TeachHUB Magazine Issue #3

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5 Workout Tips Get The Most From Your Routine eLEARNER We Review 6 Great Music Apps Reader Q&A Questions? We Have Answers! Reviews Books, Movies & Teacher Tools

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IN THIS ISSUEThe No Bully Zone Beyond ‘Kids will be kids’ Literacy Strategies Video Podcast #3 Common Core Standards How It Will Change Your Class StudyBlue for iOS Cool App Video Review

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magazineIssue 3 April 2013

ALWAYSFREE!

WHAT’S HIP, NEW & NOTEWORTHY IN THE K-12 WORLD

Issue 3 May 2013Contents

Reader Q&AYou have questions? We have answers!

TeachHUB Reviews Book Cris Tovanis’ I Read It, But I Don’t Get It

Movie Brooklyn Castle

Classroom Tool Livescribe Echo Smartpen

Epic Teacher FunniesYou know you’re a teacher when...

The No Bully ZoneBeyond ‘kids will be kids’

Workout TipsGeting the most out of your workout routine

Four Essential Energies& How to balance them StudyBlue for iOSCool app video review

Common Core State Standards Seven ways it will change your classroom

Six Great Music AppsCreate music while learning on your iOS device!

Educational RevolutionCultivate | Evolve | Flourish

Brooklyn Castle pg 10

The No Bully Zone pg 16

Music Learning Apps pg 24

Smartpen Review pg 12

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2 • TeachHUB Magazine • www.teachHUB.com

Publisher’sLetter

Spencer Barnard, Jr.Publisher - Hon. Ed.D.

Thank YOU! This is just the

third issue and the team appreciates how well you have responded to the publica-tion. Thank you so much for your support and know this: we will continue to work hard to bring you the resources you need to tackle the issues you face in and out of the classroom.

Hope you enjoy this month’s issue: we aim to produce a product that will resonate with educators; if there is anything we should be doing differently, please let us know.

Teach HUB Magazine • www.teachHUB.com • 3


20624 Abbey Woods Court NFrankfort, IL 60423800-275-0279

© 2013 K-12 Teachers Alliance. All rights reserved

Publisher & President Spencer Barnard, Jr.

Art director Jamie Downing

content MAnAger Venita Griffin

sociAl MediA director Joe Federer

grAPhic designer Deanna Radwanski illustrAtor Alexis Moulds

Video director Cameron Downing

PhotogrAPhy & AniMAtion Mike Maravilla

Video MAnAger Nicole Humphrey

director of Video PhotogrAPhy Matt Bressoud

Masthead

Educational Revolution pg 28

Common Core pg 22

4 Essential Energies pg 20

Cool App Review pg 30


Jacqui MurrayHas been a K-8 technology teacher for 15 years. She is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-6 digital Citizenship curriculum, creator of two technology training books for middle school and six ebooks on technology in education. She is

webmaster for six blogs and an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer.

Katherine McKnightDr. McKnight is an author, educator and consultant. Her career in education began as a high school English teacher in the Chicago Public School system more than 20 years ago. She received her B.A. degree from George Washington University, her M.Ed. from Northeastern Illinois University, and her Ph.D. from

the University of Illinois at Chicago. Today, she serves as a professor of secondary education at National Louis University and an onsite professional development consultant for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

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Meghan MathisNext school year will be her 10th teaching students with Special Education needs. She has taught and co-taught 6th-12th grade students English, math, science, and social stud-ies in pull-out classrooms. Currently she teaches 9th-12th grade English to Learning Support and regular educa-

tion students. She enjoys writing about her experiences in education and developing and sharing teaching resources with fellow educators. Meghan lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two rambunctious children, and two hyper dogs.

Janelle CoxIs an education writer who draws from her 15 years experience working with children. As a trained educational pro-fessional, Janelle uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle Holds a M.B.A. In Education from the State University of

New York College at Buffalo. She has also received training in the Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and School Anti-Violence Education (SAVE).


Q: A few of my students have terrible study habits. Do you have any tips

for teaching them how to study?

Answer: We at TeachHUB believe this is one major issue that’s often overlooked. While a teacher only has so much control over their students’ study habits, there are a few things you can do as a teacher to get students to think critically about the way they study and hopefully inspire some change.

OrganizeTeaching students how to prioritize their after school

time is extremely important and is hopefully some-

thing that’s reinforced at home. Have students write

a list of after school activities (studying, eating, sports

practice, etc.) and have them rank each in order of

importance.

Creating a Study SpaceAs mentioned above, these habits need to be rein-

forced at home, but as a teacher, you can plant the

proverbial seed during school. If a student is strug-

gling with their study habits, have them identify their

“study space” and maybe even bring in a picture.

Drive this point home because having a dedicated

study space is extremely important for students to

focus and concentrate.

Time ManagementThat’s something we can all work on, but if a student

is able to train themselves to manage time effectively

when they’re younger, they’re much more likely to

carry that skill through the rest of their lives. Have

students mock up schedules for study time, free time,

extra-curricular activities, etc. Then have your students

evaluate their schedules to see if they’re staying true

to predictions.

Q: Some of the Common Core changes seem great in principle,

but how will the Common Core actually impact my classroom?

Answer: The Common Core is most definitely a significant change to classrooms across the country. Here are a few ways you can expect the Common Core to change your classroom:

1 Depth over width – teachers will begin to

cover fewer topics but will be required to dig

deeper into the subjects they’re covering.

2 Emphasis on nonfiction – as policies try to

adapt curriculums to relate more to marketable

skills, required reading will emphasize comprehensive

narratives rather than inference from stories. Students

need to know how to sift through huge amounts of

information to find what they’re looking for.

3 Speaking and listening – obviously, teachers

will see these two skills as already imperative to

education success, but now they will be added to the

curriculum.

4 Life skills are emphasized across subjects –

now math teachers will need to pay attention

to writing and literature teachers will need to be

critical of cognitive processes. Critical thinking will

be emphasized across all subject areas.


• Extended time to complete assignments – This is helpful not just for quizzes and

tests, but for all assignments you may be giving your students. You could even give

a student who has sustained a TBI material early, giving them the opportunity to

preview the information before class which would allow them to participate in class

discussions with their peers

(Hsu and Kreutzer).

