S.L.Y.M.I. (Sing Like You Mean It!)

Music is powerful. Just last night, walking into a restaurant, I heard the classic 1976 Stevie Wonder song "Sir Duke" playing. That's the song with these lyrics (which has always meant more to me than the song title itself):

Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand
With an equal opportunity
For all to sing, dance and clap their hands
But just because a record has a groove
Don't make it in the groove
But you can tell right away at letter A
When the people start to move
They can feel it all over

They can feel it all over people
They can feel it all over
They can feel it all over people

Hearing this song took me back instantly to my grandparents' house when I was probably 8 years old. I was staying there while my folks were on vacation for the week. Being a self-entertaining-unit, I played that song over and over again during that week, trying to work up some kind of dance routine--because that's what 8 year olds do!

Walking into dinner last night, I was transported to 8-year-old-me.

That is the power of music!

And that is the power of Music Education. Our kids need it as music is an enhancer, a connector, a brain activator, an enlightener, an energizer, and it can make learning more fun.

Luckily, there's an agent out there who is working to bring music to our classrooms. Her name is Linda Richards.

Linda has come to Kickstarter with a new to music education program: S.L.Y.M.I. (Sing Like You Mean It!). Her goal--to connect learning through song to capture concepts. 

I've seen Linda in action--she's a powerhouse full of amazing!! For 6 years while I was teaching at Eagle Cove School in Pasadena, Maryland, she was a touchstone & annual tradition to our Earth Week. Visiting each class, Linda could get a group of kids (whether 1st or 5th graders) to whip up & perfect an eco-parody song in a half hour. The production at the end of the week was a magical, musical experience where students' self esteem soared while they performed their songs for the school community.

S.L.Y.M.S's Kickstarter funding deadline ends October 25th, meaning there is still time to jump on Linda's "music bandwagon" and be one of her backers. You can go there to donate to her cause, as well as to learn more and see her perform her program's philosophy in song.

Other places you can find Linda Richards:

* LindaRichardsAdventures.com
* SLYMI on Facebook

You can also find her in my Green Team Gazette Archives:

• Green Team Gazette: Earth Day!! The Eagle Cove Way!!
• Green Team Gazette: A Very Full Earth Day-Bay Week
• Green Team Gazette: Eco-Songs: Terrapins, Terrapins
• Green Team Gazette: Happy Earth Day 2015
• Garbage, Garbage, Garbage, Garbage... GARBAGE
• Green Team Gazette: Earth Week Excitement

What SLYMI offers:

• assemblies & class visits, 
• opportunities to collaborate, create, write songs, & perform music, 
• concept building, raising social awareness, integrating curricular areas, connection making, & weaving in the wonderment of music.

"Children + Music = The Agent of Change...When I look into the future, I see this program growing thoughtful, spirited, socially aware, participatory musicians. Your support in this Kickstarter campaign will set those songs in motion sooner rather than later. The time for those songs is right now."          ~ Linda Richards, from her S.L.Y.M.I. Kickstarter Campaign

Crowd image of Linda Richards from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/911444452/slymi-sing-like-you-mean-it/posts/1353788 and a screenshot of her singing her video on http://thecrowdfundingcentre.com/videos/play?id=8BD3FF

Stevie Wonder lyrics from https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tjjg23qx75gdnvo6kgiuxmmtu3u?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

"You Can't Touch Music" quote from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0c/f4/e6/0cf4e628ea4f1615e5874c573091f7b3.jpg

A Tech Oasis at OESIS

Within the past week I was given two really spectacular gifts of personal realignment. My first one was a chance to reunite with nature on a field trip of canoeing & outdoor fun.  My second one was an opportunity to fly with 4 colleagues and meet up with our Head of School in Boston to attend a two-day educational technology conference. Given that being in tune with your inner-techie is newly "geek chic" this last decade or so, I was totally in my tech element at OESIS: The Online/Blended Education Symposium for Independent Schools. Add in, I was in good company with nearly 300 participants from 110 schools.

It's amazing how many sessions you can squeeze into a 2-day time period: 2-morning keynotes (comprised of 4 speakers each), 11 presentation sessions, a workshop or two during lunch, and 3 "Think Tank" sessions! My brain was serving as an extra-absorbent sponge! It's interesting to see how other schools are incorporating elements of flipped or blended classes, integrating online learning as a way to personalize and individualize the educational experiences to help students raise their own personal bar.  It's been interesting having discussions with people who are leaps and bounds ahead of us and how they are doing what they are in their schools; likewise, it's been interesting to see the ways in which we are ahead of the learning curve.

Along the way, during these two days, there has been a lot of talk about "change."  That (of course) serves more than #edtech.  "Change" is that one thing that is truly constant, and many of us fear.  Yet my favorite quote this week is:

One of my favorite slides showed how we are also in a state of changing technology--even 100 years ago.  Here's a modified version or that:

This image show a parallel place to where we are now.

