Sir Ken Robinson answers your Twitter questions about Homeschooling

Resolutions for Tech Implementation 2011

I wonder if you started off this school year with great intentions of launching some new goals that incorporate technical innovations, but have now back slid into feelings of hopelessness?  You hear God saying "Solder on dear teacher/parent/student there is still much to be done to reach your goals... " Your reply is by now a terse "Yes but Lord there is not enough time in the day"! At the rate of this information overload, with all these new teaching ideas and technical applications, how will my brain cope, let alone find time  to teach it to my students?

I have realised that if I can set myself some goals for the year and God willing He allows me to complete them, I will keep going until He tells me to stop!  I love Greg Bitgood's slogan to reach 1 million children in his lifetime.  Crazy in my language, but in God's language nothing is impossible.  I was encouraged today when I found Richard Byrne's, Edtech goals for 2011 for teachers ,and thought you might like to see his user friendly How to Do 10 Techy things in a Year.  I have posted this to my Favourites, and I am thankful that there are a few things on his list that I have completed.  Praise God!   Okay, maybe I am giving away my age here, with my tendency to take time to learn new innovations.  When I see how quickly my 14 year old Matt learns things I am covetous of his "smarts".  Thankfully my son is my best ally when it comes to learning these new applications, and I am learning humility in asking him for shortcuts.  Of course he does not know everything, but like me he has a voracious appetite to want to know more.  So with this in mind here are my goals/grateful heart for what God has started in our school this year.


1.  Encouragement with  teachers and parents to share their news via blogging!! Thank you Greg for inspiring me to get going on this!  And for inspiring all of us to be innovative teachers!
New to the blog roll are

Learningtogrowathome  Carmen Timmermans

ChristianHomeschoolResources  Pat Mackesy

Inspire  Laura Weatherley

Tina and Serena's Homeschooling Adventures  HCOS parent.



2.  Have fun Glogging, and create a Wiki to share Glogs from Christian students around the world.  I really am excited about making this a global outreach project!

3.  Create a Podcast, sharing stories and reading stories for the younger age group.

4.  Create a Facebook Page for students, teachers and parents to share how they are learning new technologies in the classroom, and also in the homeschool arena.  Please see my FB logo on my blog site to Like and then you will receive updates and have the ability to share with me:)

5.  Create Jing videos, and learn how to make my own videos look professional!

6.  Further develop my Personal Learning Network so that,  I can help educate my users about creating their own personal learning networks.  Currently I use Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and I love searching beyond Google for our HCOS Linking Library.

7.  Receive Professional development in the area of educational technology to share with my school.

8.  Create innovative teaching tools that include Christian worldview.

9.  Read Disrupting Class by Clayton Christiansen and other educational books, and host an adult book club to encourage professional development with our teachers.  Encourage my younger book club to learn new technologies along with their avid interest in reading

10.  Last but not least, Love my God with all my heart and all my might and love my family and community.

Whew I have 10 resolutions, and a whole year to enjoy learning.  I hope you will take time to learn something with me so we can all collaborate.  I would love to hear about your goals for the year:)

God Bless
Pippa

11 Mathematics Resources to Try in 2011

11 Mathematics Resources to Try in 2011

Trials

This week my heart is reeling from things that are outside of my control.  Two of my students are battling with sickness, one with Crohn's and the second with substance abuse.  I want to wrap both of these girls up in my arms and tell them how much God loves them, values them and honours them. As an online teacher I submit in prayer, and send my loving thoughts their way.  God will you provide, will you  provide, please heal these girls in your timing...and be with their families in their pain.  Lord please meet them in their needs.  Amen.

