July roundown of the most-read posts

Viana do Castelo | Portugal

http://www.travel-in-portugal.com/

Summer holiday! Oh! almost there. I am dreaming for some days in the beautiful Portuguese city - Viana do Castelo - surrounded by awesome beaches and green landscapes.

This is the five posts in my Summer Learning School Series of July. These are some posts with resources, tips and tools for you to try something  new or something you can take to your classroom in the Fall.

I added nine posts, different subjects and disciplines in July - but here's my list of the 6 most-read of the month - presented in most reading order - together with a quote or two.

My frequent readers know that I write in English, Français and Português.

And the most-read post of July is Larousse et Petit Robert 2014: les nouveaux mots en Français:

photo: Michèle Daniau | AFP

http://www.lefigaro.fr/

"Le dictionnaire doit refléter les nouvelles habitudes de consommation" 

Alain Rey

Chaque année, les meilleurs experts de la langue de Molière ou de Shakespeare recalent des centaines de mots à l’entrée de dictionnaires aussi importants que Le Petit Robert, Oxford Dictionary ou Larousse. 

Larousse et Robert sont les deux institutions françaises les plus renommées.  

Certains nouveaux mots sonnent particulièrement bien à nos oreilles, et on est heureux de les voir reconnus par le dictionnaire, d'autres sont moins agréables à lire ou à entendre. 

Voulez voir quelques exemples de nouvelles entrées? À voir les liens ici ou ici.

http://1jour1actu.com/

Éducation:

Nous le savons tous que un dictionnaire este le plus important utile pour tous, enseignants, étudiants, parents. 

Nos étudiants vont aimer ça! "Googliser", le mot qu'ils ont créé ou "Textoter"!  Le Larousse a décidé de l'adopter, avec une définition simple: "recherche des informations sur Internet en utilisant le moteur de recherche Google.";  "Textoter": la passion des ados : le fait de «communiquer par texto».

"Nelson Mandela’s achievements came at great personal cost to himself and his family. His sacrifice not only served the people of his own nation, South Africa, but made the world a better place for all people, everywhere… He showed the way. He changed the world."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

18 July is Mandela International Day. Every year, on Mandela Day, people around the world are asked by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to do just that.

The United Nations on this today marks Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrating the South African leader’s 95th birthday and honoring his dedication to public service, social justice and reconciliation, inspiring millions around the world.

Education:

Students are already on holiday. But "Mandela Day" is every day. So, when you start the next school year in Agust or September, you can ask your students to take action and inspire change celebrating a "Mandela Day in school". 

Ask your students to make small gestures of solidarity with humanity by spending 67 minutes in a day and introduce the Civics activities in the curriculum.

"We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference"

Nelson Mandela

https://pbs.twimg.com/

If you are teaching Humanities, European European Languages, here an interesting digital resource about European Languages.

Your students will learn the 'word" in different European Languages, dialects and minority languages, visualizing it on a digital map. 

The link is 'The word for "word" in European Languages' here

Curriculum: Languages; Geography.

Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Elementary Education.

Objectives: Intercultural values. 

It is a simple resource, but students will love to learn the same "word" in different languages and correct geographic context . Don't forget to tell them that dialects and minority languages are written in italics.

At the same time, they can learn a bit of Geography about Europe and countries' frontiers.

They will understand that culture is not so different from a country to another.

University of Minho | Portugal

http://www.nonio.uminho.pt/

VIII International Conference on ICT in education has taken place the 15-16th July, 2013 at Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal.

Learning anytime anywhere is an essential characteristic of any modern society. So it was assumed as the core theme of the VIII International Conference on ICT in education – Challenges 2013, continuing the main goals of prior “Challenges” editions of promotion, reflection and dissemination of practices of innovation and leaning with ICT. 

University of Minho | Portugal

http://www.nonio.uminho.pt/

In May 2007, I participated with a scientific paper at the V International Conference on ICT in education – Challenges 2007. 

My participation was included on the topic The Digital and the Curriculum: Online Learning Objects.

The aim of the my scientific paper was presenting a research and pedagogical experience on ICT & Curriculum in Secondary Education. Lugares & Aprendizagens : Roteiro de Travessias em e-Learning has been very apreciated for the participants in the room.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/

"If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much."

Marian Wright Edelman

Violence against children: UNICEF campaign is the last post of July but not the last post most-read.

All children have the right to live free from violence. Violence which harms their physical and mental growth. Violence which holds back every society.

But violence against children is entirely preventable when people come together and say that it is not acceptable. When they make "the invisible visible".

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Liam Neeson raises his voice in support of a new UNICEF initiative to prevent violence against children.

Education:

During summer season, school holiday, after-school clubs and community centres have an important role for children and young people offering cultural summer activities. They keep young people occupied.

