Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Dr. Russell A. Sabella / Get Kids Offline and Outside - Fox 4 Morning Blend

Dr. Russell A. Sabella / Get Kids Offline and Outside - Fox 4 Morning Blend

Monday, June 21, 2010

Summer Reading ... Amazon.com: Bargain Books

Find, shop for and buy Bargain Books at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/9lOWjx

Up to 60% off ..

Thursday, June 17, 2010

SchoolCounselor.com eNews #119

SchoolCounselor.com eNews #119

McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score

Brian Leaf has redefined test-prep. Check out his innovative series "McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score," available anywhere books are sold. "This book is a good read even if you don't have to take the ACT."
Edward Fiske, Fiske Guide to Colleges

"The specific skills needed for the ACT, confidence building, stress-management, how to avoid careless errors this book has it covered!"
Laura Frey, former President of the New England Association for College Admission Counseling

"What a surprise, what a relief! An SAT guide that actually meets students where they are, talks to them with wit and compassion and clears away the panic of test-taking. And, the writing is first-rate, too. Bravo Brian Leaf.
Rebecca Pepper Sinkler, former Editor, The New York Times Book Review

I enjoyed the informal writing style, and the flash cards for math are brilliant! Students are used to stacks of vocabulary words in preparation for the verbal portion of the test, why not drills on flash cards for the math section?
Denise Brown-Allen, Ed.D., Upper School Director, The Pingry School

Download the first 40 pages by clicking here.

http://www.BrianLeaf.com

SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter #119

June 14th, 2010

Welcome to SchoolCounselor.com, an electronic newsletter designed to advance counselors' level of technological literacy, application, and integration. You will find practical solutions and answers to technology related problems, especially as they apply to your job as counselor. If you would like to share a tip or trick, or if you would like to ask a question, e-mail Russ Sabella at newsletter@schoolcounselor.com.

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Highlights from SchoolCounselor.com

Top 5 Training Topics for School Counselors
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/top5training.htm

Must See Videos
New videos have been added since the last issue:

Copy Machines, a Security Risk?
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/06/copy-machines-security-risk.html

Laugh at the Fat Kid
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/06/laugh-at-fat-kid.html

The 7-steps model of solution-focused change
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/06/7-steps-model-of-solution-focused.html

This drummer is at the Wrong Gig
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-drummer-is-at-wrong-gig.html

Breakfast at Ginger's- Golden Retriever Dog Eats With Hands
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/06/breakfast-at-gingers-golden-retriever.html

Jessica's "Daily Affirmation"
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/06/jessicas-daily-affirmation.html

Plagiarism case threatens graduation
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/hamilton_county/plagiarism-case-threatens-graduation

Tony Get's His Butt Kicked - Cyberbully PSA
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/05/tony-gets-his-butt-kicked-cyberbully.html

Star Fish Story - Making a Difference Every Day
http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/2010/05/youtube-star-fish-story-making.html


Postings from Russ Sabella ...

- Keeping Kids Out of High Tech Trouble. This blog supports Dr. Russell Sabella's work on educating children, parents, educators and other stake holders about the responsible use of technology. Included in these pages you will find helpful resources, lesson plans, links, and more. Russ's most recent book and workshops are primary resources for meeting this mission.

http://guardingkids.blogspot.com/

- SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter. The SchoolCounselor.com e-Newsletter is an electronic publication designed to advance counselors' level of technological literacy, application, and integration. You will find practical solutions and answers to technology related problems, especially as they apply to your job as counselor.

http://counselingtechnology.blogspot.com/

- Must See Videos. When I see a video that would be useful, inspiring, enlightening among counselors, I post it here.

http://counselingvideos.blogspot.com/

- Twitter. Postings about all things counseling, life, humor, and more.

http://twitter.com/rsabella


Public Service Announcement

His Dream... Our Mission...

