Back Up Your Information!

"Have you backed up your information to the cloud or your computer?" questioned the AT&T customer service representative.  This after my iPhone was dropped in the Charles River last week.  (Read about it here: It's All Fun & Games Until Somebody Loses an iPhone).  

Numerous times I've heard this same question being asked by my technology support specialist.  Being a self-professed techie herein lies my biggest weakness - I just haven't paid much attention to "Backing up my information.   Why?  I'm sure it has something to do with the  "It will never happen to me!" mentality.

Well, I'll say it loud and clear to anyone who wants to learn from my mistake: BACK UP YOUR INFORMATION - pictures, contacts, calendars, documents, etc.  Anything you have on your computer, iPhone or tablet - if it's important to you - BACK IT UP!!!  Don't learn the hard way like I did.  When I dropped my phone in the river - there went all my family photos, my contacts (I can't even remember my own kids' numbers) and my calendar. Everything!!

Upon receiving a new phone - I immediately signed up to be in the "cloud" so that my data will hopefully, be safe in the event I need it.  I'm considering backing up my information manually as well (as I often wonder about Cloud security).

Resources:


What is Back Up? 

iOS:  How to Back Up & Restore

Android:  How to Back Up Your Android Smartphone to Your PC

Computer:  5 Ways to Back Up Your Computer


When was the last time you backed up your important information?? Or do you have a similar - "No Back Up" story like me?   (Hoping you don't!)

Digital Netiquette - Not Just for Kids

Just finished reading this post by my sister who is in Real Estate: What Does Your Email Name Say About You?    In the post she receives an email from someone called, "SueMe".  While this may be cute to some, it says a boat load to others (especially in the business world).  Chip Camden states "Your professional email is like a handshake to clients".  What is "SueMe" really saying? As a professional,  I would be wary of this person's business.

This made me think about how this applies in Education as well.  How do we approach Digital "Netiquette" with our students and colleagues?

Many of my students have their own email accounts.  (Yes, even at the 4th grade level!).  I remember when my two teens first started emailing.  Back in the day we were choosing names that would NOT identify them as we were all afraid of the big, bad internet.  Their names were definitely "cute" and "kidsy" (read to the bottom to find out what they were!).   As my children got older, they kept those emails but created more professional ones for business and college (at the behest of their mother). 

Even when presenting professional development courses, I try to advise folks to choose Twitter handles that are professional and not just clever. (Sometimes to no avail).  As adults, we are THE role models for our students.  However,  many adults are new to social media, while some still afraid of the information put out in such venues.  These folks don't know it, but they are already thinking about being a 'good' digital citizen. Share the resources below with those first starting out - a little knowledge in this are may make them more comfortable.

A lot of our information is already in the internet world.  Let's be mindful of the information we are adding to that data by making good choices. Good choices when it comes to name selection as well as content.

*Added after original post:  Oops - just noticed my own faux pas as I was sending an email to the local bank:  My signature at the end of my email contains links for THIS blog, my Kayaker's blog & my Recipe Blog - how IS that for UNPROFESSIONAL....up there with SueME!!!!   Time to take my own advice

Some resources for newbies, kids and adults alike:

Digital Netiquette:  Prezi by @mrsdkrebs  Outlines the Do's and Don'ts

Digital Citizenship Wiki - Great information ranging from communication to access.

Digital Citizenship:Using Technology Appropriately:  Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship

Internet Safety Project: How to Create a Safe Username 

7 Terrible Secrets Revealed by Your Email Address (& How You Can Fix Them)

Digital Citizenship Resources Compiled: by Cybraryman


As promised - usernames for my kiddos (didn't say I'd make it easy):
  child 1:  a tailed amphibian with soft, moist skin (starts with an "S")
  child 2:  another name for a teeter totter


What is the silliest email/username you've come across?... at AnswerGarden.ch.






 

End of the Year Activity - Roller Coaster Unit

Desperado, Nitro & Goliath are just a few of the roller coasters students learned about on the last 2 1/2 days of school.   This thematic unit (designed by a teacher, Lovin' Lit,  from Louisiana as a 7 hour plan for subs) included activities that related to all areas of the curriculum from reading non-fiction articles, recording and analyzing statistics, using map skills, to comparing and contrasting kinetic & potential energy.

Videos and pictures of roller coasters were used to engage students.  Sharing their war stories about being on a roller coaster helped them make connections.  Then following directions students slowly created a lap book using the information about the roller coasters.   They made bar graphs, learned about energy through this song.  The final activity was to build their own roller coaster using simple materials.  The designs were unique and many worked.  I believe if we had more time - ALL of them would have completed the challenge.



 As the temperatures remained high during the day, so did the level of engagement.  At the end of the activity, students were encouraged to visit our eBoard site to design their own roller coasters via these internet program:

Build A Coaster - by Discovery Kids

Design  Your Own Roller Coaster  - by Annenberg Learner (Part of the Amusement Park Physics)

Roller Coaster Games - by Roller Coaster Games Online (ads on this site)

It was a great way to end the school year. 

