The Christmas Tale

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The 5 Best Toys of All Time

Love this article by Jonathan Liu (find it
here)

1. Stick
2. Box
3. String
4. Cardboard Tube
5. Dirt

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Lovely Advert from Carlsberg

I think I might try to use this clip in a service sometime...
 

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What I have learnt...

Written by Andy Rooney , a man who has the gift of saying so much with
so few words.

I’ve learned… That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of
an elderly person.

I’ve learned… That when you’re in love, it shows.

I’ve learned… That just one person saying to me, ‘You’ve made my day!’
makes my day.

I’ve learned… That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of
the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I’ve learned… That being kind is more important than being right.

I’ve learned… That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I’ve learned… That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the
strength to help him in some other way.

I’ve learned… That no matter how serious your life requires you to be,
everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I’ve learned… That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and
a heart to understand.

I’ve learned… That simple walks with my father around the block on
summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I’ve learned… That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it
gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I’ve learned… . That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything
we ask for.

I’ve learned… That money doesn’t buy class.

I’ve learned… That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so
spectacular.

I’ve learned… That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to
be appreciated and loved.

I’ve learned… That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I’ve learned… That when you plan to get even with someone, you are
only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I’ve learned… That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I’ve learned… That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to
surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I’ve learned… That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I’ve learned… That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I’ve learned… That life is tough, but I’m tougher.

I’ve learned… That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the
ones you miss.

I’ve learned… That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I’ve learned… That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one
more time before she passed away.

I’ve learned… That one should keep his words both soft and tender,
because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I’ve learned… That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I’ve learned… That when your newly born grandchild holds your little
finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for life.

I’ve learned… That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but
all the happiness, and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.

I’ve learned …. That the less time I have to work with, the more
things I get done.

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I never wanted

"I never wanted to be famous
I succeeded

I never wanted to be rich
I succeeded to degree level

I never wanted to be this age
It sort of came with experience

I never wanted to be good looking
Achieved at birth

I never wanted to be educated
I achieved in every school

I never wanted to believe in God
I tripped and stumbled into him

I never wanted to be a writer
I just started to reflect on life

I never wanted to be imaginative
It just happens as I strive to love

I never wanted to be comfortable
I had it once, before the faith began

I never wanted to be restless
I now choose it and yearn for it

I never wanted to be irritated
but now I refresh that irritation

I never wanted to be thirsty
then I discovered it in ever sense

I never wanted to be sexy
Thank you very much God

I never wanted to have a sense of humour
Then I discovered more than five senses

I never wanted to be vulnerable
I discovered it was a strength not a weakness

I never wanted to marry a rich woman
I think she is rich beyond compare

I never wanted to be beautiful
It took me 40 years to know
I was a beautiful human person

I never wanted to be in a band
I now have a great band of friends

I never wanted to be imperfect
I now know it is in synergy with beautiful

I never wanted to be on a road less travelled
I discovered it goes along with human development

I never wanted to be a great lover
I found it as a life mission

I never wanted to be disabled
I learned that I have abilities and disabilities

I never wanted an idol, mentor, guru, then
I met someone who said follow me
And that was all I ever wanted...................."

© Pip Wilson

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On this day...

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Be the Church

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7 compelling arguments for peer learning

via Donald Clark Plan B

 

Learning lurches between extremes: the formal v informal,didactic v discover , self-paced v social, teaching v learning. But is there a bridgebetween these extremes, something that cleverly combines teaching and learning?Over the years, starting with Judith Harris’s brilliant (and shocking) work onpeer pressure, then Eric Mazur’s work at Harvard but also through severalpresentations at a recent JISC E-assessment conference, I’ve been smitten bypeer learning. The idea is to encourage learners to learn from each other. Compellingarguments?

