Must-Read K-12 Blogs

I'm a huge fan of sharing ideas, especially through the many many different blogs that are floating around the internet. The only problem is that there are so many blogs around that it gets overwhelming trying to sift through to find the good ones. I've just come across this list '50 Must-Read K-12 IT Blogs 2013' by EdTech Magazine which will hopefully make finding some great blogs much easier for you. The blogs listed are all authored by a combination of teachers, librarians, administrators and technology experts. They share real-world classroom experiences, offer inspiration and ideas and distribute valuable best practises.

Harmony by Prince Charles

The Library has just received a copy of Prince Charle's new book called Harmony. The following explains better than I can what the book is about. I for one think it sounds really interesting and worth a read. I really like the following quote which comes from the back of the book: "We are at a historic moment - because we face a future where there is a real prospect that if we fail the Earth, we fail Humanity. To avoid such an outcome, which will comprehensively destroy our children's future, we must urgently confront and then make choices which carry monumental implications" HRH The Prince of Wales. I have also included a video at the bottom of this post which shows Prince Charles talking about his book and his passion for the subject of the environment.
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For the first time, HRH The Prince of Wales shares his views on how our most pressing modern challenges--from climate change to poverty--are rooted in mankind's disharmony with nature, presenting a compelling case that the solution lies in our ability to regain a balance with the world around us

With its holistic approach, this provocative and well-reasoned book takes the discussion of sustainability and climate change in a new direction. Prince Charles shows how the solutions to problems like climate change lie not only in technology but in our ability to change the way we view the modern world.

For decades, the Prince of Wales has been studying a wide array of disciplines to understand every aspect of man's impact on the natural world, and in that time he has examined everything from architecture to organic farming to sustainable economics. Now, for the first time, he speaks out about his years of research, presenting a fascinating look at how modern industrialization has led us to a state of disharmony with nature, created climate change, and pushed us to the brink of disaster.

From the rice farms of India to the prairies of America's corn belt, from the temples of Ancient Egypt to the laboratories of industrial designers, Harmony spans the globe to identify the different ways that contemporary life has abandoned the hard-earned practices of our history, a shift that has spurred a host of social problems and accelerated climate change.

Drawing on cases from farming, healthcare, transportation, and design, the Prince of Wales also offers solutions for change, creating a new vision for our world, one that incorporates the traditional wisdom of our past with the modern science of our present to avert catastrophe. In the end, Harmony paints a holistic portrait of what we as a species have lost in the modern age, while outlining the steps we can take to regain the harmony of our ancestors.

Illustrated with lush, four-color photographs and charts, this intelligent, practical, and well-reasoned guide is an indispensable weapon in the battle to save our planet.

Harmony by Prince Charles is currently available for loan in the Library. If you wish to borrow it please feel free to contact any of the Library Staff and we can organise that for you. Alternatively you're welcome to come down to the Library to have a flick through the book yourselves.

'Bully' DVD

This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, through their cell phones and on the streets of their towns, making it the most common form of violence young people in this country experience. 'Bully' is the first feature documentary film to show how we've all been affected by bullying, whether we've been victims, perpetrators or stood silent witness. The world we inhabit as adults begins on the playground. 'Bully' opens on the first day of school. For the more than 13 million kids who'll be bullied this year in the United States, it's a day filled with more anxiety and foreboding than excitement. As the sun rises and school busses across the country overflow with backpacks, brass instruments and the rambunctious sounds of raging hormones, this is a ride into the unknown. For a lot of kids, the only thing that's certain is that this year, like every other, bullying will be a big part of whatever meets them at their school's front doors. ...

The Salesian Library has just added 'Bully' to our collection and it's definitely a documentary worth watching, especially with your students. It's an interesting, heartbreaking and maddening look into the lives of a few kids who suffer from bullying and will hopefully motivate our students and staff to want to do something about bullying themselves. I've included the trailer below for 'Bully' in case you would like to find out more before you decide to borrow the DVD.

