All posts by lmmenna

Ontario Grade 8 Students are “Computer-Savvy”

digital technology, education, teaching, ,

An article in the Toronto Star reported that Ontario students rank among the most computer-savvy according to an international survey of approximately 60,000 Grade 8 students in 20 countries. The survey evaluated various aspects of computer use including how well students could collect, create and share information. The EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) coordinated the Ontario portion of the survey and jointly issued the report with the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC). The report suggests that Ontario students scored an average of 547 points out of a possible 600.

Link to the article:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/11/20/ontario_students_among_the_most_computersavvy_in_international_study.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed&app=noRedirect

 

 

Happy Birthday Margaret Atwood

Events, literacy, ,

In honour of author Margaret Atwood’s 75th birthday on November 18th CBC Books is celebrating her life and work with a week of special features including archival interviews, infographics, and a selection of passages from her acclaimed books  in the searchable Essential Atwood Reading List. Follow link below:

http://www.cbc.ca/books/mobile/touch/atwood75/index.html

For 75 surprising facts about Margaret Atwood see link below:

http://www.cbc.ca/books/2014/11/75-surprising-facts-about-margaret-atwood.html

Atwood

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of True Story of the Three Little Pigs

literacy, Literacy teacher educators, Teacher education, teaching, ,

As the 25th anniversary of the picture book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs approaches author Jon Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith recount the origins of their collaboration and the challenges of securing a publisher for the sophisticated parody. As Smith recalls, “some editors liked it but were a little confused and not sure if there was a market for it. Back at that time, children’s books were either serious, earnest books, or really funny books. But the sense of parody and irony that is rampant now didn’t really exist then…Viking put the book out very tentatively. They weren’t convinced of anything and did a small run that immediately sold out. It was all word-of-mouth from teachers, librarians and booksellers. They didn’t run ads or do a publicity push. Finally by the fourth or fifth printing the runs were more like 50,000.”

Follow the link below to read the full interview with Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/64695-the-true-25th-anniversary-story-of-the-three-little-pigs.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=94f331fbd0-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-94f331fbd0-305134397

ThreePigs

Mapping Global Internet Connectivity

digital technology,

A world map created by the search engine Shodan displays Internet access across the world. The image graphs the use of devices that are directly connected to the Internet. While it is important to note that “some of the dark spots on the map could be attributed to low population density in those areas,” the map does point to disparities in Internet access world wide. Pamela Engel reporting for the Business Insider explains, the “different colors indicate the density of devices – blue indicates fewer devices and red indicates more devices at a given location”.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/this-world-map-shows-every-device-connected-to-the-internet-2014-9#ixzz3HYETj6LS

WorldMap2

 

All About Me Texts

classroom teachers, digital technology, education, graduate students, literacy, literacy, Literacy teacher educators, Teacher education,

We had an amazing literacy class yesterday. We (Clare and Lydia) along with the student teachers in our P/J and J/I literacy courses shared our All About Me texts. As a class we meet weekly in a designated classroom on campus, but this week class was extra special, as Clare graciously invited us into her home to share our texts in a more personal space. The student teachers engaged a rich array of storytelling formats including – playbills, a message in a bottle, interactive ABC books, puzzles, dual language texts, a personal timeline plotted out with illustrated cityscapes, e-books, comic strips, Pokémon cards, nesting boxes housing artifacts documenting developmental milestone – to share aspects of themselves to an attentive audience of their peers. The depth of thought and creativity communicated through their texts was truly impressive and inspiring. I’m sure the children/youth they’ll be teaching in their upcoming placements will enjoy these texts as much as we all did. It was a truly enjoyable day. Thank you to all the student teachers in our literacy community!!

 

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Working to Make a Difference

classroom teachers, literacy, , , , , ,

A GTA first grade teacher, Asa Schoondenbeek, is one of 35 recipients of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. Mr. Schoondenbeek began a lunchtime reading club for first and second grade boys at his school. During his lunch hour he dresses up as a superhero and reads to boys who choose to be in the club. One of the young boys in the club told CBC News that the reading program is fun because “you get to read and you get to pick any book we want to read.” Parents and the school’s community council nominated Schoondenbeek for the award because they appreciated his efforts and commitment to students.

Link to the CBC news story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/asa-schoonderbeek-wins-prime-minister-s-award-for-teaching-excellence-1.2798451

What’s Up at the Public Library?

education, literacy, Teacher education, , , ,

The other day, Natasha a student teacher in the literacy methods course mentioned the Dial a Story program offered by the Toronto Public Library system. Her recommendation reminded us to stay in touch with the wonderful outreach programs offered by public libraries. Dial A Story is a free service that provides stories for younger children (7 and under) and for older children (up to 12) twenty-four hours a day.  Stories rotate on a daily basis and are currently available in 15 languages including: French, English, Cantonese, Gujarati, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog, and Urdu. Occasionally, Dial A Story features special guest readers such as Toronto Blue Jays baseball players and dancers from the National Ballet of Canada.  A big thank-you to Natasha for reminding to check out the many resources our public libraries have to offer!

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/services/dial-a-story.jsp

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Stephen King on Teaching Writing

curriculum; teachers, literacy, literacy, ,

In an interview with the Atlantic Stephen King discussed his time as a high school English teacher. As a teacher of writing King recalled, “it went best for me when I could communicate my own enthusiasm. I can remember teaching Dracula to sophomores and practically screaming, ‘Look at all the different voices in this book! Stoker’s a ventriloquist! I love that!’ I don’t have much use for teachers who “perform,” like they’re onstage, but kids respond to enthusiasm. You can’t command a kid to have fun, but you can make the classroom a place that feels safe, where interesting things happen.” The link to the article is provided below:

http://m.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/09/writing-secrets-with-stephen-king/379870/