February 11

The SAN Script – Wednesday, February 11

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Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. - Mahatma Gandhi

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Mahatma Gandhi

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_happiness.html#5zBM09JzbkoVSIlL.99

 

Why consider blogging??

St. Anthony Today

Krista away – Elizabeth Parker in

Melisa away – OPEN

Paul in late (9:00am)

SEA trainer for grade 4 student in today

Y Kids Academy – grade 5/6

School Council – 6:00PM – Paul attending

This is where we are heading (in time) so good to start reading about this – the full article will be in our Google+ Community

Ultimate Guide to the Paperless Classroom

By  on October 21, 2014

Many top educators and administrators view the idea of a paperless classroom as an inevitability in education. In today’s digital age, these educators believe that a paperless classroom promotes a more efficient and organized classroom while preparing students for the practical world outside classroom walls. In other words, if every facet of life is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, then why not equip students accordingly?

“We need technology in every classroom and in every student’s and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time,” said esteemed author and educator David Warlick. “It is the lens through which we experience much of our world.”

This sentiment is shared by many educators, administrators, and parents in the educational community, and for good reason. However, implementing a plan through technological mediums still necessitates the same care and mindfulness of creating a conventional lesson plan, and transitioning to online platforms isn’t without its own unique hurdles.

Practical First Steps (and Challenges) for the Paperless Classroom

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Image via Flickr by mortsan

According to a recent article by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, using a simple visualization Web tool — such as Stat Planet for creating infographics — coupled with a document-sharing tool like Google Drive is an excellent first step to explore the potential of paperless teaching methods. These Web tools deliver key concepts to students while promoting collaboration and improving classroom efficiency, both of which are demonstrable advantages of the paperless classroom. By utilizing and mastering a few online tools (and not introducing too many at once), educators can explore paperless benefits and transition slowly into a completely paperless classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 10

The SAN Script – Tuesday, February 10

Christian faith does not cut us off from the world but immerses us in it; the church is not a fortress set apart from the city. The church follows Jesus, who lived, worked, struggled, and died in the midst of a city, in the polis.

-Archbishop Oscar Romero

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St. Anthony Today

Parent Reg Meeting with Interpreter/PQCC – 9:30 Paul and Sabina

Cathlee O’Connell to read with Mrs.Rupnik’s class

Chess Club Today

Dorothy reading with Mrs. Rupnik’s class

Table Tennis at 3:15 today

Staff Meeting today at 3:15 PM

Teaching in the Age of Minecraft

A popular video game provides a new medium for educators and students to unleash their creativity.
Linus Bohman/Flickr/TheAtlantic

Like many 11-year-olds in Texas, Ethan had to build a model of the Alamo as a school project. Often, students make their dioramas out of paper mache or popsicle sticks, but Ethan’s teacher gave him permission to build his project in Minecraft, the popular sandbox software game in which players build structures out of blocks. With his dad’s help, Ethan recorded a video tour of his scale model of the fort, complete with explanatory signs, and posted it on YouTube. A few minutes into the tour, it started raining unexpectedly over Ethan’s diorama, but Ethan noted, “This is exactly what happened during the battle of the Alamo—it rained.” To his dad—and, presumably, his teacher—this comment revealed Ethan’s familiarity and knowledge with the subject matter that he might not have had otherwise shown.

With more than 18 million downloads to date, Minecraft is the best-sellingcomputer game of all time; the game’s free-form structure has made it popular with kids and adults alike. But little by little, teachers, parents, and students have discovered that the game can be used for educational purposes, too. Former teacher Joel Levin and his colleagues founded a startup calledTeacherGaming that aims to bring Minecraft into classrooms everywhere, helping students and teachers of all disciplines use their creativity to design projects, free from the kinds of limitations they would face using traditional methods.

