Virtual Teacher Newsletter No. 138 FEBRUARY 3RD 2007 - EUREKA
THE FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER
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CONTENTS
1. Welcome
2. Mind Candy
3. WWWinfo Wikispaces
4. New Printables - EUREKA AWARD
5. Technical Stuff – ADOBE SEMINARS
6. Web Site Focus – ZEITGEIST
7. CATHY’S FORUM - EUREKA
8. Great Sites
9. Readers' Requests/Comments
10 Next Issue
11. Code of 'Netizens'
12. Tips
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1. WELCOME EVERYONE. Welcome Back.
New Years Transformation
For a while now I have wanted to focus VT into a site exploring
many of the newer technologies, connecting folk with great ideas,
displaying great teaching and learning, a place to broadcast successes
to the wider community a way to connect great teachers with other
great teachers in fact to locate any tiny flame of hope and fan it madly
with a big hat.
I hope you will all join me with lots of ideas and comments this year.
Start the year with something special – EUREKA moments
thinking might give you some ideas. What do you think you
can do with this concept, it certainly has the potential to
get kids excited about thinking. Don’t miss out on the FREE
Adobe seminars – these are great and professionally
presented. Zeitgeist – redefines who we are, do you
know who we are now? How different
life has become with the advent of the internet. Have a good one.
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2. MIND CANDY
"Seven Blunders of the World"
1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle
—Mahatma Gandhi
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You must have a genuine passion for space.
Without passion, you will find what we're trying
to do too difficult. There are much easier jobs.
2. You must want to work in a small company.
3. We are building real hardware. This must excite you.
You must be a builder.
http://public.blueorigin.com/jobs.htm
I loved this – rewriting for the teaching profession:
You must have a genuine passion for learning.
Without passion, you will find what we're trying
to do too difficult. There are much easier jobs.
2. You must want to work with children.
3. Teaching children, future generations,
is one of the most important things anyone can.
This must excite you.
You must love watching young minds grow.
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'School should be the best party in town.'
Peter Kline
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A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day.
"In English," he said, "A double negative forms a positive."
"In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double
negative is still a negative. However, there is no language
wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up,
"Yeah, right."
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3. WWWinfo WIKI
What is a wiki good for? Classrooms, work groups, families,
sports teams, book and fan clubs, and more.
What does Wikispaces cost? Public wikis are free. http://www.wikispaces.com/
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4. NEW PRINTABLES - EUREKA AWARD
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/eureka.pdf
Other pages to download awards are at:-
http://www.southworth.com/page.php?id=130
http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/endofyear/certificates060399.html
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101043001033.aspx
http://www.awesomeclipartforeducators.com/
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5. TECHNICAL STUFF
FREE SEMINARS
Adobe Tricks of the Trade Workshop
Free Adobe Seminar
Tue 13 Feb - AUCKLAND, Auckland
Thu 15 Feb - SYDNEY, Darling Harbour
Wed 21 Feb - BRISBANE, Brisbane
Session 1: For Web Designers - Discover Web 2.0 technologies
such as web-based video, mobile content and rapid interface design.
Session 2: For Web Developers - Learn the practicality of
Web 2.0, through demonstrations on technologies such as
Coldfusion, Ajax and Flex.
Simplify Photography from Shoot to Finish
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS2
Tue 13 Feb - AUCKLAND, Auckland
Thu 15 Feb - SYDNEY, Darling Harbour
Wed 21 Feb - BRISBANE, Brisbane
Thu 22 Feb - MELBOURNE, Melbourne
Whether you create images professionally or just want professional
results, you can count on Adobe Photoshop software for the
ultimate in creative control and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
to help you import, manage and present large volumes of images.
Professional Photoshop & Flash training :
February & March 2007
Presented by David Harradine Photography & Training.
PHOTOSHOP ON FIRE - with David Harradine
Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane,
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
Full details of this seminar :
http://www.whack.com.au/training/current-print.php
ACTIONSCRIPT REVEALED - with Steve Gartner
A full day of Flash ActionScript training.
26th - 30th March
Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne
http://www.whack.com.au/training/current-web.php
Photo Marketing Association Australia 2007
Imaging Technology Expo
http://www.photoimagingworld.com.au/
Running from the 4th to the 6th of May in Melbourne,
Imaging Technology Expo 2007 is a one of the premier
events for the Photography Industry in Australia.