• Access to class notes and lectures – Providing students with copies of notes and

even audio recordings of longer lectures will allow them to listen to them more than

once and in small chunks, increasing their retention of the material.

• Ability to take breaks – Individuals with TBI can become overwhelmed quickly and

sometimes, in situations that we might not immediately recognize. Giving these stu-

dents permission to leave a situation that has become overwhelming, maybe to get

a drink of water or go for a short walk, could mean the difference between a student

breaking down and a student feeling in control of their emotions in the school setting

(Hsu and Kreutzer).

• Testing accommodations – Allowing a student to keep formula sheets with them,

utilize a calculator, use multiple-choice formats instead of essay tests, chunking lon-

ger tests and quizzes, and offering students the opportunity to provide answers orally

to you during a quiet time rather than having to write the answers can all reduce the

stress and anxiety felt by students with Traumatic Brain Injuries (Hsu and Kreutzer).

• Be an advocate ally – One of the most challenging aspects of life with TBI can be

the behavioral symptoms. A young person who remembers that they were once an

upbeat, positive, popular person might now be dealing with depression, anxiety, and

an inability to read social situations and respond as appropriately as they used to.

These students are going to need to know that they have people around them who

are supportive and understanding. They might not want to talk to us about what

they are dealing with, but it is essential that we let them know we are here for them.

Answer: Traumatic Brain Injuries have

received a significant amount of media attention,

not least due to recent rule changes in the National

Football League. TBI sufferers are known to have

trouble adapting to the classroom during recovery,

but here are a few ways to accommodate:

Q: One of my students suffered a traumatic brain injury, and he’s having a lot of trouble paying attention in class. How can I help him succeed?

Have a Question you would like to Submit?

GO TO:


BookReview

by Meghan Mathis

etting our students into our classrooms on

time each day, in their seats, with proper

materials, and willing to engage in our lessons

can be challenging enough. When we add in

the task of asking them to transact meaningfully with the

texts we ask them to read, it can feel like a Herculean

undertaking. By the middle and high school level, many

of our students have mastered the art of doing just as

much reading as is absolutely necessary and not a bit

more. Others - our reluctant, disinterested, or struggling

readers - have either mastered the art of “fake-reading,”

or have given up altogether. How do we break through?

How do we get students who engage with what they

read only on the most superficial levels to delve deeper?

And how do we get those students who struggle to

comprehend even the most basic elements of text to

master the skills needed to become proficient readers?

Teacher, reading specialist, and nationally recognized

educational consultant, Cris Tovani tackles this important

topic in her book, I Read it, but I Don’t Get it: Compre-

hension Strategies for Adolescent Readers.

Tovani presents her ideas in a well-set up

format, broken into three major sections.

Part 1: Setting the Stage, provides the reader with

examples struggling students typically encounter at the

middle and high school level, as well as a thoroughly

readable review of current theories on reading compre-

hension instruction. Tovani’s open and humorous tone

makes this discussion relevant and engaging – instead of

dry and boring. She introduces us to students who have

managed to successfully “fake read” for years, fooling

their teachers and parents into believing they under-

stood what they were reading when really they

had no clue. By learning “from the experts,” on the

ways they trick us, we can become better able to identify

who in our classrooms is “fake reading” and begin to

work with them on improving their reading comprehension.

G

I Read It, But I Don’t Get It:


I Read It,

In Part 2: In Support of Strategic

Reading, Tovani breaks down the

research on what proficient readers

do and gives real, applicable ideas

and instruction on how to teach

these strategies to your students.

This section was very impressive to

me because it took ideas that I had

always found somewhat daunt-

ing to teach (for example, how to

monitor your own understanding

while reading and use strategies

to get yourself back on track when

you realize you are lost) and clearly

explains how to teach that skill to

your students.

Finally, Part 3: Access Tools, gives

the reader blank examples of all

of the graphic organizers, work-

sheets, and other materials Tovani

mentioned in the previous sec-

tions. As a busy educator, I can’t

tell you how much I appreciated

her providing these resources. I do

not have to purchase an additional

workbook, search for the materi-

als online, or try to create them

myself from scratch. This section

illustrates just how serious Tovani is

about wanting to help other edu-

cators succeed with their classes

and by providing these tools she

leaves the reader with multiple

activities that can be used almost

instantaneously in the classroom.

Each section is well put together,

entertaining to read, and full of

useful information. I found myself

highlighting and annotating

numerous pages with notes in the

margins like, “I could use this in my

Biography Unit!” or “This would be

a great activating activity!” Tovani

has over 10 years of teaching

experience at the elementary level

and has worked as a middle and

high school reading specialist. This

background shows in the refresh-

ingly honest and forthright tone

she uses throughout the book. Her

examples do not take place in hy-

pothetical classrooms with students

who respond to her interventions

with implausible speed, but rather

were so obviously real that I found

myself wondering if Tovani had

been spying on some of my read-

ing lessons as she was writing. Her

students grumble, roll their eyes,

give up, keep trying, complain,

and give her their honest opinions

about her lessons, just like my

students do for me. Her ideas are

tested “in the trenches,” making

them all the more useful and valid

for real teachers everywhere. I

would recommend this book to any

teacher who wants to make sure

that all of their students are work-

ing towards becoming confident,

proficient readers.into the comfort-

ing notion that a little bit of brains

makes you more important than

the people around you.

Available on Amazon.com, Kindle, and paperback

by Cris Tovani

Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers But I Don’t Get It:

ReviewMovie

by Stephen Eldridge

Brooklyn Castle Imagine a school where the cool kids are the Chess Team...

Previously in this space, we’ve

discussed big-budget fantasy

films of the type your students are

probably dying to go see (and you

might just enjoy, too.) But not every

film worth seeing plays on three

thousand screens—and few films

this year are as worthy of your time

as Brooklyn Castle.

Brooklyn Castle is a refreshing

story—a story of school that’s

getting it right. Specifically, it’s

the story of I.S. 138, the school

with what is undoubtedly the best

Junior High School chess program

in the country, despite serving a

student body with a poverty rate

above 70%. Watching the film,

it’s impossible not to notice the

passion that the students have

to succeed both in chess and in

their lives. These are skilled com-

petitors, albeit skilled competitors

who happen to be preteens. The

biggest danger in the film isn’t

that they will compete and lose—

it’s that budget cuts won’t allow

them to compete at all.

