My 6 word autobiography: Seeking ways to make a difference. This blog provides more information packed comments than possible in blog comments. I'm not an expert in any field but interested in many. Content is open to correction if needed.
I’m sorry it has taken me a week to respond to your “Excitement AND sadness … our LAST Skype with Ashli” post. I have been very busy on a DVD project for a multi-school music camp. I won’t clutter up this comment with an explanation but below is a link explaining what the DVD project was if you are interested.
Sadness at your last Skype as Grade Three Bloggers.
I’ll share a quote with you…
“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.”
James Matthew Barrie (The creator of “Peter Pan”), Rectorial address, May 3, 1922, St. Andrew’s University, Scotland
James Barrie was reminding us it’s our memories we carry with us into the future. While experiences may pass, the memories can linger on beyond simply a new school year.
In the future, you may be parents with children of your own. They might say something about an experience like yours at school. Memories will come back to mind and, for a time, you’ll be back Skyping with Ashli.
It’s memories made when important things to us happen we remember most easily. I know this is so as I have a clear memory of something that happened to me when I was only three years old, now over 50 years ago.
Okay, I know you’re curious to read if it was a good memory so I’ll share. In my case, it was the day I learned little boys shouldn’t touch mummy’s peeling knife. I still have a small scar on my left thumb. 🙂 I was and still am curious about many things I encounter. We should never stop learning.
The Glitch
You might have heard the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.”
Providing the opportunity to experience the library, children would be excited and keen to take part. It’s that curiosity that sets us all on a path of learning. For adults more concerned about everyday existence, the library wouldn’t be high in their thoughts but the change has been made.
Remember the Butterfly Effect? The wings have been flapped. Maybe an adult will come along with a child wanting to visit. Perhaps they will share a book. Interested in their child’s curiosity, they may want to know more and possibly learn how to use the library. This would mean the community would need future visits to help.
A small salary would help attract people to the library operation. They might see the financial benefit at first but come to love the interaction with visiting children. In time, the money would not be as important. We can only hope.
Finishing the School Year
“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”
James Matthew Barrie quotes (Scottish Dramatist and Novelist best known as the creator of Peter Pan, 1860-1937)
The way you all have been able to help others this school year has brought sunshine into the lives of others and therefore sunshine into your own lives. Your buckets have been filling and soon it will be time to move on.
I hope you all keep bringing sunshine and filling buckets in the new school year.
Sometimes plans change in our lives. The DVD production I do for schools and community groups is normally very quiet around this time of year. I have much time to visit and comment on blogs but last week I had a phone call to change my plans.
A school principal rang and asked if I could film the 15 school Music Camp Concert the next night. Suddenly the chance to comment on blogs slowed as I prepared video and still cameras. I visited the camp that day to see what would be happening and take photos and video of their rehearsals. I returned home around 21:00 (9pm).
The next day was their performance. I allowed myself two hours prior to the concert to set up the three video cameras and audio recorder I use. How did the concert look? It was fantastic.
That night I started uploading the video and audio to my computer then spent an average of twelve hours a day for four days producing the DVD of the show. It needed to be finished quickly as the school term ends next week (Jun 29).
I can’t share the video with you as our policy is not to put school productions on the internet but I can share the opening title clip with you. This alone took around 3 hours to set up graphics and titles to my liking.
What is special about events like this in our lives?
Teachers and students spend three days with music and other fun activities. Volunteer come to help with the choice of instruments made by the children. Companies donate money and resources. Even the camp they use provides extras for those attending. It becomes a community event and is growing in student numbers, this being only the second of what is now planned as an annual event.
The Music Camp is just one event when various people in the community can become involved in positive activities helping each other.
They asked if I wouldn't mind making the DVD on such short notice. It’s just one way I can share the experience with others. So far I have driven around 400km (250 miles) delivering the DVDs to schools. Again I have a chance to meet others as I travel.
Do I mind filming the show on such short notice? I said I love doing shows like this.
While I am still running off and delivering copies of the DVD, I am starting to catch up on commenting.
I have a quote, quite an old one, to show you thoughts of the environment are not just a modern idea…
“That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.”
Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180)
Roman emperor, philosopher
Meditations, bk. 6, sct. 54.
Over 1800 years ago a Roman emperor recognized if what we do isn’t good for the environment, it can’t possibly be good for us. It makes me wonder why many still don’t understand the message. Yet, from your final thoughts, I can see you understand…
“we wish people would work TOGETHER to help take care of the environment!”
Here is a picture I found on the web. It is a NASA photo taken by the Apollo 17 crew. When out in space, you can see the entire world as a planet in space. It's the only world we have. If we don't take care of it and care about the people in it, we can't just pack up and go somewhere else. We need to keep our home clean.
Like many things in life, we need to make choices and try to lead by example. Mayor Nenshi was setting the example by formulating his challenge and then being seen to take part. You have all set an example for your community I know you will carry throughout your lives.
For me, picking up papers and other rubbish around the school was a positive thing to do although I had seen teachers punish children by making them clean up. Children knew I carried jellybeans in my first aid kit for any diabetic children. They knew if they had picked up papers around the school they would be given some for their efforts.
Looking at the two options and what might result…
Picking up rubbish as a punishment – People grow thinking such an activity is a negative experience and something not to do. Littering can then be a protest of what has been or a sign of indifference.
Picking up papers by choice – People grow thinking of such activities as positive experiences. They see keeping the environment clean as a good thing.
Your experience has been positive and you have discovered how effective keeping the environment clean can be. You have discovered the benefits of being change makers and how we can all help others even if only in small ways.
According to an old saying, “From little seeds, great trees can grow.”
This school year you have all planted many seeds and they have already started to grow strong and tall. The butterfly wings have flapped and we wait to see the positive changes the future may bring.
From my research, I can see your school year has only two weeks remaining at the time of this post. I would like to thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences with me. Your posts always seemed to send my mind off in different directions and led to a number of extended comments. 🙂
The end of a school year was always a mixture of sad and happy for me. It meant I was passing on the students in my class to the next teacher but it also meant I would have a new group with which to explore learning. Soon your time will be here to face change but I know you have learned so much this school year and are well prepared for the future.
I want to share something I found on the web. It looks at parent/child relationships but can also be applied to teaching. The words come from a song called, "Roots and Wings" sung by a group called Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. I found quite a lot of meaning in these words.
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"Roots and Wings" the Lyrics
Give us children roots and wings
Never fear the change it brings
There is no reason to be sad
Be thankful for the time you’ve had
When I was a younger guy
One autumn night I told a lie
My dad just shook his head and sighed
Said ‘one day you’ll know what it’s like’
To give your children roots and wings, oh, oh
And not to fear the change it brings, oh, oh
To tell the truth and be a man
To always do the best you can
Mother, she done set me free
From all the locks that once held me
She whispered in my infant ears
That I was wise beyond my years
So even on my darkest nights
I’ve felt the ground and I’ve seen the heights
And one day may you do the same
Oh, child of mine that bears my name
I give to you my roots and wings, oh, oh
With these you can do anything, oh, oh
And you will never be alone
Carry or be carried home
Oh, oh
You’ll be carried home (x2)
You will always be here with me
The way you feel your roots and wings, oh
And never fear the change it brings, oh
So give those children roots and wings, oh, oh
And never fear the change it brings, oh, oh
There is no reason to be sad
Be thankful for the time you had
And give those children roots and wings, oh
Oh, and I give you mine
Roots and wings (x8)
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I found the performed song on You Tube...
After seeing the words, I searched for Roots and Wings Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers on iTunes, I purchased it and added it to my music collection.
As you think of the end of the school year, I know you have the roots as a change makers. Never fear the change life brings as you move on to Grade 4. I can only advise one thing...
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
My classes always enjoyed “Fun with Magnets”, that’s what I called our look into magnetism when I had a class.
I can see by your worksheets in the photos, you had to choose objects, decide what material was in the object, predict what might happen then record your results. This is pretty much the way scientists carry out experiments.
Did you notice not all metals were attracted to magnets?
