5 Easy Christmas Blogging Ideas for Literacy and Language Teachers

December 5, 2012

With Christmas right around the corner, teachers are scrambling to finish up the semester before the holidays. If you are a blogger, you probably do not have much time for your blog at the moment. Here are five easy ideas to keep you blogging through this busy time of year:

1. A guide to Christmas away from home

Do you have students from other countries who are missing their family and friends back home? Write a post with your top suggestions on how to survive the holidays away from home.

2. Local Christmas traditions and events

Many areas have special events such as craft fairs, light displays or free ice skating to celebrate the holidays. Tap into your local community to find out what is going on. Write a post that highlights some free or low-cost options for your students and their families.

3. Christmas crafts for young and old

Believe it or not, doing crafts can be an excellent way to build literacy and language skills. You must read instructions, follow directions and use a step-by-step method to complete a task.

Create a post with links to simple crafts that are appropriate for the ages and language proficiency of the group you teach. A link to a YouTube video is always a great idea.

4. Christmas carols for language learning

Sarah Eaton blog photoAs children we learn Christmas carols without really thinking about the words. What does it mean to “deck the halls with boughs of holly”, anyway? If you live in an area where holly does not grow then you may have never seen real holly.

Write a blog post that de-mystifies some of the language and phrases in common Christmas songs.

5. Multicultural Christmas traditions

When I was a teenager my Mom befriended a lady from El Salvador. That first Christmas we exchanged stories about our different Christmas traditions. Marta told us that setting off fireworks after their turkey dinner was part of their tradition. We had a wonderful conversation as we learned about what the similarities and differences were between our two cultures.

Write a blog post that highlights some of the traditions of your students, friends or family members.

Christmas time is one of the busiest times of the year for many people. Keep your blog posts simple and light during this time of year. Focus on joy and sharing and you’ll continue to enjoy your own blogging through the holiday season.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Webinar recording: Creating Space for Strength

November 30, 2012

Our research team is thrilled to share the recording of our webinar “An Introduction to Creating Space for Strength: An Asset-Based Community Development and Research Project Focused on Calgary’s North Central Communities”.

We had over 40 people sign up for the webinar. The program lasted approximately 45 minutes and included chat dialogue from many community participants.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed. As promised, here is the recording. Feel free to share it with others.

5 Great resources on asset-based community development (ABCD) http://wp.me/pNAh3-1xJ
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Share or Tweet this: Webinar recording: Creating Space for Strength http://wp.me/pNAh3-1wI

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

3 Handy Checklists for APA Style and Formatting

November 27, 2012

As my students are getting ready to hand in their final research papers, they are struggling to learn APA (American Psychological Association) standards for formatting, citations and references. Here are three handy checklists I have shared with them. They find them very helpful:

APA Style Checklist – http://www2.indwes.edu/ocls/apa/apastylechecklist.pdf

Checklist for APA Style (from Elmhurst) – http://library.elmhurst.edu/files/2010/02/ChecklistAPA.pdf

APA Format Checklist (from SLU) – http://www.slu.edu/Documents/student_development/student_success_center/APA_Format_Checklist_Handout.pdf

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

An Introductory Public Webinar: Creating Space for Strength An Asset-Based Community Development and Research Project Focussed on Calgary’s North Central Communities

November 21, 2012

Creating space for strength in Calgary - Eaton International Consulting Inc.Our new community development project is underway! We are hosting an introductory webinar that will share an overview of an exciting project we are involved in.

There are 3 of us from Eaton International Consulting Inc. (www.eatoninternationalconsulting.com), working on this study: Lee Tunstall, Ph.D., Vilma Dawson and me. We are studying strength-based community development in a number of Calgary’s North Central communities including:

  • Harvest Hills
  • Coventry Hills
  • Country Hills
  • Country Hills Village
  • Panorama Hills
  • Creekside
  • Evanston
  • Hidden Valley
  • MacEwan
  • Sandstone

Come and learn about a research project designed to find out what our communities’ strengths and assets are, what can be improved, and how. We are particularly interested in hearing your opinions about our strengths, some of the problems faced by our community, particularly in terms of space, and what solutions we can generate to build an even greater community.

