"In time you can turn these obsessions into careers"

The quote is from philosopher Elvis Costello. Children's book author Karen Romano Young used it in her post about her science fair books over at the I.N.K. blog. Her apparently radical idea is to have science fair projects that kids are actually interested in. Instead of pulling a project out of the equivalent of a cookbook and duplicating a recipe, she promotes the idea of following interests and personal curiosity and turning those authentic interests into science fair projects. The first books in the series is Crime Scene Science and Bug Science will be followed in the spring by Junkyard Science and Sibling Science. They sound awesome--check 'em out!

Speaking of Education Taxes...

"We need more money for teachers' training and salaries, and for laboratories. But all across America, school-bond issues are regularly voted down. No one suggests that property taxes be used to provide for the military budget, or for agriculture subsidies, or for cleaning up toxic wastes. Why just education? Why not support it from general taxes on the local and state levels? What about a special education tax for those industries with special needs for technically trained workers?" -Carl Sagan, 1996

"We want more information and knowledge."

That quote is from a ninth grader in South Africa involved in a public march with thousands of other children.

What do they want?

Libraries and librarians.

No, really.

That is so awesome.


(tip to Kristin)

After the Flood

The Big Picture covers the recent flooding here in the Southeast with, as always, a great and moving collection of photos.

And yes, officials are officially calling this flood "epic."

People are going to be needing some serious help. The Red Cross is always a good place to give for this kind of thing.

Twitter, Yet Again

Back in the spring I posted about why I was giving up my Twitter account and was contacted by Josh Cohen at Teacher Magazine for an interview.

Here it is. It's in their Fall 2009 Professional Development Sourcebook.

He was interested at the time because everyone he'd talked to thought Twitter was about the best personal learning/networking tool ever in the history of everness. Ever.

So he was obviously curious with what I had to say. Now that others have dropped their accounts, maybe it's not as big a deal as it once was. I also think Josh may have been sampling from a shallow pool. He was browsing the web for teachers with Twitter accounts and of course most of the names he came up with were people with popular blogs who obviously embrace online life and social networking. As I talk to teachers at my school, most of them don't blog or use Twitter or even read many blogs or do very much online other than e-mail and shopping. This is the first year that I have heard them talk about one social media tool: Facebook. So maybe Josh should do an article on teachers and Facebook instead (maybe he or someone has, I haven't read the whole issue yet). If more everyday classroom teachers are embracing it, perhaps that would be a better personal networking tool to promote?

I don't have a problem with these tools and agree that it's important--especially for media specialists--to be aware of them and know what's useful about them. There are many great ways to search Twitter for breaking news even if you don't have an account.

But the simple fact is: Twitter just isn't for everyone.

____________________________________________

On a side note, I want to mention the anonymous thing. When I started this blog, I was a little twitchy about putting my name on it because my school was going through a spate of book challenges and I wanted to be free to express my opinion on, well, anything without causing issues for my school or district. Josh respected that by quoting me by name, but not mentioning the name of this blog. I'm more comfortable now with the blog and my own opinions and most of my blogging buddies know my name so that original apprehension is slowly fading.

So hi, my name is Jim Randolph. Nice to meet you, if we haven't already. Pull up a beanbag chair and a Grape Nehi, stick around and join in.

Shabanu

Come on BTT. What's the saddest book I've read recently? Why you wanna bring me down on a Thursday? I just survived an epic flood. Nine people are dead and traffic is even more nightmarish than usual here in the Atlanta environs.

Well, fine, I'll play but I'm running out of "read recently" books to discuss...

Shabanu is sad. It's soul-crushingly sad. It's so sad I don't want to read the sequels because either things are going to be just as bad or worse for our spunky heroine or they'll get better and therefore completely unrealistic.

This is a young girl in a nomadic camel herding family that learns that a daughter obeys her father and then can look forward to obeying her husband. It's such a backwards culture that I was about halfway through the book before I realized it was set in modern day Pakistan. It's so Dark Age-y, I almost couldn't believe it when they saw a jeep drive by.