As we move forward, it's only true that we wrestle a bit.  As you go forth, take note of where you are so you know where to go next.




Images from http://quozio.com/quote/6a8e9787#!t=1018, http://www.oesisgroup.com/; Old-timey photo in the Motivation app, and pic from the Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library.http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/la-as-subject/7th-and-broadway.html

The Chiropractic Realignment of Body & Spirit... By Way of the Great Outdoors

This week I was reminded of a few things... It was almost as if I went to the "mental chiropractor." I was "realigned" in body and spirit, in work and balance!

Yes, Virginia, there is more room in life than merely work (& grading papers).

[Is that spoken like a teacher or what?!]

Sad but true... I had forgotten about that "more to life" thing. I didn't feel like I had the luxury of slowing down right now.  For good reason--but still!

(My good reason: I took on a long-term, leave of absence, classroom teaching position in my school--mid-August, just two weeks before the start of back-to-school teacher meetings. Instead of my "regularly scheduled tech integrator position" I was gearing up for, I was back in the classroom... with all that goes with that in August. Crafting lesson plans and learning curriculum, I'm often still operating in a short-term punt of "creating it as I go." Not to mention, the beginning of the school year is never slow and dull anyway, for anyone!!)

So how does one step "away from the dark side" and "out from under the rock?"  By taking part in a well-timed grade-level eco-adventure field trip with 36 kids.  What makes it an eco-adventure?  We all went to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Merrill Center where we canoed, seined, and investigated the elements of "green" building-ness of the center. We spent the afternoon out on The Margarite, an educational vessel and an old friend (as I've ridden on her time and time again).  On it, we pulled up some oysters, checked out bay life by boat-ride binoculars, and did a little fishing to determine the biodiversity of the bay. It reminded me of my "eco-days" at a dear little place called Eagle Cove School, and my memories of the "best field trip ever!

What this trip also reminded me is how we can get lost in the minutia of everyday life.  Getting all those papers graded, getting all that laundry done.  All the while, losing a whole lot of yourself in the process.  From the vantage point of the inside of a canoe, seeing the still water, with a blue heron flying overhead, with a backdrop of red and rust-colored leaves peppering the trees--you have that "ah ha!" moment of remembrance. That's what I needed.

Add in the reminder of days gone by of "my old (less harried) self," I was struck by how much I missed me.

Proving the point that despite doing the good job of teaching the youth of America, you have to do the self-persevering thing.  It's what they tell you on the plane while going through the pre-flight reminders: put your own life mask on first. This 3 day weekend ahead, I intend to do just that!

What do you intend to do for "you" this weekend ahead?

Pictures from my camera!

Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Revisited

Probably my one "closest to my heart" environmental issues is plastic waste, particularly as it gets blown to the wind and makes its way to becoming marine debris. Over the last 7 years of Green Team Gazette, I've written about this many times. I'm particularly bothered by the oceanic gyres of plastic trash that pollute all of our oceans; however, the largest one is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I first learned of it on the Earth Day Oprah Show, years ago, and was amazed that this was the first time I'd ever heard of it. Unfortunately, that was years ago... and we're still hearing about it!

Here is a litany of links to gain greater awareness of the plastic trash that surrounds us all... still.

TED-ED Lesson:  "What Really Happens to the Plastic You Throw Away?" by Emma Bryce:



VIDEO: Whitby’s Jaime Rae Reels in $1,000 Prize for Video on Plastic Pollution in Oceans by Jillian Follert:



"What You Didn’t Know About Microplastics" by Lisa Feldkamp.  Find out all the things that you didn't know!

"World’s First Wrench 3D-Printed with Recycled Ocean Plastic Wins Innovation Award" by Colin Payne.  This article highlights Plastic Bank and the idea of "social plastic." The idea is backed with entrepreneurialism and promotes recycling to better communities.

"This Solar Powered ‘Water-Wheel’ Will Clean 23 Metric Tons of Trash From The Ocean Every Day" by John Vibes.  In nearby Baltimore, MD this 'debris raking system' is currently being used.

Boaters Mapping Floating Garbage Patch In North Pacific Return To San Francisco from San Francisco CBS/AP.  At this link you'll find a video worth watching to see what they are trying to do over in San Francisco.

Adidas Wants To Turn Ocean Plastic Into Sportswear by Lorraine Chow.  New textiles are being created using recycled plastic as the key ingredient.

A Plastic Problem in the Chesapeake by Jeff Corbin from the EPA Connect: The Official Blog of the EPA Leadership

Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
See the trailer here:


Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Trailer from Angela Sun on Vimeo.

