Infonews n°306 from 27/05/2007
Build tree houses (from [LII New This Week] May 17)
Tree House Hotels
New French Presidency (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
Controversy over citizenship tests in Australia
Video of elementary classes
Math Rap
What Kids Can Do (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" (319)
Help wounded veterans from the war in Irak
Mark Twain and American Humor : Jumping Frog Jubilee (from The Scout Report
-- May 25)
Walt Whitman (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
An Academic Costume Code and an Academic Ceremony Guide (from [LII New This
Week] May 24)
Arlington National Cemetery (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
HEALTHmap: Global Disease Alert Map (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
Understanding video game players ( from 21st Century Connections News - May
2007)
Digital Classroom Resources: Napier’s Bones (from The Scout Report -- May
25)
Everyday NUMB3RS (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" (319)
Mathematics Resources (from The Scout Report -- May 25)
Cogito.org (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
UCSB ScienceLine (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
Electric Motorboat Drag Racing (from The Scout Report -- May 25)
Cantare : A software to teach with sounds
Discover Teacher Tube
Read education books online
New technology are changing education
Introduction to digital photography (from 21st Century Connections News - May)
Eportfolio et Europass
Une langue au brevet 2007-2008
Programmes d'agreg
Have you ever dreamt of building a tree house? Here are some sites of tutorials, and also, for those who are too lazy to build their own house, here are some tree house hotels all over the world, from the basic ones to the most sophisticated. Maybe you can plan to spend your summer holidays there?
Build tree houses (from [LII New This Week] May 17)
The Treehouse Guide
Collection of material about tree houses. Features building advice (such as
construction tutorials, waterproofing and choosing a tree tips, and learning
about building regulations), book reviews, a discussion forum, and links
to related sites. This site is a companion to a site that sells tree house
plans.
http://www.thetreehouseguide.com/
Build the Ultimate Tree House
Illustrated step-by-step instructions for building a tree house. Includes a
materials list, lumber buying tips, and directions for building the frame,
floor, ladder, railing, and roof. From FamilyFun.com.
http://familyfun.go.com/decorating-ideas/building/feature/famf0602_proj_treehouse/
[ Technicians will find there the basic vocabulary they need, but all students
will enjoy this nice project which is the dream of many children come true.]
Tree House Hotels
As a follow up or as an introduction, you can show them those sites of tree
house hotels in the US
http://www.treehouses.com/treehouse/treesort/prclst.html
in Costa Rica (air-conditionned!)
http://www.1-costaricalink.com/hotels_limon_costa_rica/hotel_tree_house_costa_rica.htm
and all over the world:
http://www.escapeartist.com/unique_lifestyles/Tree_Houses.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8827873/
but the hotel in Turkey was destroyed by a fire:
http://www.uhotw.com/HotelDetails.aspx?ClassID=30&HotelID=449&src=home
other sites and hotels
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/article/2007/apr/15/escape.restandrelaxation.hotels
http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Treehouse%20Hotels
et on trouve aussi cela en France, pour des vacances originales... ;)
http://www.lacabaneenlair.com/reservez-cabanes-fr.html
Those of you who teach English to technicians all know this precious resource
providing dozens of machines with animations and good explanations to describe
how various systems and machines work. I use it a lot with my BTS and recommend
it for my TPE ( Engineering Sciences in English). The teachers of engineering
science often find it too general, but it is a good starting point for the
students and provides useful diagrams and animations.
And since September, Marchall Brain, the author, has started adding videos
which are really well made and useful, and complement excellently to written
pages. The topics are mainly technical, but not only, so they are perfect for
oral comprehension training sessions for all students around level B1.
But I'm sorry : if you plan to use it in class, download the pages and videos
you need because the site is forbidden in French schools and I'm afraid it
is my fault. I showed how a hand grenade works too often, because it is a simple
mechanism, that I found more interesting and better described than the fire
extinguisher ( this site doesn't explain how to make a grenade and I doubt
anyone can easily make a cast iron shell!). As a consequence, the Academie
has put the site on their black list so that we can no longer access the whole
site. The back list is managed by a national center in Toulouse so it might
well be forbidden now all over France and it will take ages to convince them
to remove the site from their list (but I'm working on it!)