Long story short, her older sister is happy with her upcoming marriage and Shabanu warms up to hers. Then, of course, tragedy strikes and the older sister must now marry Shabanu's intended and Shabanu must marry the landlord's horrible older brother. Shabanu must basically learn to break her will to maintain peace.

Sad. Good! But still sad.

Sports, Libraries & Taxes

Shannon had a post about this Sports Illustrated article concerning the cutting of high school sports. He argues that sports are more important to schools and communities than school libraries. I can't see how that statement can be argued with since there have been a rash of media program cuts the past few years, but one high school cuts sports (and band and all other extra-curricular activities, by the way) and it's a big story in a national magazine. Half my local paper is high school sports related. I've never seen that kind of coverage for school media programs and I don't ever expect to.

That's not what I find controversial in the article. The main thing I take away from the story is that maybe we'll finally get some attention to the problem of the way we fund education in this country. Is there any other federally mandated public service that has to rely on property taxes of all things to cover expenses? It's nuts and we need to take a good long look at it.

Maybe if more schools are forced to cut back on sports and other activities, the public outcry will force a debate on this. It's not like using more general taxes will automatically level the playing field (so to speak) of all the schools. There will still be students in more affluent area with a rich and powerful parent organization that will make some schools "more equal than others," as the saying goes. But it would be a start.

Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D.

One of the best moments of my Dragon*Con experience was wandering over to the wing of the Hilto where the scientific/skeptical tables were set up and browsing all the wonderful books and such. I noticed that one of my favorite organizations, the National Center for Science Education had a table set up and who was sitting there passing out flyers and patiently answering questions? Eugenie Scott herself!

This would be akin to walking up to the Star Trek table and having William Shatner be manning the booth. Or going up to the Star Wars table and having Harrison Ford sitting there. Or...ok, enough with the nerd references. You get the idea. It was shockingly cool.

I actually chatted with her for some time and signed up for the mailing list. It's amazing work they do there, and it must be amazingly hard. Somehow she keeps on fighting the good fight when having to go up against the most utter nonsense you'll ever want to hear. She's written books too, people! And edited this classic.

Such intelligence, friendliness and poise. I look to her as a role model of education. A true teacher ninja.

Do check out their site and support the teaching of science in our classroms.

Back to School (Again)

Back to a normal (testing) school day here in the 'burbs outside Atlanta. Most schools are ok, but not all. I'll be keeping an eye on the news and letting you know if there's anything we can do to help. It was a nice four-day weekend for me, but others weren't so lucky. I certainly hope we don't have any snow days this year! Enough with the "inclement weather" (which is an odd term for something that destroyed roads and buildings and killed nine people that we know of so far).

(photo submitted to ajc.com by Darrell Haley)

And the rain rain rain came down down down...

It's crazy days here in the metro Atlanta area and surrounding Georgia. Check out more pictures like this on AJC.com. We're on our second day of closed school. I've had snow days before, but I don't remember ever having rain days.

If you live anywhere around here, stay home and keep safe!




(photo submitted to ajc by shelly powell)

Science Knowledge Quiz

Ok, I'm hoping all of you will be in the top ten percent after taking this short quiz of basic science.

Of course, my dream is that everyone who gets through, say, fifth grade would be able to be in the top ten percent. It's that basic.

Certainly something to think about and pass on to friends and colleagues.

Go ahead and post a comment and let me know your score. Don't be shy. This should be interesting to talk about.

500 rally to save Gwinnett library | ajc.com

500 rally to save Gwinnett library | ajc.com

Well at least some folks are out there fighting to save their libraries. Good for them!


Posted using ShareThis

Nerd Venn Diagram

I've been wondering about this! Where are you on this chart?

From BuzzFeed

Ew. Ha-Ha! Huh?