"These Artists Turn Ocean Trash into Really Classy Art by Amelia Urry
Here's an example of one of the pieces of art by Mandy Barker

Now that you know what you maybe didn't know before, 

what are you going to do with all that plastic that is around you?

videos from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=390&v=EWl8338FqTk, https://vimeo.com/42143924, http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-really-happens-to-the-plastic-you-throw-away-emma-bryce#review
images from: http://grist.org/living/these-artists-turn-ocean-trash-into-really-classy-art/, https://www.bookyourdive.com/blog/2014/3/23/great-pacific-garbage-patch 

4th Graders: Get Your Free National Parks Pass This School Year

Judy Blume knew it way back in the '70s when she wrote her book "Tales of the 4th Grade Nothing:" 4th Grade is THE BEST.  It's an age of major growth for kids, as connections spark left and right.  4th graders have a huge sense of justice (just check out any recess playground at a nearby school!).  They also are very curious, eager, experimental, and fun-loving.  (To learn more about typical child development for the 4th grade stage, check out this article.)

One could argue kids at all ages are "all of the above," but there's another reason that "4th Graders Rock" this year.  They are the chosen ones.

With President Obama's proclamation and the "Every Kid in a Park" initiative, every 4th grade student nationwide is entitled to free entry in any of the 2,000+ National Parks of the United States.  This is effected for any fourth grade student from Sept 1st, 2015 to August 31st, 2016.

If that doesn't elicit a hoot and a holler, I don't know what does.

So what is it about 4th grade?  Given it's an age of connection for kids (who, can't drive, by the way), this is the perfect age to get kids and their families outdoors.  From the Every Kid in a Park website & media kit, doing this now (at this age) serves as a:

"nationwide call to action action to build the next generation of outdoor stewards of our country’s spectacular and diverse federal lands and waters. Connecting our nation’s youth to the great outdoors is even more important at a time when 80 percent of American families live in cities and most children spend more time on computers and smartphones than exploring nature. The initiative is slated to continue with each year’s group of fourth graders to inspire successive generations to become responsible stewards of our nation’s natural and cultural heritage. Every Kid in a Park invites children of all backgrounds to discover their public lands and all they offer, including opportunities to be active and spend time with friends and family. As living classrooms, these outdoor places and historic sites also provide hands-on, real-world opportunities to develop critical skills and learn about the natural world."

Likewise, here are some other reasons why 4th grade was the chosen age:

• 4th graders in many states focus on their state history.
• The National Park System has 4th-grade-specific programs in place.
• 4th graders are just before the age of 11, which has been noted as the age by which the window of "outdoor connection with nature" closes.  After this age, if kids haven't connected with nature, it might be too late.  As with anything:  the earlier, the better!

So here we are at the start of October.  If you didn't realize it last month, there's still a whole 11 months to go. You can go to the Every Kid in a Park website and have your 4th grader do an activity to get a paper pass to print.  That pass will get you free entrance into the parks and exchange it for a plastic park.  The Every Kid in a Park pass not only gets your 4th grader in, but anyone else in the vehicle (no buses, please!) who is accompanying them (up to 3 adults).  The website also has an educator portal with a lesson plans/activities to download and free passes to anyone who teaches 4th grade.  Likewise, teachers can print class sets of passes, each with their own unique identification code.

To get you excited and wanting to start your own "Tales of a 4th Grade National Park Adventurer," check out this PSA for the National Park Service.  Then head over to the Every Kid in a Park Website!

Which National Park would you want to visit first, 
to share your pictures on social media with #FindYourPark?  
Please leave a comment below as to where you'd want to go!  
I'd love to hear about it!

Images from https://everykidinapark.gov/get-your-pass/educator; "4th Grade Rocks" image from http://clipgid.com/4th-grade-rocks-clipart.html, video https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=33&v=0ykvO8UN3g0

Make Time To Fall In Love With Fall

A week ago, we were all saying:

A week later... I'm still having a little bit of a hard time with that.

Don't get me wrong.  I do love fall.  

It's gorgeous, the colors--at their height--are amazing. 

The beauty seems to transform each and every day.  

The crispness and coolness are delightful, and it's like we can breathe after the summer (and then again in Indian Summer) days of swampy, sweaty mess.

But, autumn means shorter days... and it means saying goodbye to my pool.  

This is the arrow in my heart!

The pool makes summer's heat endurable, and it brings me as close to meditation as I get.  (Clearly I need to work on this.)  The canopy of backyard greenery and leaves almost makes breathing easier.  You can't sweat in a pool.  And the backyard commute is the perfect length of time.  

It's my place to play with my kids, my crazy dog, and my own thoughts while chillaxing as only teachers can in the summer.  Major decompression!  Ahhh!

Now, we're clearly back to school, and it won't be long until the pool gets closed up.  The water temperature has already dramatically shifted, 

and it's lost its solar magic.  I miss it terribly, already.  

But that's when we need I need to embrace the season-specific outdoor activities that you can only do in October & November.  And I need to make sure to carve time out for more than pumpkins... but rather for all of those things as 

I'm knee-deep in the back-to-school busy!  

Note to self: Make time to fall in love with fall!

