Edublog Awards 2013

It's that time of year again for us educators w/ a blog or public forum to nominate our favorite blogs, educators, web tools, etc in a wide variety of categories for the coveted Edublog Awards.  Below you'll find my list and of course I wish everyone the best of luck!!! :-)

• Best Individual Blog - Shelly Terrell (Teacher Reboot Camp)
• Best New Blog - Karen Wright-Balbier (Karen's Korner: Using Tech to Teach and Learn)
• Best Ed Tech/Resource Sharing Blog - Erin Klein (Kleinspiration)
• Best Teacher Blog - Stacey Roshan - (techieMusings)
• Best Administrator Blog - Kelly Tenkley - (iLearn Technology)
• Best Twitter Hashtag - #edchat
• Best Free Webtool - Buncee
• Best Educational Use of audio/video/visual podcast - Ladygeeks 
• Best Open PD/Unconference/Webinar Series - Reform Symposium (RSCON)
• Best Educational use of a Social Network - TechinEDU
• Best Mobile App - FluencyFinder 
• Lifetime Achievement - Naomi Harm 

To nominate your own candidates or for more info on the Edublog awards click here.

STEM Skills Challenge- Souper Structures

USA Today College and other leading publications report that employers strongly value soft skills.  The reason?  Many employers say that they can teach the content that is required for a particular position, but can't teach those skills that take time to develop and mature like: teamwork and interpersonal skills, problem solving and analytical skills, and written and verbal communication.

In this week's STEM Skills Challenge, students are challenged to build a structure that will support a full can of soup.  It may sound like an easier challenge, but with only craft sticks, paper, paperclips and glue at their disposal, students will need to work effectively as a team and use their problem solving skills  to plan, design and build their structures.

STEM Skills Challenge Handout: Souper Structures

Teaching STEM through Fairy Tales: The Billy Goats Gruff

As students recall the fairy tale of the The Billy Goats Gruff, they will remember that the goats attempt to cross a bridge to seek out a greener pasture. In this challenge, students will design a bridge that will hold all three billy goats for more than 30 seconds.

Materials
Books
Ruler (1 per team)
Toothpicks
Gumdrops or Mini Marshmallows
Large Marshmallows (3 per team)
Tape
Stopwatches
Billy Goats

First, students will "build" their billy goats by cutting out the patterns and taping each one to a large marshmallow.   Students will then work in pairs to build their bridge using the toothpicks and gumdrops/mini-marshmallows.

Download the design brief for details: TeachingSTEM through Fairy Tales- The Billy Goats Gruff

Geddit

Geddit is a new educational tool that I just found out about from Edshelf.  This is a wonderful site that allows students to use any mobile device to gauge their understanding of any given topic/lesson.  The way this works as a lesson is being given they click/tap a on bar (think bar graph increasing vertically) to show their understanding (i.e., 1 bar - not very - 4 bars - very).  On the the teacher's device they will receive instant real-time feedback and be able to see which students are doing good and which ones are struggling.  This is a great way for teachers to differentiate instruction and adjust their lessons to meet individual needs.

I highly recommend checking out Geddit by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

All Educational Institutions will remain closed from 8th to 10th Muharram

Sindh Government announced public holiday on 8th,9th and 10th Muharram(November 23-25) in Karachi.All schools,colleges and universities will remain closed from tomorrow for 3 days.Earlier,Private Schools Association announced the closure of private schools from 8th to 10th Muharram in Karachi.

Government claimed to have foolproof arrangements for the Ashura processions and majalis in Karachi.Mobile services may also be suspended from tomorrow.

eLearning Infographics

eLearning Infographics is an excellent site for finding educational infographics.  Not only can a user search for infographics in a wide range of topics a person can submit their infographics as well.  Once a user finds their infographic, they can print it out, share it w/ others, or even embed it into their site/blog.

I highly recommend checking out eLearning Infographics by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.

Inter HSC Part I(Pre-Medical) Result Announced!

Intermediate Board,Karachi announced the Result of 1st Year(HSC Part I) Pre-Medical today.

Check your result on hamariweb.com

Total 16028 students appeared in the exams.6996 students cleared all the papers.

Chegg

Chegg is fantastic sites for students as it has a ton of useful resources for college aged students.  This is a great place for students to explore courses, find homework help, and buy/sell/rent textbooks.  All a student has to do is get a quote, ship the books for free, and then await payment when the book is received.

I highly recommend checking out Chegg to sell textbooks.

Schools to remain closed from November 22 to November 25

All private schools in Karachi will remain closed from 7th Muharram to 10th Muharram in Karachi due to the security concerns,Samaa Tv reported.

Express News reported that they will remain closed from 8th Muharram to 10th Muharram.



Update:Almost all the schools are opened today(Thursday).