Here is an overview of all the things you can find on How Stuff Works:
How engines, hybrid cars, GPS, joysticks,bicycles, water basters, grenades,
nail guns work
http://www.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car.htm
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gps-phone.htm
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/joystick.htm
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-to-repair-a-bicycle.htm
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/water-blaster1.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/grenade.htm
http://home.howstuffworks.com/nail-gun1.htm
The Empire State Building
http://science.howstuffworks.com/empire-state-building.htm
The site also deal with cultural events like Christmas and Halloween
http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm
http://people.howstuffworks.com/halloween8.htm
and now provides city guides:
At the moment, are available : Miami, Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia,
Vancouver, Dallas, Portland, Montreal, Toronto, Charleston, Orlando, Phoenix,
Austin, Seattle, Boston and Nashville. As an example, here is ***Chicago, with
a video and several pages. There is no script, but if your students have read
the pages, they will have all the keys to follow the video without problems
and enjoy the pictures : you can even see the river dyed green on St Patrick's
Day!
http://www.howstuffworks.com/chicago-city-guide.htm
And there are lots of other topics : just type what you are looking for in
the search box, or choose in the menus. The front page offers a good overview
of the diversity of the topics: Ninja, online trading, fiber optics, blue tooth,
Dark Vader, ...
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
New French Presidency (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
Collection of news and analysis about the 2007 election of Nicolas Sarkozy
as the president of France. Includes a February 2007 interview with Sarkozy,
consideration of the economic impact of the new president, and a discussion
of potential reform of presidential powers (such as the special "Africa
cell" of advisers working on policy for the African continent). Also includes
photos and links to related articles and sites. From the British newspaper
The Financial Times.
http://www.ft.com/indepth/frenchelection
[ you can also use this text and sound file from the BBC about the economic
changes ahead ( already mentioned in Infonews n°305, but I tried it in class
and it worked well.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/05/070518_french_economy.shtml ]
Controversy over citizenship tests in Australia
Don't miss this article (with sound and script) about the new Australian
citizenship test.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/05/070521_australia.shtml
You can also use the resources in Infonews 291 about naturalisation exams in
several other countries. This topic is especially interesting to discuss because
there is no such exam in France...not yet!
Video of elementary classes
21st Century Connections News from May presents the success story of Samsula
Elementary school.
"Find out how this rural school is on the cutting edge of technology and
is pioneering models for how to effectively integrate technology and visual
learning into the classroom."
http://21centuryconnections.com/node/34
[Teachers may like watching this video presenting an elementary class in the
US which uses new technologies. There is no script but the article helps understand
what you watch.]
Math Rap
Discover this rap from a nice-looking young American math teacher called
Mrs Burk to help her students memorize area and perimeter. The new Teacher
Tube provides the video, the script. Teach your students this song, and they'll
prefer doing their math in English! ;)
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=734fe93831e3fb400ce8
http://www.teachertube.com/support_files/89.doc
You can watch her class rapping with her (her students are really normal elementary
students, and you can also see the classroom with the lockers at the end.)
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=35da0b6f6ea37bcf8bcb
There are several other math raps, but some are more difficult to understand,
and you may also not agree with her way to teach math!
What Kids Can Do (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" (319)
OPI subscriber and middle grades English teacher Emily R. writes that she
is "always interested in stories and ideas about engaging students in
service learning." When she needs a fresh dose of inspiration or a renewed
focus on "What Kids Can Do," she visits the website of that name,
where a group of remarkable adults are supporting and promoting the work of
remarkable young people who want to make the world a better place. Currently,
the home page of the newly redesigned WKCD website is featuring a group of
teens who are fighting carcinogens in beauty products. There's also a story
about Y-Press, an Indianapolis-based youth news bureau where the average reporter
is 13 and can expect to see his or her work published in the daily Indianapolis
Star. Check out WKCD and consider what your own students might do!
http://www.whatkidscando.org/
[ this sites provides short texts and photos about children from all over the
world who did something special. A fascinating way to encourage them to discover
the world and find new ideas. See this site about students in China or the
edible schoolyard
http://www.whatkidscando.org/china_site/index.html
http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/homepage.html
and teachers will also read about projects like helping students after Katrina,
or this all girl firefighter brigade in Alaska
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/a.html?../archives/SEPTEMBER06/urbanarcade/index.html
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/a.html?../archives/shorttakes/angels.html
and listen to those testimonies from kids in "beyong borders"
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/a.html?../archives/JUNE/beyond_borders/index.html ]
Help wounded veterans from the war in Irak
You may want to try with advanced students this lesson plan from the New
York times called
"Welcome Home : Interviewing Veterans to Help Create Need-Based Programs" and
based on the article "The Few, the Proud, the Dartmouth-Bound", By
Tamar Lewin from May 25, 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20070525friday.html
Of course, there are no veterans to interview here, but you can try and analyse
the article and the aim of the lesson plan itself : what is the purpose of
such a lesson? Then the students can transfer it to another group of people
who might need their help (homeless, sick, unemployed) : interview them, analyse
their needs and design the appropriate services.
