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Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! Today we're talking to Vanessa Vargas Wilson.
Best known as the Crafty Gemini, she is a former law professor who chose to pursue a YouTube career instead.
She posts instructional videos, teaching viewers how to do everything from sewing and quilting to organic gardening and canning.
She quit her job as a college law professor to pursue her Crafty Gemini business full-time. HERE is an interview she did that tells more about here business.
- My YouTube channel for 250+ tutorials on a ton of different things including sewing, quilting, crochet, cooking, gardening, canning, etc.
- My online classes and PDF patterns website.
On the podcast we discuss homesteading, homeschooling, the business of art, standing up for yourself and demanding a fair price, YouTube, and Vanessa' very interesting career path.
Be sure to leave us your comments and questions. I always like to know what's on your mind. Thanks for stopping by!
Find the show on iTunes here.


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A colleague of mine attended a media event this week in NYC and got to see some of new cameras announced by Canon and Pentax. Lucky for us, he sent some pictures. Below, you'll see the Canon Powershot SD30, the Canon Powershot SD450, and the Canon Powershot S80. After that, we'll hit the Pentax models: the Optio WPi, the Optio S6, and the Optio S60.
Olympus, following Canon's lead, has announced a plethora of new cameras today. The Olympus Stylus 600 continues the line's weather-proof design with a 6 megapixel sensor and a 2.5 inch LCD. For those wanting to use this as an underwater digital camera, Olympus has an underwater housing all ready to go. The Stylus 600 features Olympus' Bright Capture Technology and an ISO sensitivity up to 1600 to capture those low-light images. The Stylus 600 will be available in September at an estimated street price of $299.
Canon has announced 24 new products today, including 7 new Powershot cameras, the new EOS 5D 12.8 megapixel digital SLR, and the EOS 1D Mark II N, which replaces the current EOS 1D Mark II digital SLR.
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can someone tell me how to delete an email contact. i have already deleted it from my address book, but i still keep receiving bogus email messages. i immediately delete them, put them in trash and empty trash. but i want to permanently get rid of this contact. has my email been hijacked?
You're getting email from someone that you don't want? You can filter those message into the trash.
How precisely to do that will vary with how you are reading email. Describe that further ... Mac Mail? Which version?
How do I delete someone from my address book ? And also, when I want to write an email there is always a number 1 in that space ?????
Both of you, please state what you are using to read mail. Are you using the built-in Mac email program that has the postage stamp icon? Or are you using the web-based Xfinity Connect?
I could guess that injun31 set up a signature that has the number 1 in it, and that is why there is a 1 in the text. I could suggest opening the Address Book and deleting the contact. I could suggest going to the Window menu (next to the Help menu) and choosing Previous Recipients and then searching for the person to remove. But I don't know what program you are using or what you are really trying to do.
jud1013 wrote:
but i still keep receiving bogus email messages.
If the problem is with mail that you're receiving, nothing you do in your address book will stop this. Anyone can send you email, they don't have to be in your contact list.
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Rev. Joanna Adams
Adams is a graduate of Emory University and Columbia Theological Seminary and holds an honorary doctorate of divinity from Davidson College. An inspiring leader, in addition to the YouTube video chat above, here's a more in-depth glimpse into Joanna's personality:
Q: What gets you up in the morning?
A: Our hungry cat, the prospect of coffee and the gift of a new day in which all things are still possible.
Q: What advice would you share with someone starting in ministry today?
A: Find yourself a Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
Q: What is your favorite song?
A: "You'll Never Walk Alone"
Q: What one thing do you want the future generations to understand?
A: We are all in this boat together. When we forget to love, we are sunk.
Q: Sweet or salty?
A: Bring on those toasted, salted Georgia pecans!


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This is a very friendly, family run hotel. Katie is very helpful, rooms are clean and breakfast...best poached eggs I have ever had! It is a 5 min walk into town where there is a cinema & lots of places to eat. Would stay here again.
- Also Known As:
- Heavenly Hotel Aldershot


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Injuries plague St. Joseph in opener
Taylor Mitchell
Sept. 4, 2012 at 4:04 a.m.
Updated Sept. 5, 2012 at 4:05 a.m.
7:30 p.m. start on Friday at Patti Welder Stadium
RECORDS: St. Joseph 0-1; Schulenburg 1-0. NOTES: St. Joseph continues it regular matchups with the Shorthorns, who are coming off of a win against recently founded Class 3A school College Station.
Injuries affected St. Joseph in last week's opening game against Goliad and will continue to have an effect on the team this week against Schulenburg.
Starting running back Cameron Zafereo will be held out of Friday night's home game as a precautionary measure.
"He didn't have anything torn, but the main thing is we need to get him back for district," St. Joseph head coach Kevin Auten said. "These non-district games are important, but in the long term I want them to help us in district."
The Flyers suffered two other key injuries in the 34-10 loss last week. Linemen Robby Medrano and Michael Low were injured early in the game and did not return. Auten hopes to have both of them back this week.
"I'm hoping they'll be back this week," he said. "We'll have to play it by ear and see."
On the flip side, St. Joseph will have running back Marcus Rendon back in action. Rendon played just one quarter against Goliad because of a sickness. He will be back in action when the Flyers host Schulenburg.
"I don't know what happened, but he was sick from about noon that day," Auten explained. "He said somebody at his house was sick and it carried over. It didn't go over well for him."
On the opening kick off of the 2012 season, the Flyers did something nobody expected when they executed an onside kick to perfection, recovering it at Goliad's 31 yard line.
In all, St. Joseph attempted, and recovered, two onside kicks to go along with their three normal kick offs.
"I do that all of the time," Auten said. "I take some risks in the kicking game and it worked out in our favor. We just have to capitalize on it."
His first game as head coach of the Flyers didn't go as Auten wanted, but he did say things improved after halftime.
"I think at halftime we got something's understood and had a better second half. Our expectations were understood more," Auten said. "I think this week will be a lot better."


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Narrow your search
I wandered around an entire room and painted with light; my first taste with HTC and Valve's upcoming virtual reality hardware was incredible. Here's what it felt like.
Can't get enough "Lego Star Wars" movies? Disney XD plan to debut a five-episode series retelling the "Star Wars" saga from the droids' point of view, before the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Disney's upcoming animated flick gets a game tie-in made entirely in Singapore by Gumi Asia.
Disney just released the first trailer for its upcoming sci-fi adventure flick "Tomorrowland" based on the theme park area, and we already can't wait to see what it has in store.
Could Star-Lord be Indy? Disney is rumored to be reviving the adventures of everyone's favorite whip-cracking archaeologist. But will Chris Pratt play the lead?
The creator of "Star Wars" says Disney "didn't really want" to use his ideas and came up with something new instead.
Targeting millennials and people who don't want a full pay-TV package, Dish offers up a cheap live TV service that's viewable on a variety of streaming video devices and includes ESPN, Disney Channel, and CNN.
Starting December 24, visitors to Orlando's Walt Disney World can use Apple Pay to buy tickets, merchandise and other items.
Cloud locker service Disney Movies Anywhere on the Vudu platform next week, joining similar service Ultraviolet.
Just pair your Disney account with your Google Play account to score this rare movie freebie.


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FGL Sports is voluntarily issuing this advisory to consumers who have purchased children and youth upper outerwear hoodies and jackets with a drawstring and/or toggle located at the hood/neck area.
FGL has decided to voluntarily issue this advisory as Health Canada's sampling and evaluation program has determined that drawstrings on children's outerwear can become caught on playground equipment, fences or other objects and could result in strangulation.
Consumers should immediately remove the drawstrings and/or toggle from the hood/neck area to eliminate the hazard.
FGL Sports has not received any reported injuries or incidents regarding these articles of clothing.
FGL Sports Ltd. is Canada's largest national retailer of sporting goods, offering a comprehensive assortment of brand-name and private-brand products and operating more than 400 stores from coast to coast, under the following corporate and franchise banners: Sport Chek, Sports Experts, Atmosphere, Pro Hockey Life, l'Entrepôt du Hockey, Sports-Gilbert-Rousseau, National Sports, Intersport, Nevada Bob's Golf, Hockey Experts, the Tech Shop, and S3. FGL Sports also has websites for several of its corporate and franchise banners which can be accessed through its main website at www.FGLSports.com.