Their skill is in part due to the

tireless mentorship of Elizabeth

Vicary (now Spiegel), a teacher and

celebrated chess master in her own

right who has built the school’s chess

program into a force to be reckoned

with. I.S. 138’s vice principal, John

Galvin, also serves as a chess coach—

and when budget cuts threaten the

program, it’s he that leads the charge

to keep the team alive. It’s refreshing

to see a film about education where

success doesn’t depend on ques-

tionable revolutions in pedagogy or

politics, but rather on the dedication

of the teachers and the talent of

their students.


And what a group of students. The

film focuses most on five, all talented

chess players, and all with their own

challenges. Eighth-grader Pobo is a

pillar of support for his peers, and it

feels entirely fitting when he makes

the decision to run for student body

president. Alexis, a first-generation

American, struggles less with chess

than he does with testing into the

best possible high school so he can

be the success his parents dream of.

Patrick, on the other hand, is newer

to the game. He struggles with

ADHD, and chess is a way for him to

challenge himself to concentrate.

Two of the students’ stories struck

me above the others’ though. First,

Rochelle, the only female competitor

in the film. Having just left I.S. 138 as

the top-rated player in the school,

she finds herself torn between her

school work and the tantalizing pos-

sibility of becoming the first African

American female chess master. De-

spite being fiercely competitive, she

seems hesitant to commit to making

history—and who wouldn’t be a little

afraid to take on that challenge and fail?

This becomes especially clear in the

case of Justus, a sixth-grade student

who enters the school amid specula-

tion that he could become a master

before he becomes a teenager. His

competitive ranking on day 1 of I.S.

138’s program is higher than most

students’ when they leave it. But the

expectations have been set so high

for Justus that, in the words of one

interviewee, “Now every loss is a

personal tragedy.” Justus isn’t yet old

enough to understand that perfec-

tion is a goal, but not a possibility. His

challenge is learning not only to win,

but to lose without being crushed.

The filmmakers skillfully choose these

challenges to illustrate a point that’s

too often overlooked in discus-

sions about the future of education.

Teachers don’t only impart skills and

knowledge to their students—what

Vicary, Galvin, and all great educators

do is help students learn to use their

knowledge and their skills in ways

that improve their lives. When Galvin

sits down to talk with Justus about a

stinging loss, he doesn’t talk chess—

he talks life. Brooklyn Castle deserves

to be seen by anyone who’s ever

questioned whether quality teachers,

school funding, and equality of op-

portunity really make a difference to

our children. And anyone who likes a

good story, too.

– AVAILABLE NOW –

Video On Demand


ReviewTool

Classroom

by Mike Maravilla

Livescribe Echo Smartpen

This audio and gesture recording pen is the bridge we’ve all been looking for in the classroom between the classic pen and

paper and the computer generation.


n the age of technology, it seems like we’re doing

less and less handwriting. Students across age levels

are more likely to be spotted with laptops or tablets

instead of pens and pencils. Even cursive has been

dropped from most states, courtesy of the new Com-

mon Core State Standards for English. As a result of

this shift, it’s been fairly easy to poke holes in how we

used to take notes in the classroom. Paper-born notes

are more difficult to share easily and broadly and are

susceptible to loss, damage and K9 ingestion. Doesn’t

sound like a battle that even college-ruled, Five Star

notebooks can win. But what if there was a way for

good ol’ fashioned handwriting to make a triumphant

return to the note-taking world?

Well it’s not exactly a return to the 80s, but Livescribe

certainly scores back some points for penmanship.

And that’s exactly what it looks like – a pen. If I could

compare its looks to any ink-driven tools we’d know and

understand, I’d say it’s like a Dr. Grip Pilot pen infused

with a generous helping of new age tech. While we

would ogle over ink colors and a fancy ergonomic grip,

Livescribers add to that a MicroUSB connector, built-in

speaker, audio jack, an OLED display and as much as

8GB of storage. Pretty impressive. If anything, I’d make

the case that it represents a perfect marriage between

mediums that would otherwise be generational foes:

pen vs. keyboard or ink vs. pixel.

So how does it work? Honestly, it functions just like a

normal pen would (albeit on special paper), but it also

doubles as a voice recorder so you don’t miss any mo-

ments in the classroom. And while that in itself sounds

pretty handy, this pairing can be uploaded to your

computer, replayed and shared with others. It will even

integrate with some of your favorites like Evernote, Face-

book and Google Docs.

I

The Livescribe Echo takes the form of a

pen and infuses it with technology to make

classroom collaboration, classroom flipping

and note-taking easier and more interac-

tive than ever before.


How can it be used in your K-12

classroom? Although it might

sound like a device better re-

served for the college lecture hall,

the Livescribe Echo has plenty of

practical applications for the K-12

classroom too. Here are just a few

suggestions:

• Get your baseline: In the beginning of the year,

it’s likely that you don’t know

your students’ abilities by

heart – especially as a new

teacher. You can have your

students take notes with the

device to baseline, track and

analyze how they take notes in

your classroom to better tailor

(and pace) your lesson plans.

• Help Struggling Students: By reviewing their notes, it can

help you pinpoint where strug-

gling students can improve

these valuable skills for your

class and beyond.

• Take it home: These sharable, online notes

could serve as a home review

for both your students and

their parents to see what

they’ve been learning.

• Flipped Classroom Tool: If you’re looking to try this

new-age teaching with your

students, the device can be

used to create material that

they can watch from home and

come to class for troubleshoot-

ing rather than lecture.

The Drawbacks? I always get a lit-

tle weary when I see a ‘drawbacks’

section in reviews, but honestly

there aren’t nearly as many as you’d

think. Sure, the special “dot paper”

is required so the pen can capture

your handwriting, but it isn’t going

to break the bank – each notebook

is only $5. While some may find

an internal, rechargeable battery

cumbersome to plug in via USB on

a regular basis, I’d take it any day

over conventional AA’s. One of

the biggest reasons I compare this

pen to the Dr. Grip is based on ink

usage. Like the popular ballpoint

of old, the Echo goes through

ink faster than you’d expect. But

similar to the special paper, 5-packs

of these refills can be found for $5

as well.