 

1. Powerfultheoretical underpinning

 

The bible for ‘peer’ pressure, and why parents and teachersshould know about this stuff, is Judith Harris’s wonderful The Nurture Assumption, the work for which she received the GeorgeMiller Medal in psychology. StephenPinker sang her praises in The BlankSlate, and claimed that she had turned the psychology of learning on itshead. I think he’s right. In a deep look at the data she found somethingtotally surprising, that far from parents and other adults, like teachers, influencingthe minds of young people, she found that 50% was genetic, just a few per centparents and a whopping 47% peer group. The initial evidence came fromlinguistics, where children unerringly pick up the accents of their peer group,not their parents (I know this from experience).

 

2. Massively scalable

 

Given the massification of education, here’s an interestingargument. Peer learning may actually be better with large classes, as you havemore scope in terms of selected peer groups. As many struggle with thechallenge of large classes, here’s a technique that amplifies both teaching andlearning. Peer reviewing and learning works because it is scalable, especiallywhen good web-based tools are used.

 

3. Learning byteaching is probably the most powerful way to learn

 

Unsurprisingly, to teach is to learn, as peer learninginvolves high-order, deep-processing activity. In fact, the teacher mayactually gain more than the learner. In any case, the peer’s voice is oftenclearer and better than teacher’s voice as they are closer to the mindset ofthe learner and can often see what problems they have, as well as solutions tothose problems.

 

4. Encouragescritical thinking

 

You can easily see how peer learning produces diversity ofjudgement. It is this enlargement of perspectives that is the starting pointfor critical thinking and complex reasoning, the very skills that Arum foundlacking in his recent research in the US.. It also increases self-evaluation.

 

5. Group bonding aside effect

 

In addition to enhanced social and communication skills,peer groups bond. In one nursing case study at the University of Glasgow, thestudents started off a bit sceptical but soon demanded and volunteeredparticipation.

 

6. Dramatic drops indrop-out rates

 

In all the case studies I saw, higher attendance and lowerdrop-out rates were claimed. This is not surprising, as continuing failure anddisillusionment are often the result of isolation and a feeling of helplessnessin learners, especially in large classes and courses.

 

7. Higher attainment

 

Mazur has recorded some startling improvements, not only inthe core understanding of physics, but in general measured attainment throughsummative assessment. The peer learning was, in effect, the result of cleverformative assessment. In a nursing course, they experienced better note takingand higher attainment and in a psychology course with 550 students, reciprocalpeer critiques also led to higher attainment.

 

Problems?

 

Do students muck about? Apparently not, in the case studiesI’ve seen the groups self-moderate. Indeed, the peer pressure preventsdisruptive and non-participatory behaviour. It becomes cool to participate.

 

How do you know they’re not feeding each other false things?There’s certainly the danger of the blind leading the blind, but overall, thecase studies show that real growth occurs. There’s real peer pressure in termsof not being exposed and not bullshitting the others. The approaches and toolshelp overcome this danger through the clever selection of mixed-ability, peergroups.

 

Of course there’s a difference between peer marking and peerreview. Some advise against peer marking as it can be seen as a step too far,peer review, with constructive comments, however, seems to be more powerful.

 

Peer tools

 

You don’t actually need any tools to get started. As Mazurhas shown, simple coloured cards that allow students to respond to theteacher’s diagnostic questions can be enough to spark peer group learning. He actuallyuses clickers, with histograms appearing on the screen, but mobile phones areincreasingly being used for this function. However, for more technology-driven peerlearning, Aropa, Peerwise or Peermark can be used.

 

Aropais an open source tool from the University of Glasgowthat allows teachers to set assignments then set up peer reviews betweenstudents. You review other students’ work, then receive reviews on your ownwork.

 

 

Peerwiseis a free tool from NZ that flips assessment andallows students to create questions, share and see answers, a sort ofpeer-based, formative assessment generator. I like this angle as building goodquestions really does make you think in depth about the subject. It’s used byhundreds of institutions.

 

 

Peermark allows instructors to write assignments, fromturnitin, the plagiarism folks. You set dates, can see how many assignmentshave been submitted, set how many students you want to review each assignmentand whether you or the students choose what to review, pair up students, addreview questions, reorder them. There's a nice video demo here..