So, here a great opportunity to propose to children and young people. The UNICEF campaign#ENDviolence against children. 

Educate: Teachers:

This is a subject that teachers must not avoid! There are always a student in our classroom who suffers from any kind of violence.

Since the International Day of NonViolence will be celebratede the 2 October 2013, schools can propose some activities. Read the post please.

Rosalind Franklin

www.google.com

July 25, Google doodle celebrated the life and work of British biophysicist and x-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin, whose research led to the discovery of the structure of DNA.

Google Doodle marked what would have been Franklin's 93rd birthday, and the photograph that should have earned her a far more famous place in the History books.

The second "o" in the doodle contains her image, while the "l" has been replaced with the DNA double helix.

Rosalind Franklin

http://forgirlsinscience.org/

Education:

I am a big fan of Google doodle! You know it! It is not the first time I wrote about Google doodles. I believe that doodles can be interesting digital resources for educators.

Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that we can introduce in our lessons when we are preparing and choose some resources to introduce in teaching about famous writers, poets, scientists, pioneers.

This doodle is a wonderful digital resource to promote Science and Physics studies for girls in schools and universities. Rosalind Franklin is another good example that educators could share with young girls students.

Rosalind Franklin as Marie Curie demonstrate well that for women who embark on scientific careers, stunning success is possible.

Well, we all deserve some vacation after a good school year. And summer time is the most most enjoyable time of the year. Beach, walks, cycling, concerts on open space.


“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

Henry James

G-Souto

01.08.2013
Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®


July rowndown of the most-read posts by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Civics Education: Mandela International Day

"Nelson Mandela’s achievements came at great personal cost to himself and his family. His sacrifice not only served the people of his own nation, South Africa, but made the world a better place for all people, everywhere… He showed the way. He changed the world."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Today is Mandela International Day. Every year, on Mandela Day, people around the world are asked by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to devote 67 minutes of time to helping others, as a way to mark Nelson Mandela International Day.

18 July 2013 – The United Nations today marks Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrating the South African leader’s 95th birthday and honoring his dedication to public service, social justice and reconciliation, inspiring millions around the world.

In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 18 July "Nelson Mandela International Day" in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom.

The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good. Ultimately it seeks to empower communities everywhere. “Take Action; Inspire Change; Make Every Day a Mandela Day.”

By devoting 67 minutes of their time – one minute for every year of Mr. Mandela’s public service – people can make a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global movement for good.

UN staff around the world have made a difference through a variety of activities in the past – from offering school supplies to children, to preparing meals for the elderly, helping out in an orphanage, cleaning up parks, and delivering computer literacy workshops.

http://www.mandeladay.com/

Education:

“The heart of Nelson Mandela International Day is good works for people and the planet. Its theme…is meant to mobilize the human family to do more to build a peaceful, sustainable and equitable world,” (...) . “This is the best tribute we can pay to an extraordinary man who embodies the highest values of humanity.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Students are enjoying summer holidays. But "Mandela Day" is every day. So, when they return in August/ September, teachers can invite the students to take action and inspire change by celebrating a "Mandela Day at school". 

Ask your students to make small gestures of solidarity with humanity by spending 67 minutes in a week. Introduce Civics activities in a cross-curricular plan.

http://whitesci.co.za/

Some activities:

• Make a new friend. Get to know someone in the school from a different cultural background and through mutual understanding rid intolerance and xenofobia.

• Read to someone who can't. Visit a local home for old people or for blind people and open up a new world for someone else.

• Help someone at the supermarket, on the street or someone who is a bit lost in the city or can't find the right bus, for example.

• Visit an hospital and speak to ill people or ill children. Take a little time to have a chat and bring some sunshine into their lives.

• Grab blankets that you no longer need from home and give them to homeless people.

• Help out at a local animal shelter. Dogs and cats without homes still need a walk or a bit of love.

• Make a Peace concert at school by writing some lyrics about peace, social inclusion and adjusting to a tune that students love. Invite the local community to listen it.

• Deliver computer literacy workshops to older people in school (grandparents, neighbours,  community).

Literacy is probably the most important skill for an individual to acquire and develop. An empowerment tool that gives access to further education and new opportunities. 
ICT skills complete the education of all in our days. 

However, humanity is the most important value.

Google doodle 2014

doodler : Kate Wu

https://lh4.ggpht.com/

In July 18, 2014, Google is celebrating the anniversary of #Mandela’s birth with an interactive Doodle. Starting with an illustration of the former leader, visitors can click through a number of his most well-known quotes, coupled with illustrations depicting stages of his 'Long Walk to Freedom'.

We could not miss it ! Please think on this subject to make the difference at your school.

"We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference"

Nelson Mandela

G-Souto

16.07.2013

Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Update : Google doodle, 18 July 2014

18.07.2014

Civics Education: Mandela International Day by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.