Tech Sharing Certs for School Nurse, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day

With many people looking to give meaningful gifts without breaking budgets here are a few certificates that you can use or modify for your tech sharing event for upcoming School Nurse Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Week and Mother's Day. Many children want to give but may not know what to give...so the gift of your time can be memorable especially when sharing techspertise.


These are created in Google Docs and you can create a copy and print or tailor to your needs. Be creative and give the gift of your time and share techspertise amongst each other.


No tech in the classroom or at home? Meet at the local library, introduce people to members of your PLN, show someone how to make that digital clock to quit blinking, challenge others to explore menu bar options, share tips on recycling tech, enjoy a Google video chat or Skype conversation.....fill in the blank with your idea.  Tech skills are as diverse as the tools available...why not help someone learn something new...or be willing to let someone show you what they have learned.

School Nurse Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Teacher Appreciation Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Mother's Day Technology Sharing Gift Certificate

Enjoy...and feel free to share how you used the certificates. Thanks to all of you (1300+) who have used these tech sharing certs with others.

Comments, recommendations, and/or checks in the Reaction boxes are welcome.

APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver

What do these mean to you?  APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver/ICJME



Depending on your role or roles, as a learner, educator, reviewer, editor, the objective of your writing, the standards will vary. Always consult the organization for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines. While many people have personal preferences, individuals in school must meet organizational standards. Do you use one standard for work and another for school? Which format and version are you comfortable with APA (6th), MLA, Chicago (15th), Harvard (18th), Turabian (6th), Vancouver/ICJME? If you had to change formats or versions could you adapt, implement, and overcome?

Someone asked me when did I learn the difference and in reflection I had to say once I started college. But today's student has to be able to write for school, produce resumes in various formats, take notes and they do it with different tools. Some people still prefer pen and paper version and others have gone completely digital. Regardless of the tool, the writing project must meet a standard whether submitting for a grade, publishing for the web, and writing for personal and professional objectives.


So where did you learn your writing standards for school? work? How did you learn to format templates and references? How do you cite your references?


Some online libraries and reference sites provide options to export references for bibliographic management software, such as EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, RefWorks, EasyBib and BibTeX. While others prefer to format their own references. Do you have a favorite or a preference?

Citations are based on reference standards. Formatting rules can vary widely. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied. 


Because I live, work, and study in perpetual ADDIE gerbil wheel, I hit the key points used to help others decide the framework of their assignments.

Analyze your writing objectives and format requirements: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian, Vancouver/ICJME
Design your template for your paper
Develop the content for your assignment or project

Implement - Combine the content, your research, references, and supplemental materials
Evaluate - Don't just read the paper and run a spell check, ask peers, parents, children to review and comment, conduct a print or web preview to determine how the project will look to the reading audience.


When analyzing this information be reminded of Steven Covey's Habit #5, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."


Comments, recommendations, and reaction box checks are always welcome.

Congratulations to Butler High School's Future Problem Solving Team!

Congratulations to Butler High School's Senior Division Team Problem Solving team for placing first in Team Problem Solving and in Individual Problem Solving FPSPI competition!

The BHS winning team members are:  Quentin Mays, SaDarius Thomas, Michael White, and Stanley Esaw.  Travis Moore is the individual winner.


If interested in sponsoring a Butler High School student for the trip, please contact Ms. Strelec at strelan@rcboe.org 


For more information:


Butler High School, Augusta, GA


Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI)


Augusta Chronicle's article:  Butler problem-solvers advance in competition Team will vie on international level By Stephanie Toone


While this article may not make front page news of the printed version of the Augusta Chronicle, the Internet allows us to share with others beyond the printed news and Augusta, GA.


Congratulations to all of the winning students. 
From the Augusta Chronicle's article by Stephanie Toone:  Butler problem solvers advance in competition


Future Problem Solving of America Senior Division Winners

- Butler High School, First place, Team Problem Solving
- Academy of Richmond County, Third place, Team Presentation of Action Plan
- Glenn Hills High School, Second place, Team Action Plan Development
- T.W. Josey High School, First place, Team Presentation of Action Plan
- Travis Moore, Butler High School, First place, Individual Problem Solving
- Alan Horner, Hephzibah High School, Second place, Individual Problem Solving
- Antonio Evans, Glenn Hills High School, Third place, Individual Problem Solving

Middle Division Winners

- Hephzibah High School, Third place, Team Problem Solving
- Westside High School, Second place, Team Problem Solving

Donations for the trip to Wisconsin can be mailed to:

Richmond County Board of Education
C/O Gifted Program
864 Broad Street
Augusta, GA 30901

Congratulations to all future problem solvers!

Student Opportunities, ISTE NETS-S, Self-Assessment and Empowerment

Do you or your students visit the OPM Student opportunities site? This site allows students of all ages, in all levels of education to view the requirements and apply for jobs, internships, scholarships, fellowships, grants, and apprenticeships within the federal government. The jobs, internships, scholarships, grants, fellowships, and apprenticeships link to the educational opportunities available to students high school through doctorate level and career professionals.