You tend to find metals must be ferrous (containing iron) to work. I suppose that would mean, if you were to include very small metals filaments (string) into paper, then paper would be picked up by magnets. J
At one school I ran a Double Helix Science Club for children interested in science. Each week we would have a different science activity or experiment to carry out. Here are a few of the activities from the Science Club book I had written. You can click on an image to enlarge it.
Schools and students have permission to print and use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
Schools and students have permission to print and use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
Schools and students have permission to print and use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
Schools and students have permission to print and use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
Enjoy science, it will help you discover the world around you.
Bike Education is such an important subject. A number of times I had run classes at school or attended a police run bike education centre with my classes. While I tend to walk much more than ride now, I once regularly rode my bike to school. I even had a milk crate on my bike rack so I could carry a computer to and from school in the days when the school only had one computer for all classes to share.
I think the rules you have stated are very important…
1. You can ride on the footpath until you are 12 years old.
2. Ring your bike bell when approaching other riders or walkers.
3. Always ride on the left hand side of the road.
4. Wear bright coloured clothing when riding.
5. Wear a well-fitting helmet.
1. As I am just a little over 12 (oh, wow, in 2014 I’ll be five times that age), I always ride along the roadside or along bicycle paths in our area. As an adult, I am expected to know the road rules and abide by them. This includes obeying signs, stopping for pedestrians and using hand signals to show drivers behind what I am doing.
2. It is not only safer, it is courteous to ring your bell when coming up behind other walkers or riders. When startled by a bike suddenly appearing from behind, the person might step in front of the bike.
3. As I have to obey the road rules when riding, I always keep left and don’t ride between cars when they are stopped at traffic lights. If you asked your blogging friends from the US you’d find they learn to keep right as they ride on the other side of the road as does European but not British countries.
4. When I sometimes see what some riders wear when training for cycling, they can be very bright in their special cycling clothes. I have never worn that sort of bright clothing as that might be too much of a shock for people I pass. 🙂 I do wear light coloured clothing and, if I have to walk along the roadside with my bike, I have a safety vest.
5. Even before it was compulsory to wear helmets when riding, I did because I knew how important it was to protect our heads from harm. I have come off my bike at times and found the ground hard. Luckily I was never badly hurt.
My longest ride was quite a few years back when I caught a train from Sydney to Nowra in NSW then started riding my bicycle. On that trip, I had my tent and spare clothing, tyre repair kit and tools, drink and food in a backpack. My trip lasted five days as I rode nearly 300km. It was a wonderful experience but I always had to be very careful when riding along roads. I wasn’t in a hurry, it was something I wanted to experience. I would no longer try such a trip but I have memories of the people I met and talked to along the way
What is a road rule that you know?
I hold three levels of driver’s licences for motorcycle, car and truck. I tried to apply all of the road rules when I rode my bikes. I am not happy when I see some cyclists cross pedestrian crossings when the lights are red for traffic or ride along footpaths when they are adults. It is not only dangerous, it gives good cyclists a bad name. One rule I never had to worry about when cycling was keep under the speed limit. My riding is more leisurely so my speed was never too high.
And now for something completely different...
In my collection of graphics gathered over many years I found one that made me wonder, if bicycles had been invented in the time of knights on horses, might a poorer knight have had to use a bicycle?
A couple cycling pictures for you...
Did you know some of the first bikes didn't have pedals?
People would sit on the seat and run along. Eventually people did think of pedals but early bikes didn't have chains and gears. The front wheel was very large and the rear small. The cyclists would push the bike to get it going, step up on a small step on the bike then up to the seat. They had to have a big front wheel so people's legs were able to pedal the bikes. These bikes were called penny farthing bikes. A penny was a big coin and a farthing was a small coin just as the penny farthing bikes had a big and small wheel.
Recently, my town celebrated it's 100th birthday as an official town. I saw some interesting bikes in the parade.
You can see a man riding a penny farthing bike. They boy is wheeling one they hope to restore.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The couple is riding a tandem bike. They were once quite popular with couples who would cycle together. While I don't have a photo, I have seen a bike built for four people to ride.Bike riding can be a great deal of fun but it's also a responsibility. We need to keep our bikes in good conditions, obey the rules and be safe.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
Have fun in Bike Education. I know I always did. 🙂
Do you have anything in common with the student teachers?
