Daniel M. Rolo

Video Games in the Classroom

2011-12-29T23:01:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted anything here, and today, out of sheer boredom, I decided to check my blog traffic statistics. I was shocked to see that there have now been over 13,000 visits to the blog, and that I'm "averaging" 200 hits per week. I really can't understand it because I haven't posted anything in forever, and, depending on who you ask, I don't know that I've posted anything of true value.Anyway, I've decided to revive my blog (at least until I get busy again), and I'm going to share some of the things we've been working on in class around integrating new technologies. Specifically, this blog post will be about the video game projects my students have recently created, including the entirety of their assignment.

We just finished creating video games using www.gamestarmechanic.com. This project involved:

reviewing video games and establishing the "success criteria" of a good game;
playing different video games to identify game elements;
working in groups to create a company logo, company name, and video game concept;
write the game narrative;
storyboard 10 levels of the game;
design and create the game in Gamestar Mechanic;
get other students to beta test the games and provide feedback;
publish the game after beta testing;
Use Photoshop to create a video game box cover (front and back)
Host an afternoon of gaming to test other groups' games;
Hold our own video game awards ceremony (as voted on by students).

Here are some of the games students created:

School Library Mural

2011-08-08T20:58:00.000-04:00

I took it upon myself to have a mural painted in our school library this summer. This is a short (2 min) time lapse video of the tiger being painted. The work was done by a former student, Johnathon Callaghan, who is looking to study art or graphic design at university in the near future. The final mural looks AWESOME, and helps me take the library space one step closer to becoming a vibrant, engaging, learning environment for our students.

2011-07-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

We use a lot of technology in my classroom. In this short (10 min) video, my students talk about the different technologies they use and how it has benefited their learning.

Ancient Egypt - Custom Search

2011-01-23T20:22:00.002-05:00

Let's suppose that you want to have young students do some internet research on a topic. Let's suppose that topic is a large one, like Ancient Egypt. How do you help students hone in on relevant information from trusted (and safe) websites while still helping them develop the research skills they need to become independent learners? The answer: Google Custom Search! Below is the custom search I created for my students on Ancient Egypt. Basically, I went ahead and researched some relevant, useful, safe websites and created a "custom search" for my students. They can still use the Google search feature (below), but all of their results will be culled from the websites I selected ahead of time. I don't have to worry about sites with inappropriate advertisements, irrelevant (or erroneous!) content, or information overload. It's the perfect compromise!

If you're interested in creating your own Google Custom Search, visit their website at: http://www.google.com/cse.

Classroom eBooks for the iPad

2010-08-27T19:39:00.006-04:00

Many of you know that I expect to be using a set of iPads in my classroom this year as a literacy instructional device. The idea is to incorporate the iPad as a language instruction tool. The devices will be used for independent reading, guided reading, individual practice, online reading, and more. The iBook app is an excellent eBook reader, but I really want to make use of the digitally enhanced eBooks that are available for the iPad. To date, however, I haven’t found a single online database that lists some of the better digital books. So, I’ve decided to list all of the digital books I would rate as “excellent” (in terms of being engaging, interactive, and unique). I’ve included a YouTube video preview of the app as well. Clicking on the app icon will take you to the AppStore page for that particular app (if available).
I’m sure I’ve missed some, so if you can think of others, feel free to add them in the comments and I'll update the post.
_____________________________________________________________________________

QBooks
by Kiwa media
(excellent collection of books in multiple languages.)
Features:

Personalize each book with ‘this book belongs to ...’ page.
Swipe-to-Read™ the words to hear and playback the story at your own pace.
Touch-to-Hear™ individual words spoken.
Touch-to-Spell™ to hear the letters that spell each and every word.
Auto Play to enjoy the narration.
Use the My Narration function to read and record the story yourself and customize your book.
Paint mode can be used on each story page!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3
by Disney Digital Books

_____________________________________________________________________________

Melvin Says There’s Monsters! (brilliant!)
by Out to Play Entertainment

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Pedlar Lady (new!)
by Moving Tales

_____________________________________________________________________________

Alice in Wonderland
by Atomic Antelope

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jack and the Beanstalk by Ayars Animation Inc.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Violetby My Black Dog Books(some interactivity, but limited)

_____________________________________________________________________________

The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocksby So Ouat! Publishing

_____________________________________________________________________________

Larry Lizardby Wasabi Productions

_____________________________________________________________________________

Pilgrim Progress
by Tako Games (coming soon)

Technorati Tags: iPad Books,eBooks,Education Technology,Education

Classroom Newscast Intro

2010-08-21T20:56:00.001-04:00

Here is the intro segment for our weekly classroom newscast, created, produced, and delivered by students. Parents will be kept abreast of classroom news via these weekly 2-3 minute reports.

Technology Survey

2010-08-19T20:26:00.002-04:00

As part of the pre-assessment activities during the first week of school, I have created a short (17 question) “Technology Survey” for my students. The survey makes use of SMART Notebook and the SMART Response System. The purpose is simple: assess the technologies with which students are familiar in order to determine programming goals for the year. I chose to complete this survey using the SMART Response system (instead of Google Forms or Survey Monkey) as a means of introducing the Response system to students in a non-threatening manner.
The survey can be downloaded by clicking on either image. (5.5 MB .notebook file)

Technorati Tags: Technolgoy Survey,First Week of School,Social Networking survey,SMART Board,SMART Response

21st Century Education in New Brunswick, Canada

2010-08-19T07:45:00.001-04:00

Using Cooliris with the SmartBoard as Presentation Tool

2010-08-14T19:24:00.015-04:00

One of the "coolest" ways to present static information on the SmartBoard interactive white board is by using Cooliris, a web based program that organizes images and video clips into an interative "Wall." Cooliris allows you to visually search information from a number of sites: Google, Bing, Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, and Blinkx. It's a far more interesting way to search for images and video clips than using Google.

Another advantage of Cooliris is that you can display local media (saved on your hard drive) as an interactive wall. I've found that this is an excellent way to present students with information, and I've used it extensively in Art, Math, Science, Geography, and more. Using Cooliris with the SmartBoard allows the teacher to navigate through an entire set of data in an interactive, engaging, non-linear manner. My kids LOVE seeing data presented this way! Below is an example of how one could use Cooliris to present the major art work of Picasso for an art lesson in abstract cubism. (The images displayed are from a Picasa feed; you would replace that with images stored locally on your computer so you can control what gets shown).

If you're tired of PowerPoints, and if you want to deviate from Smart Notebook software every so often, I recommend you consider using Cooliris to "spice up" your presentations. You can find more information about the Cooliris Wall by checking out their website: www.cooliris.com

Technorati Tags: Cooliris,Smart Board,Presentation

Are We Weird? Census At School Program

2010-08-09T21:24:00.001-04:00

Statistics Canada is the governmental body responsible for tracking all kinds of statistical data on Canada’s population. The Census at School program was designed to allow elementary and secondary school students and teachers to make use of real data in their classrooms. This program has an international component, and is run in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. (Programs are expected soon in the United States, Japan, and Ireland). This is the description from their website:

Census at School is an international online project that engages students from grades 4 to 12 in statistical enquiry. The project began in the United Kingdom in 2000 and now includes participation from schools in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Students in each participating country anonymously fill in an online survey in class. They answer non-confidential questions about topics such as their height, the time it takes to travel to school, and their favourite subject at school. The responses become part of a national database, which is later added to an international database that is maintained in the United Kingdom.
Teachers can access the results of their own class' survey in the form of a spreadsheet to use in teaching. Students enjoy comparing their class data to summary tables of Canadian results. They can also request random responses from the international database to compare themselves with students in other countries.
Some of the questions on the Canadian survey are common to all participating countries; others were developed in Canada. None of the survey questions asks for confidential or identifiable personal information. Responses remain anonymous as no names or identification numbers are attached to them.
This project combines fun with learning, to the delight of hundreds of thousands of students around the world who have already participated. They discover how to use and interpret data about themselves as part of their classroom learning in math, social sciences or information technology. They also learn about the importance of the national census in providing essential information for planning education, health, transportation and many other services.
Census at School offers students a golden opportunity to be involved in the collection and analysis of their own data and to experience what a census is like.

The following lesson idea was adopted from the StatsCan “How Weird Is Our Class?” activity. In this activity, students complete an online survey, the results of which are added to the aggregate data for all students nationwide. This information can then be used and analyzed to ask interesting research questions in order to determine if the students in one’s class are “weird” (i.e., different) in comparison to the “average” student in Canada (or in other countries for that matter).

I’ve done this activity with my students for the past four years—it is one they really enjoy. This year, I’ve decided to modify the components of this activity to include more use of social media and other technology. Below I have listed my initial thoughts on how to take this activity to the next level. My reasons for posting this here is twofold: (1) to share an idea and resource that others may not be aware of; and (2) to get feedback on social media technologies I may not have considered. If you have suggestions, please feel free to comment or tweet me.

You can find the complete list of activities from StatsCan by clicking here.

Gathering the Data

Complete the Census at School online survey and share results with partner schools.
Create a Google Form survey and distribute to partner schools in different cities/provinces/countries.
Create survey and administer face-to-face via Skype.
Collaborate via Google Docs (or Google Wave, before it disappears!)

Analyzing the Data

Use TinkerPlots to analyze the data and make inferences.
Discuss data and inferences with small collaborative groups via Skype.

Presenting the Data

Create a Glogster poster to present the data, including ramifications of findings.
Compose a blog entry on the “results” of the “study.”
Hold a Skype “Press Conference” with a collaborating school in another city/province/country to present findings.
Create a Prezi
Create a Video Podcast in the style of a “news conference”
Create an audio “news cast” informing students of the research results. (e.g., “Recent research shows that blue-eyed boys at our school have more allergies than other boys …”)

Getting Feedback?

Blog comment feedback.
Google Docs comment feedback.
Post presentation to VoiceThread and ask for feedback.
Post on Class Facebook page and ask for feedback.

First Week of School – Some Activities

2010-08-08T19:58:00.002-04:00

If you’re not already part of my Professional Learning Network (PLN), please consider joining by following me on Twitter!
I’m always eager to learn from and share with other creative educators from around the globe!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

I have only one goal for the first week of school: establish the rules and expectations by which the class will operate for the remainder of the year. By the end of the first week, my students will understand that: (a) they will learn a lot this year and (b) that they will have a tremendous amount of fun in the process. As such, every activity I undertake during the first week of school is designed to reinforce these two objectives. In the interest of information-exchange and idea-sharing, I have posted below some of the activities I have planned for the start of this school year.
1. Facebook Wall

Students will complete the custom MS Publisher template during the first week. (This includes taking one another’s photo, and importing it into the document). Once completed, these Facebook “pages” will be affixed to a wall outside of the classroom. Students must then find three “connections” with other students, which they will indicate by attaching a yellow string from their profile to the other profile(s). These connections should revolve around personal interests and commonalities so as to reflect a sense of community.
As part of this activity, students will be required to take one another’s photographs. These photos will be used throughout the year in a number of different activities.
2. SMART™ Board Activities
Agenda, Language Block Organizer, and Participation Matrix (8 MB)
As a SMART™ Certified Trainer, I integrate the use of my SMART™ Board throughout the day, in all subjects. In order to get students to interact with the technology, I have several activities for them to complete during the first week of school. Below you will find just three examples, which you can download by clicking on the corresponding image. The image to the left includes three notebook pages that I will use during the year to organize students throughout the day: the “Agenda” with highlighter; the Language Block organizer; and the Participation Matrix.

