Creativity unleashed

I mentioned in my last school post (the one about set ups), that I’d used a modified version of The Future Is Wild‘s animal design activity.

While TFiW is more focused on evolution and decent with modification, my class was currently focusing on a more ecological unit – what roles do different organisms have in an ecosystem, how do they interact and how do we classify them.

Previous lessons had gone through self-made classification schemes, traditional classification schemes (e.g. The Classical Greek), and scientific classification schemes. The two scientific classification schemes were taught in my classes.

My moustache brings all the girls from the yard

The children at work have gotten over their initial amusement at the sudden burst of facial hair after my return from over a month of absence.

I have gotten two Facebook messages of approval amongst a tirade of uproar – the most vocal being my sister (“for the love of all that is good – go and shave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”) – but the worst comment was probably this video.

So I’ve tried a pulled out my natural charm for this weeks photo.

Mandatory shill: Contribute your donation to men’s health here.

Hump day happy: Head splitting success

Surgery to separate the conjoined heads of Bangladeshi twins Krishna and Trishna at the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital has been announced as initially successful.

Video, galleries and news at Fairfax or News.com.au

Should that be “Xenu-phon”

Scientology Australia have probably just added a new SP to their dossiers after Nick Xenophon’s scathing attack on the organisation early this morning (or late last night) - check out a video report over here.

Senator Xenophon said their correspondence [fro former church memebers] implicated the organisation in a range of crimes, including forced imprisonment, coerced abortions, embezzlement of church funds, physical violence, intimidation and blackmail.

In an effort to charm every divorcee in the country, Scientology released a statement that comments from ex-members are as reliable as that of an ex-spouse about a former partner. You see they mean all the emotional abuse and denial of care with love obviously.

Another charming response on this effort was on Ten’s 7pm Project which brought in theologian Rev Dr David Milligan who was supposed to illuminate the issue, but basically said Scientology can’t be that bad because Christianity (his religion) believes in some crazy stuff you find in a book too.

So close, yet so far… video embedded below, but you’ll have to skip to about 8:35 to get to the Scientology segment (the first story about a guy who goes 600km off course after a wrong turn is a bit amusing though).

More farming scams

There has to be some sort of catch … surely …

More like “lamebook”

Indulge in one more Facebook-related post, I have to share Lamebook – warning, don’t click if don’t want to waste a few hours – possibly the best real-life example of why you need to be careful about what you post on a public online forum.

Keepers:

• Harry Potter fans need to be neutered
• What’s a stripper and a vampire have in common?
• Unsure how to let him know he is the one?
• No wedding and a funeral
• I do not need to see that shit… (semi graphic)

Yo! Farmville is a scam

While none of the students I personally taught mentioned Facebook in my presence (except when I asked “What do you read? Books? Magazines?”), I did get accosted by some random kids on the playground who kept insisting that I needed to add them to Facebook and help them farm on Farmville.

Luckily, despite them constantly checking my mandatory name badge for my full name, none of them had the attention span or retention to actually add me, so I do not have to deal with that can of worms. I am still left with sister insisting last week that I join her farm, clan, sorority and/or kitchen.

So I find it this video a bit funny showing the CEO of Zynga (the company behind  Farmville, Mafia, Vampires, YoVille and all that other crap), admitting that he basically took every low channel possible to build up his capital in the early days. This came to light is just after TechCrunch complimented Zynga on its devotion to “clean up facebook”. It’s not quite as noble if you helped create the mess in the first place.

Disclaimer: While I have ditched my vampire/zombie applications, and will not be joining any of Zynga’s other projects, I am pretty hooked on it’s Texas Hold ‘Em app … join and send me chips

I am not your friend

One of the best farewells that was written on my end-of-prac card was “you r now mi friend”. I had told this student earlier that day when he was not cooperating that today was the last day he had to make me his friend.

But is it okay to be friends with students? Particularly where everyone’s friends are now, Facebook.

During my last week, Education Queensland updated their code of conduct for employees to clearly stipulate that teachers “must not use internet social networks such as Face Book, My Space or YouTube to contact or access present students enrolled in any school or institute” and “If you use internet social networks in your personal time you must ensure that the content is appropriate and private, and that you restrict access to specific people who are not students” (Section 2.2.2 (b) Interactions with Students).

Teachers (along with probably everybody else) have been needing to be increasingly careful about what sort of material they make available online (for example). Thankfully a lot of social media websites have been updating features to make it easier to control how you are viewed online. At the start of previous school year Facebook blogged specifically to teachers about the benefits of making friends lists to control what is viewable by “students” (or non-teachers may like to create a similar group for “Uncles, Aunts and Grandparents”).

