This weekend only we are offering $5.00 off new purchase @KidsDesk.  This special offer for blog readers & twitter friends, is good for purchases of $20.00 or more. 

The best part is you can use it towards anything we carry.  Now is a great time for a children’s desk or a children’s keyboard and children’s computer mouse for your laptop or desktop.  The exciting part is you can do this without breaking the bank.  All computer accessories are compatible with Mac and PC.  These are great solutions for early learning and educational software. This offer is not valid on prior purchase. 

We also carry a large selection of children’s furniture, children’s bedroom furniture, major league baseball furniture,  and children’s headphones, which are perfect for iPod and MP3 players.  Visit now www.kidsdesk.net.  We have been helping parents and teachers for over six years.

To take advantage of this special offer use promo code. 2.6.2010.

Have a great weekend.

As you may know getting that technology certification helps you get the job interview. 

Already in a job?  Certification helps re-enforce your professional status in your team and focuses you to learn the technologies that are your IT trade skills.

At the IT Academy’s  Prometric test centre based at the University of York you can now take your Microsoft examinations and if you don’t succeed first time you can retake the exam for free! 

Microsoft exams are priced at £88 (no VAT) and can be taken by appointment at our Helix House training facility.

Our next exam day is 26th February at 2pm – will you be ready?

Email or call the IT Academy to book your seat today.

Your are invited to our next Special Education Advisory Committee on Thursday, February 11 at 7:00 pm at the Student Achievement Resource Center (SARC), 14188 E. Briarwood, Centennial.  Our special presentation will be from Cherry Creek transportation.  SEAC meetings also include reports from the Special Education Directors and the School Board.

The objective of this poster is to visually demonstrate the principles and elements of design within the classroom.  The poster links to the curriculum within the course DES1020: The Design Process addressing the general learning outcome 1) identify and apply the steps in the design process.  The specific learning outcomes it addresses is 1.2) identify the elements, e.g.; line, shape (2D) or form(3D), color, texture, depth (perspective), light, direction (motion), mass (visual weight), tone (black & white) or value (color), space (positive and negative), and 1.3) identify the principles of design, e.g.; balance, emphasis, proportion (scale), repetition (rhythm/pattern), unity, contrast, harmony, proximity and variety as they apply to form and function.  This poster as a learning resource can be used in many different contexts within the classroom.  It can be used as a bridge-in to the course as the students are introduced to the design process and they begin to recognize and apply the different components.  Therefore by using this poster it would not only intrigue them because of the visual appeal, but it also gives them an overall idea of what they will be learning.  This poster will teach the students what the different principles and elements of design are and as well there are visual examples provided so they actually perceive what they are and how they are represented.  It can definitely be used as an example when teaching the specific outcomes that it addresses within the curriculum, as it demonstrate the principles and elements from different perspectives.  The different combinations amongst the principles and elements illustrate how the design process has many different solutions.  It can also be used as an ongoing example within the classroom and the students can always reference it when working with or through any part of the design process.  Additionally, it could be used as an example of a project that the students may be expected to create on their own.  They as well could create a wheel indicating the principles and elements of design and could combine the components in any manner that appeals to them, as long as it indicates the correct composition amongst the principles and elements.  It could even potentially be used as a form of assessment with a little modification to its existing representation.  If the principles and elements of design were covered up on the poster, the students could be expected to identify them based on the graphics represented that are represented on the poster.  Overall this poster fits into the curriculum as a learning resource very well, as it has many different uses or potentials and would be a good resource for the students throughout all the courses in design studies.

Have you ever wished your child or student enjoyed doing their homework, research and projects?  Does homework get put off or delayed because there is just not a fun or ideal environment for them?   You can create this environment with a children’s computer desk or a children’s table with chair.  Creating a space designed and  designated for homework has shown to improve overall grades and performance with some students.

We received an email from a customer who purchased a desk for her grade school age daughter.  Before getting the desk she used to sit in the dining room which is adjacent to the living room and television.  Over time she realized that her daughter was getting distracted by the TV or conversations amongst the family.  She found the quality of her daughters homework suffered as a result.

She set out to create a work space for her daughter.  She purchased  a children’s table set and then set up a used PC with software that gave her full parental controls.  She outfitted it with the Kids Complete Starter Set which included a children’s keyboard and children’s computer mouse.  Her daughter was extremely excited and started looking forward to doing her homework again.  Throughout the rest of the year, her teachers took notice and her grades on homework greatly improved.  It is stories like these that make us realize how important it is to have a special place for your child to be able to focus and be free from distractions.

If you are interested in learning more about solutions we offer, please visit us www.kidsdesk.net.  We offer a large and ever-growing solutions that will fit your needs.  Thank you for visiting the KidsDesk Blog.  Please bookmark us and visit again soon.

Make homework fun again

By staying with Windows XP, 2000 or even earlier, the “baddies” know you are vulnerable to hacking and malware.  Therefore they really don’t want you to upgrade! 

They can hack a Windows XP PC using automated methods that will detect a vulnerable PC, connected to the internet, within minutes.  (Especially XP RTM, SP1, un-patched and those PC’s that have Windows Update turned off!).

