The Caffeinated Carbivore

President Obama has released a statement about his next plans for education. Included in these goals is an increased emphasis on STEM education . If US students are going to keep up with a global economy and the US is to keep up with global competitors, then science and math education should be among top priorities. Along with teaching important critical thinking skills, STEM games teach important science and math information in an accessible and fun way. The Nation is taking notice. Teachers are beginning to use technology in the classroom to gain student attention as well as harness the necessary science and 21st century skills. Events have been scheduled as well: Sep 26 - 30, 2010 Open to public, FREE Rockefeller Plaza has been transformed into a "Learning Plaza," an interactive experience open to the public that will explore some of the most innovative aspects of American education. Learning Plaza is an energetic and engaging spectacle that captures the joy of learni...

Kids need breakfast to rev up their brain-teachers are not an exception to the rule! But we're busy, and watching our weight... Here's a great breakfast loaded with healthy carbs that is quick and easy! I suggest making it the night before-it's great re-heated :) Toasting the granola reduces calories but not taste-the granola adds just enough crunch to the sweet n’ spiced apples. Ingredients · 6 tablespoons unsalted butter · 3 cups store-bought oat granola · 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour · 1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1/4 cup · 5 crisp apples (I suggest Braeburn) peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces · 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon · 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the granola, 1 tablespoon of the flour and 1 tablespoon sugar and toss until the sugar is dissolved and the granola is well-coated. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. 3. Pour the apples into the skillet; toss with the cinnam...

First, let's determine your learning style with a quick test. Directions: Add one point to your score for each statement that strongly applies to you. The category with the most points is your dominant processing style. You may have strengths in more than one category. Visual processor – 1. I can remember that I need to do something if I write it down. 2. I need to visualize myself wearing something to make a decision about what I want to wear. 3. I take copious notes during meetings and often can remember what the page of notes looks like before I remember what the notes say. 4. I need to look at a person when they’re speaking. 5. It has to be quiet for me to be able to complete my work. 6. Seeing data displayed in a graph is vital to me understanding numerical information. 7. I am horrible at remembering jokes. 8. I can remember phone numbers if I can visualize typing them on a phone’s key pad. Auditory processor – 1. I prefer to listen to books on tape...

In the fall, many people experience allergies to ragweed. According to Cornell University’s Allergy Foundation, pollen from ragweed can cause hay fever and is considered to be the greatest allergen of all pollens. What about the ragweed is so terrible? Ragweed pollen travels by air, and with the help of Illinois gusts can travel up to 400 miles away! Even worse, a single plant can produce up to a billion grains of pollen. Is relief in sight? As long as the temperatures stay this nice, then we will be needing our Claritin (remember, it must stay at a constant level to be active, so take it every day!). Pollen count is the highest in the mornings, but rain or low morning temperatures will help slow pollen release. When will it end? After the first frost, because the frost will kill the plant. What if you don’t want to try medication? Go to the local farmer’s market and pick up some honey. Local honey comes from local flowers. Consuming small amounts of local pollen will help in...

TV has gone to new heights. Shows are often chock full of special effects, just like movies. Characters and shows bridge between books and shows as well. There have been plenty of stories about bullying or social clicks. Take "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" for example. It was once a book collection... ...and now is a box office hit. You can't ignore the High School musical phase. The movie sparked accessories as well as soundtracks. I too was once a Drama Kid, but it never looked like Glee. Perhaps that's why I can enjoy this show so much. Then there's Dexter. Few people know that the hit show was based on a novel series. As the first half of Book Seven hits theaters, Harry Potter fans are reminded once again of the twisting plot book Seven brought. Like many other fans, I'm re-reading book Seven before seeing the movie or listen to it on your way to work! The first half of book seven hits theaters November 19th!!!

September is read a new book month ! Here are a few new great books to get you through the Fall Amazon.com Widgets

Voki for Education Newsletter View more documents from Matthew Farber . With special thanks to Matt Farber for original posting of newsletter!

Billboard top 100, that is. Remember Auto Tune the News? Well, they've taken another news story... ...and turned it into a song. Only this time, they've got a hit on their hands. And an article In the NYTimes ! Just another example of social media bringing people together. The media serves different purposes for us (news vs entertainment). Auto Tune the News is a sterling example of the permeable boundaries of the mediums since the dawn of social media-none are mutually exclusive, and each is connected by us, their users. Another trend exemplified by Auto Tune the News is the user-centeredness that mediums have adopted. Twitter and now the New York Times have monopolized on our desire to get quick and personalized information.

First, let's look at the history of "intelligence" 1. We begin with Socrates: "I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing". Remember, "intelligence" is a thing gifted from one man to another rich man...aka exclusive to upper social class and males. Emphasis on reason and logic. 2. The Roman Catholic church maintains written knowledge during the dark ages...then chains all books (literally) to the church: knowledge maintained, and owned, by the Church. 2. Intelligence as divider between social classes: Eugenics, or maintaining intelligence by not allowing lower and higher classes to mi x genes. 3. Degree of intelligence obtained by specific skull measurements. 4. Clinical trials: nurture over nature (intelligence could be taught). 5. IQ test is born -intelligence is measured by standardized testing 6. Multiple intelligences : how well do you understand logic...and yourself. Birth of self-awareness as a form of intelligence, not ...