What types of things do you like 

to make sure to sit & take the time for 

while the leaves are turning?

Fall photos from http://profilerehab.com/theme/facebook/first_day_of_autumn_%20pictures, http://www.first-day-of-fall.com/first-day-of-autumn-quotes/, http://www.first-day-of-fall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/First-Day-of-Fall-Quotes-7.jpg, http://quotesgram.com/fall-fashion-quotes-and-sayings/, Pool photo from my camera stream

The Pope's U.S. Pilgrimage... & the Presidential Pups

Unless you've been under a rock the last few days, you know that Pope Francis is in the United States.  He stopped first in Washington, DC, then New York, now he's off to Philadelphia. Certainly 3 iconic cities here in the U.S.

Last night, Friday night, I came home wiped and mentally spent after a long (though good) day of Professional Development. I came home with two pizza boxes in hand.  Ah...the life of an elementary teacher here in the first month of school!

Plopping in the couch to eat with my family., we were tuned in to CNN.  On Friday night, the Pope was touring around Central Park in the "PopeMobile" and then going on to speak at Madison Square Garden, ousting my man, Billy Joel, from his arena. For good and obvious reason.

So it is Friday night, and we are riveted by the Pope. There is something slightly awe-inspiring about this on a traditionally happy-hour-kind-of- night.

I saw the above picture yesterday on Facebook, and it seems to centralize the humanity of the Pope. I view myself as more spiritual than religious, and time in outdoors can become more heartfelt and inspirational at times than some church sermons.  But, I have children and I want them to get some religious education.  This is perhaps why that quote spoke to me.

Despite the fact that Snopes refutes the above, illustrated quote, there are indeed elements of truisms in the quote that date back to history.  How many stories through the ages are there of corruption in the ancient church?  How many people do you know who go to Saturday night mass or Sunday morning church to ask for forgiveness for weekly transgressions of true meanness and wrong doing, with the idea that if I confess I am led to absolution?  How many hate crimes are on the news due to supposedly doing so in the name of God? Being a church-goer doesn't necessarily make you a good person.  You can be spiritual in nature, in your living room, on your back patio, and also in church.

I think it's because of the hope we have in this Pope that quotes like the above speak to us. More than hope, it's also about faith, adoration, respect.  We respect that he turned down a pricy plated lunch with DC politicians to go share a meal with the homeless.  We appreciate his views on humanity and embracing being a good person and being good stewards to our planet.  We are touched by his level to pass down the pomp & circumstance and to go a simpler route.  And that crosses religious lines:  it doesn't matter what your religious bias and leanings are.

Shephard Smith said it well in regards to how we are politicizing things that are just good basic human kindnesses that are traditional teachings of the church:



Plus, who can question the goodness, kindness, & compassion of the Pope--clearly a lover of the Presidential Pups?!

Images from http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/popeatheist.asp, http://time.com/4018822/pope-francis-central-park/, video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFTXmoBJD6I, President Obama pic from http://www.wusa9.com/story/life/faith/pope-coverage/2015/09/23/pope-francis-met-obamas-dogs/72710718/

My Love-Hate Relationship With Technology: A Litany of Links

If you have been hanging out with me for awhile, you know that the previous two posts were the first 2/3 of my true confession trilogy of my love-hate relationship with technology, despite being a tech teacher.  You can find them here and here.

Clearly I'm not the only one out there that has spent some time and energy thinking about this one. Below are a bounty of pieces that might make you think and rethink yours and your children (and your students) attachment to technology.

Let's start with an infographic:



And here's a litany of other links on this subject:

• What Happens When You Tear 6th Graders Away From Their Gadgets for 5 Days

• Technology and Kids: Startling Statistics Every Parent Should Know About Addiction to iPhones & Screens

• The Many Downfalls of Kids’ Addiction to Tech: Why Limiting Screen Time Will Benefit Your Child

• More Reasons Why You Should Turn Off the TV and Take Your Kids Outside

• Every Teacher Can Be a Natural Teacher: 10 Ways You Can Add Vitamin “N” to the Classroom & Beyond

• Screentime Is Making Kids Moody, Crazy and Lazy

• Parenting as a Gen Xer: We’re the First Generation of Parents in the Age of iEverything

• 10 Reasons Why I Will Continue to Give My Children Handheld Devices

• Powerful Ads Show What Your Child Sees When You're Addicted To Your Phone

• Race to Nowhere

• The More You Connect, The Less You Connect

• The Importance of Slowing Down

• Mobile Screens: Do They Really Turn Your Kids' Brains to Mush?

• 3 Ways to Finally Shake Your Cell Phone Addiction

• Disconnecting from Technology (For a While)

And let's end with the "Book Book:

Infographic from http://www.sweettmakesthree.com/2013/01/kids-and-technology-addiction-infographic/ ; Videos from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOXQo7nURs0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnr_1Aiv_Xg

My Love-Hate Relationship With Technology: Unplugging

As I've mentioned before...
I have a love-hate relationship with technology.