Ew.
Ok, CNN. There are so many problems with this story, I don't know where to begin. First of all, "Unidentifiable Creature" is the title you go with? And how many biologists did you ask before trotting that out? And "so-called creature" you call it? It's obviously some former living thing, so I don't get that. Kinda looks like those teens killed E.T., which is just sad. A better photo from a distance reveals easily identifiable claws--those of a tree sloth. Many animals lose their hair, bloat, and turn white in the water and exposure to the elements. Guess it was just too much fun to spread around a story without asking an actual expert.

Ha-Ha!
I got a forwarded message that is indeed pretty funny. It's the audio of an Australian accented woman reading the choices for their school's voice messaging service. The text and true story of it's origins can be found here. I only wish they hadn't added that hateful "speak English" bit at the end, but other than that it is quite funny.

Huh?
This confuses people every time, but just switching to electronics rather than paper does not always equal "going green" as I showed off earlier. In today's NYT, they have an article about how out of control our energy needs are getting due to all of our new gadgets. I need to find out about those "smart strips" they mention...

What Do You Do With A Scurvy Pirate?

Make them walk the plank! ARRRR!

ARRRRR!

ARRRR! Fuse#8! ARRRR!






Ok, enough pirating--back to being a ninja...

The Dunderheads

This week's Booking Through Thursday question, "What's the most enjoyable, most fun, most just-dang-entertaining book you've read recently?" will give me a chance to write up a recent kids book I liked but haven't gotten around to posting.

The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman and perfectly illustrated by David Roberts.

I love almost everything Paul Fleischman does. He's amazing. Ususally I think of him as a poet or novelist, but the picture book Westlandia is one of my favorite read-alouds in fourth and fifth grades and leads to so many interesting conversations. This year one kid was struck by the sundial and asked if they were real. Soon enough we found some websites and found out how to make our own sundials with tagboard and straws. Coolio!

This book covers the well-worn group of misfits on a mission a la Goonies, but these kids are going up against their teacher. Sort of a modern update on Roald Dahl's Matilda with Fleischman's Miss Breakbone doing a pretty good version of Dahl's Miss Trunchbull. There's something delicious about getting revenge on mean teachers, isn't there?

The illustrations make this one. It's so much fun that I was hoping for more. Sequels would be nice, but this group could pull of something bigger if they wished. Nothing like revenge for just-dang-entertainment, I always say.

Brief Roundup

Went to my district's inservice for all of the media specialists. They were kind enough to invite us (three) interns, which I think says something about how seriously they take the media departments. But today was crazy, so I'll post more about that soon. Meanwhile:

Reasonists? Yes indeed.

Daniel Loxton on Dragon*Con

Skeptikids!

Password Ideas

also: check out my Amazon store in the right column (there's even ninja gear!)

Awesome Australians!

One of the best parts about the science and skeptical conference track at Dragon*Con this year was the presence of some fantastic educators from Australia. I've gone on and on about the Podblack Cat blog before and and some of the great resources she shares. She was joined by Richard Saunders and Dr. Rachel Dunlop and others from The Skeptic Zone (which also has educational resources).

These guys are amazing, friendly, fun and so nice. One of the highlights of the conference was seeing Richard and Dr. Rachel do a show for the kids which included magic and science to get them using their critical thinking skills. I thanked Richard for this performance later and he kindly said, "Nick whatever you wish for your classroom." Oh, no worries, I will!

They traveled for 24 hours straight and were completely knackered from jet lag, yet couldn't have been more engaged or pleasant the entire weekend. This is how important it is for all of them to spread the word about the importance of teaching critical thinking and a love for science.

I am in awe.

(Oh, and in addition to the podcast, they have a blog as well.

Patriotism

Yesterday I saw many teachers and students wearing red, white, and blue. I heard "Proud to Be an American" sung.

I also saw teachers get an email reminder about making sure parents were informed about watching the taped education speech from our president from earlier in the week. Some places even did permission slips.

Makes me wonder what my fellow citizens consider to be real patriotism. Is it the colors and songs and pledges or might it be the listening and consideration of different points of view?

"What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times?
I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility...a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."
--Adlai E. Stevenson

(image cc flickr)

The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe

The room was packed at the live podcast. Next year they'll definitely need a bigger space.

