One Second Bonus in this Long Weekend!

I love science and the quirks that come along with it.  Despite the accuracy of atomic clocks, the earth will have to recalibrate its wristwatch this month.  There are actually two ways of keeping time on our planet.  The first has been our time-keeper since sentient life roamed the earth: our good old sun.  The second is the already-mentioned atomic clock.

The atomic clock is steady, but our rotation about our axis and revolution around the sun are a bit wonky.  That means that a day isn’t always the 24 hours we know, and our year isn’t always the 365 days we know.  Of course, we are familiar with the leap year, in which we gain one day.  But are you familiar with the leap second?  A leap second means we are adding an extra second to our clocks.

But how do we gain one second?  The Earth’s rotation is not exactly constant.  A number of factors affect how fast we spin, such as ocean tides, and the moon and sun’s gravity.  Because each of these things affect us simultaneously, but in differing amounts depending on relative positions of each, our day is not always exactly 24 hours.  This means we have to recalibrate Earth’s clock to be in better synch with the “sun-as-time-keeper”.

This won’t impact us in our daily lives since our clocks at home generally are accurate to one minute, so the extra second won’t be noticeable.  But it’s good to know it’s there, just in case we need it.

Enjoy your long weekend and use that one second wisely!   ;-)

Digital Storytelling and Special Education

Digital Storytelling is fun!!! Creating the story is fun; reading/viewing/listening to stories created by others is fun! So, what does that mean to me? If it's fun, it's engaging. And if it's engaging, there is a great opportunity for learning. Learners far and wide can benefit. Creating a digital story inspires a student to dig deep into self-reflection, thereby creating a rich learning experience.

Children with exceptionalities may benefit the most. Providing an alternative the traditional learning approach of pencil and paper can allow different intelligences to be addressed. The visual learner is stimulated by the physical layout of the storybook structure, while also benefiting from the visual appeal of the final product. Kinaesthetic learners benefit because they are 'doing' and creating. Auditory learners benefit from embedded sounds or text to speech functionalities.

And the beauty is that digital storytelling can be used in almost any subject area, providing teachers with an exciting instructional tool, and providing students with a creative and engaging means to demonstrate their learning.

Accolades to McGill: First Gay Fraternity Launched

Exciting news from Montreal:  McGill University is launching Canada’s first gay fraternity.  The brotherhood, named Delta Lambda Phi welcomes all males: gay, straight and bisexual.   The Quebec chapter is new, but the Fraternity is not.  Delta Lambda Phi was established in Washington DC way back in the old days (LOL) in 1986.  The McGill frat was actually founded in 2009, and became a ‘colony’ or a ‘chapter in training’ the following year.  Today, they celebrate their success in becoming a chapter.  In order to become a chapter, they had to fulfill three main prerequisites: philanthropy, hold at least two recruitment drives, and develop a charter petition including their bylaws and member information.   

Great work, McGill chapter!   We look forward to hearing more about your success.

Visit McGill’s Delta Lambda Phi Facebook page.  

Depression and Suicide among Young People

A group of my colleagues delivered a moving presentation today on Depression and Suicide. I felt the information was important to share. I have added some additional detail.

Depression and suicide statistics are staggering. In Canada, suicides account for 24% of all deaths among people aged 15-24. In Ontario, 31% of students reported distress, and 10% of students reported thinking of suicide. Even more tragic, is that over 90% of people who commit suicide have some form of mental illness that is treatable.

We are teachers. We have face time with these kids almost daily. We have to be the front lines of defence and recognize the symptoms of depressions and signs that someone is contemplating suicide.

SIGNS OF DEPRESSION Most often, at the onset of depression, a person’s behaviour changes. The changes may be subtle, so you have to pay attention:
• withdrawal from social situations
• consistently arriving late or missing class frequently
• slipping grades
• disinterest in completing school work
• lowered morale
• difficulty communicating effectively
• problems concentrating

Pay particular attention to students who have recently lost a loved one, those you know who are going through relationship troubles, and to those you know who are socially isolated, and perhaps being bullied.