EQUIPMENT SHOW – printEX07
The equipment exhibition will feature over 100 major
photo and digital companies from Australia and overseas
showcasing today's cutting-edge developments and trends
in imaging technology, software and output printing systems.
In addition to the equipment exhibition, the Global Gallery
will feature a huge collection of photography and will feature
some of Australia’s finest images.
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Do you want an iPhoto application for Windows –
Try Picasa - FREE
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6. WEBSITE FOCUS - ZEITGEIST - TOP TEN SEARCHES OF 2006
Google has just published their list of the top ten searches
of the year. If you have any sort of interest in pop culture,
you owe it to yourself to know what each of these search
terms are. Do you know the difference between a "bebo"
and a "rebelde"?
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This is the NEW INFORMATION ABOUT Who we are?
Google Zeitgeist – Using the Internet to provide a new
Definition of WHO ARE WE?
zeit·geist | Pronunciation: 'tsIt-"gIst, 'zIt | Function: noun
| Etymology: German, from Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit)
| Date: 1884 | Meaning: the general intellectual, moral,
and cultural climate of an era.
Google ZEITGEIST - Top Searches in 2006
1. bebo
2. myspace
3. world cup
4. metacafe
5. radioblog
6. wikipedia
7. video
8. rebelde
9. mininova
10. wiki
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2006.html
What rolls our curiosity enough to ask basic questions?
Between these four simple query types, we seem to be
keeping up with current events (and films), studying modern
medications, and striving to learn new things.
Who is...
1. who is borat
2. who is hezbollah
3. who is eu
4. who is hot
5. who is capote
6. who is v?
7. who is banksy
8. who is mohammed
9. who is buckethead
10. ip who is
What is...
1. what is hezbollah
2. what is carisoprodol
3. what is acyclovir
4. what is alprazolam
5. what is tramadol
6. what is ajax
7. what is hydrocodone
8. what is vicodin
9. what is xenical
10. what is xanax
How to...
1. how to refinance
2. wiki how to
3. how to drift
4. how to podcast
5. how to scream
6. how to levitate
7. how to tattoo
8. how to blog
9. how to kickflip
10. how to draw
Define...
1. define promiscuous
2. define web 2.0
3. define ftw
4. define calidad
5. define ajax
6. define ensayo
7. define ciencia
8. define administracion
9. define harlequin
10. define filosofia
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2006/whatshot.html
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7. CATHY'S FORUM EUREKA MOMENTS - By George I've got it.
Smart ideas, sudden insights, we all have them.
They are basically new or novel or unlearned solutions
to problems we have not come across before. Solutions
where systematic problem solving and learned
solutions don't work.
Archimedes - discovered water displacement famously in a bath
Newton - The falling apple -And the Laws of Gravity
Einstein - Took a break and let his mind wander and had a
sudden insight into the concepts of space time
Friedrich August Kekule von Stradonitz - was dreaming and
discovered the round shape of the benzene ring. Which sparked the
rise of the fossil fuel industry.
Cathy - Went for a walk and solved that damn matchstick puzzle
IMPROVING your chances of a Eureka moment…
It seems necessary to have a sufficient knowledge about
a subject. Then to let the right brain loose on it.
Daydream, take a nap, let your thoughts wander, or take a break
and do something that puts you in a good mood,
like eat and icecream, play a game.
Plenty of research shows that a positive attitude helps
solve problems.
Scientific America Mind October/November 2006
http://www.sciammind.com/article.cfm?&articleID=0001C481-BA53-1522-B9E383414B7F0000
http://www.science.org.au/eureka/index.htm
http://www.science.org.au/eureka/teachersnotes.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-1072649,00.html
http://www.dctech.com/eureka/short-stories/newton.php
Eureka Moments, Michael Georges, Jules-Henri Poincaré
Sir Paul McCartney
http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/05autumn/eureka.asp
Eureka Moments in Australia
http://www.science.org.au/eureka/index.htm
http://www.science.org.au/eureka/teachersnotes.htm
Eureka Alert
I THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA? A whole study unit on
Eureka moments. How exciting? Could be applied to almost anything.
AND retrain some thinking and working skills along the way –add
motivation, and be a lot more stimulating.
What do you think?
Does it Matter? It sure does. Send you responses in.