The lesson learned from the overwhelming popularity of the SGU is to keep the learning fun. Every week they go over science news items with a skeptical, irreverent eye and the banter never stops. On Sunday they did most of their show live and were just as fun as when they do it from their living rooms.

Some great quotes from the show:

Rebecca Watson: "Don't marsh my mellow."

And: "What is it with crazy people and caps lock?"

Dr. Steven Novella: "The woo peddlers are better at marketing. Being unhinged from the truth is a huge marketing advantage."

And when asked the best way to teach our children a healthy dose of skepticism, he nailed it: "There is nothing better than simply spending time with your kids."

Thanks, guys. Be sure to download this weeks live episode! I'm going to go get my daughter and play whatever she wants right now...
______________________________
Update: Ok, the live recording does not have the best audio quality, so I still recommend their podcast in general, but you might want to skip this particular episode.

Recent Informative

This week, the nosy parkers over at Booking Through Thursday want to know what's the most informative book I've read recently. I have two very informative and very different books I've read this year that fit the bill.

In the spring I finished Jonathan Weiner's masterpiece, The Beak of the Finch which is a model of scientific writing and highly recommended and I've reviewed here.

The next book is more practical, but since I was taking my daughter to Disney, I did research on the best guide books and The Unofficial Guide is far and away the best of the bunch and I talk about why here. It made the trip fun for me, and I'm no Disney acolyte. Now if I can get her fired up about the Galapagos...

Now THAT's a Letter!

I just quoted Phil Plait as saying, "We don't need more warriors, we need more diplomats," and here is a perfect example. You may have already seen this, but Colorado library director, Jamie La Rue wrote a great, respectful letter in response to a book challenge in 2008 that really hit the mark. Do check it out if you haven't already and keep it in mind the next time you are in a debate like this. Now I need to find the book in question. Uncle Bobby's Wedding. I love book challenges--it's how I find my favorite books!

Dr. Phil Plait, Superhero of Science

I'm not one to believe in superpowers, but Phil Plait, astronomer, educator and author of the Bad Astronomy blog almost makes me believe. He has one of the more popular blogs ever, he publishes great books like Bad Astronomy and Death From the Skies! He has a family, and he's president of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Not only that, but I would swear if I didn't know better that he was present at every single science or skeptical panel discussion at Dragon*Com and did a solo dramatic reading from his most recent book.

The guy is amazing. I learned so much from him. I share his infectious enthusiasm, but I watched him carefully because he handles even the doofiest questions with style and panache. He seems to totally not mind explaining the same things over and over and over again because he knows that while he's repeated it at three other talks, maybe this is your first time hearing it and he wants you to get it.

He doesn't say "You're wrong" or even "You're mistaken." He says, "That turns out not to be the case." I love that.

He's passionate, but not dogmatic (which is something he just posted about--the guy can't be stopped!) and his passion shines through. But he tempers the passion with a striving for polite discourse. When he sees a passionate, but angry and dogmatic argument, even if the person is right, he asks, "Who is this helping?" He's firm, but nice about it. He loves the subtitle Wil Wheaton uses on his own blog.

As he said at one panel, "We don't need more warriors, we need more diplomats."

Don't Be Afraid To Ask Questions

"Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals."

--democratically-elected President Obama

Now that wasn't so bad, was it?

Teaching and Parenting Critical Thinkers

I have much to say about the things I learned and people I met at Dragon*Con this past weekend, so I'm going to break it all up into a series of posts. One of the final highlights was getting to meet some blogging friends in person. I met Colin from Science-Based Parenting and Laurie from Rational Moms. Listen for a shout out about Science-Based Parenting on this week's upcoming release of The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe podcast.

Not only did I get to meet Colin, but we actually got to have dinner together (sushi, of course) and discuss all things parental, educational, scientific, blogging, and just plain goofy. It was a real treat.