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Current Time
British Virgin Islands
Tel: 284 494 3555
Concierge.com's insider take:
This chic resort's restaurant makes for a big night outas long as you have the boat to get there. Set in a hilltop castlelike stone gazebo, this romantic place offers four-course prix-fixe dinners to match. Food is pan-Euro contemporary: papaya-glazed duck confit with orange-and-pine-nut salad; roasted loin of lamb with a mint-and-caper sauce. The atmosphere is hushed and sophisticatedand possibly a little strange off-season if the (60-capacity) place is not full, or perhaps perfect if you like peace and quiet. The wine list is one of the best in these islands. Collared shirts and trousers are required in the evenings for gents. Reservations a must.
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Swarovski launches limited edition Erika & Eliot Around the World pieces
Swarovski has launched the limited edition Erika & Eliot Around the World collection, on the back of the success of the Erika & Eliot pendants.
Nathalie Colin, creative director at Swarovski, designed the well-received Erika & Eliot pendants for the Spring/Summer 2008 collection. The popularity of the pieces has led to the launch of the Erika & Eliot Around the World collection, at the beginning of March.
The collection comprises 13 Swarovski pendants, which pay homage to 13 countries. The Erika and Eliot characters display the colors of the Italian, German, American, Swiss, Austrian, and Korean flags, and are adorned by characteristic symbols such as the French beret, the Dutch tulip, the Russian babushka, the English guardsman's bearskin cap, a Chinese festival costume, or a carnival themed design from Brazil.
The pendants are created in epoxy and Pointiage, a technique for applying crystals by hand.
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Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0.4
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 5
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Part of a continuing trend of photography apps that aim to subtly change the appearance of a photo, rather than turn things too garish, Repix is a simple yet useful tool.
Repix uses a brush style interface, requiring users to brush their finger along an image to add the desired effect. It immediately empowers the user, ensuring they don't have to rely upon an entire filter doing what they wish it to do. Nine brushes are available in this free package, with more purchasable via the in-app store. Impressively, these add on brushes can be previewed before purchasing. A useful feature that more artistic apps should offer. The bundled in brushes are a suitable bunch to start out with, too, including tools for adding charcoal coloring, a flare effect as well as adding a cartoon or poster style to the image. Painting with one's finger means it's easy to implement, as well as undo through a comprehensive undo button, as well as an eraser brush.
Typical editing features are also supplied, such as a crop tool, saturation and brightness adjustment, as well as temperature and contrast. In each case, controls are simply a matter of swiping gradually with a finger. It's not overly complex or detailed, but it's a handy inclusion.
It's possible to import images through the usual method of the Camera Roll and taking a photo directly, as well as via Facebook, a neat and convenient touch. Alongside that, sharing is quite comprehensive covering all the relevant bases such as Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
It's all quite smooth sailing for Repix, greatly encouraging the prevalence of subtle photographic changes rather than filters that just make everything look the same. Such simple to use controls round off the package, wonderfully.
Tagged with: free, image editing, Photo & Video, Photo Effects, Photography, Repix, Subtle, Sumoing


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Visit the park and valley of Saint-Pons, and the massif and forest of la Saint-Baume. Take some time in Aubagne to visit its Christmas crib figures workshops and potteries. This is where the famous writer Marcel Pagnol native from this area lived and you can discover the wonderful places which were close his heart such as the house where is was born, the Petit Monde de Marcel Pagnol (The Little World of Marcel Pagnol) (a panoramic crib), or take scenic walks across the hills.
Reserve your table


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We are pleased to announce that on June 27, Russia ratified the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Russia signed the convention back in 2002, and while it has taken nearly 10 years to be ratified, it is a big step forward for the environmental community, especially 2009 Goldman Prize winner Olga Speranskaya and the organization that she co-chars, IPEN (International POPs Elimination Network).
Olga commented: "I very much hope that it will mark the beginning of some new and progressive movements on the country level as well as globally."
So do we! Keep up the good work, Olga.
Check out the link below to read more:
User is:


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Learning to Ballet Dance is Not Just for Children!
It's often assumed that taking beginner lessons in ballet dancing is just for children. However, that does not necessarily need to be the case as ballet schools all around the UK are being booked up by adults!
Some think it may be down to television programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing or films such as Black Swan. Regardless, it's becoming a highly fashionable pastime for adults and it's no surprise as learning to ballet dance is an excellent way to keep fit. Unlike going out for a run in the rain, or pushing weights in the gym, ballet dancing is far from monotonous. As well as being physically challenging, it's also mentally challenging due to the high level of concentration it requires. It's also an excellent way to meet new people and make new friends.
The best place to start looking for a dance school that provides adult ballet classes is the internet. Either use an online telephone directory or search engine to find the contact details of some local dance schools and call around. The teacher who leads the classes will be more than happy to help you out and if they don't provide adult ballet classes themselves, they may know of another school that does.
Click here for Adult's Leotards
Click here for Ballet Shoes


text: TOP 10 Top 10 Entertainment Unethical Jobs Back to Top ▲ Unethical Jobs 6 Short Seller Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 0 Shares Thinkstock Essentially, traders who profit from the falling price of a stock. It's a risky technique that involves borrowing shares or securities, selling them at the current market price, buying them back at a lower price later, and, finally, returning them to the lender. The practice is seen by many as immoral because short sellers are banking on the likelihood that the price of a stock will decline, which means they benefit when a company's stock struggles or goes bankrupt. When employees lose their jobs and firms collapse, short sellers rake in the profits. Wall Street rumors, fear-mongering and subtle manipulation often play a role in the success of short sellers, and a big part of their job involves depressing the market and lowering investor confidence. Next Page TOP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Comments Show Comments More Like This Promoted Around the Web Special Features


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With more than 250,000 members around the world helping people speak out with confidence, Toastmasters is now adding mentoring and leadership skills to its list of benefits.
The non-profit group is celebrating February as Toastmasters month in Kamloops.
Carol Edwards, a member of the Thompson Valley Advanced Club, and John Zebroff, a two-year member, addressed City council clearly and confidently as they received their proclamation Tuesday.
Car dealership rezoning goes to public
Years ago, a car dealership along the frontage road in Valleyview agreed to not add a body shop to the back of its property because it faced houses on Sunset Drive.
Now the dealership wants to have that covenant removed.
City council voted Tuesday to put the issue to the neighbours at a public hearing.
Coun. Nancy Bepple asked if the company would be putting a body/paint shop up along the property line. City development and engineering services director Marvin Kwiatkowski said that wasn't the intent, but if it's a neighbourhood concern, it could be addressed at the public hearing.
Things are getting brighter on Tranquille
City council has approved a $2.4 million loan to improve lighting on Tranquille Road.
The loan authorization was approved Tuesday after no negative responses were received during the time allowed for the alternate approval process.
The project is expected to start in late summer and be completed by the end of this year.
Is a boulevard better than a street?
Coun. Nelly Dever suggested to council Tuesday that with all the work that's been done to make Lorne Street nicer, it should get a nicer name.
She offered Lorne Boulevard, saying it would be more attractive to tourists.
But Mayor Peter Milobar said changing the name isn't as simple as some new signs. Everyone with a business or a home on that street would have to be notified.
Dever didn't indicate she'd be taking the idea any further.
Councillor wants City staff to be under IIOBC scrutiny
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has done a great job of investigating on- and off-duty police who were involved in incidents that resulted in death or serious injury, Coun. Nancy Bepple said Tuesday.
Now she wants municipal staff to come under the same microscope.
Bepple raised a notice of motion calling for the Union of B.C. Municipalities to lobby the province to change legislation that would expand the IIOBC's authority to include municipal employees who work under the supervision of police.
Bepple said the IIOBC has helped build confidence that the RCMP are accountable.
She wants her motion to be referred from Kamloops council to the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA), which in turn would refer the motion to the UBCM's fall meeting.
Search for new police superintendent begins
With RCMP Supt. Yves Lacasse going to work for KGHM-Ajax, the City will need a replacement.
Mayor Peter Milobar said Tuesday he's discussed Lacasse's pending departure with the RCMP's southeast division late last week. They will come up with a list of preferred candidates who meet the requirements, then Milobar and City administrator David Trawin will sit down with RCMP officials to go over the resumes.
© Copyright 2015 Kamloops Daily News


