The tail end

Hey, I like getting ideas and such from my emails ... literally, if you sign up for "those annoying newsletters" (direct quote from a former student) you get some really good ideas about life in general, specifically this article about how the future isn't going to be pleasant.

Cheer up, it gets worse!

Good for a Monday morning, man.

Finish your Culminating Activity

Dude!

The Plan

Thursday Oct 14 - work on "strengths"

Friday Oct 15 - Culminating Activity Day

Monday Oct 18 In the classroom, working on the final parts of Unit Four and whatever we can get done on the culminating activity without a computer lab

Tuesday Oct 19 In the lab, finishing off the culminating activity

Wednesday Oct 20 In the lab, finishing off the culminating activity

Thursday Oct 21 "Exam day"

Friday Oct 22 "turnaround day" - come get your "Level R" ... ;)

Researching Post secondary programs

1. Research two postsecondary programs you would like to pursue or one postsecondary institution and one apprenticeship based on the occupation that you selected for your destination assignment. Take notes during your research.

Create a report with four sections, as listed below, that answers the following questions for each of the two pathways:

SECTION ONE :

- Program Name
- Program Type
- Name of Institution
- Location
- Institution Type: (select one) college, career college, university, university-college or apprenticeship
- Accreditation Offered (select one: certificate, Certificate of Qualification (Apprenticeship. college certificate, degree, diploma, post-graduate certificate, professional degree, other)
- Program Length
-Tuition Costs
- Application Fee
- Book and supply(tools) costs
- Application Deadline

SECTION TWO:

What are the program admission requirements?

What steps must you complete to be eligible for this program?

SECTION THREE

What can you expect to learn in this program?

After you have completed this program, what future employment and career opportunities exist?

SECTION FOUR

1. Explain how you plan to have enough money to finance your learning after high school. Use the finances chart to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of your choices.

2. Comment on how the following aspects of your after high school options might affect your choice.
_____cost
_____location
_____length of program
_____accreditation(certificate, diploma, degree)
_____learning environment

3. Comment on any other items that may affect your choice, like:
- living at home vs living away
- co-op opportunities
- graduation rates,
- graduate employment rates

Oct 12 Assignments

Hey man, watch this from the CEED people:





1. According to you, what are some areas of strength that you can build on, if you start your own business (name three areas of strength)?

2. Describe a time when these strengths have helped you to succeed in a work, volunteer or school activity.


3. Based on the quiz results, list three areas that you need to improve upon to make yourself a better entrepreneur. 

4. Reflect on two past work or school experiences and discuss how these weaknesses prevented you from being more successful.


Then answer these questions:


This is part of your Culminating Activity Portfolio:, do this quiz, as it will help you finish this question TO BE PUT IN YOUR CULMINATING ACTIVITY PORTFOLIO:


Create a brief and informal proposal for a unique business idea that you would enjoy doing for the summer, based on your own skills, interests and values. Note in point form:

- the details of the business idea
- why you think it would be successful
- how it suits your skills, interests and values

There is an on-line application for the Summer Company, which may help you organize your plan.


Don't believe me? Here is an article about two guys who lost their jobs and started their own business. And here is another way to get yourself in front of people for not a lot of money....

Saturday's reading

So ... I did a lot of singing yesterday. Lots of affirming ideas and concepts I already knew and know quite well ... stuff like

Live in the now

Forgive but do not forget

Mitch Albom is an awesome writer.

Lots of things put into my to read file. Lots of things put into my write about file, too.

Here's an idea: go for a walk today. Don't be the 95% of people who don't get enough exercise. Go for it.

Oh and speaking of going for it:





Have a Saturday.

Powerpoint assignment

Due by 11:45

Link for images is here.