Mr. Rolo SMART™ Response Super Quiz (15 MB)
If you don’t have the SMART Response System in your classroom, I encourage you to contact your local SMART products supplier and request to trial the product. Students absolutely love using the response system because it provides them with immediate feedback on their learning. I love using the system because it allows me to assess students learning on the fly so I can adjust my instruction accordingly. The “Mr. Rolo Super Quiz” is a simple get-to-know-me type of activity designed to be used with the SMART Response system. Students quickly learn how to use the response clickers in this non-threatening activity. (Plus, they learn a bit about me in the process).

Family Guy Multi-Purpose Board Game (1.5 MB)
This is a multi-purpose game board whose pieces are the main characters from the Family Guy cartoon (which my Grade 8 students loved). I’ve colour coded each space, which can then be used to represent a category of questions if necessary.
Caveat: The cartoon “Family Guy” often contains crude humour and may not be suitable for younger students.

The “Would You Rather…” Koosh-Ball Game
This is an ice-breaker activity that can be adapted for other purposes. Using a Koosh Ball (and only a Koosh ball!), students take turns throwing the ball at the SMART Board. The ball makes contact with a coloured bubble, which is linked to a page that contains a “Would You Rather…” question. You can replace the questions with your own, or with curriculum content for review. My students love being able to throw the ball at the SMART Board—especially the boys!

3. TRIBES Agreements
My classroom is a TRIBES classroom, and my school is a TRIBES school. As such, the first week of school is spent reinforcing the four TRIBES agreements: (1) Mutual Respect; (2) Attentive Listening; (3) No Put Downs; and (4) the Right to Pass.
My absolute favourite TRIBES activity to do during the first week of school is the Ideal Classroom activity. In this activity, students are asked to work in small groups to design their ideal classroom. They are asked to discuss the following question: “What would your ideal classroom look like? Sound like? Feel like?” Students work on the assumption that they are building a new classroom and that money is no object. What would they include in the classroom? What would the physical layout be? What kinds of things would they learn about? What would they eliminate from the curriculum? What would they include? I learn a great deal about my students’ interests and tastes in this short activity.

4. Cooperative Games and Initiative Tasks
Like many teachers, I take the first week of school to play a number of cooperative games with my students, as well as have them complete different initiative tasks. In fact, these activities span the entire first month of school. Over the first week, they will participate in at least 2 such activities every day. The goal of the cooperative games and initiative tasks is to foster team work, build trust, and exercise problem-solving skills. Among other activities, my favourites are:

Team Ski Race
Balloon Puzzle Relay
Helium Stick
“I Like My Friend Who…”
Bombardment (Dodgeball game)

5. Setup Classroom Technology
Finally, I use the first week of school to have students set themselves up with the technology we will be using throughout the year. This includes, among other things, having students setup their blogs and Gmail accounts, as well as having them complete the iLearn @ Uyen Student Technology Use Survey and the Reading Survey. Both of these surveys will provide me with important data on how to structure some of the lessons and activities throughout the year.

Technorati Tags: Smart Board,Education,Education Technology,School,First Week of School

Facebook Template – First Week of School Activity

2010-07-30T18:33:00.007-04:00

Considering that many of my students are interacting on social networks nowadays, I decided to create a Facebook Template for students to complete as part of the “getting-to-know-you” activities I have planned for the first week of school. The template is in MS Publisher format, and students will be expected to personalize the template to include their picture and some interesting information about themselves. Unbeknownst to them, I expect to ascertain from this activity:
(a) a rough level of proficiency with computers in general, and Publisher in particular;
(b) the number of students who struggle with brainstorming ideas and creative writing tasks; and
(c) the number of students who have difficulty with writing conventions (including spelling, grammar, sentence mechanics, etc.)

The template can be downloaded by clicking on the image.

iPod Learning Project

2010-07-27T00:03:00.001-04:00

Last year, I helped implement an iPod Touch learning project with students diagnosed with ADHD and other co-morbid learning disabilities. The goal of the project (which I dubbed iLearn@Amethyst) was to provide students with instruction on how to use the iPod Touch as a both a learning and organizational tool. The project was highly successful—so much so that I am looking to replicate it’s outcomes with a new iPad Literacy Project.

A simple Google search for “learning apps” or “iPod education” or something along those lines will yield a tremendous amount of information. For anyone interested in implementing the use of iPod Touch devices as learning and organizational tools, I have prepared a short list of the apps I found most useful during the initial stages of our project. We used over 140 applications for a variety of purposes, but the following list details only those applications we used regularly. Clicking on the app icon will take you to the App Store page for that app.

As part of the project, students had to prepare an “app review” using this template.

App Name

Description

App Name: AwesomeNote +ToDo

Awesome Note is an innovative note taking application and to-do manager that allows you to combine notes with to-do flexibility. You can customize each folder by changing the folder name, colour, and icon. You can also decide whether you want to use the organizer as a To-Do List, Post-It Note Memo, or combination of both. AwesomeNote allows you to send notes with photo attachments as an email, as well as synchronize with Google Docs or Evernote. The App will tell you when you have upcoming assignments, as well as when you have overdue items. It is very easy to use, and very useful for keeping track of school assignments. The full app costs $3.99, and is worth every penny. (You can also try the Lite version, which is Free!)

App Name: Dragon Dictate and Dragon Search

Made by Nuance, the speech-to-text engine for both apps is highly sophisticated and accurate. This app was indispensible for students with a learning disability because they could simply dictate their notes into their iPod. The notes can then be emailed, copied into DocsToGo (see below), or posted as a To-Do in AwesomeNote. Dragon Search (a separate app) allows the student to search for online content using their voice. A student dictates their search string, and the app simultaneously searches Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, and Twitter for the content requested.

Both apps require a WiFi connection.

App Name: Dictionary.com

The free Dictionary.com app delivers trusted reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, including nearly 1,000,000 words and definitions and 90,000 synonyms and antonyms. No Internet connection is needed (except to hear the audio pronunciation of a word). The app also features audio pronunciations, similarly spelled words and Dictionary.com’s popular Word of the Day that is enjoyed by millions of people.

App Name: Voice Memo

This app comes with the iPod Touch. Using a microphone equipped headset (available with the 32GB iPod), students can require audio voice notes/memos. These notes can be stored on the iPod or emailed as audio attachments.

App Name: Speak It! 2

This app uses a sophisticated speech engine to read back any text in a clear, natural sounding voice. Students used this app to copy text from emails, online news articles, or documents, and listen to the text read to them. For students with a learning disability and with language deficits, this app allows them to access texts that would otherwise be inaccessible to them because of their reading level.

App Name: Flashcard Touch

Flashcard Touch is a simple and intuitive learning tool that helps students memorize vocabularies, sight words, content-specific definitions, or just about anything you can put on a piece of index card! With Flashcard Touch, a student has instant access to millions of pre-made flashcards from the Quizlet community, the largest online flashcard sharing community with 800,000+ registered users.

App Name: Documents To Go (DocsToGo)

Students used this app to:
• EDIT, create & view Word files (including Word 2007, 2008, 2010)
• EDIT, create & view Excel spreadsheets (including Excel 2007, 2008, 2010)
• View PDF, PowerPoint, iWork & other files
• Send & receive attachments using the device's built-in Mail app

The app includes a desktop application (Win & Mac) that allows for two-way file sync (Wi-Fi required).

App Name: PopMath

Pairs of bubbles float on the screen and the student’s goal is to pop each pair. For example, one bubble says "7" and another says "3+4". Simply touch one bubble and then the other to pop them both. At any time, a student can choose different operators: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Once a student has popped all pairs on a level, he or she will see his or her time for that level and can move on to the next level, or keep practicing that level. New levels increase the numbers shown in the bubbles, up to 1000 for addition/subtraction and 20 for multiplication/division. We used this primarily to practice multiplication facts in the “mad minute” style of review.

App Name: Memory Matrix and Memory Pro

Similar to the card game “concentration, both apps work on improving student working memory by challenging them to remember patterns or pairs of identical cards.

App Name: Wikipanion

Accessing Wikipedia has never been faster and easier than with Wikipanion, designed for easy, search, navigation and display of Wikipedia entries. Streamline your browsing with history grouped by visit date, and bookmarking that not only bookmarks individual entries, but individual sections within an entry.

App Name: Facebook for iPhone

The Facebook app makes it easy to stay connected and share information using the popular social networking site. Students can use their iPods to start a conversation with Facebook Chat, check theirs friends' latest photos and status updates, and, of course, access (read and create) content on the class Facebook page.

App Name: Qbism

Qbism is a unique and challenging 3D puzzle game like no other! Many students (particularly those with a learning disability) have difficulty with visual-spatial tasks. This fun application allows them to challenge their visual-spatial perception in an interesting and interactive way. The app comes with over 100 puzzles to complete.

App Name: Sight Words Unlimited

This app allows the teacher or student to enter as many sight words (or vocabulary words) as they want on the affiliated website and then, within seconds, those words are downloaded onto the iPod.

App Name: Text Plus+ (also: Group Text Plus+)

This app provides free and unlimited text messaging, including 1-to-1 conversations or one-to-many (i.e., group) conversations. Students used this app to communicate with each other and respond to assignments/activities in class.

App Name: Word Scramble (multiple versions)

Scramble is a fast and fun game of finding words in a jumbled grid. It is very similar to Boggle and students found it very enjoyable.

Technorati Tags: iPod,iPod Touch,iPod education,mobile learning apps,iPod classroom,digital learning,digital classroom

Teaching Boys: The Nine Books Every Teacher Should Read

2010-07-24T20:07:00.001-04:00

The following is a list of nine books that anyone involved in education, interested in boys’ learning, or in any way responsible for influencing the cognitive development of young boys and young men should read. This is in no way an exhaustive list of the resources available; but it certainly provides a good overview of the thinking and practice in this field.

Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy, and Popular Culture by Thomas Newkirk.

Post-Columbine has been a time when the issues of popular culture and the behavior of boys have generated more heat than light. This complex, contested intersection has led to censorship and worse-alarm, irrationality, and a failure to examine our ways of teaching, particularly teaching literacy to boys. In this book Tom Newkirk takes an up-close and personal look at elementary boys and their relationship to sports, movies, video games, and other venues of popular culture. Unlike the alarmists, he sees these media not as enemiesof literacy, but as resources for literacy.

Through a series of extraordinary interviews, Newkirk listens to young boys, and girls, who describe the pleasure they take in popular culture. They explain the ways in which they use visual narratives in their writing. They even defend their use of violence in their work. Newkirk disproves the simplistic stereotype of boys who are primed to imitate the violence they see. He shows that, rather than mimic, boys most often transform, recombine, and participate in story lines, and resist, mock, and discern the unreality of icons of popular culture.

