Virtual Teacher Newsletter No. 143 April 28th 2007 TRIPLE FILTER
THE FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER
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CONTENTS
1. Welcome
2. Mind Candy
3. WWWinfo - GLOSSARY OF POETRY TERMS
4. New Printables - TRIPLE FILTER
5. Technical Stuff - VIRTUAL NETWORKS & TIME TRAVEL
6. Web Site Focus - PHOTOGRAPHY
7. CATHY'S FORUM - The DG
8. Great Sites
9. Readers' Requests/Comments
10 Next Issue
11. Code of 'Netizens'
12. Tips
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1. WELCOME EVERYONE. Term 2 is upon us. The Socratic
Triple Filter would be a great way to start if off. Print it out
and take a philosophical walk through its meanings. I am
concerned about the appointment of the new DG, but perhaps
we can turn lemons into lemonade and challenge
him to sort out the problems he faced as a teenager by addressing
the issues with teenage education in our schools. It will only happen
if you get behind it, and write to everyone. Have a shot at
some mental time travel, this should prove great fun.
Have a good one.
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2. MIND CANDY
36 greatest Bill Gates quotes
Steve Jobs Best Quotes Ever
One of the great things about Steve Jobs is what comes
out of his mouth. The CEO of Apple Computer is a master
of hype, hyperbole and the catchy phrase. Even when he's
trying to talk normally, brilliant verbiage comes tumbling out.
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/03/70512
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Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things
before breakfast.
Lewis Carroll
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The Red Queen Effect
...it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place,
If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast.
Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking Glass
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Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex...
It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the
opposite direction. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
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3. WWWinfo
Infoplease.com: Glossary of Poetry Terms
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0903237.html
From "accent" to "verse," Infoplease defines nearly a hundred
poetry terms and forms. If you visit in April, you'll find a link
in the left-hand column to National Poetry Month. There
you'll find an eclectic assortment of poetry features, included
Notable Poets, Quizzes, Poetry Collections organized by
poet, and lists of Poetry Awards and Poet Laureates. Don't
miss the Meter, Rhyme Scheme and Forms of Poetry Quiz.
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4. NEW PRINTABLES THE TRIPLE FILTER
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/triplefilter.pdf
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5. TECHNICAL STUFF Virtual Networks
Don't Tell Your Parents: Schools Embrace MySpace
Robert Andrews 04.19.07 | 2:00 Am
Some schools ban social networks for wasting classroom
time or to protect students from weirdos. But, as part of a wider
trend toward less top-down teaching, other institutions are
putting tools like MySpace, http://www.myspace.com
Bebo http://www.bebo.com
and Facebook http://www.facebook.com
on the curriculum -- and teachers are saying: "Thanks for the add."
http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/04/myspaceforschool
Using Virtual Networks fledgling bands, artists, entrepreneurs can
promote themselves, simple personal bibliographies written,
photography and video can be displayed to a wider forum and
this can either be public or private. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Is anyone using them in the classrooms?
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Secrets Time Travel - Very Technical
The secrets of the Time Lords are available to all. Yes folks
Time travel is possible for us all.
Without breaking a sweat you can travel back and forward in time
in your own classroom, using your minds eye.
How? Using your memory.
Excerpts: If you thought memory was all about making a
record of the past, think again IMAGINE your next vacation.
You are relaxing on a beach, waves lapping at the shore,
a cool breeze wafting through the trees and the sun
caressing your skin. Fill in the details. What else do you
see? Now, remember yesterday's commute. Again, a picture
emerges. You are on the train or in your car, or maybe
just wandering from your kitchen to your desk. Can you
remember what you were wearing? Perhaps you have
forgotten that part already.
Recreate an event from the past, imagine the future, your
mind can slip through time.
Not only is this fantastic, to think we can use our mind
to time travel, it is also an evolutionary imperative. Imaging the
the future is essential if we are going to improve and develop.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg19325961.400-future-recall-your-mind-can-slip-through-time.html
And what a great teaching tool.
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It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards.
Lewis Carroll
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6. WEBSITE FOCUS - Photography
Art Express - The art Express exhibition at the NSW Art Gallery
have been amazing - more creativity in these than in the
Archibald and Sullman prizes downstairs. Take a virtual
look at them on this wonderful site. Click on the art
to view larger versions and to read the artists intentions.
Great site.
http://www.insideartexpress.com.au/
Association of International Photography as Art
The front page is really cool with the mouse over effects.
Just click gallery exhibits and you will be taken on a tour
of some amazing photography galleries around the world.
Check out the methods for exhibiting on the web.
Istockphoto is a commercial site where images can be
purchased for a very low price.
This site also has some great advice and tips about
photography like:-
Tips from the AV Club
http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=270
Check out the site map and goto Learn section for some
great information. budding photographer may like to go
through the Training Manual on the Photographer Tutorial etc.
http://www.istockphoto.com/sitemap.php
Some of your keener photographers may wish to set up
their own portfolio online and see who will buy their photos.
Anyone can do it.
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7. CATHY'S FORUM - YOU GET THE GOVERNMENT YOU DESERVE
Here we go another Director General of Education with no
educational experience and a criminal record.