Slide 1 Title Slide: Personal Picture Of Yourself Going To An Interview

Slide 2
Before the Interview
Do and Don't slides

Slide 3
During the Interview
Do and Don't slide

Slide 4
After the Interview
Do and Don't slide

Finding a job assignment two parts

Part One

Target Your Future Job Search For Your Portfolio (Formative):

Find three classified advertisements for a position you would be interested in applying for in the future, based on your current skills, knowledge, experience, and characteristics that you value in your place of work. Complete the handout and hand in as a part of the Unit Four portfolio. Answer the following question, too:

How do the current job ads relate to your skills, interests, characteristics that you described in your portfolio?
What requirements do you still have to work towards?


Part Two

"There can be no joy in living without joy in work." St. Thomas Aquinas

Do you agree or disagree with the above quote from St. Thomas Aquinas?

Give your reasons.

Answer three of the seven questions below explaining why it is important to try to select the type of work that will truly make you happy and give you self-fulfillment.

Hand this in as a part of the Unit Four Portfolio, too.

1. What should I do with my life?
2. How do people choose their lifework?
3. What is a vocation?
4. Do I have a calling?
5. What values do I want my work to foster?
6. Why do we work, anyway?
7. What is the meaning of work?



And if you want to win an arguement with someone about using cell phones in class, you should read this article. Might save your life, too.

Credit Scores and Money issues

A lot of rather un-motivational stuff today - well, it IS Monday, always a tough day. Especially when you talk about your credit score.

Here is the link for Equifax, the place most Canadians get their credit score from.

Here is a link to the David Chilton article in today's Toronto Star. He's a good witness to our love of debt, and a good place to start if you think you need help. He's also a good writer, using very plain language in his books.

This link is to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the people who provided the examples of the Credit Report we went through this morning. Trust me, getting your credit report is something you SHOULD do at least once a year.

This last link is for Frank Abingale's life on Wikipedia. Have a good read of his life, man. Awesome.

iPods and hearing loss and other stuff

I want you to read this article and weep, man.

I'm trying to save your hearing.

Here's an article we'll read together next Thursday (or earlier, if you want) about resumes and alternatives to them.

For those who want to rock....

... I salute you!

Well, I have to admit, I'm a bit of an AC/DC fan ... but if you are reading this, then you might already know that.

In any case, here is "de tings" for people who want to get on with the next two things in the Culminating Activity:

First, look for the blog post from Sept 24th ... you should have the first two steps done and in the portfolio already. If not, why not?

Secondly .... it's this:

Destination Profile (Summative): (yes, hand this in as a part of the Culminating ASAP)

1. Choose a work destination that interests you. It doesn't have to be an occupation that you are certain you want to pursue, but it should be something that you think of as a possibility. You can use a website like JobBank to help you choose a destination.

2. Research and take notes relating to all of the various aspects related to choosing that destination that have been discussed throughout this unit. If you need to see some of the overheads (is that what I should call them?) lemme know, I can print them off in the computer lab.

My mom is cool. My dad is cooler.


A) What skills and interests relate to the occupation?

B) What qualifications and education are needed to enter this field?

C) How and where can you acquire the qualifications and education needed?

D) What kind of on-the-job training or continuing education might be involved in this destination?

E) What labour market information affects the choice of this occupation? Is the demand for this occupation increasing, decreasing or stable?

F) What future work trends might impact this occupation?

G) What three other occupations are related to this field of work?

H) What alternative work styles may be possible with this occupation?

I) What health and safety issues are the most important when considering this occupation?

J) What aspects of workplace legislation must be considered?

K) Is there union involvement? How does that affect your choice?

L) What ethical decisions might be important or necessary in this occupation?

M) What are three other important pieces of information you need to know about this occupation?


Another link that you might like. Seriously, I'm wondering if anyone has read the post this far .... I'm so sad.... ;(

That, and I'm wondering when bedbugs will invade Oakville. Might already be here...

And a post about a pair of jerks using technology and the internet to actually heighten just how badly a pair of jerks can make themselves even more of a pair of jerks.

Three other random things you should look at:

this is good

this is gooder

this is goodest

and what is better than goodest? Gooderestic.

S'ight? Scene.

Making fun of Twitter? Wha?

So, today, someone made fun of Twitter, calling it something I can't type here.