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Start learning with our library of video tutorials taught by experts. Get started
Introduces InDesign CS6 and its workflow, document distribution, and flexibility improvements.
"I almost feel as if I am in a classroom but with the benefit of sitting at my home computer." —Christine B.
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Ones regular salary isn't going to generally insure such gatherings. You may well be have the ability exactly where you'll need some guide. This post provides helpful specifics of applying cash loans. Can a small amount of explore in advance of seeking for payday loans. Perhaps you may sense that you possess not enough available time to make sure you research the data since you demand the bucks swift. Cash advances tend to be acquired amazingly quickly. You may sometimes discover the dollars which afternoon. Internet searches have a look at in relation to financial loan
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The Gartenhotel Theresia is a member of the FAMILY SALZBURGER LAND, a cooperation of family-friendly hotels that offer qualified childcare and babysitting for your holiday in the Province of Salzburg.
Travellers' Choice: The world's largest hotel review platform, TripAdvisor, has revealed the winners of its Travellers' Choice Awards 2014, based on the ratings of international travellers. The Nr. 1 spot for family hotels in Austria has been awarded to the Gartenhotel Theresia in Saalbach-Hinterglemm!
We offer private swimming lessons (for beginners and advanced swimmers) in winter for kids approx. 4 years and older:
€ 1.862,-


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Conference Services
Our department can also assist academic conferences during the summer or the school year. For conferences during the summer, housing accommodations can also be made. We can provide a wide variety of venues and services for any type of activity. For more information, please contact Conference Manager, at (509) 313-6859.


