Forget how to do MLA citations?

Don't forget about Easybib !

Fast food workers protest for higher pay

Yesterday (August 29), fast food workers in 50 cities held marches and protests demanding their pay be raised from minimum wage to $15 per hour - more than double minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. These were not teenagers who worked part-time or during the summer; these were adults whose wages support their families. According to Headline News this morning, the average fast food worked makes around $18,000-19,000 per year - well below the poverty level for a single income home.

What do you think? Should fast food workers be paid above minimum wage? How much? Should minimum wage be raised?

Read the following articles and blog posts, then make an informed and thoughtful comment. I have tried to include links that support both sides of the debate. Consider both sides before commenting.

L.A. Times "Fast-food fight: Living wage or invitation to robots? Twitter debates"
Reuters "Trying to raise a family on a fast-food salary"
St. Louis Beacon "Beaconomics: Facts and figures behind debate over minimum wage"
Policymic "Fast Food Strikes Proves Why the Minimum Wage Is a Disaster"

Journalism Rubric

The rubric that will be used for most articles assigned in Journalism 1 & 2 can now be found at Edmodo, or through this link:Basic Journalism Rubric .

Evernote - One of the handiest apps for students

If you follow this blog, or know me at all, you know I love the Evernote app. It may just be one of the handiest apps, and suites of apps, for students and professionals alike.

In the suite of Evernote apps:

• Collaborate Collaborate.com is a unified document sharing, task management, and team communication environment for today’s mobile workforce. With native support for iPhone™ – and out-of-the-box integration with Evernote™ and email – teams can get started with Collaborate.com in minutes by visiting the Collaborate.com Web site or downloading the app directly from the App Store.
• Evernote Peek
  Evernote Peek is a learning app designed for the iPad 2 Smart Cover. No Smart Cover? No problem! The new Virtual Cover lets any iPad get in on the fun. Studying with an iPad has never been more natural. Simply peek under the cover to prepare for a quiz, practice a language or strengthen your memory.
• Evernote Web ClipperResearch made easyWith one click, clip part or all of any webpage, including text, images, and links.
• Skitch
  Get your point across with fewer words using annotation, shapes and sketches, so that your ideas become reality faster.
• Penultimate
Penultimate is the original and easiest-to-use handwriting app for iPad that combines the natural experience of pen and paper with the flexibility and syncing of Evernote. Lose the paper, keep the handwriting, and remember everything.

Do you know your First Amendment rights?

Quick - name the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment... Can you do it?

1. Speech
2. Press
3. Religion
4. Petition
5. Assembly

So, what do they mean? Can you yell anything you want anywhere you want? Can you wear a t-shirt with a curse word on it? Can you stand up in the middle of McDonald's and yell "Fire!"? Can you and your friends congregate across the street from the school and protest the new dress code?

Find out at the Illinois First Amendment Center.

Themes in Literature

If you need extra help on identifying themes in literature, visit the Edmodo class page.

"11 Untranslatable Words from Other Cultures" from Maptia blog

Again, I love infographics. While looking for another cool infographic to share, I came across the Maptia blog. Their purpose?

"We are on a mission to build the most inspirational map in the world.
To beautifully record our most memorable experiences in every corner of the globe and build the 'home' for places online."

What cool infographic did I find at Maptia? "11 Untranslatable Words from Other Cultures". 
Check it out!

Infographic: Online Video Habits of Teenagers

 

I love infographics. I think they are cool. Infographics are great at cramming a lot of useful information into one page or poster.

Magnet Media Labs used an infographic to communicate the results of a 2012 Pew Research Center study of teenagers' online video habits.

Some interesting points from the infographic:

• 37 percent of teens use video chat, 27 percent record and upload videos, and 13 percent stream live videos.
• About 80 percent of Internet-using teens use social media, and the ones that do tend to be more involved with video.
• Teens who come from high-income families are the most likely to video chat, but are the least likely to stream video. Teens from low-income families are the most likely to stream video.

"10 Must-Have Apps For Successful High School Students" at Mashable

From virtual frog dissection to flashcards, graphing calculators to foreign language study... Mashable's gallery of "10 Must-Have Apps For Successful High School Students" can help make students' lives easier.

A high school student's plate isn't just filled with classes, but also sports, clubs, SATs and a social life of proms and pep rallies. Don't head into the classroom unarmed — turn to your phone or tablet. There are plenty of apps to help keep your hectic life organized.

In high school, your courseload will tip the scales and the pressure of college apps... will challenge every moment. Use these 10 apps to make sure you're on top of homework assignments, ensuring studying is effortless and efficient rather than stressful and unproductive.

Great books at Kindle Daily Deals!

For those of you with a Kindle, I hope you are checking out the daily deals - severely discounted popular books. For instance, today's deal of the day includes I Am Number Four and A Hundred Summers.

A Hundred Summers

by Beatriz Williams

Customer review: "A smart and engrossing story that is perfect for fans of the Gossip Girl series."

Deal Price: $2.99

I Am Number Four

by Pittacus Lore

Customer review: "An edge of your seat adventure with a strong voice and lovable characters."

Deal Price: $2.99

Evernote: Remember Everything

"Remember everything."

Looking for a useful app to help you remember everything? To help you organize classwork and notes?

Evernote is a free app, also with a web interface. I have used it for years for everything from meeting notes, recipes, event planning, and notes in class. You can capture anything - photo, audio, video - and combine it with notes.

Lifehacker's Whitson Gordon explained how amazing Evernote is in his post "I've Been Using Evernote All Wrong. Here's Why It's Actually Amazing."