The Bottom Line:

The Livescribe Echo is a device

that not only scores points for

penmanship, but is a fantastic

bridge between generations. It

allows learners of all ages to ingest

information at their own pace while

providing instructors the abil-

ity to teach in a whole new way.

With prices starting at $99.95 for

the 2GB variant, it’s a worthwhile

investment for how much you can

improve the classroom experience

on both ends.

After school, the

student can play-

back the day and

see their notes

come alive in real-

time to reinforce

their learning.

FunniesEpic

Illustrations by Alexis Moulds

“I’m so glad your mom packed Mountain Dew and Sour Patch Kids in your lunch!”

-No Teacher Ever!

What could prepare your young student better for

learning than loading their lunchbox up with sugary treats? Sugar AND CAF-

FEINE! Seriously though, parents. If you’re reading

this, watch the caffeine and sugar. We have work to do!

“I totally became a

teacher so I could get

out at 3:00 every day.

”

-No Teacher Ever!

RIIIIINNNNGGG!! Don’t you feel that wave of relief after all of your students have left your classroom? And isn’t that inevitably followed by that gut-sinking feeling you now have from the stack of approximately 3,235,937,193,295 papers you still have left to grade? BACK TO WORK!


You know you’re a teacher when “spoiling yourself” means buying yourself a pack of retractable G2 pens, you know they’re your favorites and immediately triple lock them in your desk drawer. Sorry, kid without a pen, you’re not borrowing one of these bad boys.

When your lunch is designed to be eaten over a copier, essay and/or keyboard, you might

just be a teacher. One pro tip from teacher to teacher – make

PB&Js with strawberry jelly. That way, if it drips onto your stu-

dent’s essay, you can turn it into a “correction.”

“I can’t wait for my nice relaxing lunch hour.”

-No Teacher Ever!

“I don’t even know

what to spend my giant

salary on this year!”

-No Teacher Ever!



How to Reduce Bullying in Schools

For additional information on bullying visit:

The No BULLY ZONE

Too often, the behavior of bullies is written off as a natural part of childhood. “Kids will be kids” is the common retort.

Unfortunately, it’s rarely so easy for the victims of bullying to brush off the harassment and violence they experience.

BULLYING the effects

beyond “Kids will be kids”

by Janelle Cox

Bullying on Teens

Over the past decade, bully-related suicides have be-come more common among teenagers in America and across the globe. In fact, according to studies at Yale Uni-versity, bully victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to con-sider suicide than teenagers who are non-victims. Suicide among children 14 and under still remains among their leading causes of death. (AAS)

According to the National Crime Prevention Council 2003, from the Bullying Prevention Resource Guide, “Nearly 1.5 million students in grades 6-10 report be-ing physically or verbally bullied at least once a week.” Social networking sites work as a platform for bullies to publish hateful comments and torment their victims.

There are a number of effects that come with teenage bullying

> Physical bullying can result in injury. > Verbal and cyber bullying can lead to depression (even suicide), drug use, and stunted social development.

> Bullying can lead to retaliation and subsequent revenge from the tormentor.


Research suggests that in order to reduce bullying,

schools should establish a school-wide policy that

addresses direct and indirect bullying.

How to Reduce Bullying in Schools

> Set up a “bully box” or create a “hotline” for students to increase student reporting.

> Monitor areas where bullying is frequent (hallways, lunch room).

> Most signs stating the consequences of bullying around the school.

> Train teachers and school personnel how to spot and handle a bully.

> Educate parents on how to recognize and report bullying.

adopt the following strategies:

In order to prevent bullying from ever happening in our

schools, we must first convince parents and other educa-

tors of the seriousness of bullying. If you take one look

at the news, you will see reports of violence, suicides,

and abuse, all linked to bullying. Bully prevention is most

effective when educators, parents, and policymakers join

together to create a positive school environment.

> Has the school created an environment where students feel safe?

> Does the school implement bully-preven-tion strategies?

> Are parents educated and informed on school bullying policies and how to report issues?

> Have local policymakers passed legisla-tion against bullies?

> Have all local school districts trained school staff on bully prevention?

A Call to Action Consider the following questions:

BULLYINg Is a Serious Issue

The psychological and all-too-often physical damage done by bul-

lying is profound. While not every incident will do lasting harm,

keeping a record of all incidents allows you to better understand

if a pattern of bullying is occurring. It also creates evidence that

can be used to make your case to parents and administrators.

Remember, if you dismiss an issue, it’s likely everyone else will, too.

It is essential that you provide your students with a safe and secure

environment where they feel protected. Be observant, and model

positive appropriate behavior. Provide students with anti-bullying

activities, and keep parents informed of what is going on in your

classroom. Together you can make a difference.

For additional information on bullying visit:

pacer.org/bullying/bullyingprevention.org Stop Bullying.gov

safeschools.info


Push Yourself & Change Your RoutineAre you a regular gym-goer already? Do you

commit to the same exercise routine every

time you’re at the gym? Or even every week?

The fact of the matter is that our bodies are built to adapt to

the stress we induce, and through millions of years of evolution,

have become very efficient at doing so.

It’s easy for us to get comfortable in our workout routines – like

we said, we’re creatures of habit. But if we want to see contin-

ued improvement in our physiques and general well-being, we

need to continually push ourselves to exhaustion – otherwise,

we’re simply meeting our body’s expectations.

If you’re like many gym-goers, your routine consists mainly of

sustained cardiovascular activity on a treadmill, stationary bike

or elliptical machine. These are great tools, but even, sustained

exercise isn’t always the best use of your time. Try changing up

your routine with resistance training with weights (15-20 reps

per set is optimal for long, lean muscle) or even interval training

where you’ll “sprint” for a minute and walk/rest for two minutes.

You’ll tire faster, but that means you’re doing it right!

Find Your Inspiration

Half the battle of working out is making

sure you’re in a routine you can maintain

and build on. Does having a partner with

you help you push yourself to your limit? Or do you find

yourself distracted by being social with fellow gym-goers?

