G-Souto's Blog

GMR 2012 - Art Contest

2012-02-13T13:49:00.000Z

http://www.unesco.org/

"Youth, skills and work: What skills do you need to create a better future? "

UNESCO is running an artwork contest for young people on the theme of youth, skills and work - the focus of the forthcoming 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report.

The winner’s work will be used in the report.

The artwork should illustrate ideas linked to youth, education, skills and the world of work. Some related questions are:

http://www.unesco.org

Are young people leaving school with the skills they need to survive and thrive in society?
How can we make sure that all young people – especially those who face disadvantages – get a chance to learn job skills?
Are employers and governments doing their best to match up skills and jobs?
How can education help young people avoid unemployment – or being trapped in low-paid, insecure work?

Terms and Conditions:

Design:

The winning artwork will be used for the 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report on youth, skills and work.

The submission may be artwork of any size (between A5 and A3 or equivalent).

Submissions can be in the form of photos, drawings, paintings, computer-generated images etc.

Submissions can be in electronic format or on paper. Each artwork should be accompanied by a short artist biography and description of the work in relation to the theme of the contest.

Notes: If electronic files only are submitted, a high-definition version (in PDF or JPEG) is required.

UNESCO preferes the artwork to be accompanied by a standard to high-resolution PDF file in A4 format for viewing by the jury.

See the “Terms and conditions” for technical specifications.

Eligibility:

Young people aged between 18 and 24 years*

Period:

1 February 2012 to 1 April 2012.

Submission:

Artwork plus the completed Registration Form will be accepted in either electronic or paper format. Both formats are eligible.

If submitting your entry in electronic format only, please:

go to www.unesco.org/tools/filedepot/

enter your name and email

upload your file

enter recipient email: efareport(at)unesco.org

enter message to recipient: "2012 Artwork Contest"

click [Send] button

Artwork in paper format must only be sent to:

EFA Global Monitoring Report Team
Artwork Contest
UNESCO
7, Place de Fontenoy
75007 Paris
France

*Note: Proof of identity will be required from all finalists.

Judging

After the competition closes at 18.00pm (Paris time) on 1 April 2012, a jury will decide the first prize winner and will select two honorable mentions.

Artwork will be judged in terms of creativity, originality, message content and overall presentation.

Please read all the information about Terms & Conditions here

And now feel free to take a look at and be inspired by the blog "Youth, skills, work" where young people are debating these issues:

Universities or colleges are invited to circulate the flyer or print it up:

English

French

Spanish

Be creative and express yourself in the artwork contest!

G-Souto

13.02.2012

GMR 2012 - Art Contest by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

References:

GMR 2012 Art Contest

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2012-skills/contest/

Whitney Houston, a tribute

2012-02-12T04:27:00.002Z

Whitney Houston Music Awards | LUX

http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/

Photograph: Matt Sayles/AP

http://static.guim.co.uk/

Whitney Houston | I Look to You

http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/

Whitney Houston is dead. She was 48 years old. She could not win the battle with alchool and drugs that increasingly overshadowed her talent in the last years.

My conviction is that when someone dies has the right to be remembered by the good feelings she or he awaked in our heart.

"She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston."

In the 90's, she was one pf the best singers pop |R&B.

At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980's to the late 1990's, she was one of the world’s best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like The Bodyguard

She was working on a ney album "On my own". Yesterday, Friday 10, she was at a pre-Grammy party 2012.

The day after, she was found dead by her bodyguard. A premonintory film? The Bodyguard witk Kevin Costner?

"She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise."

After Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Withney Houston joins a group of unforgetable musicians and singers who died too soon.

G-Souto

12.02.2012

(because it's Sunday)

Whitney Houston, a tribute by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Trust: a film about safety on Internet

2012-02-09T17:27:00.000Z

http://www.trustmovie2011.com/

It's Safer Internet Day 2012. This year, as you read on the post Make your Safer Internet Day, the theme is centred on "Connecting generations and educating each other". SID 2012 encourages users young and old to "discover the digital world together...safely"!

"With all of the potential that the online world and new technology offers, young people now have access to huge opportunities. They use technology to express themselves, explore, and be creative; it has changed the way they communicate."

Indeed! Internet changed the way we express and the way teens communicate with friends and no friends. And that is the other side of the Internet. So, I would like to share with you a special and difficult film about teens on the Internet.

Child exploitation on Internet is worrisome. Reports said that 70% of this kind of abuse is passing by social networks. But, on this film, the two met in a "teen chat room" which is typical of these types of situations.

Chat rooms are generally considered more dangerous than social-networking sites because they encourage real-time conversations that can be easily moved to private instant-messaging venues. Nothing better to share with you a film.

Trust
http://www.trustmovie2011.com/

Young girls (between 12-17) as they grow up faster than boys, they love to expose themselves on the Internet, sharing everything: photos, privacy, sometimes home adress and school adress, specially when they are on teen chat room or other.

Predator' chat strategies are increasingly refined. Sometimes, parents are paying attention to their kids, but they don't 'see' how their lovely daughters are growing up so fast.

This is why, I would like to share Trust with you. The film was on theaters some months ago. And in France it is now.

I watched Trust last year. The film didn't surprise me, but shocked me. I was prepared to the kind of predator but not for 'the predator' on the end.

When the film ended, I spent some time lost in my thoughts. I couldn't believe! Back to school, I discussed it with some teachers. Later, I discussed it with some parents and with my students (up to 15).

I asked mysef - must I present the film on a post or not? - but finally, I could conclude that it is more important to share it with parents and other teachers no matter how difficult the end can be.

One teen being exploited is one teen too many and if Trust can help prevent even a single teen from being emotionally or even physically harmed, then sharing the film will have been well done.

I think it is essential for parents to watch it. It is also an interesting resource for teachers by displaying the video in classroom (high schools) to introduce safety on Internet.