Help Restore History

My hometown of Cape Coral, FL is proud to display one of only three original Iwo Jima Statues. The statue is deteriorating. It was a wish of one of our local fallen soldiers and friend, Craig T. Fuller, to restore the statue and that is just what his friends and family endeavor to do. The Cape Coral community has worked very hard to raise half of the $85,000 needed to do this. You can help them with the rest with a small donation.

It would have made Craig proud to know that the statue that he loved and that was so dear to his heart will finally be restored with your help.

Visit http://www.craigtfuller.com/ for more info and to donate online.


Facebook Monitoring

Facebook has made headlines over the years, much more than just once or twice, for its "confusing, complex and shifting privacy policies and "bewildering tangle of options." These sites will help you (not guarantee you) to stay private and secure.

ReclaimPrivacy.org

This website provides an independent and open tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. I took it for a test run and it is actually amazing (easy and effective).

http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook

openbook

This one is a bit on the raunchy side although very effective for learning more about what others can see in public from your Facebook account.

http://youropenbook.org/

Street0.com

Similar to open book, this site helps you discover what is made available to the public in Facebook.

http://www.street0.com/

Leo Laporte Deletes His Facebook Account (Youtube)

Leo deletes his personal Facebook account live on This Week In Google (TWiG) on May 12, 2010. Co-hosts Gina Trapani and Jeff Jarvis and guest Doc Searls cheer him on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_y7mMlKgjY

Diaspora

This project is poised to replace Facebook. They (Maxwell, Daniel, Raphael and Ilya) define the project as: "the privacy aware, personally controlled, do-it-all distributed open source social network."

http://www.joindiaspora.com/project.html

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TIPS AND TRICKS

FreeOCR.net is a scan and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program and good for extracting text from scanned PDF documents. Moreover, images from scanned PDF documents can be selected and placed on the clipboard.

http://freeocr.co.uk/

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Reuse a Favorite Chart by Using a Chart Template

To reuse a favorite chart that you customized to meet your needs, you can save that chart as a chart template (*.crtx) in the charts template folder. A chart template that you create is in reality a custom chart type that you can apply like any other chart type. Instead of re-creating the chart, you can apply the chart template to the worksheet data when you create a new chart. You can also change the chart type of an existing chart by applying a chart template. If you no longer need a specific chart template, you can remove it from the charts template folder or you can delete it from your computer.

http://bit.ly/c6tm4t

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pptPlex uses Plex technology to give you the power to zoom in and out of slide sections and move directly between slides that are not sequential in your presentation. Watch the videos below to see how pptPlex can help you organize and present information in a non-linear fashion. Test drive pptPlex and wow your audience with your next presentation.

http://www.officelabs.com/projects/pptPlex/Pages/default.aspx

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Calendar Nexus, Vertex42's directory of free printable calendars and templates.

The calendars are available in the following formats: Adobe PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Excel (.xls), and GIF image (.gif).

http://www.vertex42.com/calendars/

These photo calendars are beautiful.

http://www.vertex42.com/calendars/photo-calendar.html

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How To Use Drop Caps To Enhance Your Text In Microsoft Word

A drop cap is the first letter of a paragraph that's of a much bigger size than the rest that follow. The letter formatting is such that the letter 'drops down' to cover the few lines following the first one. Drop caps have been extensively used, from the early days of printing to the advent of web publishing.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/drop-caps-enhance-text-microsoft-word/

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ChatRide is an awesome way to webcam with your friends.

http://www.chatride.com/

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Notalon is an application designed to make taking Cornell notes faster and easier. It is written specifically for the task of taking Cornell notes, unlike a word processor. The Cornell note-taking system contains two essential features: headings and text. Although the term was originally conceived as part of an efficient method of studying, it is now also used to describe a specific document layout. Documents in this format contain a 2.5-inch wide column for headings, and a 6-inch wide column for the text. Headings in the first column must be aligned with the corresponding text, and are used to index and summarize the contents of the text.

http://notalon.sourceforge.net/

Direct download link

More student tools here.