Mark Twain and American Humor : Jumping Frog Jubilee (from The Scout Report -- May 25)
"In 1865, Mark Twain was a little known journalist working in the boomtown
of San Francisco. He would soon lose his anonymity upon the publication of
his first short story, “The celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, a
tale that brought together a compulsive gambler and his frog in a literary
endeavor that was equally parts American folklore, satire, and wit. Twain wouldn’t
have been surprised to learn that eighteen years after he passed away that
a group of central Californians would come together to start the Calaveras
County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, but he might have been surprised at all
the fracas that has surrounded the event as of late."
Read on and explore the links at:
http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/inthenews.php
Walt Whitman (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
- One Life: Walt Whitman, a Kosmos
This exhibit about the poet Walt Whitman features a timeline of Whitman's life
illustrated primarily with portraits of the poet. It also includes an introduction
to the poet, an essay, audio excerpts from Whitman's "Leaves of Grass,"
audio of Whitman reading "America," and profiles of some of "Whitman's
heirs" (such as jazz musician Charlie Parker and painter Jackson Pollock).
From the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/whitman/
[ with extracts from leaves of grass read, with the text.]
- poets.org: Walt Whitman
This presentation about poet Walt Whitman includes a biography, a selected
bibliography, and the text of some of his poems. Also provides essays about
and a reading guide to Whitman's
"Leaves of Grass," descriptions of walking tours in New York City,
and links to profiles of related poets. From the Academy of American Poets.
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126
[biography and lots of poems, but not read.]
An Academic Costume Code and an Academic Ceremony Guide (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
Historical overview and description of current standards for academic dress
at college graduations. Describes appropriate gowns, hood, caps, and other
apparel for those receiving bachelor's degrees and associate's degrees. Also
includes a guide to graduation ceremonies, including academic processions,
commencement exercises, and baccalaureate services. From the American Council
on Education (ACE).
http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=10625
[ so cultural!!! find out everything about the graduations ceremonies, what
to wear, not to wear, the exceptions, the procession... But there are long
lists to read and no videos!
see also this graduation guide for parents and students, including parties
and etiquette:
http://www.jostens.com/graduation/parties.asp ]
Arlington National Cemetery (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
The official website for this Washington, D.C., cemetery features historical
information about the cemetery (including monuments and memorials and the Tomb
of the Unknowns), and details about some of the people buried there. Provides
photo galleries, a guide to burial at the cemetery, and information about military
funerals, the origins of the 21-gun salute and "Taps," and other
traditions and ceremonies.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/
HEALTHmap: Global Disease Alert Map (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
This site aggregates data from news and health information sources to provide
a real-time map of emerging infectious diseases. View all disease alerts by
country, or limit results to specific diseases or information source. Includes
a feed of the latest alerts. Created by a team from the Children's Hospital
Informatics Program of Children's Hospital Boston and the Harvard-MIT Division
of Health, Sciences and Technology.
http://healthmap.org/
[ surprising : this real time alert shows in red an alert for Tuberculosis
and Norovirus in London...]
Understanding video game players ( from 21st Century Connections News - May 2007)
Game players are more rooted in reality than film viewers, says a new report
published in the UK. The project supports a virtually unanimous opinion among
gamers that play does not need lead to real life violence.
http://www.21centuryconnections.com/node/85
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/news/stories/20070417.html
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/downloads/pub/Policy%20and%20Research/BBFC%20Video%20Games%20Report.pdf
[ invite your upper intermediate or advanced students to visit those pages
and share their reactions or organise a debate.]
Digital Classroom Resources: Napier’s Bones (from The Scout Report -- May 25)
The Mathematical Association of America has teamed up the National Science
Foundation to create an online collection of digital classroom resources. One
of their more recent creations is this multimedia feature that teaches students
about Napier’s Bones. Created by Michael Caulfield and Wayne Anderson of Gannon
University, this feature will introduce students to the work of John Napier,
a 16th century mathematician who created a procedure for multiplication using
sticks or bones. In this presentation, visitors can watch a step-by-step demonstration
of this technique and then also enter any two factors of up to six digits each
in order to create their own animation of this method. It is a nice way to
get students thinking about this rather intriguing way to multiply, and the
site also contains several links to other sites about John Napier and his bones.