Trust is about online sexual predators, a chilling cautionary tale about online sexual predators and the shattering fallout for a 14-year-old and her family.

The story centres on Annie 14 year old girl who meets a boy online who turns out to be a wolf in teenage clothing. He is actually a 35 year old paedophile who grooms the naive and gauche 14 year old, meets her and sexually abuses her.

Annie and 'Charlie' | Trust

http://www.trustmovie2011.com/

Synopsis:

Annie (Liana Liberato), from a middle-class Chicago suburb, is a shy 14-year-old who strikes up an increasingly intimate online friendship with "Charlie"(Chris Henry Coffey), who claims he is 16, later on admitting to being in his mid-20s. By the time he flies in for an assignation with her in her hometown, we (unlike Annie) are not shocked to discover that he’s in his mid-30s. He takes her back to his hotel room and sweet talks the terrified but mesmerized girl into bed. (Mercifully, the scene fades out without showing anything explicit.)

Annie and her mother | Trust

http://www.trustmovie2011.com/

Annie’s parents, Will (Clive Owen) and Lynn (Catherine Keener), are portrayed conventional types. When they discover what has happened to Annie, their coziness is shattered. Rape charges are filed (Annie, in deep denial, at first denies she was raped because she is in love) and the FBI conducts a manhunt for "Charlie," who has a long list of previous victims.

The film is based on data from the Crimes Against Children Research Center (CACRC), but the facts on it are fictional.

http://www.trustmovie2011.com/

Some important messages for kids, parents and teachers:

Parents, wake up! If your teenager spends hours glued to their phone or buried in their rooms online on a laptop or PC, chatting or doing nothing, then you have to see Trust. Because instead of just shrugging, or smiling to yourself that you know where your kids are and what they are doing, this film will show you just how at risk they really are.

Kids and young adolescents do need to be reminded that not everyone they meet online is who they say they are.As parents, you might wonder whether what they are doing is safe.

As parents, you might also be thinking how can you be as good a parent online as you are offline?

Parents need to understand that it's important to stay in close touch with their kids' online use. Dialogue is very important, but it is not enough.

Young people:

Even kids and adolescents like to be independent, they must have the skills since the younger age, for the safe use of Internet. So, at home in school they must be alerted and taught how important it is to their safety.

Safer Internet Day is an good start for parents and teachers to sit together with their children or students and discuss these important issues.

As students participating in the different activities for Safer Internet Day, they are learning about the dangers and they developing the skills to keep themselves safe when they are online.

Parents:

The film shows how it is done, how easily it is done, and then the fall-out from what happens. Parents are completely lost.

"Abuse has a terrible impact on children, and on whole families, whether perpetrated from within or outside their nest: at times, you will be watching through your fingers."

We also need to understand that the internet is simply a place. Somewhere your kids go to hang out. And if they were doing that physically, you would want to know where they were going and who they were going with.

Parents need to start asking the same kind of questions, when their teenagers are online, ignoring the one word 'nowhere' or 'no-one answers'.

Because just as when they head out the door, everytime they go onto an online space there are potential risks. And while you cannot be there with them, you should at least attempt to satisfy yourself you know where they are going and with whom.

Trust conveys, at its best, is that ultimately parental protections are not fullproof, and that is the greatest horror of all.

Social message:

The film also shows how pervasive technology can be in teens lives and also how sexualised the society has become. And this is the hard bit for parents! Parents can also benefit by watching how Annie's dad evolves during the film.

Some conclusions: Teachers and Parents

Teachers help students to understand the safe use of Internet in the school, it's a fact! But parents must pay attention at home. Absolutely.

Children grow and become more independent, it is only natural that they take this independence online.

Parents and teachers have to instil in our young people an ability to keep themselves safe. Resilience had gone out of fashion in child care lingo but actually it is vital.

Most kindergarten and preschool curricula do not include lessons on modern technology, but they should. Introducing concepts of modern technology in their daily vocabulary and activities is essential.

The participation of kids and young adolescents at Safer Internet Day is a very important way to introduce safety in school curricula and family acivities.

If you and your kids or students watch the movie, use it as a discussion starter, and remember, your 'kids are probably all right'.

*Note: The film shows disturbing material involving the rape of a teen, language, sexual content, and some violence.

But nothing that you can not overtake as parents or teachers if you use an open discussion. You can see it on the video below:

Final conclusions:

"We just want people to engage more in being a more present parent." said David Schwimmer, Trust director. The key message is communication.

We cannot always protect our children, including the ones we don’t know, and we need to give them the skills to keep themselves safe. Knowing how to sniff out trouble, knowing how to avoid it, and knowing how to handle it when it comes knocking are key essential life skills.

Please search for latest information on the sites your kids like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what they can do about it.

There are always areas on websites about safety if you look after young people, with resources that teachers and parents can use at home, in school or just to get with it.

Most importantly, there’s also a place which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online.

Crimes Against Children Research Center (CACRC), Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center (CEOP) are developing software that tracks the Web's evolving child pornography lexicon as well as predators' chat strategies to help law-enforcement agencies catch the most secretive of these criminals before they strike.

"The Internet is positive for children – not just for online education, but as a place to socialise, play and create. But whether they're doing it for work or play, they must be able to do it safely, to forge positive relationships and cope with online risks."

Neelie Krois

Vice-President of the European Commission

Responsible for the Digital Agenda

Is there is an Internet active young person in your life, that you care about, Trust should probably be on their list of movies to see.

