 How to Protect Your Kids Online
Bt Caroline Chambers Whether you are a parent or a teacher, this article has some very useful tips on how to keep your child (or your students) safe online and is well worth the read. It includes topics such as:
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Many questions don't have a true or false answer and there is no way of proving it either way. Many personal questions are like that - it is all about perspective and point of view. Yesterdays question was like that. There are other questions that you would think have a right or wrong answer but again it can depend on the context or what is considered true at a particular time and place in history based on current knowledge. The following question is one of these, and the answer to these sorts of questions is often based on a consensus from a number of sources. Use a range of different sources to find and answer the question and then decide which source of information you would consider most accurate or reliable. How far is the Earth from the Sun?For the rest of January I will be posting a daily question. This question may be open or closed, divergent or convergent, answerable or unanswerable or maybe Socratic. You can just think about a response or you may like to answer the question by adding a comment. There are no right or wrong answers - just answers that will help stretch your thinking and challenge your beliefs. So let's get started. Who in the last 100 years do you believe has had the biggest positive impact on humanity and why? The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise, View from the Chevet (1890) w740 x h940 mm, Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas Submitting an engaging visual art portfolio/body of work for assessment is one of the most important parts of studying visual art. Each artwork needs to show your creativity, understanding of your coursework, and the ability to develop an idea. By following our easy to understand guide, you'll be able to lift the quality of your work and make it stand out to achieve a better overall grade. 1. Tell a story Good art engages your viewer, but great art tells them a story. Think about how you can tell your audience a story by using all of the tools you have available: symbolism, scale, perspective, shape, harmony, etc. Use all of these (and more) to create a powerful and engaging piece of art. 2. Engage with your unit outline Art is creative, spontaneous, and intuitive, so following coursework may seem limiting. It is quite the opposite however, as it gives you clear direction, and tells you what you should focus on. The first thing to do with a new theme is brainstorm - it is an easy way to create new ideas and explore your topic. This, of course, should be done after reading your unit outline. It is written for you for a reason, so use it! 3. Use different mediums It is important to work with your strengths when choosing paint over pencil, or vice versa. Only using one medium limits your potential, however, so think about which medium best suits your current project work - be careful to not choose the same one every time. Being multi-disciplinary is important, even in art. 4. Be inspired Inspiration comes to us in many ways and in many forms. Why not let Van Gogh, Monet, Dali, and Whiteley (to name a few) help - engage with their art, and see if their techniques, skills, or subject material can inspire and change the way you approach your own work. 5. Less is more Simplicity in your artwork is a good thing - if a painting is too 'busy', it can be distracting, chaotic, and pull focus in too many places. Your main idea or subject should be clear enough without additional information to convey your theme and/or message. 6. Talk to your teacher and classmates Listening to your intuition is important in art, and each decision you make will influence your finished piece. However, the advice and critiques of others will offer you an objective view of your work and inform your process. Accepting others' critiques of your art is hard because it is so personal, but it is also necessary. 7. Explore new ideas If your work consists only of painted landscapes, try a portrait. If you love figure drawing, try a cityscape. Sticking to what you do best is easy, but the way to grow as an artist is to push yourself to learn more and increase your skill set. Step 3 talks about using different mediums, but you should also be changing your subject matter, as it shows you have put considerable thought into your topic. 8. Include your mistakes Creating art is a process, and just like maths, you get more marks by including your 'working out'. A failed idea is never a failure: it is an important step in your visual inquiry process, and shows growth and development in your ideas. 9. Be consistent / Don’t rush Everyone works differently, but the amount of thought and effort put into your work depends on you . The more time and testing put into your work, the better the finished result. As an art student, you've probably realised by now that art is the subject that needs the most of your time if you want to excel at it, and that's OK. Sometimes art is impressionist and spontaneous, but if you rush it, you skip some of the creative process and don't maximise your skills (or potential). 10. Know when to finish Much like step 5, knowing when to finish is another important decision to make to prevent your piece from being 'overworked'. Leonardo da Vinci said 'a painting is never finished', and while this may be true in some ways, knowing when to put down your pencil or paintbrush is an important part of producing art. More paint does not necessarily mean better quality (or grades), so don't ruin all of your work.  Kano Eitoku. Cypress Trees, 1590 - colour on paper with gold leaf. Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Japan.
