NETHAPPENINGS NEWSLETTER October 26, 2004

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Greetings All,

Welcome to the Net Happenings Newsletter, launched by the Educational=20
CyberPlayGround. This newsletter features a new format with the emphasis on=
=20
both news and resources. Karen Ellis* Founder of the Educational=20
CyberPlayGround will continue to carry the sponsorship of Net Happenings=20
Newsletter which is published to all members of the NetHappenings Mailing=20
List. Advertisers are welcomed as sponsors of the oldest K-12 educational=20
mailing list in the world. If you have any comments or would like to=20
sponsor the NetHappenings Newsletter or mailing list please contact=20
newsletter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks,
Alan Haskvitz
1997 National Teacher's Hall of Fame Inductee
1999 All USA Today First Team Teacher
1994 National Middle Level Teacher of the Year (NCSS)
[e] newsletter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[w] http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/al.html

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In This Issue

Election Resources
Hot Sites
In the News
What is a 504 Plan
Grants
Travel
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11 Traits of a Good Teacher
by Alan Haskvitz
My current syndicated column online at over 30 sites including
http://www.imperfectparent.com/columns/eduart.php

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ELECTION RESOURCES
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On October 28th, join millions students in a special national election for=
=20
president, governors, senators, representatives, and national issues.
http://www.nationalmockelection.org/
List of all political parties
http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

How does government affect me?
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/mygovt/index.html
Election comic strips and dictionary maker.
http://www.vocabulary.com/election12cs.html

Electoral college
Explain what it is and the past votes
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/

Elections around the world
http://www.electionworld.org/are and contrast opportunities

Copernicus Election Watch A lot of links and lesson plans.
http://www.edgate.com/elections/inactive/lesson_plan_index/

Election materials and lessons
Who Voted in Early America? (Bill of Rights in Action, Vol. 8:1
http://www.crf-usa.org/election_central/election_central.htm

Integrated units of study possibilities
http://www.polytech.k12.de.us/hs/acadport/edfound/2002-2003/G1_elections.htm

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HOT SITES
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Interesting Things for ESL Students
Includes matching audio games, how to give a speech, and more.
http://www.manythings.org/

Improving Speaking and Listening Skills
Here are some useful links for people wanting to improve their aural skills=
=20
by using the internet. This page is divided into sections: Links for=20
listening and links to interactive exercises for listening and pronouncing.=
=20
Includes radio stations, folk music, and assessment links.
http://www.ruthvilmi.net/LangHelp/Aural/

LD Online
Resources and an interesting quiz that shows some celebrities and the=20
problems they have had to overcome.
http://www.ldonline.org/kidzone/inter_act/celebrity_quiz.html

See what how other teachers decorate their classrooms
http://www.teachingheart.net/classroomsaroundtheworld.html

Instant Poetry Forms
This site consists of more than sixty interactive literacy activities.=20
Students can point, click and add words to the frame of a
poem and they have the template.
http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/Poetry.htm

Vocabulary improvement
Separated into 3 levels of difficulty, these interactive vocabulary puzzle=
=20
and activity sessions use Latin and Greek "roots and cells" to help decode=
=20
words. There are links many parts of speech sites.
http://www.vocabulary.com/

The International Type Index
This is a hoot. A place where you can download well over 600 fonts to make=
=20
your work even more fun using the searchable database.
http://www.point-central.com/

Webquests
Nice list for most curriculum areas.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/webquest.html

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IN THE NEWS
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Exam privatization threatens public schools by Ben Clarke, Special to=20
CorpWatch September 23rd, 2004
An interesting article about thow the corporate- designed standardized=20
tests that millions of U.S. schoolchildren are required to take under the=20
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) may influence the future. The following are=
=20
quotes from the article:
Educational corporations, from European-based multinationals, to start-ups=
=20
such as Ignite, founded by Neil Bush, the president's brother, are swarming=
=20
into the schools, offering prepackaged curriculum, tests and educational=20
materials to meet the legislative mandate to "teach to the test'" in a=20
narrow range of subjects.
Sales of printed materials related to standardized tests nearly tripled=20
from 1992 to last year, jumping from $211 million to $592 million,=20
according to the American Association of Publishers. Three corporate giants=
=20
dominate both testing and textbooks: CTB-McGraw Hill, Harcourt (owned by=20
London-based Reed Elsevier), and Houghton Mifflin, which together control=20
about 80% of the market.
According to the Washington-based Center on Educational Policy, the NCLB=20
Act has convinced many states to reduce the scope of their tests to=20
multiple choice math and reading because only scores in those areas will=20
determine funding levels. Oregon plans to save money by eliminating many=20
writing tests, science assessments and the complex parts of its math exams.=
=20
Massachusetts will eliminate history and social studies tests this year.
Under NCLB, if a school fails to improve math and reading test scores=20
within three years, a portion of its federal funding will be diverted to=20
"parental choice" tutoring programs further weakening the schools ability=20
to improve. These outsourced programs are run by private companies such as=
=20
Educate Inc. owner of Sylvan Learning Centers whose revenues have grown=20
from $180 to $250 million in the past three years and whose profits shot up=
=20
250% last year.
Ironically, while school districts will be required to certify that the=20
percentage of their teaching staff who have teaching credentials is=20
increasing, private tutoring companies, the replacement recipients of=20
tutoring funds, will be under no such requirement to prove that their staff=
=20
even have such credentials.
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=3D11543