February 8

The SAN Script The week of February 9 – 13

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Rethinking Our Atlas of Possibility: An Alphabet Book of Imaginative, Uncommon, and Stereotype-Defying Occupations

from an amazing blog – Brain Pickings

As a lover of unusual alphabet books and of intelligent, imaginative children’s books that defy gender stereotypescelebrate diversity, and counter bigotry, I was instantly taken with Work: An Occupational ABC (public library) by Toronto-based illustrator and designerKellen Hatanaka – a compendium of imaginative, uncommon, stereotype-defying answers to the essential what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up question.

With a sensibility between mid-century children’s books and Blexbolex, Hatanaka weaves bold graphics and soft shades into a tapestry of tender vignettes about people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. There is the K-9 officer (female) training her trusty dog on an obstacle course; the Butcher (heavy-set) chasing after a mischievous raccoon that got away with the sausage; the Naval Architect (female) oversees the construction of a large ship near the shore as the Oceanographer (female, dark-skinned) explores the marine world below the surface.

What emerges is an atlas of vocational possibility that offers a heartening antidote to our culture’s stale menu of options for what constitutes a successful life; a toolkit that fortifies young readers against the malady anguishing so many modern grownups – the challenge ofletting our life speak and defining our own success.

Hatanaka’s depiction of women is especially emboldening – they aren’t pinkwashed stick-figures and don’t shy away from brawny or brainy pursuits.

Complement the immeasurably wonderful Work, which comes from Canadian independent children’s-book publisher Groundwood Books, with Maira Kalman’s design-history alphabet book, which was amongthe best children’s books of 2014, and Oliver Jeffers’s illustrated stories for the letters.

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St. Anthony this week

Monday, February 9

our staff PD day – linked to our SIPsa – supply teachers are all booked -we just need to figure out who gets which supply teacher

Tuesday, February 10

chess club at lunch

staff meeting 3:15 – add to the agenda here

table tennis 3:15

Wednesday, February 10

Y Kids Academy – grade 5/6

School Council Meeting – 6:00PM

Thursday, February 11

Colleen McDonald visiting FDK

Paul in late  – 9:00 am

Report cards and IEPs going home (still reading them)

Friday, February 12

Pizza Day!!

February 6

The SAN Script Friday, February 6

People must not only hear about the kingdom of God, but must see it in actual operation, on a small scale perhaps and in imperfect form, but a real demonstration nevertheless.

Pandita Ramabai

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St. Anthony Today

Peter visiting today 9:00 – 11:00 AM

Last day for Student Teacher in Mrs. Rupnik’s class

Pizza order going in today for next Friday

report cards due in the office today

Free Throw Competition in Gym 11:30

Meeting with Social Rec Connect – 2:00  PM – Paul at school

Girls Camp!  – Friday to Sunday at Christie Lake

CK-12 Launches a New Collection of Elementary School Math Resources

Free Technology for Teachers

CK-12 has long offered tutorials and practice exercises for middle school and high school science and math students. Today, CK-12 unveiled a new collection for resources for elementary school mathematics. The collection is organized by grade level (grades 1 through 5) and skill. The resources are a mix of videos and online practice exercises.

While the CK-12 elementary school mathematics collection offers a lot of skills sections (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, clock reading, measurement) each section appears to be fairly limited in its offerings. I checked five skill sections, one in each grade, and each was limited to one video and one exercise. That said, if you sign-in on CK-12 you can add your own resources to a section.

Applications for Education
CK-12’s new elementary school mathematics resources collection could be helpful to parents who are trying to reinforce what their children have learned in a mathematics lesson in your classroom.
February 5

The SAN Script Thursday, February 5

ice-climbing-at-the-summit-of-kilimanjaro-will-gadd-red-bull-6According to The Guardian, Gadd set out to climb ice on every continent about 10 years ago. With only Africa and Antarctica left on his list, he opted for Africa as he wasn’t sure how long the glaciers would be around for. Although the ice atop Kilimanjaro has been there for over 12,000 years it could all be gone in a matter of decades.

 

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above.

– James 1:17

voice of the day

Tell me then, how is that you are rich? … The root and origin of it must have been injustice. Why? Because God in the beginning did not make one person rich and another poor. He left the earth free to all alike.