Do you like playing sports like racquetball, tennis, soccer,

basketball, etc.? Sports can be a great way to get an awe-

some cardio workout without even thinking about it!

One effective mental game to play with yourself is tied

closely to tip #1. If you schedule a start and a stop time for

yourself, and you can’t cheat yourself by leaving early, you

may as well get the most out of your gym time!

The optimal amount of time to spend working out is 45

minutes to an hour – less than that and you’re not get-

ting your heart-rate up for a long enough time and more

than that means you’re probably not working out at a high

enough intensity.

2.1.

Classroom HEALTH TIPS

5 Tips

by Joe Federer

for Getting the Most Out of Your Workout Routine

We don’t have to tell you that your schedule is crazy, and we don’t have to tell you that sometimes (strike that MOST of the time), it’s hard to motivate yourself to work out – especially if you’re trying to start a new routine.

But the truth of the matter is that getting regular exercise has benefits not only for our physical appearance but has been shown to positively impact overall health of both the body and the mind.

That’s why you owe it to yourself to get the most out of the time you dedicate to exercise – whether you’re running, walking, lifting weights or playing sports. We put together these 5 tips to help you use your time most effectively.


Develop a Ritual

In 1996, a scientist named Roy Baumeister

conducted an experiment which shaped

our modern understanding of will power.

In the experiment, he split subjects into

two groups. Both groups entered a room with a big table

on which sat two trays – one hosting an aromatic spread of

freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and the other contained

a spread of raw radishes.

The experiment went like this – Baumeister invited Group

A to indulge in a few chocolate chip cookies and told Group

B to help themselves to a few radishes. Then, Baumeister

distributed a puzzle which, unbeknownst to the subjects, was

unsolvable. The subjects in Group A devoted more than twice

the time to solving the puzzle as compared to Group B before

both groups gave up.

What this indicates is that we have a single “well” of will-

power to work with. When we have to tell ourselves “No” to

bad food (or, perhaps equally difficult, “Yes” to working out),

we exhaust precious willpower. The best way to combat this is

to plan ahead for ourselves. This week, rather than simply go-

ing to the gym when it’s convenient, schedule the days you’re

going to work out with both a start and a stop time, and build

that routine into a ritual. Once you’ve decided that you are

going to work out, not that you might work out, you exhaust far

less of your willpower.

Eat Your Protein! We hear it all the time. “I don’t want to

get big!” “I’m not trying to build muscle!”

Well guess what? The more lean muscle you

have, the faster your metabolism runs and

the more calories you burn throughout the day.

Now if you follow the routine above (or even add a few more

exercises), you’re not going to wake up one day as Arnold.

We promise. The bodybuilders you see on TV and in adver-

tisements not only train up to 7 hours a day, they often use

anabolic steroids.

Ideally, you want to buy a whey protein isolate supplement,

mixing one scoop into water or skim milk twice a day – first

thing in the morning to kick-start your metabolism and one

immediately after your workout. Optimum Nutrition makes an

excellent Whey Protein Isolate supplement which we highly

recommend, but you can also get lean protein with fish, eggs,

chicken, tofu and other lean cuts of meat.

Train Different Things on Different Days

If you’re running through the same routine ev-

ery time you go to the gym, you’re no doubt

bored when you go. Maybe you find yourself

watching TV on the treadmill, reading on the stationary bike or

zoning out to your music while you go through the motions.

Well, stop it! Make your workout challenging and exciting

by designating different days for different muscle-groups. For

light-to-moderate gym-goers, try this weekly routine (or even

just add a few exercises into your current routine) and see if you

notice a difference in the quality of your workout:

Day 1: Upper BodyExercises (15-20 reps per set):

• 3 sets of light bench press/push-ups• 3 sets of pull-downs or assisted

pull-ups.• 3 sets of assisted dips or cable flyes• (Optional) 3 sets of sit-ups on a decline bench or

stability ball. • Cardio: 10-15 minutes of moderate intensity on the

rowing machine or elliptical if your gym doesn’t have a rowing machine.

Day 2: Lower BodyExercises (15-20 reps per set):

• 3 sets of light or body-weight squats. Make sure to ask a trainer about your form on these – it’s very important!

• 3 sets of walking lunges.• (Optional) 3 sets of dumbbell dead-lifts (or use a

machine to do hamstring curls if you have lower back issues).

• 3 sets of reverse crunches.

Day 3: Interval Cardio

• Choose a cardio machine. Stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical – whatever you like!

• Do a 5 minute warm-up to get your blood pumping, this part should get your sweat started but shouldn’t be too tough.

• Once you’re fully warmed up, do a 1-minute “sprint”. Run, bike or elliptical hard and fast. This should really get your heart rate up and should make you feel pretty tired.

• Now walk or lightly bike for 2-minutes with about as much intensity as your warm-up.

• Try to repeat this 5 times. It’s going to be tough, so if you need longer breaks than 2-minutes, go ahead and take them, especially as you’re get-ting used to the routine.

4.

5.3.

* Consult your doctor before starting new diet or fitness program


4How to Balance Your

Essential Energies

by Joe Federer

W e face a unique challenge today as hu-

mans. We have access to more information

than any population in history, we know more than any

generation ever has – and likewise, more is expected

of us now than ever before.

Teachers are facing what seems to be an impossible

challenge. We’re expected to teach more information

to more students who are expected to retain more of

that information than ever before. And the methods for

evaluating those students are another issue altogether

(we could write books about how and why the current

evaluation techniques are detrimental to both instruc-

tors and students).

But we as humans have an amazing ability to adapt to

our present situation. We can help ourselves make that

adaptation a conscious process by understanding the

internal flows of our different energies. In his magnifi-

cent book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, Tony

Schwartz identified 4 key energies in everyone: Physi-

cal, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual.


1.Physical ENERGY

Those of us who work out

regularly know the feeling

of a workout missed. As

counter-intuitive as it may

seem, we feel sluggish, as if

we’ve lost energy. When we

neglect our physical energy,

our other three energies

suffer. In fact, recent studies

show a strong correlation

between cognitive function,

creativity and regular exer-

cise. Additionally, exercise is

one of few activities proven

to actually grow brain cells

(something scientists once

thought happened only in

early childhood).