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It's back to school…again! Your child is getting to know a new teacher and facing a host of new expectations. How can you be sure that you are prepared to help your child navigate the school year and get the most out of every day at school? It helps if you know what questions to ask. Here's a list you can use as a starting point for talking with your child's teacher.
Parent Night Questions
Many teachers provide a Parent Night handout or a website with detailed information about classroom expectations or procedures. See what your child's teacher has prepared for you, and if it doesn't answer the following questions, be sure to ask them yourself.
Conference (or "As-Needed") Questions
If you have concerns about your child's cognitive skills or academic performance, don't wait until conference day to let the teacher know. Use the teacher's preferred method of communication to request a special meeting. For any area where extra help might be needed, or even if your child has reached proficiency, be sure to ask, "What can I do to support my child at home?" And then really do it. That school-home connection can make a huge difference in student achievement. Here's to a great school year!
Related reading:
The Parent Trap: Getting Your Struggling Learner to Do Homework Independently
Instilling a Love of Reading: What Every Teacher and Parent Should Know
Fast ForWord has been shown to improve cognitive skills and academics. Learn more.
When students at ACS Cobham International School (UK) got iPads, Richard Harrold saw an opportunity. As an assistant principal at the lower (elementary) school, he had been hearing glowing reports from other educators about students seeing remarkable gains when using iPads. Were the gains real? And was the effect due to something special about the iPad, or were students just responding to the newness of the technology?
Harrold decided to find out. With the help of his school's "Project i" team, he launched a formal study with 1 stand 2 ndgraders to see if they would experience the same increases in engagement and understanding that he had been hearing about from other educators.
Harrold's study confirmed the benefits of iPads in schools:
More generally, results indicated that:
The effects discovered were more than a reaction to a fun, new "toy." In fact, to ensure that their results were not due to a honeymoon period, the team delayed the study until learners had been using their iPads for a full eight months.
These findings are exciting, especially for learners requiring intervention. Struggling students can be harder to engage and may have trouble enduring learning challenges. Giving them the opportunity to use an iPad-based intervention can motivate learners to persevere and achieve.
In a time where "grit" is getting a lot of attention as a key indicator of future success, anytime that perseverance goes up – as with iPad use – educators would be wise to take notice. But don't rule out the appeal of classic technologies. Early-grade learners would still rather read a bound book than an ebook on iPad.
Harrold, R. (2012). Measuring the Effect of iPads in the Classroom. The International Educator.Retrieved from: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/74482139/measuring-effect-ipads-classroom
Harrold, R. (2012). The iPad Effect: Leveraging Engagement, Collaboration, and Perseverance. The International Educator. Retrieved from: http://www.tieonline.com/view_article.cfm?ArticleID=100
10 Big Benefits of Using iPads in Schools
Inspiring Students to Dream, Learn and Grow
I am sure you have noticed that there are many technology programs out there that claim to "build," or improve your brain function. Every week I receive emails from companies advertising brain games that promise to train attention and memory skills. You may have wondered, do "brain games" really work? A recent article in The New York Times entitled "Do Brain Workouts Work? Science Isn't Sure," actually asked that very question as well.
How would a memory brain game that I purchase from a website be different from a card or board game like "Concentration"? How is an attention game different or better than the concentration required to read a good book or play a card game that requires focused and sustained attention to cards played or discarded each round? Do good old fashioned paper pencil activities like crossword puzzles help with brain function? How about Bridge or Chess? Does watching Jeopardy on Television help your memory? Wouldn't any challenging video game help us with attention if we had to stay focused for long periods of time to get to a new level?
The answers to the above questions are all "yes, to some degree." The brain is the only organ of our body that changes each day based on our experiences. And if we do any activities that challenge memory or attention for extended periods of time it will likely be beneficial for improving those capacities. If I play bridge, for example, many hours a week, I will likely get better at the game and boost my short term (working) memory as well. But, neuroscientists who study brain plasticity, the way the brain changes with stimulation (or lack of stimulation), have determined there are ways to enhance the beneficial effects of brain exercises to maximize the efficiency and positive outcomes so that children or adults can specifically target some capacities over others in a short period of time. And, controlled research is showing these targeted exercises have benefits on other brain capacities as well.
So, for example, researchers have shown that when seven year olds do a simple computer-based exercise that targets working memory for just a few minutes a day for a few consecutive weeks they show improved working memory (we would expect that) but also improved reading comprehension compared with children in their classrooms who received reading instruction but did not do the working memory activities (Loosli, 2012). Or, aging adults in their 70's who did computer-based processing speed exercises a few minutes a day for six consecutive weeks so they could do things like react faster when driving showed improvements in processing speed (again we would expect that) but also in memory when compared to adults who did other exercises but not the processing speed exercises, and the improvements lasted for ten years without doing additional exercises (Rebok, 2014).
The question, then, is what are the critical active ingredients neuroscientists have found that need to be "built-in" so brain exercises effectively build targeted skills compared to the benefits we get from just using our "noggin" in everyday activities? And, more important, how is a parent or consumer to get through all the hype and determine which brain exercises have the important design features shown to be effective?
Fortunately, neuroscientists who have thoroughly researched this have published excellent summaries in respected scientific journals. Below are the key elements to look for in brain exercises:
So, parents may ask, "This sounds fine for making our average brains work better but what about my child who has been diagnosed with a learning disability or other issues like autism spectrum disorder?" According to Ahissar et al. (2009), for our children (or adults) with learning issues, distortions or limitations at any level will create bottlenecks for learning and the changes we want from brain exercises. But, according to the authors, if the exercises have sufficient intensity and duration on specific sets of activities that focus on lower-level (perceptual) and middle-level stimuli (attention, memory and language) tasks, brain changes will enhance higher level skills and learning will be easier and more advanced.
So for parents, or anyone wanting to understand which brain exercises are worth the investment of valuable time and money, a rule of thumb would be to avoid products that advertise themselves as "brain games" - because that is what they probably are. Rather, seek out programs or products that contain "exercises" that focus on specific high and low level skills like language, reading, memory and attention, and those who have research evidence to support their value when used by children like yours.
Ahissar, M., Nahum, M., Nelken, I., & Hochstein, S. (2009). Reverse hierarchies and sensory learning, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 364,285–299. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0253
Loosli, S.V., Buschkuehl, M., Perrig, W.J., & Jaeggi, S.M. (2012). Working memory training improves reading processes in typically developing children, Child Neuropsychology, 18, 62-78. doi: 10.1080/09297049.2011.575772
Rebok, G.W., Ball, K., Guey, L.T., Jones, R.N., Kim, H.Y., King, J.W., . . . Willis, S.L. (2014). Ten-Year Effects of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly Cognitive Training Trial on Cognition and Everyday Functioning in Older Adults, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 62,16-24. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12607
Roelfsema, P.R., van Ooyen, A., & Watanabe, T. (2010). Perceptual learning rules based on reinforcers and attention, Trends in Cognitive Science, 14, 64–71. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2009.11.005
Vinogradav, S., Fisher, M., & de Villers-Sidani, E. (2012). Cognitive Training for Impaired Neural Systems in Neuropsychiatric Illness, Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews,37, 43–76. doi: 10.1038/npp.2011.251
Brain Fitness Is Not A Game
Dopamine and Learning: What The Brain's Reward Center Can Teach Educators
When a student with a learning disability struggles academically, it's logical to think that the issue is related to the student's deficit in a specific ability. And while that may be true, there might be more to it. Students with learning disabilities often encounter academic difficulties, at least in part, because they don't have effective strategies for working through challenges.
One effective tool that students can use to improve academic performance, regardless of ability, is self-regulation. Self-regulation is the process by which students take charge of their own learning, monitoring their behavior and progress and making adjustments along the way to get from idea to execution. It's the transformation of thought into purposeful action. Here are several strategies teachers can introduce for use in the classroom and at home:
Setting Goals
Goal setting is an important part of self-regulation and can be foundational to other self-regulation strategies. When used effectively, the process of goal setting gives students an opportunity to observe their own behavior and pinpoint areas for improvement. It helps students identify what they need to do, lets them see how they are progressing, and motivates them to act productively.
Students should set goals for themselves that are specific and challenging, but not too hard. A goal should be quickly attainable so students can experience a sense of accomplishment and move on to tackle the next one. For example, when two students are struggling with homework, each might need to set a different goal to see improvement. The first student might identify time management as a problem and decide to cut out a leisure activity in order to achieve the goal of completing homework before dinnertime each day that week. The second student might realize that he needs to bring his class notes home from school every day so he has the information he needs to achieve his goal of completing all of his homework assignments for the week.
Students self-monitor by asking themselves whether they have engaged in a specific, desired behavior. Building on the goal-setting examples above, our students might ask themselves, Am I using my time in the right way to complete my homework by dinnertime?Or, Did I put all of my homework assignments in my backpack to take home?Students may find it helpful to self-monitor for behaviors like paying attention, staying on task, following strategy steps, and meeting performance expectations such as completing all homework problems or spelling 8 of 10 spelling words correctly.
Self-instruction is also sometimes called "self-talk" and is part of normal development for many younger children. It can also be quite powerful when used by students of any age to purposefully self-regulate and direct learning behavior. For example, a student who is struggling to comprehend a challenging text might think, I need to look up the definitions of these unfamiliar words and read this page again.
Students can use self-talk to remind themselves to focus their attention, to take positive steps when faced with difficulties, to reinforce positive behaviors, and more. Teachers can model effective self-talk, but should allow each student to create and use her own statements. A little advance planning can be helpful here. Coming up with the right phrase in the heat of the moment – when focus has been lost or frustrations are running high – is unlikely to help. But taking a little time to write out some useful statements before starting a new project or beginning a homework assignment can enable students get themselves out of a tight spot.
Self-reinforcement occurs when a student chooses a motivating reward and then awards it to himself when he achieves a milestone. Self-reinforcement can be used over shorter and longer timeframes and can tie into goals. Our student who has identified time-management as an issue, for example, might decide, I can go to the movies on Sunday because I finished all of my homework before dinnertime every night this week.
Self-reinforcement can also work well in the classroom. Teachers and students can select rewards together and teachers can let students know how to earn them. Once a student has met the criteria for a reward, she can award it to herself – say, by selecting a sticker for her journal after completing the day's writing assignment and getting her teacher's approval.
Purposeful Learning
Becoming a better self-regulator isn't a panacea for academic difficulties, but students with learning disabilities who learn effective self-regulation strategies will have some advantages. They will have tools in their toolbox that they can try out in a variety of situations before seeking outside help, or when help is not immediately available. They will understand how their behavior influences their results. And they will understand that their learning is a purposeful, active process in which they play the leading role.
Best of all, these self-regulation strategies can benefit all learners, not just those who are struggling. Why not give them a try?
Reid, R., Lienemann, T.O., & Hagaman, J.L. (2013). Strategy Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities,(2nd ed.) .New York: Guilford Press.
Self-Regulation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cehs.unl.edu/csi/self.shtml
Teaching Persistence: How to Build Student Stamina
5 Reasons Why Every Parent Should Be Familiar with Executive Function
When teachers think of teaching writing, they typically begin with the type of writing they want their students to compose—persuasive pieces, personal narratives, academic essays and the like. They think of following the steps of the writing process—prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing—and conduct mini-lessons during writers' workshop. Others teachers begin diagraming sentences, discussing subject-verb agreement or distinguishing between nominative and objective case pronouns.
