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Boy Charges $2,500 In App Buys

zombies vs ninjasCall it a lesson in password protection. The parents of a five-year-old boy in England are regretting handing over their iTunes password after the youngster managed to rack up over $2,500 worth of purchases on the family's iPad.

In the middle of a dinner party, the boy's mother gave him the Apple password so that he could download and play the free app Zombies vs Ninjas. When the child ran into trouble defeating the enemy, he made a series of in-app purchases to stock up on weapons for his digital assault.

This incident comes on the heels of a recent Apple settlement in a case where the Cupertino company was accused of making in-app purchases too easy.

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How's the Weather?

Whens the last time one of your students got to spray water intheir classmates faceand not go to the principals office?

Well, they may have that chance if you give my Live Weather Report project a try.

During this blog, I am going to share a weather-related lesson that has worked fabulously for me, and I think it can do the same for you. Not only is it an effective and engaging way to teach kids about weather, it also serves as a great display during parent nights.

However...

Organization Tips

Classroom organization can be a challenge, especially in the primary grades. As a primary teacher, I tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. I have always been challenged with creating organization that works for both the students and myself. Here are a few quick tips that help me stay organized.

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iPad 'Cannibalizing' PCs in...

Already a hit with the education market, Apple’s iPad is poised to completely take it over, according to the analyst firm Needham & Company, which reports that the tablet is outpacing sales of PCs to students and schools.

In an article posted at CNet.com, Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham...

Behavior Management

Over the past year~ I have seen behavior management in classrooms take a turn away from the negative behaviors and focusing on the positive. School wideprograms such asPBIS~ CHAMPS~ and The Leader in Me encourage positive reinforcement with various incentives. My school has implementedPBISand we have seen a tremendouscut back in the amount of referrals and classroom disruptions due to poor behavior. Utilizing a school wide program allows all faculty members to acknowledge when a student is...

Beyond the Bulletin Board

Teachers know that creating a genuine audience for students’ work dramatically increases their focus and motivation. Yet when student work goes beyond pen and paper, what’s the best way to showcase it?

Mark Anderson’s post on displaying student online work highlights this issue--an important one to consider for educators in tech-integrated...

The White House Webquest

With the upcoming election, I have developed materials which you may find of value to use with your students. The first resource is a webquest on the White House.

The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.What do you know about where the President lives during his term in office?Did you know that President Jimmy Carter was the first to install solar energy panels on the White House or that President Ronald Reagan had them removed? Did you know that President Benjamin...

Wait...

Do you want to know one of the biggest mistakes teachers make?

Waitwaitwait for it.

Thats it! They dont wait for the answer.

The number one mistake teachers make, in my opinion, is they let students off the hook. Go into most classrooms and you will see the teacher ask a question of a child, then if that child does not know the answer, they will either tell them the answer, or more commonly, they will ask another child.

They simply dont wait long...

Changes in the Public’s Attitudes...

Change is hard something that those in the education community may know better than most. Whether it is changing a school culture, a childs life prospects, policymakers thoughts on accountability, or voters minds on a bond referendum, educators are constantly on the lookout for evidence that they are succeeding as change agents. Sometimes that evidence seems scarce, particularly at a national level, as policymakers push education in ways we dont always like and rhetoric indicates that we are...

Anchor Charts

Today was day 2 for my first graders. Today I introduced an anchor chart (formerly known as thinking maps). I prefer the term anchor charts because I create them with my students and post for the students to refer to. The charts are created for the sole purpose of "anchoring" their thinking. Anchor charts can be created and used for any subject.

Today we completed two charts. The first chart, we compared kindergartners and first graders. I helped the students brain-storm the...

Board?

Are your students bored? Then let them make a board. A game board that is.

As a teacher of gifted students, I am always amazed at how my classes have loved creating game boards as assignments. They become immersed in creating a theme, crafting game pieces, coming up with clever questionsthen the fun part, they get to play each others games.

Personally, I love using the game board lesson because it can be applied to almost any subject. If students are studying natural disasters,...

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