G-Souto

09.02.2012

Trust: a film about safety on Internet by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Credits: video ThinkUKnow | Australia

References | Resources for parents and teachers :

Insafe (Europe)
http://www.saferinternet.org/web/guest/home

Kid's Corner (Europa)
http://europa.eu/kids-corner/index_en.htm

Tips for families
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/projects/centres/practices/index_en.htm

CEOP (UK)
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Internet sans Crainte (France)
http://www.internetsanscrainte.fr/

NetPublique (Belgique)
http://www.netpublic.fr/2012/01/outils-google-conseils-de-securite-pour-les-parents-et-les-enseignants/

Internet Segura (Portugal)
http://www.internetsegura.pt/pt-PT/Noticias/actualidades/ContentDetail.aspx?id=410

ACMA - cyber smart :-)

http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/

ConnectSafely
http://www.connectsafely.org/

Make your Safer Internet Day

2012-02-06T03:06:00.000Z

http://www.saferinternet.org

Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised by Insafe in February of each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.

Safer Internet Day 2012 will take place on Tuesday 7 February 2012, centred on the theme "Connecting generations and educating each other", where SID encourages users young and old to "discover the digital world together...safely"!

The theme 2012 is "Connecting generations and educating each other" and the slogan is

"Discover the digital world together... safely!"

"From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Insafe aims to be at the forefront of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns. This year we are focusing on connecting generations, as we invite people of all ages from very young children to parents and grandparents to “discover the digital world together… safely”."

http://www.saferinternetday.org

Education:

We all know the importance of being safe online. Children and young people love to be connected all the time, on their cellphones or on computer at home, even when they are homeworking.

Safer Internet 2012 wants that both young and old to join together in creating positive online experiences, to share knowledge and wisdom, but also to support each other when things might be risky or, indeed, go wrong.

So this year, there are two competitions for the younger generation and other members of the school or family.

1. SID poster competition

Children and young people are invited to create an Acceptable Use Policy* poster using the initials 'SID', or based around the theme of 'Connecting generations'.

2. SID video competition

Children and young people are invited to create a short video clip (maximum of 2 minutes) on the theme of 'Connecting generations'.

For both competitions, there will be three categories of entry:

9 years old and under

10-14 years old

over 14 years old.

Entries:

The entries will be accepted online here from 1-29 February 2012 inclusive.

Prizes:

Games (courtesy of our competition sponsors Microsoft) and, for older winners, the chance of taking part in an 'online safety' summer camp in Romania.

Some informations:

Teachers and parents could access (until January) to a SID kit (resources and lesson plans) from here

To participate, schools can register here and individuals here

Safer Internet Day website aims to showcase the activities and events that will be taking part across the globe to celebrate the day.

Click on the map to get started, using the zoom control to locate events in your country.

Alternatively, visit the SID Near You section to explore news from the many countries and institutions that will be taking part.

Others:

You can read two school projects: Fighting cyber-bullying with Shakespeare? and SOS! Bullying au collège.

My students participated in Safer Internet Day since 2005. You can read on the school blog (Portuguese language) about 2008 participation here.

Have a wonderful and exciting 'Safer Internet Day' all together, parents, teachers and students!

G-Souto

06.02.2012

Make your Safer Internet Day by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Expolangues 2012: le français à l'honneur

2012-02-02T23:51:00.001Z

http://www.expolangues.fr/

"Le premier instrument du génie d'un peuple, c'est sa langue."

Henri Beyle, dit Stendhal

"Expolangues 2012" est l'événement du moment à Paris, Porte de Versailles, depuis le 1er Février jusqu'au 4 Février.

Créé pour promouvoir l'apprentissage des langues, défendre le plurilinguisme et encourager les échanges internationaux, Expolangues est un événement unique qui réunit depuis 30 ans l'ensemble des acteurs du marché linguistique, professionnels et grand public.

Français à l'honneur

http://www.tv5.org

Cette année, la langue française est à l'honneur:

"La langue française à l’honneur, c’est d’abord mettre à l’honneur ceux qui la partagent et ceux qui la font vivre. C’est à eux que, lecteurs publics, étudiants, diplomates, enseignants, inspecteurs de l’Éducation nationale, cinéastes, chanteurs, sportifs, présentateurs de télévision, bloggeurs, linguistes, etc. À ces acteurs de terrain de faire émerger des points de vue variés, qui permettent de cerner différentes facettes de la langue française."

Téléchargez la programmation du pavillon à l'honneur

Toutes les Animations Culturelles ici

Le public est ainsi convié à participer à de nombreuses rencontres avec les acteurs qui font vivre la langue française dans le monde ou qui en favorisent l’usage en France. Enseignants, chercheurs, artistes, sportifs, traducteurs, (...) et professionnelles ont la parole pendant quatre jours pour partager leurs expériences et leurs projets.

Toutes les infos pratiques ici

Comme professeur de Français LE qui n'habite pas en France, je regarde sur Internet en vidéo live.

C'est quand même une excellente possibilité de suivre quelques débats.

Comme pédagogue, je signale:

Remise des Labels Européens des Langues organisée par l'agence Europe-Éducation-Formation France.
Le label européen des langues distingue chaque année, dans chacun des États membres de l’Union européenne, la réalisation de projets créatifs et originaux dans le domaine de l’apprentissage des langues.

Remise des labels le vendredi 3 février, de 10:00 à 15:00, salle Césaire.

À propos de langues, veuillez lire Languages matter!

Je ferai aussi attention à:

La conférence "TNI, TICE en classe de langue… mais pour quels usages ? " avec Vincent Brousse et Lucas Pruet (Alliance française Paris Île-de-France) et Émilie Magnat (Smart), le 3 février aussi, de 11:30 à 12:30.

"Les nouveaux média et le français". à 17:00 (heure Paris).

Et bien sûr, le 4 février 2012:

"Twitter en français, ça gazouille!", à 11:00 (heure Paris). Pourquoi? Si vous me suivez sur mon blog, vous savez déjà que je suis pour l'introduction des réseaux sociaux dans les cours de langues. Je l'ai pratiqué. Et vous trouverez pas mal d'indications sur des posts sur ce blog comme activités.