The point is, we need to try to use our critical thinking tools and sense of inquiry with everything, not just "science" as a subject or in classroom teaching. Parenting is an endeavor fraught with all kinds of misleading information and goofy claims--and hardly anyone seems shy letting you know they think you're doing it wrong. So it's nice to have some bloggers help the parents out there make more informed choices.

Most readers of this blog know how important inquiry and critical thinking are to raising life-long learning and in my post the other day I mentioned how excited some people were when I mentioned I was a teacher. That's because they're promoting their new organization, the CTEG or Critical Thinking Education Group at criticalteaching.org. What an awesome resource! Who wouldn't benefit from sharpening up their critical thinking and teaching skills? Do check them out.

I've also added a link in the sidebar to the James Randi Educational Foundation which is behind most of the great critical thinking resources out there, or at least inspired them. I've also added one to the International Year of Astronomy which I've mentioned many times but can't say enough good things about. Check 'em out and while you're there pick up a Galileoscope for you and a deserving child somewhere in the world. It's $20 for yours and only another $15 for the kid. One laptop per child is nice, but how about just opening up the stars to them for a measly $15? How awesome is that?

"He's a teacher! He's a teacher!"

Oh man oh man has Dragon*Con been cool this year. I'll post more about it later, obviously, But I had to mention one amazing moment. Now remember, I'm going mostly for the skeptical and science tracks because along with reading, I'm a big critical thinking ninja. When I went over to one of the Skeptic tables, mostly to introduce myself to Kylie and as soon as I said the words "I'm a teacher..." it was like an alarm sounded and the three people behind the table started rushing about, stuffing a tote full of free educational critical thinking information, shouting the quote above.

Is it sad that I was so surprised to have people excited about my profession? I just can't remember anything like that happening before.

It was a great day yesterday. I met and talked with some amazing scientists and educators and learned a ton about how to get the critical thinking message across to kids and other people. And it was fun. I think that's the key...

Listening to Speeches

Pam is right, this is getting crazier by the minute. Why are people freaking out about a president giving a speech? I don't care if the president is liberal or conservative or whatever, he is the president and if he's giving a speech to school children I'd probably let them watch it. It could come from President Obama or President Bush, it doesn't matter. At least Ms. Yingling's concerns were more about delivery than content.

This isn't about politics--it's about being rational, thoughtful citizens. We need to be able to listen to differing views and make up our own minds. I personally thought that George W. Bush's first term was illegitimate and that the high court had no business intervening on the election. But if he had stated that he was giving a speech and he wanted the school children to hear it, if I was able to I would have made it available. He's the president for crying out loud. He's not going to tell them to all run around in the streets with water balloons or something. Jeez.

I mean "indoctrinate"? Really? Into what? Being a citizen in a democracy? It's ok, you don't have to agree with everything they say. You don't even have to watch it. But this scaremongering over different points of view are ridiculous. Especially when you haven't even heard them yet.

Let the man give his speech...then if it's loopy you can criticize.

Since we're on the topic of speeches and ideological differences, I want to share another speech. On October 3, 1983 the recently departed senator, Edward Kennedy gave this amazing speech to Jerry Falwell's then-named Liberty Baptist College, now know as Liberty University. Yes, you read that right. The most liberal senator in congress spoke at Jerry Falwell's college during the height of the whole "moral majority" business. He was, like always, warm and funny and unafraid to say what he thought. No matter your personal political views, it's a beautiful thing to watch.

Oh to live in a time and a place in which healthy and reasoned debate are not only accepted, but embraced. If we can't even listen to each other, how can we learn anything?

Stars In My Eyes

I went to the previously mentioned Star Party, "A Full Moon for Cancer," last night and it was all that! It was an intimate gathering of skeptical and scientific folks with a common purpose: to celebrate the wonders of science and the life and legacy of astronomer Jeff Medkeff (1968-2008), also known as the Blue Collar Scientist. We raised over $2000 dollars for the American Cancer Society because, as the elegant Maria Walters so aptly put it, "Cancer sucks."

We were fortunate enough to have two powerhouse astronomer/educators speak. Dr. Pamela Gay and Dr. Phil Plait. They were, as always, funny warm and passionate--infectious in their love of science.