Secondly although minor, all of our computers went on the blink, and I was powerless to do anything with the problem.  For two days my kids groaned from withdrawal- yes this may be a good thing:) However with one homeschooled son, 2 daughters at university and my work fully online I was literally clutching at straws, and trying to talk sense with our server.  God has an amazing way of intervening when you are faced with a choice.  You can give over to anger, and impatience or you can submit.  With a humble heart I am learning more to submit and wait for Him to return  answers rather than repeating in my own strength.  This morning resigned to God's timing, I handed over my computer to Him.  Needless to say it was restored without technical intervention within an hour ( I still don't know what happened), and it  might  not be forever but for now that is good!   Praise Him!!  I pray that God will work in my heart daily to restore all of my imperfections, and need for control.  Amen!

The Serenity Prayer
	God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr In loving memory of Fr Bertram Griffin -- 1932-2000 Requiescat in Pace
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3, 5-6

God Bless
Pippa

Is your child stressed?

Read how God can help in a stressful situation.

January Links!

Greetings fellow Bibliofiles.

As January draws to a close many of us are searching for good writing and reading tools, to help our students progress at their grade appropriate level.  So with this in mind I have focused on Writing as a theme, along with Valentines Day, Black History Month in February,  and some pertinent Canadian sites. 

WRITING:  Do you have a struggling writer who cannot decipher how to put a paragraph together?  With some of these links hopefully you will find something that resonates:

 Bitesize from BBC, breaks down the writing components into easy chunks for younger students to enjoy.  Interactive video content for all ages. 

Story Starters abound in this neat Young Writer's Workshop site with downloadable PDF documents for your younger students to get writing.  

 Book reporting forms for all grades come in handy downloadable forms from LovetoLearnPlace.com

READING - Audio files

Listen to the classics with HomeschoolRadio audio book on Great Expectations, just in time for our Readathon! 

Discover more suggestions for readathon books at the following HCOS library page

HOLIDAYS - Black History Month.  
Want to get your middle grade or high school students writing about  Martin Luther King, in time for Black History Month, then use these writing prompts to get them brainstorming.


Older students may want to listen to this wonderful audio lecture on Martin Luther King sent to me by Mark Daley, as a topic for discussion around freedom in western democracy and freedom from a Christian perspective.  High school students take this challenge, and listen in, and then write about what freedom means to you.

Or sign into our new Gale Cengage Learning subscription to learn more about  Black History Month.  These free Gale Black History resources can be obtained just by clicking on this link. 

 ART and MATH
 Counting on Art 
Both elementary and middle school activities and worksheets (equations, the Fibonacci Sequence) are included with this combined math and art lesson, where students will be exploring Alexander Calder's balancing act with his mobiles, and then creating their own versions.


 VALENTINES DAY- Resources for Christian Teachers has some interesting links to share this holiday with your students.
Valentine Game ideas has printable Valentines games to share from a Christian perspective. 
 
Teachnology has tons of teaching ideas for teaching units linking Valentines to science, language arts, cooking, and poetry!


EARTH SCIENCE- Earthquakes in BC.
Thanks to Trish her sent in this link on ShakeoutBC. where you can learn more about the potential consequences of earthquakes in BC.

HISTORY- CANADA
Angela Paine reminded me to send out this Canadiana site from our library which will help with Canadian learning:)

BIBLE: Download this free printable Colossions in a Year booklet from Ann Voskamp's blog A Holy Experience.


Have fun reading, writing and researching this month as well as loving one another in Christ!

God Bless
Pippa Davies
HCOS Online Librarian

KidsBlogs

So you think the idea of blogging too much like hard work:)?  Teachers this is your opportunity to share with your students about your week, and also hear about their week?  I started blogging with Kidsblog recently, and have been pleasantly surprised by how many of my students are connecting, not only with me but with other members of their classroom. It is super simple, and kids can learn how to post links of themselves doing activities, share their hobbies, talk about what they had for dinner, books they have read, and generally connect.  I am enjoying journaling with my younger students the same way you would in a primary classroom. It is safe as only you and your students can go on and view the material posted.  I am also looking at starting a Kidsblog, for my Book Club students as a way to communicate about the books we are reading.

To learn more you can listen to my Jing , although the website is very explanatory!

Have an awesome week connecting with God and your community:)

God Bless
Pippa