You can learn so much online.
You can waste so much time online.
Your children can become zombified. Just. Like. That.

Sometimes we need to step out of the routine and rut of our "Tech Connect" and go cold turkey and be unplugged.  Vacations are like that.  You are out of your normal setting, your typical sphere.  You put yourself in places you haven't been and you really start seeing.

Unplugging is like that too!  It opens you up to the things that you have been omitting for awhile.

To let you know how well that's going from a tech-teacher and adult-side:
My phone screen recently broke.  My phone is my main line tool of connection, of calendar, of note-taking, of book-reading, of idea-making:  my everything.  It's akin to apolectic shock.  I hurt.  I reeled in pain.  It let to momentary panic of "What am I going to do?"  It led to a trip to the Verizon store.

All that aside:  I am a mom.  And I want my tech-generation kids to unplug naturally. Yeah right. We all need strength, will power, clarity, and vision.  Because in doing so, you really do see.  Broken screen and all!!

Unplugging routinely is healthy, but hard.  This poetry slam piece from Marshall Davis Jones entitled "Touchscreen" really shows us the clear-cut case of addiction that we all know we are sucked into.

 Marshall Soulful Jones, part of Team Nuyorican 2011, 2nd place finishers at the National Poetry Slam in Boston, performs "Touchscreen". The Bowery Poetry Club NY

Stay tuned for the final part in my trilogy of my Love-Hate Relationship where we will get some more morsels to help you analyze your own and your kids attachment to technology.

Marshall Soulful Jones Poetry Jam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAx845QaOck;  image from http://www.broadstuff.com/categories/29-Strategy 

My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology: My Top 5's on Both Sides

True confessions from an elementary school Technology Specialist:

I have a love-hate relationship with the technology of today.

My Top 5 Loves:

• In the classroom, technology opens up doors for student engagement. My favorite folder on our student iPads is the "Create & Write" Folder--filled with apps designed exactly for just that! (That being said, technology is one tool, not the holy grail. There are times when low-tech and no-tech options like games, thinking skills, cooperative learning, outdoor experiences are better suited for the task at hand.)

• For people who love to learn, computers and mobile devices hold so many opportunities to keep your knowledge base going and growing--from software, to apps, to coding opportunities, to the wealth of information called the Internet. This holds true for students & adults alike.

• iPads, smartphones, & laptops are all ripe with their ability to hold everything in one place.  I remember days-gone-by, packing for a trip: the handful of books I was currently reading in one bag, another one filled with a magazine or two, a music player, maybe a movie, my camera, my calendar, my notebook/journal, any maps, my cell phone, my address book... Now, you've got it packaged all neatly in one place for one-stop-shopping, especially once you connect to wifi.

• Given the 1-device-ness mentioned above, not only are you packing lighter, but you are packing in a much more eco-friendly way.  My daughter's middle school is almost completely a paper-free environment thanks to their 1:1 iPad program.  That is saving a lot of trees!

• Technology tools can be used for such a force of good when it comes to 21st century skills:  creativity, connection, collaboration, critical thinking, and more. 

My Top 5 Hates:

• I am a tech teacher, and I am a mom of tech-loving children.  Given that, I have to be the "Tech Czar" to my own kids--telling them when to turn it off, take a break, and unplug.   (Nobody likes that job!)  I'm still working on ways to have them self-monitor that more, but I haven't found the magic in that one.  (See below.)

• The seduction & addiction is hard enough for us adults to know when it's time to step away from our devices.  How can we truly expect children to self-monitor this?  (See above.)

• Given my job, I use my devices for research, for work, for creating lesson plans, and following trends.  I am on tech a lot...which means this is the example I set for my kids.  I try to explain to them how my curation & creation is different than their frequent consumption.  (I mean, how many Minecraft Youtube videos can they really watch?!)  Sometimes this falls on headphoned-ears.

• To cultivate creativity, studies have shown us that you need to get bored. Steve Jobs knew that and limited his own kids and their computer time.  Can you get bored with your device? In this age of multi-tasking (which never really goes well), we don't ever really get there.  Once you start getting bored, you switch apps, and move on, being driven by instant gratification. Innovation & invention won't really enter the picture if you are time-slicing (or bouncing from one thing to another) at a speed-racer-pace.

• I've found myself doing everything I made fun of when the first "Blackberry" (aka "Crackberry") came out.  How many times do we check our devices?  (Apparently there's an app to answer that!) How near is it in any given situation?  I have found myself become more Adult-Onset-ADHD. Check email. Text a couple people simultaneously. Play Words With Friends. Scan Pinterest. Check Facebook. Play another Word....Not to mention Twitter, Instagram, the weather, and anything else we can't live without--or so we've told ourselves. We've all seen the family of 4-5 who are all laser-locked at a restaurant table, each on their own device, silent as mice.