Plus spécifique, à lire It's about Twitter and Poetry ou Facebook au collège, pourquoi pas?

Le chat vidéo avec Bernard Cerquiglini, spécialiste de la langue française et animateur de "Merci Professeur!", à 12:00 (heure Paris).

On aura l'occasion de lui poser ou de clavarder des questions sur les subtilités de la langue française.

Vous pouvez poser|clavarder dès maintenant votre question ici

http://dica-lab.org

Learning languages trough Social Media? un live blogging de Expolangues 2012 à découvrir et à exploiter avec vos élèves.

Si vous voulez suivre de plus prêt cette communauté pan européenne, allez sur Languages Learning & Social Media.

Quelques conclusions:

J'ai suivi un peu les débats en vidéo live, ces deux premiers jours.

J'ai vu que l'UE en matière le multilinguisme, a fait un tour d’horizon des initiatives existantes comme Jeunesse en mouvement et An Agenda for New Skills and Jobs, suivi par un exposé sur Erasmus pour tous, pendant la conférence du matin 1er février.

http://www.europe-education-formation.fr/

Erasmus pour tous est un nouveau programme de l’UE pour l’éducation, la formation, la jeunesse et le sport, d’une durée de sept ans et doté d’un budget total de 19 milliards d’euros, devrait débuter en 2014.

Le programme mettra particulièrement l’accent sur les échanges pour apprendre à l’étranger, la valeur ajoutée européenne et l’impact systémique des interventions. À voir la vidéo ici

J'ai pas pu écouter (pas trouvé) la vidéo de la présentation de Jay Cross, un speaker que j'admire beaucoup.

J'ai constaté que la France est encore un peu perdue dans une pseudo hégémonie de la langue française qui n'existe plus, hélas!

"La langue de la culture, du cinéma et de la diplomatie?" - De la culture, du cinéma, oui, un peu, mais ça appartient à une minorité - celle de la culture. De la diplomatie? Sûrement pas. Surtout pas en Europe. Peut-être en Afrique?

Le Canada Québec a fait beaucoup plus! Je le félicite! Souvent on y trouvait des outils pédagogiques assez intéressants!

Peut-être la France est-elle en train de se réveiller? Un peu trop tard, à mon avis! Ça fait plus de quinze ans que les professeurs de Français LE à l'etranger sont seuls dans la sauvegarde de la langue et de la littérature française. Pas d'appui pédagogique et/ou didactique, pas de matériel.

http://www.porto.ucp.pt/projectos/kidzlearn/frances

Suivez de près le début d'un project e-learning en Français LE - pionnier dans l'enseignement élémentaire, où des professeurs de Français langue maternelle ont trouvé plein d'activités pour leurs élèves au moment où l'on ne parlait pas encore de e-learning au collège ou lycée ou de OER.*

Ce furent les professeurs français et québequois qui ont reconnu l'importance de Kidzlearn Lugares & Aprendizagens (project bilangue):

"Un grand bravo pour ce superbe travail, sympathique, motivant, esthétique,
original, surprenant et porteur d'avenir.

Nous sommes à l'aube du "e-learning" et nous avons besoin de pionniers comme toi pour permettre à nos jeunes élèves de vivre (et de développer ensuite eux-mêmes) l'interculturel et le multilinguisme, ces richesses de l'humanité, accessibles depuis peu à toutes et à tous partout où la société autorise les nouvelles technologies.

Vive ton site et ta philosophie !

Heureux élèves qui ont un tel professeur!"

Sans appui, j'ai dû l'abandonner dans sa première édition (2002).

Je vois que l'Agence pour l'enseignment du français à l'étranger (AEFE) vient d'annoncer à Expolangues 2012 le "Label FrancÉducation" une nouveauté pour promouvoir la langue française dans le monde.

C'est bon ça! Les professeurs de Français LE à l'étranger le mérite!

http://www.europe-education-formation.fr

"C'est en vain que nos Josué littéraires crient à la langue de s'arrêter ; les langues ni le soleil ne s'arrêtent plus. Le jour où elles se fixent, c'est qu'elles meurent."

Victor Hugo, Cromwell, Préface

G-Souto

02.02.2012

Expolangues 2012: le français à l'honneur by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The love for books!

2012-01-30T17:30:00.000Z

http://a4.mzstatic.com

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" (2011) won Best Show Award at Computer Animation Festival Awards Siggraph 2011.

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg present a hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and Technicolor musicals."

http://2.bp.blogspot.com

Last week, on January 24, 2012, the Academy announced the nominees for the "84th Annual Academy Awards". And The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011) is one of five animated short films that will be considered for outstanding film achievements of 2011.

Education:

"The award-winning short film is now an interactive narrative experience. William Joyce's "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore", blurs the line between picture books and animated film."

I love books! I love to read! I watched "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" and I am completely fascinated. And the end is so touching!

http://a1.mzstatic.com

What a lovely motivation to stimulate love for books and reading pleasure in native language curriculum and in foreign languages curriculum!

As educators, can we make every day a World Book Day? Yes! We can! And this short animated narrative can be a good resource for it!

I know how students love to read when their teachers love books. I can assure you. It's a transmissible pleasure! Even for those students that at the beginning are poor readers.

http://a4.mzstatic.com

It occurred to me that there is a simple pedagogical principle that explains the appeal of very early learning, homeschooling, and reading begans at home, with parents since childhood. But sometimes this is not possible. There are some parents poor readers.

So teachers are important references for students. We must valorize books and reading in the classroom, a lot! And we can do a better job if we are rich readers.

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" app can be used in the classroom as a beautiful motivation to introduce the values:

love for books
love for libraries
love for knowledge

Remembering some o posts about The importance of reading in school or Prince of Persia: an interesting narrative text (you will find several posts about the Narrative text on my blog).