Using a mixture of memoir, research project, cultural analysis, and critique of published findings, Newkirk encourages schools to ask questions about what counts as literacy in boys and what doesn't, to allow in their literacy programs boys' diverse tastes, values, and learning styles. In other words, if we want boys to join "the literacy club," then we have to invite them in with genres of their own choosing.

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Dan Kindlon and Michael G. Thompson

Boys suffer from a too-narrow definition of masculinity, the authors assert as they expose and discuss the relationship between vulnerability and developing sexuality, the "culture of cruelty" boys live in, the "tyranny of toughness," the disadvantages of being a boy in elementary school, how boys' emotional lives are squelched, and what we, as a society, can do about all this without turning "boys into girls." "Our premise is that boys will be better off if boys are better understood--and if they are encouraged to become more emotionally literate," the authors assert. As a tool for change, Kindlon and Thompsom present the well-developed "What Boys Need," seven points that reach far beyond the ordinary psychobabble checklist and slogan list. Kindlon (researcher and psychology professor at Harvard and practicing psychotherapist specializing in boys) and Thompson (child psychologist, workshop leader, and staff psychologist of an all-boys school) have created a chilling portrait of male adolescence in America. Through personal stories and theoretical discussion, this well-needed book plumbs the well of sadness, anger, and fear in America's teenage sons.

Teaching the Male Brain: How Boys Think, Feel, and Learn in School by Abigail Norfleet James.

This practical guide to teaching boys combines classic and cutting-edge research to show you why males learn differently and, more important, how you can differentiate teaching strategies to help them succeed in the classroom.

The author's qualitative and quantitative research presents the cognitive, sensory, physical, social, and emotional differences between genders. James draws from years of classroom experience to offer strategies that have been tested, refined, and used successfully in the field. This easy-to-use handbook provides helpful examples, case studies, and troubleshooting sections illustrating how to handle the concerns that can arise when teaching boys.

Teaching the Male Brain shows you how to recognize sociological and neurobiological foundations of cognitive gender differences as they relate to education look critically at curricula and teaching practices, evaluate how well they work with boys, and uncover areas where changes can be made develop educational approaches based on research and classroom practice to provide a climate responsive to the learning differences of both boys and girls

Learn to use this brain-based research to provide appropriate and positive learning experiences for students in your classroom!

Boy Writers: Reclaiming their Voices by Ralph Fletcher

Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices begins with a the author's moment of realization that boys were turned off, checked out, disengaged, and disenfranchised when it came to writing. This book is a response to that realization, and it attempts to provide readers with a relevant introduction to the topic of boys' literacy, classroom strategies for engaging and valuing boys' perspectives, and useful anecdotes about boys' writing. Fletcher begins by relating the results of a survey he put together that addressed '"teacher's perceptions of the boy writers with whom they work.” He received seventy-one responses to his survey, and the findings showed that the teachers saw the girls in their classrooms engaged and enjoying writing much more than boys. Fletcher corroborates his survey's findings with other relevant data, as well as first-hand anecdotes from writing teachers. Boy Writers covers a broad range of topics relevant to boys' literacy, including student choice, violent writing, language issues, humor, student/teacher interactions during writing conferences, and even handwriting.

The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do by Peg Tyre.

In a spinoff from her 2006 cover story for Newsweek, “The Boy Crisis,” Tyre delivers a cogent, reasoned overview of the current national debate about why boys are falling behind girls' achievement in school and not attending college in the same numbers. While the education emphasis in the 1990s was on helping girls succeed, especially in areas of math and science, boys are lagging behind, particularly in reading and writing; parents and educators, meanwhile, are scrambling to address the problems, from questioning teaching methods in preschool to rethinking single-sex schools. Tyre neatly sums up the information for palatable parental consumption: although boys tend to be active and noisy, and come to verbal skills later than girls, early-education teachers, mostly female, have little tolerance for the way boys express themselves. The accelerated curriculum and de-emphasis on recess do not render the classroom boy friendly, and already set boys up for failure that grows more entrenched with each grade. Tyre touches on important concerns about the lack of male role models in many boys' lives, the perils of video-game obsession and the slippery dialogue over boys' brains versus girls' brains. Tyre treads carefully, offering a terrifically useful synthesis of information.

Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Dr. Leonard Sax.

Something scary is happening to boys today. From kindergarten to college, American boys are, on average, less resilient and less ambitious than they were a mere twenty years ago. The gender gap in college attendance and graduation rates has widened dramatically. While Emily is working hard at school and getting A’s, her brother Justin is goofing off. He’s more concerned about getting to the next level in his videogame than about finishing his homework. Now, Dr. Leonard Sax delves into the scientific literature and draws on more than twenty years of clinical experience to explain why boys and young men are failing in school and disengaged at home. He shows how social, cultural, and biological factors have created an environment that is literally toxic to boys. He also presents practical solutions, sharing strategies which educators have found effective in re-engaging these boys at school, as well as handy tips for parents about everything from homework, to videogames, to medication.

The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and in Life by Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens.

Gurian and Stevens investigate the "male learning style" that is so often at odds with current educational practices, leaving the mistaken impression that boys are difficult to manage and teach. The authors begin by detailing the crisis faced by boys--lower grades, greater discipline problems, higher dropout rates. They then explore research on the differences between the male and the female brain that account for their differences in conforming to current teaching methods. Throughout the book, Gurian and Stevens offer advice to parents and teachers on how to encourage learning based on the particular strengths of boys, from bursts of attention and physical play with infant boys to appropriate discipline as they grow older to developing a more boy-friendly curriculum at schools. The authors emphasize that their strategies are aimed at boosting the learning and academic performance of boys without disadvantaging girls in any way. Parents and teachers concerned about teaching and disciplining boys will appreciate this thought-provoking perspective.

Boys and Girls Learn Differently!:A Guide for Teachers and Parents by Michael Gurian.

Despite feminism and efforts to desexualize teaching, boys and girls persistently exhibit different learning styles. Based on two decades of research in 30 cultures around the world and the observations made at the Michael Gurian Institute at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, this book explores the reasons for those differences in processing information and learning. Part 1 examines research on the brain that indicates physical differences, such as male brains being larger and female brains maturing earlier. Part 2 offers practical, grade-level-appropriate advice for developing learning environments that accommodate boys' and girls' differing learning styles. The book notes the fundamental differences--boys are more active and physical, girls more verbal and social--but cautions against stereotyping children and neglecting the individuality of specific kids. It outlines the components of the "ultimate classroom," one that supports both sexes in learning, and illustrates with actual classroom experiences. Helpful tables outline different strategies, and the book encourages teaching teachers to "mentor both aggression and empathy." Useful for parents and teachers alike.

Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood by William Pollack.

In a lucidly written primer for parents, Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor Pollack dismantles what he terms "the Boy Code"— society's image of boys as tough, cool, rambunctious and obsessed with sports, cars and sex. These stereotypes, he argues, thwart creativity and originality in boys. Linking clinical insights to practical suggestions, Pollack advises caregivers how to help boys repair their fragile self-esteem, develop empathy and explore their sensitive sides. Drawing on his clinical experience as well as an ongoing Harvard research project, he offers advice on "attention deficit disorder"—which, he maintains, is often a misdiagnosis for normal high-energy behavior—recognizing signs of depression, discouraging violence and helping boys cope with their parents' divorce. In discussing homosexuality, he notes that many of the assumptions of the psychiatric profession have been shown to be incorrect, such as that homosexuality was abnormal, a psychological disorder. Pollack's glorification of sports as an arena for self-transformation and emotional openness is counterbalanced by his recognition that athletics often encourages brutal competitiveness. His proposal that schools adopt curricula "on traditionally 'male' and 'female' topics" to spark separately the interests of boys and girls seems at odds with his own imperative to break through gender stereotypes. On balance, though, his manual is enlightening and stimulating.

If you are interested in adolescent cognitive development in general, I also suggest the following titles.

Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences by Dr. Leonard Sax
Nurture the Nature: Understanding and Supporting Your Child's Unique Core Personality by Michael Gurian
Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps—And What We Can Do About It by Lise Eliot.
The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids by Barbara Strauch
Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain by David Walsh.
Teen Brain, Teen Mind: What Parents Need to Know to Survive the Adolescent Years by Dr. Ron Clavier.
Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men by Michael Kimmel.

Technorati Tags: Boys learning,Cognitive Development,Teaching Boys,Boys education crisis

SMART Table Resources

2010-07-23T20:34:00.001-04:00

Started development of the SMART Table Resources site today. I’ve already put together two activities for Grade 5 Math, but I won’t be uploading anything until I have a good “bank” of resources to offer. But I’m excited about this.

I was also excited to reach my 100 Twitter followers milestone today (101, actually), only to be disappointed that I had to delete two followers because they were peddling porn. :( So now I’m at the depressing 99 follower mark. Feel free to tip the scale to 100 for me! :) (twitter.com/danielrolo)

SMART Table Resources and Flipboard App for iPad

2010-07-21T19:07:00.001-04:00

I have decided to make a change to my blog. At present, the blog is more reflective of my personal life and my experiences teaching. I’m going to modify the blog (or perhaps create a completely new one) so that it becomes an online resource for SMART Table and SMART Notebook activities. I will first start focusing on uploading content for the SMART Table for junior/intermediate grades because there is currently very little content available considering that the SMART Table was designed for the primary grades. I’m thinking I’ll start with Science content, and then go to Math and Language. I think I may be aiming too high, but I’m setting my targets as follows:

1. Have 20+ resources available online by December 2010.
2. Have 50+ resources available online by the end of this academic year (June 2011).
3. Increase web traffic to 50+ visits/month by June 2011.
4. Link the blog with my Twitter account, and increase followers to 500+ by June 2011.

Having piloted the use of the SMART Table with a Grade 8 classroom, I saw the tremendous potential of this technology to enhancing student learning. Unfortunately, I also spent countless hours developing every activity from scratch because the pre-made activities that are available are targeted only for the primary grades. It’s my goal to create a repository of content that geared exclusively for the junior/intermediate learner.

My greatest fear is that I won’t be able to maintain the level of energy needed to make this happen. Those of you who know me well know that I’m always working at 150% capacity, and I’m not sure how I’m going to “fit” this in to my already jam-packed schedule. But perhaps stating these goals publicly I will have the added incentive to stay on target.

If you want to know when the new blog is launched, and when the resources go online, I suggest you follow me on Twitter (@danielrolo) by clicking the button above.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

On another note: I’m now running the new Flipboard app on the iPad. This is probably my favourite app to date! If you own an iPad, you should definitely be getting this one! (It’s free!) If you don’t own an iPad, why the heck not? ;)

“Wish You Were Dead” by Todd Strasser – iLearn@Uyen Blog – Twitter

2010-07-20T19:51:00.001-04:00

Finished reading the first “easy” read of the summer: the teen fiction Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser. As you know, Strasser is one of my favourite young adult novelists, and I’ve enjoyed his other works (If I Grow Up, Boot Camp, Give A Boy A Gun), which is why I picked up this book a couple of months ago. The story itself is quite good and has a I Know What You Did Last Summer feel to it. Basically, an anonymous blogger (Str-S-d) wishes a popular girl at school would die. The girl in question, Lucy, ends up disappearing. Eventually, more popular students disappear, and Madison Archer, the main character, is left to solve the mystery before things get worse.