So....what's a techie teacher to do in this double-edged sword world in which we live?

As with anything, I know it all comes down to balance & moderation.

More ideas on this in Part 2 and some practical solutions in Part 3 of my tech trilogy!


Images from http://www.canastotacsd.org/Page/1527, http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/Technology-in-the-Classroom-Full-of-Choices, andhttp://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/technology-eroding-work-life-balance-study/200010

Innovation: The Key to Fixing the Eco Problems of the World

Deon Jackson sang in 1966 that "love makes the world go 'round."

He was right. And our world could certainly use more LOVE and less HATE. The nightly news (any day of the week--but especially in the anniversary season of 9/11) will tell you that. But the nightly news will also reveal more than crime in our cities. Wildfires. Droughts. Floods. Climate change (why are we still debating this, people?). Pollution. Marine debris. Deforestation.

Love alone isn't going to handle it.

We also need a heavy dose of innovation & innovators to take the lead, healing our planet by solving the problems we face.  Bill Gates knows it (and just recently wrote about it on his GatesNotes blog). As I've written about, at least 12 young eco leaders were driven by innovation.  The creators of the Hidrate Bottle & the Baltimore trash collecting water wheel were too.  As are people facing drought conditions in California.

Innovation is the springboard, and it is what it will take to make "green fixes of the world."  That means our job as educators is to grow innovators. Sometimes, that spark starts in organically in outdoor experiences during childhood.  Other times, that sparks comes from both those spontaneous teachable moments, while other times it comes in a well-crafted lesson.

Bill Gates spoke about this in his blog post on clean energy innovation at the end of July.  His innovation intention: to invest $1 billion in clean energy over the next 5 years. His view: through innovation, the "pace of progress" can be accelerated. Climate-change wise, poverty-wise, clean-food-wise, anti-pollution-wise.

Here are 8 resources to encourage innovation, investigation, curiosity, critical thinking, & a problem solving mindset (in both students & educators!):

• "The Last Generation of Kids That Played Outside," the November 2014 Huffington Post article by Nate Hanson
• This is one of the most powerful articles I have ever read! It continues to linger in my teacher (& parent) brain. The gist: how our current innovators [who have created all the techy gizmos we now love] were outdoor players. This quote is striking, as it reminds me of my childhood. It shows the difference between the bucket of LEGOs I got as a kid, and the instruction-based kits my children now get:

"You weren't dependent on someone else's creativity and ingenuity. You knew how to dream. You didn't need someone to entertain you or design things for you to have fun with. You could create a game with pinecones and sticks. When this past generation of Apple creators sat down to dream up the next product, I believe they subconsciously drew back on their own 'backyard' roots. They knew how to solve problems because they had solved them before. They knew how to dream up new possibilities because they had been doing that since they were a kid." ~ Nate Hanson

• 5 Ways To Encourage Kids to Grow Up to Be Innovators by Gwen Moran 
• This article focuses on Tony Wagner's book "Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World." (Incidentally, this book was our school-wide "teacher read" last summer to help frame the 2014-2015 school year.)
• Spoiler Alert:  The 5 keys are: play, passion, curiosity, purpose, & fearlessness.

• 5 ways to get your students started on global PBL projects from ISTE 
• Whether you begin searching from 5 miles away to 5K, the global project-based learning connects all cultures to solve problems. The article promotes finding a cause, doing the research, using social media both in searching or taking action, and going small and large while looking both locally and globally.  That real world connection is what will make the difference!

• Children's Innovation Project 
• With an interdisciplinary approach to "learning about learning," the Children's Innovation Project believes in creating authentic experiences students. From here, creative inquiry opportunities flourish. My favorite part of their site is the wealth of information that can be found at the "Teaching & Learning tab:"
• Habits of Mind 
• Methods of Practice
• Language & Logic Constructs 
• Learning Outcomes
• Theoretical Frame

• Choose2Matter 
• This website is dedicated to inspire folks to work together to creatively tackle social problems. It's an online community for students and teachers, with resources galore to promote collaboration, critical thinking, boldness, bravery, and action in the real world of problem solving.

• Tech For Good 
• Here you have a 3 in one: a website. a meetup, and a hashtag: #techforgood. Their mission is to carve the path of innovative solution for social and environmental challenges through technology. The meetup groups at Tech For Good want to unite the "hackers, coders, developers and designers with people who really understand a social problem and want to build digital solutions to social challenges." The Tech For Good TV website houses a number of inspirational videos.

• Recipe for Innovation 
• Brought to you by Chobani & Discovery Education, this website is ripe with virtual field trips and actvities for K--12th graders combining entrepreneurship and nutrition education.

