Interested in learning more or sharing your WORDLES? Now, you can access the Diigo WORDLE Group.
Haven't used Diigo, the social bookmarking site? Now would be a great time to join.
While you're at it, consider joining the Diigo for Educators site that is protected, so you can use it with your students.
Here are webslide show of many of our group's bookmarks, to date.
Monday, November 17, 2008
3 Ways to WORDLE Share
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Many Eyes on Bullying
Many Eyes is an IBM web application that people can use to visualize their data in unique ways. WORDLE is a part of this Many Eyes Project. Here is a sample of real data from a study by Ken Rigby, an associate professor of social psychology at the University of South Australia on Reasons Children Give for Bullying Others.
Monday, November 10, 2008
WORDLE: A Practical Application
WORDLE has a function that allows users to submit any del.icio.us user name to make a non-linguistic representation of bookmark tags. You can analyze the use of various tags within your bookmarks and look for areas of great emphasis, synonymous tags or areas of little emphasis. Each of these areas of analysis can drive future teaching and writing related to your professional development plan and the school's curriculum map.
I created my delicious WORDLE that could be used formative assessment, summative assessment or self-assessment by analyzing this snapshot from November 10, 2007 of n2teaching delicious bookmarks
Here is another version of the same set of bookmarks on the same day that contains more words. Controlling the number of total words is an aspect of WORDLE that you can change within the layout function. Hopefully, these ideas will lead you to think of more ways to use WORDLE as an interactive tool, not just a toy.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
3 Reasons to ZAP Homework Blues
One of the tenets of a Quality School is to encourage students' confidence in making choices that promote quality participation in school, I would suggest that ZAP, Zeroes Aren't Permitted, has the potential to help a school community accomplish this.
Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning when they participate in ZAP when they learn to complete their homework. Once they organize their work process, students usually turn in most homework, completed in a timely manner.
ZAP is a process used in many schools, since the last century, to encourage homework completion that can, with the help of parents, teachers and other significant adults improve student's work completion skills. These are 3 primary expectations of a well developed ZAP program.
* Encourage student to improve work habits
1. students have opportunity to finish homework
2. students will receive one-on-one collaboration
3. major stakeholders are included in the collaboration
4. students will receive training on how to complete homework
* Involve parent in the conversation
1. share the visiion of the positive impact of ZAP
2. encourage parents to ask questions before beginning
3. explain the process
4. obtain buy-in or agreement to participate
5. expect follow through at home
* Use a collaborative, measured, well documented program
1. stakeholders follow the plan
2. teachers and parents help student have opportunities for best choices, based
on student performance in work completion
3. students understand that work completion gains positive feedback
4. ZAP program is ended when appropriate choices about work completion are made
over time
As you learn more about the Quality School Teacher, using the best instructional strategies and developing a positive student learning plan based on these ideas, you will see fewer behavioral and academic problems.
Remember, ZAP, Zeroes Aren't Permitted, is ONE tool, from a vast Teacher Tool Box. It was never meant to be used in a punitive manner.
The supportive idea behind ZAP, and similar tools, is that students make choices that can improve their quality of life. When a child's quality of life and learning improves, they will trust their teachers, parents and the rest of their community to have their best interests in mind in future educational adventures.
Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning when they participate in ZAP when they learn to complete their homework. Once they organize their work process, students usually turn in most homework, completed in a timely manner.
ZAP is a process used in many schools, since the last century, to encourage homework completion that can, with the help of parents, teachers and other significant adults improve student's work completion skills. These are 3 primary expectations of a well developed ZAP program.
* Encourage student to improve work habits
1. students have opportunity to finish homework
2. students will receive one-on-one collaboration
3. major stakeholders are included in the collaboration
4. students will receive training on how to complete homework
* Involve parent in the conversation
1. share the visiion of the positive impact of ZAP
2. encourage parents to ask questions before beginning
3. explain the process
4. obtain buy-in or agreement to participate
5. expect follow through at home
* Use a collaborative, measured, well documented program
1. stakeholders follow the plan
2. teachers and parents help student have opportunities for best choices, based
on student performance in work completion
3. students understand that work completion gains positive feedback
4. ZAP program is ended when appropriate choices about work completion are made
over time
As you learn more about the Quality School Teacher, using the best instructional strategies and developing a positive student learning plan based on these ideas, you will see fewer behavioral and academic problems.