Hakitzu Elite: Robot Hackers

Hakitzu Elite: Roboto Hackers is a fun iOS game that I just found out about from Edshelf.  In this game players battle robots against others while learning how to program them w/ JavaScript.  As a player gets better in coding they are able to unlock extra items such as levels and more.

I recommend checking out Hakitzu Elite by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Learning how to Program/Code click here.

Math vs Undead

Math vs Undead is a fun educational iOS app that combines what kids love zombie, w/ Math.  This is a great game for practicing basic Math skills such as: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and more. Ideally this game is for 3rd - 8th graders and has students trying to stop zombies by solving Math equations.

I highly recommend checking out Math vs Undead by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.
For my Edshelf collection on Educational iOS Apps click here.

STEM Skills Challenge- Build a Better Boat

In a recent article by CNBC on Job Skills Gap: The Basics Become a Problem a survey of 500 top executives was conducted.

Of those surveyed, 92% agree that there is a job skills gap and 44% of respondents say the gap is in "soft skills". (And not to digress, but the second most common answer at 22% was lack of technical skills.)

Specifically, the article defines soft skills as communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.  They didn't use the phrase "21st century skills", but I'm sure you recognize them as such.

So, for this week's STEM Skills Challenge, we're going to build a better boat and build our 4C's (soft skills).  In this challenge, students will use the provided supplies (plastic wrap, straws, tape, and washers) to design and build a boat that will hold 10 one inch diameter washers for at least 30 seconds without sinking. Water will be required to test the boats, but with inquisitive scientists who are focusing on the 4C's, you shouldn't get wet on this ride!

STEM Skills Challenge Handout: Build a Better Boat

My Geometric Universe

My Geometric Universe is a cool iOS app for helping students draw geometric shapes.  This works by supplying a bunch of drawing tools such as: pencil, ruler, compass, etc etc.  Once a shape is created it can then integrated into one of three digital environments: kids room, Middle Ages, or Ancient Egypt.

I highly recommend checking out My Geometric Universe by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

Phrasalstein

Phrasalstein is a free iPad app after my own heart.  This app designed by Cambridge University Press, is a fantastic app that helps students learn vocabulary and phrases in a fun mid-evil/horror setting.  The way this works is a user selects a verb and a preposition and then watch as an animation occurs.  Also, there are definitions, examples, and exercises that students can complete to help reinforce their Language Arts skills.

I highly recommend checking out Phrasalstein by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Educational iOS Apps click here.

Teaching STEM Through Fairy Tales: The Three Little Pigs

I'll Huff and I'll Puff and I'll Blow Your House Down! In the story of The Three Little Pigs, kids follow the story as our endearing pigs build different houses to try to escape the Big Bad Wolf.  In this challenge, students help the three pigs by building a well-designed house that will keep them safe!

Materials
Paper or Styrofoam Plates (1 per student)
Cotton Balls (3 per student)
Painter's Tape (1 roll for the class)
Measuring tape (1+ for the class)
Other Found Objects
Hair Dryer or Fan

 After reading or reviewing the story for The Three Little Pigs, students work to design and build a house for their three pigs (cotton balls) that will withstand huffs and puffs from the Big Bad Wolf (hairdryer or fan).


Download the design brief for details: Teaching STEM through Fairy Tales- The Three Little Pigs

Inter Part I Exams Form Submission Schedule

Board of Intermediate Education,Karachi has announced the schedule of forms submission of Annual Exams 2013 HSC Part I.

Pre-Medical,Pre-Engineering,General,Commerce,Humanities,Home Economics and Medical Techology students can submit their forms from November 19 to December 12,2012 in their respective colleges.Last date of form submission with late fees is February 4,2013.
Commerce and Humanities Private students can submit their forms with in the same duration as above in the Board Office,Karachi.For more information contact your college.

Bike Riding/Mobile Services Banned

Rehman Malik has banned the motorcycle riding in Karachi from 6 a.m to 7 p.m tomorrow.Mobile services will also remain blocked from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.Thousands of students will have to suffer tomorrow due to these problems.All citizens are advised to take all their documents before leaving their homes tomorrow.Authorities has been directed to increase the availability of Public Transport tomorrow.

Update:SHC suspends the orders of Motorcycle riding BAN in Karachi.

Quizsocket

Quizsocket is a nifty little site that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  This site is designed for educators to assess students in real-time by having them login to a site (teacher generated code) on any device and then answering questions.  A teacher can give these multiple choice quizzes either orally or on a board and then have students answer on their code specified Quizsocket page.  One item to note, is that a quiz can not be created on Quizsocket it is only used for gathering answers and assessing students in real-time.

I highly recommend checking out Quizsocket by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Quiz/Test Creators click here.