• Filapino Teacher Wins National Outstanding Green-o-vation Award from Inquirer.net
• Here is an example of environmental education innovation...and well deserved accolades.  Jennifer Suzara-Cheng won the 2015 Green Difference Awards this past spring in Massachusets.  Combining STEM and "green" teaching, Ms. Suzara-Cheng has shown the importance of getting kids outside to sharpen their critical thinking skills to solve real world needs.

Innovation is what it's going to take to make the world continue to go 'round.

Deon Jackson album cover http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-makes-the-world-go-round-mw0000575285; Edith Widder quote from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nate-hanson/the-last-generation-of-ki_b_6139504.html; Chalkboard brainstorm pic from http://readwrite.com/2013/05/08/why-the-world-needs-business-intelligence-apps

Nature RX

"Nature has a marketing problem."  So say the good folks at Nature RX.

It's like they read my mind, my recent posts, and GTG.  Or at least Richard Louv's book.  (Deep down inside, I know which one it is!)

From their website--that's exactly what they are doing--marketing Nature:

"The creators of Nature Rx love making films and the outdoors.  Nowadays everything has a brand and marketing campaign.  What about nature?  Maybe a dose of humor and the outdoors would be a good prescription.  Time for Mother Nature to get her own commercial." ~ Justin Bogardus, writer/director of Nature Rx

Take a peek at their videos on their YouTube Channel or here below, 

and be ready to chuckle a bit on the way....then go get yourself outside!

Videos from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf5TgVRGND4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imoL3hcZoRQ; Pic from http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/hilarious-nature-rx-frames-great-outdoors-prescription-drug

HidrateMe Smart Water Bottle

This summer has once again led me on a quest toward healthy eating. Upping my water intake, lowering my vices (Diet Coke & red wine), enjoying the ripeness of seasonal fruit, and having the time to allow for a more clean style of cooking and eating. This perpetual quest that indeed seems to get a tad more difficult each year. (What is it about the busy-ness of the school year that leads to the annual "up and down roller coaster" weight graph on my Fitbit app??)

But summer is golden, opening up the time, making it easier to jump on the bandwagon of good health and a heartier commitment to exercising.  My fingers are crossed that I can do the same now that the school year is upon us!

Being techy-minded, I gravitate to "oohing" and "ahhing" over the new gizmos. Luckily "geek" is in vogue. In this fast-growing world of innovation where no stone is left unturned, that includes tech help for healthy lifestyles.

Luckily, there's soon to be "an app for that" as there's a "smart water bottle" on the horizon.

HidrateMe is one of the latest crowdsourced "body-tech" finds out there on Kickstarter. The main HidrateMe objective is to track your water intake in real time.  With a Kickstarter goal of $35,000 to fund the HidrateMe bottle, they chimed in as overachievers, raising more than $600,000.

Slate has an interesting article on the subject.  I will say, I like it. I like the reusable concept. I like that it is chic and moves us away from purchasing plastic bottled water (& the waste that produces). I know I drink more water when I am trekking around town with water in hand. I could totally see the reminder glow as a good Pavlovian response for me to drink more water!!  However, I will say, the price point of $46.95 might be a little high for my blood.  Though, it might make my Christmas wish list as a splurge item.

At the very least, I think it's brilliant that the HidrateMe team saw a need, went the distance with their entrepreneurial spirit to make it happen, and clearly found that this is a niche needing to be filled (as Kickstarter proved). Kudos, team! I can't wait to see where you go!

Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6J2P6lmG44, "Water" pic & quote from my phone, using the Motivational Poster app, HidrateMe bottles from http://hidrate.me/

Innovation Defined

Innovate.
Innovative.
Innovation.

No matter the iteration, "innovative" is one of those words that just keeps popping up these days. Commercials. Leadership podcasts. Education books & blogs. Educational trends of STEM & STEAM, Project Based Learning,, & the blossoming Maker Movement.

It's making me wonder: is it really more in vogue lately, or am I operating under the universal magnet of the "law of attraction" where you are drawn to what's on your mind?

Maybe, just maybe, innovation is the key we need these days to solve ... well, just about everything: environmentally and socially.  (But more on that in another post.)

Perhaps the best definition I have found on innovation is the The Innovative Manager's Manifesto:

For some inspiration, hop over to The Innovative Manager for "25 Innovation Quotes That Can Change Your Life." Then, see what you can do to "put a dent in the universe!"

Lightbulb pic from http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2014/01/09/bold-innovation-in-mature-markets-the-five-vectors/; Innovation Manifesto image from  http://www.theinnovativemanager.com/25-innovation-quotes-that-can-change-your-life/

The Love of Books... And Jane Goodall

This summer, a children's library that was very dear to me closed its doors. Outside of the public system, the books from this library were in need of finding a new home.  Over 1000 books were now homeless.

Books, like people, need someone to love them.

We all know: we protect what we love.  Given that, I pushed hard against my natural instinct to grab them all and run.  (Let's be real: my overstuffed, doubled stacked bookshelf at home already has maxed its limit. That's what happens when you move from a 3rd grade teaching position to that of technology specialist, with an office versus a classroom. There was no way I could accommodate 1000 old friends.)  

