Haugen’s Tech Tips Blog

As I approach a new session of my after school publishing program, I decided to use a wiki to see if I could help make the process clearer to students and give them more opportunities to work independently. My Edison Student Publishers Wiki includes information about the program, and tips to help my 3rd-5th grade students:

• Choose a Project – news, reviews, interviews, puzzles, comics, jokes, etc.
• Find News or Information – web sites, people, papers, etc.
• Find Help with Writing – news, poetry, fiction, more
• Find or Make Images – photos, drawings, online tools, more
• Make a Puzzle – links to puzzlemaker, our puzzle starters and more
• Work on Layout – under construction

I’m excited about how this program is evolving and the wonderful, creative work kids can do. I’m new to wikis and I think this may be the first one I’ve done that approaches being useful! I’d love any feedback or suggestions on improving this kind of resource.

As shared in Exchange Every Day, from Child Care Information Exchange, a new study reports a link between consuming food dyes and sodium benzoate, and hyperactivity in children.

A UK study reported in Work & Family Life (November 2007; www.workandfamilylife.com)
demonstrates the impact of food additives on children’s behavior.
Researchers at the University of Southampton served 300 children in two
age groups (3’s and 8-9’s) three different fruit drinks daily.
One-third of the children were served a drink that contained the amount
of food dye and sodium benzoate typically found in a British child’s
diet. The second drink contained a lower concentration of those food
additives, and the third was free of additives.
Over three
seven-day periods, teachers, parents, and graduate students used
standardized evaluation tools to measure the children’s concentration,
restfulness, fidgeting, and talking or interrupting too much. Those
doing the testing did not know which children received which drinks.
The children in both age groups were found to be significantly more
hyperactive when drinking the beverage with higher levels of additives.
The greatest impact was observed in the three-year-olds! In response,
the British Food Standards Agency issued an advisory to limit
children’s intake of additives if parents noticed an effect on behavior.

Reprinted with permission from ExchangeEveryDay. To sign up for a free subscription to this daily newsbrief, go to www.ChildCareExchange.com.

TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) has released its 2008 Toy Action Guide, just in time for the holidays.

In their own words,

This guide is intended to help adults promote children’s creative and constructive play by making informed choices about toys, and by working with others at home, school, and in the community to promote positive play and toys.

The guide includes indispensable  tips for  how to shop for toys, what to look out for in terms of toys that promote violence or stereotyping, and ideas for toy alternatives, including their wonderful “shoebox gift” ideas.  The guide may be freely downloaded and shared.  While on the site, be sure to check out their other resources.

• Kathy Cassidy — Blogmeister

  An excellent model of blogging with younger students. Notice how the kids type their own posts and the adult ‘editor’ adds a readable translation. She also comments on the children’s writing, encouraging more. The class posts photos, videos and more.

  (tags: ages06-09 examples trldsites blogging)

• Classroom Blogs and Wikis

  How can classroom communication and collaboration be enhanced with the usage of internet blogs? Created by Doug Caldwell

  (tags: blogging reference wikis)

• The Year of the Blog: Home

  Barclay Barrios, from the Writing Program at Rutgers University, shares ideas, tips and rationale for blogging in the classroom

  (tags: blogging reference tutorials examples)

• Steps toward a Successful Classroom Blog | Computer Writing and Research Lab

  “Tom Nelson and Mariela Hristova, discuss their own experiences with classroom blogs. Although they use blogs in different ways, Tom and Mariela suggest some basic strategies for productive classroom blogging.”
  From UTA’s Computer Writing & Research Lat

  (tags: blogging writing reference)

• Wiki | Free Wiki Websites for Online Collaboration | Wetpaint

  Wetpaint education wikis are now ad-free!

  (tags: free wikis forteachers)

• Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Ten habits of bloggers that win!

  Excellent article with really effective tips from a blogger who knows (and cares about) what they are doing.

  (tags: blogging web2.0 tips tutorials education checkit reference)

• Differentiated Instruction

  Comprehensive resource and reference on differentiated instruction, learning strategies, technology and more.

  (tags: forteachers universaldesign reference topsite differentiatedinstruction eductechnology)

Starting today (Nov 12-26, 2007), for $400, you can give – and get – one of the most unique laptop computers on the planet.

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.
The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.