Overall, the novel is quite good and the pace/development of the plot is perfect for a quick read. I wasn’t too pleased with the ending—a bit too clichéed and predictable—but the action of the plot kept me turning pages. I was up until 1:40AM yesterday reading!

Like all of his other words I’ve read (excluding Can’t Get There from Here), I highly recommend this book.

On another note: I’ve finished redesigning and updating the class portal for my Grade 5s next year. You can check it out here: http://ilearn-uyen.blogspot.com, and feel free to inbox me with a comment.

Ever since I started using Twitter more seriously, I have been glued to my TweetDeck—so much so that I check my tweets 10-12 a day! I think I’m addicted to information! BUT, I’ve learned more about education, educational practice, technology, and digital media in the past two weeks of using Twitter than I have in the past two years! I’m serious! I feel a tad overwhelmed with the information that flies my way, and I’m learning to refine my Twitter use, but I’m definitely learning A LOT! I re-tweet a lot of good information, so if you’re inclined, feel free to follow me at http://twitter.com/danielrolo (@danielrolo).

The Empathic Civilisation

2010-07-20T11:18:00.000-04:00

Another brilliant presentation.

The Secret Powers of Time

2010-07-20T11:14:00.000-04:00

Brilliant. A MUST watch!

Personal QR code.

2010-07-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

Use your smartphone QR code scanner to scan my personal QR code. :)

HTC Legend, Insanity Workout, Teaching Spillover, and TEDxDetroit!

2010-07-15T18:23:00.003-04:00

Well, after several weeks of “researching,” I finally decided on upgrading my phone to the new HTC Legend smartphone. Initially, I was going to buy the HTC hd2 or the Evo, but considering that neither is available in Canada and would cost me roughly $700 to import, I decided I didn’t really “need” those two phones that badly. (Although I really want them!) Anyway, I’m very happy with the HTC Legend. I’m also excited about the augmented reality functionality provided by the junaio app. Very cool indeed.

My Insanity workouts have slowed. Basically: I’m in pain! lol I don’t think I’m getting enough protein in my diet because I’m experiencing slower than normal recovery times. So I think I’m going to look into some protein supplements.

This morning I got a Friend Request from a former student of mine. We chatted for a bit, and she told me that I was her favourite teacher and that I made learning “exciting.” How sweet. Interestingly enough, I read an article that came across my twitter feed (@danielrolo) about 5 minutes after my chat with her. It’s entitled “The Teacher Spillover Effect” and talks about how outstanding teachers improve the quality of education in a school by forcing their colleagues to improve their own practice. This is a decent website for education-related articles, and you can read the article in question by following this link: http://www.teachhub.com/news/article/cat/14/item/265

Lastly, I’ve applied to participate in this year’s TEDx conference in Detroit! I’m hoping I’m “selected” because it should prove to be interesting. I’m always fascinated by the ideas that get presented at TED, and I would love to participate in one of their conferences.

World Cup and xtranormal

2010-07-11T19:51:00.002-04:00

Like a good percentage of the world's population, I stopped to watch today's World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain. I'm happy with the results (Spain clearly outplayed Holland).

I also discovered this awesome new website that I'm going to somehow incorporate into my class next year. It's called Xtranormal.com and it's slogan is "If you can type, you can make a movie." It's really simple to use and, as it turns out, there are TONNES of user-created examples on YouTube. Here's the short video I made (in 10 min).

Insanity Workout, Dr. William Lane Craig, School Funding, Formspring, and Technology Suicide.

2010-07-10T18:07:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I started the Insanity workout program. I made two mistakes. First, I started the program about 15 minutes after I finished eating breakfast, which meant that 20 minutes into the routine, I felt so sick I had to stop. Second, I overexerted myself (as I’m prone to do with everything I do) and I didn’t cool down, which means today I’m in ridiculous pain. EVERY muscle in my body—particularly my lower body and core—feels likes it’s about to collapse any second. I can barely move. On the brighter side, I did spend most of the day reading.

About a month ago I watched an hour long “debate” between self-proclaimed atheist, Christopher Hitchens, and Christian apologist, Dr. William Lane Craig. (I hesitate to call it a debate because Hitchens failed to make any logical, philosophically sound arguments—he preferred to rank, albeit politely). Two things came about from that debate: (1) Dr. Craig became my new hero; and (2) I decided to read up on modern Christian apologetics. To that end, I am currently reading Dr. Craig’s book, Good is Great, God is Good: Why Believing in God is Reasonable and Responsible, and I’ve ordered his most recent work, On Guard. Now, as a devout practicing Roman Catholic, I’m rather biased against “new age” atheism (in all it’s incarnations). But I’m also an academic, and I indulge in philosophically rigorous argumentation. From that perspective, Dr. Craig’s book is, perhaps, the most intellectually satisfying book I’ve read in a long time. His arguments for the existence of God are, in my opinion, irrefutable. I highly recommend this book.

I finally finished the three funding applications I’ve been working on for three weeks now. Having been in contact with the granting committee, I’m quite hopeful about receiving the grants, which should total close to $6000. Yay! Now that that’s finished, I can relax for a month and not think about school-related stuff. :) Maybe I will meet my 30 book summer reading goal after all?

I’ve re-opened my formspring account (http://formspring.me/danrolo) and I’m always surprised at the questions people ask! If you’re so inclined, leave me an anonymous question and I’ll post a reply.

Lastly, I think I’m officially addicted to social media technology. I’ve started keeping track of the amount of time I spend online (not doing school-related stuff) and I’m up to about 6 hours a day! That includes checking and responding to email, Facebook, twitter, Google Reader, blogging, reading tech- and non-tech related articles, and maintaining the website. I’ve seriously started to consider committing social media suicide and just delete all of my accounts and cancel my internet. Bah … who am I kidding? … I could never do that!

Something foul this way comes ...

2010-07-09T22:06:00.003-04:00

Somethings up.... I've had unusually high traffic on the blog this month and I haven't even been posting. I've logged several IP addresses (London, St. Mary's, Hanover) visiting multiple times each day. Strange ....

Summer Reading

2010-07-09T16:17:00.001-04:00

Okay, it became abundantly clear to me that I won’t be able to finish my 30 book summer reading list. I’ve simply been ridiculously busy working on other projects (not the least of which involves reworking my website, building the iLearn@Uyen class portal, creating my first iPod app, and writing three funding proposals for technology for my class). Nevertheless, I have managed to finish the following two books.

The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan

This is a decent stand-alone fantasy that draws rather heavily from the questing theme in Huckleberry Finn. I love Darren Shan’s work, having read the complete Demonata and Cirque du Freak series. I finished the book in a little over 7 hours of reading (spread over two days) and it was enjoyable. Having read Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time fantasy series, though, I found this book rather simplistic. Shan begins and ends a massive quest in one book. The story went by far too quickly for me, and I thought not enough time was dedicated to adding the level of nuance and detail that makes most fantasy worlds believable and enjoyable. I think Shan dropped the ball on this one by limiting it to a one-shot deal and not leaving himself the ability to write a follow up.

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha.

This is a neat little book that follows up on the 1000awesomethings.com website. Basically, it’s a collection of life’s simple pleasures—things that make life awesome. I picked it up because it was recommended by Heather Reisman. All in all, a fun little read which can be read quickly, or savoured over time by reading a short (and I mean short!) chapter or two every night.

Some Updates

2010-07-09T15:07:00.002-04:00

Obviously, I've made some updates to the blog.

Check out also the iLearn @ Uyen blog that will go active in September:
http://ilearn-uyen.blogspot.com

Lastly, I've also updated my main website. Check it out:
http://danielrolo.com

Playing to Learn? Prezi

2010-07-02T22:20:00.001-04:00

Playing to Learn? on Prezi

My Cooliris Wall

2010-05-09T10:34:00.001-04:00

Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T10:47:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter! :)

It’s been a busy Easter weekend for me. So far, I’ve spent most of it working on my fifth (and final!) SMARTBoard Workshop for Monday. You would think that I wouldn’t have much to do considering that I have my presentation files from the previous workshops; but, unlike every other normal person in the world, I actually re-build my presentation from scratch every time. Maybe that’s why they’re so good? (If I do say so myself!) :) Anyway, I worked on it for most of Saturday, and I’ll finish it up sometime tomorrow.

Also ordered my new Apple iPad yesterday! I should receive it by April 20th, but I will be REALLY ticked off if it is back ordered; especially if it gets delivered after they go on sale in Canada. But I’m pretty sure that won’t happen. I also spent part of Saturday download/updating the apps on my iPod Touch for use at school. My kids get their iPods on Tuesday, and I want them up and running right away. I’ve already started working on a grant proposal for next year to bring iPods (and iPads!) into the classroom as a pilot project back in my home board. We’ll see how that goes.

Going to see my godson, Raphael, today before he heads back to Windsor. He’s growing so fast! But he’s the cutest thing ever!

I’m now on day four of nursing what I’m sure is a fractured rib cage. Last Thursday I decided to join my boys for a game of flags, which turned into a game of tackle flags. (Why my kids feel the need to “prove” their strength by trying to tackle me, I’ll never know). Anyways, I’m too fast and too strong to get tackled by a 13-year-old, but I was tripped by one of my kids (who was on my team!!) as I tried to avoid a collision with another kid from the other team. End result: I tried to minimize the damage to the kid I would have landed on, so I twisted my upper body to land on my right side—hard. I thought nothing of it at the time, but I woke up Friday morning with a HUGE pain in my rib cage. It’s like a constant pain of 6/7 (out of 10), which jumps to an 8/9 when I breathe deeply. It got worse on Saturday, but it feels better today. Damn kids. :)

Lastly, I bought a iPod case and a pack of screen protectors yesterday, which I spent about 40 minutes trying to put on without having bubbles on the screen. I didn’t bother to read the instructions (first mistake), so I blew through 3 of the 4 screen protectors before I finally got it right. What a moron, eh?

Happy Easter.

Peace.

End of March Break

2010-03-19T21:33:00.006-04:00

What to blog about today? Well, how about this video one of my former students sent me on using the human body as a computer input device. I'm not really sure what to make of this yet. It's certainly a cool idea, but creeps me out just a tad.

In other technology news, I read about this new online, real-time collaborative writing website (www.etherpad.com) that I plan on implementing in class this coming week. I'm disappointed that Google Wave has so many bugs, so I'm going to see if I can replace it with etherpad.

What else? Well, I haven't managed to read the four books I had planned on reading this March break, but I have started reading a very interesting book titled Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. It's a brilliant study and explanation of why so many boys today get stuck in "perpetual adolescence," failing to grow up into productive, responsible, contributing members of society. I highly recommend the book (particularly if you have, teach, or work with young men).

I finished reading The Invisible Boy, and it wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped. It was heralded as a "dark" version of A Diary of A Wimpy Kid, but it was nowhere near as interesting (or funny) to read. Worth skipping over.