Tony Danza is an English teacher?! Beginning October 1st on A&E, you can watch Tony take on English repertoire. Catch the preview here . Teachers have been role models and heroes, but celebrities? Let's chat. 1.What impact do you think having a celebrity will have on the students' learning outcomes? 2. How will having Danza as a teacher impact students' perceptions of teachers? 3. Will students interact differently with teachers after having Danza in the classroom? 4. Will celebrity appearance in the classroom upgrade teacher status, or add an unwanted/unprofessional element of sensationalism?

The "No Child Left Behind" issue has a lot of teachers raving. I too feel that standardized testing leads to trouble, both for teachers and students. A VERY brief list: Teachers: 1. Teaching to the Test restricts creative lesson plans 2. Standardized teacher reviews neglect teachers' connection with students (arguably more influential on student mental health than getting A's) in favor of ability to cram facts into students' heads ( teaching vs educating ). Students: 1. Loss of connection with teacher 2. Those in low income areas seem to be getting the short end of the stick...again. -students in low income schools rarely see change. If teachers truly want to make an argument against Standardized Testing (aka breaking from the status quo of "intelligence" marks) then we're going to need a few good arguments. Most of all, we have to watch our fallacies. Suggesting that the testing structure or disciplinary schools leads underachievers to jail...

The economic down turn has negatively effected lots of businesses. While the news has a social duty to report the daily happenings, they are also a business. News papers have been altering their formats. Sunday papers are changing, and some aren't even printed! Then, of course, there's the online news sources. Not all businesses are suffering, however. Which business is booming, you ask? Social media. The New York Times has noted the change in how we read our news. Comedy Central for political knowledge , and a now a Twitter-style newscast for the NYTimes . The ap will be a more audience-focused reader. More backlash and evidence of booming social media? Our changing language. Words like " Islamophobia " describe a current social phenomena spread, and fought by, the media, and " Tumblr " is a social media company. These socially mediated terms have become such intricate pieces of our culture that they have made it to the Dictionary. A culture using...

"I’m not sure it’s always good to grow up surrounded by stability, immersed in affluence, and having had it drummed into you that you are entitled to be a member of the next leadership class. To have this background in the modern era is to come from a ghetto, the luckiest ghetto in the world, a golden ghetto beyond whose walls it can be hard to see." --Wall Street Journal The New York Times asks why it is taking the 20somethings so long to grow up . I ask why parents are having such difficulty letting go. We call this phenomena "Helicopter Parenting". We have a lot of teachers out there. We have few educators. This is a tough economy, and college students are looking it right in the face. What does that mean for college teachers? Relevant lesson plans taught by educators: those who teach us how to learn, not teach us a few facts. Things to know about my generation in the classroom: 1. Yes, we've all been shaped by our parents. Even the intonation of o...

New Newscasting. Comedy central is currently the main news source for teenagers. Some are appalled. I applaud it. John Stewart and The Colbert Report give us 20somethings the things we crave: comedy and news combined. Example from Auto Tune the News: Compared to a ethnocentric conglomerate news source, I find comedy central to be a great option. For example. Conglomerate news reporting lacks the ability to question what is being presented; it relates one point of view. Putting Democrats and Republicans on TV to battle it out is not critical thinking. Even with two viewpoints there is no supporting evidence or questioning on the part of the viewer. John Stewart provides critical thinking by asking viewers to question their sources. Watch the Parent Company Trap clip here . Some say that social media are degrading our cultures' knowledge base. First, social media has become news in and of itself. Don't have time to cruise the vast content of YouTube? Tosh.0 on comedy...

Chapter Three "B" is for "Blood". The previous entry was about books and reading lists - blood seems unrelated, right? Of course not-I wouldn't do that to you. Latest teen book craze: New Moon and the associated werewolves and, of course, vampires. I'm glad Stephenie (note, not like me, Stephanie) could inspire teenagers to read. Literacy, and reading in general, are very important to maintaining an educated society. I won't discuss the literary quality of these books, but hey, it got kids back into bookstores. The downside of the trend? Blood-sucking teenagers. Recent reports of skin infections originating from, you guessed it, attempts at Vampirism. According to a recent CBS report, the bites show devotion to someone. These modern-day hickies show the possessive side, or perhaps need, Middle Schoolers wish to associate with their relationships (including friendships). Apparently locker notes just don't cut it. I guess Middle School romance ...

The 2010 flooding of Pakistan received minimal coverage and US media attention. Why, especially after the attention devoted to other nations' food, water, and economic crises? The popular media theory, Agenda setting, states that while the media cannot tell us what to think, they can tell us what to think ABOUT. Thus, the more media attention an event garners, the more important it must be. So without media attention, we don't think about Pakistan, or feel the situation there is important. While the time to help flood victims has passed, the crisis does in fact continue in Pakistan. The results of the flooding are still reverberating throughout the region. Poisoned water and political unrest has led the population into further turmoil. Why hasn't the media focused on this? 1. US-Pakistan relations are poor. But more importantly... 2. the US supports Israel. Supporting Pakistan might cause US or World politics to flux. Our political hands are tied, and that keeps our ...

Chapter Two "B" is for "Books"! E-learning has changed the way we look at books, and reading. The Kindle (see my pics above) is an amazing tree-saving tool. Whether you read online or on paper, remember the importance of literacy this month. September is "read a new book" month, so hit the books (or your local library). Here are a few suggestions for this month: 1. Check out some children's books . They, and their reading lists , aren't just for kids. 2. Award winners that are worth a look 3. A few of my favorites

September first Chapter One "B" is for "Baghdad" Baghdad has seen a lot of aggression over the ages: but as of today marks the USA's " official end of combat operations ". This doesn't mean things are over, however. The new government hasn't started, and the hostilities haven't stopped.