There are plans for interviews with interested community members this fall and winter and roundtable discussions will take place in February 2013.

We are interested in hearing your voice!  This is your community and your opinions, suggestions and advice will help create recommendations on how to move ahead with space issues in the community.

Webinar

Join us on Thurs. November 29, 2012, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. for an online webinar explaining the project and how you can get involved. Space in the webinar is limited, so participants are asked to register at:

http://creatingspace.eventbrite.ca

There is no cost to attend the webinar. Everyone is welcome. A computer with a sound card and high-speed Internet connection are necessary to join the webinar.

If you know someone who is interested in community development in these areas, please feel free to share this invitation with them. We can accommodate up to 100 people in the webinar and there is no cost to attend.

If you cannot make the webinar in person, a link will be available through the Northern Hills Community Association website afterwards.

With thanks to those organizations who made this project happen:

Project Origins – Northern Hills Constituency

Project Funders – Government of Alberta (CFEP Grant); United Way of Calgary and Area; Aspen Family and Community Network Society; Northern Hills Community Association

Project Supporters – Northern Hills Constituency; City of Calgary; Aspen Family and Community Network Society; Northern Hills Community Association; United Way of Calgary and Area

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Share or Tweet this: An Introductory Public Webinar: Creating Space for Strength An Asset-Based Community Development and Research Project Focussed on Calgary’s North Central Communities http://wp.me/pNAh3-1wq

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

How to tell if your child is being cyber-bullied

November 19, 2012

In 2012, in British Columbia, Canada, a 15-year old girl named Amanda Todd killed herself. The reason: cyberbullying.

The case has brought to light the devastating effects that cyberbullying can have on a person. Todd’s death has affected Canadians immediately and deeply. Parents are suddenly asking themselves: Is my child being cyber-bullied? How would I know?

Sarah Eaton's education blogStopBullying.gov (a U.S. website) says warning signs that your child may be the victim of face-to-face or any type bullying include:

  • Unexplainable injuries
  • Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry.
  • Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness.
  • Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.
  • Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares.
  • Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school.
  • Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations.
  • Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem.
  • Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide.

The Cyberbullying Research Centre says that 1o% to 40% of youth may be the victim of cyberbullying. They add to the list of warning signs by zooming in on key indicators that make cyberbullying different from other kinds of bullying:

Signs your child is the victim of cyberbullying

Your child may be the victim of cyberbullying if he or she:

  • unexpectedly stops using their computer or cell phone.
  • appears nervous or jumpy when an instant message or email appears.
  • appears uneasy about going to school or outside in general.
  • appears to be angry, depressed, or frustrated after using the computer or cell phone.
  • avoids discussions about what they are doing on the computer or cell phone.
  • or becomes abnormally withdrawn from usual friends and family members.

The Cyberbullying Research Centre offers numerous free resources for parents, children and teachers to help you stay safe online, including this awesome cyberbullying prevention tip sheet for teens.

Cyberbulling is a real phenomenon that affects tens of thousands of children (and adults) around the world on a daily basis. I am not an expert in this area, but I firmly believe that every person deserves love, respect and safety. Deepest condolences to the family of Amanda Todd.

References

Amercian Humane Association. (n.d.). Cyber Bullying Prevention and Intervention.   Retrieved November 19, 2012, from http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/cyber-bullying-prevention-and-intervention.html

Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (n.d.). Cyberbulling: Indentification, prevention and response. Retrieved from http://www.cyberbullying.us/Cyberbullying_Identification_Prevention_Response_Fact_Sheet.pdf

StopBullying.gov. (n.d.). Warning signs.   Retrieved 2012, 2012, from http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/warning-signs/index.html#bullying

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This is the first in a series of posts on cyberbulling. Check out these related posts:

5 Signs your child is a cyberbully http://wp.me/pNAh3-1AM

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Share or Tweet this: How to tell if your child is being cyber-bullied http://wp.me/pNAh3-1w4

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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