 

 

Conclusion

 

I’m really convinced that this moves us on. We have tobounce teachers and learners out of that mindset that sees teaching as one tomany and adopt the wisdom of the network. Pamela Katona at the University ofUtrecht showed that students are less than satisfied with the teaching andfeedback they receive. So many learners wait too long for feedback, receivecursory feedback, don’t have access to the marking scheme and often don’t seethe final marked paper.

 

Arum, in AcademicallyAdrift, has presented good research to show that critical thinking, complexreasoning and communications skills are all too lacking in our universities. Sohere’s a technique that moves us on, combing the best of teaching with the bestof learning. All it takes is just that first step towards student interactivityand participation. And, to repeat, it’s SCALABLE, indeed, the more the merrier.

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do it anyway!

from The Shiny Headed Prophet by Rob

  

People are often unreasonable and self centred.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of alterier motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

 

 

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.

 

Mother Teresa, 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

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Here's to the crazy ones

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Extravagant God

from Simon

Extravagant God

Excessive
Generous
lavish God …
why do you waste so much time on us?
You create rainbows that no one sees;
shower down intricate separate unique
stunning autumn leaves by the billions
and one at a time
that we greet not with applause
but with complaints of inconvenience.

You place whales beneath fathoms of ocean
singing their plaintive haunting songs
too deep for our ears to hear.

You create fantastic jungles within a square foot of grass
a universe in an atom
breathtaking places that have never been seen or appreciated
by a single human being.

Why are we so bored and dull?
Why do we appreciate water most in the desert
health only during sickness
our friend when he leaves
our love when she dies?

Should we pray for less
for you to ration Your grace
to waste no rainbow?
Forgive us.
You don’t paint rainbows just for us to see
nor make birdsong just for us to hear.

Rebuke our terrible pride
and chastise our deism
that imagines You created only once
long ago
and can’t perceive Genesis now
or Eden here
or what a new day means.

Help us to do two impossible things:
to take it ALL in
(every miraculous atom of it)
and to waste our time on a rose
a place
a time
a person.
Perhaps one will bring us all
full time to eternity
one blackbird to You.

Prodigal God, may we find
a millionth of the joy that clearly is yours

Amen

This entry was posted on Friday, September 9th, 2011 at 9:08 am and is filed under Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

via backyardmissionary.com

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How we live and buy?

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Automatic assessment using Flubaroo & Google Forms

taken from undertenminutes

Short screencast to demonstrate how you can use Flubaroo (a script in Google Forms) to automatically assess and grade a class set of tests.

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What makes you a good teacher?

taken from Blazer

"I turn up every day, 

I teach my lessons,

the kids learn, 

no-one dies, 

that makes me a good teacher!"

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11 things that Young People don’t learn in school, but need to know about life.

taken from Mark Steed who adapted from the American for an English Audience:

1. Life is not fair - get used to it!
2. The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
3. You will NOT earn £60,000 a year right out of University. You won't be a vice-president with a company car and a mobile phone until you earn both.
4. If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss
5. Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: They called it opportunity.
6. If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
7. Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest and set about cleaning up the planet from the mess your parent's generation have made, try tidying up your own bedroom first.
8. Some schools may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. The examination system may allow you retake exam modules as many times as you want to ensure you get the top grade. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
9. Life is not divided into terms. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
10. Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.
11. Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

[Extract from Speech to Berkhamsted School Upper Sixth Leavers - Vale 05/07/11]

These 11 things have circulated on the Web purporting to be a speech that Bill Gates gave to High School Leavers - this is an urban myth. The rules are an abridged version of an original piece that was penned by author Charles J. Sykes' 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School

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9 Tips for Emailing Important People

by James Clear

 

As web professionals, we spend a significant amount of time communicating through email. In many cases, getting a fast response to our emails can mean the difference between enjoying our job and stressing about deadlines.

 

Here are 9 top-notch tips for writing emails that make it as easy as possible for the recipient to send you a response.

