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20

Dec

2008

The Pocono Equestrian Center

By admin. Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
The Pocono Equestrian Center
http://www.poconoequestrian.org/
and the Gamingkrib (http://www.gamingkrib.com/) team up as partners (with more coming)…to promote offline and online collaboration with kids, parents and teachers.
Beverly Peffer, co-founder of The Pocono Equestrian Center receives “Woman of the Year” award from “Parents Loving Children through Austism” PCLTA. states “It excites me to have a chance to be a part of such an incredible program, the Gaming Krib”…look for furture ideas from both sites coming soon….including kids sponsoring thier own horse, games related to taking care of a horse and prizes related to attending camps accross the Country and World.

Also check out…http://www.equestrianconnection.org/
Over 100 Autistic Children enrolled in thier programs.

 

TEGO Custom Skins - Designed by You!

earn it= skinit

earn it= skinit

http://www.mytego.com
Earn and win your own TEGO Skin for your cellphone, laptop, mobile phone, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Ipod, Notebook, Xbox, Sony Playstation, Nintendo Wii, PSP or any other portable gear. Skins are in! Don’t get stuck with a boring cellphone faceplate that only covers certain areas or voids your warranty when you replace it. Change your cell phone faceplate with a TEGO Skin!  Skin it with ease; tego Skins are easy to apply and remove - comes off completely clean.
YOU DESIGN your own TEGO SKIN! Only at mytego can you actually design in real time and see your exact design!  TEGO custom skin covers are precision cut to fit to your cell phone,laptop and other mobile gear. It’s a thin, tough vinyl skin material that looks good and helps protect. www.myTego.com is the world leader in customized skins for portable electronics, with the unique Tego Skin, the only product that you design entirely by yourself, with your own custom images and designs. A TEGO is a skin covering that fits over all of your gadgets. Make a Tego skin for your cell phone, a skin for your mobile phone, a skin for your laptop, a skin for your playstation, a skin for your nintendo wii, a skin for your xbox, a skin for your ipod, a skin for your macbook and powerbook, a skin for your Rock Band, a skin for your Guitar Hero. Yes, now you can Tego Skin the WORLD! A Tego Skin is a thin, tough, flexible vinyl covering that you can customized in any way imaginable, with ANY kind of image that you like - friends, family, pop-culture, trips, artists, NHL images! A Tego Skin will go over top of your boring cell phone faceplate, and is applied over top of your other stuff as well. It is easy to apply and easy to remove, with no residue. Design it any way that you want, and everything is made specifically for you, just the way that you designed it. 

Welcome to the GamingKrib My Tego!

 

23

Oct

2008

Welcome our new Board member Phil Diaz

By admin. Posted in CEO | No Comments »
The Gaming Krib would like to welcome are newest addition to our prestigious Board. Philip Diaz, M.S.W.  Phil is an authority on substance abuse treatment, and the former CEO of Gateway Community Services, Inc., the largest provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services for adults, children and families in Northeast Florida. He is the former Assistant Deputy Director for Prevention in the Office of Demand Reduction within the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In this capacity, he was the lead Federal official in the development of national and international drug prevention policy.
Mr. Diaz is a social worker with over 25 years of experience in drug prevention and treatment. He is a founding board member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics and the National Association of Native American Children of Alcoholics, and founding chairperson of the National Drug Prevention League. He has served as a Special Consultant to Dare America, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and the Executive Office of the President.

He has served as the Director for Program Development for Nova Southeastern University’s Masters in Life Span Care and Administration and was a faculty member of the Masters Program in Applied Addiction Studies, the Florida School of Addiction Studies, the Arkansas School, New England School, Rutgers, Alaska School and others. He also served as the Chief Consultant on Substance Abuse Issues for the Child Welfare League of America.

He is the co-author of four books:

12 Steps to Self-Parenting 12 Steps to Self-Parenting Workbook: Windows to Your Inner Child Breaking the Cycle of Addiction: A Parents Guide to Raising Healthy Kids The Lowdown on Families

Who Get High Mr. Diaz is an internationally known lecturer. His work has appeared in Women’s Day Magazine, USA Today, and Focus on the Family. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including the TV special “The National Parent Quiz,” and is the recipient of numerous awards for his work.