To support students dealing with depression, we as teachers, can do a number of things:
• invite a public speaker to come visit your class or school
• create an anti-bullying/depression/suicide prevention group in your school
• have your students create PSAs to air during morning announcements
• engage your class in positive team building activities to foster a sense of community
• connect a student who has come to you with the school public health nurse

SIGNS THAT SOMEONE IS CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE  Surprisingly, 70% of people who commit suicide tell someone about their plans, or show warning signs. Keep your ears open for statements such as:
• My family would be better off without me
• Next time I'll take enough pills to do the job right
• I won't be around to deal with that
• You'll be sorry when I'm gone
• I just can't deal with everything - life is too hard
• There's nothing I can do to make it better
• I'd be better off dead
• I feel like there is no way out
Keep your eyes open for the following behaviours:
• Giving away articles of either personal or monetary value
• Signs of planning a suicide such as obtaining a weapon or writing a suicide note
• dark messages in the writings of your students (especially in subject areas calling for personal reflection)
• Student suddenly participating in risky behaviours

If you see someone who is suffering, stop and help. You may be saving a life.

How Do People with Autism Experience the World?

I have always wondered how others experience the world.  Do you see the same colours as I do?  Do you hear sounds the same way I do?  This type of thought experiment can be extended to wondering how people with Autism experience the world.  I set out to find some information.

I found some intriguing accounts in the following blog:

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1792

In it, the author discusses two individuals with autism, both of which have shared their personal experiences with how they experience daily life.  One of these, a high-functioning doctor, describes an overwhelming flood of sensation in a hug or in daily noises, so much so, that she needed to hide from it.  She did this by withdrawing inside herself, cutting herself off.  The other personal account came from a low-functioning autistic boy, who described not enough sensation in his body, which made him feel disconnected from his body; as a result, he resorted to repeated shaking of his arms to enable him to feel their presence.  The movement calmed him and reassured him that his body was still present.  These two accounts seem completely opposite to one another, although both of these people suffer from the same disorder.

In another resource, The Australian Society of Autism’s website, an Autistic person is said to see the world as a jumble of people, places and events that they have difficulty making sense of.

photo by vmiramontes

The brains of Autistic people are physiologically different.  They show marked differences in several brain regions (cerebellum, brain stem, hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex, according to brynmawr’s blog reference).  They also process information in different ways; for example, when processing image information, the Autistic brain ‘lights up’ in regions that are entirely different than those in a normal brain. 

One further reference I will leave you with is Discover Magazines website featuring artwork of autistic people: How Autistic Artists See theWorld. 

One of the artists expressed her view of people, without features because she is face-blind, and the landscape without specific background because she doesn’t understand context.  Another artist is a savant, who captures impressive detail in her paintings.  Yet another artist, one who has Asperger’s draws a black and white face with a colourful flower over the mouth; the flower distracts from the eyes, perhaps to convey how difficult it is for people with Asperger’s to maintain eye contact.  My favourite piece of art is the one depicting a jumbled conversation, with faces thrown into a maze of words.  If I were to ever begin to understand Autism, this picture may be the starting point.

Digital Story Telling in the Classroom

Do you need a way to hook student interest?  Try digital storytelling. 

Last week I participated in an Elluminate presentation given by Alan Levine.  For those of you who have ever looked up information on Digital Storytelling, you’ll probably know that name.  Alan is practically a pioneer in the area, and he is kindly sharing his knowledge in a wonderful resource: 
http://50ways.wikispaces.com/

Very briefly here is how you can tell a story digitally…

STEP 1.  Pick a topic that interests you.  If you have trouble choosing a topic, Alan suggested you tell a story about your family, or you can do something that is pure fun: tell a story based on a prompt like “you wouldn’t believe who showed up at dinner…”

Then lay out your story in 5 to 10 points.

STEP 2. Find some media.  You can use Google advanced search for content that is licensed for re-use.

Pick one image (and maybe some audio) or video for each of your story points. 

STEP 3.  Pick your tool and create your story.  Alan lists dozens of tools.  Many may already be familiar to you (Picassa, Glogster, Flickr, Wiki, OneTrueMedia, Slideshare).  Alan suggests that you try a tool; if it doesn’t fit your preferences, there are plenty of others to choose from.

A great way to differentiate instruction!  Imagine a science class that hooks you in by posing the question: How many oranges does it take to power an iPhone?  How could you not be engaged? 

And what about allowing students to demonstrate learning using Digital Storytelling?  Now, that’s a fun project!

Thank you Alan for the great information! 

You can follow Alan on Twitter: @cogdog

Powerful Video from Peel District School Board

At a recent Professional Development I attended, this very uplifting and inspiring video was shared.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.