End of Term 4 2022

 Just a quick last post to wish you all a wonderful Christmas with family & friends as well as a fantastic New Year. 

For those of you who are leaving us - all the best in your new endeavours! 

For the rest of you - we'll see you all back here in 2023 to do it all again - and here's hoping that it will be a much better year! 

At this point, I am not planning to continue with this blog as I don't feel that I am providing a service to you all with this. It's been a good run for the last 11 years and I have learnt a lot in the process - and for that, I thank you all. 

Enjoy your break - and remember to take time to READ!  

Weblinks of Interest

Please see below for a few weblinks that may be of interest - reading, media literacy, robotics.. the choice is wide. 

https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/adults-engaging-in-reading-for-pleasure

https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/news-media-literacy-101

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-robotics-to-spark-engagement-in-middle-school-math

https://www.edutopia.org/article/incorporating-simple-student-designed-assessments

My apologies for a lack of posting just lately but things have been a little hectic.  

I am also considering closing down this Blog - as I feel that it is not of a lot of use to you all.  I can throw all the weblinks and 'stuff' I find at you, as much as I like - but if I'm not hitting the target with what could be helpful, I am wasting your time and probably mine as well. 

Just over a week to go to the end of the year - and we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel!  As long as it's not an oncoming train, we'll all be good. 

Some more Edutopia links

Below are a few links from the Edutopia website that caught my attention - so I'm putting them out there for your interest as well. Take a moment to check them out and see what you think.

Putting a Playful Spin on Literary Analysis in High School | Edutopia

New Studies Link the Arts to Crucial Cognitive Skills | Edutopia

The Power of Being Seen | Edutopia

A Simple but Powerful Class Opening Activity | Edutopia 

Term 4 and Cyber Awareness Month

 Welcome back to school and Term 4!  10 weeks to go! Lets make it a good one.

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month - which is pretty topical considering the Optus issue.  So please take a few moments to read through the emails coming from Head Office and check out your security. 

Check out Phishing, Smishing, Vishing and Spearphishing ... sounds like a play on words, doesn't it?   But they are actually serious attempts to hack your devices and your information - and there are ways to deal with it all.

https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/cyber-security-awareness-month-2022

https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/individuals-and-families

https://www.cyber.gov.au/learn        (includes a cyber smart quiz) 

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is from 18th Sept to 24th Sept and is about censorship and not allowing people the freedom to read, understand and make their own choices.  

The theme for 2022 is:  'Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us'.  

Currently there is a small display up in the Library about banned books - mainly just with the titles that we have in the school.  These are not books that are currently banned - but are ones that HAVE been banned at some point, along with the reasoning as to why they were banned.  I haven't added the Bible to this, as we no longer have it on the shelf - but even that has been banned at some point.  

Surprisingly, the display has generated some discussion (and even indignation) from a number of our students - which is fantastic!  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_banned_by_governments

https://theconversation.com/ca/topics/banned-books-week-31602

https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/banned-books-week

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-23/dangerous-and-deeply-disgusting-books-once-banned/11421108

https://apnews.com/article/libraries-american-library-association-book-banning-af7c9f312266b572c3dc189b1d109de4

Edutopia Weblinks on Reading and Literacy

A couple of articles from the Edutopia website on Literacy, Reading and using comics and Graphic Novels.  

Using Comics and Graphic Novels to Support Literacy | Edutopia

Is it Time to Drop ‘Finding the Main Idea’ and Teach Reading in a New Way? | Edutopia

Take a look if you get a few moments and see what you think. 

Links for Digital Citizenship Ideas

 Digital Citizenship Week is coming up in Term 4 - so I have added a few links that may (or may not) be of some use.  

The first one is a quiz about digital citizenship - are your students good digital citizens?  This quiz may help you find out. 

The second one is an updated version of a Digital Citizenship Survival Kit, as sometimes a visual thing can have more impact than any words you can say.  I have blogged about this one before - but the teacher has now put up an updated/improved version with his reasons for each item.  What do you think? 

And the last one is from Commonsense.org, with information and ideas. 

https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=andretrace_1

The "New and Improved" Digital Citizenship Survival Kit - A Teacher, Coach & Dad (craigbadura.com)

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week

The Internet & our Brain - Monday Musing

Something to think about on a Monday morning - Is Google (and FaceBook, Twitter and all the rest) making us stupid? Is the Internet changing our brains? How many of us can remember information any more? Or is it just that there is SO much information available that we cannot process it as we used to? 

And, are we all becoming trapped in a filter bubble of our own making? Some experts have been warning about this for at  least the last 10 years or so, and with all the talk about Fake News, it does seem more topical than ever. 

Maybe the real question is - does it really matter? This is the reality that our students live in so can we change it? Do we need to? 

When you have some spare time, maybe check out the websites below and see what you think. 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/15/internet-brain-neuroscience-debate

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/problem-social-media-reinforcement-bubbles-what-you-can-do-about-ncna1063896\

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ofWFx525s   TED Talk on Filter Bubbles  - Eli Pariser

Digital Reading vs Print reading.