Finally, I read a couple of interesting articles today (Puberty: A Time for Less Learning and Learning May be Tougher for the Teen Brain) as part of my ongoing research in adolescent cognitive development. I always enjoy reading these articles because it reminds me that working with 13-year-olds is sometimes less productive (cognitively speaking) than working with 9-year-olds. (Not that I want to teach Grade 4!) But it still makes me stop and think about my clientele.

Kick Ass Movie

2010-03-18T22:08:00.001-04:00

Some March Break Movies

2010-03-18T22:00:00.001-04:00

Spent some of my free time this March Break catching up on some movies I’ve been meaning to see but haven’t had the chance to. Aside from I.O.U.S.A. and Where the Wild Things Are, the rest were quite good. The movie Moon is a hidden gem—check it out.

Gates versus Jobs

2010-03-18T15:46:00.000-04:00

Ahhh....

iPod Touch crack

2010-03-15T16:08:00.002-04:00

Started my day off by watching my iPod touch fall out of the flap of my laptop bag and onto the floor. No big deal--just 12 cracks in the screen. :( Still works though. But you know me, I can't have a broken iPod, so I went to FutureShop and bought another one (64G this time). Spent the rest of the morning re-syncing all of my iTunes library content to my new iPod. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the old one--I think I'll get it fixed and then give it away....?

Anyway, I'm sure you've heard of SuperNews from current.com. But here's one of their videos in case you haven't. It's worth checking out. :)

Digital Art

2010-03-11T13:03:00.001-05:00

Here's an example of some digital art we worked on in class this week. They're turning out really well! :)

Digital Art

2010-03-07T18:36:00.001-05:00

Well, I’m going to start teaching my kids how to do some digital photo manipulation tomorrow. Here’s an example of our first lesson. The goal is to have the kids create a “Pop Art Cube,” with each face of the cube representing a different digital art technique. Should be interesting.

(Yes, I’m aware that I didn’t use the best picture possible—it’s just an example!)

formspring.me

2010-02-15T12:19:00.001-05:00

Ask me anything anonymously ... http://formspring.me/danrolo

Rolo version 1.0 is dead.

2010-01-29T09:23:00.002-05:00

What once was, is no longer. Rolo version 1.0 is dead; the upgrade is now online. Expect frequent security patches as system glitches are worked out. Customer support is currently unavailable.

Splinter Cell Conviction

2010-01-24T18:40:00.005-05:00

I cannot believe that I am as excited as I am for the release of this video game. I have been waiting for this game for almost 3 years! As of today, there is one month left to go before it is released. Watch the trailer below and feast your eyes and ears on this masterpiece....

Acceptable Use Policy

2010-01-19T09:45:00.001-05:00

Copy of the Acceptable Use Policy:

Microsoft Word document format: AUP.doc
Rich Text Format: AUP.rtf

Hell’s Heroes

2010-01-01T20:21:00.001-05:00

I finished reading Hell’s Heroes by Darren Shan, the final book in the Demonata series. I have to say, it was a very good read. (I hesitate to say “great,” but it was very good!)

I have a POUNDING headache right now, so that is all.

Rumblefish, Hell’s Heroes, and Neurocognitive Science.

2009-12-29T19:38:00.001-05:00

Finished reading Rumblefish by S.E. Hinton last night. I hate to say it, but I didn’t really enjoy it. Even with The Outsiders, I find her writing style very simple and staccato. The themes are great and I think the books are worth reading for that purpose; but the actual writing isn’t what I would call “stellar.”

I’m half way into Hell’s Heroes, the last book in the Demonata series by Darren Shan. I find Shan very easy to read—simple, direct language that appeals to most modern young adult readers. It’s clearly not a sophisticated novel, and Shan won’t go down as a literary great (at least not for these works), but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

I’m officially restless. I can’t wait for school to start up again as I have a million things I want to get done. (I think I might have ADHD…) The funny thing is once school starts up again I’ll be like “How far away is March break?” LOL. I guess it’s the nature of the job. Maybe it’s time to look into doing something else….

I’ve been keeping busy listening to some lectures on neurocognition and psychology these past few days. Some days I REALLY miss being back in a university lecture hall. I often wonder if I’m wasting my time teaching elementary school. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy watching kids make progress (well, for the most part I enjoy it). But I actually feel like my IQ drops a few points every year and that I have to “dumb down” a lot of what I say.

Anyway, I’m contemplating ending the blog in the new year. Haven’t decided anything yet, but I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to it, so it’s probably time to wrap it up. Besides, I think most of you are getting tired of my rants. ;)

Peace.

iLearn@Amethyst and My Blog Readers

2009-12-24T15:45:00.001-05:00

First off, Merry Christmas. :)

Second, I’ve finally finished creating the new iLearn website for the our upcoming iPod Learning Project. The site can be viewed at http://danielrolo.com/iLearn.htm. (See the screen capture below). I’ve disabled the links, but feel free to give feedback on the layout.

Lastly, in honour of my faithful readers (and there are a few dozen of you!), here’s a screen capture of the recent page loads from around the world. Who knew so many people would be interested in absolutely nothing of real value?! LOL! Thanks for reading, though! :)

Conger Eel, Pasteis de Nata, and Galao

2009-12-22T12:13:00.001-05:00

The fish buying frenzy got underway this morning with several bumps in the road. Many of our customers left dissatisfied that we didn’t have any live eel. My parents have been in this business for 30 years now, and this is the FIRST year we didn’t have live eel. For those of you who don’t know, eel is an extremely expensive fish (somewhere in the neighbourhood of $22.00/lb). We did, however, sell quite a bit of Conger Eel (see picture), which is like “big eel” (and equally as expensive).

I’m currently running on 4 “Galão” coffees and 3 “Pasteis de Nata.” I love Christmas! LOL!

Ever the workaholic, I’ve got several lesson ideas ready for the new year. I’ve decided I haven’t done enough visual arts, so we’ll be ramping that up (hopefully once a week).

That’s it for today. Sort of random, but hey …

Peace.

Holiday Reading List 2009

2009-12-19T20:17:00.001-05:00

Here’s the (current) holiday reading list. I’ve already finished “The Book of Samuel,” and I’m about 1/3 of the way through Pink Brain/Blue Brain. Should be no problem meeting my goal… :)

Dan Rolo 2.0

2009-12-18T18:09:00.001-05:00

Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve posted. You’ll forgive me, though, as I’ve been just a tad busy! :) I’m VERY glad that Christmas holidays have started. I’ve needed this break since mid-October. Ugh. I’ve NEVER had a year where I’ve put in more time, effort, and energy and received next to nothing in return. That’s gotta stop. So as of December 31st, Dan Rolo 1.0 will be retired—Dan Rolo 2.0 will go operational on January 1st. I think there will be quite a few people who won’t like the new version….

On a more positive note: I’m pretty sure we have two class sets of iPod Touches being delivered in the new year. I’m looking forward to implementing these in the classroom (assuming my kids can start demonstrating some responsibility).

I have 6 books on my reading list for this Christmas break. Not sure I will actually have time to finish these books this year as I suspect I’ll be busier than I want to be. We’ll see.

That’s it. I have more to say, but no energy available left to say it. :)

Peace.

Teaching the Male Brain, Google Wave, The Outsiders, and Pastel Silhouettes.

2009-12-04T21:18:00.001-05:00

Wow. I’ve been ridiculously busy lately. At least things should be slowing down now, right? Wrong. I’m gone on the 8th to the Instructional Technology Committee meeting where we’ll discuss some of the innovative technologies the PSB should be implementing. I’m hoping to get some word on getting a class set of HP TouchSmart laptops. Then, it’s off to the principal’s meeting on the 14th to present on adolescent male brain development, and the implications of recent neuroscience on teaching practice. I’m actually looking forward to that.

Some cool things going on in school, too. For one, my kids are now using Google Wave, a revolutionary communication technology that isn’t available to the general public just yet. I can’t wait to get deep into this. Should be fun.

I’ve also had Facebook and Twitter unblocked for use at school. We will be doing some neat digital media things this term, and I’m excited to finally have things rolling.

What else? We’re currently making our way through The Outsiders, which I’ve made available to my class on mp3 format so they can follow along while they read. This is a great book, and I’m pretty sure they’re enjoying it. (Actually, I think the ones who are enjoying it the most are the ones who I would never have suspected!)

My kids are awesome and we did some great pastel silhouette artwork today, which I’ve posted below.

2009-11-17T18:17:00.001-05:00

How was your day?

2009-11-16T19:54:00.002-05:00

Hello Grade 8 Superstars!

Leave a comment on this post to tell me how your day went.

See you tomorrow!

Some Random Things

2009-11-07T15:38:00.001-05:00

Well, I figured that I haven't updated this blog in a while and that for the few of you who check in regularly (sometimes multiple times in one day!) I should probably give you something to read.

One new thing going on in my classroom is I have received a Mac computer for use with the Smart Board. You can find a picture of this ginormous machine below. For those of you who know me, I am not switching over to his inferior system; I am simply testing it with the use of the Smart Board for the purpose of instructing during workshops.

Technology classes at St. Mike's school are going well. We have a record number of students enrolled, and our volunteers are doing a fantastic job of helping. It's always nice to see students give up their Saturday mornings to come into school to learn a piece of technology that will assist them in their schoolwork.

As usual, I have a mountain of paperwork to complete this weekend, and I’m planning on starting on report card comments (although I doubt that’s going to happen). Tomorrow I’m heading up to Toronto to preview the Science Centre exhibit Body Worlds so that our kids will get the most out of it. We’ll see how that goes.

Well, that’s about it for today. I have never been more swamped in my life, which explains why I don’t get the chance to update the blog as often as I’d like.

Remembrance Day Assignment

2009-11-01T18:07:00.001-05:00

The SMART Table!

2009-10-30T21:33:00.001-04:00

Well, I got my SMART Table on Wednesday, and I have to say it’s awesome. My kids love it. It’s highly interactive, and it lends itself very well to collaborative learning. It’s going on my “wish list” for technology purchases. :)

Here are some pictures and a video of the kids using the SMART Table.

The Digital Writing Workshop, Google Wave, Skype, and LIVE with the Deputy Minister of Education!

2009-10-25T20:25:00.001-04:00

I’m currently reading The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks, and it’s not nearly as good as I was hoping for. Nevertheless, I’ve gotten a few ideas for some neat digital media projects in class. Can’t wait to start implementing them.

I also took a look today at Google Wave. Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow. I can’t wait until this is rolled out. (I’m looking forward to getting an advance copy, but no guarantees). I already have some ideas on how it can be implemented in the classroom! (Here’s a link to a video that showcases Google Wave. Just be warned that it’s over an hour long!)

I’m back on Skype, after a long hiatus. So if you have skype and want to add me, just search for danrolo.

Tomorrow (Monday) my classroom goes LIVE with the Deputy Minister of Education, the Director of the Provincial Schools, Superintendants, and other dignitaries. We’re demonstrating how to effectively implement the SMARTBoard and SMART Response systems in a classroom, particularly for students with learning disabilities. Should be cool.

Peace.

Worst day of my teaching career?