[KMG]
http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/3/?pa=content&sa=viewDocument&nodeId=1514
Everyday NUMB3RS (from MiddleWeb's "Of Particular Interest" (319)
Here's a site with an unusual approach to promoting the usefulness of "everyday
math."
http://www.weallusematheveryday.com/tools/waumed/home.htm
It's a joint project of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Texas
Instruments, and CBS. Why CBS? It's built around the CBS series
"NUMB3RS," which highlights mathematics in each episode, drawing
on real FBI cases and featuring characters who use math to solve crimes. While
the site's activities are said to be aimed at grades 9-12, we're betting savvy
middle school math teachers can adapt activities like "The Janus List:
Pack It In" for use in their classrooms. See:
http://snipurl.com/briefcase_problem
Mathematics Resources (from The Scout Report -- May 25)
Good resources for mathematics educators can be difficult to find, but fortunately
Kathy Schrock has brought together a very nice set of links that will be of
interest to those looking for materials on algebra, trigonometry, probability,
and any number of other related fields. The links are organized alphabetically,
and visitors can also use the search engine that appears in the top right-hand
corner of the page. Some of the highlights on the site include links to Ask
Dr. Math, Math Forum, and the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives for
Interactive Mathematics. Visitors may also use an online form to contact Schrock
if they have any questions or comments. [KMG]
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/math.html
Cogito.org (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
This site offers resources for youth interested in math and science fields,
such as math and science news, guides to websites, interviews, and listings
for events such as academic competitions and summer programs. Content can be
filtered (using the "Current Channel" drop-down menu) by subjects
such as astronomy, computer science, and engineering. Additional site features
are restricted to members, who must be nominated by participating organizations.
From Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.
http://www.cogito.org/
UCSB ScienceLine (from [LII New This Week] May 24)
"UCSB ScienceLine is an innovative 'Ask a Scientist' program where students
and teachers primarily from our local K-12 schools can submit science and engineering
questions. ... The scientists usually send their responses back within one
week. All questions and answers are posted in our archive." Archives are
searchable, or browsable by topic such as astronomy, physics, and geology.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the University of California,
Santa Barbara (UCSB).
http://www.scienceline.ucsb.edu/
Electric Motorboat Drag Racing (from The Scout Report -- May 25)
If you thought Electric Motorboat Drag Racing was the name of a hip new band,
you would be wrong. However, if you thought a moment and decided it might be
a useful online hands-on physics project for students you would be correct.
Drawing from a range of disciplines (such as engineering and physics) this
site contains information for educators who seek to help their students learn
about these fields in a way that is both educationally sound and quite a bit
of fun. Visitors can start by reviewing the project rules and also looking
through the online photo gallery, which includes video clips of the boats in
action. Additionally, the site’s “Information for Teachers” section features
information on how to create the actual boats and on how to effectively incorporate
this project into their science curriculum. [KMG]
http://www.electricboatproject.com/
Cantare : A software to teach with sounds
Thot recommends this software:
http://thot.cursus.edu/en/rubrique.asp?no=25885
from the site : "The CCDMD in canada (Centre collégial de développement
de matériel didactique) offers Cantare software free of charge. The Cantare
software tool is designed for people who want to plan lessons for teaching
a language by listening to songs or audio files as the words scroll across
the screen. Cantare synchronizes the words of a song or a text with an audio
file. As a result, you can build personal albums – home page, pictures, links
with Netquiz Pro questionnaires, etc. – and create a Web version for students.
To produce the Web version, you simply have to select a file in the Album window,
then press a button. A directory containing all the album’s HTML pages will
be created on your disk. Then all you have to do is install the directory on
a website."
http://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/en/cantare/
Discover Teacher Tube
Unless you've just returned from a long stay in a remote jungle, you've probably
heard about YouTube, the website where many thousands of cybernauts (nuts?)
have posted video clips featuring everything from particle physics to piano-playing
cats. Enterprising 21st Century teachers were quick to seize on the potential
of YouTube as a classroom resource, but frankly, you have to pan through a
lot of muddy material to find the gold. Solution: A new website for educators
called TeacherTube which "takes the sharing, production, and community-building
aspects of YouTube and offers an educator's version," according to a recent
story at Edutopia. The site's founders want to "fill a need for a more
educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners." You
can browse what's already been posted and help this worthwhile project grow
by sharing content created by yourself, your students and/or your colleagues!
http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-tube
See this video about the new digital learners that our students are:
"Engage them, don't enrage them!" " If you can't beat'em, join'em"
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=35da0b6f6ea37bcf8bcb
Read education books online
Stenhouse offers all its news educational books for a free preview online
for six month. browse through books about group work or test making. They mainly
deal with elementary school, but you can easily adapt the practices to other
levels.
