The entree was rosemary and garlic infused loin of lamb with wild local mushrooms, pinot noir sauce and butternut squash puree.

Sophia and Mimi made me laugh during dinner. 

Dessert was a tarta de almendras with oranges.

No detail was spared at this dinner.  Even the water was of exceptional quality.

By the end of this meal I was stuffed, happy and exhausted.  I headed back to the hotel and crashed.

What is the most formal meal you have ever had?  Where was it?  What did you eat?

Playlist Shuffle ...
K- I guess the idea is to open your playlist, go to shuffle, and check out the 1st ten songs that come up. Got this game idea from Alec's blog.

1. "Sadie" - Alkaline Trio
2. "My Sundown" - Jimmy Eat World
3. "Without Me" - Eminem and U2
4. "Butterflies" - Norah Jones
5. "Let's Go" - Lil Jon, Trick Daddy, and Twista (LOL)
6. "The Last of the Red Hot Fools" - The Jitters (ahh I love that song)
7. "Get Low" - Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys
8. "Jesse" - Carly Simon (???? I don't think I have ever heard this song in my life)
9. "My Place" - Nelly
10. "Space Oddity" - David Bowie


That wasn't too bad ... I still like most of those songs!!

Addition (Dying To Be Thin)
On March 21st I posted a webquest titled "Dying To Be Thin." I recently found this site (NOVA Online/ Dying To Be Thin), that is a great addition to the webquest. It gives a lot of accurate information. It has a section on Minority Women, and also a story of a male who was anorexic. There is a teacher's guide, as well as resources and an "ask the expert" section. My favorite part of this site, and probably the most usable aspect, is the video. You can get to the video on the site by clicking "Watch the Program Here." I hope that this is of some use to health teachers.

Coalition for Positive Sexuality
This is a great health site for teens to learn about things such as safe sex, birth control and other sexual health issues. I would use this in a grade 8 or 9 classroom. It is a great site for students to go to, to get the answers to the questions that they may have about sex.

This site gives the facts. Some parents may have problems with it, especially if they are in favor of an abstinance based program. I still think that this is a great site. I would especially use it in the grade 9 birth control and STI unit.

Ology
Ology means "the study of." The site Ology, is from the American Museum of Natural History. I love science, and this site is one of the best science sites for kids that I have ever found. Ology is an interactive site that touches on many areas of science including: astronomy, biodiversity, genetics, Einstein, marine biology, and paleontology. I never used to like science, because I could not make a personal connection to my life or experience. I, like most kids, wanted it explained in a way that made sense to my life. This site helps to make science make sense. I learned a lot by looking around at the different topics that it explores. I would definitely use this site in my classroom (grade 4, 5,6,7). One idea I have is to have the kids go in groups and each choose a topic. They could then learn about the topic by visiting this, and other sites, and then do a presentation of some sort, so that all the kids will learn about each topic.

The information is age appropriate, and is engaging. This site fits with the constructively approach, and allows kids to develop a clearer understanding of some very complex concepts.

Before teaching science in elementary school, you should check this site out. It is a great teacher resource, as it helps teachers to find out the simple way of explaining something, that is not simple. This is also a great site for kids.

The Interactive Museum of News
I just found a fabulous site that I would use in a grade 8 or 9 classroom. Students often need to find news articles pertaining to different topics, and may also do reports on events that have happened throughout history. Newseum is an interactive museum that would be a great resource for students. It allows you to look at the front page of over 250 newspapers from around the world (each day), and also has photos, cartoons, war stories, information about September 11th, and articles about the Holocaust. I would have my students visit this site in social studies or language arts. One thing that I really want to do in my classroom is have a student share a current event each day (the first couple minutes of the day). This would be a great site for the students to go to, to choose an article that they are interested in (something possibly from the front page of a newspaper).

This site is very user friendly. I like the fact that it makes research so much easier. I remember going to the library and flipping through the filing cabinets full of articles. It sucked. The new technology that is available makes this task much more enjoyable, causing students to hopefully learn more. I especially like this site because there may be something that catches a student's eye, and then they might read about it to gain some more information.

Human Body and Mind - Interactive Site
I just came across this great site, and I cannot quit playing the interactive games! This Human Body and Mind site is very educational, and interesting. Students would definitely be engaged in the activities, and would be able to have a clear visual of what they are learning in school. The puberty section has a great demo that shows the effects of puberty on both the male and female body. One of my favorite activities was the Senses challenge. It was challenging and engaging. I am also a huge fan of the skeleton Game.