2009-10-19T21:42:00.001-04:00

Possibly one of the worst teaching days in my short career. My goodness. I can’t give away too many details (for obvious reasons), but I’ll just say that several mistakes were made today that ultimately led to one big mistake. (Not on my part, of course!)

Anyway, on a brighter note: I’ve signed up for a dailybooth.com account because Facebook, Twitter, SlideShare, AirSet, Stickam, Glogster, Blogger, and email don’t take up enough of my “free time.” My dailybooth page is located at: http://www.dailybooth.com/danrolo

I’m presently watching an interesting (if not altogether believable) documentary on the history channel about the Israelite exodus from Egypt. They’re basically re-examining Biblical account of the exodus from a military perspective. They’re trying to make Moses out to be a brilliant military general, and they’re implying that the Israelite people were formidable warriors. I’m not sure I’m convinced by their “evidence,” but it is quite interesting nonetheless.

That’s it for today. I know I’ve become lax in posting, but I have been really busy lately.

Peace.

The most ridiculous award in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-10T11:01:00.001-04:00

Okay. Let me gather my thoughts. President Obama wins a Nobel Peace Prize? Is this a joke? If it is, well, it worked because I did laugh when I first heard this. If it’s not, then I have to truly say that I’ve lost a significant amount of respect for the Nobel committee and how it awards its prizes. After all, what exactly has President Obama done to foster world peace? Can anyone name even one thing? I didn’t think so. In fact, on the day he was awarded with the prize, he was meeting with his war advisors over the US mission in Afghanistan. Very peaceful indeed.

Perhaps I’m the only one (which I highly doubt), but President Obama is more of a celebrity than a true president, in my view.

On another note: some punk kid (22 years old, I think) drove his daddy’s audi into the wall at the trailer park we own. He took out an electrical post and TWO brick walls. Click on the picture below to read the article.

Police College Tornado Fun Run

2009-10-07T21:19:00.001-04:00

Just returned from the Police College Tornado Fun Run. I wasn’t originally going to go because it was supposed to rain, but it didn’t rain so I decided to go last minute. That meant that I had to jog in my school clothes (pants, collared shirt, and sweater). Nevertheless, I still managed to finish a 6km run in 30 min 8 sec. The best part was crossing the finish line ahead of more than one hundred 20-year olds! :-)

Blogs to resume shortly

2009-10-05T21:24:00.001-04:00

For the faithful followers of the blog, I will be resuming posts shortly. Thanks for your patience. (And I’m actually surprised/flattered that many of you continued to check the blog daily despite the fact that I haven’t really posted in forever!)

2009-08-25T18:57:00.004-04:00

Day two of Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition. I spent close to 7 hours rearranging everything. I'm only about half finished:

Logo

2009-08-18T21:19:00.001-04:00

The text is temporary, and this is just a first render, but I'm liking it so far....

Chicago Vortex

2009-08-16T22:49:00.005-04:00

Random vortex opens in downtown Chicago while I was there. :-)

Burn Away

2009-08-15T00:14:00.004-04:00

This video is very short, but believe it or not, this little effect took two days to complete....
Next step: add it to video footage shot on a green screen....

In Chicago and Floating Kids Pics

2009-08-11T09:26:00.004-04:00

I'm in Chicago for SmartBoard certification and so far, I love this city! It's busy, for sure. But VERY nice. Anyway, I don't have much time to blog today, so I'll just post a simple little unedited video made with AfterEffects using pictures of my kids from this past school year. It's not an "impressive" video unless you can appreciate how it was actually created.... Peace.

Hands

2009-08-09T21:00:00.003-04:00

(WARNING: Background song contains inappropriate language for children.)
Some more AfterEffects work. Yes, the first one is terrible--I didn't even line up the corner pins on the image ... Oh well. I fixed that for the embedded video. Anyway, just a couple more things I've learned.

Soul Sucker

2009-08-06T14:09:00.004-04:00

I learned a few more tricks in AfterEffects, and using some masking, motion tracking, distortions, and particle simulations i managed to capture my soul being sucked out of my body. (Suprisingly, this was caught in the summer and not after a regular day at work .... lol!) It's only 12 seconds long, but hey ....

rolo video intro

2009-08-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

I made an intro for all of my "experiments" from now on .... hope you like. (The quality is a bit grainy because it's been lowered for web transfer)

Precursor effect to my own ipod commercial ....

2009-08-04T22:37:00.002-04:00

Believe it or not, the following special effect took me about 2 hours to create, including rendering time! But now that I have the basic structure down, I'm going to use with some motion tracking to make my own ipod commercial. :-)

ipod commercial inspired light streak effect

2009-08-03T20:41:00.003-04:00

Spent some more time today playing around with AfterEffects. I'm getting good at this thing. :-) One of these days I'll pick up a digital video camera and make a short film! Then again, I don't really have that kind of time (or talent!) ... lol

Cloning effect in AECS4

2009-08-02T23:33:00.002-04:00

Using some simple masking to create a cloning effect in Adobe AfterEffects ....

More Tinkering with AfterEffects :-)

2009-08-01T21:45:00.004-04:00

I've been tinkering with Adobe After Effects some more and here's something new I learned how to do. This is going to be part of the media literacy unit for next year. Yes, I'm aware it's not perfect and I've knocked down the video quality for transfer over the web. I did it in about 30 minutes, so you can't expect hollywood blockbuster quality. Anyway, here it is....

Something …

2009-07-24T21:17:00.001-04:00

I’ve given up caffeine and I’m not feeling too good, but I figured I should post something. So, here’s something.

Brüno

2009-07-21T22:54:00.001-04:00

I finally got to see Brüno tonight, and it was hilarious! Some parts of the movie were very crude and vulgar, but I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Anyway, if you like rude, crude humour, be sure to check this out. (If you find it hard to laugh at your hardest in a crowded theatre, then I suggest you save it for when it comes out on DVD).

On another note: the family room is stripped, mudded, sanded, taped, primed, and (partially) painted. Shouldn’t be long now before this summer renovation is finished.

… even to the edge of doom.

2009-07-18T22:33:00.001-04:00

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

— William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

Red, White, and Brown

2009-07-17T21:56:00.001-04:00

Just finished watching Russell Peter's Red, white, and Brown for the 7th time. I thought I'd post a link to one of the clips from the show.

WARNING: not suitable for children, so turn down your volume!

http://fliiby.com/file/132199/8debokiyep.html

Productive Day

2009-07-15T21:46:00.001-04:00

Productive day today. I started revamping the website to include the SMARTBoard Training materials for next year. That should take me about a month to complete.

I also went to Home Depot to get some paint samples for the family room. We’re going to go with Gobi Desert. (Apparently, it’s the “hottest colour” for 2009. Whatever). I’ll start the mudding tomorrow, sanding on Friday, and I should finish painting by next Wednesday.

I spent some time reading Save Me From Myself today (although not much). It’s a good book, but I find that he repeats himself a lot. It’s definitely worth the read, and I would highly recommend it for middle-school-aged kids.

I killed some time on The Onion website watching some of their newer videos while I worked on fixing my sister’s computer. There’s some funny stuff there. Check it out. (www.theonion.com)

And finally, I planned out most of my media literacy assignments for next. I’ve got some pretty cool ideas in mind (if I do say so myself!)

Peace.

Pictures

2009-07-15T08:46:00.002-04:00

I've finally finished uploading my pictures from this year. You can click on the links below to see the different albums.

First Week of School

Pictures from Camera

Rome 2009

Avô Rolo

2009-07-12T17:28:00.001-04:00

My avô is in Chatham for three months, and we had lunch today. Here’s a picture of him. He’s 96 years old and smarter than most people I know. :-)

Summer Reading

2009-07-12T09:17:00.001-04:00

Well, it should be no surprise that I probably won’t be able to match last year’s record of 25 books read over the summer. Nevertheless, I should be able to reach the 15-18 book range, and I’ve already started. During the flight to and from Rome (and always before bedtime!), I managed to finish a few books these past two weeks.

After I read Boot Camp by Todd Strasser, I knew I wanted to read more of his teen fiction. So, I picked up Give a Boy a Gun and If I Grow Up. Give a Boy a Guy is a brilliant novel about two boys who, after years of being bullied, decide to take revenge on their tormentors by shooting up their school. Told from mulitple perspectives (including interviews with the survivors, and excerpts from suicide notes), Strasser creates a believable story that anyone can sympathize with. I definitely recommend it.

Following on the heals of that one, I read If I Grow Up, which I would have read earlier this year but one of my kids was reading it. Anyway, this book is also quite good at exploring the difficult choices faced by poor black youth embroiled in a “gansta” culture. It traces the rise and fall of a 12 year old boy through the ranks of a neighbourhood gang. I also recommend this one, particularly for boys 13+.

Although I started reading this one before I left for my trip, I’ve left it for last here because it was the least enjoyable of the Strasser books. Can’t Get There From Here is an interesting account of the lives of a group of teenage runaways/homeless kids. Although much of the story is realistic, I never found myself connecting with any of the characters, and I times I felt the story got boring. I wouldn’t recommend it per se, but it wasn’t utterly bad.

On the plane ride to Rome I read buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom. This is a fascinating look at the new science of neuro-marketing and how companies try to manipulate consumers. I highly recommend it, particularly if you’re into neuroscience and brain development. It’s informative and an easy read.

I also read TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY, which I thought was really well done. The book is about a girl who kills herself, but leaves thirteen tape-recorded messages addressed to the people that contributed to her suicide. The people get the tapes, listen to them, and then pass them on to the next person on the list. It’s a brilliant little novel, and I highly recommend it. Anyone who has been through high school will appreciate the things the girl talks about.

Finally, I finished both Book 8 and Book 9 of the Demonata series by Darren Shan on the flight back from Paris. Those of you who know me know that I love Darren Shan’s books and have read all of them to date. The two latest in the series did not disappoint, and they did set up a nice conclusion for the final book in this series due out in October. I can’t wait!

Next on my summer reading list is:
1) The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World
2) Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour3) Risk: Why we 3) Fear the Things We Shouldn’t—and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger.

(If you’re keeping track, that will be 10 books … which only leaves another 5 to read in August. I think that’s doable, no?)

Peace.

Rome/Paris Recap

2009-07-11T18:54:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I didn’t have internet access for the last 5 days of my vacation, which means I wasn’t able to post updates. And since I know you all live and breathe this blog, I’ve decided to post a quick recap of those past 5 days. Here goes…

Sunday morning we left Rome and boarded a train for Venice. There was major confusion on the train over our seats. It turns out a few of us had reserved the same seats. I tried to find someone to help resolve the problem, but no one was around. Before we knew it, the train was moving. Unfortunately, we figured out about 10 minutes after we left that we were on the wrong train. It was still going to Venice, but it was the Eurostar (the fast one) and we only had tickets for the InterCity. Anyway, if it were Portugal, I’m sure the train people would have caused a BIG commotion and made us feel utterly stupid for ending up on the wrong train, so we were prepared for the worst. But the guy was really nice. He was really sympathetic and all we had to do was pay the difference in the price of the tickets (57 Euros). So basically, we paid a bit more and got on the fast train to Venice, no problems!