-John Chrysostom

 

This is the beginning of a small visual presentation I will be sending to Peter tonight.  I will be working on this (and learning how this app works) today – anything you want me to add please let me know – you can also add stuff yourself if you want.  Paul

St. Anthony Today

Paul away – 10:00 am and 1:00PM (meetings at St. Nicholas and St. Pius)

Mill of Kintail Trip Gr. 1 and 1/2

Free Throw Forms due Gr 5 & 6

Free Throw Competition in Gym 11:30

Grade 6 Grad Photos

Young Rembrandts after school

February 4

The SAN Script Wednesday, February 4

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Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Buddha
St. Anthony Today
Paul away – CLL (Board Office all day)
Rosary visits following regular schedule
Y Kids Academy (PM) Grade 5/6
Teachers – please send me a note today on what will be going on in your classes on Friday – I need to pass this on to Peter by Thursday – thanks to those who have already sent me their notes.  Remember – this is not a district review, I just need some idea on what is going on the morning Peter visits.  Thanks
Paul

Why 1:1? Why Chromebooks? [guest post]

Over the next few days, I will be looking for good blog posts on 1:1 Chromebook implementation.  This will become a goal for us at St. Anthony, especially for the junior students.  It will mean a change in teaching methods for teachers at the junior level and a steep learning curve.  If we are able to implement this over time it will only work with a good deal of support from IT at the Board.  We will discuss this much more at upcoming staff meetings, but i am open to any questions you have now.

We are coming closer and closer to 1:1 every day at St. Anthony.  We continue to purchase chromebooks for students who can benefit from them to deal with learning difficulties of language learning.  Today, on our own, we will be purchasing three more for students who need these machines to be more successful at school.

Paul

Here is today’s post:

The first post of a 4-part series on 1:1 at Leyden High Schools.
Jason Markey, principal of East Leyden High School

Leyden High School District, located just outside of Chicago, serves the communities of Franklin Park, Schiller Park, River Grove, Rosemont, and parts of Northlake and Melrose Park.  Our two high schools serve just over 3,500 students.

I’m excited about Leyden sharing our 1:1 journey in hopes that we can help schools realize the potential of access for all students and to allow all of us to learn from others along the way.  One of the most important parts of our digital evolution has been the conversations, visits, and meetings that we have been fortunate to have with districts from Iowa, South Carolina, Massachusetts and many others.  But the most important part of any school’s development of vision is to understand “the why.”  So that’s where we started.

A few months ago, the importance of starting with the why was made even more clear to me when I read a blog post by Carmela Ianni highlighting Simon Sinek’s TEDx Talk.  So the center of our “golden circle,” the answer to the question why 1:1, has always been because it will provide opportunities for our students that are simply not possible without anytime, anywhere access to the web.

So what opportunities specifically?

  • The opportunity to ensure that great teaching and learning can happen in all classrooms and not be dependent upon access.
  • The opportunity to collaborate both synchronously and asynchronously with other students seamlessly.
  • The opportunity for students to receive more timely and specific feedback from teachers.
  • The opportunity for students to create a positive digital footprint with learning being public on the web.
  • The opportunity for students to generate more writing and create more authentic representations of their learning than ever before.
  • The opportunity for students to choose how they present their learning.
  • Leveling the playing field for access for all our students.
  • The opportunity to remove the ceiling on what they can learn and share.  We purposely did not set a finite goal on what outcome we want to see as “results” of 1:1 because what we truly want is for each student to be able to follow their passion in learning and allow that to take them to new possibilities.

Equally important as considering the why, is considering the why not.  I recently wrote a brief blog post on considering the opportunity cost of not choosing 1:1.  I strongly believe if 1:1 is honestly considered, the only roadblock for districts considering 1:1 is the fear of managing the logistics.  Our next blog post in this series will cover how we have addressed the many logistical concerns of a 1:1 initiative.  One of the most important decisions that made our logistical concerns much easier to address was our device selection, the Chromebook.

