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

Art & Humanities - Oct 7 -1968- Movie ratings system adopted

Language Arts -Oct 6 - 1876- Librarians establish American Library Association

Health & Guidance - Oct 9 - 1701- Yale University founded

Famous People -Oct 10-1900- Helen Hayes, actress

Tomorrow begins a two day workshop of learning and fun at The Seik Conference Center at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY. One of the tri cities of the capital district area of NY, Troy will prove to be a place where the DEN Regional Conference will make a name for it’s first annual.

Dennis Swain, our regional rep, has been working hard to make this a truly memorable event. He has organized a fantastic line up of speakers and presenters from both Discovery and surrounding states.

I am hoping my colleagues from Schenectady City Schools will get to experience the excitement and fun I’ve had during the past few years as a STAR Discovery Educator.

Check out the agenda of events. I’ll keep you posted!

Get a jump start on your classroom lesson plans for next week. Include DEstreaming video content and make history come alive for your students. Visit the Calendar within the Teacher Center of DEstreaming for more videos of history during this week.*

*Note - Before clicking on the links below, sign in to your DEstreaming account

Science - Sept 27 -1922: Navy scientists invent radar

Math -Sept 23-1884: Herman Hollerith patents mechanical adding machine

Social Studies - Sept 25 - 1981: Sandra Day O’Connor becomes first female Supreme Court justice

Art & Humanities - Sept 26 -1774: Johnny Appleseed, folk hero

Language Arts -Sept 21 -1937: J. R. R. Tolkien publishes The Hobbit

Health & Guidance - Sept 27 - 1820: Tomato proven safe to eat

Picture of above is of lucious cherry tomatoes and can be found on DEstreaming.

Cherry Tomatoes. Jupiterimages Corporation. 2006. unitedstreaming. 16 September 2008
<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

Famous People - Sept 26-1774: Johnny Appleseed, folk hero

Get a jump start on your classroom lesson plans for next week. Include DEstreaming video content and make history come alive for your students.   Visit the Calendar within the Teacher Center of DEstreaming for more videos of history during this week.**Note - Before clicking on the links below, sign in to your DEstreaming account

Science - Sept 17 -1976: NASA unveils space shuttle

Commemoration - Citizenship Day

Math -Sept 19-1888: James Alexander, mathematician

Social Studies  - Sept 16 - 1620: Mayflower departs from England

The image above is of the Mayflower sailing and can be found on DEstreaming.

Mayflower II At Sea. Corbis. 2006.unitedstreaming. 7 September 2008

<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

Art & Humanities - Sept 20 -1984: The Cosby Show premieres

Language Arts -Sept 15 -1890: Birthdate of author Agatha Christie

Commemoration - Citizenship Day

Health & Guidance - Sept 19 - 1986: AZT available to AIDS patients

Famous People - Sept 14-1914: Clayton Moore, Lone Ranger actor

Mark Sanborn’s new book, The Encore, effect is truly an encore to his previous releases: The Fred Factor and You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader. It is scheduled to be available to the general public tomorrow.   While on vacation a few weeks ago, I decided to take the preview copy (see previous blog at  http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/tstandhart/2008/08/23/something-new-and-remarkable-is-coming/ )to the beach and begin reading. A few hours later I finished up with a sunburn (because I don’t tan and I wasn’t paying attention) and more of Mark’s remarkable wisdom for leaders, and people in general, in any profession. It would be easy for me to highlight each of the chapter in the book, but that would spoil it for all you Mark Sanborn fans. So I’ll just give you a little peek at what you can expect.   One of the reasons why I like Mark’s book so much as he provides simple, attainable steps in his books supplemented by real life stories. The Fred Factor is about the real Fred the postman and the quality and caring he puts into his profession. In You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader, Mark’s Six Principals of Leadership are followed by stories of real people like Andrea, the office aide in a school who was a true leader.  In In The Encore Effect, Mark starts off by saying there is no silver bullet to success by just reading what he writes about; you learn by applying his lessons and discovering how they work for you. He talks about how the group The Eagles: John Wood, a Microsoft millionaire; and Sammy Koenigsberg, a produce farmer in Matthews, NC use Marks lessons to “give encore performances” and become truly remarkable in their profession.   I am a teacher of Family & Consumer Science, a course in which students learn life skills; including leadership and self actualization skills. My students will benefit tremendously through what Mark writes in his book. Mark’s Pyramid of Possibility will be a poster in my room for my students to focus on while learning about his 6 areas to become “remarkable” people.  Not only will my students benefit, his lessons inspire me and will my colleagues as well. Although many teachers have heard some of his lessons previously, it doesn’t hurt any of us to hear these again: “ You have to reach those you teach”, “ Give feedback and encourage” ,“Engage your audience.” For anyone who wants to move from the ordinary to extraordinary, Mark’s new book is for you. Once you read it, you’ll want to go back often to tap into the number of ways you can become a “remarkable” person.  

Get a jump start on your classroom lesson plans for next week. Include DEstreaming video content and make history come alive for your students.   Visit the Calendar within the Teacher Center of DEstreaming for more videos of history during this week.*

*Note - Before clicking on the links below, sign in to your DEstreaming account

Science - Sept10 -1846: Elias Howe patents sewing machine

The photo above is of a NY sweat shop.   You can find both the image and a sound of a sewing machine in  DEstreaming.

“Female Slaves of New York” picture of sweat shop.. IRC. 2005.unitedstreaming. 31 August 2008
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

HOUSEHOLD: SEWING MACHINE : DROP PRESSER FOOT SEW SLOW SPEED STOP RAISE FOOT CLOTHES. Discovery Education. 2008.unitedstreaming. 31 August 2008
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/

Math -Sept 9-1914: Marjorie Lee Browne, math educator

Social Studies  - Sept 11 - 2001: Hijacked planes crash into World Trade Center and Pentagon

Art & Humanities - Sept 7 -1936: Buddy Holly, singer-songwriter

Language Arts -Sept 8 -1892- Pledge of Allegiance published

Health & Guidance - Sept 12 - 1793: First quarantine on U.S. city declared

Take a visual trip to Washington DC to the World War II Memorial compliments of the National Park Service. This interactive site provides a moving collection of quotes, photos, and audio capturing the men, women, and events of World War II. Photos of the World War II Memorial are integrated into the footage. [10 mins, 30 secs]

Visit: http://www.nps.gov/features/nama/feat0001/index2.html

Although this is a great site to show your students , it doesn’t compare to seeing the Memorial in person. Thanks to the DEN, I had the opportunity to visit The Mall in DC for a chance to see and experience all the memorials. What a treat is was. Thanks Discovery!

Forecast Earth Summit Essay Contest

The Weather Channel is hosting a chance for students to attend the Forecast Earth Summit in December. Students need to write an essay and complete the information at https://www.forecastearthsummit.org/index.php as part of the selection process.  Why not get started on the first day of school?

 

 

Leadership Failure

“The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.” ~ Napoleon Hill

“Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success.” ~ William S. Gilbert

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody.” ~ Herbert B. Swope

“A failure is a man who has blundered but is not capable of cashing in on the experience.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

 Get a jump start on your classroom lesson plans for next week. Include DEstreaming video content and make history come alive for your students.   Visit the Calendarwithin the Teacher Center of DEstreaming for more videos of history during this week.*

*Note - Before clicking on the links below, sign in to your DEstreaming account

Science - Sept 5 -1977: Voyager 1 launched

Math -Aug 31-1994: Pentium computer beats Garry Kasparov

Social Studies  - Sept 2 - 1945: Japan surrenders; World War II ends

Art & Humanities - Sept 1 -1957: Gloria Estefan, singer and songwriter

Image above is of Gloria Estefan smiling as she recuperates after a terrible bus accident while on tour. Find this image, article and writing prompt in DEstreaming.
Gloria Estefan Smiling. Corbis. 2006.unitedstreaming. 24 August 2008<http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

Language Arts -Sept 4 -1893: Beatrix Potter tells first Peter Rabbit story

Health & Guidance - Sept 6 - 1992: Baboon liver transplant patient dies

Famous People - Sept 5-1847: Jesse James, outlaw