You can find the Library record for 'Bully' here or reserve it through any of the Library staff members.

Pinterest

You might have already heard of Pinterest, a social media platform which is becoming more and more popular. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard, where you can share images that you like. These can be from websites you like, or from your own collection, and link back to the website where they came from. You can create boards on any subject or theme you choose, or search through other people's boards which could be on subjects relevant and interesting to you. You can also re-pin other people's favourites to your own boards.

One of the most attractive things about Pinterest is that it's purely visual - you can't save text-only content, only material with images attached. The picture you 'pin' then acts as a link back to the main page that it came from. This means it's perfect for gathering items together like a scrapbook.

Some of the most popular collections are in themes like historical fashion and home design. There's also lots and lots of recipes on there too!

But if you spend a little more time (once you tear yourself away from the yummy looking food) and dig a little deeper you'll soon find some great teaching materials and activities (search in the Education category or look up your particular topic). You'll be able to find everything from historic photos of Victorian London or World War 1, to images of historical shoes or fashions, or wildlife and botanical drawings. You'll also find that Pinterest is a great image repository, link sharing community and an easy-to-use site for students or classes to quickly gather and assemble project materials on a huge range of topics.

Apps recommended by a College Student

Carly, from one of my favourite blogs 'College Prep' has written up a list of her favourite iPad apps that she uses for her college classes. Instead of re-listing them here I'll direct you over to the blog entry as she explains them best. I've used one of the apps that she's recommended, Dropbox, which is fantastic - and the others she's recommended look great as well. I love the idea of XanEdu, with teachers being able to make up their own course material for the students to easily access via their iPads - there's so much you can do with it.

DVD Recommendation : Catfish

I got the chance to watch Catfish a couple of weeks ago and I absolutely loved it. I went into it not knowing much about the movie/documentary and I thought that was the best thing I could have done, so I'll try not to give too much away here. I got it for the school as I thought it would be a great DVD to show the students about Facebook and how not everyone on it, and online, are not always what they seem or what they tell you. A great lesson in cyber safety to be learnt here and overall a very interesting, entertaining and thrilling DVD to watch.

Blurb: 'Film makers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sense a story unfolding as they begin to film the life of Ariel's brother, Nev. They have no idea that their project will lead to the most exhilerating and unsettling months of their lives as they unravel an intriguing Facebook mystery. A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.

New DVD: Waiting for Superman

All of you may remember Mr Brockhus mentioning, at the start of this term, that over the holidays he'd watched a documentary called Waiting for Superman and that he found it extremely interesting. Peter Krausz also sent out an email about the documentary, which he has reviewed in the latest IEU Magazine. We've just bought a copy of the DVD for the Library, which everyone is welcome to borrow. I had a chance to view it last night, and I must say it's a very eye opening and heartbreaking documentary. I had no idea the American education system was in such a bad state. I would usually be of the point of view that a good teacher makes for a good student, however this documentary opened my eyes to the fact that there's so much bureaucracy going on in the background that it's so hard for this to happen. It was also very motivational in a way too, as you could see there are people trying to help the student's become the best people they can, and it made me feel that our students are very lucky in comparison. I think it's definitely worth watching!

The description from the back of the DVD is as follows:
"From the Academy Award winning director of An Inconvenient Truth comes the groundbreaking feature film that provides an engaging and inspiring look at public education in the United States. Waiting for Superman has helped launched a movement to achieve a real and lasting change through the compelling stories of five unforgettable students such as Emily, a Silicon Valley eighth-grader who is afraid of being labeled as unfit for college and Francisco, a Bronx first-grader whose mum will do anything to give him a shot at a better life. Waiting for Superman will leave a lasting and powerful impression that you will want to share with your friends and family."
Click here to view our v-Library record for Waiting for Superman. You will be able to see whether the copy we have is in, or reserve it if need be.