Ontario News from ExploreLearning

Did you know? En français aussi?

I have to admit that I can make no claim to be able to speak French, and frankly, am embarassed that what I studied in school is basically lost. Fortunately, we have some passionate bilingual teachers in Alberta who have started off the sharing of translations on www.ExploreLeanring.com. Now teachers in New Brunswick and Quebec have also lent their expertise to the translation effort. Thank you for all those contributions! And - if you want to add some of your own - go for it!

The list of Gizmos with translated materials is growing all of the time, but here is a selection that will help you get started. Follow the hyperlinks below to get your French-speaking students into Gizmos:

 Science

Growing Plants

Balancing Chemical Equations

Cell Division

Density Laboratory

Fan Cart Physics

Hardy-Weinburg Equilibrium

Mouse Genetics (One Trait)

Mouse Genetics (Two Traits)

Natural Selection

Osmosis

Pulley Lab

Forest Ecosystem 

Determining Density via Water Displacement

Circulatory System

 

Mathematics and Science

Distance-Time Graphs (Metric)

Mean Median Mode

Mass and Weight

 

Mathematics

Quadratics in Polynomial Form - Activity A

Cannonball Clowns

Multiplying Exponential Expressions

Factoring Special Products

Dividing Exponential Expressions

Solving Formulas for any Variable

Solving Two-Step Equations

Exponents and Power Rules

Sums and Differences with Decimals

Part-to-part and Part-to-whole Ratios

Percents, Fractions, and Decimals

Points, Lines, and Equations

Ordering Percents, Fractions, and Decimals Greater Than 1

Multiplying Mixed Numbers

Multiplying Fractions

Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers

Fractions with Unlike Denominators

Linear Functions

Dividing Mixed Numbers

Comparing and Ordering Decimals

 

(Also check out the public profile pages of Renee Michaud, Laura Chervanak)

 

 

 

 

PDRS Explained

PDRS refers to Professional Development Resistance Syndrome. Although this condition has yet to be made official or recognized, it should be. PDRS is a sudden affliction attacking educators in the hours or minutes prior to PD sessions. Its symptoms include irritability, unrealistically high expectations, uncharacteristic impatience, and most frequently, apathy. Sufferers display mild to extremely negative attitudes which are unusually contagious. During the PD session, sufferers are in such discomfort that they are unable to remain on task nor resist the urge to distract others.

Although research is in only its preliminary stages, evidence suggests that a long history of meaningless and repetitive professional development sessions have established a mental condition in educators that has hard-wired the neurological pathways in their brains to assume the worst when PD is mentioned. Sufferers may experience such a severe reaction to the PD, that once the session is over, they are utterly unable to implement any of what was suggested. 

Treatment plans remain experimental, but some educators report that avoiding PD for extended periods of time causes some relief. Another treatment, although still new and classified as uniquely innovative, is to attend an ExploreLearning PD session with Stephen Lippa. Sufferers have left his sessions cured! They report high levels of engagement, unprecedented willingness and motivation to stay on task. More remarkable is that former sufferers are recommending Mr. Lippa’s sessions as a cure to others.

If you know someone suffering PDRS or need assistance with overcoming PDRS, contact Stephen Lippa at slippa@explorelearning.com.

Request a workshop from Stephen Lippa now: www.tinyurl.com/OntarioTRF

(photo credit: TM Media - http://blog.traffiklite.com/?p=28)

Changing classroom and teaching

I recently stumbled upon this video from the 21st Century Learning Project.

 

What a great message about the disconnect that is growing between the rapidly changing real world and the slow to change world of school. The three minutes you spend watching this will reinforce the observations you may already be seeing and hopefully excite you with possibilities. Education is an institution, which means change is slow. Most of us know that we’re out of time to hesitate and the traditional classroom makes less and less sense everyday. How can we start the change that is necessary? The good news is that if you are using Gizmos to engage students in conversation, you are making a great step forward in transforming the dynamic in your classroom. 

Science and Math, for all the instructional obstacles they include, are poised to be the very source for solutions to problems we can't yet imagine. Math and Science educators are often master problem-solvers and the technological leaders in their school. This combination means that you are most likely to be at the front line of innovation. You will be the one sharing ideas like Gizmos, Twitter, and other Web 2.0 innovations with your colleagues. You are the change your students need you to be.

Send Gizmos Home with Your Students

Gizmos aren't just for classrooms and computer labs. They can be used by students anywhere with an internet-connected computer.

To help parents understand more about using Gizmos, we've prepared a simple letter that teachers can send home with students. The letter explains what Gizmos are and how to access them from a home computer. The Word version even has space to include the students' login information.

Download the PDF version.
Download the Word version.