If you get a chance, take a moment and check out this infographic from Teacher magazine about students reading habits.  

I was interested by the point made that most students who read paper style books usually score at least 30 points higher on most standard tests, and those who read digital books usually only score about 15 points higher.  

It has been found that text learning was less effective on screen than on paper - mainly because the brain will process digital reading differently to how it does with reading from print.  

Infographic: Student reading in a digital age (teachermagazine.com)

Special Days and Months Term 3

 Every month of the year - there are always special days to celebrate, or to support something.  Below are a few for August and the start of September.  There are plenty more - maybe something to generate a conversation?  

https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/

August is the month for the MS Readathon - and the period of August to October is the Great Northern Cleanup - like Clean Up Australia Day - but at a better time of year for those of us living up here. 

Great Northern Clean Up

Organisation: Clean Up Australia

The Great Northern Clean Up, an event of Clean Up Australia, takes place during the months of August, September and October - a time of year which is more suitable for communities living in the tropical North.
Since the campaign started in 2009 more than 30,000 volunteers have removed the equivalent of 1,800 ute loads of rubbish from 813 sites north of the Tropic of Capricorn. 

This year the event is taking place during the months of August-October when an estimated 3,851 volunteers have already removed around 277 ute loads of rubbish from 126 sites across northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

National/State: National

Phone: 02 8197 3412

Email: community@cleanup.com.au

Website: www.cleanup.org.au/the-great-northern-clean-up

MS Readathon - One month challenge

Organisation: Multiple Sclerosis Limited (MSL)

The MS Readathon is a reading-based fundraiser run by Multiple Sclerosis Australia (MSA). It encourages people of all ages to read and improve their literacy whilst at the same time raising their community awareness and empowering them to make a difference in the lives of people living with MS.

National/State: National

Phone: 1300 677 323

Email: msreadathon@ms.org.au

Website: www.ms.org.au

Footy Colours Day  1st Sept

Organisation: Fight Cancer Foundation

Fight Cancer Foundation's Footy Colours Day is a national community fundraising campaign that helps kids with cancer keep up with school. Join thousands of Australians by wearing your favourite team's colours and hosting an event at your school, organisation, group or club to raise much needed funds!

National/State: National

Website: www.fightcancer.org.au/footy-colours-day

Wattle Day     1st Sept

Organisation: Wattle Day Association

Wattle Day is oriented towards the future, encompassing positive virtues in the celebration of Australia and the Australian spirit.

National/State: National

Email: President@wattleday.asn.au

Website: www.wattleday.asn.au/

Collective Nouns and Librarians

A discussion has been happening on the TL listserv just recently about collective nouns - and what would be the best suggestion for a group of Librarians.  Yes, I know ... the things we do! 

Below are some of the suggestions that have been made - what do you think? Personally, I like the idea of a community of librarians or a web of librarians.... however does anyone have any other suggestions?

A catalogue of

A web of
A gripe of
A genius of
A Dewey of
A Google of
A database of
A collaboration of
A community of
A full text of
A Boolean of
A shoosh of
A hush of
A coven of

For anyone that likes words, especially collective nouns - check out this site:

http://www.annexed.net/bthree/nouns.html

While we are talking words... A couple I came across a fair while ago are meant to describe the feeling you get when you enter a search into Google and find yourself faced  with millions of pages to troll through.  What do you think of the words gazillionised and info-whelmed? Descriptive?  Or otherwise? 

Language is a wonderful thing, isn't it? 

Weblinks from Common Sense Education site

 Please take a look below for a few links that may be of some interest to you. The GameMaker one could possibly be used in the Digital Tech Electives, was my thought?  

Anyway - have a browse, see what you think.  These are a cut n paste from the Common Sense Education website, which has lots more ideas on it as well. 

Here are a few of our newest Common Sense Selections for Learning:

• Buncee (Free and Paid): This presentation tool perfectly blends top-notch learning content—including great pre-made SEL lessons—with a friendly design that makes it a delight to use every day. 
• GameMaker (Free): This tool makes it easy for kids to go from playing games to making them. What's more: It can work equally well for novices and experts—even some pros use it to create and publish their games!
• iCivics (Free): This classic collection of social studies and civics-related games comes with a ton of teacher materials. And while the games vary in style and depth, they all bring to life topics that can seem abstract at first.
• Kialo Edu (Free): If you're looking to help students fight against their biases and consider all sides of a debatable issue, then Kialo Edu is worth a look. It offers a collaborative and pretty neat visual system for how to break down a tough topic. 
• Quizizz (Free and Paid): This one's been on our radar for years and has steadily climbed the ranks. Now, among the dozens of other options for quizzing, Quizizz stands alone. We love its customizability, and how it can now function as a quiz tool or a lesson delivery platform. It's even got video and audio responses.

https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-tools-to-make-games

Fact Check Explorer tool

 I found this on the Australian Teacher Librarian website and thought I'd share it with you. 

It could be handy for anyone checking on whether something is 'fake news' or misinformation.  I usually use Snopes.com - but this one could be easier for students to navigate. 

https://toolbox.google.com/factcheck/explorer