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfbooks.asp
New technology are changing education
A podcast without transcript in which you can :
"listen as a panel of ed tech gurus - Conn McQuinn, Tim Lauer, and David
Warlick - shares online tools and cutting-edge technologies that have the potential
to change the way teachers teach, students learn and schools operate."
http://21centuryconnections.com/podcast1
[ a good listening exercise for future teachers...]
Introduction to digital photography (from 21st Century Connections News - May)
"Students today "go digital" - shoot, edit, organize, and
share digital photos - as they create information about the subject matter
they study. From digital storytelling to powerful presentations, students learn
better when they create as they learn, which is an aspect of 21st century learning."
http://21centuryconnections.com/node/22
Eportfolio et Europass
Thot présente cette conférence dans le cadre des
"Jeudis du Préau" proposés par la chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie
de Paris. On y traite du portfolio de compétences en général, mais il y a une
réflexion intéressante sur la démarche accompagnant la constitution d'un protfolio,
et bien sur il y a un volet langues.
Si vous êtes libre et à Paris, vous pouvez y assister, c'est gratuit. Mais
l'accès à la conférence en direct à distance ou aux archives est réservée aux
adhérents (186 euros)
Article de Thot :
http://thot.cursus.edu/en/rubrique.asp?no=25761
Annonce de la conférence :
http://www.preau.ccip.fr/newsletter/TICE_Actu_n134.htm#epor
Comment s'y rendre et le programme complet:
http://www.preau.ccip.fr/actu/jeudi/jeudis.php
Cependant vous pourrez trouver des infos intéressantes sur le site de l'ex-Agence
Socrates qui s'appelle maintenant Agence Europe Education Formation (EEF):
http://www.europe-education-formation.fr/index2.php
en particulier sur l'Europass
http://www.europe-education-formation.fr/europass.php
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/
Voyez aussi le site Europass
http://www.europass-france.org/
et la page de l'EEF sur l'europass renvoie à
cette page à propos du cadre, où vous pouvez prendre connaissance des derniers
travaux qui visent à illustrer les niveaux de compétence et les relier aux
examens de langues:
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/CADRE_FR.asp
Une langue au brevet 2007-2008
Voici le texte officiel décrivant le brevet de l'an prochain. Il intégrera
le B2i et demandera un niveau A2 dans une langue étrangère.
Notez que l'élève a le choix de la langue et n'est pas obligé de choisir la
LV1 qu'il suit au collège.
Cela signifie qu'il faudra dès l'an prochain mettre en place des certifications
dans les 5 compétences...Les textes officiels parlaient de certification par
un organisme du pays de la langue, mais vu le côut que cela engendrerait, cela
risque plutôt de se faire en CCF (contrôle en cours de formation) par le prof
de la classe...
http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnTexteDeJorf?numjo=MENE0753209A
Programmes d'agreg
Voici un message de notre collègue Yvan baptiste:
" Les programmes d'agreg sont sortis au BO.
http://www.education.gouv.fr/bo/2007/special3/default.htm
Darren Rigby a mis sur Agregang une compilation de bouquins sur les oeuvres
:
http://perso.orange.fr/rigby/index.htm
et si vous vous lancez dans l'aventure, ne restez pas seul : rejoignez l'agregang!
http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/agregang/
Ceci est un message de la LISTE INFONEWS
réalisé par Christine Reymond
lycée Blaise Pascal, Rouen, France
E-Mail: Christine.Reymond@ac-rouen.fr
Les commentaires et réflexions entre [ ] ne reflètent que mon opinion personnelle.
Sites Infonews:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/une1.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/une1.htm
Pour consulter les sources:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/archives/sourcinfonw.htm
http://lycees.ac-rouen.fr/pascal/infonews/archives/sourcinfonw.htm
Pour vous inscrire ou vous désinscrire:
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