 

 

 

1. Write Shorter Emails

 

Shorter emails increase your response rate for one reason: it is easy to write a short reply to a short email.

 

While many people you email want to send a short answer, they often feel that a quick, one sentence response will come across as terse and unfriendly. The result is that they simply put the email off until they have more time to write a longer response — which is usually never.

 

Short emails remove this fear because it is appropriate to reply immediately with a brief response.

 

2. Reduce the Opportunity for Procrastination

 

When long or unclear emails enter someone’s inbox they get placed in the to-do pile because they take time to figure out and respond to. Sadly, the to-do pile usually ends up being the never-do pile.

 

However, when a short, one question email comes in, it gets a response much faster.

 

Make it hard for the reader to procrastinate sending you a reply.

 

3. Promotion vs. Prevention

 

In her book Succeed, Heidi Grant Halvorson discusses how some people respond to promotion (touting the benefits of taking a certain action) while others respond to prevention (highlighting what there is to lose from not taking a certain action).

 

If you aren’t getting a response, then you may find success from reversing the way you phrase your request.

 

For example, let’s say your job is to find new businesses that can partner with your company. You might not get a response if your boss is the type of person that responds to prevention statements, but you send an email saying, "This is a great opportunity. I think we should partner with company X because of A, B, and C."

 

However, you might find immediate success if you flip the statement towards a prevention tone such as, "This is a great opportunity. We have a lot to lose here if we don’t move quickly. Company X’s new product line offers a growth opportunity that we don’t want to miss out on."

 

Determine whether the person you’re emailing wants to prevent downfalls or discover new opportunities, and then adjust your message accordingly.

 

4. Always Have a Purpose

 

If you want a response, then your email should have a clear purpose. This applies in all situations, but it’s especially helpful when reaching out to someone for the first time.

 

For example, if you send an email asking to meet an author for networking or just to chat, you will have much less success than if you asked something specific such as talking about Chapter 7 of your book at lunch.

 

Important people are busy and they value their time, so you should always have a clear purpose for the meeting. Not only does having an event or goal help drive the conversation, it also makes the meeting feel more productive. Both parties feel a small sense of accomplishment for completing the task that was laid out at the beginning.

 

5. Do the Work for Them

 

When you send an unclear email, you’re essentially saying to the recipient, "It’s not important enough for me to figure out what the main idea of this email is, so I’m going to make you do it for me."

 

The main question or offer should be stated clearly and early within your email. If it’s not within the first few sentences, then start over.

 

6. Don’t Take "No" Personally

 

Everyone is busy. For most people, it’s simply a matter of timing. If you catch them on a good day, then they will happily respond to you.

 

If they’re swamped, however, then a simple "No" might be all that you get.

 

Don’t take it to heart. In most cases, it’s not a reflection of what you said.

 

7. Make It a Point to Follow Up

 

What if they don’t respond to your email? Wait a few days and then follow up. You don’t want to pester anyone, but if you give them some time and don’t get a response, then there is nothing wrong with being persistent.

 

I usually wait anywhere from 3 days to a week before reaching out again. (The more busy the person is, the longer I wait.)

 

8. Send Your Message to One Person Only

 

Are too many people receiving your emails? When multiple people receive the same message, the diffusion of responsibility phenomenon begins to set in. Everyone knows what needs to be done and they all assume that someone else will do it.

 

If you value a response to your emails, then send them to individuals instead of groups.

 

9. Don’t Hide Behind Email

 

Pressing Send isn’t the same as doing your job. The ability to collaborate and interact through the Web doesn’t remove your responsibilities in the real world.

 

Sometimes you need to pick up the phone and get an immediate answer. Sometimes you need to meet face-to-face instead of sending an email and claiming that you "did your part."

 

If you’re interested in more email strategies that can help you generate more business, build better relationships, and communicate more effectively, then check out How To Email Important People.