 

 

 

20

Oct

2008

Teacher Kribbits

By admin. Posted in School News 2.0 | 1 Comment »

 PRIMING THE STUDENT LEARNING PUMP http://snipurl.com/km_learningpump

In this Teacher Magazine essay, new-teacher mentor Kathie Marshall tells the story of a novice middle school teacher who learns some important lessons about student engagement. One reader commented: “As a first year teacher, this was a refreshing article to read and relate to. I know that engaging students is the key to their success, but I, too, became overwhelmed with the curriculum and ignored the most important factor of teaching — engaging the learners!”

 

 

 http://snipurl.com/ms_global

FRONTLINE/World is a national public TV series that “turns its lens on the global community, covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television.” The Frontline website features a special section for educators, featuring lesson plans and activities for middle and high school that require no more than 1-2 class periods.

Schools and teachers focusing on the 21st century skill of “global awareness will appreciate this top-quality content. See for example this recent lesson plan for grades 7-12: “Negotiate Peace for India and Pakistan,” which includes standards, cross-curricular activities, and links to literature.

 

 

http://snipurl.com/world_lessonplans

 

MIDDLE LEVEL LEADER: ADVISORY PROGRAMS

http://snipurl.com/mlleader_advisory

Patti Kinney is the person behind NASSP’s newsletter for middle level leaders (and we’d say that includes teacher leaders). A long-time middle school principal and 2003 national principal of the year, Kinney has also been president of NMSA. She brings insider savvy to the editing of this useful monthly publication. Check out the September issue, which summarizes the lastest thinking about the design and implementation of advisory programs, drawing on the experiences of 35 Rhode Island schools. You don’t have to be a member of NASSP to sign up for the no-cost email publication.

 

GAME-MAKING WITH “SPLODER”

 

 

http://snipurl.com/spoder_gaming

Sploder is a game-making toy that “allows anyone to design and publish their own games” using a web interface. We learned about Sploder from a review in MacWorld magazine, which says: “This is particularly great for younger gamers hankering to get their first taste of game creation without jumping waist-deep into hard-to-understand code and scripting technology.” For a similar but somewhat more sophisticated site (with less shoot-em-up), see Scratch, a new tile-based programming language for game-building, developed by MIT’s Media Laboratory and “designed with learning and education in mind.” Check out the educator community and the archives from the first Scratch education conference held at MIT last July.

 

 

http://scratch.mit.edu/pages/educators

 

ONLINE WORKSHOP: TEACHING THE ARTS

 

 

http://snipurl.com/annenberg_artspd

The description touts this online professional development experience as “a workshop for high school teachers” but don’t be deceived.

Although the video content features high school students, the principles of good arts teaching put forth in this eight-part series from Annenberg Media apply equally to the middle grades. The content covers visual arts, music, theatre and dance and “is intended for use by mixed groups of teachers from all four arts disciplines, to help them improve their practice.” The first program introduces seven principles of effective teaching; then each principle is explored in depth in a subsequent program. This link leads to a website that includes the video programs, other interactive materials, and a downloadable guide. No-cost registration.

 

SCIENCE & SOCIETY: EXPLORING YOUR OWN DNA

 

http://snipurl.com/nytln_redesign

From time to time we tout the great lesson plans at the New York Times Learning Network, linked (literally) to stories in the news.

 

 

http://snipurl.com/nytln_dnatest

 

HELPING NET-KIDS LEARN TO MANAGE INFORMATION

 

http://snipurl.com/bf_managinginfo

Bill Ferriter, our favorite sixth-grade geek (teacher division), is doing some “second job” work at his own middle school this year, helping “to drive a vision for 21st Century learning in our building’s classrooms.” In this blog post, Bill shares how he’s using webtools like PageFlakes to help students learn to manage information

– “probably the most important 21st Century skill to teach to our kids.” See how Bill and his colleagues are using these tools to help students discern media bias in Election 2008. ALSO: For another interesting view of transformative web tools, read how a wiki has revitalized a science teacher’s classroom and her teaching:

 