In February and March Andrew Bettany, IT Academy manager, will be presenting on the reasons why Windows 7 is worth the upgrade from XP.

A bit of nostalgia for you if you prefer older versions of Windows Try Win3.1 in a web browser here:

Of course if you really need an older operating system to keep running a legacy application then that is fine.  Just keep it away from the internet!

A lot of businesses are currently investigating “Virtualisation”: we would recommend making a “copy” of the running PC (no need to re-install the applications) and then transfer it to a virtual machine on top of an up to date “host” such as Windows 7 or Server 2008.

To find out more, or discuss how to learn about virtualisation please contact the IT Academy.

Baking Muffins Lesson Plan: CTS Module FOD1020 (Baking Basics)

Blueberry Banana Bran Muffins: recipe and Kitchen Lab Procedural Sheet

Blueberry-Banana Bran Muffins: PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Students succeed or fail for very specific reasons.  Over the past couple of semesters I have been able to track what these reasons are and develop a set of clear strategies that if followed will help every student succeed.  You and I will be looking at these strategies throughout the entire semester.

But before I share them with you, I’d like to hear from you what you believe to be the top reasons students fail.  If you cannot think of ten that’s okay, just share with us as many as you can.

So, what do you think are the top reasons students fail?  In the next post, we’ll discuss what you think are the top reasons students succeed.  Thanks and I look forward to your responses.

   Name:________________________

Chapter 13 Graphs and Statistics

Worksheet One:  Pictographs, Bar Graphs & Line Graphs

Please read instructions carefully.

This question below is worth 3 marks.

1.  Make a pictograph of the information in the table below.  Remember to draw the symbol in the key.

Round to the nearest hundred.

Color of IPods Sold

Color of IPods Sold

Key   _________________________= 100 IPods

Question about your graph:  What is the most popular color of IPod sold?   __________

Marks will be given for the following when drawing a single bar graph:

• Labelling x-axis.
• Labelling y-axis.
• Giving your graph a title.
• Drawing accurate bars.
• Using the proper interval.

This question is worth 5 marks.

2.  Make a horizontal single bar graph for the data below.

Attendance at School Dance

Marks will be given for the following when drawing a double bar graph:

• Labelling x-axis.
• Labelling y-axis.
• Giving your graph a title.
• Drawing accurate bars.
• Using the proper interval.

This question below is worth 5 marks.

3.  Make a horizontal double bar graph for the data below.

Hockey Games Won

Marks will be given for the following when drawing a single line graph:

• Labelling x-axis.
• Labelling y-axis.
• Giving your graph a title.
• Connecting the dots.
• Using the proper interval.

This question is worth 5 marks.

4.  Make a single line graph for the data below.

Snowfall

Marks will be given for the following when drawing a double line graph:

• Labelling x-axis.
• Labelling y-axis.
• Giving your graph a title.
• Connecting the dots.
• Using the proper interval.
• Key

This question is worth 6 marks.

5.  Make a double line graph for the data below.

Music Sales

6.  Use the information in the circle graph to answer each question. 

1.  How does the Easter Bunny spend most of his day?           ___________________

2.  What percent of his day is spent eating and sleeping?      ___________ (show your work)

3.  How many hours a day does the Easter Bunny work?  ________________ (show your work)

4.  How many hours does the Easter Bunny sleep?  _________________ (show your work)

We put together a list of educational resources that you may find helpful.  Our company is committed to early childhood development. Here is a list of some of our favorite early education and early childhood websites.  If you would like to suggest a resources or site, please visit www.kidsdesk.net & contact our customer care department.

Early Childhood Resources:

• Parenting Advice, Activities for Children, Family Games and Recipes – FamilyEducation.com
• Education.com – Bringing learning to life
• Earlylearning.org – Foundation for Early Learning
• PBS parents – Early Learning
• U.S. Department of Education – Ed.gov
• Wikipedia – Early childhood education

Early Childhood Learning

If you would like more information about the products that KidsDesk has available, please visit www.kidsdesk.net.

KidsDesk.net | Endless Imagination has a large selection of school audio, children’s desks, children’s furniture, children’s computer keyboards, children’s computer mouse and children’s computer headphones and much more.

Please note: KidsDesk.net is not endorsed by any of these resources.

ARchive: Harassment [7]

Type: Powerpoint Presentation/Discussion
Area(s):  Bullying, Hazing, Verbal, Sexual and Religious Harassment

Date: March 20-28th

Course: Health Grade 7

Notes: This was a resource I designed to promote discussion and inform students on the various areas of Harassment. Each slide topic lead to a brief discussion and designed strategies to get out of unwanted scenerios. At the end of the unit, students will create a poster promoting Harassment Awareness.

*Hazing slide: Photos are of the St. Albert High Schoool hazing (illegal hazing) and the Anahiem Might Ducks rookie hazing in 2008  (rookies chose to participate, and activity was fun for all)

**Racism slide: Soccer photo, is that of a famous soccer player who constantly got pelted with bananas being on the field.