by Brian Metcalfe  - Technology Education

Proposed Tax Break for Teachers
On Friday, April 16, 2004, I was fortunate to attend MERLIN's 7th annual "Technology Day" at Winnipeg Technical College. The keynote speaker was Mike Parkhill, Director of the Academic Sector for Microsoft Canada. In the middle of Mike's presentation, titled "From e-learning to me-learning: Progress and Challenges in Online Learning", the audience broke into applause when he described a personal initiative that he has undertaken. He indicated that he is very concerned when 90% of students today can gain access to the Internet at school, home or libraries yet only 55% of teachers know how to use computers. However rather than "use such data as drunks use lampposts - more for support than illumination", he decided that we must adapt our educational system and provide additional incentives to teachers. To this end, Mike is working with politicians to introduce a Private Members' Bill which, if passed, would provide each teacher with up to a $2000 tax break every two years to purchase a new home computer to help prepare lessons and classroom resources. Mike cautioned that this initiative is still in its infancy and that it will likely take another 6-8 months before it be voted upon. I'll do my best to keep readers aware of any announcements regarding this proposed tax break initiative.

"Riding the Wave of Change" 2004 Conference - Gimli - May 13 & 14
Once again, Lloyd Roche, Technology Consultant from the Evergreen School Division, is coordinating this annual technology conference. On-line registration and details are mow available off their web site at: http://www.esd.mb.ca/wave/

Shaughnessy Park  - More Movie Winners
Last month, I identified schools in our Division who were recognized at the "Freeze Frame 2004" festival. Shortly thereafter, Brenda Pundyk principal of Shaughnessy Park School, informed me by e-mail about the video talents of their students. "Our students along with Mitch Rygiel went to Ottawa to receive their awards for their video that can be viewed on the website of <www.march21.com>"  I was intrigued with the web URL until I visited this "Stop Racism Campaign" site and learned that  March 21st is the "International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination". Shaughnessy Park students were once again one of 10 national winners with their 2004 award-winning video entitled "What's Wrong With These Pictures". Check out this year's winning video and their past winners including "Racism Stinks" (2003), "Teach Your Children That Discrimination is Wrong!" (2001) and their first video award in 2000 at: http://www.pch.gc.ca/march-21-mars/hands-mains/10videos_e.shtml

Quote of the Month
"..if we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." - John Dewey

by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education

A Chinese proverb states that "One picture is worth ten thousand words". Younger students find this to be so when they use an Excel spreadsheet to tabulate data and then learn how to insert images to convert the plain-looking chart into a "user-friendly" pictograph. The following steps will produce a pictograph example showing the books read during February's "I Love to Read" month:

[Table of Contents]

SCHLIB - Subscribe to receive timely educational resources

by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education

School librarians and those active in the Manitoba School Library Association know of the dedication of Margaret Stimson. As the Educational Resources/Library Consultant for the Pembina Trails School Division, Margaret is known to many educators as the creator and maintainer of the award-winning "Info Zone" research web site at:  http://www.pembinatrails.ca/infozone/ 

In addition, Margaret has shared a wealth of educational on-line resources with primarily librarians through an e-mail distribution mechanism or listserv known as SCHLIB which was created in 1998 as an initiative of the Manitoba School Library Association. I have been fortunate to be one of more than 150 individuals who presently subscribe to this distribution service and rarely does a week go by that I do not receive a message from Margaret. Not only does she identify a variety of Internet resource links but Margaret also takes the time to include personal annotations and comments about them. Although many of the messages may have a school library slant, others are intended for the classroom teacher.

For example, on Sunday April 18, Margaret sent out the following e-mail to all subscribers on the SCHLIB listserv.

Over the years, many of Margaret's web sites have been included in the "Pearls of URLs". Furthermore Margaret prides herself in distributing information to educators in a timely manner. Unfortunately, I often find that by the time I receive her SCHLIB information and re-publish it in my up-coming monthly issue of "Bits and Bytes", the event, like Earth Day on April 22, has past or educators have very little lead time to use Margaret's resources in planning relevant activities. However, I was extremely pleased when Margaret sent me an e-mail indicating that anyone "interested in educational resources" could view the archives and register to join the SCHLIB listserv. I encourage those who want to receive Margaret's information and resources in a timely fashion to subscribe as indicated in her following e-mail message:

THANKS Marg for caring and sharing.

[Table of Contents]

School Daze ... Eh? (Educational humour)

by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education

Over the years, I have received a variety of feedback from "Bits and Bytes" readers. Many appreciate the educational resources and freebies that are shared through this distribution mechanism. Others admit that they are not as technologically savvy as they would like to be but often find inspiration and motivation in the non-technical "Food for Thought" articles. Over the years, I have found that humour has helped me cope in challenging situations and laughter has helped me reduce a great deal of stress. In trying to meet the varied needs of educators today, I think it is perhaps time to introduce a humourous educational story into the odd issue of "Bits and Bytes".  Hopefully the image below and the story of our kindergarten student and teacher will cause you to chuckle or at least bring a smile to your face. (:-)

Especially for K-1 teachers

[Source: http://www.longislandweb.com/longislandweb-cgi-bin/webbbs_files/chalktalk/funstuff/funstuff_config.pl?read=125]

[Table of Contents]

Food for Thought:  A lesson for all of us in this story

forwarded by Aleda Sloane, a retired teacher from Dr. D.W. Penner School in the Louis Riel S.D.

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools.

At a Chush fundraising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son, Shay? My child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is perfection?"

The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when a child like this is brought into the world, the perfection is in the way people react to this child."

He then told the following story about his son Shay: One afternoon, Shay and his father walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shay's father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning." Shay's father was ecstatic as Shay smiled broadly.

Shay was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base.

Shay was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone hit with it. However as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. One of Shay's teammates came up to Shay and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay and his teammate swung at the ball and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shay run to first. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shay, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third." As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shay run home." Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of perfection."

Funny how people can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when one starts sending messages regarding life choices, people think twice about sharing. Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of morality is too often suppressed in school and the workplace.

Funny how when you go to forward this message (if you choose to forward it), you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what we think of ourselves.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition. These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference or just hit delete.

Keep reaching for that level of perfection.

[Source: http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/lesson_20010222.html ]

[Table of Contents]

Freebie Favourites

by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education

Readers who are becoming deluged with the exponential growth of unsolicited e-mail or spam, may want to consider installing the following Windows freeware on their home computer(s).