There are mixed results

regarding what type of

exercise is best, but what’s

undeniable is that exercise is

important. If aerobic exercise

(running, jogging, etc.) is

something you enjoy, go

do it! If anaerobic exercise

(lifting weights, yoga, etc.)

is more sustainable for you,

stick with that! In reality, bal-

ancing aerobic and anaero-

bic exercise is the healthiest

approach, but do what works

for you!

2.Emotional ENERGY

This form of energy isn’t

quite as easy to regulate

as physical (or even mental

or spiritual). Emotion is, by

definition, difficult to control

and often reigns free over

our other thought processes.

Rather than training for

emotional energy or trying

to repress it, simply being

aware of our emotional state

gives us some control over it.

One form of meditation

often used in Buddhism as a

way to separate oneself from

swings in emotional energy

is to sit down with a piece

of paper and pen (sans TV

or computer), and simply

let your mind wander. Write

down the thoughts that oc-

cur to you, and try not to let

yourself engage with each

thought emotionally (wheth-

er it’s happiness or sadness,

depression or anger).

3.Mental ENERGY

As you’ve probably no-

ticed by now, the four types

of energy identified here

are not distinctly separate

categories – each is affected

by the others. Mental energy

is the energy we need to sit

down and focus on one task

at a time. In Schwartz’s book,

he argues that our world of

extreme multi-tasking is detri-

mental to engaging deeply in

any one task.

Training your brain to focus

on one task for a long period

of time is like exercising your

muscles. When you first try to

focus your attention on one

specific thing, you’re exhaust-

ing your “attention muscle”,

but given ample rest and

repetition, you’ll build your

“attention muscle’s” strength

and endurance.

Now teachers are in a

unique position because our

jobs necessitate multi-tasking

during the day. But what

about planning lessons? Or

grading important papers?

Engaging in those activi-

ties with significant depth is

essential to our being great

teachers.

4.Spiritual ENERGY

Spirituality is one of those

terms that just about ev-

eryone has a definition for,

which makes it tough to talk

about. For the purposes of

our discussion here, think

about spiritual energy as the

motivation for why you do

what you do.

It should come as no

surprise that we didn’t get

into the teaching profession

for the big money and short

hours. But as we see with

many teachers, especially

after a few years of teaching,

that our spiritual energy be-

comes exhausted. That’s why

it’s important for us to step

back from our task-oriented

days to think about the big

picture of what we’re doing

and why we’re doing it.

Breathing meditation is

one technique Schwartz

recommends to all of his cli-

ents as a way to refresh both

your spiritual and emotional

energies. Many introduc-

tions to meditation recom-

mend starting at 20 minutes.

But many of the benefits of

meditation aren’t bound to

that 20 minute rule.

Try moderate-to-intense

exercise for 30 minutes 3

times per week, ideally to

break up the school day

and the work you do from

home. Do you feel a dif-

ference in both your body

and your mind?

Action Item

Make a conscious effort

this week to think about

your emotional state

throughout the day.

When did you feel most

refreshed and rested?

What led to you feeling

that way?

Designate time at least

once a week to engage in

that activity, and treat that

time as if it were an impor-

tant meeting (no interrup-

tions and no skipping!).

Action Item

Next time you’re plan-

ning an important lesson

or grading an important

paper, remove the other

distractions and tempta-

tions in your life. See if you

notice a difference in the

quality of your own work.

Action Item

When you feel bogged

down or stressed out, sit

down, close your eyes and

commit to a 5 minute medi-

tation. Breath in through

your nose for 3 seconds

and out your mouth for 6

seconds (this breathing pat-

tern reinforces a quieting of

the mind).

Action Item


7Ways Common Core Will Change

Your Classroomby Jacqui Murray

he biggest pedagogic change to American educa-

tion since the arrival of John Dewey is happening

right now. It’s called Common Core State Standards.

Its goal: to prepare the nation’s tens of thousands of students

for college and/or career. If you are involved in any part of

teaching, administrating, or planning, you are holding your

breath, downing an aspirin, and crossing your fingers, know-

ing a storm is about to hit. You’ve prepared, but is it enough?

46 states adopted the Common Core in an effort to bring

consistency and uniformity to the hodge podge of state

standards that dot the education landscape from California to

Maine and Alaska to Florida. For most states, implementation

is piecemeal, a bit at a time, with the full roll out not expected

until sometime in 2015.

T


Besides turning your curriculum upside down, there are

philosophic changes you as a teacher will have to buy into to fit the mold that is

Common Core:

1 Depth not width—Dig into ideas. Make them clearer,

more robust. Teachers will cover fewer topics in a year,

but with greater detail. Trust that the breadth of learning will

come from that deeper understanding. The accepted peda-

gogy that similar topics be introduced every year, each with

more detail, is no longer. Now, students will cover new topics

at each grade level--fewer but fuller.

2 Nonfiction, not fiction—Literacy and reading is likely to

be comprehensive narratives rather than inference from

stories. Why? Post-high school reading in both college and

career is more often expository than fiction as high school

grads study for college courses or receive specific training

on a job. Students need to know how to perform the critical

reading necessary to pick through the staggering amount of

print and digital information required to thrive at the game

called life.

3 Evidence is required—It will be paramount that

students logically and dispassionately prove their

claims with organic conversations and authentic, well-under-

stood evidence. Statements must have supporting facts that

stand up under cerebral scrutiny. A claim of acceptability

because it is ‘their interpretation’ will not be sufficient in

a CCSS classroom.

4 Speaking and listening—Anyone who thrives in the

adult world knows the importance of these two skills.

Now, they will be taught in the K-12 curriculum. The youngest

learners will have guidelines for how to carry on a conversa-

tion--come to a discussion prepared, listen respectfully to

others, take turns speaking, build on each other’s conversa-

tions, ask clarifying questions. As they advance grade levels,

so too will the requirements.