Interactive children's books for the iPad are becoming more engaging and, in some cases, are visually stunning. Remembering also Alice in Wonderland for iPad or iPad features & Education.

Synopsis - Inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, “Morris Lessmore” is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor.

Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story.

http://a4.mzstatic.com

Other values:

Narrative is central to children’s and young students learning. They use it as a tool to help them organise their ideas and to explore new ideas and experiences.

The children and adolescents love play a book character, it means they end up owning a new vision about the narrative.

Composing stories, whether told or written, involves a set of skills and authorial knowledge but is also an essential means for children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively.

School library will have a symbolic place in the school. Sudents will go the the school library with more enthusiasm for finding new books and new readings.

The school librairian teacher's role implementing a good choice of books, and implmenting eReaders into the school libraries. But implementing e-reeders into school libraries program is about more than just jumping on the latest technological bandwagon or attempting to reinvent the library in order to stay relevant. It’s about good practices in school library, an impressive support for students.

Some indications:

Curriculum: Native Language; Foreign Languages; Arts, others;

Levels: Kindergarten; Primary education; Elemetary education.

Some informations:

App;

Device: iPad;

Price: $4,99€ for iPad;

Where to find: Apple's store

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Some conclusions:

The importance of reading in the school! No matter the resources we can choose on formal learning and informal learning.

Don't underestimate the power of magic of reading in the classroom with your students appealing to all these wonderful digital resources.

The chidren and young adolescents love this kind of stories, right? It's a captivating narrative text, with lots of magic, adventure and special values. Love for books, love for libraries.

This act of pleasure of reading must start in kindergarten to be continued on primary, elementary and secondary education.

One important point: schools need more time for reading aloud, choosing and sharing the pleasure of reading books and not just extracts. However, teachers can make reading exciting all through the year.

I quite agree about the stimulation and success of World Book Day. World Book Day always generates huge enthusiasm for reading in children's school.

If I have any suggestions as how can schools keep that excitement about reading going all through the school? Yes! I have! Loving to read! And loving libraries, loving book stores.

Go to the public librairies and book stores with your students. Encourage them to buy their own books. Whether they spend their pocket money on a book means every child can add a title to his 'book store'.

All research shows that owning books plays a key role in encouraging reading and we need to do all we can to make that happen.

Finally, students get better results in other school matters such as sciences, maths, history or geography, because everything goes through the reading skills.

Seeing students utilize the information literacy skills we have previously taught them in a new context and independently is probably one of the most joyful experiences as an educator.

"Books are both object and idea. Tangible in form, intangible in content, they express the mind of an author and find meaning in the imagination of readers.

Reading is this private conversation, but books are all about sharing - sharing experience, knowledge and understanding."

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

G-Souto

30.01.2012

Credits: video Moonbot Studios LA LLC

Images: iTunes | Aple

e-Books and School Library by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

References:

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore | Moonbot Studios LA LLC
http://vimeo.com/35404908

Computer Animation Festival Awards 2011

http://www.siggraph.org/s2011/for_attendees/computer-animation-festival-awards

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore | Aple

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-fantastic-flying-books/id438052647?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Eh! Oui! C'est dimanche!

2012-01-29T15:59:00.001Z

Shakira et le Ministre de la Cultura

Photo: AFP | Getty Images

http://i.dailymail.co.uk

La chanteuse colombienne Shakira a été doublement distinguée à Cannes, à l'occasion du 46ème Marché International du Disque et de la Musique Enregistrée (MIDEM) qui se tient actuellement à Cannes.

Shakira a été décorée 'Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'.

"Vous apportez la gaité et l'impression de se sentir meilleurs "

Ministre de la Culture de France

http://static3-bob.rtl.be

Quelques heures plus tard, Shakira est apparue rayonnante sur le tapis rouge du Palais des Congrès et des Festivals pour la 13e Cérémonie des NRJ Music Awards.

Shakira y a reçu un Award pour son rayonnement international des mains de Johnny Hallyday. Ovationnée après son interprétation de son nouveau single " Je l’aime à mourir", reprise de Francis Cabrel.

"C'est une renaissance. C'est miraculeux de voir une chanson comme ça dans la bouche d'une aussi jeune fille. La chanson a continué à vivre et voilà qu'elle ressuscite aujourd'hui. Elle y ajoute de la sensualité… Je ne peux que remercier Shakira de cette interprétation."

Francis Cabrel

G-Souto

29.01.2012

Eh! Oui! C'est dimanche! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Students! Your idea in space!

2012-01-25T16:17:00.000Z

Homepage Image of © YouTube Space Lab

http://www.earthtimes.org

The European Space Agency has a responsibility to educate the youth of Europe in matters concerning space exploration and it is constantly looking for new ways to engage educators and their students.

As the power of social media grows, ESA and Yotube Lab Space have decided to make the most of it: promoting scientific experimentation in space.

It is not the first time that Youtube is engaging young students in different school curriculum.

Remember Youtube Symphony Orchestra 2011? Last year, millions of video views, and 101 musicians from 33 countries who uploaded videos to YouTube of themselves auditioning for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 and saw their dreams come true.

http://www.collectspace.com

Now, YouTube Space Lab. YouTube believes that space is more exciting and accessible than ever. And it is!

YouTube Space Lab is an innovative venture that will see Google working with the ESA, Lenovo, NASA, JAXA and Space Adventures to promote scientific experimentation in space.

On this channel, you can discover space by watching the amazing videos we find from across YouTube.

Education:

Students interested in science - Biology and Physics - between 14-18 years were challenged to come up with a science experiment which will be streamed live on YouTube from the International Space Station, along with other great prizes.

Young people suggested an experiment that could be done in space, and the application needed to be made in the form of an explanatory video posted to YouTube before 7^th December 2011.

