Nick has no arms and no legs but makes up for it with his “no worries”, “can do” attitude. This video inspires self love, acceptance of who you are – just as you are and dares you to be the best you can be. Watch it. I defy you to get through it, without a tear in the eye and a smile on your face.

Click on the photo below to enlarge.

I hear squeals of delight as children wobble about when the tram takes off, the clicketty clack of train tracks and lions roaring at feed time
I see children proudly mastering ice skating, 3D images of the ghostly remains of the Titanic and the red laser dot shutting me down (again!)at Laser Skirmish
I smell diesel fumes out the back of the ferry, someone’s smelly shoes in room 106 and popcorn in the Foyer of IMAX
I taste 3 different pizzas at Universal Pizza, fresh chicken and lettuce sandwiches and a crisp, crunchy apple
I feel exhausted from all our walking, relieved that the camp went off so well and delighted to hear the excited chatter of children as they relay their adventures to their parents.

What I love about this letter is the “voice” of the student as a person. Are you a teacher who listens? Are you a teacher who takes time to get to know your students? Are you a teacher who knows that talking “at” students all the time is ineffective? Are you an effective teacher? Will students remember you, years from now, as one that had a positive, inspirational impact on their lives? Read this letter below which I found on a twitter link this morning. It is from the blog called “What Ed Said”
Read this letter and then add your comments to this post.

By whatedsaid http://bit.ly/bIXxzX
A Teacher, a Learner, an Inquirer… and now a Blogger.
Edna Sackson, Melbourne, Australia

The blue and gold macaw is a highly intelligent bird, native to South America. These birds are said to be as intelligent as 4 year old children, and once you have bonded with these birds, you find this to be true. These birds as babies, tend to be playful, cheeky and fond of a cuddle. They make beautiful pets and are excellent talkers. The blue and golds love shelled nuts, sugar peas, corn, apples, oranges, passionfruit and most other fruit and vegetables.

I found this cute little thought provoking clip on Langwitches Blog On her blog, she lists a number of questions which weigh up the differences between a “real” book and a digital book. The writer of Langwitches blog, has also considered the differences on 2 other posts: So, what are books? and Commuting between Media.

Have you thought about the differences? Have you tried reading a digital book? Do you own a kindle? Are you an avid “real” book reader?

I haven’t read a digital book yet. I have listened to audio books but unless I am travelling while I listen, I tend to lose focus. My next challenge is to organise to read a digital book this week! I’ll bring you my thoughts after that.

A written conversation is a note writing tool for engaging and discussing ideas.Students can all “talk” at once and it’s still quiet in the room. Unlike out loud discussions that vanish into thin air – letters leave artefacts that can be used or assessed later.Live – here and now conversations are when students pass notes in class
The take away version is when the reader has to wait and retrieve the note from a mailbox or email etc to read it. The teacher may like to join in the conversation as well. Students might typically have a regular dialogue journal buddy and write to each other once a week.The text is the key to success of the activity. You need something short, complex and central to the subject field.

An example of a written conversation

My jaw dropped when I saw the steep climb we had in front of us. Hundreds of steps up the side of an Island they call Mutton Bird. Behind us bobbed the fishing boats, the restaurants and the busy throng of tourists, who were all enjoying the perfect winter’s day in the gorgeous Coffs Harbour. Above us, lay a magnificent view of the bay, the airport and the magnificent coastline. The view from the top was breathtaking and well worth the climb.

I did an INTEL Teach to the Future course, some years ago now and the thing that most stuck in my memory was the saying that teachers need to be less sage on the stage and more guide on the side. The further down the track I go with web 2.0, the more this rings true for me as a teacher. I find myself often handing over the reins to the students, to explain a new piece of software, or to show us how they used it to create something. I am no longer the “keeper” of the knowledge but it took courage and some excellent professional development, to get me to this point. I am constantly amazed at how quickly students assume leadership roles when given opportunity and an authentic reason or purpose.