All too often, however, little attention is given to the cognitive skills of writing. And that's a shame, because cognitive skills are the building blocks upon which writing depends.
The Cognitive Building Blocks of Writing
Cognitive skills such as memory, attention, sequencing, and processing speed underlie all composition. It is generally presumed that by middle and high school, students have mastered these basic cognitive skills, and, as such, mainstream writing curricula for secondary students rarely explicitly address the cognitive skills of writing. Nonetheless, research evidence is mounting that many middle and high school students who continue to struggle with writing have not mastered the underlying cognitive and linguistic skills on which written language depends (Berninger, Fuller, & Whitaker, 1996)
To write cohesive, readable, and understandable text, the writer must not only have a firm linguistic foundation in order to select the appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structure to convey the meaning intended, but must also hold the concepts, vocabulary, and grammatical form of sentences and paragraphs in working memory while formulating each new sentence.
The writing process itself places considerable demands on real-time verbal working memory, as writers construct and hold in mind the ideas they wish to express, inhibiting the irrelevant and attending to the relevant details of what they are presently writing. Simultaneously writers must keep in mind what they have already written, and plan for what they are about to write to complete their thoughts (Torrance & Galbraith, 2008).
Another cognitive skill that has been shown to affect writing is focused and sustained attention (Ransdell, Levy, & Kellogg, 2002). A writer's full attention is consumed in thinking about what to say and applying correct spelling, punctuation, and syntactical rules to what is written. Sentence generation involves consciously reflecting on and manipulating knowledge that needs to be retrieved rapidly from long-term memory or actively maintained in short-term working memory. Writers must toggle their attention between formulating their thoughts to be written and the transcriptional demands of actually recording these thoughts in written form, all the while inhibiting distractions from the environment.
Sequencing and Processing Speed
Writing also places heavy demands on both perceptual and motor sequencing. Writers must process their thoughts sequentially as they compose letters into words, words into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs that conform to the rules of any language. Applying language rules during writing—from recalling the correct sequence of letters within words, to recalling the proper order of words within sentences (such as, in English, nouns precede verbs and adjectives precede nouns), to building multiple paragraphs within a composition—also places particularly heavy demands on the writer's sequencing abilities.
As the writer translates this mental process into a motor process of composing each word in a sentence, all preceding words in that sentence must be kept in working memory while words and sentences are strung into paragraphs. The writer needs to coordinate these cognitive tasks almost simultaneously, placing heavy demands on processing speed . The significance of processing speed is felt most heavily in the classroom, where students who cannot process rapidly enough are often times left behind.
What the Research Says
Because of the heavy cognitive demands that writing places on attention, sequencing, working memory, and processing speed, Robert T. Kellogg, a professor of psychology at Saint Louis University suggested (Kellogg, 2008) that explicit cognitive skills training programs—especially ones that emphasize deliberate practice—might prove particularly beneficial in improving student's writing skills.
In two separate studies conducted by the author (Rogowsky, 2010; Rogowsky, Papamichalis, Villa, Heim, & Tallal, 2013) a significant improvement in students' writing skills occurred after their participation in a computer-based cognitive and literacy skills training. In the first study, a pretest-posttest randomized field trial was conducted in a public middle school (Rogowsky, 2010). The study compared the writing skills of sixth-grade students who either did or did not receive individually adaptive, computer-based cognitive skills instruction ( Fast ForWord) in conjunction with their standards-aligned comprehensive literacy curriculum for one school marking period (45 days). The writing skills of students who received the cognitive training, in addition to the standards-aligned comprehensive literacy curriculum, improved significantly more than those who received the standards-aligned comprehensive literacy curriculum alone, with a large between-group difference.
In a second study, Fast ForWord training was shown to improve college students' writing (Rogowsky et al., 2013). College students with poor writing skills participated in 11 weeks of computer-based cognitive and literacy skills training, and were compared to a group of college students from the general population of the same university. Results from this study showed the group who received training began with statistically lower writing skills before training, but exceeded the writing skills of the comparison group after training. Although writing was not explicitly trained, the individually adaptive, computer-based training designed to improve foundational cognitive and linguistic skills generalized to improve writing skills in both middle school and college students.
What it Means for Writing Instruction
Based upon these two studies, there is clearly a link between writing and the foundational cognitive skills upon which writing exists. Learning to write is one of the most cognitively demanding academic activities a student must perform. It is not surprising that so many students struggle to perfect and improve their writing abilities throughout their academic years. In addition to the traditional writing methodologies, the future of writing instruction calls for the inclusion of cognitive skills training.
Berninger, V.W., Abbott, R.D., Swanson, H.L., Lovitt, D., Trivedi, P., Lin. S., Gould, L., Youngstrom, M., Shimada, S., & Amtmann, D. (2010). Relationship of word- and sentence-level working memory to reading and writing in second, forth, and sixth grade. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 41, 179-193. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2009/08-0002)
Berninger, V.W., Fuller, F., & Whitaker, D. (1996). A process model of writing development across the life span. Educational Psychology Review, 8(3), 193-218. doi: 10.1007/BF01464073
Kellogg, R.T. (2008).Training writing skills: A cognitive developmental perspective. Journal of Writing Research, 1(1), 1-26. http://www.jowr.org/articles/vol1_1/JoWR_2008_vol1_nr1_Kellogg.pdf
Ransdell, S., Levy, C. M., & Kellogg, R.T. (2002). The structure of writing processes as revealed by secondary task demands. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 2(2), 141-163. doi: 10.1023/A:1020851300668
Rogowsky, B.A. (2010). The impact of Fast ForWord® on sixth grade students' use of Standard Edited American English . (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations. (AAT 3432348)
Rogowsky, B.A., Papamichalis, P., Villa, L., Heim, S., & Tallal, P. (2013). Neuroplasticity-based cognitive and linguistic skills training improves reading and writing skills in college students. Frontiers in Psychology, 4,137. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00137
Torrance, M., & Galbraith, D. (2008). The processing demands of writing. In C.A. MacArthur S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of Writing Research (67-80). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Reading to Write: Fast ForWord Writing Improvement Among College Students
What Makes a Good Reader? The Foundations of Reading Proficiency
"There is an endless war of nerves going on inside each of our brains. If we stop exercising our mental skills, we do not just forget them: the brain map space for those skills is turned over to the skills we practice instead. If you ever ask yourself, 'How often must I practice French, or guitar, or math to keep on top of it?' you are asking a question about competitive plasticity. You are asking how frequently you must practice one activity to make sure its brain map space is not lost to another."
-Norman Doidge in The Brain that Changes Itself
The Critical Period
From our very earliest days, our brain begins to map itself to the world as we experience it through our senses. The mapping is vague at first, lacking detail, but the more we interact with the world, the more well-defined our brain maps become until they are fully formed and differentiated.
"The critical period" is the name given to the time in infancy and early childhood during which our brain is so plastic that its structure is easily changed by simple exposure to new things in the environment. Babies, for example, learn the sounds of language and words effortlessly by listening to their parents speak. Inside the brain, what this learning looks like is the brain actually rewiring itself to change its own structure.
Use It or Lose It: Training the Brain to Form New Maps
Just a few decades ago, the prevailing scientific view held that the brain was a finely tuned machine that operated within a fixed scope of ability once the critical period had passed. But in the 1990s, through a series of experiments with monkeys, Dr. Michael Merzenich discovered that our brains can change well past the critical period—and indeed throughout our lives. But learning that takes place after the critical period is no longer effortless, and children and adults must work hard to pay attention to the new information that they wish to absorb and master.
The maxim commonly used to describe the phenomenon of neural learning is "neurons that fire together wire together," and it's this "wiring together" that results in the corresponding structural changes in the brain. Timing is key to the process, with neurons that fire simultaneously wiring together to create a map.
The space allocated to a neural map evolves over a number of stages. When learning is taking place, a relatively large space is allocated to the map. Once a skill is established, the mapped neurons become so efficient that fewer are needed—allowing some of the map space to be reallocated again for new learning. It's a practical use-it-or-lose-it process that allows us to continue picking up new skills without bumping into space limits in the brain. Taking up a musical instrument such as violin, for example, causes more map space to be allocated to the playing fingers, and consequently, less space is allocated where there is lower demand.
As we develop mastery of a skill, our neurons not only grow to be more efficient, but they also begin to process faster. With that faster processing they tend to fire together more readily as well, creating more groups of neurons that send out clearer signals. The clarity of those signals has a great deal to do with how well the brain learns and remembers what the neurons have processed. The clearer the signal, the more clearly the brain remembers.
But what if there are gaps or inefficiencies in the maps that have been established?
From the Lab to the Learner
Dr. Merzenich had become interested in the work of Dr. Paula Tallal at Rutgers University. Dr. Tallal was interested in understanding why some children have more trouble than others when it comes to learning to read. Her research had shown that auditory processing problems were causing the "fast parts" of speech—common combinations of consonants and vowels that are pronounced very quickly—to be problematic for children with language difficulties.
Dr. Merzenich believed the problem was a matter of the children's auditory processing speed lagging behind the speed of the speech sounds, resulting in an inability to distinguish differences between similar sounds or to perceive the correct sequence of sounds when they occurred in rapid succession.
Another known contributing factor was that of neural readiness. After processing a sound, neurons require a rest period before they can fire again. Normally this rest period is about 30 milliseconds, but for most children with language impairments it takes at least three times as long for the neuron to recover. The result is that a lot of critical language information is simply missed during the rest period.
Merzenich and Tallal believed they could combine forces to effectively help children who struggled to read. In 1996, Merzenich and his colleague Dr. Bill Jenkins teamed up with Tallal and her colleague Dr. Steve Miller to develop a real-world application of the science of neural plasticity by creating a product that could help struggling readers rewire their brains. From this union, Scientific Learning was born.
Fast ForWord
The partnership between Merzenich, Jenkins, Tallal, and Miller resulted in the software product that today we call Fast ForWord. Fast ForWord was carefully designed in the guise of a video game that could challenge and develop cognitive skills like memory, attention, processing speed, and sequencing as well as language and reading skills from phonemic awareness to decoding and comprehension.
Merzenich and Jenkins wanted Fast ForWord to trigger the children's brains to secrete dopamine and acetylcholine—neurotransmitters that help lock in learning. Because the brain secretes these neurotransmitters when it gets rewarded, a generous supply of entertaining animations was built into the product to play spontaneously when a child achieved a goal.
From the very beginning, Fast ForWord elicited remarkable results. Children who participated in the initial field trial boosted their language development by 1.8 years, on average, in just six weeks. A subsequent study at Stanford University, dyslexic children's brains showed increased activity in several areas after Fast ForWord, bringing them more in line with the patterns seen in typical readers' brains. The dyslexic children's brains had shown different patterns of activity before Fast ForWord (as revealed by fMRI).
In the 14 years since the field trial, Fast ForWord has been used by more than 2.7 million children around the world, with achievement gains of up to two years in as little as three months. During this time, school-based results—such as those at St. Mary Parish Public School System in Louisiana—have demonstrated that Fast ForWord can improve test scores across subject areas. And many additional research studies have corroborated the effectiveness of the Fast ForWord program for building cognitive, language, and reading skills.
In a 2010 study at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, Beth Rogowsky found that Fast ForWord significantly improved students' grammar skills as measured by the Written Expression Scale from the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS). A subsequent study by Dr. Rogowsky published in 2013 showed that college students who used Fast ForWord increased their reading and writing skills significantly more than students in a comparison group as measured by the Gates MacGinitie Reading Test and the OWLS.
The Brain That Changes Itself
Our current understanding of how the brain changes itself in response to experience opens the door to mind-bending possibilities. With the development of newer, smaller, and faster technologies, there's no telling how Merzenich's revolutionary discovery of brain plasticity past the critical period will impact the future of education.