I'm on twitter, I use it to follow people in General Education, Special Education, rugby, fitness and MMA circles. Seriously, it's interesting to me, as well as professionally helpful, to read about what people are doing elsewhere on the planet.

Ok, maybe not the MMA people, but at least it's cool to listen to Dana White chirp at people on Twitter.

Anyway, here is an article that got twittered to me about finding a job using Twitter. I mean, you could take these lessons and apply it to Facebook, too, but I'm guess the same person who hated Twitter also hates Facebook.

Wed Sept 29

Here is what you should be doing today in the computer lab:

1) the third part of the handout today

2) the first two steps of the culminating activity, link is here.

3) other stuff relevant to GWL.

'nuff siad.

Stuff from Monday

Well, after I got everybody up with watching this video (sorry no embedding available)


and this



I was certainly hoping everyone was awake for a talk about Trends in Labour for the day. We had to watch the "Did you Know 3.0" video and talked a little bit about future labour trends.




The question for the day was about Labour Trends and how they are affecting the available jobs here in the Golden Horsehoe area of Ontario. There was a screen shot of a list I took this morning, photocopied for everyone to see, along with the notes from my presentation this morning. If you weren't there, you need to get it.





OK, see you tomorrow.

Things I read

OK, it's Sunday. I like to read the paper and get my email. It's a habit I started years ago and I've kept it up.

In the Toronto Star today was a mention of a blog called Movies that Motivate. When I read titles of blogs like that, I take the 30 or so seconds to see what it's all about. Go, spend the 30 seconds yourself. Might be worth it.

In my email was something a bit more for myself and my career: "10 ways to use iTunes/Podcasts in the classroom." Myself, I think podcasts are the bomb - that is they are just cool, man. One of the links in the email is here, but you really should explore the iTunes Podcast listing. I've watched podcasts on my laptop on surfing in Hawaii, weight lifting in a garage, skiing in the Alps, water production in Africa, barefoot running in the Arizona, effects of global warming in Polynesia and Social Justice issues in Toronto. Seriously.

Skateboard companies, musical groups, sports teams even some schools have their own podcast. All free. I triple dog dare you to search for a podcast on your favourite thing and NOT find a podcast.

Anyway, end of rant. Have a Sunday.

last things

see the fish in the bottom right hand side of the page?

click on them, they need to be fed.

oh, and watch this ... might be important.





Oh, and feed your iPod free stories.


Until Monday

Presentation Notes from Friday Sept 24

Here's the stuff from the presentation from today;

By the way, stinky colour on the projector. I'll get that worked on.

Ontario Colleges website

I was joking around with Steve about the Northern College in Haileybury. I've been there, in January. That was very cold. But, if you want to learn how to be a miner, that's the place to be.

The line about using Co-op at University/College as paying for part of the tuition was just a slap in the face to me Friday. I had a student loan to pay for my second degree, which I finally paid off four years ago. We are still paying off my wife's loan. If I had this Co-op option back when I was going to school, I'd be a lot further ahead.

Applying to College without the OSSD? Really? Man! Stuff rocks for mature students. Key word there is "Mature". To be honest, I'd rather get the diploma done THEN go off to College, if I had to do it again. But that is me. You might be different.

Deadlines are Feb. 1, 2011. Keep that date in mind when applying.

And get a "professional" email address. (for example, you are going to have to set one up that isn't "ScreamingMonkeyIdiot at hotmail dot com"). Seriously, I've seen that on a resume. Well, it was a little more rude than that, to be honest.

Oct 19th - Direct Energy Building Colleges Fair

I'll make sure that the handout links get on here, too. But I'll wait until the presenter emails the page to me, as I just don't feel like typing

OUAC is the University application website. Someone asked about Medical schools - this is the site for you. Deadline for application is usually just after Christmas Break - don't wait for the deadline to apply - but book a time with the presenter ASAP....

And here is the link eInfo....

Thanks, Cori!

Unit two thingy (for Harris)

Pull out that list you did on Tuesday Sept 21, or the Knowledge and Skills chart from Unit One

Answer this question in an informal manner

What have you ever studied that was of interest to you? What was it that made it interesting?


In what “box” from the other day’s Smart Board experience would it fit into?
What are 5 occupations you can think of in that ‘box”? (Check the NOC list, too)


(this was due yesterday by 11:45 am - I'm marking it now, so I will have a list of people by 10am who didn't do it)

I spoke to people before they left. Feed your iPod or MP3 player with free stuff that is good for your brain.

Be careful, see you Monday.

Cul Act assignment GWL

Culminating Activity

This is a revised edition, Sept 24

Steps in the Creation Process:

Step One: Create Your Personal Profile (sept 17th)
Who are you? What skills, interests, values best define you? What occupations interest you? How do you like to learn best? What and how do you want to change?

Step Two: Find Out Where You Are Now (Sept 24th)
What skills (Essential and Personal Management Skills) will you need for your career goals? What skills need improvement? How much time and effort are you willing and able to commit to your learning and skill development?

Step Three: Review Your Learning Resources Oct 1
What options are available to you to help you gain the necessary skills you will require? What is available at your school, workplace, church, or community to help you gain the skills you need?

Step Four: Create Your Path (Oct 7th)
Consider your final career goal and create a timeline and learning plan to attain the necessary skills for your goal.

GWL Unit 3 assignment Sept 23/24

Check out the links below, and keep some informal notes on a word processing file of your opinion of each. In the end, you should be able to answer the following questions in writing or orally:

– What kind of information does the resource include?
– Who is the target audience of the resource?
– Who would get the most from this resource?
– Where does the information come from?
– Is it easy to understand?
– Would you recommend it?
– What questions do you have about an occupation when you begin your research? Does this site answer those questions?




When should I start planning?


Canada's RESP Info

JobsTV News

Apprentcesearch.com

Occupational Descriptions

Career assessment and planning

Onestep

Second Career

Access to Professions and trades (Ontario)


Oh, and there is a prize of a cookie to the first few people who speak to me after reading that article about cell phones in yesterday's post.

Yer all goofy-footers.

GWL Unit Three Sept 22 Assignment

Hit this link:

And "do the quizzes": after the quizzes, do the written assignment - it's on a piece of paper labelled " After the quizzes". Fo' sho.

Then, tell Chesser he is doing an amazing job on this blog. Explore it, man. This is one of the assignments I did for my class I finished in August.

By the way, here is an article that might make you win an argument with people who hate cell phones.

I'm SOOOOOOO cool, my mom says so.


Ooh! Ooh! take a look at three of these videos on here!

Chesser

I wish

I wish I was still on vacation, but I found this today, don't have much time to digest it, so will park the link here to work with it later.

Resources for new teachers.

I'm cool. Mom says so.

Still on vacation

I'm still on vacation, but I thought I'd post this up, just to make myself smile.

Well, not smile, but to think that I'm reading Spec Ed stuff while technically still on vacation.

I'm in tomorrow.

iPad app to help with hard of hearing

This is awesome - with the iPad's screen being so large, it can be used to read abook in sign language.

Article is here.

Spec Ed/Alt education site

I'm not sure if I like the idea of a separate school for just identified kids. I was taught to think about the least Restrictive Environment in a classroom; that is a few restrictions as to the student population as possible. But that is something that, at times, fails even the roundest of pegs.

Let them explore an idea, a poem, a piece of writing ... whatever; with some structure and some academic tasks that should be followed. Not exactly what the un-identified student next to them does, but something similar.

Now here is a school set up for the sole purpose of getting them away from a traditional school. Hmmm ... I mean I work at an Alternative school - they work for some people; a class of five to ten students is what I normally have - those are challenging enough classes. Get them out of the environment that is a regular classroom with a set of regular school kids and it gets more interesting at times.

The article does state that the program will begin with kids that have been already expelled. That, I agree with. Everyone deserves a chance at an education. Or a second chance ... or a third... or a nineteenth. I wonder if getting these kids together will be in their best interests, or in the interests of the regular school .... maybe it IS a win/win ... or maybe not.