This site fits with the constructively approach, as it allows students to be active in their own learning. I would use this site in a grade 8-11 classroom, in health or science. This site is a great example of technology actually improving learning. It would not be an addition to a lesson, simply to incorporate technology. The technology used in these activities has a purpose. I had so much fun playing around on this site ... you should check it out. Very cool!

National Geographic Xpeditions
This is a really cool interactive geography site. The activities on the Xpeditions website are educational and engaging. They each involve a mission that is interesting and challanging. Students would be hooked by this site. The adaptive dimension is incorperated into each activity. There is an adaptation for younger and older children (or experienced and less experienced). There is also a section of each activity that is for the parents. This section involves discussion questions, and extensions that can be done. I would use this site in a grade 9 or 10 classroom. Students could complete the activities alone or in small groups. This site does not only have activities that are related to geography, it also has many culturual and historical ties. Each activity or mission, has students doing something different. These missions take the constructivist approach to a new level.

I would be tempted to have my students do all of the missions, or atleast quite a few of them. I think I would have to control myself. There are just all so good!! They allow students to put their own spin on the final product, and make it their own. Students would feel ownership, and a sense of accomplishment.

Take the time to check out this site. It is worth it! Look at some of the activites ... they are fantastic!

Eating Disorder Webquest
I just found a fabulous webquest that deals with nutrition and eating disorders. It fits with the constructivist apporach, in that students are active in their learning, and are able to create their own meaning. Dying to Be Thin is a Canadian webquest that includes activities such as making a graphic organizer, creating a biography booklet, and doing a presentation, and visual representation. The expectations are clearly laid out for students, and three rubrics are included. This webquest incorperates technology in a practical way, and involves a meaty challenge.

I would use this webquest in a grade 8, 9 or 10 classroom.
It would fit with the eating disorders unit in grade 8. It could also be incorperated into a phys. ed. unit.
Check it out!

Teen Health Resource
BodyTeen is a great resource site for teens, that deals with nearly every aspect of health and the human body. Teens can get information on anatomy, eating disorders, exercise, nutrition, drugs, gangs, suicide, mental health, pregnancy, rape and sexual assault, STDs, violence, sleep, and many other topics.

I would give this web address to students at the beginning of the year. They would be able to use it as a resource when doing assignments, or they can simply look for information on things that they may be interested in, or are wondering about. One idea that I have is to have students do presentations on each of the main areas that are outlined by the graphics on the main page (the 14 areas). Students could use the information (and search for other information) and create a webpage/ video/ powerpoint/ or other type of class presentation that would be constructive and engaging.

My favorite part of this site is the Amazing Facts section. You can get facts about the brain, nerves, circulatory system, skeleton, senses, skin, muscles, hair, etc.. I love interesting facts, and I usually put one up on the board each morning when I am teaching.

Body Image and Nutrition
This is a great site for adolescents to get information about body image, eating disorders and nutrition. Body Wise is very user friendly, and uses vocabulary that teens can understand. The different categories that are discussed include: Body Image, Eating Disorders, Eating Right, and Staying Fit. Each section is very visually appealing, and has a little cartoon strip to accompany the information. This site also has a resource section that has book suggestions, and website suggestions for teens.

I would have my students use this website as a resource while doing research, and planning presentations. It would also be a great site to use in a webquest. The information is straightforward and to the point. I would also use this as a teachers' resource.

During my internship, I would gather a bunch of great sites for each unit that I taught, and I would post these sites on the school webpage for students to go to so that they could get more information. This would be an example of the type of site I would post for them. They can use it to supplement what they learn in class, and also aid them in doing assignments, or planning presentations.

Keeping Kids Safe Online
The Internet can be a scary place. Teachers and parents must give children the tools that are needed to stay safe on the internet. As an education student, I have had the opportunity to see many presentations on the dangers of the internet. I have been told many times that we must monitor students while they are surfing, and make sure that they are also aware of the dangers, and are able to distinguish between legitimate, and illegitimate sites for research. Cybersmart Kids is a site for kids, that is about staying safe on the internet. I would use this site in my classroom at the beginning of the year, before my students ventured out on the net. Teachers and parents cannot watch children 24/7. Eventually they are going to be alone, and on the computer. I think that all children should be equipped with the knowledge and necessary critical thinking skills that will allow them to be Cybersmart.

This Site has a Cybersmart Quiz, as well as a Teachers' Page that has a lesson plan and great educational sites.

Internet safety is something that many teachers neglect to teach. I feel that it is absolutely necessary.