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
What is your favourite animal?
I also have dogs as a favourite but I love finding native animals to photograph.
What’s your favourite colour?
Blue just like Miss Hannan.
Is this the only time you have been a student teacher?
When I was a student teacher (wow, was it 35 years ago?) at this time of the year I had only visited two schools but this time of year I had my first longer session on a class. It was a Year 6. Those children would now be about 46 or 47 and many would be grandparents. My second and last session before qualifying as a teacher was in Year 4.
What’s your favourite CAFE strategy?
I’m different here because I like expanding vocabulary. Expanded vocabulary gives our writing greater word power although when I was a student teacher CAFÉ was only a place to go if you wanted a coffee.
What do you like about teaching?
I agree with Miss Hannan and Miss Paul's choices. Additionally, I liked having fun in class. We can learn so much when we’re happy. When we laugh and take part in great activities, our minds are very active and take in so much.
How many years have you been at Deakin University?
There is great similarity here as I also gained a degree before taking an education course. I attended Sydney University to gain a Bachelor of Science degree before training as a primary school teacher. While I could have been a high school maths/science teacher, I preferred primary school because it allowed me to teach music, art, craft, history, social studies, maths, science, literacy and computing. Primary school was a perfect choice for someone who enjoys so many subjects.
What grade do you want to teach and what would the name be?
Wow, what a choice. Over the years I have had classes from Prep to Year 6 and, while a uni student, tutored maths for Year 11 and 12. My favourite tended to be whatever class I had at the time but my most common classes when teaching were Year 3 and 4. My classes were normally called 4M or 4R.
What are your hobbies?
Like Miss Hannan, I enjoy photography but I didn’t play netball and, even though I can walk to the beach in about 15 minutes, I haven’t gone surfing. I have helped with out local surf club’s Special Nippers as their photographer.
Like Miss Paul, I love art and walking but I don’t run. My favourite exercise is walking through one of our local national parks or our nature reserve.
What is your favourite subject?
My favourite subject was school. I liked all subjects but, if I had to choose something, I might choose serendipity (told you I liked expanding vocabulary). Serendipity is a happy accident or pleasant surprise. Some of my best teaching/learning experiences came when the class or I saw something unexpected and wanted to learn more.
If you got to go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I like both Miss Hannan and Miss Paul’s choices. I haven’t been to New York nor have I been to Western Australia. My favourite country other than Australia is New Zealand. I have been there many times and particularly like the Rotorua, Tongariro and White Island areas because I am interested in volcanoes and thermal areas. Next would be Hawaii because of its magnificent volcanoes. My favourite cities would be Paris, London and Edinburgh but, if I get to New York, this may change. 🙂
What do you like about our blog?
Miss Hannan: I like that you can communicate with other classes around the world.
Miss Paul: I like the fact that all the students are so involved.
Miss Hannan and Miss Paul are right on the mark here. Blogging is a great way to be in the global classroom and share with students you might never have met otherwise. 4KJ and 4KM know how much I like blogging and particularly commenting. Now is your time to make sure Miss Hannan and Miss Paul become blogging converts and carry the message to other schools.
I like the definition. We are all citizens of one world, our home, our Earth. As in all societies, our global society contains people who are good citizens. There are those who see their role as making our world a better place. There are those who seem more intent on serving only themselves and there are some who know only their own small piece of the world.
Global Grade 3 is a good name for your blog because you are amongst our global citizens who are trying to make the world a better place. Your steps may be small but we can never really know the long-term effect of the small things we do to improve our world.
Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect?
The Butterfly Effect comes from chaos theory, an area of study in mathematics. Chaos theory looks at what can happen with very small changes at the beginning.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
What does this have to do with global citizenship?
Let me explain.
The Butterfly Effect suggests that the flap of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world might result in a tornado in another part of the world.
It doesn’t mean the butterfly caused a tornado but the flapping of its wings, although small in amount, might create tiny electrical charges in the atmosphere that might speed up, delay or even prevent a tornado.