 

http://snipurl.com/wikiteacher

 

FASHION RULES IN GIRLS’ FICTION

 

 

http://snipurl.com/nyt_girlsfiction

A friend of MiddleWeb sent us this July story from the New York Times parenting column, thinking that English and language arts teachers might enjoy (?) this reflection on “how girls’ fiction of the day conveys values.” It’s based on a recent dissertation that analyzes the best-selling “Clique” books and the series “Gossip Girl” and “A-List.” (Total sales 13.5 million.) Columnist Michael Winerip

writes: “As others have, Dr. Johnson questions the female characters’

preoccupation with looks, thinness, fashion, makeup, wealth — we’re talking spoiled, rich middle-school girls from Westchester County.

But what grabbed me as new was her documentation of what she called the ‘incessant litany of brand names.’”

 

GET PRACTICAL STEPS FOR CHOOSING AND USING FICTION IN THE CLASSROOM

THE NOVEL EXPERIENCE is a handy 32-page flipchart that helps middle-level teachers and students organize a novel program, choose books that match interests & abilities, foster comprehension, process information, and share responses. Includes over 100 book suggestions; only $11. Click here for details:

 

 

http://www.stenhouse.com/8200.asp?r=mw081002

************************************************

SPECIAL RESOURCES FOR NEW TEACHERS

 

 

http://snipurl.com/NewTeacherResources

We continue to add new resources to our special page for teachers who are just beginning their classroom careers. Among recent additions:

Links to a series of Teacher Magazine’s Teaching Secrets articles; ideas for creating a positive and engaging classroom environment, and one middle grade teacher’s practical advice on developing the “Organized Middle Schooler.” Check back often.

***************************************************

 

Michael Vitelli - CEO | http://www.gamingkrib.com mvitelli@gamingkrib.com 727-947-7005 Reinventing Learning in the Digital World

 

 

 

Don “The Dragon” Wilson - “Hall of Fame Kick Boxer” www.donthedragonwilson.com

Don “The Dragon” Wilson’s is known as the greastest Kick Boxer of all time, beginning in Cocoa Beach, Florida has Joined the Gaming Krib’s Advisory Board.  He solidifies the status of as “The Greatest” in the entire history of his sport is his record of winning 11 world titles in 3 separate weight classes under 6 different sanctioning organizations, and 11 straight years as a world champion. He racked up 71 wins with 47 KOs. He was the first kung-fu artist to gain a world title, and, to top it all off, was named the European Kickside magazine’s “Greatest Competitor of All Time” in 1996. Currently a Hollywood movie star, Don’s star is steadily rising, and there can be little doubt that he will feature prominently among Hollywood’s top action stars for many years to come. As well as acting in his films, Don has co-produced over 20 of his films. He has mutual approval over almost every creative aspect of film making.

It is a pleasure to have you on our Board and look forward with working with you forming our goals of getting children more involved in extracirrular activities.

 

1

Oct

2008

Grant Wiggins on Homework

By admin. Posted in School News 2.0 | No Comments »

“Who would have thought that the subject of homework would turn out to be our site’s most read feature? Good stuff! But methinks we need less heat and more light.
Let’s start with some hard data. MetLife devoted its major annual report on teachers and the teaching life last year to homework. Here is what they found:
Most teachers, students, and parents believe in the value of homework:
Eight in ten teachers (83%) believe that doing homework is important or very important.
Eight in ten parents (81%) believe that doing homework is important or very important.
Three-quarters of students (77%) believe that doing homework is important or very important.
However, sizable numbers of students say that their homework is not relevant to their current schoolwork or their future goals.
One-quarter of students (26%) agree that their homework is busywork and not related to what they are learning in schools.
Over half of students (55%) do not think that their homework assignments are interesting. Secondary school students, in particular, hold this view (62% vs. 44% of elementary school students).
Four in ten parents (40%) say that a great deal (9%) or some (31%) of the homework assigned at their child’s school is just busywork.
While three quarters of teachers with more than 20 years of experience
feel extremely or very prepared to create engaging homework assignments, only 58% of new teachers (5 years or less experience) feel this way.
The full report can be found here.
http://www.metlife.com/WPSAssets/10124301191202765628V1FTeacherSurvey…
An NPR report on the survey can be found here.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19055522
Clearly, when about half of our parents and students think that homework is really busywork or uninteresting and unhelpful, we have a problem. Even a sizable minority of teachers think that, in general,
there is too much busywork assigned (though not in my class, of course!). In theory though, everyone agrees that homework is important.

