Michele Hunt: Transformation Catalyst

"Find your passion, put it to work with a collection of people and do something great!" ~Michele Hunt .  This was originally published in Huffington Post, I wanted to add this to my collection of inspiration.

Thank you Michele Hunt and Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President, Cisco 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlos-dominguez/the-power-of-continuous-transformation_b_2583500.html 

 http://youtu.be/5pZD8Shxbng

Sugata Mitra, Holes in the Wall, Granny Clouds

Sugata Mitra, winner of the 2013 TED prize, shares his study that reveals scientific proof: Encouragement, resources and mentoring enhance critical thinking and learning in children.  Indeed, traditional education is evolving and kids are amazing!

As seen on TED: http://on.ted.com/TEDPrize2013

 

Community Building in the Classroom and World Peace

Mandalas are used by Buddhist monks as a sacred ritual.  My friend and artist,Russell Maier is using mandalas to promote world peace and "oneness." The circle and symmetry can unify a group when created collaboratively.I used a mandala  activity as I was inspired by Russel.  

Creating a class mandala for a community building activity is easy  and fun to do. It can be done in a face-to-face or online environment.  Here is how to create a mandala with your online class or group:

1. Ask individuals to choose and share a geometric shape (PowerPoint is easy for this)

1. Collect these using Google Docs or via email

1. Arrange the shapes in a circle, using symmetry-try using Snagit or snippet

1. Save as Jpeg

1. Share with the class!

The mandala above is an example of a mandala that my students and I created as a group.  My students were so excited they had printed t-shirts!

Enjoy and Namaste!

This topic originally posted (by me) this on the Innovators' Network, aka IL Blog: http://innovationslab.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/mandala-love-circles-back/

Heroes and Holiday Thanks

As the holidays approach, I am sending a personal  "thank you" to our heroes and a heart-felt thanks to the military families that make sacrifices for all of us!

Originally posted Dec 17, 2012: The Innovator's Network

Send a letter to a soldier: Forgotten Soldiers

“Most. Awesome. Teacher. Ever.” *

Now I see why many individuals, including myself, choose teaching as a profession. While imparting knowledge of a stringent, logical topic, such as mathematics, we have license to pepper our delivery of instruction with creativity and wit in order to amaze our audience and create an environment ready for learning. That’s just what Matthew Weathers did for his Nature of Math class at Biola University.
I think this Youtube text comment sums it up best:

“Most. Awesome. Teacher. Ever.”

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind having my chairperson read that type of comment on my next student survey.

This video is inspiring as well as entertaining! Check this out- if you dare! Muah! Ha! Ha!

Matthew Weathers' Nature of Math class at Biola University

*This was originally posted on Innovator's Network January, 2010

TEACHERS: DEFINITELY BEAUTIFUL!

TAYLOR MALI: WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

 

My cousin Pegi shared a Poem by Taylor Mali with me and I cannot believe this was the first time I've seen any version of this.   I wasn't going to share here because I thought the few readers I have who are teachers probably have already seen it. If you have, it is worth another look.   I thnk this is a must-see for all teachers, novice, veterans or aspiring.

My favorite part is what Mali shares about bullying.  Also, here is an amazing fact from Mali's bio on his site: "Taylor Mali is...one of the few people in the world to have no job other than that of poet." Definitely Beautiful!

Taylor Mali's performance and commentary

 

YouTube version with a slideshow by Ethos3.com (uploaded by Gleeekin)

 

Text version on Taylor Mali's site

A big thanks goes out to all teachers especially the ones who teach (or who have taught) my kids.

 

International Dot Day: Make Your Mark!



 YMYL DOT