What an interesting idea. Here’s how I think this relates indirectly to global citizenship.
You have set something in motion by helping Q’enqo. In respects to the world, this may seem only a small act but think of what this can mean for the future if we consider the Butterfly Effect and relate it to humans.
Today a library is active in Q’enco where once there was none. A child walks in and borrows a book you have helped make available. With help, the child learns to read. That child then teaches others who pass it on to more. Think of the amazing numbers this can lead to if each child taught by that one passes on their learning to only four others…
1 becomes 4.
4 becomes 16.
16 becomes 64.
Their learning is passed to other villages, each new learner passes on to four more. Look at the number sequence grow…
From that one child teaching four whom each pass to four, in only 10 steps one million people might benefit. It may not be quite that simple but, as you can see, from a simple beginning, great things can grow.
When I saw a link to the latest Cartoon Caption Comp using a beautiful picture drawn by India, I wondered what pun I could write. I'm just a little outside the top of the age range (but I was 13 once back in the 1960s) so my entry doesn't really count.
Firstly I considered what a pun really was. A pun is a play on words. We use words in a way one might not normally expect. As an example...
A man poked himself in the eye with his souvenir from Paris. He had an Eiffel of tower.
Okay, it's not a great example but it's getting late at night down here in Australia but I think you get the idea. Puns can be hard to write, the short stories I write on one of my blogs are much easier but I saw India's drawing and thought I would try.
I've reproduced India's drawing here in case a reader wants to see the picture to match my pun. I hope India doesn't mind.
A girl was being abducted by aliens.
Her experience was out of this world.
Puns may be hard to write but some people seem to excel at the unusual form of joke. I have seen some of the current entries and can see there are some developing pun specialists out there.
Your Family Blogging Afternoon looks like it was fun and informative. From the introduction, care of a Skype session with Mrs. Yollis, to the interactions of students and their special person, it looks like a very valuable session.
Congratulations to Riley and his dad, Ashley, in 4KM, and Kadyn and his mum, Tracey, in 4KJ. Being selected as winners of the challenge shows how good your teams were at blogging.
Now for your questions...
How did you like the Family Blogging Afternoon? Who did you invite?
This made me think, if I were to be part of a Family Blogging Afternoon, whom would I ask?
Perhaps my older brother, Robert, if he had time. He is a researcher and lecturer in linguistics at Macquarie University. He is working on ways of improving artificial hearing as in the Cochlea Implant.
Then there is my younger brother, Phillip. He has been a nurse but now works as a property valuer in Canberra and is writing a novel based around my Great Uncle Ernie who was killed in WWI.
Maybe I would ask my eldest niece. Kristy started as a high school English teacher this year but hopes to return to university to continue her English Literature studies.
Then there is my nephew, Reuben. He has taken a break from university and is working in an IT support role in a company.
My youngest niece, Tara, is studying costume design at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) in Sydney. She designs and makes clothing and hopes to work for a theatre or ballet company.
Then there are all of my cousins with very different careers, many now retired, some now great grandparents. Families can be very large. 🙂
When we think about it, there are many we could ask. Each would bring their talents and contributions to such a wonderful afternoon.
What do you like about blogging?
I only started blogging a little less than a year ago but I now have five blogs, two very active. I had joined Twitter early last year and saw a link to a school blog in England. I was fascinated to see what a class in England was doing so I clicked the link and found myself looking at work from children almost on the other side of the world. I quickly became hooked on the idea of commenting and realised I could be supportive of students anywhere in the world through blogging.
Clicking on one link, I found I had to join a blog provider in order to comment. After joining and making a comment on the class blog, I kept on being invited to set up a blog.
As I had designed some websites before I learnt of blogging, I knew some html coding and how to set out pages. I found it very easy to set to set up a blog and modify it. I also found I could register it as a website for a low annual fee and so http://rossmannell.com was born. It has become my story writing blog and now has had over 5000 visitors. That’s something I find hard to believe.
Blogging, for me, is a way of sharing with a world of schools and classes. It’s a way I can be part of classes and support students often very far away. Now I no longer teach full time or have a class of my own, it’s a way I can still support the education of others. Blogging and commenting has become a passion.
