Spotlight

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I received this in my email box this morning. If you teach math, this looks like an interesting site for you to explore.

"Most teachers have bookmarked TheMathWebSite.
Therefore, to expedite access, we have created two
shortcut gadgets to place on your computer sidebar.
They can also be placed on your school/class webpage.

One Gadget gives the time in Binary code.
The other Gadget gives the time in written Text mode.

Just go to website www.TheMathWebSite.com.
Then click on the "Super Gadget" button or the
"Binary Gadget" button to see them in action.
Full instructions are provided."

Visit Group at http://groups.google.ca/group/highschoolmath?hl=en
Visit Blog at http://www.HighSchoolMath.Blogspot.com

Image via Wikipedia

Timeline programs can be so varied in what content is offered. Some timeline programs allow you to input your information to create a timeline. This site has some preset content for Europe as far back as 1801. There is not a lot of content, but what is there might be helpful for a student creating a mashup and needs some good photos of early culture of Europe. The site is presently in beta, so keep and eye on it so see where it goes!

Image by Steffe via Flickr

While reading the current issue of MacLife (May '09) I came across the article: "A Natural Fit". There were so many great and simple ideas for cutting your electricity costs! In addition, many websites were mentioned with free or cheap software programs to help you monitor or control your energy consumption. The first one I tried was a FREE site to estimate your consumption of natural resources. Just putting this information into the program made me think a lot more about how much waste there is in my house! Two desktops two laptops, four people, lots of lights left ON! So I made the badge to the right to put the information right in front of me each day as a reminder to control our electricity use much better. Let's see if we can get that number down for next month!
The site offers a number of ways you can see your data. The charts are helpful and if you open an account, it will keep and help you to track your data. All this for the best price of FREE.

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This article caught my attention: "The Top10 Tech Skills Your Teen Needs" because I am the mothers of two teenagers. I totally agree about keyboarding. No matter what job today's teens have, they will use some type of computer and keyboarding will certainly be helpful and more efficient. Entering a non-service career could bring the student to make some type of presentation, so I agree with that suggestion too.

Everyone could use a little refresher in email netiquette. Using proper language, without text shortcuts, can convey a message better. Maintaining an online calendar or organizer will be commonplace for most people soon. And finally I absolutely agree about efficiently searching for information on the Internet. Most people use Google/Yahoo keywords to find what they need without thought to narrowing the focus. Searching skills are really critical to saving time and getting proper answers to you inquiry.

Read the article to see what your preference would be for today's teens!

Image by Rev Dan Catt via Flickr

Wow a site that offers worksheets and activities for preK through middle school. Subjects include math, language arts, counting, science, social studies, Spanish, French, teacher links, fun games and phonics. Each of the links brings you to a page with numerous choices for the topic. There is too much to cover here, just visit the site to see what I mean!

According to a published report in ecampus news, the advance of better detection software as well as better law enforcement work, has resulted in more perpetrators caught for illegal online activity. The article states that better police work and public information has resulted in more arrests for child solicitation. The article also noted that these solicitations occur less frequently in chat rooms and more frequently on social network sites.

Watch this video from NECC. It is a discussion panel explaining the current research and statistics about student Internet use. In addition there is a short segment from the state of Virginia's Department of Education, Lance Nugent. Virginia is the first state to REQUIRE Internet safety programs for grades K-12.

Researchers stated that the factors that increase the possibility of sexual solicitation are: posting a photo, filling in a profile, being female, using the Internet to flirt. it does not matter if you post your city, school, or your interests. Anastasia Goodstein, from YPulse website, encouraged the audience to teach about appropriate use of Internet or cell phone. We should encourage good ethical behavior is important whether you are face to face or talking online.


Article: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=58005
MacBook image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35490662@N07/3400666461/
Book from: http://Amazon.com