What iscertain is that true brain-based learning has arrived, that it's available today, and that children around the world are overcoming language and reading problems that not long ago were often considered insurmountable.
Doidge, N. (2007). The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. London: Penguin Books.
What Educators May Not Know about the Neuroscience of Learning
What New Brain Wave Research Tells Us About Language-Based Learning Disabilities
I'm so excited to announce our webinars for this fall! We are honored to have Dr. Norman Doidge, the well-known author of The Brain That Changes Itself, join us October 2 ndfor a webinar. This is a rare opportunity that educators, clinicians and parents alike won't want to miss. Dr. Tim Rasinski, one of our favorite presenters, is returning to speak about the role of fluency in comprehension, and Dr. Marty Burns will be speaking on meeting the needs of the rapidly changing diverse student populations.
8/19 - Using Brain Science to Close the Achievement Gap
Dr. Martha S. Burnswill discuss what the latest brain science says about the true learning potential of ELLs, struggling readers, and students with ADHD. Find out how today's powerful intervention technologies can help build foundational reading and cognitive skills for a variety of student populations—and help students improve their ability to learn.
9/11 - Reading Fluency: The Neglected (but Necessary) Goal of Your Reading Program
Dr. Timothy Rasinskiis a vocal proponent of teaching reading fluency as a means of helping students build better comprehension. In our September webinar, Dr. Rasinski will talk about fluency as a predictor of reading comprehension, present the research on fluency, and substantiate fluency as an essential component of any successful reading program (National Reading Panel). All this andyou'll gain a better understanding of how to teach fluency so your students can start getting more from their reading.
10/2 - The Neuroplasticity Revolution: New Ways to Improve Learning
For 400 years, the brain was thought to be a more-or-less fixed piece of machinery after infancy. Dr. Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes Itself, will talk about the recent discovery that the brain retains the ability to change its own structure and function in response to experience through the latest years of our lives. Learn how this discovery was made, how it turns our understanding of learning on its head, and how it radically alters the was we think about student potential—especially for students with learning challenges or disorders. And, discover the online interventions that have grown out of the science and learn how they work to help students overcome reading and language difficulties.
Why Dr. Timothy Rasinski Thinks Reading Fluency Should Be "Hot!"
Brain Plasticity: A New Frontier For Education and Learning
Dr. Martha Burns has recently begun holding monthly Office Hours via webinar for private and international providers of Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant software. During her June Office Hours, Dr. Burns answered questions sent in by providers as well as a few questions posed live by attendees. Much discussion centered on the question of when it's appropriate to use each of the different products— Fast ForWord Language v2versus Fast ForWord Literacyversus Fast ForWord Reading Level 1-5—and/or the Reading Assistantprogram.
In answer, Dr. Burns first reminded us that Reading Assistant can always be used simultaneously with any Fast ForWord product as Reading Assistant primarily targets reading fluency through assisted oral reading—so there is not an either/or choice needed when considering Reading Assistant. With mild reading problems, Dr. Burns advised that there is "still a reason" for the struggle—even when the cause is not immediately apparent—so she recommended starting with either Fast ForWord Language or Fast ForWord Literacy and using the program itself to help determine whether it is necessary.
Since all Fast ForWord products are included in the yearly license fee, there is no additional cost incurred by trying Fast ForWord Language or Fast ForWord Literacy for a few days to determine if there is a mild processing, working memory, attentional and/or language problem that could be affecting reading. If a client soars through Fast ForWord Language or Fast ForWord Literacy in the first few days, then moving on to the appropriate Fast ForWord Reading product makes sense. But if any exercise progresses significantly more slowly, keep the client on Fast ForWord Language or Fast ForWord Literacy until completion (80% completion on five of seven exercises in Fast ForWord Language v2 or four of five exercises in Fast ForWord Literacy).
Another question centered on appropriate clinical usage of Reading Progress Indicator (RPI). In reply, Dr. Burns reiterated that RPI is not designed to be a diagnostic tool for clinical use. She recommends turning RPI off in clinical settings.
For the next question, a provider asked for a simple way to explain Fast ForWord to parents. Because of the sophisticated nature of the Fast ForWord products and their effects, Dr. Burns recommends customizing the sample PowerPoint presentations for parents, available in the SciLEARNU tab of MySciLEARN.
Finally, Dr. Burns discussed attentional issues and reminded providers about Dr. Courtney Stephens' researchon the use of Fast ForWord Language to treat attentional problems in children with SLI as well as typical learners.
The full Office Hours Webinar was recordedif you would like to listen to it yourself. The next Office Hours Webinar is scheduled for July 29, 2013 at 10am Pacific time/1pm Eastern Time. Submit your questions ASAPto ensure that we are able to include them!
If you attended this year's 100% virtual Visionary Conference on May 17 th, then you already know about the amazing research presented by perennial audience favorites Dr. Martha S. Burns and Scientific Learning co-founder Dr. Paula Tallal. But if you happened to miss it, you're in luck—because we've captured all of the conference sessions so you can watch them at your convenience and catch up.
Find the links to the research presentations below, along with links to additional sessions full of practical information for clinical providers in support of this year's theme, Growing Together.
What's New in Neuroscience?
In a jam-packed session, Dr. Martha Burns took conference attendees on a fascinating tour of trends and milestones in recent neuroscience. She reviewed years of foundational research underlying detailed maps of the neuronal connectivity of the brain that today we call "connectomes." She then covered recent studies revealing the semantic map of the human brain, with words and word meanings mapped hierarchically over the cortex. She wrapped up with details about specific connectomes within the brain, the cognitive domains controlled by each (from a speech-language perspective, those governing attention and flexibility are particularly interesting), and symptoms related to dysfunction within a connectome. Advances in connectome research, according to Dr. Burns, point to new possibilities for evolving the clinical application of Fast ForWord program technology.
New Research with College Students
Dr. Paula Tallal's session presented revolutionary new research using the Fast ForWord program with college students. The studies sought to determine whether college students using Fast ForWord would show improvements in attention, reading, and writing. Results were impressive, with significant improvements not only in attention and reading, but in writing as well. Dr. Tallal went into detail about the design and results of each study, so you will want to watch the presentationto fully understand the implications of this exciting new peer-reviewed research.
Product Updates and Enhancements
Every year, we look forward to sharing the recent and planned product enhancements with our providers at the Visionary Conference. This year, Ching Lee and Joan Ferguson of Scientific Learning gave online walk-throughs of product and reporting enhancements for both the Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant programs. Their session is a must-watchfor any provider looking to stay current with product and reporting features, as well as those who are curious about future enhancements currently in the works.
Connecting Fast ForWord to Reading Assistant
Using the Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant programs together can be a powerful treatment approach for children and a strong marketing differentiator for private providers. Speech Language Pathologist Beverly Gough's session focused on strategies and techniques for blending the Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant programsin private practice. She walked through a number of clinical scenarios and answered audience questions, providing a wealth of valuable information mined from her years of professional experience as a Scientific Learning provider.
Growing Together: Maximizing Your Reach
Finally, attendees heard from Speech Language Pathologist Renee Matlock about how to reach more students and grow a clinical practice through offsite implementation and general marketing best practices. Ms. Matlock is a recipient of the Scientific Learning Sustained Excellence Award marking the highest quality of implementation of Fast ForWord for more than 10 years. After the release of MySciLEARN®, Ms. Matlock found that parents preferred the ease of having their children work on Scientific Learning products from home. She proceeded to transform her business into a 100% offsite practice, and generously shared her learning at the Visionary with all Scientific Learning Providers. It's the perfect session for any provider looking to grow their practice—so be sure to watch and learn!
Human Intelligence and the Brain: Mapping Intellectual Ability
How are Reading Skills Related to White Matter in the Brain (and Why Does It Matter)?
5 Reasons Why Your Students Should Write Every Day
How can we build better readers? What should we be doing to ensure each student leaves the classroom able to read better than they did when they arrived? Teachers are plagued by these questions. Even when teachers are highly prepared and expertly understand the strategies for reading improvement, learners may disengage. With limited instructional time and the added pressures of today's classrooms, teachers need effective student engagement strategies along with appropriate instructional strategies for reading improvement.
Guided oral reading, for example, is a highly effective instructional strategy for improving reading. But engaging all students with sufficient guided oral reading opportunities is a daunting and difficult thing to do. Students who do not read well are often clever enough to find ways to avoid reading in front of their peers. I know from personal experience that students paired together may sometimes "cheat," letting the stronger reader do all of the reading while the struggling reader listens. Too often, the students who need it most simply do not get the daily reading practicethey need to grow their skills.
Reading comprehension—the entire aim of reading—requires active engagement. Too often students read a text purely with the intent of moving through it and completing the assignment. The purpose of reading for learning and discovery is lost to them. Students need to be drawn into the text. They need to use their background knowledge, to make predictions, to concentrate on details and hold information in their minds. The reading practice needed to realize improvement cannot be a passive activity.
Picture for a moment an engaged classroom working on a reading lesson. We would see every student participating, each one of them focused on learning. We'd see body language reflecting their mental participation and physical responses as they learn. We would also hear them asking questions and getting excited about what they were reading. A zealous vibe would be palpable. When we feel that excitement in a classroom we know that our instructional strategies are working to help students learn.
So what can we do, as teachers, to help our students engage?
Self-esteem is built through engaged, dedicated effort that yields results. Our focus needs to be on ensuring participation, motivation, and excitement around reading for every student.
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Gold Nuggets rally late to defeat Mobile in five sets August 29, 2011 Box score NEW ORLEANS — Taylor Reuther had 12 kills and 15 digs, and Moira Kirk had nine kills and seven blocks Monday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 25-18, 17-25, 31-29, 16-25, 15-13 women's volleyball victory against Mobile at The Barn. Celeste Poe had a career-high 17 digs for Xavier (1-1), and Patrice Hightower had 30 assists and 10 digs. It was the first victory for new XU coach Christabell Hamilton. Xavier trailed 12-10 in the fifth set after leading 3-0 and 6-3, but Mobile (2-1) committed five errors thereafter, four on attacks. Kirk and Hightower blocked Lisa Alms' attack on the final play. Xavier reached match point with the help of Joyy Joseph's diving dig, one of a team-leading four she produced in the fifth set. "We definitely have some fighters on our team," Hamilton said. "We make a lot of young mistakes. We're working on trying to find team chemistry and at the same time find maturity in our decision-marking during the match." Alms, Alison Kenney and Melody Tenney combined for 11 kills to pull the Lady Rams out of at tie at 8 and force a fifth set. Xavier trailed 17-15 and 25-24 in the third set before closing with a Jeanay Butler ace and three Reuther kills. The Nuggets survived despite a combined six kills in the first and final sets. Mobile committed a combined 23 errors during those two periods. It was the second straight match that Xavier played five sets — the first time that's happened since 2003, the Nuggets' debut season — and the second straight match that Reuther, a freshman, recorded a kill-dig double-double. Mobile, picked fourth out of 11 teams in the Southern States Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, swept a pair of matches against Xavier last year. Xavier became the first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference team to win this season — the GCAC was a collective 0-6 prior to Monday — and the first this season to beat a Southern States opponent. The SSAC began the day 21-0, including Belhaven's victory against Xavier on Friday. "Our goal is to get better each day," Hamilton said, "and so far we're on the right track." Xavier's next match will start at 6 p.m. Sunday against another Southern States team, city rival Loyola, at The Den. The Nuggets will play Judson (Ala.) in their next home match Sept. 8. NOTES: Attendance for the home opener was 300 — 100 more than Xavier's largest crowd at The Barn last season . . . The Nuggets are 1-3 in home openers . . . Hamilton said the Nuggets' regular-season and GCAC finale against Dillard at The Barn was pushed back one hour to 2 p.m.
The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets compete in Division I of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) as a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Xavier fields men's teams in basketball, cross country and tennis and women's teams in basketball, cross country, tennis and volleyball.
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Xavier University of Louisiana 1 Drexel Drive Campus Box 92 New Orleans, LA 70125 (504) 520-7329 phone (504) 520-7934 fax