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The 20 most-watched TEDTalks (so far)

Yesterday, on the fifth birthday of TEDTalks video, TED released a new list of the 20 most-watched TEDTalks over the past five years — as watched on all the platforms they track: TED.com, YouTube, iTunes, embed and download, Hulu and more …

What a great, mixed-up group this is! Talks about education and creativity, sex and fish, whizzy tech demos and big questions about the universe … it’s a cool snapshot of what people find interesting.

Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity (2006): 8,660,010 views
Jill Bolte Taylor‘s stroke of insight (2008): 8,087,935
Pranav Mistry on the thrilling potential of SixthSense (2009): 6,747,410
Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense (2009): 6,731,153
David Gallo‘s underwater astonishments (2007): 6,411,705
Tony Robbins asks Why we do what we do (2006): 4,909,505
Hans Rosling shows the best stats you’ve ever seen (2006): 3,954,776
Arthur Benjamin does mathemagic (2005): 3,664,705
Jeff Han demos his breakthrough multi-touchscreen (2006): 3,592,795
Johnny Lee shows Wii Remote hacks for educators (2008): 3,225,864
Blaise Aguera y Arcas runs through the Photosynth demo (2007): 3,007,440
Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing your genius (2009): 2,978,288
Dan Gilbert asks: Why are we happy? (2004): 2,903,993
Stephen Hawking asks big questions about the universe (2008): 2,629,230
Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation (2009): 2,616,363
Barry Schwartz on the paradox of choice (2005): 2,263,065
Richard St. John shares 8 secrets of success (2005): 2,252,911
Mary Roach 10 things you didn’t know about orgasm (2009): 2,223,822
Simon Sinek on how great leaders inspire action (2010): 2,187,868
Chimamanda Adichie shares the danger of a single story (2009): 2,143,763

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Pupil's game helps with English grammar teaching

Crawford Johnston with the grammar cards he designed at primary school

A pupil from Peterborough has created a game that is being used in English lessons at schools across the city.

Crawford Johnston initially designed the Creative Writing Magic Money Cards to help him understand English grammar.

The cards explain concepts such as the use of paragraphs and terms such as onomatopoeia.

"Money" points are allocated to each card and pupils are encouraged to use as many as possible to increase their winnings.

The onomatopoeia card explains it is related to "words that make the sound".

It cites examples including "the sausages sizzled in the frying pan" and lists other onomatopoeic words including slosh, thud and squish.

'Fun and competitive'

Crawford was still at primary school when he came up with the idea for the grammar cards.

One of the creative writing grammar cards designed to help children with their English lessons

"I thought it was an idea that was just going to work for me, to help me revise for exams," he explained.

"I didn't want to make it boring because then people would switch off.

"I wanted to make it fun - like a game - making it competitive so that children want to do it, rather than thinking that it's just another lesson."

The cards are intended for pupils aged nine to 15 and are tailored to fit in with Key Stages two and three of the National Curriculum.

Jonathan Lewis, assistant director of education and services at Peterborough City Council, confirmed that he had arranged for the cards to be distributed to all primary schools in the city.

The Johnston family hopes the success of the game will lead to it being used in more schools around the country.

Crawford, who is now 13, said he was excited by the prospect that his game might be used at other schools.

"If it's going to be used around the UK, it's fascinating. It's really something," he said.

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Generation Y

People born before 1946 were called The Silent generation..

People born between 1946 and 1959 are called The Baby Boomers.

People born between 1960 and 1979 are called Generation X

And people born between 1980 and 2010 are called Generation Y

 

Why do we call the last group Generation Y?

 

Y should I get a job?

Y should I leave home and find my own place?

Y should I get a car when I can borrow yours?

Y should I clean my room?

Y should I wash and iron my own clothes?

Y should I buy any food?

 

 

But a cartoonist explained it very eloquently below…

 

 

 

 

 

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The Greatest Addiction Ever

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Stay Creative

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

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Lessons from Bamboo

Be Like Bamboo (TEDxTokyo 2011 slides)

View more presentations from garr

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In his line of work...