Remember, ZAP, Zeroes Aren't Permitted, is ONE tool, from a vast Teacher Tool Box. It was never meant to be used in a punitive manner.
The supportive idea behind ZAP, and similar tools, is that students make choices that can improve their quality of life. When a child's quality of life and learning improves, they will trust their teachers, parents and the rest of their community to have their best interests in mind in future educational adventures.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Jellywashers: Endangered Breed
When someone roots for you or compliments you, how does that make you feel? Great, comfortable, proud or uncomfortable? or something else?
It seems to me that many people feel uncomfortable, even angry around people who give appropriate comments or work to boost morale.
These people are called JellyWashers. Why? Because they will tell you when you have jelly (real and metaphorical) on your face when no one else will. They will compliment you. They will support you. They will trust you. THEY WILL BELIEVE.
They have expectations that others are jellywashers, but that is so far from the truth. Jellywashers are a rare, endangered group. So how do these grown-ups do it? How do they live in a world where people are often working against their own best interests on a regular basis?
It seems to me that JellyWashers are a rare, endangered variety in our species who need to be celebrated, not denigrated. They can do something few others can do. They can suspend cynicism and develop learned naivete'...imagination that the world can be a better place by encouraging others with appropriate comments to help enlighten and improve their daily life.
Do you know any of these people? How do you treat them? Do you shake your head? Do they embarrass you? Do you celebrate them? Do you join them?
Think about YOUR attitude and ask questions before you assume that Jellywashers are naive pawns who remain ignorant of a world where bad things happen. They are not. They are the people who are able to overcome diversity to push on through the dark world to encourage the rest of us to push on also.
Jellywashers CHOOSE to live in a world of positive ethos. They CHOOSE to work to improve their own life, so they can help others wash the clay from their eyes. Jellywashers choose to help fellow humans see themselves and others as worthy of respect and care. Thank goodness for the jellywashers of the world. What ethical behaviors can you CHOOSE today?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Warriors to End Poverty
Over the years, many people have influenced the way I think about poverty and react to those in poverty. I think of these people as Warriors to End Poverty, because they must go against the never-ending myths that perpetuate poverty.
One of these myths is that those in poverty deserve their lot. That somehow through their own devices these people have caused their own poverty. One Warrior to End Poverty who fought this myth was Jane Addams, the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. She addressed this myth in her speech entitled, A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil where she discusses the ancient evil of slavery of women through ancient, slave rules of forced marriages, rape and forced prostitution...what we would call HUMAN TRAFFICKING today.
During Jane Addams' lifetime, these evil acts were blamed on the woman and her offspring of these heinous acts were treated with disrespect also. Is this situation any better today? Look around and "...be the change you want to see in the world..." (Ghandi). Help where you can. One of the most important ways to help is to protect women by making sure their privacy and rights are as well protected and respected as those of all other humans.
One of these myths is that those in poverty deserve their lot. That somehow through their own devices these people have caused their own poverty. One Warrior to End Poverty who fought this myth was Jane Addams, the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. She addressed this myth in her speech entitled, A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil where she discusses the ancient evil of slavery of women through ancient, slave rules of forced marriages, rape and forced prostitution...what we would call HUMAN TRAFFICKING today.
During Jane Addams' lifetime, these evil acts were blamed on the woman and her offspring of these heinous acts were treated with disrespect also. Is this situation any better today? Look around and "...be the change you want to see in the world..." (Ghandi). Help where you can. One of the most important ways to help is to protect women by making sure their privacy and rights are as well protected and respected as those of all other humans.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Blog Action Day Returns in 2008
It is that time of year again. Blog Action Day Returns in 2008 with a new topic but the same mission. Have as many people around the world post their blog on a single topic on a single day. If you have never participated in Blog Action Day, this is your year to begin. If you have already participated, this is the year to continue. The topic of Blog Action Day 2008 is Poverty. Will you talk about how rampant it is? How we can eliminate it? Groups and programs that are successfully working to eliminate poverty? You decide and write your blog post on Poverty for Blog Action Day 2008 on October 15, 2008. Click on this badge to go to the Blog Action Day website and register your blog right now. 
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