The private education sector in Queensland has yet to install a blanket ban on social media interactions with students (and last I heard they were not intending to go that far, but were considering available options). While I understand where EQ is coming from on this, it is a bit disappointing that there appears no room for leeway or principal-appointed exemptions (which are included on clauses regarding camera usage and other points). This means a whole range of Web 2.0 based activities and learning environments (Second Life, class blogging) are excluded from Queensland state school classrooms at all age levels (and I think it may also apply to TAFE classes too).

The Queensland Curriculum embraces technology on most levels, to me it just seems disappointing that it is not being flexible on this one. Perhaps their strategy is to ban it while they work out a more appropriate strategy to monitor student-teacher interactions on the world-wide-web.

Beasts of bone and steel

via iO9

Check out this gallery of awesome art pieces that combine mammal skeletons with steam-punk-esque machinations by Ron Bell.

Bell’s series “Osteomechanics” and “Crania Mechanica,” integrate animal bones into imagined machinery. With the heavy use of brass and electrical prongs, they have a steampunk feel, but Bell’s core inspiration comes from 18th Century scientist Luigi Galvani, who experimented with delivering an electrical spark to animal muscles. The sculptures are supposed to evoke a sense of mystery, leaving the viewer to wonder at the era and person that gave rise to these strange little machines, and what scientific problem they were meant to solve.

Make me a Merry Moustachio

Last year's masterpiece

Click here to Sponsor my Moustache: Funds will be dispersed by the Movember Foundation of Australia to assist with men’s health campaigns by Beyond Blue and the Prostate Cancer Society of Australia.

Why give a stuff:
Men are far less healthy than women. The average life expectancy for men is five years less than females (78 compared to 83).

Men access health services 30-40% less than women, thereby denying themselves the chance for prevention and early detection of common diseases.

Give me beautiful hair

It’s that time of year again. The month formerly known as November has once again been transformed to raise awareness of men’s health issues with the power of upper lip growth.

Visit my mo-space where donations are welcome (apparently I’ll get free burgers if I raise over $25 in the next couple of days).

With a quick check of the rules (pdf) by my housemate meaning I had to shave a gap between my sideburns and the ‘tache (I already have one rule violation by starting a day early to celebrate finishing school), here is the result of my first week of facial hair growth .

What, there’s a reputation to uphold?

This week’s storm in teacup is brought to you by comedy-news-quiz show (we can’t afford individual shows in Australia) Good News Week and Akmal Saleh.

Akmal took the opportunity of national television to go on an expletive filled rant about the people of Rockhampton. This has upset Rockhampton, and the little git has apologised. Too be fair apparently he was punched in the by some woman in an alley who accused him of being a paedophile wog, but hey, who hasn’t?

The ever reliable Morning Bulletin reports Akmal’s version of events at the Rocky Show earlier this year:

The funny man had three days off in Rockhampton and decided to take a camera to the show with his two mates.

The friends dressed in traditional Arabian outfits and did a Borat-esque skit.

The trio was lining up for a ride in sideshow alley when an angry mum confronted them.

“Listen here mate, you’ve got to have permission before you video people’s children,” the woman said.

Akmal said he tried to tell the woman she had it wrong and offered to show her the tape.

“Bulls—, you’re f—ing taping people’s children and you’re a pedophile, you dirty wog (expletive),” she said.

“Go away you idiot,” Akmal said before she punched him in the nose.

She whacked him again, “full-on punches” to his face.

“We just bolted,” Akmal said.

“I thought if we stayed we’d be lynched.”

 

Get the book on taxonomy fail

But we’re all mammals aren’t we … wait … what … that’s not right

Credit: 365:14 – Taxonomy Fail by sidesmirk, on Flickr (Creative Commons – Attribution, Share Alike)

No more mercy

But it’s a good thing.

Sydney’s Mercy Ministries has gone bankrupt.

While being promoted as a counseling and psychiatric care operation for young women, allegations surfaced last year that the ‘treatment’ consisted of isolation, denial of drugs and exorcisms to expel their inner demons. Showing Scientology isn’t the only cult that preys on people in need.

Megachurch Hillsong, which was the driving force behind the ministry in Australia (it is still operating overseas), has ditched the mess and run away screaming.

It’s the set up (You need this)

The major lesson learned over the last month is that no matter how awesome I am, I am not a magician.

Teacher’s cannot expect to walk into their classrooms, open their box of tricks, and have children play along gleefully (not even with music and white powdery ingestables).

What is really important for setting up a classroom for a smooth and successful learning journey^ is just that – the set up. It is so easy to gloss over this, and I certainly have been a lot. I mean these kids have been in school for eight years already, they know how a classroom learning environment works by now*. Reminding them of that is not my job as a middle school teacher, right? I should be able to just dive right into my lesson, yeah? These guys should know how to work in groups already, surely?

Wrong. Wrong. And more wrong. And apparently “group work” needs to be replaced with “co-operative learning”.