If anyone ever tells you that scientists or skeptics are cynical cold-hearted bastards, well then that person has never been in a room full of them. There was more love of life and humanity and the wonders of the universe in the Bradley Observatory last night then anywhere you're likely to find.

I didn't know Jeff Medkeff, but he was a scientist and, more importantly, a fellow teacher. He wanted everyone to be excited by knowledge and was willing to share. He was an asteroid hunter and Phil Plait pointed out that what Jeff did, what all astronomers--and I would say by extension what all scientists and teachers do--is try to save humanity.

That's something definitely worth living for.

Cheers.

_______________________________________________________

Dragon*Con is going on this weekend and I'll of course be posting my experiences. I'm mostly going to get to see more of these scientists and skeptics and explainers of all things awesome. Joe Nickell, Ben Radford, Richard Saunders, Seth Shostak, Steven Novella and crew, Eugenie Scott, Kylie Sturgess, and all the wonderful people of the Atlanta Skeptics who brought together last night's star party and are doing so much for the skptical and science tracks at Dragon*Con.

I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie

Booking Through Thursday's question this week is: What's the biggest book you've read? They seem to mean either big as in long or big as in popular.


Big as in popular: I just checked out the Amazon top 100 bestsellers to see if I'd read anything on there and was surprised to find I'd read four, though none are really recent. The Time Traveller's Wife is probably enjoying a resurgence due to the crappy (so I've heard) film version. The Book Thief is the one I've read most recently (and probably the best of this bunch). Blink was light but enjoyable. Nickled and Dimed was great and getting more timely by the minute.


Big as in doorstoppers: I guess Neil Stephenson's Cryptonomicon was the most recent big fat novel I've read and that was a while ago. Great, fun stuff. I've also re-read Pullman's His Dark Materials, which I consider to be one complete and brilliant story. (Although I've heard through the ninja grapevine there's going to be a fourth!)

(photo cc flickr)

Open Wide, Look Inside

Trish has her students at it again, and we all stand to benefit. Among all the other amazing things she does, she has her future teachers round up and blog about K-5 books that can be used to teach across the curriculum. They're always great choices and there's always a few you wouldn't have thought of on your own. So head on over to Open Wide, Look Inside and see what they're up to.

Right now they've got a ton of books teaching science process skills. What a great way to start the year for all your classes. Combine reading, writing, and those essential skills like measuring, sorting, and observing.

I love a good list!

Reading Debates!

Did someone have something else to say about AR? Oh, yeah. Susan Straight did. And she said it so well. I'm sure you've seen it, but I had to keep it out there because it's so good. Another anti-AR article to add to my folder. I know, I know, for some kids it works. But that's the point. For some kids it works and for others its a drag. Don't force it.

And you've probably read this one on reading workshop too. It's weird how they talk about it like it's this radical new thing, but I look around and don't see it as much as I'd like, so we can't shove this kind of thing under too many noses. It's stirred up a bit if a debate with the "choice" people versus the "canon" people duking it out. I like Kelly Gallagher's take on it in his book Readicide. (Which is a great companion to Atwell's The Reading Zone.) He takes a 50/50 approach. Half the time the kids self select and read what they want. The other half is some standards from the list. He tells the that he doesn't necessarily expect them to like a novel like 1984 but that they need to learn to engage with that kind of academic reading and, if nothing else, they'll never look at their government the same way again.

It's all about balance, people. Now go out there, share these with colleagues and report back on any interesting discussions. I love a good debate.

(photo cc flickr)

Hit the Ground Running

Esme Raji Codell, professional "readiologist" has a new blog coming soon: Hit the Ground Running! The Educating Esme Teacher Blog for "new and high-spirited" K-5 teachers. You should listen to her because she knows what she's talking about:

"Anyone who says they care about kids and schools and doesn't read aloud is lying, or about to make the discovery of a lifetime. I'm a woman on a mission. Let me rock your pedagogical world."