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The BIQ Forum was created as a collaboration between Green Growth International, ADAS and WWF-UK that seeks sponsorship and the running of a 2 - 3 year program to create a free, Open IP, internationally standardised method for businesses to undertake appropriate Biodiversity Impact Quantification (biodiversity footprinting).
Green Growth International
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Launched on 23 November 1961, WWF-UK was the first National Organisation in the WWF network. Today we have offices in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We are a registered charity - most of our income comes from voluntary sources, such as our dedicated members, supporters and the business community. In 2009/10 we spent over £50m on our work. Our 300+ staff work with governments, businesses and communities both here in the UK and around the world.
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Choosing the right host agency to support you is a big decision.
By listening to the needs of our Franchise Partners and travel agents, we've built a system for marketing, selling and managing customer relationships that is simply the best in the industry. Our customized permission marketing program is designed to generate leads and turn them into Customers For Life. CruiseDesk®, our proprietary Customer Relationship Management platform provides everything you need to make your travel agency business more efficient, productive and profitable.


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« Monster-in-Law | Main | Unleashed »
Kingdom Of Heaven
Cinema's least potent leading man, Orlando Bloom, stinks up the screen in Ridley Scott's unsatisfying "epic" about the Crusades, in which Christians promoted century-long bloody battles with the Muslim world in the 11th and 12th centuries. Bloom portrays Balian, a blacksmith who ventures to Jerusalem to absolve his sins, after the suicide of his wife after the death of their son, and ends up leading the military defense of Jerusalem. Grandly staged battle sequences pad the oddly bland story while performances by Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, as Muslim warrior Saladin, and Brendan Gleeson enliven the narrative. Edward Norton does a terrific vocal characterization as the leprosy-suffering Christian king Baldwin IV, who is hidden behind a sliver mask.
Rated R.165 mins. (C+) (Two Stars)
Posted by Cole Smithey on
January 11, 2009 in Historical Epic | Permalink
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Geocaching > Hide and Seek A Geocache > Geocache Log
Saturday, July 20, 2013Wisconsin
Brought our visitor from Argentina here for an Upper Dells Boat Tour. Beautiful day after a week of hot & humid. Headed for home a roundabout way through Devil's Lake State Park. This was on the way so we stopped to show her what geocaching was all about. SL TFTC
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(9.25.09 Friday)
For Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders, Questionings, and Gender-queers. (Yes, I have included you :D )
why can't people love?
why the push and shove?
why can't men love men,
and women love women?
it's how we were born,
i don't see any sinnin'.
and what's the problem with transgender?
it's not like i'm a sex offender
if god made me one way
i also have free will
in my life you have no say,
so keep your tongue still.
what's the whole big fight?
what's really the issue?
let us have our rights
i'm not trying to twist you, dismiss you
Hi Guys!
For anyone who says "aw, those mass email campaigns don't do any good", here is proof that they do:
Dear Pat Nelson,
If you have any doubts about the power of our collective voice, have I got a story for you.
Two days ago, after local activists sounded the alarm, HRC sent out a national email alert warning that a Michigan TV station was planning to air an hour-long paid propaganda piece about the "radical homosexual agenda," created by a right-wing group.