5 Technology is part of most/all standards—Not overtly,

but teachers will find a fundamental understanding of

how technology scaffolds learning to be essential in delivering

Standards correctly. Many times, standards expect knowledge

be ‘collaborated on, published and shared’. This is done through

technology--pdfs, printing, publishing to blogs and wikis, shar-

ing via Tagxedos and Animotos. Students and teachers will use

the internet, online tools, software, tech devices as vehicles for

achieving educational goals. No longer will they be ‘fun’ tools

employed in the computer lab. Now, they will be integral to the

curriculum. This means teachers will have to be comfortable with

iPads, online widgets, Google Docs, and all those geeky tools

that they admired from afar, when colleagues used them, promis-

ing they would try them ‘one day’. That day has arrived.

6 Life skills are emphasized across subject areas—It’s

not good enough students can write in literacy classes.

CCSS expects them to communicate just as effectively in

every subject. And, where critical thinking has always been

fundamental to math and science, that now expands to all

classes. Students must understand cause and effect, transfer

knowledge from one subject area to another throughout their

educational day. That means, math teachers must pay atten-

tion to writing and literature teachers to cognitive processes.

7 An increase in rigor—Accountability will be expected

of students and teachers. Too often, passing a test

was all the assessment that was expected. CCSS will look

for more--transfer of knowledge (see 6 above), evidence of

learning, student as risk-taker, authenticity of lessons, verti-

cal planning, learning with increasingly less scaffolding and

prompting, and differentiated instruction so all learners get it.


e-Learner APPLICATIONS

Just like the art programs we talked about in our last issue, music classes are succumb-ing to similar cuts from curricula. Luck-ily, educational technology has made it easier and more affordable to bring that instruction into the classroom by

way of tablets and music-driven applications.This time around, we took a closer look at six

apps that can help you bring music to life for the youngest child just banging keys all the way up to the aspiring producer and songwriter in your K-12 classroom.

A handy compact keyboard controller provides a great way to dock your iPhone and let your students play on a real keyboard. Many full-sized keyboards with piano weighted action are also available for a reasonable price.

iGrand (iPad; $19.99 Full Version, Demo Version Free)

This app is perfect for both the music teacher and the piano student. For the music teacher, you no lon-ger need to roll your piano to the gym for performanc-es, just plug into any portable USB/Midi controller, the school PA system and you’re ready to play.

For the student (and cost-conscious parents), iGrand offers an affordable and space-saving solution. For late night practice sessions, the app offers support for headphones, which is great.

Whereas other apps have a toy-like piano sound, iGrand is professional grade throughout – producing stunning piano emulations. The full version ($19.99) offers 18 different pianos ranging from baby grands, uprights, jazz and octave pianos.

One feature we really liked is the ability to record your performances and share them easily via e-mail so you can send files to your piano teacher, friends and family to show them how well you’ve been doing.

We recommend a basic 88-key hammer grade piano action keyboard for serious students learn-ing proper technique. In the meantime, try out the free version, the sound alone will impress.

iGrand offers all the features a music teacher and student will appreciate that’s lacking in other apps, including sound quality.

Young Kids

Although this app ranks the lowest when it comes to legitimate music education, it’s the one to get for your kindergarten or 1st grade classroom as a gateway into not only future music-related, educational apps, but into an interest in music itself.

Mibblio (iPad; Free)

Mibblio does something that all these other apps don’t do – it pairs children’s storybooks with mu-sic. Although it really doesn’t offer much in terms of actual music education, it allows young children the opportunity to interact with their favorite sto-ries with a slew of different instruments as the story progresses. In this way, your kids can not only be-come familiar with the stories themselves with both spoken and written text, but also with how different genres of instruments like percussion, string and wind sound.

However, making a bunch of noise just isn’t al-ways in the cards in a classroom. Thankfully, you can, toggle between a “silent reading” mode and this musical variant when you have to keep it down to those 6-inch voices.

In either case, using this free app is relatively straightforward and fun.

Each of the 9 add-on tales (a.k.a a “Mibblet”) is $1.99, which isn’t too bad, but ultimately we’d like it if they continue to keep offering new stories to supplement their current offerings.

Teachers & Students


Sight Reading & Pitch DrillsMusic Tutor (iPad; $.99)

Piano Tutor (iOS; $2.99)

This is a straightforward, easy-to-use app to help sharpen your music sight-reading skills for both treble and bass notes.

The idea is very simple, the app displays a note on the scale and much like a multiple-choice exam, you choose which note is correct. To make things a bit more interesting, the test is timed (1, 5 or 10 minutes) so the faster you can answer correctly, the higher your score. Later, you can review your mis-takes to help you hone your skills for the future.

However, we did find the requirement to log into Apple Game Center an annoyance and the pro-gram crashes if you don’t. We understand that it might be fun to post your scores against others, but fear that this may deter some students from using the app if they receive a poor score that the world can see. Luckily, there is a free version with ads so you can try it out before buying.

Piano Tutor is a great app for teaching students sight-reading skills and piano technique all in one package.

The app is stress-free to operate, offers lots of use-ful features and will score your performance against the clock like Music Tutor. Once you master all the songs included with the app, you can purchase ad-ditional packs for only $0.99.

Piano Tutor also offers up something for students who want to detect pitch by ear – it will play a note aloud and you have to play that note on the key-board. Get it wrong and you can press play to hear it again or receive hints with conventional notes or “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si” until you get it right.

Lastly it also allows you to hook up a USB/Midi key-board controller so you can practice on a real key-board if you desire, a feature missing from too many current music app offerings in our opinion.

Music Tutor is not dedicated

to any one instrument, it’s a great tool for

all your band students.


Beginner Piano

Piano Dust Buster (iOS; $4.99 subscription)

This app is a fun way to get kids into learning how to read and play music in a game-type format.

The app has several modes to start your learning: Germ Attack drops notes down the screen (like Rock Band), so it will be easily recognizable for kids. Staff Master Mode is great for teaching sheet music read-ing long before they get a chance to do so in school. Practice Mode allows you to play alone and records a score based on your performance. Show-Time Mode puts you front and center in a band-like environment and you can receive praise for stellar performances.

Aside from different modes, the app allows you use your own instruments (i.e. keyboard or piano) using the iPad’s built-in microphone to listen to what notes you’re playing.