Handy Note: Free app of the day

 

Today's free app of the day at Amazon is Handy Note Pro. Follow the link for a YouTube demo.

Replace paper notebooks, but keep the same user experience. Ready to use predefined planner, diary, meeting minutes, class notes and multiple different templates. You can input text, hand write, free draw, embed symbols, drag shapes or insert photos just as you do in blank paper.

Speech Fall 2013 calendar now available

A calendar of all deadlines and topics for the 2013 Fall semester, 2nd hour Speech class is now available at Edmodo. Or here: Fall 2013 Speech Calendar.

"Straight From Students: Smart Tips for Searching Online"

Continue reading the article at Mind/Shift .

The Internet is full of useful information. You can find everything from food recipes, new jobs, news, and information on various topics. Most students use the internet to find information, because there is so much information about almost anything you can imagine to be found on the web. Imagine searching for information about Facebook on Google, you will get 20,270,000,000 results...

Is Online Learning Coming Soon To High Schools?

Jeff Dunn, of Edudemic discusses the idea of online learning in secondary schools.

Normally, finding out your kids are watching their teacher on YouTube would cause panic, but not if the video they are watching is a math lecture about determining probability. Perhaps your child is having difficulty with learning how to use direct object pronouns in Spanish, and is going online to review lectures.

This digital approach called “flipping the classroom” is already being used by K-12 teachers across the nation.

Test Yourself: Editing Practice

The New York Times Education blog posted this from The Learning Network recently. It only takes a few seconds to take their quiz.

Test Yourself | Editing Practice, Aug. 23, 2013

By THE LEARNING NETWORK

How well do you understand the use of quotation marks? Test yourself and see.

The sentences below are from an article abouta New York restaurant frequented by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Which choice shows the correct use of quotation marks?

Teenagers Inspiring Positive Change

I am a fan of TEDtalks. If you don't already know this, you will soon find out, as TED always makes its way into my classroom.

In this article, TEDx highlights a 2010 conference in Asheville, North Carolina, where teens presented their ideas on how to change the world. 

"They are the next generation ofthinkers, artists, scientists, social activists and entrepreneurs.
Applying their creativity, wisdom and innovative thinking, these young leaders are dreaming of new possibilities and putting their ground-breaking ideas into action.
Teenagers around the worldare inspiring positive change."

Continue reading the article or watching the videos here.

25 different learning styles. 1 room. 1 teacher. What can we do?

Yes, I am a geek. I admit it. Even on the weekend, I'm reading up on trends in education, advice from other teachers, education news.

This morning I thought, Are students and parents really aware of what teachers are thinking about as we educate 21st century learners?

For just one small glimpse into the ever-changing landscape of education, through the eyes of a teacher, check out this technology integration post at Edutopia.

By the way, for the other geeks out there... Edutopia is a product of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Yes, George Lucas. As in, Star Wars. How cool is that? George Lucas is a driving force in the world of modern education.

Purple Pride State Wide

According to a July article in the Champaign News-Gazette, the tradition of football at Arcola High School is ranked among the top three in the state of Illinois. Why? Where do others in our area rank? Read more...

AHS Spiritwear (Sportswear) on sale thru August 31!

Support AHS and look good doing it!

Ernst Sports from Ohio has designed some awesome sportswear for us this year. This is the first sale we are doing. The deadline for ordering is August 31 (have it in the mail by then). Orders should arrive at the school 2-4 weeks later.

Download the flyer here (pdf). 

Arcola elementary students should have received the flyer in their Friday folders. JH & HS students should have received a flyer at school on Friday.

Orders should be mailed, faxed, or emailed directly to Ernst Sports - all contact information is on the flyer (envelopes provided on the first 700 flyers handed out). If this is a problem for you, please contact me. I will help you out.

22 Foster Homes Later...

“These stories are for the youth who have been abused and mistreated . . . and for the youth who are having trouble making it in school,” said Thomas McRae, college junior, resident of 22 foster homes, and summer intern on Capitol Hill.

McRae's story illustrates that attitude breeds success. Read his story at The Washington Post.

Teenage girls don't like to be tracked...

"Teenage girls are way more worried about apps tracking their locations than boys are." From The Washington Post

Read this article. What do you think? Should teenagers worry about location tracking?

"Fail, and Fail Hard"

"You can't control where you were born, the family you were born into, what you look like, you can't control any of those circumstances, the only thing you can control is how you react."
You may not know the name, but Aisha Taylor has experienced rave success, like starring on "Friends", and brave failures. Television star, Ivy League graduate, gamer, comedian, snowboarder - Aisha believes that epic failures are necessary to becoming successful.

"I would probably tell my younger self, 'Don't worry about it. You're always going to be a weirdo, and at some point that's going to be OK. That's eventually going to be your calling card, or your badge of courage, that you're going to be a weird kid.'"

Read the rest of the interview...
"Aisha Tyler's Recipe for Success: Fail, and Fail Hard"
by Alicia W. Stewart at CNN.com

Where are my bubbles? The ACT goes digital...

from the New York Times Education blog

"Sneak Preview: What the New SAT and Digital ACT Might Look Like"

"Testing, Testing: More Students are Taking Both the ACT and the SAT"

If you cannot read these articles, simply sign up for a free New York Times account, allowing you to read 15 articles for free each month.

"8 Unbelievably Awesome and Inspiring Teenagers"

"While much of the news is of the Debbie Downer variety, we prefer stories that highlight truly amazing and inspirational people. Turns out, a ton of these awe-inspiring folk are teens! Seriously—these news-making kids deserve major kudos for their various killer endeavors—check em’ out!"
Continue reading at The Mindhut @ Spark Notes .