Tag: School’s out Friday

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School’s out Friday

I don’t know about you, but if I was driving while a meteorite broke through the atmosphere and caused an enormous flash in the sky accompanied by a booming sound, then I’d be stopping the car and surveying my surroundings. Well, in Russia it seems, you just keep driving, maybe fast enough to get home and upload the dashboard camera footage to Youtube to share it with the world! According to a post in ‘The New York Times‘, dashboard cameras “are commonplace in Russia partly because of the dangerous driving conditions that lead to so many accidents, and with an unreliable police force such cameras can provide valuable evidence following a crash.”

This happened a few hours ago in Chelyabinsk, 930 miles (1,500 km) east of Moscow, in Russia’s Ural Mountains. Here’s another dashboard camera video.

And here’s the view taken by traffic cameras at a busy intersection. Again, no-one stops their cars!!

Considering there was no indication that something like this was going to happen, I’m feeling less comfortable about the close call with the 45-meter-wide asteroid 2012 DA14 that’s going to pass Earth at a distance of 27,000km tomorrow. Apparently, Australia will have a grandstand view according to this article. You need  to be up at 4.30am, so guess who’s setting the alarm? Binoculars or a telescope are necessary, but I’ll take a chance with the naked eye.

This is my fourth* School’s out Friday in a row with no intervening posts. Busy? You bet I am. But some good things are happening, so I’ll try and find time over the weekend to write about them. Hopefully we’ll all still be here!!

*correction – fifth. Not feeling good about that at all.

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School’s out Friday

OK, I’m a sucker for a story that tugs at the heartstrings. And Landslide, the soundtrack, is my favourite song. Given that, this has to be my favourite Superbowl ad of the season.

It featured in one of my lessons this week for a new subject called ‘The Language of our Times’. The start to this year has been kind of manic, but walking into that class was just wonderful. I love teaching – I love the connections you make with young people and the thrill of sharing ideas. This class is something I’m heavily invested in because it’s something I believe in – I want our students to understand new methods of communication and the power of making connections via the Internet. I want to make it work and I feel like the young people I’m teaching want to explore what is possible. I’ve got an exciting year ahead.

I hope you have too. We have a tough gig. Teaching is becoming more accountable, and sometimes it seems like the focus is on measurement and data all the time. It’s when we walk into those classrooms and have the privilege of being a part of the lives of young people that we realise it’s so much more than numbers on a page. It’s about connecting with people and hopefully having a positive impact on their thinking. It’s the best part of my job and it’s what gives me the energy to do the work I do.

Just right now, I need to replenish those energy levels with a good night’s sleep. Night all, and best wishes for a restful weekend ahead. 🙂

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School’s out Friday

Is John Green making sense to you here? Because he’s making a lot of sense to me.

Copyright laws are vexed, but so is creating work and sharing it, only to receive no compensation other than the satisfaction that comes from helping others. That works for awhile, but the reality of most people’s existence is that they need to earn money to feed themselves and their family.  What John Green is doing for his nerdfighters is truly admirable. We need more people with attitudes like this – people prepared to make the effort to seek out creators and share profits from work they have remixed or modified from an original source.

My son showed me the Sweet Brown video last night, and it got me thinking. Take a look here.

Sweet Brown has been the subject of Internet memes, and the catchy remix is now available for purchase on iTunes. Who is benefiting from remixing content like this? Sweet Brown, or the owners of the YouTube channels who are hosting advertisements while they rack up 16 million views poking fun at someone’s speech inflections? I note that she seems to have a website (if it is run by people associated with her) and you can buy tshirts and book her for appearances. I certainly hope she’s making some money out of this, because you can bet other people are making money from her.

One day, I will write something other than a School’s out Friday post. Cameron Paterson sent me this tweet tonight:

“You are too busy. Come back to us, please…Hope the new job is fun and challenging.”

My new job is fun and challenging. I’ve been learning a lot about managing a school network, and am indebted to the wonderful IT team at my school who have worked so hard these last few weeks rolling out a new printing solution for our school and getting everything ready for the start of the year. I’ve got a heck of a lot to do, but haven’t we all?

Right now, what I’m looking forward to is sleeping in tomorrow. I hope you get to enjoy the same luxury. Have a relaxing weekend – find some time for you. 🙂

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School’s out Friday

Sylvia Martinez shared this video on Twitter this week. It was perfect for this week’s School’s out Friday post. I hope it makes you smile.

School resumes for most teachers here in Australia next week. In my new role, I’ve been back already for the last fortnight. We’re rolling out a new printing solution throughout the school and this week has been occupied with the finite details that need ticking off to ensure all goes smoothly next week. I’ve been consumed with that, and with the thought processes necessary for the new subject I’m teaching this year. I’m knocking out the final details for this semester’s coursework  – it’s called ‘The Language of our Times’ and its focus is on the communication methods we use in today’s world. There’s a real opportunity to create a learning community using new tools and sites. Part of the course will see us looking closely at ‘The Fault in our Stars‘ and how its author John Green is changing up the way authors interact with their audiences. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to do something very different with this course and hopefully I’ll be able to share our learning here.

I’ve plenty to do before next Tuesday still. I hope you’re enjoying the last days of the holiday break if you’re here in Australia. Best of luck with the 2013 school year on your return. 🙂

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School’s out Friday

This video is one I really must find a way of integrating into some teachable moment this year. I’ve no doubt there will be a myriad of opportunities that will present themselves. Teachable moments aren’t restricted to school – last night I took great delight in responding to my son’s complaints with the ‘First world problem’ retort. I love that look you get when they realise you’ve adopted the language they use, especially when it’s so pertinent to the pettiness of whatever it is they’re going on about!

The link to the video was shared in the Twitter stream coming out from the Google Apps for Education summit (GAFE summit) that was held at MLC in Sydney over the last couple of days. There were some very useful tips shared that you can find by searching #gafesummit on Twitter. The educators who presented have very generously shared their presentations and they can be accessed from this link. Yet another example of the sharing nature of educators who have learning at the forefront of their thinking and want to make sure that others can benefit, even if they weren’t present. I very much appreciate your efforts. 🙂

I returned to work this week as part of my new role at my school. It was a bit of a shock to the system, but I’m back in the swing of things now and looking forward to a sleep in tomorrow morning. The weather’s looking good, so I’ll be finding some time to relax in the sun. I hope you find some time to do the same. 🙂

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School’s out Friday

Take a look at Colin Stokes‘ very interesting TEDx talk, where he dissects the movie industry in an amusing, but highly relevant fashion.  His focus is the way male and female roles are depicted and the messages being sent to our children as a result. I found it very interesting and would be keen of finding a way of weaving this into curriculum next year. Media Studies teachers- it might be a good one for you to use.

One thing I found very interesting was his reference to ‘The Bechdel Test’ as a means of identifying gender bias in films. Here’s some info from the Bechdel Test site:

The Bechdel Test, sometimes called the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule is a simple test which names the following three criteria: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. The test was popularized by Alison Bechdel‘s comic Dykes to Watch Out For, in a 1985 strip called The Rule.

Here’s a visual explanation:

I am never going to be able to view a film the same way again.

On a very hot Melbourne afternoon, I’m just about to leave to see Les Miserables. Bechdel test will be applied.

 

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School’s out Friday

The video above has gone viral on YouTube. For good reason too. The act of giving almost always provokes a reaction, but none so genuine as this Father’s response to the gift of tickets to a game. I dare you not to smile as you watch this.

And because I’ve been absent for so long, here’s another vid that I hope will make you smile. It’s Nasa Johnson style, an educational parady of Gangnam Style.

If I were teaching Science, I’d be trying to find a way to use this in one of my classes next year. And if I were teaching Physics, I’d definitely be using some of the videos from the minutephysics channel on YouTube in my classes. Here’s one I watched this week that had some answers to something that has crossed my mind as I’m making a break across the oval at school on rainy days!

Sorry for what seems like a prolonged absence here of late. There’s been a lot going on. Hopefully, I’ll get an opportunity to devote some time to growing this space instead of letting it lie stagnant. I’m surprised there are still posts being read given the lack of posting in recent times. It’s probably reflective really of having the balance in my life right – sometimes your energies need to be elsewhere.

To those of you still hanging in here, have a great weekend. Gear yourself up for the fast approaching new year – let’s hope it’s a good one. 🙂

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School’s out Friday

Have you been wondering if School’s out Friday or maybe even this blog had bitten the dust? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had, given my lack of activity of late. It’s my hope that I can get some consistant posting happening in the coming weeks, as school commitments slow down and I grab some time to consolidate some thinking and get ideas penned here.

I’m a fan of the festive season. I love a good round of carols and an impressive light show. I’m on the lookout for a halfway decent Carols by Candlelight in my locale and if there’s a well lit house display up for viewing after the event, I’ll be there. Hence tonight’s offerings. Start with the flash mob singing a round of carols in an American shopping centre, then finish with a clever light show from Perth featuring christmas lights synchronised to Psy’s Gangman Style.

All of this reminds me that I must attend to some Christmas shopping this weekend. And I must commit some time to finding the delicate necklace I brought for my daughter earlier in the year, but cleverly hid from her view. If only I remembered where that hiding spot was…  wish me luck in my search!

Enjoy your weekend. Hopefully you’re supremely organised and don’t need to hit the shops. If you do, steel yourself for the frenzy you’re likely to encounter. Best of luck!  🙂

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School’s out Friday

The Melbourne Metro system posted this video on YouTube on November the 14th, and it’s since had 19,182,295 views. It’s called ‘Dumb ways to die’, and it was made in response to peoples’ careless behaviour around trains leading to unnecessary and preventable deaths. It’s attracting a lot of press due to the viral nature of the video, one that has finally knocked Gangman Style of the top of the viral video chart! Cassie McCullogh has written a post on ABC site ‘The Drum’, that outlines some criticism that has been levelled at it, suggesting its message will be ineffective.

Personally, I think any video that goes viral like this can’t be considered anything but effective. I don’t know if you realise this, but 19,182,295 views is a number within coo-ee of the entire population of Australia. The fact that the message at the end of the video outlines what its intentions are is a moment that makes you sit up and take notice. It’s kind of a ‘what the’ moment, but it certainly got me thinking.

I take my hat off to Metro. It’s quirky, creative and obviously has the mass appeal factor. The Drum article has some insight to its creation from Creative Director John Mescall,

It’s designed to engage with a younger audience that doesn’t “want to hear any kind of safety message”, McCann Melbourne Creative Director, John Mescall told ABC NEWS 24. “If it looks, smells or feels like an ad, it won’t get shared … it has to be incredibly likeable.”

This is one to store away for a class activity. My students have exams next week, but if regular classes were on, I’d be starting my lesson with this and encouraging discussion as to the ad’s effectiveness and the reasoning behind its creation in this form.

Sunny weather for the weekend here in Melbourne. I’ll be enjoying the rays, and making sure I don’t engage in any of those dumb ways to die. Enjoy your time this weekend – I hope you get an opportunity to see some rays too. 🙂

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School’s out Friday

Don’t you wish you received parking tickets like these? I love the change in demeanor once these unsuspecting car owners realise what the contents of their ticket holds. Amazing really, how human beings can shift from anger to delight in the blink of an eye.  We are fickle beings indeed!

Over the last two days I’ve been so touched by the kind words that have come my way with the news that I will be Director of ICT and eLearning at Toorak College next year. I wondered if Teacher-Librarians out there would see this as a sign of abandonment, but I have received nothing but support from many in my network. Thank you to you all. It’s been wonderful receiving such positive encouragement. 🙂

My next two weeks are going to be interesting. I’ll be off the grid for some of the time as I travel through Thailand and  Laos with students from my school on our Beyond Boundaries trip. Part of our journey will be in a village in Laos where we will be working on a community project helping to lay the foundations of a kindergarten. I will definitely be off the grid for that part of the trip, but I may be able to post in the early and latter stages of the trip. Forgive me if this space turns into a travel blog for part of the near future, but I do like to share what I’m up to and it’s great to have a record of this that I can look back on. I’ll be writing a separate blog for our school families too. I’ve done this for past trips in Italy and China and the parents and friends have really appreciated being able to see what their children are doing in far flung parts of the world. These blogs have provided reassurance and a means of communication as they leave comments and our students respond.

Laos
Laos (Photo credit: YoTuT)

So, the weekend ahead will be busy as I organise things at home for while I’m away and pack my bag. There will be little rest until the overnight flight to Bangkok! I hope your weekend is a little more restful than mine. 🙂