So the question we have answered the most since last December when we publicly made our decision is  “why the Chromebook?”  Often the question is phrased something like this, “so why didn’t you choose iPads,  and aren’t Chromebooks just the web?”  As I wrote here in my blog, yes they are a web-based  and web-managed device, and that is actually an incredible advantage over many other potential devices.  Ryan Bretag wrote a great blog post on this topic, “The Internet as a Belief System”.  Again, many more technical specifics will be discussed in our next post, but when we considered a device we looked for something that could ensure our resources, both time and money, were focused more on student learning rather than supporting the technology.  I am so excited to report that we launched 3,500 devices in our two high schools this year and we have not hired one additional person in our tech department.  We have put into place two instructional coaches specializing in integrating technology and a new course called Tech Support Internship (TSI).  TSI is our “frontline” tech support now for students and teachers in addition to being so much more for our students.  Again resources supporting learning, not technology.  In the final post of this series we will highlight our TSI class.

I hope this has been a good introduction as to the “why” we chose 1:1 and Chromebooks for our students.  Please do not hesitate to follow up with me here.  Also, we are opening our doors at Leyden for two school visit dates this fall and a conference in the summer.  If you are interested, please see more information here.

Coming soon….
Post #2 – The Logistics of 1:1 at Leyden
Post #3 – From the Classroom – How Learning is Evolving with Access for All
Post #4 – Student Tech Support – Student Ownership of 1:1

 

 

February 3

The SAN Script Tuesday, February 3

I’ve heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I’ve brought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
Dr. Seuss

 

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St. Anthony Today

SCPAR Meeting – Geraldine and Paul – 8:30 AM

Cathlee O’Connell to read with Mrs.Rupnik’s class

chess at lunch today

Dorothy reading with Mrs. Rupnik’s class

Table Tennis starts today 3:15 PM

60 Videos of Practical Ed Tech Tips

From Free Technology for Teachers

Last fall I started to put together a playlist of how-to videos that I have created. I called the playlist Practical Ed Tech Tips. In the videos I provide demonstrations of how to use some of my favorite educational technology tools and services. There are now 60 videos in the playlist and I plan to continue to add to the playlist. In the playlist you will find videos on things like creating custom columns on Padlet, finding Creative Commons images within Edmodo, and creating flipped video lessons. The entire playlist is embedded below.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtx-qUNKJwDz6b_3NaGTkGXaTPrLCpacY

February 1

The SAN Script – the week of February 2 – 6

A Psalm of Praise

Today is the 100th birthday of Thomas Merton (1915-1968), a man who almost single-handedly brought contemplative spirituality back to Western Christianity’s awareness. He was a Trappist monk, poet, and activist, and he was deeply engaged with interfaith dialogue. Merton wrote extensively about contemplation, and his own prayer practice “centered entirely on attention to the presence of God and to His will and His love . . . a kind of praise rising up of out of the center of Nothing and Silence” (The Hidden Ground of Love, pp. 63-64). Here is one of his exuberant, joyous psalms:

Today, Father, this blue sky lauds you.
The delicate green and orange flowers of the tulip poplar tree praise you.
The distant blue hills praise you,
together with the sweet-smelling air that is full of brilliant light.
The bickering flycatchers praise you
with the lowing cattle and the quails that whistle over there.

I too, Father, praise you, with all these my brothers,
and they give voice to my own heart and to my own silence.
We are all one silence, and a diversity of voices.
You have made us together,
you have made us one and many,
you have placed me here in the midst
as witness, as awareness, and as joy.

Here I am.
In me the world is present,
and you are present.
I am a link in the chain of light and of presence.
You have made me a kind of center,
but a center that is nowhere.
And yet also I am “here.”

-Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, pp. 131-132

Spend some time witnessing the wonder of creation and write, draw, dance, or sing your own psalm of gratitude.

