Welcome to the Carnival of Education: The Hiking Edition

(I am new to this hosting bit so I hope you enjoy this adventure. If you see any mistakes, please contact me as soon as possible at successfulteaching (at) gmail (dot) com. Now let’s begin our hiking adventure!)

I gathered a group of people who were interested in having a grand adventure but I didn’t tell them where we were going. I told them that this week I was going to take them on a hiking trip where we will hike along different trails and see different things. They had to put on their most comfortable shoes and bring some food and drink in case they got hungry along the way. Along the way you can listen to many of the discussions that take place as we hike.

Nancy Flanagan presents It's an ADD, ADD, ADD, ADD World posted at Teacher in a Strange Land, saying, "Field trips! Gotta love 'em."

Before we started, I wanted everyone know some rules of thumb, like what to bring with you, what to wear, things that a PROFESSIONAL already knows. Wearing the right clothes and shoes can keep you from getting injured and it is important to bring water when you hike so you don’t get dehydrated. I always like to bring some food too (just in case I get “misplaced” – not lost!)

Here's a fun and motivating gesture to make at the beginning of the summer vacation. Siobhan Curious shares with us her professional development meme 2009 on classroom as microsm.

Mrs. D of Footsteps of Aristotle shares Things I do well: Getting excited about learning

teachin' presents I'm a Dreamer: Promise kept. posted at I'm a Dreamer, saying, "This is why I teach."

Mathew Needleman presents Copyright for Teachers: Persistent Myths posted at Open Court Resources.com Blog.

Miss Profe presents Spanish 1-8 Teaching Project posted at Pensamientos.

William Schimmel shares Talk of National Standards from No Cynics Allowed

Business Analysts are responsible for facilitating requirements analysis, requirements validation and business process improvement. Below are some qualities and traits of a good Requirements Lead and Business Process Improvement Facilitator that a Business Analyst should develop to be effective. Pierson Requirements Group shares Qualities of an Effective Business Analyst.

Victoria Westcott presents Gay Teachers Abroad: What's It Like to Teach in the UK as a Foreign Gay Teacher? posted at Teach in London.

As we began our hike, many of them were interested in the HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES of the trails. It is really interesting to see how many of these hiking trails have started and what historical sites they pass through.

Some were interested in the SCIENCE of the trails hoping to find flora and fauna along the way. I never really noticed how many animals are along the trail until I paid attention. I just prayed we didn’t come across a cranky snake! They also were thrilled about the HEALTH benefits that hiking can give you.

Pankaj gupta from Masters in nursing shares 5 Social Media Sites for Your Health.

Keep your appliances in one piece while little hands discover how electronics work with these hands on activities. Neighbor Nancy from Recession Depression Therapy shares Electronics Activities for the Young Mad Scientist.

Others wanted to know the MATH that was involved in making the trails. Math is important when figuring out mileage on long hikes. This helps to determine how much food and supplies you need on long trips. If you hike a long trail like the Appalachian Trail, this information is vital.

Pat from Successful Teaching shares about A Measurement Adventure she had (hey, that’s me!).

There were some who wanted to make sure that all of the signs and informational boards were written with correct spelling and grammar because LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH was important. If a sign is not written correctly, it can really get a hiker lost. They took lots of pictures of the signs.

Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook presents Literacy Lava, Get It While It's HOT! posted at The Book Chook, saying, "This is my post about a free pdf called Literacy Lava. It's erupting with great tips for parents about reading, writing and creating with children."

Relax from The Wise Curve shares the ultimate way to keep the pen mightier than the sword with How to Improve Your Writing

Jeannie Anderson from The Writer in Me - Teaching, Writing, Living shares Week 1 for English 1102 on Blackboard

It was great to hear some of the discussions that different people were having. Some wanted to know the PEDAGOGY behind the makings of the trails and what kind of education we would get from hiking the trails. Some people feel it is important to know the philosophy and beliefs that form and sustain our trails.

Joanne Jacobs presents E-textbooks: Is it time to go digital? posted at Joanne Jacobs.

woodlassnyc presents Woof, woof! posted at Under Assault: Teaching in NYC.

Andrew Bernardin presents The Internet as a Hyper-Crossroads posted at The Evolving Mind.

Some felt that they were not physically fit and needed some SPECIAL EDUCATION in order to succeed. If necessary, special accommodations were made so that everyone was able to succeed in completing the hike.

Oldandrew from Scenes from the Battleground shares Charlie and the Inclusive Chocolate Factory.

Mary Ann Zehr presents Trend Watch: Response to Intervention and ELLs posted at Learning the Language.

Hopefully some people just wanted to hike to enjoy the beauty of the trail and to enjoy the ART along the way. There is so much beauty in nature if we only look for it. It was fun to see what different people liked to photograph.

Mister Teacher presents You're a superstar posted at Learn Me Good.

I was worried that I would also have to inform them of special etiquette and SOCIAL SKILLS that were expected on the trail. When I am heading uphill, I always like to yield the right away to downhill hikers who are moving faster. It also gives me a chance to catch my breath.

Super Saver told us his story about My Wealth Builder: We're Holding our Daughter Back for Kindergarten on My Wealth Builder

As we neared the end of our trail, some hikers decided that they wanted to know more and hopefully go on longer hikes and other locations. They wanted to know where to go for the FUTURE.

Randall James from Random Randy.com asks, “Just finished college and looking at what you can do with that aging email address?” Then read Before Your Graduation Party, 2009!

Dozens of top accredited colleges are now offering accelerated online degrees to help you earn a college degree at an accelerated pace. Joe Dale talks about Accelerated College Degrees Online on Accelerated Degrees.

As an LSE grad, I was inspired to write this piece because the new winner of the British Apprentice went there too..But what's so great about it? Sarah Ebner from School Gate - Times Online - WBLG shares What do JFK, Cherie Blair, Mick Jagger, Daniel Finkelstein and Yasmina Siadatan have in common? Yes, it's LSE....

If you want to know What to do when companies come looking for you, Khan from Higher Education and Career Blog shares how to Conquer the Campus Interview.

DetentionSlip.org shares Kanye West holds concert for improving students and says, “I guess it's a start, but is he really the best candidate to motivate our youth? Maybe.”

Sarah Scrafford presents Networking 101: Tips and Tools for Online Students posted at Rated Colleges.

ESN presents The Master List of Free Language Learning Resources posted at Universities and Colleges.

As a hiker, I feel it is important to give back to the trail society as a way to show appreciation for the trails that are already there. I encouraged people VOLUNTEER to help maintain the trail so they brought plastic bags to pick up the trash as we hiked.

Dave Greene in BaltoNorth shares Oxymoron squared! Mandatory volunteerism now optional in Baltimore County Public Schools.

When it was over, we arrived back at base camp, a little sweaty, a little tired, but hopefully a little happier from embarking on this adventure! I hope everyone enjoyed this trip as much as I did!

That concludes this edition. Folks interested in hosting a future edition of the C.O.E. should please let us know via this email address: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of education using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.