Waffle Bytes

I've always enjoyed the movie "Apollo 13." There are so many good messages in it - about hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, about courage in the face of danger (and possibly even death), about creative problem solving for problems that are not "contingencies we remotely looked at." This scene is where we are right now with education - We have been asked to "invent a way to put a square peg in a round hole - quickly." And now we are in the room (or this course) looking at what is available to make that happen.  We have the resources, we have the tools...we now need to make it happen.  We are going to be innovative, creative, and make this work.  We are going to fail and have inelegant, imperfect solutions, but we will get solutions.  And we will continue to refine them until the emergency is over. One of my concerns is - and this is something often seen with students working on a problem - if we spend time on a solution that we think is goi...

My very first blog post ever was about 10 years ago (May 20, 2010).  It was titled  Textbooks: the Curriculum Security Blanket . I've been thinking about this post the last 24 hours as I prepare to help educators in local districts across 3 counties in my state rethink how they teach. This is such a high-anxiety time - our routines have been disrupted, our health (or our loved one's health) is at risk, daily life is DIFFERENT. We don't know how long this "disruption" is going to last, and we don't know how we will come out changed on the other side. On top of all that,  educators are now having to contemplate how to be "teachers" with our students at home.  And we are falling back to our "security blankets" for in the classroom.  We are trying to bring the comfortable into this new situation, and it concerns me for our success. Why?  I'm talking to educators that want to know what tool to use, and what content to get - they are fo...

From The National Weather Service (part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - Did you know that the National Weather Service can visit your classroom and talk with your students via the Internet? The NWS National School Outreach team is ready to teach and answer your students weather questions. Whether it is learning about weather basis, severe weather, or any other topic the teacher needs covered the NWS, through Google Hangouts or Skype, jumps into the classroom to help teach these topics to Elementary through High School students. How does it work? All your classroom needs to participate is an internet connection and a webcam with a microphone. With this setup your class, or multiple classrooms across your school district, or across the country can participate at once! You can use either Google Hangouts, a free video chat interface that work with any web browser, or the Skype video chat application. The setup is easy: either clicking a link from Go...

Learn about REMC's Virtual Courses, and below that find several face-to-face professional learning opportunities - REMC’s Virtual Courses Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of REMC’s free Virtual Courses. These courses are specifically tailored for educators, by educators.  The classes provide a convenient way for education professionals to learn and collaborate while reducing the time and expense of traveling to a seminar or workshop. All REMC courses are open to all Michigan school personnel. No registration or SCECHs fees. Seven courses are offered in June and begin on Monday, June 3.  Deadline for registration is Friday, May 31.  Each course is open for three weeks and consists of two (2) one-hour webinars and four (4) to eight (8) hours of resource review, assessment developments and written reflection.  SCECHs are available, ranging from 6 - 10, depending on the course. Enhancing Instruction for All Learners Increasing Efficiency and Productiv...

Data from Project Tomorrow's recently released  Speak Up Survey  shows teacher preferences for face-to-face professional learning conferences declining from 47% in 2010 to 40% in 2017,  according to eSchool News . The same survey found that teachers aren't comfortable with new practices like using digital tools for student collaboration, personalizing learning for each student, or creating project-based experiences. REMC is here to help! Check out out free Virtual Courses, open to all Michigan educators. September and October session topics include: Inquiry and Questioning with Technology, Google for Learning, Literacy and Technology, Social Media, Open Education Resources (OERs) and more. Sessions take place over a three-week period. Free SCECHs available.  Register here . Still have questions?  Contact us !

From Christine Schneider, MeL K-12 Education Specialist @meldotorg   -  This past week, Detroit Public Television/PBS ( DPTV ) launched a pilot program for a new type of virtual field trip that can be used in the classroom, or by anyone interested in a virtual experience.  The focus included three exciting metro-Detroit locations: the Polk Penguin Conservation Center at the Detroit Zoo, the raptor habitat at The Leslie Science & Nature Center in Ann Arbor, and the bat habitat at the Organization for Bat Conservation in Pontiac. The launch was done online via OVEE, which  is a website developed by public media that allows you to watch videos together and chat live with friends, fans and experts in a virtual theater.  429 teachers representing over 13,000 students joined the launch, which took place over 3 days.  These are amazing numbers considering many schools in Southeast Michigan were closed one or two of the days because of the sno...

Please share with other teachers - here is a great opportunity from the Detroit Institute of Art!  In addition to the virtual field trip, there are lesson plans, activities and badges that you can use with your students. From the site: GRADES 6-12 Learn the science of art conservation.  Go behind-the-scenes at the  Detroit Institute of Arts  with  Detroit Public TV Virtual Field Trip  and go where no one has ever gone before!  What lies behind the surface of a 400-year-old sculpture? Is what you see on a painting real, or did the artist mean to draw something totally different? And, what about Infrared Reflectography—what does that exactly do? Detroit Public Television  teamed up with the  Detroit Institute of Arts  for a  Virtual Field Trip  to take students and teachers behind the scenes into the restricted area at the DIA to help them explore new ideas and dig deep under the surface of art and science. It...