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What a Slit Second look like - some photographs

Whata splitsecondlookslike

View more presentations from pauloazul

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The Charles Schulz Philosophy

The  following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the  creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.

You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.

1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world.

2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name  the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners

__________________________________________________

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the
most credentials, the most money…or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most

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Are you of sound mind?

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I'm Sorry I'm a Christian - A poem by Chris Tse

Chris Tse presenting his poem at the Poetry Slam Vancouver. He was the 1st place winner on the 21st of December 2009 with a score of 57.3 with his poem.

I am a Christian. I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for the way that I come across

So fair and faith friendly and full of myself

Judging your spiritual health by

the words that you say

And the way that you dress, and the things that you do

Or maybe just judging you.

I’m sorry for the way that I live my life

So confident of my own beliefs that

I would never even think to think about thinking about yours

I’m sorry for the wars.

Ivory clad Crusaders mounting steeds and drawing swords

With such a spirit that if The Spirit spoke they wouldn’t hear

But you see the sword of the spirit was not a sword but the Word

And the Word was with God and the Word was God

And they preached this as they marched on the Holy Land

Singing and Praying and Killing and Slaying

And purging and healing and raping and stealing

It’s ironic that they lined their pockets in the name of God

Just like the priests who line their pockets in the name of God

Just like the people that you can’t stand, because they always raise their hand

And spread their faith and hate and judgment in the name of God

I’m sorry that I take God’s name in vain

Or rather I’m sorry that I stain the name of God

Defending my selfish actions as selfless actions pertaining to the will of God

I’m sorry for being intolerant

For trying to talk down to you

For trying to talk over you

For not letting you talk

I’m sorry for not walking the walk

For being a hypocritical critical Christian

Criticizing your pagan lifestyle while my lifestyle styles itself

Just like the televangelist’s hair

All slick and sly and slippery

As the silver syllables slide their way into your ear

But see that’s my greatest fear

That the steps I take won’t match the words I speak

So that when I speak all you hear of me

is a weak hypocritical critical Christian

Doing one thing, but saying another

Loving my friend, but hating my brother

It’s a show.

I’m sorry I get drunk on Saturdays

and go to church on Sundays to pray

for my friends who get drunk on Saturdays

And on that note,

I’m sorry for making the church about the pews and the cross

And the walls and the steeple

Because see, the building is not the church

The church is the people

I’m sorry that I hate you because you are gay

I’m sorry I condemn you to hell because you are gay

Instead of loving I jump to hatred

Mouth open and tongue preaching

Eyes open but not seeing that you are the same as me

Just a fucking human being

I’m sorry that I only hang out with Christian friends

And we do nice Christian things

Like pot luck dinners and board game nights

While in the night a man beats his girlfriend again

Another homeless man died again

Is this the way that my own crowd has been?

But here I am with the same friends again

But see what I always forget is that Jesus didn’t come

to hang out with the priests and the lords.

No, He hung out with cripples and beggars and whores

Love

I’m sorry for history

For native tribes wiped out in the name of the church

Lodges burning Stomachs churning and yearning for justice

And mothers screaming and pleading

Pleading for the young ones

As they are dragged away to church schools

Where they were abused

I’m sorry for the way that I refused to learn your culture

Instead I just came to spread the Gospel

And the plague

I’m sorry that I stand at the front doors of abortion clinics

Screaming at fifteen year old girls as they enter

Instead of waiting at the back door to hug them as they leave

I’m sorry for taking my wars and my faith to your lands

When historically it was on your lands that my faith was born

And in the face of the storm, I realize that

If God is Love and Love is God

Then why are we shooting instead of sharing?

Why are we launching instead of learning?

Why are we warring instead of walking together?

Why are we taking instead of talking together?

Why are we bombing instead of breaking bread together as brothers?

You see, I think that God looks down and He’s sad

And from His right hand throne above

Jesus asks where is the Love?

And if it takes Wil-I-Am and Justin Timberlake

Asking that same question for us

To start asking that same question

Then where the fuck are we headed?