Music Lessons Dominated by Middle Class Girls in England Polly Curtis=20
Friday October 22, 2004
This article may be relevant in the United States. It starts to cast doubt=
=20
on whether extra curriclur music programs are becoming an exclusive club in=
=20
the public schools. The following are quotes from the article:
Schools are doing a thriving trade in violin, flute, guitar and recorder=20
lessons, but they are too often dominated by middle-class girls, according=
=20
to an Ofsted report published today.
While extra-curricular music lessons are good, and there are plenty of=20
opportunities to learn how to play an instrument, pupils from lower income=
=20
families are less likely to take them, and there's evidence of "gender=20
stereotyping". Boys are twice as likely as girls to play the trumpet and=20
there are nine girls taking flute lessons for every one boy, said the=
 report.
The inspectorate found that council-run music lessons can cost up to =A329=
 an=20
hour - and bursaries can be too low to attract children from less well-off=
=20
families; around 20% of musical instruments purchased by local education=20
authorities are sitting unused in cupboards.
Despite there being fee remission for the extra-curricular classes, most of=
=20
which require a parental contribution, students from poorer backgrounds are=
=20
less likely to ask for, or be encouraged to take, music lessons.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/ofsted/story/0,7348,1333376,00.html


Trends in Computing=85Going to AM Radio Bands to unit Media Mark Pesce=20
Lecturer, Interactive Media, AFTRS
"Mark Pesce, lecturer at the Australian Film Television and Radio School=20
(AFTRS) writes about using p2p networks, specifically bittorrent, to create=
=20
a grassroots television network. He cites as an example the BBC's "Flexible=
=20
TV" internet broadcasting model using that as the core of a "new sort of=20
television network, one which could harness the power of P2P distribution=20
to create a global television network." Producers of video entertainment=20
and news would provide a single copy of a program into the network of P2P=20
clients, and the p2p network peers distribute the content themselves. Thus,=
=20
a virtual 'newswiki' where the content is distributed bittorrent using some=
=20
sort of 'trusted peer' or moderator mechanisms as a filtering/evaluation=20
mechanism. So what is stopping anyone from doing this now? Awareness of the=
=20
concept, perhaps? Lack of broadband connections? Lack of business models=20
for content producers?"
In this system of "peercasting" the network is actually more efficient than=
=20
a broadcast network, because more than one program can be provided=20
simultaneously, and failure in any one point in the network doesn't bring=20
the network down.  In other words, this network can't be hacked, can't=20
suffer from a power outage (unless it spans the whole network, which is=20
very unlikely) and achieves unheard-of efficiencies in the distribution of=
=20
audiovisual programming.

RADIO RHIZOME has hijacked frequency 1680 on the AM dial to bring a=20
continuous loop of programming to the city which the media megacorps call=20
home and officials apparently can't do anything about it.  Jeff Cain, the=20
artist/creator of RADIO RHIZOME describes it in these words, "I took a look=
=20
at the telecommunications law, and squirted myself in between all of its=20
forms, like foam, filling up all the space they'd left empty."   In the US=
=20
this means micropower AM radio, with a mixture of repeaters and Internet=20
streaming to cover what could potentially be the entire planet with a=20
single broadcast network. from ecp to technology
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/trends.html

PTA versus PTO
The Washington Post reported on October 19 that PTA (Parent-Teacher=20
Association) membership nationwide has fallen from 12.1 million four=20
decades ago to fewer than six million today. Not even one in four U.S.=20
public schools now has a PTA chapter. According to the very conservative=20
Fordham Foundation, the reason was that a portion of the dues was going out=
=20
of the area to support lobbying activities and executive=20
salaries.  Instead, the Fordham folks think =93=85many of them are starting=
=20
their own school-specific groups, commonly known as Parent-Teacher=20
Organizations, or PTO's. All of the energy and dues of a PTO generally go=20
into projects and activities at one's own child's school=97be they supplies=
=20
for the art room, band uniforms, lights for the night football games,=20
after-school programs, or the ninth grade trip to Colonial Williamsburg.=20
Parents typically pay dues but may also raise money through festivals, car=
=20
washes, bake sales, magazine subscription sales, and so forth. =93
http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/gadfly/index.cfm#2024

What=92s a Section 504?
This is something every educator must face. Basically it ensures that all=20
children with disabilities have free and appropriate public education that=
=20
is designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for employment and=
=20
independent living, and it ensure that the rights of children with=20
disabilities and parents of such children are protected. It is used instead=
=20
of an IEP for students who don=92t really need the overall plan of an IEP.=
=20
Thus schools sometimes use it because it requires them to do less. However,=
=20
ever educator must know what is required when using the Section.

A Legal Overview
  http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm
IEP versus 504
http://www.slc.sevier.org/iepv504.htm
Questions and Answers
http://www.chtu.org/504.html#what
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/specialAssistiveTech.html

What's Section 508 and Compliance
Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (which came into=20
force in August 2001). There are many aspects to 508, but only one actual=20
requirement . . . if the government doesn't comply with 508, lawsuits can=20
happen.
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/508confusion.htm
SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/digitaldividetools.html

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TRAVEL
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Tracking Planes
This is a very helpful site to track airplane arrivals and departures.=20
Unsure of when to leave to pick-up someone, just check here. It shows where=
=20
the plan is an its estimated arrival time. You gotta see this one.
http://www.flightview.com/TravelTools/default.asp

Practice Spanish
The Experiment in International Living (EIL), founded in 1932, was one of=20
the first organizations of its kind to engage individuals in intercultural=
=20
living and learning. Originating in the United States, The Experiment=20
introduced the homestay concept to the world by carefully preparing and=20
placing =93Experimenters=94 in the homes of host families to study other=20
languages and cultures firsthand. Spend Christmas in Mexico.
http://www.experiment.org/christmasinoaxaca.htm

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GRANTS
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A nice list of them.
http://www.unc.edu/depts/cmse/grantopp.html
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/grants2.html


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