Wordle: What a Cool Tool!

Wordle is a free online application for generating word clouds with words that occur more frequently appearing larger. You can print your Wordle or save it. I saved the Wordle above and then uploaded it as an image to this blog post.

One great educational use that comes to mind is to have students copy and paste their essay into Wordle and print it to use as a cover page for their paper. Or print them and hang them up in the room or hallway.

Study Shows No Evidence that Saturated Fat Causes Heart Disease

Stephan Guyenet who writes the Whole Health Source Blog posted a link to an interesting study on his blog today. Dr. Ronald Krauss' study found that "there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD." It is so amazing to me that after all these years, it seems that Dr. Atkins was correct in asking people to cut out carbs and eat more meat.
I was one of the nay-sayers who couldn't believe that THE Food Pyramid could be wrong. It was, after all, based on research, right? I am reading Gary Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories, and I'm beginning to see that I haven't been so noble after all, denying myself meat and eating pasta, bread (whole grain, of course). My husband and I have adopted a moderate version of an Atkins diet, and we have been surprised at how much better we feel while taking off pounds over the last year. I would recommend Taube's book to everyone

A Crafty New Year to You!

It's been great to be at home these past two weeks, having a chance to step outside of my professional life and spend time "feathering my nest," baking holiday treats, and catching up on all the craft blogs I've been intending to read since about July. Reading these blogs has inspired me to take up paper crafting again. Yet again, I have resolved to carve out some time each day for creative pursuits outside of work. (This resolution lasted nearly all the way through January last year!)

This year, as I craft, I also intend to do more blogging. I have a running list of ideas that I would like to develop, and I know that one of the best ways for me to learn more about what I think is to write about it! Nearly every morning as I'm driving the loop to work, I write posts in my head on various topics, but by the time lunch rolls around, those ideas have been scattered by all the details of the morning. Well, I'm attempting to change that by making quick notes and then taking time later to write--at LEAST three times a week. I've also come to terms with the fact that this blog may become a hodgepodge of diverse topics. My solution is to bring some organization to the mess with my tags.

Now that we have it in writing, we will see how well I follow through on this resolution....  Thanks for stopping by and spending a few minutes with me!

Family

One of the high points of my holiday has been being around family. Every year we promise to do a better job of staying in touch, but then our lives whirl by for another year. Having a new granddaughter will be a strong motivator for us this coming year!

Breaking Through Tech Integration Barriers

I've realized for a while that teachers need help convincing their administrators and tech directors to allow (i.e. unblock sites) them to use Web2.0 tools like blogs and wikis. Just last week, however, I decided to make up a packet of information for each tool to hand teachers when I present a workshop. I am still formulating what should be in it, but I'm thinking the Educause 7 Things About handout over the tool is a must. More on this topic later...................

"Bureaucratic solutions to problems of practice will always fail because effective teaching is not routine, students are not passive, and questions of practice are not simple, predictable, or standardized. Consequently, instructional decisions cannot be formulated on high then packaged and handed down to teachers."
- from her award-winning book, The Right to Learn

I read this statement on the Standford University webpage about Linda Darling-Hammond and knew I had to share it in a blog post so that I don't lose it. Will the education community ever fully realize that our children's education is dependent on professional educators having the freedom and support to make informed decisions about instruction in their classrooms?
Hope springs eternal..........

Listen to this interview with Linda Darling-Hammond from the PBS series "Only a Teacher." Great stuff!

Language: The Fuel That Feeds Us

Naomi Shihab Nye's words, not mine. They are richer tasting in my mouth than any chocolate candy that I might sample this Valentine's day. She explained in a 2002 interview with Bill Moyers that language carries us to understanding and the things that matter in our lives. It can create a connection for us as we sit quietly with words and let them lead us somewhere, if we have the sense to stop trying to proclaim things all the time and, instead, try to discover things.

If you haven't read any of Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry, you can read a short bio and view titles of all her books here. I had the honor of hearing her in person at NCTE in San Antonio this year. Her amazing warmth and sincerity pervaded the entire room. 19 Varieties of Gazelle would be a wonderful introduction to her poetry. Hers is a wonderful voice to add to a classroom in these tense political times when so many children are being taught to hate anyone and anything Middle Eastern. Nye's poetry can open our eyes and connect our hearts to all the ordinary people living in the Middle East who aren't all that different from us.

Technology Overload

I attended the Texas Computer Educators (TCEA) Conference in Austin this week and came away with so many new ideas that my brain is spinning. It is inspiring to hear all the amazing ways that teachers are integrating technology into their classrooms.

I focused on attending sessions that related to language arts (no surprise there) and ones using Promethean Activboards. I am working to be a certified Promethean trainer, as I am convinced that interactive boards should become a primary content delivery system in K-12 education. Creating flipcharts for my certification has made me rethink those lessons carefully and honestly assess how much that original lesson involved every student and whether the information is presented from multiple perspectives. Sobering stuff.... The words "student centered learning" fall easily off the tongue, but they are much harder to honestly implement on a daily basis. The journey is not only worthwhile, however, it is essential.

So it looks like I'll be crafting more flipcharts than cards for a while. Of course, I won't be able to totally quit...my craft table beckons and my stamps and markers are still in plain sight.