I'm hoping the kids there take the school seriously and get their credits and get on with their lives.

"Dumb phones, smart students"

I know this post will make some of my fellow teaching professionals hurt: but if we can convert the use of cell phones to an educational tool, shouldn't we take that chance and try?

I'm always trying to get my students to express themselves better in writing ... on paper. I'm finding that when given the technology and the opportunity to write (or test) their opinions, I tend to get more examples of their writing than less.

Which is ironic when you think about it, as some of the texting plans that I see advertised offer 15 cent charges for each text sent - paper is almost free, and they don't want to use it.

But the use of cell phones with Spec Ed kids is something which this article explores, too.

Better trained teachers means a better education system

I like this whole idea, except for the part where teachers need to keep their qualifications up by forced PD.

In any case, this is the way that I was really taught how to teach, and when I read this article, I thought it needed to be shared.

Article is here.

AT is ears for those who cannot hear

A system that allows deaf students to fully take part in mainstream education is being trialled in a Sydney school. About 10,000 Australian children with hearing loss stand to benefit.

Article is here.

More ways to read, AT style

Seems every book is going to be online, sooner or later. The new iPads and the "Old" iTouch technology is allowing people to access more and more books online.

Combining this access to books with Preimier or another text to MP3 file software, and think of the books that Special Needs children can then access.

Article is here.

How did you say that?

At my school, in addition to teaching regular high school students, we get a lot of the proverbial square pegs.

That also includes some students who have finished level six in the LINC classes also taught in the same facilities. To that end, I have discovered "howjsay".

A student can use it to learn how to pronounce words by using this free website to click and paste the words and then listen to how they are said in a a very clear and concise voice. The awesome thing is that Google dictionary is also linked to the words, too.

An even cooler idea is that the howjsay is now also an iPhone App.

An online solution for Spec Ed kids

I keep wondering what it is that I do as a teacher. I mean with online learning so available, and stories like "The fun they had" by Issac Asimov as examples where students can stay at home and learn at their own pace, with or without help... makes you think about what identified students at our schools could do with some online help and a tightly structured personal learning online presence. Especially for students, with Asperger's Syndrome, for example.

Article is here.

IEPs According to Dr. Suess

Do you like these IEPs?
I do not like these IEPs

I do not like them, Jeeze Louise

We test, we check
we plan, we meet

but nothing ever seems complete.

Would you, could you 
like the form?
I do not like the form I see.
 Not page 1, not 2, not 3.

Another change,
a brand new box, I think we all

Have lost our rocks.

Could you all meet here or there?
We could not all meet here or there. 
We cannot all fit anywhere.

Not in a room 
Not in a hall 
There seems to be no space at all.

Would you, could you meet again?
I cannot meet again next week
 No lunch, no prep
 Please here me speak.

No, not at dusk and not at dawn
 At 4 p.m. I should be gone.
Could you hear while all speak out?
 Would you write the words they spout?
I could not hear, I would not write
. This does not need to be a fight.

Sign here, date there,
 Mark this, check that,
 Beware the student’s ad-vo-cat(e).
You do not like them
so you say
 Try it again! Try it again!
 and then you may.
If you let me be,
I’ll try again
and you will see.

Say! I almost like these IEPs

I think I’ll write 6,003.

And I will practice day and night

Until they say
 "You’ve got it right."

Author Unknown

A short prayer

Beatitudes for People with Special Needs

Blessed are you who take time to listen to difficult speech:
For you help us to know that if we persevere,
We can be understood.

Blessed are you who walk with us in public places,
And ignore the stares of strangers,
For in your companionship,
We find havens of peace.

Blessed are you who never bid us to "hurry up",
And more blessed are you
Who do not snatch tasks from our hands to do them for us,
For often we need time rather than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside us
As we enter new and untried ventures,
For our failures will be outweighed
By the times we surprise ourselves and you.

Blessed are you who ask for our help,
For our greatest need is to be needed.