The shortlist of 60 candidates (between 5500 candidats) was published in the first week of January 2012.

Overall, the US led with 10 finalists, followed by India with nine. Rounding out the top five countries in terms of total submissions are Poland, Canada and Spain.

European countries contributed 21 finalists.

Candidates was selected by a panel of international judges including astronauts from JAXA, NASA, CSA and the ESA, Bertrand Piccard and Stephen Hawking.

http://www.redorbit.com/

The YouTube community was called until yesterday, January 24th, to help judges make their choices.

This will then be whittled down through a combination of public votes and the decisions of the panel. Two overall winners will be selected in March.

Prizes:

The winning experiment will be conducted on the International Space Station and streamed via YouTube across the world. Wow! Such an emotion!

https://images1-focus-opensocial.googleusercontent.com

As if this were not impressive enough, the project is offering additional incentives including computers, trips to Japan or Russia and the opportunity to experience a zero-gravity flight.

This is a wonderful chance to inspire interest in Science and space exploration for the young students as competitors and the audience around the world.

"The YouTube Space Lab campaign is an excellent, creative way of reaching out to future generations of scientists, on the ground and in orbit. Today, numerous fundamental and applied research experiments in life and physical sciences, Earth and space monitoring as well as technology and education are performed on our Columbus laboratory on the ISS, closely coupled to terrestrial research programmes and issues."

Thomas Reiter of the ESA

http://www.estp.edu.pt

Between the 60 candidates, two Portuguese teams were selected. Now, on the semi-final, there is one Portuguese team:

"O ex-aluno da ESTP Guilherme Aresta, atualmente a frequentar o 1º ano do Mestrado Integrado em Bioengenharia na FEUP - Universidade do Porto, juntamente com mais dois colegas de curso, foi aprovado recentemente para a fase final do YouTube Space Lab."

Segundo Guilherme Aresta, o objetivo da experiência proposta é "aumentar o rendimento da produção de biocombustíveis", isto é, utilizar a mesma levedura da cerveja para produzir esse tipo de energia.

Poderá ver a equipa portuguesa, se carregar neste link

YouTube users and the judging panel will determine six regional winners:

Two teams from each of the Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Asia-Pacific).

Finalists will travel to Washington, DC, for special events, including the opportunity to take a zero-G flight.

European finalists will also win a visit to the training facilities of ESA's European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany.

Education: some conclusions

As we could see - 5500 young candidates, is an impressive number! - students are very creative and do wonderful things, in this case, Science and IT, when they are challenged to show their creativity and critical thinking;

Educators could also get on board with the competiton. Youtube suggested lesson plans and other dedicated resources for teachers who want to incorporate YouTube Space Lab into their classroom;

The jury will be looking at how creatively students explain and communicate their idea.

The two global winners will see their experiments sent into orbit and performed on the Space Station in summer 2012 – live-streamed on YouTube from space.

Classrooms around the world will be able to watch a live stream on YouTube as the experiments are performed in space.

“If our competition can just play a small part in getting kids interested in science, then we’ll be very, very happy,” (...) “My vision is the final live stream will be the world’s largest science classroom.”

Zahaan Bharmal*

G-Souto

25.01.2012

ThStudents! Your idea in space by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

* Note: Zahaan Bharmal went on to study physics at Oxford University before joining Google and has been a vocal proponent of teaching young people about space. Now he is Google’s head of marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

References:

Youtbe Space Lab
http://yt-gadget003.appspot.com/page/en_GB/home

European finalists selected in Space Lab students competion
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMPE4NXDXG_index_0.html

Youtube Space Lab - Guilherme Aresta no espaço | ESTP

http://www.estp.edu.pt/portal/

Para o espaço e mais além

http://noticias.sapo.pt/nacional/artigo/para-o-espaco-e-mais-alem_2265.html

Youtube Space Lab | Equipa portuguesa finalista

http://www.youtube.com/spacelab/?x=c2tpcGludHJvPTEmcGFnZT1ob21lJmZyYWdtZW50PWNvbXBldGl0aW9uJmFtcDtleHBlcmltZW50cyZhbXA7dmlkZW9zJmFtcDt2aWRlb2lkPTBudlE5VjRHanhv

Wow, it's an honour just to be nominated!

2012-01-21T14:08:00.000Z

I am both honoured and humbled to have been nominated as one of the most fascinating blogs in 2011 in the Teaching Blog category!!

From the website:

The Fascination Awards are an annual collection of the web’s most inspirational and thought-provoking blogs.

To be nominated for the award, your blog must:

Inspire your audience
Encourage discussion through comment posting
Contain genuinely fascinating content

Blogs are nominated by our editorial team and are voted on by our readers.

The invitation:

"An article you wrote in 2011 titled UNESCO: 1st computer game for young people on HIV and AIDS has earned your blog a nomination for a Fascination Award: 2011's Most Fascinating Teaching blog.

Fast Car: Travelling Safely around the World - Introduction

http://portal.unesco.org

The comments posted in response to your post prove that your content not only inspires your audience, but it also creates discussion around your posts, both of which are requirements for the nomination of a Fascination award."

About the Fascinating Awards:

"It’s no secret that there’s a ton of junk and noise on the web. The goal of the "Fascination Awards" is to make it easier to find truly great content by compiling the utmost intriguing content into a single place.

We seek out blogs that are truly fascinating; blogs that excite, motivate, and inspire their audience. The Fascination Awards serves to recognize these blogs, reward them, and honor them on the Online PhD Degree website."

It really doesn't matter that much who wins in Teaching Blog category. The real spirit of the "Fascinating Awards" is about honouring those who have served during this year by writing, blogging, and otherwise freely sharing their ideas and wisdom with their community through social media. I learn always very year from these people. My own professional and personal worlds would be poorer without my weekly posting, and my daily dose of news, views and commentaries throughout the Edublogsphere, even across the Twittersphere.

