Virtual Worlds, Avatars, free 3D chat, online meetings - Second Life Official Site aM laboratory Immune Attack » Download! By Hans M. Kristensen The United States appears to be moving toward early implementation of the New START treaty signed with Russian less than one month ago. The rapid implementation is evident in the State Department’s latest fact sheet, which declares that the United States as of December 31, 2009, deployed 1,968 strategic warheads. The New START force level of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads is not required to be reached until 2017 at the earliest. Since the signing of the Moscow Treaty in 2002, the United States has removed an average of 490 warheads each year from ballistic missiles and bomber bases, for a total of approximately 3,436 warheads. The last time the United States deployed less than 2,000 strategic warheads was in 1956. The rapid downloading of U.S. strategic forces illustrates just how confident the military is in the capability of U.S. nuclear forces to provide a credible deterrent even at the New START level.
Game-Based Learning Units for the Everyday Teacher Game-based learning (GBL) is getting a lot press. It is an innovative practice that is working to engage kids in learning important 21st century skills and content. Dr. Judy Willis in a previous post wrote about the neurological benefits and rationale around using games for learning. Myths About Game-Based Learning First, let's clarify a couple things. Gee refers to teachers as "learning designers," and I couldn't agree more. Inspired by the work I've seen, here is an overview of components and structure for the everyday teacher to implement game-based learning Overall Structure: Individual Quests and Boss Levels A game-based learning unit should consist of both smaller quests and more robust boss levels. Boss levels are more rigorous missions that require students to synthesize the content and skills learned in the quests. Overall Theme You may have already noticed that all the quests are related under a thematic idea of question. Need to Know Incentives Avatar
NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching - Renewal Seminars Click here to be taken to Summer 2013 seminar descriptions, listed below. Click here to be taken to Spring 2013 seminar descriptions, listed below. Registration began Tuesday, February 5. Keeping each teacher's passion for learning alive is integral to everything we do at NCCAT. Each seminar includes immersion in hands-on study and learning with colleagues from across the state. NCCAT conducts seminars for pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, school administrators, counselors, and library media specialists. How to Apply for NCCAT Seminars Click here for an application for NCCAT's Seminars. Click here for an application for NCCAT's Beginning Teachers Seminars. Select up to three seminars for which you would like to be considered. Mail or FAX completed application form to: NCCAT Teacher Services 276 NCCAT Drive Cullowhee, NC 28723 Fax: 828-293-3740 Please contact Teacher Services if you have faxed your application and have not received a response within four weeks. Top of Page 13638 • U.S.
Powerful tool for creating web surveys. Online survey software made easy! SurveyMonkey™ Thanks for completing this survey.Now create your own—it's free, quick & easy! Create free surveys in just a few minutes Ask questions in over 15 formats(configured for you and ready to go!) Get answers to any type of question Register with SurveyMonkey today! Sign Up FREE » How to Plan Instruction Using the Video Game Model Imagine you are placed in the following scenarios: You are dropped off at the top of a ski resort's steepest run when you've only had experience on the beginner slopes. You have to spend your day on the bunny hill when you're an expert skier. You play a game of darts with the target two feet away. In each of these extremes, you would feel either frustrated or bored, depending on your level of achievable challenge. Challenge is a powerful motivator when students take on tasks they find meaningful and, through their efforts and perseverance, succeed. Achievable Challenge Requires Individualization As I wrote in my previous blog, A Neurologist Makes the Case for the Video Game Model as a Learning Tool blog and the accompanying video, the most popular computer games take players through increasingly challenging levels as they became more and more skillful. The video game model is ideal for kids lacking in foundational knowledge, but it is not necessary for all kids at all times.
Teaching like it's 2999 Twitter Strategies March 22, 2011 by tomwhitby Whenever it comes to writing about Twitter in a blog post, I never know how basic to go in my descriptions. I guess I must assume that there will be many people who have no idea about Twitter. I can also be confident that many other readers are capable of writing a similar post with better strategies. One of the first things I do, when I am considering someone to follow, is to check his, or her Twitter Profile. Another important thing to check is whom they follow. Hashtags (#) are another source for follows. Anyone can make up a hashtag. Reading Blogs gives the best insight into who educators really are a good indication of whom to follow. I use many Social Media applications to complete my network of educators who help me in learning about education every day. Like this: Like Loading...
The QR Quest - A Prototype Below you are going to read about a Prototype that started with an idea to engage learners and bring the classroom out of the classroom. This came about after a 2 day boot camp were educators and designers learned about Design Thinking. I will get around to a post on DT, but I wanted to share this idea with everyone because I'm excited about it. This is all very rough, but I like the direction it is heading. These lessons assume that the students would have access to a class set of iPads. The QR Quest in the Language Arts Classroom Here is an example of what the QR Quest could look like in the Language Arts Classroom. Connecting with Museums Unit: Fantasy, Folklore and Fairy Tales Students would read American Folk lore and learn the meaning behind these stride and their value in society. Students would go to the Henry Ford House to see the Fantasy, Folklore and Fairy Tales exhibit. Students would look at the art on display and create their own stories based on the art they find. Thanks!
QR Codes in the Classroom If you haven’t noticed, there has been an influx of strange black-and-white codes showing up all over the place. Restaurants, stores, movie theaters, magazines, and even on the side of buildings! What are they? What does that mean for educators? QR Code Math Fun To create my worksheet, I had several steps to cover. My next two steps involved the technology: getting the codes to go somewhere and creating the codes to drop into the page. While the actual product does take some time and effort, the result will be an activity you can use on a yearly basis. Now you are ready to rock and roll! Thanks so much to Mr. Charity L.