So I will take this stage to be my chapel

And this mic my confession booth

And in the presence of God, the few, the proud,

and the blessed I confess, that

I am a Christian. I’m sorry.

 

- A poem by Chris Tse

 

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Reasons to BAN pens and pencils from the classroom

15 reasons to BAN pens and pencils from the classroom

1. Too easy to lose

How many wasted hours do learners and teachers spend getting everyone a pen or pencil? They’re thin, narrow and roll unaided, designed therefore, to be lost through any small hole and from any surface. The average person must lose dozens, if not hundreds, in a lifetime.

2. Dangerous weapons

Nothing is more dangerous in classrooms than pens and pencils. They’re used to poke, prick, draw on and even stab others. Empty plastic Bic tubes are also superb pea-shooters. They are, in effect, dangerous weapons.

3. Messy

Pens leak, clothes stain, pencil shavings get everywhere. In short, these implements are a cleaning nightmare. A leaked pen in a pocket or bag can cause havoc, staining clothes, flesh and anything else that comes into contact.

4. Notes

Encourages bullying through notes and a notes culture around going to the toilet (actually walking the corridors or a sly cig), explaining why you were off that day (forged note from parent) etc.

5. Doodling

How many learners doodle the hours away, rather than learning. They'll doodle on paper, books, plaster casts and any available surface, even their own hands and arms.

6. Pen tattoos

A bit extreme but it happens. A compass an ink pen's all you need to get your first boyfriend or girlfriend's name on your arm or those stupid words LOVE and HATE on your knuckles.

7. Limits editing

To NOT allow word processing on writing tasks is to not allow reediting, redrafting, reordering and self-correction, the essence of good writing skills. It actually encourages the regurgitation of pre-prepared, memorised answers.

8. Paper mountains

Keeps schools stuck in a world of paper, which can’t be emailed or easily stored. How many pieces of paper with writing are simply lost, deliberately or otherwise by children at school?

9. Cost of photocopying

Paper, pencils and pens cost money, but that is nothing compared to the cost of printing and photocopying, in terms of photocopying machines, printers and print cartridges.

10. Not green

Paper production, for writing assignments, destroys trees, uses nasty chemicals and if it doesn't end up as landfill. entails difficult and costly recycling.

11. Encourages academic curriculum

Pen and pencil assessment skews assessment towards writing and away from performance. This has led to an overwhelmingly academic curriculum, at the expense of practical and vocational skills.

12. Paper homework

It encourages primitive, photocopied A4 sheets for homework and mechanical 'fill-in-the-blank' assignments, with the additional problem that homework has to be physically marked by overworked teachers. Automated, online homework and assessment is surely superior.

13. Red pen assessment

It encourages teachers to use ‘red pen’ marking, highlighting failure, rather than the generosity of formative feedback. Children learn from failure which is why all feedback should be constructive.

14. Skews assessment

My kids look at pens and pencils as if they’re Egyptian artefacts. The fact is, that pens and pencils, if used in assessments, actually hinder or skew the proper assessment of attainment. Many of these kids write, incessantly on keyboards, not using pen and pencil.

15. Real world deficit

Lastly, when they enter the world of work, if they write, it will be largely on a keyboard. Surely touch typing is a skill worth learning.

This was inspired by Katie Stansberry's original idea

posted by Donald Clark at 4:14 PM

via donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com

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A six-year-old girl writes a letter to God. And the Archbishop of Canterbury answers

Taken from the Telegraph in Damian Thompson's column

 

Archbishop Williams plays God (Photo: Getty)

There’s a charming article in today’s Times by Alex Renton, a non-believer who sends his six-year-old daughter Lulu to a Scottish church primary school. Her teachers asked her to write the following letter: “To God, How did you get invented?” The Rentons were taken aback: “We had no idea that a state primary affiliated with a church would do quite so much God,” says her father. He could have told Lulu that, in his opinion, there was no God; or he could have pretended that he was a believer. He chose to do neither, instead emailing her letter to the Scottish Episcopal Church (no reply), the Presbyterians (ditto) and the Scottish Catholics (a nice but theologically complex answer). For good measure, he also sent it to “the head of theology of the Anglican Communion, based at Lambeth Palace” – and this was the response:

Dear Lulu,

Your dad has sent on your letter and asked if I have any answers. It’s a difficult one! But I think God might reply a bit like this –

‘Dear Lulu – Nobody invented me – but lots of people discovered me and were quite surprised. They discovered me when they looked round at the world and thought it was really beautiful or really mysterious and wondered where it came from. They discovered me when they were very very quiet on their own and felt a sort of peace and love they hadn’t expected.

Then they invented ideas about me – some of them sensible and some of them not very sensible. From time to time I sent them some hints – specially in the life of Jesus – to help them get closer to what I’m really like.

But there was nothing and nobody around before me to invent me. Rather like somebody who writes a story in a book, I started making up the story of the world and eventually invented human beings like you who could ask me awkward questions!’

And then he’d send you lots of love and sign off.

I know he doesn’t usually write letters, so I have to do the best I can on his behalf. Lors of love from me too.

+Archbishop Rowan

I think this letter reveals a lot about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s sort of theology – more, indeed, than many of his lectures or agonised Synod addresses. I’d be interested to know whether readers of this blog think he did a good job of answering Lulu’s question.

But what the letter also tells us is that the Archbishop took the trouble to write a really thoughtful message – unmistakably his work and not that of a secretary – to a little girl. “Well done, Rowan!” was the reaction of Alex Renton’s mother, and I agree

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Hymn Books or Data Projectors in Church?

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Opening Liturgy

I found this opening liturgy and really like it. I think it speaks for a community or group that want to travel and search together.

We gather together to explore
May we be open to see new perspectives
We gather together in awe of the world around us
May we be open to new insights
We gather together confused by things that happen
May we be open to hear new questions
We gather together to be encouraged
May we be open to each other
We gather together to journey
May we have the space to find our path

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“Forget Google…”

via gapingvoid.com

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Dear 16 year old me...

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Happy Star Wars Day

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Cambridge University: A-level scores are the best indicator of future degree success

via Mark Steed

Cambridge University has defended robustly its right to admit students on the basis of merit, without regard to social or educational background. Thus far it has resisted all pressure from Government to alter its admissions procedures to be a vehicle of social mobility. [See 'University is not for promoting social justice, says Cambridge vice-chancellor' Daily Telegraph10/09/2008] The findings of a recent study conducted by the University Admissions Research Working Party gives support to this approach and to the policy of using AS-level UMS scores as the best predictor of future degree success.

Richard Partington, the report's author commented,

"A Levels - as measured by unit scores or UMS - were overwhelmingly the best indicator available of likely future degree performance. The one exception is for entry in Mathematics, where Cambridge Assessment's STEP exam gave the best indicator of potential."

The study, The Predictive Effectiveness of Metrics in Admission to Cambridge University, analysed the those students who sat Cambridge Tripos examinations in the period 2006-2009. It also found that Cambridge students from state and independent schools are equally likely to enjoy degree success:

"School background and gender did not make a significant difference. Given the same UMS performance at admission, students from different schools and colleges were equally likely to perform well in Cambridge exams in the period 2006-2009."

The study also found that GCSE grades, the preferred measure used by Oxford University, have largely been a less effective predictor than AS UMS. Interestingly, looking to the future, the Working Group are going to analyse the effectiveness of the A* at A-level as a predictor of future Tripos success.

Long may our top universities resist all external pressures to lower their admission standards to meet a social agenda; and long may they continue to admit students on the basis of merit as demonstrated in nationally recognised examinations.

Links:
School background is not a factor in Cambridge degree successCambridge University News Website 05/04/2011

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Choices, and their importance

 ‘It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’ Dumbledore to Harry Potter

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Creativity Is Not A Talent

via gapingvoid.com

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