One final thing - feel free to vote for me over there on the right side of my blog.

Voting starts today, January 21fst and goes to January 26th at 11:59 PM (EST).

Thank you so much to all the readers that daily read my posts. You come from all over the world.

Thank you, a lot!

G-Souto

21.01.2012

Wow! It's an honour just to be nominated! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Image courtesy Fascinating Awards
http://www.online-phd-degree.net/2011s-most-fascinating-teaching-blog-the-fascination-awards/

The Value of Solidarity between Generations

2012-01-16T16:55:00.000Z

http://ec.europa.eu

2012 is the "European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations". A chance for all of us to reflect on how Europeans are living longer and staying healthier than ever before, and to realise the opportunities that represents.

Active ageing can give the baby-boom generation and tomorrow's older adults the opportunity to:

stay in the workforce and share their experience
keep playing an active role in society
live as healthy and fulfilling lives as possible.

It is also key to maintaining solidarity between generations in societies with rapidly increasing numbers of older people.

"The challenge for politicians and stakeholders will be to improve opportunities for active ageing in general and for living independently, acting in areas as diverse as employment, health care, social services, adult learning, volunteering, housing, IT services or transport.

The European Year seeks to raise awareness of the issues and the best ways of dealing with them. But most of all it seeks to encourage all policymakers and stakeholders to set themselves goals and take action to meet them. 2012 should go beyond debating; it should start bringing tangible results."

http://europa.eu

But if you are worried about growing older, or about your place in society when you're 60, 70 or 80, please watch and listen Jane Fonda (74 years old) at TEDxWomen.

Jane Fonda has had three extraordinary careers: an Oscar-winning actor, author, producer, a prominent activist and a best-selling fitness guru.

"Within this generation, an extra 30 years have been added to our life expectancy and these years aren’t just a footnote or a pathology."

At TEDxWomen, Jane Fonda asks how we can think about this new phase of our lives. Watch the video below:

Like she said: Age has potential. So, what we can do? How to use it?

There is a lot to life after 60 - and society is coming increasingly to appreciate the contribution older people can make. That’s what active ageing is about - getting more out of life as you grow older, not less, whether at work, at home or in the community.

So, as teachers, stay in the workforce and share your expertise with others. Keep playing an active role in society by teaching in schools, or tutoring and e-tutoring for lilfelong learners (younger school teachers), even practising adult learning by volunteering.

Active ageing is also a determining factor for maintaining solidarity between generations in society. Senior citizens have much to offer younger generations – and the other way round.

In my post Olive: some values in school curriculuim I could share with you am open educational resource using a film about a little girl that gone into the lives of three people - an old lonely woman, a foreigner having a hard time acclimating in the United States,and an obese man - and transformed their lives without saying one word.

It is not so difficult helping and introducing a bit of shine into other's lives with a single gesture.

Another post, Multi-tasking? Not only for digital natives! You watched how senior citizens are multi-tasking and active as younger people.

http://www.eyv2011.eu

The "2012 European Year ofActive Ageing and the Solidarity Between Generations" will serve for disseminating good practices and important values. Solidarity, participation in society are among them.

A big number of younger citizens are being volunteering to support senior citizens, in areas as diverse as employment, health care, social services, adult learning, volunteering, IT skills.

Active ageing is not just about employment. Around one quarter of Europeans (including those over 55) say they are also engaged in voluntary work.

"Being volunteer based, volunteer led and representing millions of citizens engaged in voluntary activities every day."

All the European countries are preparing several initiatives. Please, find the initiatives in your country here

http://europa.eu/ey2012/

Do you have some ideas and suggestions for the "European Year Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations"? Please, go on the website.

I wish you a fulfilling, healthy and active year 2012!

G-Souto

16.01.2012
Copyright © 2011G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

The Value of Solidarity between Generations by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

References:

European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations
http://europa.eu/ey2012/

EU - graphic guide lines

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/empl_portal/EY2012/EY2012_logo/EY2012_Graphic_guidelines.pdf

Age Platform Europe
http://www.age-platform.eu/en

European Youth Forum | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanYouthForum

TEDx | Jane Fonda: Life 3th act

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/jane_fonda_life_s_third_act.html

Some Golden Globe Nominees: Sunday time!

2012-01-15T12:00:00.000Z

(L-R) Warner Bros, Columbia TriStar,

Fox Searchlight, The Weinstein Compan

http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/

Film and television winners the "69th Annual Golden Globe Awards" will be announced, today January 15th, in Beverly Hills, California.

Love movies! You know it. Here some of the nominees that I watched in theaters, the last weeks:

Motion pictures:

**** The Ides of March (Drama)

*** The Help (Drama)

*** My week with Marylin (Musical or Comedy)

**** Midnight in Paris (Comedy or Musical)

Foreign Language:

**** Le Gamin du Vélo (France)

** La piel que habito (España)

Animated Film:

**** The Adventures of Tintin

There are other films that I can't wait! For example The Artist or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (I read the trilogy), or The Descendents.

Read the entire list here

G-Souto

15.01.2012

Some Globe Nominees, beacause it's Sunday! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Portuguese App for Education

2012-01-11T16:40:00.000Z

screenshot | Back in Time

http://www.landka.com

Back in Time is a Portuguese App! It is a digital textbook that tells the story of the universe with a 24-hour clock, where the Big Bang starts the day and humans appear in the final seconds.

Back in Time developped by the Portuguese entreprise Landka is in The New York Times Top 10 iPad Apps Selection for 2011 ! And it is on the Top (number 1) for five days in the United States.

Travel in Time and explore the history of the Earth, of our Universe, Life and Civilization.

What were the defining moments in the history of Civilization, of Life, of the Universe itself?