The NSW Government has appointed a new Director-General
of Education and Training, Michael Coutts-Trotter and sacked
the old one, Mr Andrew Cappie-Wood. Mr Coutts-Trotter was
formerly the head of the NSW Department of Commerce, and a
self confessed convicted drug trafficker.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2007/s1894463.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/editorial/issue-is-not-drugs-but-knowhow/2007/04/11/1175971174510.html
As the NSW Teachers' Federation put it…..
A person in similar circumstances who wished to enter the teaching profession would find it very difficult.
A stringent assessment would be made as to the person's suitability and character.
http://www.nswtf.org.au/media/latest_2007/20070411_DirectorGeneral.html
There seems to be a plethora of sackings Director Generals of Education,
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/22/1074732544223.html
a dearth of selections based on educational credentials; and now the
selection of this one, who would not even get a job as a teacher.
Great. Maybe they are just looking for the outsider's
perspective on the whole Education System, you know fresh
view sort of stuff.
I think there should be a level playing field, if it's good enough
for the DG it's good enough for us. Teachers should be
employed regardless of their criminal records or educational
credentials, just so long as we are good little public servants,
things should be just fine.
MICHAEL COUTTS-TROTTER:
"By the age of 19 I was arrested. I had been using heroin for two and half years,
and I'd been selling heroin for most of that period of time".
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2007/s1894463.htm
In his own words Michael admits to problems that began when
he was 16 and ended at 19 in a jail sentence. This is a hugely
problematic time for our students, education in these teenage
years is letting our kids down badly. Brain studies show that
teenage brains work differently to adults brains.
http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1720&key=137
http://www.edutopia.org/1721
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/
The way we educate our teenagers needs to change
Heroin addiction and jail are not outcomes we would wish for our
teenagers. Taking account of new brain research, providing teenagers
with the independence and opportunities they need rather than
prescriptive authoritative teaching practices, we need a real
departure from the lecture-to-you-for-forty-five-minutes
approach to teaching. Teenagers need to feel worthwhile,
that they have something to contribute, they need to learn
to make decisions, that they have something worthwhile to say,
they need to be empowered. This doesn't happen if the only right
answers are the ones the teachers say are right, and the only
information worth learning is in the syllabus. Perhaps from his own
experiences the current DG can bring about changes in
the teenage years of education that are way overdue.
What do you think? Does it Matter?
It sure does. Send you responses in.
And if you think you deserve better send them to
Mr Coutts-Trotter mail.dg@det.nsw.edu.au
John Howard http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm
Minister for Education, Science and Training Julie Bishop,
http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/bishop/contact.htm
Morris Iemma thepremier@www.nsw.gov.au
Minister for Education and Training NSW John Della Bosca
office@smos.nsw.gov.au
Shadow Minister for Education
Andrew Stoner
oxley@parliament.nsw.gov.au
as well.
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8. GREAT SITES
HOT SITES
Persi Diaconis - mathematics and magic a great mathematician,
with some great magic tricks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persi_Diaconis
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Kathi Mitchell: Types of Poems for Kids
http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html
Kathi Mitchell, a language arts teacher from New Hampshire,
shares a list of nineteen poetic forms for elementary students.
Each form includes a fun sample, and many also include links
to more examples. In addition to the usual forms, such as
limericks and haiku, Mitchell describes Monster Poems
("Describe an imaginary monster. Try to have a theme ...")
and Third Eye Poems ("The Third Eye poem tells about things
that might go unnoticed and are improbable or impossible to
see with regular eyesight. The Third Eye knows what is really
happening.")
Ms. Rogers: 30 Days of Poetry
http://www.msrogers.com/English2/poetry/30_days_of_poetry.htm
"You can write poetry!" exclaims Marsha Rogers, and her thirty
daily lessons (with titles such as "Month Metaphor" and "Diamonte")
will show you how. Each lesson explains the format to follow
and includes several sample poems written by high-school
students. She suggests that students write a few poems for each
lesson. "This gives you an opportunity to use the form and, most
often, create an even better poem in doing so."
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9. READERS COMMENTS/REQUESTS
Hi Cathy,
I'm a fourth year arts / secondary student & appear to be
approaching graduation fast! I just wanted to say that this
publication has been invaluable to me since I subscribed in
terms of providing me with great ideas & approaches that can
be incorporated within lessons and information regarding hot
topics currently within schools. I have never contributed
due to my inexperience, but again would like to thank you
& all of your contributors for providing myself & many other
student teachers with a fantastic and relevant resource!
Kind Regards,
Albany Baccini
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Dear Cathy:
I am looking for information about sources for free computers
for schools. I am working temporarily for a Cordaid project
that is completing school construction on Simeulue Island off
the Aceh coast. Many of the elementary schools realize
the importance of their students learning about computers
and accessing resources on the internet. This is outside
the scope of our project and so, I am looking for information
I can pass on to the schools so they can access other potential
sources for computers. Are there any organizations or websites
you could recommend for information about sources of free
computers ? Thank you.
Thank you,
Nan Bergau
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Try these Organisations initially.
http://www.rehabtool.com/forum/discussions/194.html
We asked the local technical college and uni for their outdated
computers and we get a constant flow from them that are
great for us - you may try this with a local tertiary institute -
will put this request in next newsletter and see what
comes back.
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Does anyone have any suggestions?
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10. NEXT ISSUE - How you can absolutely bore them to tears
with IT. 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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