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Kids in snow

St. Anthony This Week

Monday, February 2

Pizza numbers going in today for next week – students who did not order last week can order for the upcoming weeks, please see Krista for a form

Paul out at Board Office – 10:00 AM

Paul away – 1:00 PM

Tuesday, February 3

9:00 AM Collaborative team meeting – Geraldine, Paul, school board team

chess at lunch

Table Tennis 3:15 – 4:15

Wednesday, February 4

Cathlee O’Connell to read with Mrs.Rupnik’s class

Rosary visit to St. Anthony:

Every 1st Wednesday of the month, beginning October 1st

FDK1 10:30-10:45
FDK2 10:45-11
(Lucy)

1/2 Cook: 12:15-12:35 (Maruka)
1 and 2/3: 12:35-12:55 (Maruka-Learning Commons)
Gr. 4/5 Mr. Girard: 12:55-1:25 (Lucy)
Gr. 5/6 1:45-2:30 (Lucy)

Dorothy reading with Mrs. Rupnik’s class

Y Kids Academy – 11:30 – 1:30 Grade 5/6 class

Paul away at CLL – all  day

Plans to Paul today in preparation for Peter’s Friday morning visit.

Thursday, February 5

Mill of Kintail Trip Gr. 1 and 1/2

Free Throw Forms due Gr 5 & 6

Paul at St. Nicholas H.S. 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Paul out – Peace Festival meeting 1:30 PM

Young Rembrandts – session # 3 after school

Friday, February 6

Little Horn Theatre  MUSIC WITH AUDREY LEMIEUX – same schedule as previous weeks

Last day for Student Teacher in Mrs. Rupnik’s class

Pizza numbers going in today for next week – students who did not order last week can order for the upcoming weeks, please see Krista for a form

Peter visiting our school 9:00AM – 11:00AM – please let me know what you will be doing during this time so I can give an outline to Peter – I will need this by Wednesday.

Report cards due to Paul

Why Minecraft?

This is a post created last week – it contains some great letters from our junior students on how they would benefit from Minecraft in the school.  We don’t have a server yet which would allow for easy, safe access to Minecraft – but the letters are really worth reading!  Paul

There are many blog posts and articles on how Minecraft can be used as a learning tool in school.  While I have attended demonstrations on all the great things Minecraft, I am no expert on how it can be used.

We decided to ask some of our grade 5 and 6 students how Minecraft would be of value in the classroom.  Here are their answers addressed as letters to our school board.  We always need to look for new ways to release the creative potential of our students – obviously, Minecraft is another tool we should be accessing in our classrooms.  Their answers show a great deal of insight.

What are we waiting for?

To Whom It May Concern:

I think minecraft is super cool! What I think about Minecraft is something you can think outside the box, being creative or exploring all around that world. It would be so fun if we can use minecraft to learn. We can use Minecraft for measurements, patterns or even on free time! You can also use Minecraft for projects like building a model of the CN tower or a model of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  That’s why we want Minecraft in the at our school.

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To Whom It May Concern:

You can use Minecraft for architecture and symmetry. Also, Minecraft is good for being responsible because of the animals. I hope you have read this.


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To Whom It May Concern:

I think it would be a good idea to use Minecraft in the classroom so we can show the school board how we want the school to look like. We would also make the new editions we want in the school like slides and swings and other things. It would help you with building because in Minecraft you build a lot of things and it will help with pets because in Minecraft there are lot’s of animals.

Thank you for reading my letter,

To Whom It May Concern:

Hi! This letter is about Minecraft. I have a Minecraft account myself. I have had Minecraft for 7 or 8 months. I have pretty good experience with Minecraft to be honest. Minecraft is a sandbox game and it has endless possibilities to do. Minecraft consists of Pros and Cons.

The Pros are that you can show your creativity and you can build projects.(ex: Planets,Houses,Towers etc.) The Cons are that if we have a private server, students might rude language to other students in the chat box. Students might build inappropriate things. I’m just saying that these thing could happen.

Thank you for reading this letter.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to explain why it is a good idea to have Minecraft at school.  Minecraft is used to be creative and to create structures. If we have Minecraft we can create all the different schools in the school board. We can use it to learn new things and to use our creativity. We can work together as a school community to create many things like farms, houses and other things like that.

That’s why I think it’s a good idea to have Minecraft.

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