Archive for the ‘Fun stuff’ Category

So much to do and say

January 28th, 2008

Well, as we stay inside today there are a lot of things that you could be completing for Humanities. Firstly, Vocab lesson 15 is due tomorrow…so get that one out of the way. Secondly I still have a lot of students who haven’t completed the signing up to Delicious and joining our network. This will be a 10 point homework task. I will start grading tonight. 10 points if you have done it…… No points if not done! Congratulations to those who have…..for the rest get that done today. It should become second nature that whenever you are surfing at home you tag….widgetbox has a great tag cloud that you could add to your blog. This would make it easier for all of us to keep up to date with what you have found. You will notice I have added a Reading Enrichment link on the left. This is my elective class however I know several of you are avid readers and you are more than welcome to join our network and contribute.

Last but not least what are your hopes and dreams for today? What will you do? What did you do? Tell us all about it. Complete a blog entry describing something in detail. What can you see out your window? Keep a log of 15 minutes of your life today…..Make it interesting and David….don’t just watch Superbowl advertisements!!!!!! (very cool by the way). Also David had this great picture…I love it. Keep up the good work!

Leave a quote or quick comment in the chat box and comment on someone’s blog. Then watch a movie!!!!! I would recommend RV….very funny! Stay warm 7th grade.

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Snow day in Shanghai??

January 27th, 2008

Yep…You bet!!!! So this means for all you lucky students that school has been officially canceled Tuesday. Some of us may think….it’s not too bad but the reality of the situation is it is extremely dangerous on the roads, even for our high tech ABS buses. The reality of the situation sinks in when I read on Shanghaiist that the Shanghai Daily reported that the snow storm had “killed dozens of people and affected tens of millions of others.” It’s the worst winter weather in 50 years for some parts of China. Also, “Premier Wen Jiabao said the weather was threatening lives and disrupting supplies of food, coal, oil and electricity ahead of the Lunar New Year.”

So I know it’s hard to not get excited but let’s keep it in perspective that we are lucky enough to be safe and well. Dr Larkin has my vote of confidence!

Most importantly stay tuned for a task that you need to complete tomorrow in the warmth of your house. Have a good one 7 th grade!!!

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Life is still delicious!

January 18th, 2008

We have spoken before about the benefits of increasing our social presence….but now is the time for all of us to get on board……..not bored Dark!.…………especially if we are to share the load of managing all the information we have coming in and out of our lives…..which means now is the time as we head in to the Renaissance.

Bookmarking socially will reduce the load for all of us and at the same time give us 60 sets of eyes and minds all with different ideas and values…….this means Jon may find something that Mary hadn’t even thought was valuable but Jon did. Now Mary realizes it is worthwhile too!!!!!! Delicious is just that….once you have set up an account, you are set to join my network and everyone else in 7th grade. This doesn’t mean that you have to find every resource out there, we can share the load. Thanks to my Guinea pigs…Peggy, Diana (aka Dark), Dominic and James. When you find something interesting tag it….give it a title…..see all my tags on the left? Click on Education and have a look. You can also tag the one page to two or three titles. This is a must do assignment for all………get to it bloggers!

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Sandy is changing my life!

January 8th, 2008

Well to say that I am in love with Sandy may be taking it a bit too far……but check out Sandy. An automated secretary that can email you, text you reminders, to do lists etc.

And all I do is email my secretary and say……Hi Sandy (I always think it’s polite to greet her), remind me to go to the 7th grade meeting at 8.30am tomorrow. Well….guess what? She emails me at 8.26am reminding me of the meeting!!!!!!!

I love it. Not only will she remind me but she will give me lists and reminders up to a year in advance. This killer application is free and voted one of 2007’s best. It has taken perhaps a month for me to fully understand Sandy and for her to understand me but we are getting along so well!!!!!!

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Recognition

January 7th, 2008

I have used for staff some examples and ideas of other bloggers in the world especially educational. Always making sure credit is given when due. Mr Hetherington has given many excellent ideas and links from his blog, so when he writes to us…..Mr. Power,
What a great site!  This is one of the best (maybe THE best) example of student blogging on the web. I’m sure your efforts will help vastly improve your students’ communication skills and overall approach to learning. Keep up the good work.
Mike Hetherington

I think we can all feel a little chuffed (that’s good!!!!) Keep up the great work 7th grade!

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I am the happiest person alive!!!

January 7th, 2008

Welcome back everyone! It was great reading your blogs over the break….I did find a lot of them depressing though as you described the lavish food you were consuming in BUSINESS class lounges around the world. We are very lucky people when we stop and think about it for a minute. I have some amazing news for you all and as I am getting my ELO students today to start with the following sentence, I will too………When I stepped out into the cold crisp air at the Shanghai Airport, I had no idea of the news that would await us on arrival back at our apartment. A lonely note of scrunched up paper with the title CCAA. This means only one thing to people in the know…..China Center Adoption Affairs. Wow! This was going to be a restless nights sleep. Finally news, after no news for 13 months, finally news!!!!

Waiting until 9am the following morning was excruciating but we did it and finally got the news we had waited for……we had been matched with a 12 month old baby girl from Guizhou province. Her name WenWen Cao. Healthy and waiting for us. So many things to do between now and picking her up. So many emotions running through my mind. Scared but elated….I cannot wait. So 7th grade it is with so much love that I introduce you to Mimi Wen Wen Power

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Things to do

December 21st, 2007

Well it is raining here…….and it is supposed to be really hot. So whilst I am stuck indoors….I think I want to make this……..

A reindeer out of a cardboard box!!!!! How much fun!!

For full instructions check it out here

I will photograph my prototype in the coming days.

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The Haj has begun

December 17th, 2007

Some of you may remember the tangent from the crusades that led us to discussions about the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. An event that can only be described as massive! And massive in so many ways. A massive crowd and a massive journey for a lot of the pilgrims, and a massive event in the lives of those that make the pilgrimage.

The Age newspaper in Oz stated that More than 1.6 million pilgrims have come to Saudi Arabia from abroad for the haj, the largest regular religious gathering in the world and an obligation which all Muslims should perform at least once if they can afford it. I think the total number of pilgrims will be well over 2 million in the coming days. What an experience! This picture shows a sea of Muslims circle around the holy Kaaba at the Grand mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Good luck to all the pilgrims….I wish them a safe journey.

For those of you checking in…..find something in a newspaper to contribute to your blog.

Photo:

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Food for thought

December 15th, 2007

OK. For the festive season, I am surfing away and came across a website that runs through the 7 best foods we never eat. I ate some avocado today in a yummy sandwich with chicken…….did you know, Avocados must reach full maturity before they are picked, however, they do not soften on the tree. The tree can actually be used as a storage unit by keeping the fruit on the tree for many months after maturing. I want to make sure I get to the rest over the break….definitely sweet potato in the coming days. What websites have you found recently? Tomorrow I am going to make the effort to add a few photos of my home town? Where are you guys? What do your surroundings look like? Keep in touch.

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Holidays are here!!!

December 12th, 2007

Well the holidays are about to begin and I am sure I can speak for most people when I say…it is a well deserved break we have earned. The best part is you guys don’t really have homework over the break, but the best part is we can all still keep in contact. I will be checking in daily (hourly) on the blog and you should too. The digital age is here and the net is never far away! Please make sure you update your blog weekly. That is at least 3 entries while you are on holidays….notice how I said at least? The more the better!!!! The other important part is to leave comments on other blogs….I like to stick with the 1:1 ratio. For every entry I complete I leave a comment on someone else’s blog. I hear you ask……what should I write? Well, take a photo, make a film, write a poem, write what you did that day……….most of all be creative.

There will be nothing worse than returning after the break and hearing lame excuses like I didn’t have computer access…….bribe whoever you can to get access. Go to a coffee shop, internet cafe, local library, friends, etc. Find a computer, bribe your parents, get coffee, hot chocolate, and a big fat chocolate chip cookie and blog away. And my bribe to you??……..let’s just say those that blog will be rewarded after the break!!!

I am heading back to a hot summer in Australia for Christmas. This photo is of Melbourne the sport capital of Australia and not too far from home. I can’t wait. Let’s see who goes to the hottest place. Let’s see who goes to the coldest. Let’s see who takes the most amazing photo. Let’s blog!

You will also notice a new area on the blog to the left…my delicious bookmarks. Join my network and we can share all the tags, bookmarks you find interesting on the net. Confused???? I was for a very long time! Until this…..check it out!!!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/x66lV7GOcNU" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Have a great break and most of all let our clustrmaps grow and keep in contact.

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