Luckily, there were many other book lovers (& lovers of this library), so the majority of the books found new places to live. Classrooms. Gifts for grandchildren. Bookshelves in family homes. A library for a Boys and Girls Club was going to be born from some of these books.  These books were going forth to make a difference in the lives of students, children, teachers, & more.

That is what is called the silver lining in the aftermath of loss.

Within the 5 bags I brought home (3 for another teacher friend and 2 for me), I found some old friends. One book in there was a gem of memories indeed. An autographed copy, in fact. The book: With Love by Jane Goodall. 

With love, indeed.

I was fortunate enough to see this champion of the environment speak at my former school in the Spring of 2008. Dr. Jane Goodall's passion and purpose are unrivaled.  This video speaks volumes of both of those, and points us the direction to go forth and make a difference.

Jane Goodall: Showing Us the Way to a Better World from the Jane Goodall Institute on Vimeo.

A tribute to Dr. Jane Goodall  

(Song: "Why Shouldn't We?" by Mary Chapin Carpenter)

The video and book also can serve as a spring board to learn more about this amazing woman who followed her dreams and broke barriers as a woman as well as a human going forward in the animal world. It serves as a good example that if this solitary woman can live in this chimpanzee world, communicating and hearing each other, then certainly shouldn't we be able to do that with our fellow humans?

To immerse yourself or your class in Jane Goodall's amazing world, check out the following:

Virtual Tours:

• Visit Gombe, Tanzania & there in this Google Street View Map you can learn about the forest & Jane's furry friends.
• Google Tourbuilder has a special pre-built tour entitled Goodall, Gombe, & Google where you can follow in Jane's footsteps which led her to her beloved chimps.
• For more information about (and resources on) Virtual Field Trips, check out my previous post on the subject. 

Other Sites to Investigate:

• The Jane Goodall Institute is always a great place to go to stay current with Jane's adventures
• Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees site has a number of downloadable classroom activities and lesson plans.
• BrainPop not only has as movie for Jane Goodall, but some educator resources as well.
• Core Knowledge has a detailed, multi-day lesson plan for Kindergarten, with a bounty of books and additional resources.

Books:

• Since this is what led me to reflect on Dr. Jane Goodall, this is a good place to circle back to. For a complete listing of books on all levels about Jane Goodall, as well as books she has written, this list at Amazon.com is a good place to go.

Autograph from my book and my camera, Book image from http://www.amazon.com/Love-Jane-Goodall/dp/0735818150/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438268595&sr=8-1&keywords=jane+goodall%2C+with+love; Video from https://vimeo.com/3202137#embed

Back to School ~ Back in Business ~ Back to the Monumental Task at Hand

'Tis the season. Today's the day. It's official. Back to school. Back in business.

That annual time has come once again--we are here at end of Phineas & Ferb's "There's 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it." I didn't count, though I'm pretty sure it did NOT feel like 104 days. It's universal: summer is officially over on that day when backpacks are on backs. That first "photo-worthy" day when kids are back to school.

Summer is over. Sigh.

Luckily for my children, they aren't there yet. Their fateful day is still a week away. But as a teacher, today's the day I head back.  No, no backpack, but my car is packed with goodies collected over the summer that need to go to school.

This back-to-school day is a bittersweet moment, as I already miss the luxury of summer. Pool days. Sleeping in. Reading books. Running around. Adventures. Vacations. Change of pace.

Instead, I know I'm in store for a day of meetings today.

But, there's also energy ahead. I know that today I'll be reuniting with my colleagues. We sit at the cusp of a blank slate, a brand new school year. Electricity is the flip side of that freshness. New ideas & new plans get set into motion. This fervor is what sparks our imagination which leads to inspiration.

As much as I hate to say goodbye to that open schedule of summer, there's something to that "back in business" feel. It's a vitality of that only teachers "get."

As classroom teachers, specials teachers, administrators & others who work with students, we always have a lot on our plates. Though we know the answer to Taylor Mali's ultimate question: "what do teachers make?"  We make a difference.  

Making a difference is quite a challenge...but so worth it!  It feels pretty good when you see "your" kids get it. A pride like no other  And they do "get it!"  I know, because we, as teachers, are rooting for them, pushing them, encouraging them, urging them, and guiding them to "get it."

Back to school. Back to business. Back to the monumental task at hand.

Cheers to all of you educators out there.  Have one heck of a school year.

Images:  Phineas & Ferb pic from http://www.disneygals.com/2015/06/its-been-a-great-summer-an-interview-with-jeff-swampy-marsh-dan-povenmire-phineasandferbevent.html, Teacher quote from http://www.buzzquotes.com/technology-quotes-for-teachers, https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/the-other-21st-century-skills/: video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuBmSbiVXo0