Bugs

Creative Commons by Jessica Lucia via nextdoornature.org

Insects is such a formal word, and it's like "ewww, insects". Bugs is the real thing, check it out, "ewwww, buuuugs!" :)
So, it looks like the second grade curriculum deals with bugs and butterflies in particular. I have researched the subject a little bit and it turns out that bugs still outnumber us as species by far. Which is probably a good thing. There is about several million individual bugs per individual person. If anyone had the ideas that we were ruling the world, the truth is nah-huh. We don't. They do. As they have for the last umpteen million years. (30,000,000 maybe?)
Here are some interesting, good and not so good webquests on the subject:
http://delicious.com/laplao/insects 

I am planning to resume this blog, at least for the near future (and will write this time as much as I can before the battery runs out on this laptop).
Today I have been looking at resources to use in the elementary classrooms, to get kids used to the logging procedures, and getting them started on things. The feeling is that they have already tried it all one way or another at home, or outside of school (at a friend's house, in the library), but most likely they have had a different set of procedures and tasks to perform (mom logged in, child went to yahoo! Kids Games, or something like that).
While I was scouting the web, I came upon a couple of promising sites (for all I know, if they can focus long enough, they could be doing Khan Academy, although I would rather have them do MathPickle).
One interesting site was this: http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/index.html

It's time before Thanksgiving, and the spirit of the season makes one think and reflect, and be concerned about life and good things.
Do you ever get a feeling that you are pressed, rushed and feel that all your life has recently turned into is trying to catch up, but not necessarily succeeding? When is the time to slow down, look around and enjoy a little bit?
On that note, I am kinda hungry - what a great opportunity to feel alive!
Anyway, lots of things to be thankful for, and if we only could stop worrying about everything else...
I think I am going to Canada one of these days, and it's exciting. Coincidentally, a co-worker is listening to a radio station in French, which is enjoyable, knowing my language background. There is really not much work to do right now, before Thanksgiving - did I mention trying to catch up? Now is that time to slow down, and do the boring work, paperwork, and keeping logs.

Let me brighten this up with an image or something! just wait...

Playing with the new Macbook

I have spent a whole bunch of time recently training teachers using their new Mac computer - which is fun, and it's easy for me to look and sound knowledgeable without much effort.
But I also enjoy helping out my fellow mentors - who may not be too familiar with some cool Mac OS X tools or features.
And here is a picture of Ed and me trying out PhotoBooth. :)

Okay - animoto is fantastically cool if you would like something flashy quick and dirty. It's in beta version, so chances are you will be paying for this eventually, although now it's FREE!!!
So here is a snapshot of what one may see in Atlanta - or saw in Atlanta, GA last June during the NECC 2007 conference.

Finally! My blog is also blocked from PPS!
This probably completes the entire blocking campaign here. Of course, the district will now provide blogs to teachers locally, which is cool, but what if you want to read someone else's stuff?
Easy!
The solution is in iGoogle - the GoogleReader, an RSS aggregator, that is available for free with a Google account. That's what I do. Just set it up and read away - Google has solutions for this type of issue.
By the way, my other blog is here: http://blogs.portlandschools.org/laplao
Have fun!

PS. Have you seen the iPod touch? woooo.... aaaaahh... sweet and kewl!