Learning how to fill out applications for the different programs requires students of all ages to self assess their personal and professional achievements, collect information for human references, and learn how to write about their achievements while analyzing different application requirements and deadlines for each program.


The links below allow one to view the diverse opportunities available which they may not be aware of in or out of high school. Visit the site to review the opportunities from NASA, CIA, Departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, FDIC, FCC, and many more.


Call to Serve - A joint initiative between the Partnership for Public Service and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is dedicated to helping you learn more about careers in the federal government. To date, more than 642 campuses and 75 federal agencies have joined together to form the Call to Serve network.


Additional opportunities for students (eScholar)
Jobs, Internships, Scholarships, Fellowships, Grants, and Apprenticeships 


Federal Jobs by Major - A list of popular jobs filled by individuals with degrees. This list is not all inclusive and some job titles and fields are new to high school students whose environment, family, school choices may be limited. Great discussion opener for students who are thinking about future opportunities.


Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) information
Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) information


Presidential Management Fellows Program and Application information - 2 year paid fellowship for graduate students.


Federal Career Intern Programs:  Individuals interested in Career Intern opportunities must contact specific agencies directly. Today, 80 opportunities are listed under the Internship link, listed below are a few of the agency specific internship opportunities.


Department of Education
CDC Department of Health Promotion and Education
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Congressional Internship Program
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Congressional Internship Program - Summer, Communications, and Emerging Leaders


Exploring opportunities is a great way to help students empower themselves whether they are seeking local job opportunities or want to do great things in the world. When we listen to students discussing their dreams of what they want to do in life, one thing that is missing is their plan to achieve those dreams. Not all students attend resume writing workshops, career information seminars, or have encouragement from community members, and the OPM Student Opportunities site allows them to explore opportunities from their mobile devices, homes with Internet access, and local libraries with computer labs while learning to compile personal and professional information. While they are conducting self assessments, students may discover that they need to make different choices in their educational pursuits, become involved with community volunteer activities, and build their network of human references.  


Encourage and challenge students to explore the requirements for a particular career field, internships, apprenticeships, cooperative learning, and scholarships. Exploring the diverse opportunities allows students to apply ISTE's NETS for Students: (1) Creativity and Innovation, (2) Communication and Collaboration, (3) Research and Information Fluency, (4) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making, (5) Digital Citizenship, (6) Technology Operations and Concepts as independent learners.

FAQs:

What are the eligibility requirements?
Each program has different requirements. Most programs require that you actively pursue a degree, certification, or diploma. In addition, you need to be in good academic standing at your school, a U.S. citizen, and able to meet security requirements. Check specific programs for eligibility criteria.

What can you do when you create a USAJobs account?
Build and store up to 5 distinct resumes, save and automate job searches, save and apply for jobs, learn how to use USAJOBS, learn about the federal hiring process, discover special hiring programs, search by Agency, Occupation, Location, see which jobs are in demand, and apply to Federal Agencies.

Create an account here.
Already have an account? Sign in here.

Comments, recommendations, or checks in the reaction boxes are always welcome.

What are you really teaching? learning? sharing?

If you are lucky enough to work, volunteer, raise, and/or influence others...do you take the time to really listen to what they are saying? Can you hear what they are saying by their words, actions, or inactions?


When is the last time you conducted a self assessment on your progress?  Are you the cobbler whose children have no shoes? Take some time and listen to your replacements. Listen to them as they ask for assistance, provide suggestions, and feel defeated when they watch the adults participate in the Blame Game.


What is your role in the Blame Game? Participant? Bystander? Blamer? Oxygen Thief? Mover? Shaker? Solution provider? Lead by example? Virtual Suggestion Box provider?


Parents, teachers, students, administrators, taxpayers, politicians, community apathy, oxygen thieves, self serving interest groups....you can add labels to the list but what is your role? At one point in time, from the womb to the tomb, you became a student in some type of learning system in life, either as an autodidact or a  participant of a learning system whether it was a public / private / home / charter / magnet / virtual school system. Many people continue to learn long beyond the classroom and throughout life. You may own one or more labels, by choice or by association, but you started somewhere. You can continue as is or you can change.


The cycle continues until we break the cycle even if it is one person at a time. What are you doing to break the cycle of passive acceptance? How do you empower others who want to change? Regardless of your role by profession or self labeling by choice, your actions or inactions are being observed and modeled whether you realize or not.


Do your words, actions, digital or F2F match your actions?


Some quotes about change, listening, learning that have been brought to my attention by some of the young adults I volunteer with: 


Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. William Pollard


Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. Henry L. Doherty



A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end s/he may disagree sharply, but because s/he disagrees, s/he wants to know exactly what it is s/he is disagreeing with. Kenneth A. Wells

Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better. Richard Hooker

From Robert M. Hutchins:

The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.

It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts…it is to teach them to think.

Education is a kind of continuing dialogue, and a dialogue assumes different points of view.

My idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and inflame their intellects.

Do you step in to be one part of the solution for those who will eventually replace you? What are you really teaching, learning, and/or sharing?

Comments or reaction box checks are always appreciated.