Launch
News & Notes for East Middle Faculty and Staff
Monday and Friday Mindful Moments
Monday
http://mindfulnessforstudents.co.uk/resources/the-body-scan/
Friday
Mountain Meditation
Let's Celebrate Personalization, But Not Too Fast
"...there are currently so many iterations of what personalization looks like that it begins to look like everything—and nothing." - Carol Ann Tomlinson
The article link below cautions us to ask critical questions and establish our "why" and "who" before we set out on our personalized learning path. Great advice from Carol Ann Tomlinson.
Kids and Podcasts
Could this be a meaningful extension or "when I'm finished" activity in your class?
Brains On! is a podcast featuring science and kids produced by American Public Media. We ask questions and go wherever the answers take us. Sometimes that means talking to a food scientist or a snake handler, other times that means putting on a play about sound waves or writing songs about sleep. A different kid co-hosts each episode. We talk to them about the interesting stuff they’re doing and the things they think about. It’s a science lesson for your ears – so join us and turn your brains on!
http://99percentinvisible.org/
Roman Mars’s smart, insightful episodes focus on the many ways that design impacts our lives. The title comes from the idea that good design should be mostly unnoticed. We all benefit from good design from our cell phones’ rings to stackable chairs, but we rarely think too hard about the who, the why, or the how of those particular designs. Each episode tackles the history, usage, and innovation of a design, from flags to fonts. Why did the hashtag become the character we now use in social media (and just what did we use it for before, anyway)? Did the inventor of revolving doors really hate people? How terrible is your state flag? For more like this, try Design Matters
Teen-friendly episodes: #8: “Free Parking,” #43: “The Accidental Music of Imperfect Escalators,” #44: “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth,” #93: “Revolving Doors,” #140: “Vexillonaire,” or #145: “Octothorpe.”
Do you have any word nerds in your library? Helen Zaltzman’s irreverent, sharp-witted podcast investigates the weird and wonderful history of language. Each episodes opens with the etymology of a familiar word or phrase, but the meat of each 15-minute episode digs into a particular aspect of language. Why are puns difficult to pull off and groan-worthy? How are crossword puzzles created? What on earth is a mountweazel? For more like this, try History of English.
Teen-friendly episodes: #1: “Ban the Pun,” #3: “Going Viral,” #7: “Mountweazel,” #10: “Election Lexicon,” or #13: “Mixed Emojions”
Perhaps the most famous podcast of the last year, the first season of NPR’s Serial explores one criminal case over 12 episodes. Host Sarah Koenig retraces the investigation of the 1999 murder of high school student Hae Min Lee to discover if there is room for doubt in the conviction of Lee’s classmate (and ex-boyfriend) Adnan Syed for the crime. This is investigative journalism at its best from reporters who know how to tell a story and keep listeners coming back for more. This is a perfect introduction to the format, giving listeners a definite beginning, middle, and end to an episodic narrative. A resolution to the crime is not guaranteed, but energetic discussion definitely is. For more like this, try its parent podcast, This American Life, or for more true crime, Criminal.
This week's happenings...
Tues - Data teams; 6-8 Faculty together at East; Cox at OVEC w/ Gift
Wed - Cox at CO for admin team in am/ OVEC in pm
Thurs- Data teams; Cox at East
Fri - Cox at East