So, the debate about whether to assign or not to assign homework begs a crucial question: What is the point of homework, done right? Or is the belief in the importance of homework in theory a piece of wistful
nonthinking?

Sorely absent from the discussion is a consideration of the concept itself – what is homework and what is its purpose? When we argue for reinforcement or extension of learning, what are we calling for – and
what right do we have to call for it?

But let’s start with simpler questions. Note that there are three venues of work – in class, outside of class but still in school, and outside of school. So, every teacher and administrator should ponder
often and clarify with parents and students the three questions:
What is the optimal use of our limited time together in class? What work is best done in class?
What is the best use of time out of class (but still in school) in support of one’s education, and the goals of individual courses? What worthy course goals can only be met by assigning work out of class but
in school (such as library research or project work in free periods)? What assignments outside of school greatly help learners meet key course and program goals (even as we are mindful of the student’s
right to a life outside of school)? I admit to being prejudiced. As a former high school English teacher I
simply cannot imagine an education that does not require students to read and write outside of class, so that great discussion and coaching can occur in class. I am flabbergasted to go into some high school
classes and see teachers and students reading texts aloud in place of homework – what a waste of time. Nor can I fathom an education – as I have seen in many places – that does not assign homework in high
school because kids just won’t do it. That sets those kids up for failure later; it is abdicating our professional responsibility.
Here are the things I think we can all agree on, regardless of our place in the system:
The best use of class time is not mostly teacher talk or one-way worksheets and activities, but vital opportunities for students to try to learn and get coaching and feedback from teacher and peers. In a
world of ipods and Internet, using precious class time for teacher talk is nuts. Mere busywork is unacceptable. Homework should explicitly help students meet key unit and course goals, and should be
justified in writing as such on course syllabi. Mere piling on of more work after school is unwise and ultimately counter-productive. The student has a right to down time, family time, social time.
Homework should rarely involve the student trying to learn new things on her own (without anyone to help) but should be needed reinforcement or practice in already-understood lessons, or quiet, reflective work
best done on one’s own (like reading and writing).
Outside reading, especially in upper-level courses, is a vital component of a good education, and essential preparation for college and adult life.
Excellence in research and in writing can only occur if upper-level students are asked to write papers outside of class. From this vantage point, the disputes in this lively set of blog entries perhaps obscure the areas of agreement that exist under the surface. And so, what we must do is act professionally: faculty should engage in formal fact-finding and discussion, culminating in clear and enforced policy at the local level, about homework done right. To allow each teacher to free-lance homework policy, as we do now, is a
recipe for failure and frustration, as the research and common sense make clear.”  Grant Wiggins

It takes a Village!

 

Ralph H. Baer Joins the www.GamingKrib.com as an Advisor…“Father of the Video Game” in 1966 Ralph made a revolutionary invention: the video game - many of them. He is noted for his many contributions to games and the video game industry. In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology for inventing the home console for video games and spawning the video game industry. In 2005, he recieved the “Legend Award” for his work in the development of video games.

R.H. Baer Consultants (RHBC) has been in the business of inventing, developing, and licensing electronic consumer products since I started it in 1975.

During the ’70’s and 80’s, much of RHBC’s work was involved in cooperative product development at Marvin Glass & Associates, the pre-eminent US independent toy & game designers of that period. SIMON, the perennially popular handheld game was the outstanding product of that period.


“Thank you for inviting me to participate. The program looks most interesting and I would be happy to join contributors…Thanks again and keep up the good work.”