Venice was a very different city. NOTHING compared to Rome, but a “cute'” city nonetheless. It was very lively, and navigating the canals was pretty cool. We also took the obligatory gondola ride, which we shared with a visiting family from Ireland. That was pretty cool, though not “wow.” One day in Venice would have been enough, but we ended up staying two nights.

From Venice, we hopped on the train again and headed for Florence, which everyone insisted was a beautiful, must-see city. Well, I’m not sure exactly what the “must-see” part of the city was because neither Lenora or I thought it was that great. In fact, we both thought Venice was much nicer. (It was definitely cleaner!) The nice thing about Florence is that it’s a small city that we could navigate easily. And if you’re into art, it’s definitely a place to visit. Michaelangelo’s David was certainly amazing (and, by far, the highlight of the trip to the city). I was also pleased with the lively night life, which we didn’t get to experience in Rome. Anyway, Florence, like Venice, is more of a day trip destination—certainly not enough to do in the three days we spent there.

We returned to Rome to spend the last night before parting for Canada. Trouble was, when we left on Friday, our plane had a computer malfunction about 1 hour into the flight. It was kinda scary. The co-pilot was doing his schtick (i.e., “Welcome aboard flight blah blah blah…”) when all of a sudden we hear an alarm going off and he cuts off mid-sentence. The the plane loses a small bit of altitude rather quickly (but nothing that couldn’t be attributed to turbulence). Anyway, about 25 minutes later, the co-pilot comes back on and explains that the alarm we heard was that the main navigation computer had failed and couldn’t be restarted. We needed that computer to fly over the ocean (otherwise the plane would be lost and could potentially plunge into the sea). Anyway, we had to make an emergency landing in Paris, where Air Transat has an engineering team to try to fix the problem. We landed without incident and stayed on the plane for close to 4 hours while the tried to fix the problem. No luck. So, we got to spend the night in Paris! Hotel and meals paid for by the airline, PLUS we got a $200 voucher for a future flight! Not bad. The best part is that Lenora and I headed to downtown Paris around 11:30pm to see the Eiffel Tower. Nice. So basically, we got an extra day’s vacation in Paris paid for by Air Transat!

Anyway, today’s flight took a little over 8 hours and then we had the 3 hours drive home, so I’m a bit pooched. I did manage to read several books while on vacation, which I’ll blog about tomorrow. For now, I’m off to get some rest (… sleep?). Peace.

(Oh yeah, I’m too tired to post pictures today. I’ll try to do that tomorrow, or you can just see them on my Facebook album soon)…

I'm unable to write a blog post from the hotel. It doesn't work.

2009-07-05T13:56:00.000-04:00

Not sure if this will work as the internet in Venice SUCKS!

2009-07-05T13:55:00.002-04:00

Pictures for Roma: Day 6

2009-07-04T13:35:00.003-04:00

Here are the pictures from the previous blog.

The arrow below points to Lenora. That's so you can see how massive this structure is.

Roma: Day 6

2009-07-04T11:39:00.001-04:00

This was a short day today. (Sorry, no pictures today. I’m too tired). We decided to take the later shuttle into town because we had less to see and do, which means we didn’t get into downtown until around noon. Once we did, we decided, quite foolishly I might add, to walk through the Roman Forum during the hottest part of the day. I didn’t have a thermometer with me, but if anyone told me it was less than 35C, I wouldn’t believe it. Anyway, the Roman Forum was nice, although having a guide would have helped a bit more in terms of figuring out some of the ancient ruins. (I’m only obligated to know so much, you know…). As I was walking along the Via Sacra in the Forum, I started thinking that maybe someone should invest in building a real-life reconstruction of the ancient Roman core. I think people would like to see that. I know I would. Can you imagine actually walking along amidst full scale replicas of ancient temples, buildings, statues, etc.? That would be spectacular.

Anyway, from there we hopped on the metro to go visit the basilica of St. John the Latern. This was the first basilica ever built. It was built by Constantine back in 313AD! This was also the home of the papacy until the popes were forced to move to Avignon in the 14th century. In fact, the popes continued to be crowned here until the end of the 19th century! Anyway, the original building was destroyed by fire, earthquakes, and vandals, so the basilica that exists today is actually a reconstruction in the baroque style of the 17th century. Even so, it was a spectacular church. You can feel the awesome grandeur of the building as you stand, small and insignificant, at the foot of the alter. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

After visiting the church, we headed north for lunch at COIN, a shopping centre not unlike the Eaton Centre. Following lunch, we bought our train tickets to Venice for tomorrow at the Termini Station. It was a busy place, let me say! Opting not to pay the extra $40 per ticket to take the Eurostar rapid train, we settled on the longer 4 hour train ride. We leave tomorrow morning at 10:45am.

That’s it! Like I said, it was a short day and we’re tired so we’ve decided to come back to the hotel early (5pm) and rest. We’ll probably head out for supper later on, but for now I think we’re going to catch up on some missed sleep. (The 6 hour time difference is really screwing with my internal clock—we’ve been up since 2am our time, and we’ve put in a full day’s work by 11am!)
Peace.

Roma: Day Six

2009-07-03T15:16:00.002-04:00

Another splendid, yet exhausting, day in Rome! We began the morning by confirming our hotel for Florence (2 nights) and Venice (2 nights) for when we leave on Sunday. We then headed back to the old city where we walked uphill for no less than 30 minutes in order to get to the Villa Borghese and the Galleria Borghese. Even though Lenora and I were both dead tired, I think it was worth it, considering that we got to spend more than an hour just admiring the amazing sculptures by Bernini (including a David and Paolina Borghese, Napoleon’s sister), and the works of Raphaello and Caravaggio. It is, without question, one of the best collections of Renaissance artwork anywhere.

From there we walked back downhill to the Trevi Fountain, which we hadn’t seen by daylight. Just as you would expect, it was magnificent. From there, we continued on to the Church of Maria sopre Minerva, which was built on an old pagan temple to Minerva. We visited a lot of Churches today, but this one was outstanding. Next to il Gesu, it was the best. After visiting that Church, we sauntered on over to the Pantheon, which originally was a Roman temple to “the gods,” but which in 609 AD was converted into a Basilica. The dome of the Pantheon is missing the bronze work because it was taken down to build the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

We continued our North-South journey from there by stopping at the “Roma Experience” movie. It’s one of those motion theatres much like in Niagra Falls, but the movie was quite good at going though some of the 2700 years of history (although at only 30 minutes, it was a bit short). After the movie, we stopped and ate at the McDonald’s in the Piazza. We were served by the rudest, stupidest, most abrasive girl I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. For the first time in my life, I didn’t say “Thank You.” (I know! It’s crazy!)

We continued our trek south where we stopped at il Gesu, the other magnificent Church. From there we continued toward the Roman Forum (which we haven’t walked through yet), but we were too tired to go, and it was close to our shuttle pickup time, so we decided to put that off until tomorrow. We stopped at a little place to have some gelato, but when we were informed that it would cost €13 total if we wanted to sit down, we decided we’d rather starve and die on our feet. For those of you who don’t know, €13 for a gelato and a small coffee is the equivalent of $20. I WILL NEVER PAY $20 for a small ice cream and a small coffee! That’s just absurd.

Anyway, there isn’t much left to see in Rome! We’ve done almost everything!
Peace.

Roma: Day Four

2009-07-02T15:57:00.002-04:00

We over-slept today until 9:30AM, which means we missed our 10AM shuttle bus and didn’t get into downtown until noon. That’s okay, though, because we’ve seen almost everything there is to see, and we still have two more days!

When did manage to get downtown, we headed for the Piazza Reppublica where we visited the Church of Mary of the Angels and Martyrs. It was beautiful, of course. The church itself, as I learned, was built over the tomb of Emperor Diocletian, who, as you know, was one of the most ruthless persecutors of the early Christians. The Church felt that the best “revenge” would be to build a magnificent Church over top of his tomb! Inside the church there was also a very interesting exhibition on the life of Galileo Galilei and on the question of faith versus science. It was quite good because it debunked a lot of the generally accepted views of Galileo as an atheist (which is utter nonsense). I did decide, however, that we don’t teach students enough history in science class, so I’m making the decision to change that for next year.

From there we walked over to the Chiesa Maria Maggiore (Church of Mary Major), which is also a basilica. Yesterday, we met a couple from Saskatchewan who told us that this church was even more beautiful than St. Peter’s. Obviously they were mentally disturbed. There is no doubt that the Church is beautiful, but it is no St. Peter’s.

Considering that it was bloody hot by the time we left the church, we decided to stop for some gelato. We “got told” not to get the table dirty by one of the waiters when we sat down to eat, and he didn’t let us put the gelato down on the tablecloth! Yikes!

From there we took the metro to the Colosseo, which we hadn’t seen yet during the day time. It was an amazing site to see, and I learned two things. First, I learned that the building that is standing today is largely reconstructed because a lot of the original colosseum was destroyed. Second, I learned that there is no record of the Colosseum having been used to martyr Christians. In fact, the only Christian killed at there was the Bishop of Antioch who was tried for treason and sentenced to death by wild beasts. Most of the killings of Christians took place at the Circus Maximus.

We then took a brief tour of the Palazzo Barberini (the national museum), but it wasn’t that great. I anticipate that the Galleria Borghese will be much better as it contains more of Caravaggio’s work (one of my favourites). We’re going there tomorrow.

On our way back, we stopped to watch the changing of the guard at the residence of the president, but then it began to hail and rain like mad, so we scampered into a café where we had a late lunch/early dinner, with cappuccino and tiramisu to boot!

Well, that’s it. Not that busy of a day considering that we made it to downtown kind of late. I’m hoping to see some more of the lesser known attractions tomorrow. (I wonder if there will be any time left for shopping …)
Peace.

Roma: Day Three

2009-07-01T15:49:00.002-04:00

Busy day today! We visited the Vatican and surrounding area. When we arrived, the Pope was in St. Peter’s Square holding his customary Papal Audience on Wednesdays. You can barely tell from the picture below, but he’s in the picture up near the entrance to the Basilica. We weren’t fortunate enough to arrive at the best time, as the Vatican closed for two hours after the Pope finished his audience. We took this opportunity to visit the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museum) where we eventually made our way to the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). The Vatican Museum was outstandingly beautiful, so much so that by the time we navigated our way through the entire maze of buildings to get to the Sistine Chapel, both Lenora and I felt that it was anti-climatic. There was no question that the Sistine Chapel was beautiful, but considering the things we saw on the way to the Sistine Chapel, we both sort of felt like it would be more.

Anyway, once we finished visiting the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (which took about 2 hours!), we headed back to St. Peter’s Square to join a GINORMOUS line in the blazing hot sun to enter the Basilica. Naturally, of course, it was WELL worth it. St. Peter’s Basilica is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. It is spectacular. I can’t really describe the feeling of grandeur, and awe, and holiness that you get when you walk in. It’s something I think every Catholic needs to see at least once his or her lifetime. (The pictures below don’t do justice to the Basilica).