I Wish I Would Have Known About this Site A Long Time Ago
Wow! I just came across an outstanding, educational and informative site. The World Almanac for Kids is fabulous!!! It has information on everything you would want to know about in the following areas: countries of the world, religion, space/solar system, sports, inventors, animals etc.. It also has a section that is called "Did you know" which I think many kids would enjoy. If I would have known about this site earlier, I would have recommended it to my students in internship. They did culture presentations, and this site would have been a great resource. Even the section on Canada is amazing in itself.

I would use this site as a teacher resource, and I would have my students go on it to research for projects, to research their interests, and just to find out something new. The information from this site could be used to make interactive lesson plans that are interesting and motivational for students. This site is very user friendly, as it is clearly laid out, and basically makes sense. There was so much to learn about, and it was separated into such distinct sections, that I just could not leave this site.

You have to check this out! You will not regret it :-)

Puberty WebQuest!
I came across this WebQuest while working on a project. I think that it is fantastic! It provides a meaty and exciting challenge for students, and is on a topic that young people often have questions about. It is about the physical changes and other aspects of puberty.

I would use this Quest in a grade 8 or 9 classroom, and would have the students do the extension that goes with it. This WebQuest includes many of the multiple intelligences, and promotes higher level thinking. I believe that it also supports the constructavist approach. It is extremely well developed and provides a bunch of great links to other sites on the topic. I would definitely use this WebQuest. Check it out!

Social Studies Resource
I came across this site while creating my WebQuest. The Atlas of Canada is a very informative and educational site that would be great for students to use to research, or just look for particular facts that they are interested in. It is a government of Canada site, and therefore is very reputable.

I would use this site as a resource for myself when teaching social studies, health or science. I also used this site in my WebQuest, as a starting point for students to find information about Canada. Information can be found on the land, the people, the climate, history, forests, economics, and health in Canada. There are also maps, and quizzes, and Learning Resources, that I believe would be great resources for teachers to use in the classroom. Although this site is not interactive, and constuctivist in itself, the information it provides could be used in a way that would allow students to be active in their own learning. Also, some students love to read factual information, this would be a great site for them to go to.

Sexual Health Resource Site for Kids!
This is a great health site for students to learn about puberty, STDs and other aspects of sexual health. It provides students with the facts, and also has a live teen forum. There is a parent section, that would also be useful for teachers. I believe that this site is very current, and useful. It even provides questions for teens to ask a tattoo artist or body piercer. This site talks about prevention of STDs, and how to make sex "safer." It also provides a very thorough glossary that would be extremely useful for students and teachers. I love this site!

I Wanna Know

Children Canada
I came across this site while doing a search for anxiety disorders for a class project. This is an awesome site that kids can go to, to learn about things such as health, family, sports, entertainment, computers, society and school. They can get answers to their questions, and relieve some of their concerns. Each section has many links to other great sites. For example, the Family section has links to "Kids With Single or Working Parents" and "Things to Expect When Your Mom is Pregnant." My favorite section was the Health section. I found a bunch of great information on children with anxiety disorders by going to the links in this section.

Children Canada

Childrens' Search Engine
I don't know about you ... but sometimes I do a search in google, or yahoo, and I end up with something that I definitely was not looking for. I remember hearing about Yahooligans a long time ago, but then I forgot about it until recently. Yahooligans is a search engine for kids. I tried a bunch of searches on a variety of topics, and all of the results seemed to be really good sites. When I was interning, all of the kids used google or ask jeeves. I think that Yahooligans is a safer way for kids to search, and I will definitely use this search engine when I teach. Try it out! I found a bunch of cool interactive sites by using this engine.

Cool Math!
I have never liked math. It stresses me out, and basically drives me crazy! But I suppose, that sometimes it can be cool. A lot of kids get frustrated when doing math, and they do not experience it as fun. I found this interactive site that has a bunch of cool math games, and some of them are actually quite fun! Lemonade stand is my personal favorite, because of the real life application. This site involves many different types of problem solving, and also involves many of the multiple intelligences. It has a teacher and parent section, and includes lessons as well as games. The only thing that I found annoying on this site was the commercial aspect. There are ads for the sponsors on every page. If you ignore these, however, the site is really good.

Cool Math

Interactive Science Site
Kids are curious. They want to know how the world works and why things are they way they are. I found this great interactive site that answers questions that kids may have, and gives some "cool" interesting information that may help to get them interested in science. It promotes differentiated instruction, and touches on many of the multiple intelligences. I thought that it was fantastic.

