Clif's Notes

THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2009

I admire and appreciate everyone that has participated in The Challenge the past 2 years (2007, 2008). I look forward to doing more good together this holiday season, too.

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I’ve written posts encouraging educators to get students actively involved in service education. I’ve shared the rationale for implementing service activities in the classroom and suggested some resources to help us get started.

Your feedback and encouragement back in 2007 prompted me to take this a step further. Rather than simply encouraging teachers (in general) to do this I’m now challenging you (specifically you) to start a service activity in your classroom.

The holiday season is upon us, so I think it’s a great time to talk about service and initiate a project with your students.

Here’s THE CHALLENGE.

1. Kick-off a service activity in your classroom.
2. Make us aware of your project.
• I’ve dedicated a new section of the blog to this activity and added a permanent link titled The Challenge to the main menu. This allows us to to share information, photos, videos, and provide links to personal/ class blogs, wikis, websites, etc. where we can learn about each other’s projects and share resources and ideas. You can post your information by:
  • Leaving it in the comments in The Challenge area.
  • Emailing me a link to your project blog, wiki, site, etc. that I’ll add to The Challenge area.
3. Keep working on your project and enjoy all the wonderful things that will surely come from it.
4. Share. Share. Share.

• Let’s use The Challenge area, Twitter, Plurk, Skype, etc. to provide updates by which we (including our students) can all follow each other’s progress.
• Please tag all related materials and resources with thechallenge

Let’s make the world a better place. I CHALLENGE YOU!!!

Resources

Here are some great resources to help you get started.

Event Tag: thechallenge

• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2007
• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2008
• Service Education
• An Opportunity to Make a Difference

Are You Clicking Everyday?

Your daily click provides a free mammogram. It’s that simple. Make this part of your daily routine.

• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2007

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Your daily click provides a free mammogram. It’s that simple. Make this part of your daily routine.

• Are You Clicking Everyday?
• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2007

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

(Repost from 2008)

Here are some useful resources related to this topic.

• The Breast Cancer Site – Click it daily and provide free mammograms.
• Relay for Life
• Race for the Cure
• Susan G. Komen
• American Cancer Society
• Live Strong – The Lance Armstrong Foundation
• National Cancer Institute
• CureSearch – National Childhood Cancer Foundation
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Please share other resources that you recommend in the Comments below.

• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Service Education
• Are You Clicking Everyday?

Team Darfur

Here’s another potential service project you and your students can consider helping.

(Crosspost from A Work in Progress)

Team Darfur is an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Team Darfur was co-founded by Olympic gold medalist speed skater Joey Cheek and UCLA water polo player Brad Greiner. Joey raised over $1 million in 2006 when he announced he would donate his medal bonuses to relief in Darfur, and encouraged other athletes and sponsors to do the same. After seeing the impact this action had Joey wanted to encourage other athletes to use their time in the spotlight to raise awareness about the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. At the same time, Brad realized that if athletes from around the world wore one symbol showing their commitment to Darfur, people from around the world would support them by raising awareness and funds for relief through purchasing that symbol. From these two realizations Team Darfur, and the Team Darfur sweatbands, were born. (Source)

• The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson that Teaches So Much
• The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson
• Civil Rights Museum
• Service Opportunity

The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson

(Repost from 08/21/2007)

I challenge you to complete this mini-lesson and consider the questions below.

Lesson

Watch the video below about the crisis in Darfur. (A free download of this video is avaiable here.)

Play Darfur Is Dying, a quick mini-game that simulates aspects of daily living in this region.

Discussion

1. What is your reaction to this information and simulated experience?
2. What, if anything, did you learn from this lesson?
3. How might this activity be integrated with teaching and learning

• The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson that Teaches So Much
• Team Darfur
• Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom: Valuable or Distracting?
• Civil Rights

Darius Weems: Inspiration for the New Semester

This documentary was shared during yesterday’s faculty meeting. I was struck by the courage and determination of Darius and by the care and friendship demonstrated by his eleven friends (Young men studying to become special education teachers). Together they are all making a real difference!

Darius Weems was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Darius had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia, because of the disease. “Thus, in the summer of 2005, with the help of eleven young friends, 15-year-old Darius set off on a road trip across the United States…in an RV and tested wheelchair-accessibility in America” (Source). Along the way Darius was able to see and experience many new things: swimming in the ocean, seeing the Grand Canyon, crossing the county line, visiting a roadside rest stop, and riding in a hot air balloon, just to name a few. The entire inspirational trip is shared in this award winning documentary.

Learn more about Darius’ ongoing cause and purchase your copy of the film, Darius Goes West, here.

• I’m Thankful…
• A New Year Begins…
• An Inspirational Olympic Story You May Have Missed
• NECC This Morning

Thank You from the OLPC Kids

• More about OLPC
• OLPC Facing Corporate Competition
• OLPC Extends “Give One, Get One” Program
• OLPC: Give One, Get One

World on Fire

Learn more about World On Fire. Please also consider making a difference and teaching your students to be service-minded by being part of The Challenge.

• 1 Thing New Teachers Should Know
• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2009
• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2007
• THE CHALLENGE to All Educators 2008

Writing Letters to Santa: From the Headlines

Annual North Pole Effort to Answer Kids’ Letters to Santa Claus Wraps up
“There’s no price tag on joy,” he said as he and several volunteers folded return letters — a handful of more than 20,000 responses to children who wrote to Santa this year. “It’s just a piece of paper with words on it, but the people who come out and give of themselves during the busiest time of the year, all to provide a child, and sometimes an adult, with a smile is pure charity and kindness,” Gaborik said.

Helping the Magic of Christmas Live on
For something that merely started as a way to buy my sons’ their Christmas presents, this has certaily turned into something more. It shows me that there still is a certain innocence in our world and that we need to let children be children…

Please also consider being a part of The Challenge.

• Writing Letters to Santa: A Lesson Plan
• OLPC: Give One, Get One
• Today Is World Math Day
• Today Is World Math Day