Accessed via http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/153737 We are always being told about the importance of nutrition to stay healthy and is especially so in the teenage years when you are under so much pressure with school, job, study, exams, sport etc. The only trouble is finding quick and easy recipes that will give you maximum nutritional benefit and still taste really great. Journey to Health for Teens provides great quick and easy recipes. The creator, Leanne Costa, is a home economics teacher in a high school (and has three grown daughters) so knows about creating delicious healthy meals for young adults. You can subscribe to the You Tube Channel JTH4teens or here are three videos to get you started on creating healthy snacks or you can follow JTH4teens on Facebook and Instagram.
 For most people, when you see a book about Winnie the Pooh, you'll cast your mind out to childhood stories, Pooh and his cute animal friends, and a simple bear who, more often than not, has his hand (or head) in a honey jar. However, if you look closely at the conversations that Pooh has with his friends, there are some very wise and profound words of wisdom that come from this furry fellow and they are as poignant (even more so today) than when A.A. Milne first wrote the stories.
There are some excellent teaching moments that you can create through discussion of these quotes. Listed below are some that you might like to use with students or, if you are reading this as a student, think deeply about what is being said here. It has significance for all of us. On trusting yourself: Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. On the importance of the little things: Sometimes, said Pooh, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart. On living in the present: “What day is it?” “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favorite day,” said Pooh. On the futility of worry: “Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?” “Supposing it didn’t,” said Pooh after careful thought. Piglet was comforted by this. On being yourself The things that make me different are the things that make me. On gratitude Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude. On stepping out of your comfort zone You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. On clearing your mind of all thoughts (mindfulness) Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering. On the value of dreams I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time. On love “How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet “You don’t spell it…you feel it.” – Pooh Image ref: https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3061/3066814584_0d0db6817c_b.jpg
If you are looking for some great free graphics that highlight words in a range of formats, then Blue Diamond Gallery is an easy-to-use free program. There is an A-Z list of words you can choose from in each of the three graphic styles: Dictionary Pictures, Tablet Words and Wooden Tile Word Pictures. Once you have selected the style and word you need, you are provided with details of the author and attribution rights, meaning the picture can be copied, saved, and redistributed freely.
There are also purchasing options available if you wish to purchase higher-resolution pictures at a larger size. For educational purposes, this website is an excellent introduction into thinking about the visual placement of titles and words, with the resource also being a a great model for what students could create themselves.  Writing Tips Oasis is a site designed to support writers to make their ideas a literary reality.
Hiten Vyas, the founder of the website, states that they want to "provide the very best writing tips, writing advice, and guidance to help you become the best writer you can be, whether it’s as a published author, a freelance writer, a business writer, a journalist, poet, or as a blogger." They also want to help you improve not only your craft, but develop the business skills needed to sell your work to the markets you choose to. By reading regular blog posts about different aspects of the writing process, you gain valuable knowledge and practical advice. The extensive collection of author interviews also gives you insight into what inspires them and how they nurture and develop their craft. All resources are free, and current and blog posts are added regularly. If you are a teacher of English, Teacher Librarian, or a students who wants to hone their writing skills (with the possibility of publishing) then this site is definitely going to help you get published. Featured blog post - Protecting Children's privacy - a Guide for parents, Carers and Educators11/18/2016
Hold it lightly and trust If one holds too tightly on to anything (no matter how beautiful, liberating, or true) the holding tightly can limit us. What are you holding tightly onto? Let go and trust - an open palm allows more things to come your way... a closed fist shuts out all opportunities.
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Theo Crazzolara, symphony of love, timsackton, mugwumpian, mrbichel, SIM USA