From our Discovery Education Rep - Engage students like never before. Discovery Education has provided a curated list of updates below, which includes links to relevant resources and virtual events available within our current DE Streaming service.   Timely Content:    The Science of Opioid Addiction - Curriculum Resources -  A ligned to national health and science standards, these resources introduce students to the science behind opioids and their impact on the brain and body. Phelps Vs. Shark: The Battle for Ocean Supremacy - Explore the science behind this epic showdown between the greatest swimmer of all time, and the great white shark. This Shark Week program is now available in Streaming Plus, along with expertly crafted lesson plans! New Discovery Educator Network Online Community - The DEN Online Community provides educators with more ways to learn from each other, all in one location, easily accessible through the navigati...

From the August 10 edition of the Google for Education newsletter : Earth as seen from the Cupola Observation Module Take a tour inside the International Space Station For 16 years, astronauts have been working and living on the International Space Station (ISS), a structure made up of 15 connected modules that floats 250 miles above Earth. On his last mission,  Thomas Pesquet , an astronaut at the European Space Agency (ESA), captured  Street View imagery  in zero gravity to show what the ISS looks like from the inside, and shares what it’s like to look down on Earth from outer space. Students can journey to the station via  Google Expeditions ,  Maps , and  Google Earth Voyager , and even go  behind the scenes , floating right alongside the astronauts.

Discovery Education has provided a curated list of updates below, which includes links to relevant resources and virtual events available within our current DE Streaming service.   Timely Content:    ·          Earth Day Journal Strategy - Chesapeake Bay Watershed   - Use the instructional strategy Journals as a summarizing activity that allows students at various levels of academic vocabulary to participate by drawing, writing a few short phrases, or composing complex sentences. Find more Earth Day activities here . ·          The Science of Opioid Addiction - Curriculum Resources -  A ligned to national health and science standards, these resources introduce students to the science behind opioids and their impact on the brain and body. ·          Memorial Day Activity Board - As your students get ready for summ...

From Discovery Education - Streaming On Demand September 16, 2016 Live Twitter Chat at 1PM ET Did you know... The Library of Congress has the world's largest collection and receives approximately 15,000 new items every weekday. Did you know... On July 14, 2016, Congress confirmed the 14th Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, the first woman and first African American to hold this prestigious office.   In honor of Constitution Day, Discovery Education is taking you behind-the-scenes at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Join Dr. Hayden, the new Librarian of Congress, and other experts for a 30-minute virtual field trip to commemorate this historic day. Tour the largest library in the world and get a candid look into the minds that founded our country. Stream this free event on demand, anytime, beginning September 16th . Join a live Twitter Chat with the Librarian of Congress on September 16 at 1PM ET , using th...

From Discovery Education -   The Smart Farm: Where Technology and Innovation Meet Join the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and Discovery Education on a Virtual Field Trip to Deere & Company World Headquarters and learn how innovative technologies aid today's farmers and ranchers as they produce America's food. Irrigation systems managed from iPads, animal diets tracked by computer chips, and tractors that drive using GPS are only a few examples of the ways farmers and ranchers are using technology on their farms and ranches to produce food in a sustainable manner. Conversations with leaders in agriculture will allow you to explore new techniques that have revolutionized the industry and the career oppo...

From Discovery Education: Save The Date Spring VirtCon 2016 April 16 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (ET) Join us for Spring VirtCon, Discovery Education's bi-annual virtual professional development conference. Hear from your peers around the country as they share creative ways they are using Discovery Education to personalize learning and embed digital media into their instructional practice.  Register today to reserve your spot . Why register for VirtCon:   Free, live streamed sessions Thought provoking discussions Keynotes from educators Opportunities to build your network Certificate of participation ...

From our Discovery Education Representative - "Discovery Education, in partnership with the Alcoa Foundation, will be hosting a LIVE virtual field trip from Whitehall, MI’s Alcoa Power and Propulsion to Celebrate Manufacturing Day on October 2.  More details including the link to register can be found below.  Please share!  This event will be also archived on Discovery Education Streaming, along with all of our other virtual field trips from the past, webinars, etc. here:  http://www.discoveryeducation. com/Events/#/archived" Manufacture Your Future Live from Alcoa Power and Propulsion Whitehall, MI Monday, October 2, 2015 at 1:00 PM EST Discovery Education and Alcoa Foundation are back to celebrate Manufacturing Day with a LIVE Virtual Field Trip on October 2 from Alcoa Power and Propulsion in Whitehall, Michigan . Students will be transported inside one of the most sophisticated manufacturing facilities in the world to learn about key...

From Discovery Education - Discovering a Sense of Place - Taking Learning to New Heights September 23 - October 1 The GLOBE Program, GLOBE AFRICA, Colorado's St. Vrain Valley School District and Discovery Education are proud partners in a scientific and learning expedition to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. About the Hike Embarking on the expedition will be 10 students, 12 educators, and 4 scientists representing Nigeria, Oman, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United States. This international team will attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the world's Seven Summits, and the tallest mountain on the African continent. Follow along as they explore the incredible terrain of the mountain as well as the culture and surrounding wildlife. Each day, the team will submit a blog post on blog.discoveryeducation.com that will capture their unique perspective on the journey through the eyes of the students, teachers and scientists. Learning Objectives From the...