Dawood(DCET) Entry Test Timings Changed

Dawood College of Engineering and Technology(DCET) has changed the Entry Test timings due to the clash in timings with SSUET Entry Test.Earlier,Admission Tests for 2013 session at both the varsities were supposed to be held on November 18 at 10 a.m.SSUET administration claimed that they had already booked the Expo Centre for the entry test and Advertisements for their Entry test were published in newspapers months ago so they won't be changing the entry test date.Around 5000 students are appearing in SSUET Test.

Taken notice of the situation,DCET Principal Dr. Muhammad Ali Sheikh changed the entry test timings from 10 a.m to 2 p.m for the ease of students.Thousands of students apply in both the universities every year so they were in great concern regarding the test timings.

DCET Aptitude Test will now be held on November 18 at 2 p.m at MAJU,PECHS and SSUET test will held at Expo Centre on the same day at 10 a.m.

9th Science Results announced!

Matric Board,Karachi announced the results of SSC Part I(Science) Group 2012 today after the delay of several weeks.

Results can be seen on this link. Total 98,883 students passed the exams.

Otter

Otter is a neat little site that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers for creating a teacher webspace/page to host information for students.  This site allows educators to create a space where they can create events, add them to calendar, share announcements, and upload files/homework.  While it might not be as robust as other sites like Weebly or Wix, it does create a nice place to create an online syllabus.

I highly recommend checking out Otter by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on Website Creators click here.

Google Play for Education

Google Play for Education is a new dedicated online store that looks to be competing w/ Apple in using Android apps on Google tablets.  I've known about Google Play for awhile but recently read on ClassThink that Google Play is now available.  This is fantastic curated site for educational Android apps.  Best of all, a school using Google Play for Education can purchase an app online and then push them out to other devices.  Or they can create a "image" of a tablet and using a built in service on the tablet to transfer it to another.

I highly recommend checking out Google Play for Education by clicking here!!!

Below is a brief demo...

STEM Skills Challenge- Spacesuit Spuds

As we focus on STEM skills that can be achieved through short (or long) duration projects, we're aiming to develop skills that employers are seeking.

According to The 9 Attributes Every Employer Desperately Wants, Forbes magazine examines the skills that make a candidate great.  Among the list, some great core STEM skills like natural curiosity, uncompromising excellence, unlimited versatility, self-awareness, and creative problem solving.

This week's challenge allows students to explore the thee core STEM skills as the explore high-impact space debris by designing and building a spacesuit for their astronaut (potato) and testing its effectiveness.

STEM Skills Challenge Handout: Spacesuit Spuds

Teaching STEM Through Fairy Tales

As you'll note from pretty much all of my other posts, I'm a huge proponent of STEM  in the younger grades.  So, connecting STEM through literature is a natural extension (and quite a powerful tool).  This connection helps to improve reading skills, yet also enhance creativity and critical thinking skills.

In this series, we will further examine the connection between literature- specifically fairy tales- and STEM.  Each week we'll take a look at a favorite fairy tale, make a connection to STEM and tie each one to the NGSS Engineering Design Standards.

Join me next week for a look at our first fairy tale!

STEM and the Literature Connection

 

 STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, but where does Reading and Literature fit in?  All of us know that a great lesson is multi-dimensional and cross-curricular but few of us have time to endlessly Google until we come up with the perfect book for to engage students or supplement a STEM lesson.

Fear not!  Here's a rather comprehensive collection of pictures books to enhance math and science concepts in your STEM lessons and to help bring concepts alive!

STEM Skills Challenge- Crazy Catapults

Even though the STEM acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, there are a wide range of skills that this acronym encompasses.

Employers are quick to mention that these are the core skills that they are starting to look for in well qualified candidates. Those "soft skills" are the focus of the STEM Skills Challenges.

This week, students will work with partners to design and build a catapult that will launch mini marshmallows towards a designated target.  In this challenge, students will need to make good materials choices as they can only use three of the four materials provided.  As students experiment, they will work to build a reliable and well-designed catapult, but also establish consistency in hitting a designated target like a bulls eye.  (Teachers may also wish to use small pom poms instead of mini marshmallows.)

STEM Skills Challenge Handout: Crazy Catapults

10 Easy STEM Projects for Engaging Students- The Brown Bag Challenge II

This Brown bag series gave me a chance to dig through my files and share some more STEM Challenge oldies-but-goodies.

In each post, I've shared different engineering design projects that are appropriate for a wide age range.  All of these activities work to prove that you don't need an endless budget to teach STEM and promote STEM principles and skills.

Here's a recap of the project ideas shared in this series:

• Building Boxes
• Paperclip Airplanes
• Paper Rockets
• Perfect Parachutes
• Pringle Pod
• Derby Cars
• Marble Madness
• Lilypad Launch
• Slingshot Gallery
• Hot Air Balloons