What tips would you give to new bloggers?
The first and most important tip is to have a go. Sometimes people are held back because of a fear others mightn’t like what they post or people might think them dumb. It’s true, there are some people out there who only want to criticise others but you will find the majority of people are supportive. For younger users, there is always comment moderation. A trusted adult checks on comments before they are allowed on the blog.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The second is to make posts. There is no use setting up a blog if you don’t intend making regular posts. While people may enjoy what you write, they will stop visiting your blog if nothing new appears.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The third is to visit other blogs. It’s not only polite to visit a blog of someone who regularly visits your blog, it’s also an opportunity to add comments to another person’s blog. When you do this and possibly add a link to your blog in the comment, the other person is more likely to visit and comment on your blog.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The fourth is to be positive in comments. I like to look for the good things in a persons post and highlight these in my comments. When I am in my role as a member of the 100 Word Challenge Team (Team 100WC), I also make suggestions of how a student’s writing might be improved. I never say their writing is bad. They have taken the time to share their ideas and I appreciate what they do and know they’re doing their best.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The fifth would be to reply to anyone who leaves a comment on your blog. I try to write a reply on my blog to any comments left. This can sometimes take up a reasonable part of my day. Any comment left on my story blog gets a reply thanking them for commenting. I always add a little extra in my reply to acknowledge what they have written.
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The sixth tip is one I don’t always use due to lack of time. In your comments, ask questions of the person who wrote the blog if you want to carry on a discussion with them. Questions invite the person to answer you. My longest discussion in this way was with a 17 year-old student in the USA. She was studying political science. One comment led to a reply then another comment. We had six to eight exchanges in all. Each of us had complex ideas in our comments. Writing to a 17 year-old student is very different to writing to a 7 year-old student. 🙂
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
Going back to tip one, I was once asked by someone who had a choice to make in her life, “Do you think I should?”
She was making an important choice in life about her career.
I replied, “If you don’t take a chance because you’re afraid it may not work, you may end up regretting it for the rest of your life. By taking the chance, it may not work but at least you can say you tried.’
Blogging is like that. Take a chance and see how much you can gain.
I’m sorry I haven’t been able to comment on your post sooner but time has been busy for me.
Seeing you fill out the borrower’s card in the old fashioned way brought back fond of when I was your age at school. We didn’t have computers in school back then so borrowing books involved the same process you are showing. It may not be high tech but it works.
Being able to share old, no longer needed resources with others is both kind and waste saving. While your school now uses bar codes, for Q’enqo, the books pockets will be a wonderful addition to their resources. Passing on the pockets is a great recycling activity.
I think everyone’s comments are wonderful. Where there is a trend for people to watch a movie rather than read a story, it’s worth remembering there are very many more stories in print than there are in films. The gift of learning to read can open up your eyes to a world of adventure. Imagine the changes ahead for the children of Q’encho as they discover the world through books.
It may be too late for these answers to your questions but I’ll share them anyway…
Do you know of an ACCURATE English to Spanish translator that will help us to write captions on the photos we have taken in Spanish?
Accuracy is important when using translation software. I use a translator to read and write in other languages but we must take care with them. Even with good software, there can be errors of context (the wrong words in the right place).
What do I use? I use Google translate. There is a technique to improve accuracy when using Google Translate. The first part is to keep your comments simple because they are easier to translate correctly. The second part involves the following steps…
Recently, I was given the task to write a short story in five sentences each with five words based on a theme of good things come in fives. Here is what I wrote...
“Good things come in fives?”
My daughter just now five.
“Five fingers and five toes.”
“Is that all?” she asks.
“Three children, two parent’s love.”
Now let's see how I would go about translating it using Google Translate....
This is what greets you when you open Google Translate. The left hand box is where you type your words or where you paste what has been written. Above the typing box you can see two tabs. One is marked "From: detect language" and the is marked "To: ***". Click and hold on the "To:" box and your choices of language will appear. Select Spanish. Now click "Translate" and the translated text should appear.
This shows what has happened when I copied and pasted my story into the left hand box, selected Spanish and clicked on translate. No, the job hasn't finished as the text may not make sense.
