Waldwick Parent Academy - Twitter Workshop

The Waldwick School District is excited to introduce the first workshop from the Waldwick Parent Academy. This year we will be offering three different workshops on technology. The first workshop will revolve around Twitter, and will be offered twice on Wednesday, January 23rd. The first at 8:30am, and the second offering will be at 6:30pm. Mr. Carroll, Ms. Hummel, and Mr. Sussman will discuss how to create an account on Twitter, how to use this application, and how we are safely and successfully integrating Twitter into our schools. Participants will gain an understanding of how to connect with other users around the globe, as well as building their own Person Learning Network. Hope to see you there.

 Kevin Carroll HS Principal @WHS_Principal
 Ms. Hummel HS/MS Media Specialist @MzHumz
 Mr. Sussman Middle School Guidance Counselor @MrSussman

Google’s Doodle 4 Google Logo Contest: Get Doodling, Kids | TIME.com

Google’s Doodle 4 Google Logo Contest: Get Doodling, Kids | TIME.com:

'via Blog this'

This mom gave her son an 18-point contract with his iPhone. Would you be tempted? - The Next Web

This mom gave her son an 18-point contract with his iPhone. Would you be tempted? - The Next Web:

'via Blog this'

Wright's Law

Found this video on the New York Times website about an inspirational teacher who teaches his students through "wacky experiments," but much more through his own personal story. Throughout the video his students are always engaged to his lesson, through demonstrations or his words. He develops a tremendous rapport and relationship with all of his students. It's a touching video that I recommend..., it's certainly worth the time.

SAFEBOOK

I found the poster above  on EducationalTechnology.com.  It is a concise, easy way for our students to understand the dangers of Facebook, and tips for their privacy settings.     The minimum age to join Facebook now is only 13 years old.  Although that seems young, I am not foolish enough to believe there are not students on Facebook that are even younger.  At such a young age, our students may not understand the ramifications of their words and or actions on Facebook.  Please go through the above poster with them and don't be afraid to check their privacy settings to be certain that they are safe.

Dyslexic Fonts

                       

Throughout the years, I have worked with numerous students who have struggled with Dyslexia.   Reading and writing papers can be difficult due to their brains doing "funny" things to the letters they are working with.   Recently, I read an interesting article regarding a new font geared towards assisting people with Dyslexia.  The letters are weighted on the bottom to add some "gravity," and assist in keeping the letters in place to the reader.   This font is free and can be found at http://dyslexicfonts.com/ 

The following paragraph is from the website:
OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic and bold-italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from dyslexic users. There are no restrictions on using OpenDyslexic outside of attribution.
I encourage you to share this website and font with any friends/family members that suffer from Dyslexia.  I am curious if they will find it helpful or not.  Based on the article and comments, trying it out looks to be worthwhile.  

Why Science is Important

Why Science is Important

In my 10th grade Math class at Suffern High School, my teacher had a wonderful poster that was titled, "When are we ever going to use this stuff?"  Underneath the title was examples in everyday life of when we would use fractions, logarithms, long division and other mathematics formulas.  As a student, I felt that it gave the course purpose, and provided motivation to be successful in this course.

The above link directs you to a video about Science in schools, it's importance in everyday life.  While viewing the video, I immediately  recalled that Math poster, and the incentive it provided me to work harder. Please share with your children or students, and hopefully it provides them with motivation as well.

10 Questions About Kids & Gadgets

10 Questions About Kids and Gadgets

I have received a lot of phone calls this year from parents asking if it is necessary for their child to have an iPad, smart phone, or other gadgets at this age. I do not believe any of these devices are absolutely necessary, however, it truly depends on how your child plans to use the device. Does he or she need a brand new iPhone just to post to Facebook quicker? Probably not.  Read the above article....it offers ten quick questions to ask yourself before purchasing a new device.