I’M SURE A LOT OF YOU WILL HAVE SOME GREAT IDEAS
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7b. Sorry this is a bit late but I just wanted to respond to
point 7b Dec. -Changes at DET.
Maybe we should add VIT because other than having
another beauro of paper pushes what do we actually
get for our membership? They informed me that we also
need to pay an additional fee of $25 to have police checks.
I wonder if everyone knows this? It's not a lot of money
but I just want to know where the $65 odd dollars go?
It's meant to make the profession more respected in the
community but more and more people are becoming fed
up. I graduated in 1989 fully aware of the job prospects
and I didn't get my permanency till 2005! Even then I had
to fight at the tribunal for it and thank you very much union
for your support. My extended ET (as it was called back
then '90 '91 &'92 ) I was told cannot be used for anything
only contracts count but these didn't exist back then
(I was going round in circles with the department) I spent
roughly years and this would have been nice to add onto
my long service at least. Our school too waited till the last
week to inform people as to what they were doing in 2007.
In the last couple of years I find myself staying back for
meetings sakes, spending at least 3 hours per student
at the end of each term on reports in my own time (I work
in a language centre and chn leave every term), I take
work home, spend lunch times doing work or yard duty,
and I am expected to come in on the holidays as well.
Not to mention the fact that our cleaners only vacuum
and empty a bin so we spend time dusting and cleaning
up out own rooms. I spend less time actually teaching
and more time doing admin work and keeping up with
DET initiatives. I got into this line of work because I
thought I had something to offer the kids but now I'm
burning out and I with several others in the school are
constantly trying to find a new line of work, any suggestions???!!!
thanks for letting me vent.
Georgina
No wonder teachers are leaving the profession.
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8. GREAT SITES
More EUREKA MOMENTS
NobelPrize.org
The official Nobel Prize site is not at all stuffy or pretentious,
and really makes the work of the winners come alive.
My favourite section is Educational Games, which houses
dozens of fun, interactive activities based on the work of
Prize winners. Other site highlights are Nobel Laureates
Facts (only thirty-three women have won the coveted award)
and Internet TV with interviews and lectures by the Laureates.
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HOT SITES
Step by Step Tutorials
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Blue Origin - Learn about lower cost space travel –
developmental flight
http://public.blueorigin.com/index.html
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Maths Problems that Exercise the Brain
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9. READERS COMMENTS/REQUESTS
I received a most interesting letter over the holidays from an
international subscriber. Here is the beginning of the letter.
Hello Cathy,
I receive your e-letter since about 1.5 years. Thanks a lot for
your hints, spreading new ideas, and motivation. During advent
our western culture provides cookies, candles, and concerts for
Christmas and the forthcoming New Year break. The cause which
triggered this letter off doesn't really fit to Christmas. Anyway,
I may initiate a new topic in your next year's newsletters with my point
which could be labelled “Virtues”, “Social Values”, “Meta-Level
Teaching Targets”, or whatever professional word you find for it.
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This subscriber asked not to be identified as the subscriber fears
reprisals.
What are your views on these issues in teaching today?
I will publish more of the letter in the next VT.
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10. NEXT ISSUE - Perfect Snow – you’ll love it. Also ‘Open
Source Education”.
ciao Cathy
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11. Code of the 'Netizens'
This Newsletter is not free, despite the misleading advertising
above. The Fee is now due. Each week you must help one
colleague on the Internet who has less knowledge than you.
Help that person even if you have to visit their classroom or
do a little research and get back to them. Trust me, this will
help a lot of people get their computer classrooms running better.
OK I'm trusting you!!!
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12. TIPS
1. Double click on highlighted URLS to open in browser.
2. Send in your Questions, Questions will be published with
Answers, send in your Answers, if you have expertise to share.
3. Nominate a brilliant site for review and inclusion in this
newsletter.
4. Nominate a fantastic school site for review and inclusion in
this newsletter.
5. Make contact with other schools using fantastic programs.
6. Prepare and innovative article for this newsletter.
7. Tell 2 colleagues about this newsletter.
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The opinions expressed here are purely those of the editor,
Cathy Brown. All other small print clauses apply. Such as:
Use at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. If it doesn't
work for you send me an email.
Editor: cathy brown mailto:cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
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For information about inservice and training contact me at
cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
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