NetHappenings Newsletter
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NHN: 3/15/05 NETHAPPENINGS NEWSLETTER #18
NEW THIS WEEK for NHN
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Dear Readers,
Net Happenings Newsletter, launched by the Educational CyberPlayGround, features both news and
resources.
Karen Ellis* Founder of the Educational CyberPlayGround invites others to help sponsor NHN sent to members
of
the NetHappenings Mailing List.
Thanks for reading,
Al
NHN Written by Classroom Teacher Alan Haskvitz
1997 National Teacher's Hall of Fame
All USA Today First Team Teacher
Reader's Digest Hero in Education
Cherry International Award for Outstanding Teachers
1994 National Middle Level Teacher of the Year (NCSS)
[w] http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Ringleaders/al.html
TO SUBSCRIBE TO NETHAPPENIGS
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IN THIS ISSUE
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IN THE NEWS
We are not alone: Educators in Japan and Australia note declining scores, achievement.
Engaging the imagination in teaching and learning: A Canadian conferenceProfessor Churchill deal with
Colorado
University on holdWho benefits from new SAT? Not classroom teachers
INTERESTING SITES
Changes in Disabilities Education Improvement Act that take effect July
Get paid to learn economics
Make your bookmarks work wherever you are
What are we talking about - Podcast, RSS, Blog, Web Log?
SITES YOU PROBABLY NEVER KNEW EXISTED
"Education News Parents Can Use" live Broadcast (March 15, 8:00-9:00 ET)
K12 Distance Learning Stats
Instant create a graph site
"Top 100" education games
St. Patricks Day See Irish Word JAZZ First Time in Print 3/10/1913
QUOTES
What did Albert Einstein say about education?
FACTOIDS
What states spend the least on students?
Do males or females do better in math?
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IN THE NEWS
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Japan acknowledges slipping educational ratings of its students
Unmotivated students who would rather not study is cited as reason
<http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050312wo04.htm>
Why Our Schools are Failing
An Australian book that is downloadable. Is it a simplistic curriculum, make the students feel good
regardless, political correctness, or all of these?
<http://www.mrcltd.org.au/content.cfm?PageID=PubsMonographs>
Who benefits from new SAT?
Millions going to test preparation businesses, but not a cent to the
classroom teachers.SAT-prep courses collect $310 million a year, up from $100 million a few years ago, as
the
major players have convinced more and more young Americans they can do better on a test that was supposed to
be immune to short-term improvement, one designed to encompass what has been learned over years of
education.
<http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20050311-091129-2633r.htm>
Essays fall into that gray area where answers aren't necessarily right or wrong.
http://www.youthcomm.org/NYC%20Features/JanFeb2005/NYC-2005-01-07.htm
Professor Churchill deal with Colorado University on hold
A right wing conservative threatens to use access to media to try and recall any Colorado University elected
regent who works to reach a deal with Churchill. Under fire are freedom of speech issues and more.
<http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2758694,00.html>
3rd International Conference on Imagination and Education: engaging the imagination in teaching and
learning
http://www.ierg.net/
Budget Cuts Force Teen to Drive Tractor To School
Mark Wasserman is too young to drive a car to school, but not too young todrive a tractor, reports Erika
Ray.
The 13-year-old eighth grader said hedrove a John Deere farm tractor to school yesterday because budget
cutsmean he can no longer ride the bus to Lake Middle School.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050304/NEWS04/503040354/0/NEWS14>
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INTERESTING SITES
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Changes in Disabilities Education Improvement Act that take effect July
<http://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/index.htm>
Get paid to learn economics. Great topics and many locations
<http://www.fte.org/teachers/programs/>
MyBookmarks
Make your bookmarks work wherever you are
http://www.mybookmarks.com/
PODCASTING
Journalists vs. Blogger War
Podcast, RSS Instructions.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/podcast.html
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SITES YOU PROBABLY NEVER KNEW EXISTED
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"Education News Parents Can Use" Broadcast (March 15, 8:00-9:00 ET)
http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/
live and archived webcasts at http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/
will feature teachers and community leaders who are dedicated to
ensuring that all children have a chance to learn and explore the arts.
Research shows that when students study the arts -- whether dance, drama,
music, or the visual arts -- academic performance improves in core subjects
such as reading, math, and writing. This is especially true for students
who are most at risk of struggling with their school work or of dropping
out, including students with physical or learning disabilities and those
with limited English proficiency. In addition, recent studies point to a
direct connection between music and spatial reasoning and spatial temporal skills, which are key to
understanding and using mathematical concepts. Ultimately, the arts help schools and school districts
achieve
their mission: to shape a nation of compassionate, creative, and productive citizens prepared to participate
in a global economy.
K-12 Distance Learning Stats
http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005010
Provides nationwide estimates of the number of school districts and schools with students enrolled in
distance
education courses, as well as the number of enrollments in those courses.
Instant create a graph site. A time saver for students.
<http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/index.asp>
St. Patricks Day 3/17
Honoring the Irish
Etymology of Jazz - an Irish Word first appears in
print March 3, 1913 See the articles and cartoons
where this word is introduced to the US American reader.
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Linguistics/irish.html>
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QUOTES
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Angela Schwindt
While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us
what life is all about.
Alec Bourne
It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely
uneducated.
Albert Einstein
The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.
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FACTOIDS
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Lowest per-pupil spending for 2002-03: Utah ($4,907), Arizona ($5,197), Alabama ($5,418), Arkansas ($5,789)
and Mississippi ($5,822)
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