The app does have a big drawback though – it comes with a starter song pack, but it requires a $4.99 monthly subscription to get more lessons and songs.

Luckily, on their website, they are constantly develop-ing new apps with music teachers in mind for a similar purpose – learning.

Using the iPads’ micro-phone you can use your piano to practice and learn.

NanoStudio (iOS; $13.99, Mac and Windows; Free)

While this app is not for beginners, once you get over the learning curve, it is fantastic for the aspiring producer/songwriter student. The app is very similar to expensive Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) soft-ware and will start them in the right direction.

NanoStudio offers you up to 6 instrument tracks to work with and 16 if you choose to upgrade for only $4.99. The free app includes a nice Eden synthesizer with an inspiring sound library including grand pia-nos, melodic synthesizer arpeggios, rock guitars and orchestral strings. The drum machine is also fully pro-grammable so you can create your own beats by tap-ping on the on-screen pads.

When you are ready to really dig in deep, NanoStu-dio does not disappoint with a slew of full mixing, ef-fects, sampler, wave-form editing and mastering.

Another thing we really liked is that you can easily export your songs to SoundCloud – a web platform that will be very familiar to avid music creators nation-wide. We strongly suggest adding a USB/MIDI key-board controller to get the full playing experience.

The biggest plus to this app is that you will

learn how to arrange and compose com-plete songs using a

timeline format.

Advanced Students


was recently re-inspired by Sir Ken Robinson’s 2010 TEDTalk titled “Bring on the Learning Revolution” where he refer-enced the Lincoln quote at the

left. It’s a brilliant contrast to com-placent stagnancy and is driven by a desire (and requirement) to adapt organically to an ever-changing world. The thing is, although the quote itself is something we can all agree upon, as educators, its application seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Now I will preface this by saying that there has been a great deal of changes in education in the past year with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), but that doesn’t necessarily mean that educa-tors are thinking and acting anew – it may be a gross oversimplification here, but in more cases than not, edu-cation seems to be following a whole new, cookie-cut playbook without any of that special improvisation mixed into it.

So where is the silver lining (no pun intended)? What liberties can we possibly take as teachers within the boundaries of the CCSS? And as always, how do we manage to spark creativity, curiosity and engagement in our children?

Firstly, take comfort in the fact that we’re asking where instead of wheth-er a silver lining exists at all. Second-ly, I’d argue that the Common Core has given teachers more of a blank canvas than a finished Picasso – sure

there are physical boundaries to the canvas itself, but what you make of the middle still takes plenty of finesse. Robinson’s two biggest criticisms of our educational system are its linear-ity and conformity. I couldn’t agree more. Very few things in life that hold meaning for us proceed with any sort of linearity – friendship, hardship, love, family, career. Any of these could be shuffled in a myriad of orders and we would chalk it up to fate or “every-thing happens for a reason”. Educa-tion (especially higher levels) is just as much a life step as all these things, yet tradition expects it to behave linearly, not organically.

While I’m still on about organic things, I feel compelled to share a re-latable bit from Robinson’s TED Talk. He comments that “we have built our education systems on the model of fast food…and it’s impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.” The more that we realize that people cannot be standard-ized, regardless of whether you’re a teacher or a student, or better yet, regardless of age, gender, upbring-ing or ethnicity, the more fruitful our educational system can become. Knowledge is not compartmentalized, math is no more important than music and equality does not equal stan-dardization.In realizing this, I am confident that changes can happen in your class-room. But how?

I

EDUCATIONALREVOLUTION Cultivate | Evolve | Flourish

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present...as our case is new, so we must think and act anew. — Abraham Lincoln

by Mike Maravilla


1STEP ONE: Learn How to Farm

Robinson stresses, “all you can do, like a farmer, is create the conditions under which they [your students] will begin to flourish.” It’s important to take responsibility for creat-ing those conditions – to listen, to allow your students ac-cess to educational technology, to understand what their aspirations may be and how you can help in their journey to achieve them.

Be mindful that learning how to farm also doesn’t hap-pen overnight – invest in your own knowledge and your ability to use technology to save time and create engage-ment, not the other way around.

2 STEP TWO: Get Students Concerned

The second step is getting students to be equally con-cerned about getting the right answer as they are about coming up with the big questions. Budget time to let your students explore, communicate and create with the tech tools they are already comfortable using. Allow success-ful media literacy to factor into your grading. Coupling critical thinking with innovative media creation not only provides them greater engagement in the classroom, but also valuable real-world experience for an undetermined job market in the long-term.

If we are to prepare our students for a future we don’t know or understand, holding them to purely quantifiable measurements is for naught.

3 STEP THREE: Remember your passion

The third step is to be mindful of your passion for teach-ing. You’re good at it. Frankly, you wouldn’t be doing it let alone reading this article if you didn’t love it or want to give more to your students. Give in to that passion. Enjoy what you do on a daily basis. Try something new. Be the change. Some of my favorite and most memorable teach-ers were ones that took time to really understand our viewpoint as kids – as much as their syllabus remained the same through the years, it felt like they were speaking that message exclusively to us. You can be an activist for great education without standing on a soapbox with a protest sign. Education is one of the few fields where putting in real effort and time can affect not only your life, but gen-erations. Enduring is not the same as endurance.

As Sir Ken Robinson says, “human communities depend on a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of abil-ity. At the heart of the challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability and intelligence.” We as teachers are able to transform diversity into something more than what it represents in regard to gender, religion or ethnicity – we can built it into the cornerstone for what our entire educa-tional system sets out to accomplish: to prepare our future generations for the next stormy present more adequately than the one we face today.

In realizing this, I am confident that

changes can happen in your classroom.

But how?


COOL APP Review

Available Free on iTunes, Android,

and Kindle

StudyBlueThis month’s cool app, StudyBlue, is made for students. It empowers the ever-growing generation of ambitious digital natives who expect and deserve study tools to match their increasingly mobile lives. And that’s where StudyBlue excels – it helps these students learn better, wherever and whenever. From addition and multiplication tables to the SAT and the MCAT, over one million students worldwide have called on this app to help them achieve their academic goals. Check out what StudyBlue can do for your classroom!


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TeachHUB Magazine Issue #3