Copy the Spanish text on the right hand side.
Now erase the text on the English left hand and paste in the Spanish. The English version should now appear on the right. You will see some things have translated incorrectly. For example,
Line 1: "fives" is now "five years".
Line 2: may be a little different but makes sense so it is okay
Line 3: "Five toes" has become "Feet five"
Line 4: "She asks" has become "Question"
Libe 5: "Two parent's love" has become "two of parental live"
Now I copy the English text on the right so I can make some changes.
You can see the changes I've made to the English version. The Spanish has now been changed on the right.
This is the hard part if you don't have a simple text to translate. You have to keep copying, pasting and changing until you have happy both the English and Spanish versions make sense. This is why it's important to keep what you write in English simple. For posters, short and simple text is easier for people to remember and much easier to translate into another language.
Look at the much simpler text....
English: Have you read a good book?
Spanish: ¿Has leído un buen libro?
With such simple text, Google Translate made the translation correctly on the first attempt. When I copied and pasted the Spanish, the English matched the original so it should be correct.
Can you think of any OTHER ideas to help us build Capacity for this project?
Your modelling of reading through photos is a wonderful method of showing how much enjoyment there can be in reading. When the Q’encho children see you read and enjoy books they would be more likely to want to join in the fun.
Have YOU learned something incredible with a book that helped to change YOUR world? (Maybe it inspired you to do a special project, or maybe it even inspired you to pursue a CAREER in the field!)
“A” book that helped to change my world? My life has been one of many books, each adding more or less to my life. Even though I am very much online these days and can access information from around the world, I still have my book library and some favourite reference books near at hand. “A” book that changed my life… It’s whatever book I have at the time as each adds a little each time it’s used.
They're initials I've often seen when visiting some of my favourite blogs. I think our goal is the same, to encourage children to see how talented they are in what they share. 🙂
What level of teaching was my favourite?
When I was studying for my science degree at university, I knew I could end up teaching maths and science at high school. My problem was, I had very many interests (and still do) so being restricted to the two subjects wasn’t attractive. I wanted to specialise in primary school (5 to 12 year old). This would allow me into art, craft, history, music, literature and writing.
To supplement my income in early years as a student and casual teacher, I tutored children from general primary up to Year 12 high school maths out of school hours.
The couple Year 12 students were outstanding and could challenge me when there were more difficult problems to consider. In one case, I can remember saying I would call back after I thought about the solution. After the ten minute drive home, I called back with an answer.
My first longer stay on a class as a casual teacher was six months working with Kindergarten (Prep or Reception). They were aged only four and a half to five and were absolutely wonderful to work with. I remember parents were often amused by a 185cm (6'1") 25 year old male skipping and dancing with the class. 🙂
Apparently I made an impression on the school principal as she asked if I was interested in a position in the government pre-school section of the school working with three and four year old children. While tempting, government pre-schools weren’t that common so I would have been greatly restricting my future options so I passed on the offer.
This was followed with time on a Year 4 while still a casual teacher. Student teachers seeing me with the children gave me the nickname, “Teddy Bear”. When the class learned I was offered a permanent teaching position in a one teacher school in far western New South Wales, a number wanted to go with me. 🙂
Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.
The photo was taken from an old VHS tape I made of my first school. All children were in the one room and I was the only teacher. It was 100km (62 miles) from the nearest town and served sheep and cattle properties.In that isolated school for the two years, I had children from five to thirteen. The thirteen year old girl was studying correspondence high school and would bring in materials to the school.
These years were followed on Years 3, 4 and 5 in different schools. These tend to be my favoured levels because of many happy memories. I enjoyed all of my classes over the years and treasure the memories. A number of former students are now Facebook friends so I see photos of their own children and still feel a part of their lives. Some have commented their entry into teaching or the IT industry was influenced by their experiences in my class. One told me he didn’t know how he might have turned out had I not been there when he needed someone to trust. These are special memories.
I still wouldn’t choose high school. Apart from too many years away from that level of maths and science, I still love too many different subjects to be a two subject teacher. 🙂