Back in Time is a multimedia interactive journey through those moments.

screenshot | Back in Time

http://www.landka.com

"Back in Time é um livro interativo multimédia, que conta a história do universo desde o Big Bang ao aparecimento do homem, abrangendo diferentes áreas do conhecimento: Astronomia, Ciências Naturais, Geologia e História Antiga e Moderna. "

O utilizador conta com mais de 300 imagens temáticas, 60 animações, vídeos e mais de 200 factos históricos.

Com um preço de 5,99 euros para iPad e 3,99 euros para o iPhone, a aplicação está disponível em seis idiomas (Português, Inglês, Mandarim, Espanhol, Francês e Alemão) e uma vez instalada não precisa de Internet para funcionar. A banda sonora é do compositor Rodrigo Leão."

Nuno Barroso, Expresso

"BACK IN TIME "The coolest history textbook you’ll find on the iPad, Back in Time tells the story of the universe with a 24-hour clock, where the Big Bang starts the day and humans appear in the final seconds.

Spin the clock’s hands and you can explore historical highlights, through videos about dark matter, text-based discussions of the Cradle of Humankind or photos of Lucy, the legendary fossil, among many others. "

For a fuller, and stunning. exploration of space, download Solar System."

Bob Tedeschi, New York Times

Please watch the video below, take a step back and see the whole picture...

Education:

Curricula: History (ancient and modern), Astronomy, Sciences, Geology;

For a fuller, and stunning exploration of space, download Solar System;

Levels: Elementary and Secondary Education; Primary education (tutoring);

Languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, German and Mandarin.

Some informations:

Content: 300+ remarkable thematic images, 50+ animations and videos, 40+ illustrative timelines, 200+ little-know facts;

Devices: iPad; iPhone;

Internet: No Internet connection required;

Music: Rodrigo Leão, a renowned Portuguese composer and musician;

Price: 5,99€ for iPad; 3,99€ for iPhone;

Where to find: Apple's store

"We truly believe that learning can be a pleasant experience with this educational app."

Landka team

"Astoundingly beautiful app - and the best example of experience design for education I've seen on this platform."

Back in Time user

G-Souto

10.01.2012

References:

Back in Time

http://www.landka.com/

App portuguesa há 5 dias no top de vendas dos EUA

http://aeiou.expresso.pt/iappi-portuguesa-ha-5-dias-no-top-de-vendas-dos-eua=f698824

Sorting out an Avalanche of iPad Apps for the Best of 2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/technology/personaltech/amid-an-avalanche-of-ipad-apps-the-best-of-2011-app-smart.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=bob%20tedeschi&st=cse

Portuguese App for Education by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Éducation: outils à retenir!

2012-01-06T18:42:00.001Z

http://multimedia.fnac.com

Un livre de reportage, de témoignage, de réflexion et de contribution au débat éducatif, à travers trois éléments principaux :

la description de situations réelles rencontrées dans ce collège ;

l’éclairage et la mise en perspective de ces éléments par un journaliste spécialisé dans l’éducation ;

la parole des fondateurs et animateurs de Clisthène sur la genèse du projet, ses fondements théoriques et son apport à la problématique éducative.

Un collège expérimental à l’heure où l’Éducation nationale relance la réflexion sur le principe de ces établissements.

Voici ce qu’on appelle un témoignage « de terrain », doublé d’une réflexion qui l’est aussi. L’éducation nationale est multiple. Il y a celle qui se fait, ou que l’on imagine se faire, au ministère du même nom. Et il y a celle qui se vit au jour le jour, dans des conditions parfois banales, parfois difficilement concevables.

Synopsis

(a paraìtre le 2 Février 2012)

http://www.ddbeditions.fr

Professseur à l’Université Lyon II et désormais élu politique au Conseil régional de Rhône Alpes, Président du parlement d’écologie les Verts, Philippe Meirieu s’explique ici sur son parcours et le sens de son combat.

Combat pour une pédagogie qui n’est pas laxiste, mais attachement exigeant à la culture pour tous, souci d’intégrer à la société des jeunes souvent laissés à la dérive.

Ce livre alterne les réflexions de fond avec des approches plus biographiques. Nul doute qu’il va à nouveau susciter le débat.

À l'heure où l'éducation souffre des grands changements, et tous les débats sont ouverts, deux livres qui pourront, peut-être, aider tous les professeurs à suivre l'évolution du temps.

À ne pas perdre:

Cahiers Pédagogiques : la revue de presse du 4 janvier 2012 par Philippe Watrelot

Café Pédagogique: l'Expresso du 6 Janvier 2012

À contre-voie une vidéo avec Philippe Meirieu

"C’est peu dire qu’aujourd’hui, et de manière récurente, les thèses pédagogiques de Philippe Meirieu sont fortement contestées, en particulier par ceux qui l’accusent d’un « pédagogisme facile », de choisir un enseignement qui aurait jeté à bas la rigueur des contraintes et le sérieux des contenus. "

Au contraire, moi je le pense et je l'ai pratiqué, en tant que professeure, Philippe Meirieu a ouvert une nouvelle voie aux professeurs qui voulaient vraiment aider tous les élèves à apprendre, à grandir, et qui ont vraiment été pionniers dans la pratique de l'éducabilité de tous.

"Le principe d'éducabilité de tous: chaque enfant, chaque être humain même le plus abimé, meme le plus accidenté peut apprendre, peut apprendre à grandir."

Philippe Meirieu

Je ne peux pas obliger à apprendre, je ne peux pas obliger à grandir tous mes élèves, mais je peux faire naître leur motivation à apprendre. Et je l'ai fait!
Les résultats? Excellents!

"Il faut faire rentrer dans l'aventure des savoirs"

G-Souto

08.01.2012

Éducation: outils à retenir by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.