After the Basilica, I sent my kids the postcard I promised using the Vatican post office (which, apparently, is more efficient than the Italian state postal service). From there, we headed out to have some gelato, and we met a nice lady from Detroit who had broken her leg and was basically on crutches for her entire stay in Italy. What a shame. Anyway, we headed over to the Piazza Navona where we ran into MANY Canadian kids running around celebrating Canada day. Actually, we probably ran into close to 50 or so Canadians wearing red and white for Canada.

It started pouring rain just as we got to McDonald’s for a quick break. We had to wait about 40 minutes to wait out the storm, but after that we headed into the Piazza Navona (which we hadn’t made it to in light of the rain). Anyway, the Piazza was really nice, and the Church of St. Agnes was, again, beautiful.

We walked (quite a ways!) across the bridge of Vittorio Emanuelle to the Italian Court House and Piazza Cavour where we could see a beautiful horizon scene of the Vatican against the Tiber river. After a small pause to have a cappuccino and a canolli (which, by the way, was delicious!), we headed back to the metro station to catch our shuttle bus to the hotel.

That was basically my day today. It was, without a doubt, the best day I’ve spent in Rome thus far, and, I would wager, one of the best days of my whole life!
Peace.

Roma: Day Two

2009-06-30T15:24:00.002-04:00

We slept in today until 2pm—that’s how tired we were from yesterday! The afternoon was splendid, though. Today we took the metro to the Spanish Steps where we had lunch at a little restaurant. I have to say two things about the food here: it’s expensive and not very tasty. (Yes, you read that right…and no, I’m not crazy).

Anyway, we’ve discovered that the best place to get a gelato is at McDonalds! (Most reasonably priced, too!). We climbed the Spanish Steps and I took some pictures of the church inside, as well as a view of the city from the top. (see below). From there we went walking around to explore this corner of the city on our way to the Piazza del Popolo. This area is definitely chic. Every name from Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci, Dolce & Gabana, Etro, and more was represented in small boutiques along the way. The streets are very quaint. We enjoyed the walk around.

After a brief pause at the Piazza del Popolo, we headed back to the Spanish Steps while stopping at the Villa Medici. That was a pointless stop. Oh well. At least I got another nice picture of the Roman skyline which includes St. Peter’s Basilica on the horizon.

It is presently 9:20pm and I’ve figured out a less expensive way of using the internet at the hotel, which means I can post pictures and write more often. (At least while we’re at the Sheraton). Anyway, we’re on our way to have supper and then off to an early bed as we need to get up nice and early to visit the Vatican.

Ciao!

Arrived in Rome!

2009-06-30T08:30:00.002-04:00

We have arrived in Rome! This post is going to be VERY short because the rates for internet are HIGH. The flight was uncomfortable and we had to wait more than one hour to retrieve our luggage. But once we checked into the hotel and got downtown, things went well. We did A LOT of walking and saw many of the main attractions at night (the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, Victor Emanuelle, etc). But we were exhausted from the flight and all the running around we did, so we slept in this morning until .... 2pm! :-)

We're off to see the Pantheon, walk through the Forum, go in the Colosseum, and visit the Capitoline Museum.

Peace

New developments in memory formation

2009-06-26T22:30:00.001-04:00

Some exciting news in the world of brain science today! Below is scan of a memory being formed in the brain—an image captured by McGill researchers. The increase in green fluorescence represents the imaging of local protein translation at synapses during long-term synaptic plasticity. Or, in plain English, it shows the formation of a long-term memory in the brain. Anyway, it’s complicated stuff so I’ll spare you all the details. It suffices to say that this is an important development in our understanding of how the brain forms memories.

On another note, I have two more sleeps before heading off to Rome! I can’t wait! My next blog entry will likely be from the eternal city!

Peace.

MJ dead at 50

2009-06-25T19:29:00.001-04:00

Well, the news story of the day, of course, is the death of Michael Jackson after having suffered a heart attack at 50 years old (pictured at left with his son). It’s such a shame. Not the death per se, but the death of what could have been one of the most important musical artists of our time. More of a shame, I think, is how Michael Jackson came tumbling down from his meteoric rise to fame. For a man who was on top of the world, and who could have had everything, I’ve always been shocked at how he slowly morphed into a living freak show. It’s sad, really. What’s also sad (and puzzling) is how TMZ, the gossip/paparazzi/tabloidesque tv show, has become a source of “news” by breaking this (and other) stories before any of the accredited international news sources. It’s any interesting comment on the Web 2.0 society we live in.

Not much else to write about today. I have a tonne of little things to finalize before leaving for Toronto on Saturday so I’ll be busy tomorrow. I plan on updating the blog with pictures and summaries of my days in Rome while I’m there. Be sure to check back if you want to know what I’m up to! :-)

Busy Busy

2009-06-24T16:53:00.002-04:00

What a busy and ridiculous day! I must have burned off a good 4000 calories with all the running around I did today, which, come to think of it, I shouldn't complain about because I'm trying to lose the 4 lbs I put on while here at Amethyst this year.

Anyway, my room is still a disaster, so tomorrow is going to be BUSY as I plan to leave for Chatham in the early afternoon. There are still 832 things to finish before I leave for Rome on Sunday, which means MORE busy busy. Ugh. I can't wait for summer vacation to kick in--I need it this year more than any other.

Well, that's it for today. I'm off to get some pasteis de nata to take to our staff party tonight. Should be fun.

Peace.

Wonderland Trip

2009-06-22T20:05:00.001-04:00

Just back from our field trip to Wonderland. It was okay. I spent most of the day with my teaching buddy walking around and people watching—not too interested in doing the rides. Plus, it was quite hot today. At least I got the beginnings of a nice tan! The kids really enjoyed themselves, although most of them were dead tired, considering that they had to get up early to be brought into school (some of them getting up around 4:30 am!) I’m not sure I’d do this trip again, though. After a while, it gets old and boring; especially if you’re not into the rides. But it was still a nice day.

Glogster and Summer Mashups

2009-06-21T18:16:00.005-04:00

First off, if you haven't started using glogste yet, then you're WAY BEHIND the times. So go to www.glogster.com and start glogging. ;-)

Second, I took the liberty of posting some of my favourite mashups for this summer. They're pretty wicked. Check 'em.

Defiance

2009-06-20T17:39:00.001-04:00

I spent the day doing absolutely nothing—and it was marvellous! It’s been SOO LONG since I could just sit about and do nothing that today was such a nice change of pace. In the afternoon I watched the movie Defiance with Daniel Craig. This was a brilliant movie. Set in Belorussia during World War II, it is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers who became wartime heroes. The movie chronicles the struggles of Belorussian Jews forced to live in the forest after the Nazis occupied their country and began implementing the “final solution.” Outnumbered and outgunned, the Bielski brothers turn a group of refugees into powerful freedom fighters. The movie explores themes of family, honour, vengeance, loyalty, and salvation. It is definitely worth watch, although probably not appropriate for kids.

I also got my hands on a copy of St. Ursula’s yearbook for this year, and I must say that our Amethyst yearbook is FAR better. St. Ursula’s is 40 pages long and cost $30; ours is 160 pages long and costs $25! In full colour! With a DVD! You CAN’T get better than that!

While I’m on the topic of yearbooks, I hear that the Pines really screwed theirs up this year. People misidentified, pictures missing, names spelled incorrectly, team photographs missing, duplicated photographs, and more. Just disastrous!

Peace.

Gran Torino, End of School, and Electrical Storm

2009-06-19T23:20:00.001-04:00

Just finished watching Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. It was quite good. He plays a old, disgruntled Korean war soldier who hates everything, including his Asian neighbours. He becomes a hero in the neighbourhood when he saves his neighbour’s life from a gang. He also takes the boy next door under his wing and mentors him into manhood. If you haven’t seen this, I definitely recommend it—it’s a “guy” drama.

I had a nice day with the kids at school today. It was officially our last “school day,” although we still have classes until next Tuesday. Monday we’re going to Canada’s Wonderland, which should be fun. The last time I went to Wonderland or rode on a roller-coaster was during my own Grade 8 field trip 18 years ago!

There’s an impressive electrical storm raging on outside my house right now, so I think I’d better log off the computer.

Peace.

Lockdown and Flagswipe

2009-06-18T20:38:00.001-04:00

We had a full lockdown today at school after someone thought they spotted a kid at JPII with a firearm. We were in lockdown for about an hour before the all clear was given. I’m not sure if the police found a weapon or not.

We went to Laser Combat at Flagswipe this afternoon with the elementary boys. It was awesome. We played for close to 4 hours! It’s something I’ll definitely do again. Just the chance to see the boys having fun was well worth the drive.

Peace.

Pretty ballerina boys.

2009-06-16T21:10:00.001-04:00

If you push me, I push back. It’s simple. Two of my boys had to learn that the hard way:

Peace.

P.S. (The boys are okay with this … it’s not “mean” or whatever…they get the joke).

Dinner with my girls; Soccer with my boys....

2009-06-16T06:55:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a great day! I had my final transition meeting, which is nice (even though it took more than an hour!) I took my girls out for dinner. We went to this little Vietnamese/Thai Restaurant nearby. The food wasn't bad--it's no Green Mango or Spring Rolls, though! :-) The girls were great. I love my girls; they're awesome! Afterwards, I came back to school and went and played soccer with the boys until 8pm, which probably wasn't the best idea after having such a large meal. But I can't pass up a soccer game! Especially one where I get to put the boys in their place! :-) It's funny watching Dane and John and Nick and Jordan try to tackle me. Oh silly children. When will they learn? :-) If the high school boys are playing tonight, I might go out for a bit too (although I may have rolled my ankle a bit yesterday).

Anyway, that's it. Report cards are STILL not finished--but they WILL get done tonight! (Yes, I know, nobody cares .... ) I'm looking forward to Flagswipe on Thursday, although the forecast is calling for rain, which would really suck.......

Splinter Cell: Conviction

2009-06-14T20:38:00.001-04:00

I know I’ve said this before, but now that the official E3 HD trailer is available, I really MUST have this game. Unbe-freaking-leavable. Seriously. It’s been a long two year wait, but definitely worth it. And needless to say, it’s only available on the XBOX. You can watch an extended version of the walkthrough preview on ubisoft’s website (but you’ll need to register for an account). Anyway, here’s one you can find on youtube. Enjoy.

Yearbook Finished!

2009-06-13T21:11:00.001-04:00

After spending a good 3 hours at St. Mike’s in Ridgetown downloading the 165 individual images for the yearbook, and then printing and collating them, I am happy to say that the Yearbook is finally FINISHED!! Here’s the cover page for the hardcover book (the DVD isn’t quite finished yet), and below that is a sample page from our time at Camp. (That’s me at the top with the bow and arrow!) I’ll say one thing, the yearbook looks pretty good, but it was A LOT of work. I’m definitely glad it’s finally done!

Today is the dance for the Festa de Nossa Senhora de Fatima at the Portuguese club. (Tomorrow is the mass and procession). I’m not sure I’m going, considering that I’m exhausted and still need to finish my report cards. Actually, I think I’m going to take a well deserved evening off.

Peace.

Lost USB stick?

2009-06-12T18:55:00.001-04:00

May have lost my USB stick, which would put me WAY behind on everything (i.e., report cards, yearbook, DVD project…). Not good.