Cool Science

Wow! Excellent Health Site for Girls
I am so excited! I just came across an awesome health site for teen girls. It is accurate, informative, and interesting. I would use it as a teacher, but I would definitely have my students check this site out as well. It is meant for kids. It has many different sections, shows pictures, and has quizzes. I think that it is a great place for girls to go if they have questions, or need some clarification on certain things about their bodies, health, or decision making.

4 Girls Health

Grade 5 Health Resource Site
This site was created by a couple other education students, and myself. We made it in ECMP 355 (2001). It looks at each of the units that should be covered in grade 5 health, and has a few lesson plans for each unit. It includes the foundational objectives, and a link to the evergreen curriculum. The number of lesson plans is not sufficient to teach the whole unit, they are just example lesson plans to get you started.
Grade 5 Health Resource

Making Science Fun!
When students encounter new information, they need to make a personal connection and apply it to something that they already know. Many of the students who dislike science, are not able to make this type of connection. It is a teachers' responsibility to find ways to explain concepts so that they make sense to students. I found this great site that explains the science behind amusement park rides. It is very interesting ... and the amusement park aspect will have students hooked!
Amusement Park Site

Just In Case You Don't Have all the Answers...
Kids have a lot of questions when it comes to their bodies and sexual health. Sometimes as teachers, we do not know all the answers ... or we may know the answer, but we can not put it in just the right way. I came across this fantastic site. It has answers to pretty much every question you could ever ask about relationships, general health, sexuality and sexual health. The problem with it is that it is a university site, so there is some stuff that is not appropriate for youth. Therefore, I would recommend using it as a resource, but not sharing the site with students. Who knows ... you may learn something new ... check it out!

Go Ask Alice

Multiple Intelligences
Today in my ECMP class, Julie Machnaik, the Instructional Approaches Consultant for the Regina Public School Board, gave a presentation on the Multiple Intelligences. Ever since I heard about Gardner's MI theory in an EPS class, I have been very interested in it. So often, schools put the main educational emphasis on the linguistic and mathematical areas. It is important that teachers recognize that each type of intelligence is as important as the next, and that they provide opportunities for students to work in the areas that they are very skilled in, but also develop the areas that they are not as skilled in. Julie talked about MI/ TI/ DI (Multiple Intelligences, Technological Integration, and Differentiated Instruction). Her site has so many great links for teachers to use to ensure that they are making the MI/ TI/ DI connection. It is fantastic!

Multiple Intelligences

A great site that I found by surfing the above site was BrainPOP. It has the coolest movies that teach students about all kinds of different things in each subject area. I love it!

BrainPOP

Who Doesn't Love Poetry?
Language Arts was always one of my favorite subjects in school, and it is also one of my favorites to teach. I especially love to teach poetry. I came across these great sites the other day, and thought I would share them. The first is a great site for both students and teachers. It shows examples of the many different types of poems, and defines each type. Students could use these when they are writing poetry, to experiment with different styles that they may not have thought to try. This site would be good for middle years students, right up to high school students and adults. The second site is awesome. It has so many poems that kids would love to read, and it also has a teachers section that talks about how to incorporate poetry into the curriculum. This site would probably be best for elementary level students.
Types of Poetry
Poems for Kids

Excellent Health Sites!
The subject area that I am most interested in is Health. I also feel as though this is one of the most neglected subject areas in most classrooms, regardless of the amount of time that is allotted for it by the curriculum guide. I think that students need to have access to accurate and honest information, and these excellent sites can help to provide this. The first is a very informative site about eating disorders. It is the best site on this topic that I have ever seen. The second is a great site for parents, teachers, and students. It has a separate section for kids, and for teens that is very easy to understand and answers questions that many young people may have about their bodies, and general health. I hope that these are useful.
Anred (Eating Disorders)
Kids Health

What Role Does Technology Have?
In order for technology to be integrated effectively into our schools, "...people must be comfortable with it's use." This article makes recommendations regarding the role that technology can have in restructuring schools. It also discusses the implications for these recommendations. It is very interesting and informative and highlights many important realities. Worth checking out!
The Role of Technology

Now ... Let's Try This Blogging Stuff
Integrating technology into a classroom can be a scary thought for those who aren't very familiar with how to do so. Well ... have no fears, this website has a bunch of great ideas on how to incorporate powerpoint, hyperstudio, and webpages. It also gives ideas for each subject area on how you can add in the 'oh so important' element of technology. Hope this is useful!
Technology Integration Ideas!

Well ... this is my first time trying out this blogging stuff. Seems pretty cool. Hopefully I will have something more interesting to say in my next entry. Something educational and informative perhaps. We'll see.