Tis and That January 9, 2015
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New Years Resolutions Quit Smoking: Healthline has 16 of the best apps to stop smoking. Many of them are free like the Quit it app which keeps a running total of how much money you are saving by quitting and shows you how your health is improving every single minute since you quit.
I HAVE A DREAM……. The third Monday of the month is when we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday! Why the third Monday? This is because it is similar to the holidays that fall under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971. In order to celebrate his birthday, we recommend the following sites:
NEA Lessons This site contains lesson plans to use compiled by the National Education Association. It is primarily for grades K-5. The Guardian This site contains history with voiceovers. It is fairly long to use in its entirety for younger students, but very informative.
Every year millions of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions. According to www.usa.gov, the most common resolutions include losing weight, volunteering to help others, quitting smoking, getting a better job, saving money, getting fit, eating healthy food, managing stress, and managing debt. There are many websites and apps that can help one achieve these goals along with other New Years resolutions!
Saving Money: Students can learn to comparison shop and use coupons. Have students save ads and coupons or collect them from recycling newspaper bins. Use a site like Coupon Mom to find out where the best deals are and how much can be saved!
Losing weight: This can be combined with eating healthy and getting fit! Students can use sites like My Fitness Pal to keep track of food and activity. It’s perfect for health class to look at vitamins, sodium, fat, protein, carbohydrates, Managing Stress: Another Healthline article, etc. Students can explore recipes from sites such similar to the one for smoking, has the top 18 as All Recipes and plan balanced menus. apps for reducing stress and anxiety.
Parent Dish This site contains 5 other resources that you may enjoy. This includes an online scavenger hunt, word mover
Better Jobs: There are lots of sites out there to get a better job. Some of the most popular include Indeed, Monster and Career Builder.
The Lose It! App available on both android and iphones is a great way to stay on track. This app allows you to put your personal information in and then it tells you how many calories you should be eating a day in order to meet your goal. You can input your meals so that you always have a running total of where you are at calorie-wise for the day. You can also get credit for your physical activity!
Reading more: We know students always have to read during class. Encourage them to read more outside of school using sites such as Kindle Buffet. These are temporary free Kindle books which change on a daily basis. Parents or teachers should preview the site each day as some of the books may not be appropriate for children.
Learn to sing or play an instrument: Try an app like Learn to Sing to learn to sing better! Volunteering: A site called Volunteer Match will You can also use the Windows app Learn an Instrument which provides suggested videos on look at what individuals are interested in and playing a variety of instruments. pair them up with nonprofits in their area. This is also available as an app for iPhone or android.
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College Foundation of West Virginia is a great resource for high school students and adults who are wondering what their next step is. This completely free website allows visitors to plan for the future. The website offers career planning, high school planning, and financial aid planning. The career planning section is very beneficial to all students, whether they are college bound or not. In order to be successful for the long-term, students and adults need to find a career that will make them happy. While no one does cartwheels all the way to work because they are so happy to be going to work, they also should not feel as if they are going to be physically ill. The CFWV website has three sections to highlight under career planning: Learn About Yourself – Users are able to take assessments to determine where their interests, skills and values lie. They can then use this information to find careers they are suited for!
Explore Careers – Students can look up careers they are interested in and get inside information regarding those careers. They can search for careers using salary, clusters or individual job titles!
Get at Job – Students receive assistance in writing resumes, cover letters and thank you letters. They can even polish up their interview skills!
If your students are college bound and you need to brush up on your knowledge on financial aid and the FAFSA, CFWV is offering the following webinars:
Overview of State and Federal Financial Aid Monday, January 12, 2015 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM (EST)
FAFSA, Line by Line Monday, January 26, 2015 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM (EST)
Don’t Forget! College Goal Sunday is a one-day event offering students and families free help in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). College Goal Sunday workshops will be held at 24 locations across the state on February 15 from 1 to 4 p.m.
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S’no School? S’no Problem! What Your Students Can Do on Snow Days! It’s that time of year where we may miss day after day of instruction due to snow. Last year we got plenty of snow dumped on us, and plenty of days off. Some disagree with all the time off, but administration worries about safety. We know we will make up those days in the end, but we also know that once June hits, the kids are probably done….as are we! Therefore, we aim to make snow days count and here are some ways to do it! In a previous issue snow day ideas were presented, but we wanted to add some of OUR favorites! Set up a Schoology or Edmodo account, then post assignments on there for students to work at home. Assignments may include these sites which either give great review of your classroom or focus on skills that you may not have time to teach during the normal school day: “The first thing that’s foremost in your mind is the safety of children, particularly after you’ve had a huge snowstorm,” Superintendent Dr. James Phares
Language and Reading: Earobics- a fun site that works on language and reading skills for younger children Computer Programming: Code.org - Have students learn the basics of code. Also look into Kodu and Touch Develop Math Skills: AAAMath - Free site that allows K-8 students to practice math and receive immediate feedback Real World Situations: Persuasive Games - A set of games for high school students which mimic real world situations and problems such as changing airport security and pandemics
Are you tired of attending conferences that are not relevant to you? Do you find the most useful part of the trainings you attend to be the free time you spend chatting with colleagues? Edcamp is for you! “Edcamp is a form of unconference designed specifically for teachers and their needs.”
Edcamp allows educators to come together and decide the day of the unconference, who will present, and what topics will be presented. Teachers who attend Edcamp can choose to lead sessions on things that matter to them, with an expectation that the people in the room will work together to build understanding by sharing their own knowledge and questions. Hundreds of Edcamp events have been held to date around the world. Find one near you today. Edcamp is free! To register to attend Edcamp in Parkersburg, WV on 2/28/2015, follow the Link to Edcamp
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Highlighted Resource: Deanna Addis — ABE TIS Candidate daddis@k12.wv.us
April Rearick — SE TIS Candidate arearick@k12.wv.us
This site created by the state has 2798 interactive resources. 549
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Upcoming Trainings February 25-26 - 2015 Professional Development Statewide Conference – Flatwoods, WV March/April Book study #1 “What Great Teachers Do Differently” – Online March/April Book Study #2 “”101 Answers” – Online March/April Book Study #3 “Teach Smart” – Online March 3 – Emerging Technologies to Engage Digital Learners – Charleston March 5-6 – Evaluation Leadership Institute – Charleston March 9 – Infusing Technology – iPad Basic Training – Parkersburg March 10-11 – Classroom Management – Setting the Stage – Charleston March 10-11 – Teaching Diverse Learners – Charleston March 17-18 – Classroom Management – Setting the Stage - Flatwoods/Sutton March 17-18 – Classroom Management – The Power of Planning – Flatwoods/Sutton March 17-18 - Coaching for School Improvement – Flatwoods/Sutton Find more trainings at The WV Center for Professional Development