 

Writing to Our Veterans

Each year my students have written a "Thank You" note to a veteran in honor of Veteran's Day.  Before writing I prepare a lesson to discuss the meaning of 'veteran' and 'service'.  (I use this interactive poster below to help the students build an understanding. Scroll your mouse over it -click if there is a red circle to go to a website or play the music & video. ) The letters thank these brave individuals for their service, sacrifice, bravery and courage. Very often my students get a response from their veteran.  Many of those who write back will explain about their time in the armed forces and the places they have been.  Many have stated how this is the "first thank you" they have received.  In this process the students end up learning more than just history and geography.


 

This year we have extended our writing by sending notes several times throughout the year to a local VA Hospital.  A local member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has been gracious enough to come in and speak with our fourth graders about how meaningful and important it is to recognize and thank our vets.  Mr. Frank tells the students how 'thrilled' the veterans are when they receive these cards and letters as many don't have family and therefore, don't receive mail.  He says that these notes are a highlight.

1st Infantry Division

I really didn't believe Mr. Frank until the other day when one of my students received a letter in the mail from one of the veterans in the hospital.  He mentioned in the note that he had undergone open heart surgery and was feeling particularly down.  He went on to say how the note my student sent "made his life!"  It gave him the strength to get better.  Also included in the note was a patch from the 1st Infantry Division which the gentleman had had since 1967!




We had to take our Thank You's even one step further.   I learned about this organization called, Honor Flight Network.  This non-profit organization flies World War II vets and terminally ill veterans to our nation's capital to see the memorials.  (My dad flew with them from Michigan to Washington, DC and had a most memorable trip!)  Recently, I learned there was an Honor Flight New England so I asked all the fourth grade students if they would be willing to write ONE more Thank You.  This time we researched the National World War II Memorial so we could weave in a fact or two with our thank you's.

The power of these notes is undeniable.  And not just for the veterans.  It truly gives my 10 year old students a chance to recognize the efforts of others while learning about our country's heroes.  Students are interested in what these folks did during their time in the service.  They really take such pride in their work because they know it is important work! It would please you to read these heartfelt letters of thanks and know that today's generation really does care!



More Resources:

Operation Gratitude:  Writing Letters & Sending Care Packages to Veterans

A Million Thanks - Year round campaign to show appreciation to Veterans, past, present & future.

Helping Kids Cope with Terrorism

View of Boston Skyline from Cambridge

Upon returning from a peaceful kayaking trip along the Charles River yesterday, I learned the news of the Boston Marathon bombings.  Of course I was glued to the coverage, which at the time, was a recounting of events:  "There were two explosions which resulted in horrific injuries." "Two dead, twenty injured" "People being treated in the Marathon Medical Tent." The television stayed on for hours and I fired up Twitter, as I tried to make sense of what happened. 

Being on Spring break my mind did not immediately go to that of my students...until this morning.  Several of the victims of this tragedy were children with an 8 year old boy losing his life! NOW, I'm thinking of my kiddos!  How do you explain this to them?  This is not a natural event that they can easily be 'reassured'.  This is something that robs children of their sense of security.

I watched this video taken by a news reporter's wife who was in the Grand Stand at the finish line.  What struck home for me was listening to the frightened cries of the children in the background; of the adults in the confusion hollering to 'stay together'.  Tears rolling down my cheeks, I think of my 10 year old students who might possibly have been in the crowd watching the 117th Boston Marathon and being a part of this terrifying experience.

View from Lennox Hotel (circa 2009 License: cc-by-sa/3.0)

What solace could I have given my fourth graders had we been in school today?  What can be said or done to reassure children of their safety? 

KidsHealth.org offers the following advice for children regarding Terrorism:

• Take a break from the TV (Adults - this might mean limiting your exposure until the kids are asleep)
• Talk about your feelings - (Adults - asking if kids have any questions or concerns may help the process - reassuring their feelings are normal helps the kids make sense)
• Help out & be with others - (Adults - involving students in making cards for others in the hospital or helping out neighbors, takes their mind of the tragedy while doing something good which may make them feel better.)

NYU Child Study Center: Advice from Robin F. Goodman, PhD. Talking to Kids About Terrorists offers information to parents: 

• Don't dismiss your child's fears. Find positive ways to reassure
• Take things one step at a time especially if you know someone involved in the tragedy.
• Avoid making generalizations. Find out what your child knows or wants to know.
• Fears don't go away after one discussion - it might be on going. 

United States Department of Veteran Affairs offers this information: Terrorist Attacks & Children: Information for Caregivers:

• Create a safe environment. Stick to routines
• Be honest about what happened. Provide true information.
• Tell the child what the police; government agencies & others are doing to help.
• Put the event in perspective to reassure that it is a rare occurrence. 

Parents:  Are you ready for the unexpected?  Do you have a plan in the event you and your family are caught in such a tragedy as this or in a natural disaster?  Take a look at this site from FEMA to learn facts; make a plan and build a kit to be prepared.  

Other Resources:
National Association of School Psychologist: A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope

PBS Parents: Talking with Children About News

Common Sense Media: Explaining the News to Our Kids (arranged by age)

If you have other ideas to share that wold be helpful, please leave them in the comment section.  

My thoughts and prayers go out to those injured and affected by this tragedy.  A heartfelt thanks to those first responders; police, emt/paramedics, firefighters and BAA personnel who quickly sprung into action.