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Profiles are a set of pre-configured settings that help you customize Snagit and allow you to save, send, or share captures with just a click.
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Use Snagit Stamps to annotate your graphics with artwork. Choose from a wide variety of stamps specifically designed for screen captures.
Get videos, tutorials, guides, and more to help you get the most out of Snagit.
Enterprise Resources
Use these tools to make deployment easier, control the installation process, and provide your users with the features they need.


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Alumnus Honored with the Founder's Medallion from Hebrew Union College
Aug 19, 2010 by Natalie Corbin | 0 Comments
Dr. Bryan Beyer (MDiv, '80) professor of Old Testament at Columbia International University received the Founder's Medallion from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in recognition of his 25 years of scholarship in teaching and publishing.Beyer received his B.A. in Humanities from Colorado State University in 1976, the Master of Divinity with a Biblical Studies emphasis from Denver Seminary in 1980, and the Doctor of Philosophy from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1985. Beyer has served at Columbia International University since 1985 where he has filled several positions and authored and contributed to numerous publications.
To read the full article on Beyer please visit Columbia International University's website.
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McAfee All Access 2013
This product is a DOWNLOAD ONLY. You will not receive any physical media in the mail; this product is delivered electronically through email only. After placing your order you will receive a basic order confirmation. A second email will be sent manually with the link to download the program and the activation code. You will receive the second email same business day if you place your order before 3pm MST. If you place your order after 3pm MST your download will be processed the following business day.
Business Hours: M-F 9am-5pm (MST)
Safely enjoy your digital lifestyle on the devices you use to connect. McAfee All Access delivers the security protection you need for the devices you use at home and on the move. You can connect, surf, and socialize online, knowing your computer, laptop, netbook, smartphone, and tablet are safe from malicious websites and hackers, viruses, scammers, cyber bullies, and identity thieves. You can even track, lock, or remotely wipe your missing smartphone or tablet. This comprehensive protection lets you connect with confidence and enjoy the convenience your digital lifestyle offers.


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- Life As Mom - http://lifeasmom.com -
Choosing Better Over Good
Posted By Jessica Fisher On October 31, 2010 @ 1:48 am In GOD | 14 Comments
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
– Luke 10: 38-42 [5]
Jesus doesn't say that Martha was doing something bad. She was doing the housework, presumably cooking and cleaning. After all, she had a houseful! She was doing good work.
But, Mary, who should have been helping, wasn't!
Jesus points out, however, that Mary was choosing something better, in this case, learning what God wanted for her.
It's all too easy for me to get caught up in my to-do list and to feel driven by my circumstances. Oh there's so much that needs to be done!
Early last week I realized that my circumstances were driving my actions and not God or my love for my husband or children. I was being bossed around by the urgent. Woe is me! It wasn't a very comfortable place to be.
After some good prayer and journaling, followed up by a talk with a close friend, things were in better perspective. I was able to make decisions based on what I thought was most God-honoring and what loved my family most.
In many cases, it was letting good things give way to better things.
Article printed from Life As Mom: http://lifeasmom.com
URL to article: http://lifeasmom.com/2010/10/choosing-better-over-good.html
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[4] Image: http://www.flickr.com/people/frankeyscreation/
[5] – Luke 10: 38-42: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2010&version=NIV
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2011 Life As Mom. All rights reserved.


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- 113Promote
Canvas Print
Fine art print on bright white, fine poly-cotton blend, matte canvas using latest generation Epson archival inks. Individually trimmed and hand stretched museum wrap over 1-1/2" deep wood stretcher bars. Includes wall hanging hardware.
I found a little book recently all about Pierre-Joseph Redouté, who was a watercolour artist around the turn of the nineteenth century. He was best known for his contributions to botanical illustration. This ballpoint pen drawing is my tribute to a great painter and his work.
Can I ask what people think about the t-shirt and hoody designs? Do you think I should make the drawing bigger, smaller, or leave it as is? Feedback would be hugely appreciated!
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Ann Fullerton's background as an award winning art director & designer gives her work a strong sense of design, composition and understanding of colour. Some of her illustrative work has appeared in various publications such as The Globe & Mail, Homemakers, Chatelaine, and Canadian Gardening Magazine.
She has received several awards for her commercial work and her fine art. Most recent, Ann was the recipient of the prestigious Tom Crossman Watercolour Award at 2013 Paint Ontario, where another of her paintings received an Honorable Mention. Many of her watercolors have appeared in Corporate Calenders and on Corporate Christmas Cards.
As a full time artist, she works primarily in watercolour but also in acrylics, oil and pen & ink.
She offers workshops and classes (in watercolour painting) in her home studio, Visual Arts Mississauga, Oakville Art Society and for various other art clubs. Ann has taught at Sheridan College, Visual Arts Mississauga (currently teaches there and in her home studio), and for various groups throughout the GTA. Many of Ann's past and present students show and sell their work on a regular basis and report that Ann is a patient and encouraging instructor.
Ann Fullerton's paintings have been recently featured on the Lakeshore Art Trail and the Vancouver Charities Website.
Ann looks forward to painting and showing her work in her new summer home in Grand Bend, Ontario. She has been featured at numerous art shows in Toronto, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Burlington and Oakville
The website offers a wide selection of original watercolour painitngs including landscapes, foliage, animals, birds, still life, floral and gardens.
She has done hundreds of commissions of homes, cottages, boats, antique cars, people and animals. She thoroughly enjoys the various challenges that they can provide.
Please call Ann if you have any questions about purchasing a painting or attending an art course.
Ann Fullerton can be reached at 905-276-9164 or at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Yearly Archives: 2012
Christmas with Style Me Pretty
the style me pretty team never disappoints and this is no exception. their DIY inspiration + simple christmas soirée was *amazing* and inspired my holiday which I filled with lots and lots of greens and handmade gifts. xoxo ladies and as always, a pleasure shot shoot with you!
pear rum blush – another great sip
this great sip is one of my favorites to have shot with maggie…I'm typically not a rum drinker but she married the flavors in this so perfectly, that since our shoot it has been my 'fall into winter' go-to cocktail and perfect to whip up for guests all while looking like a master mixologist. with 5 more days to go, you have plenty of time to grab the fixings and make a practice round too, cheers!
taylor + sly, a boston engagement
t + s have this quiet sweet knowing between them and their connection is palpable. we walked the late afternoon together across the city, and they hugged kissed and nuzzled through all of it. taylor + sly, thank you for reminding me that I *so* love what I do…xo, h.
listed as one of Rangefinder's top 10
holy smokes, what an honor to have been named by Rangefinder magazine as one of the Top 10 Most Sought-After Photographers for 2012…what an amazing year! xoxo
'tis the season…
'tis the season for stemware filled with holiday cheer so it's a perfect time to share this cocktail – a ginger bourbon fizz [and here is where you can download the pretty nifty recipe card]. this is one of my monthly cocktail shoots that I do with maggie of eat boutique for snippet & ink…it's the perfect marriage – maggie creates, I shoot, then I add to my arsenal of recipes. this is very similar to one of my favorites that also uses the smoked bourbon sugar, which is pretty much to die for especially when paired with the thyme. keep an eye out on the S&I blog as another delish sip is posting this week!
an afternoon with Christmas Tree Santas
I was introduced to Christmas Tree Santas at a small community fundraiser – I was so moved by what they are doing that I offered photography coverage of their 1st [of 3!] Christmas tree giveaways this season. I think that I fit into the category of most – thinking of those in need at the onset of holiday season – donating coats, canned goods, or Christmas presents for children of local families…and the regular deposits into the salvation army bucket every time I pass one. so it never occurred to me that the seemingly simple process of purchasing a Christmas tree could be out of reach for those fallen on hard times. and how the absence of that tradition could create a more difficult holiday for the children of those families. Christmas Tree Santas estimates that they will give away 500 trees this month in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Georgia. they work with local agencies to determine those in need, and the families are given vouchers for their tree and also leave with a stand and a bag of ornaments. on the day of our 1st snow, families were greeted by santa, candy canes, trays of cookies and treats, and lots of amazing volunteers that gave hugs, helped to select trees, ran chainsaws, and tied trees to cars. and the cars………they just kept coming……..a reminder to be thankful for what we have, and for what we are able to give. there was a bit of magic in the air blowing around with all that snow and I was truly moved by the spirit of Christmas.
nikon F100 | 85mm 1.8 | kodak portra 160 | film processing + scanning donated by The Finer Image
midnight milk punch
a maggie-created eggnog with a little kick…over on snippet & ink, cheers!
pear ginger fizz
…and don't miss the recipe for SMP's signature drink, a pear ginger fizz with a rosemary garnish. simply festive. great for a holiday celebration or in my opinion, any day in-between, cheers!
thanksgiving loveliness will Style Me Pretty
now that a very busy & amazing wedding season has come to a close, I'm kicking off a winter of blogging with my shoot with the lovely team over at Style Me Pretty. they produced *the* most incredible thanksgiving spread complete with an e-guide on how to hostess your holiday with style & grace. don't miss all of their DIY projects too…the faux coral candlesticks [above] was my favorite and I now have them [after one messy evening that I navigated with a tall cocktail] gracing my dining room table…so simple + sweet.