Blessed are you when you assure us,
That the one thing that makes us individuals
Is not in our peculiar muscles,
Nor in our wounded nervous systems,
Nor in our difficulties in learning,
Nor any exterior difference.
But is in our inner, personal, individual self
Which no affirmity can diminish or erase.

Author Unknown

Lady Gaga needed an IEP?

I'm just not sure if I can actually see Lady Gaga as a nerdy kid. I just can't.

Ah well, seems she was a gifted child and spent some time at a Johns Hopkin's University Centre for Talented Youth. Hmm.. makes me wonder. Article is here.

Using Odiogo

There are more than a few ways to get to text to MP3 - and use the technoology that students already have to gain success in the classroom.

In my classroom, I have begun to use Odiogo and have found some users found it easier than Audacity.

Or even Clicker

An idea for Special Educators

In my regular classroom, I need to make sure that everyone "gets" the instructons. Here is something to watch for transcribing voice to text.

Dragon Naturally Speaking

I think this video is something that you need to watch in order to see just what you can do with an iPod Touch.

iPod Touches for Elementary learning

In this article, the educators near Chicago are using the Touch to educate elementary students.

Well, I'm also wondering what we could use them for in secondary schools. I'm pretty sire that students, my regular students, would not need them to listen to their own reading of a passage. But they could use my notes from a Powerpoint presentation.

Not sure if my regular students would use the Dragon Dictation, but the could use it to take down the due dates for assignments. For finding the definition of words. For doing some research into a particular character. For the text of a book, instead of having to schlep the actual book to class. They could watch iTunes U videos, watch ripped movies (although that would be a bad thing, as copyright would be an issue) or free Creative Commons video. Or ccMixter Mp3 files....

I guess I did some thinking on e-paper today....;)

There are many different ways to learn things

The title of this post comes from a teacher in Wyoming. She is a part of a pilot project to use iPads in her regular classroom. She had some training on them, but she went into using the Apple iPads without much else in her toolbox.

Since then, she's learned a lot in a steep learning curve. Recalling notes the students took by hand, for example. Another app lets kids read something, record their own voices and hear themselves reading a text, such that they can improve how they pronounce words.

I had forgotten about that; I just thought that I would record my voice and let students hear me read a book, or make a point. Never thought about letting htem hear their own voice.

Anyway, I gave my first "Lunch and Learn" at my school today. I started with a plan: show two Apps that are already on my iPod Touch and keep it simple. The title of the event was not "Learn everything" ... it was "Lunch and Learn". I was picking up where the AT person from our Board left off three weeks ago. She briefly touched (HA!) on using an iPod Touch in the classroom, but didn't have hers on her to show the rest of the teachers. I had mine, so I did a bit of a lecture on how to use it.

Since then a few of my fellow teachers have asked me about different apps and reasons for getting an iPod Touch. They also knew that I was doing Spec Ed II. And so, I was to marry both of thise elements into a brief 10 minute session on 2 apps. More, I was so informed by the participants, will follow next week.

I did get the Dragon Dictate to work. Sort of. I wanted to let them see how well it worked - much like it worked in this video:



I'm kind of hoping that my fellow teachers will see this video and make sure that, although I kind of messed up this particular part of the Lunch and LEarn, Dragon Dictate works well.

The second part of the L&L was using Voice Memo. My demo went pretty much like this video:



I didn't record nearly as much as this demo did; I had to keep it brief, as I had to get out and get into my own classroom. I will be using GarageBand on my Macbook and upload a few moments of the recorded L&L for readers of this blog to listen to.

Since one of my fellow teachers took advantage of Apple's offer, he'll get both a new MacBook and an iPod Touch. I think the next L&L will be about using the camera on the Macbook to record something and post it for visual learners and identified students in my classroom.

One video

I thought I would make sure that I include a streaming video for my fellow teachers. Some may have seen this before, but it's still good.

Holding Post

I'm setting this up as a part of a major assignment for my Special Education Part III through Nippising University.

My vision for this blog is as a Personal Learning place - a place where I can get all the information together for students, my fellow teachers and for the people who are stake holders in this.

Or steak holders. In which case, I'll be right over.