 
Earth Institute Events

Featured Events
Thursday, October 2

CERC Information Session: Evening Certificate in Conservation Biology
Speaker: Catherine Tissot, Program Manager, Evening Certificate Program in Conservation Biology, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
Time: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Schermerhorn Extension, Room 1015
Contact: Desmond Beirne, djb2104@columbia.edu or call (212) 854-0149
Web Site: http://www.cerc.columbia.edu/education_certificate.html

Saturday, October 4

LDEO Annual Open House
Speakers: Various
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Contact: LDEO Events, events@ldeo.columbia.edu or call (845) 365-8998
Web Site: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu

Monday, October 6

MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Open House
Speaker: Steve Cohen, Director, MPA in Environmental Science and Policy, Executive Director, The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, 1512 International Affairs Building
Contact: Office of Academic and Research Programs, ei-students@ei.columbia.edu

This Week’s Events
Wednesday, October 1

Office of Academic and Research Programs: Climate Change Variations in the Last Two Centuries: How Do We Reconstruct the Past?
Speaker: Alexey Kaplan, Doherty Research Scientist, Division of Ocean and Climate Physics, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, 801 International Affairs Building
Contact: Ali Frohman, afrohman@ei.columbia.edu
RSVP: Register

Thursday, October 2

IRI Seminar Series on Impact Evaluation for Development Projects
The Earth Institute’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) presents the second seminar in its series on Impact Evaluation for Development Projects. Speaker, Emmanuel Skoufias, of the Research Group at the World Bank, will speak on “Experiments and quasi-experimental methods for ex-post impact evaluation.”
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont Campus, Monell Building Auditorium
Contact: Maria Rise C Fullon, mrf2102@columbia.edu
Web Site: http://iri.columbia.edu/events/seminarseries

IGERT Joint Program Fall Colloquium: Melting at the Core-Mantle Boundary and the Structure of the Ultralow Velocity Zone
Speaker: Sash Majumder, University of Maryland
Time: 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Seeley W. Mudd Building, Room 214
Contact: Jennifer Cho, jc2305@columbia.edu
Web Site: http://www.appmath.columbia.edu/igert

CERC Information Session: Evening Certificate in Conservation Biology
Speaker: Catherine Tissot, Program Manager, Evening Certificate Program in Conservation Biology, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
Time: 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Schermerhorn Extension, Room 1015
Contact: Desmond Beirne, djb2104@columbia.edu or call (212) 854-0149
Web Site: http://www.cerc.columbia.edu/education_certificate.html

Friday, October 3

Division of Ocean and Climate Physics Seminar Series: Ocean Re-analysis - Prospects for Climate Studies
Speaker: James T. Carlton, Director, Williams-Mystic, Maritime Program, Williams College and Mystic Seaport
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Gary C. Comer Geochemistry Building, First Floor Seminar Room
Contact: Xinfeng Lian, xliang@ldeo.columbia.edu

LDEO Earth Science Colloquium: The Role of Science in Natural Disasters: The Case of the Cameroon Killer Lakes.
Speaker: George Kling, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan
Time: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Monell Building Auditorium
Contact: Natalie Boelman, nboelman@ldeo.columbia.edu
Web Site: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/events/colloquium

Saturday, October 4

LDEO Annual Open House
Speakers: Various
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Contact: LDEO Events, events@ldeo.columbia.edu or call (845) 365-8998
Web Site: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu

A Preview of Next Week’s Events
Monday, October 6

MPA in Environmental Science and Policy Open House

Tuesday, October 7

IRI Workshop: Technical Issues in Index Insurance

Office of Academic and Research Programs: Malcolm Pirnie Information Session

Thursday, October 9

IGERT Joint Program Fall Colloquium: Modern Weather Forecasting: A Status Report and Scientific Opportunities

Friday, October 10

LDEO Earth Science Colloquium



All events are open to the public unless otherwise noted. For specific details on these events, visit the Earth Institute Calendar of Events

 

29

Sep

2008

Welcome to the Gaming Krib

By admin. Posted in CEO, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

“But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents; that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.”
Obama Speech at DNC 08′

 

The Gaming Krib’s innovative portal software/hardware includes a whole new learning paradigm which begins this fall/winter 08’ for more than 3 million parents, children and educators. For the first time, an internet-based and electronic (hardware based interaction) way to balance a child’s learning and social needs, via the cell phone, TV and Internet. We all welcome you to the Gaming Krib!