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42goals is a simple tool for tracking your daily goals and keeping a log of your daily activities.

http://42goals.com/

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Fear.less: Magazine With Inspirational Stories Online

Reading inspirational stories on how people get through impossible obstacles can help us overcome our own fears. Fear.less is a free online magazine that compiles various stories from individuals who have survived extreme situations to encourage people going through tough times.

http://fearlessstories.com/

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YouTube Downloader

This simple freeware application works pretty well, given how basic the interface is. It has two main features: to download FLV files from YouTube, and to convert them to most major formats. If there's a YouTube URL in your clipboard, it will automatically paste it for you when you click on the dialog box. From there, just hit OK and the downloading will commence. One more left-click is all it takes to load the file in the converter, which supports iPhone, iPod, PSP, cell phone, AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid. Surprisingly, there's also a basic video editor for cropping videos by time stamp. You can also cut out the sound when converting.

http://bit.ly/bFPzei

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WORTHY WEBSITES AND SOFTWARE

Shareaholic

Shareaholic is the simplest way to share, spread, and save interesting webpages via your social networks, email, blogs, IM, and more.

http://www.shareaholic.com/

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AVG LinkScanner® puts you one step ahead of the Data Snatchers by analyzing every website behind every link you click or type into your internet browser. LinkScanner® lets you know if the webpage you are visiting is safe before you even get there.

http://linkscanner.avg.com/

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Cyberbullying Tips from Common Sense Media

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/cyberbullying-tips

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Virtual Magnifying Glass Portable is the handy Virtual Magnifying Glass utility packaged in PortableApps.com Format so you can easily use a screen magnifier on any PC you use. Virtual Magnifying Glass Portable is a full-featured screen magnifying glass that allows you to zoom in on an area of the screen for better readability. It's also handy for people with visual impairments. With a variable zoom (1-20x), configurable size, hot-key support (CTRL-ALT-e) and lots of other great features, it's a great addition to any portable arsenal.

http://portableapps.com/apps/accessibility/virtual_magnifying_glass_portable

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Ninite

Install multiple free apps at once without toolbars or clicking Next.

http://ninite.com/

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Microsoft Offers Web-based Office Applications for Free

Source: Gizmo's Freeware

In a direct response to the popular free Google Apps service Microsoft has quietly launched the beta version of its own free online suite of office programs. Called "Office Web Apps" it offers free online versions of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft OneNote. Even better they are giving users 25 GB of free online storage to store their documents on Microsoft's SkyDrive service.

Click here

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HamsterSync is a Outlook 2007 Addin to synchronize Google/Outlook 2007 contacts. It supports one or two way automatic synchronization. Synchronization is based on contacts' full name. Synchronized fields include phone numbers, emails, addresses, and categories/groups, all other fields are not synchronized at this point.

Source: Life rocks 2.0

http://www.macroschema.com/node/4

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Fotoflexer

Remove backgrounds from photos without Photoshop

http://fotoflexer.com/start.php

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Make Your Own Free Multipurpose Web Page With Google Sites

Of course, if anyone could simplify the website creation process even more than most other free website creator tools, it would be Google. The nice thing is that your Google Site is tied directly to your Google account, so you never have to worry about remembering what the site was or the URL, just log into your Google account, go to Google Sites, and there it is.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/free-multipurpose-web-pages-google-sites/

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JUST FOR FUN

Wolfram Tones is an online sound generator that can help you create 100% original patterns of music that you can download to your cell phone and use as a ringtone. You'll get a different tone every time you press the composition button. The generated tones are generally shorter than traditional music and, when you install one as a ringtone, your phone will automatically repeat it. The default duration of a ringtone is 30 seconds but you can easily increase it to 300 seconds.

http://tones.wolfram.com/generate/

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tintii takes full colour photos and processes them into black and white with some select regions highlighted in colour. The technique is known as colour popping or selective colouring - tintii makes it easy.

http://www.indii.org/software/tintii

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HotCal is an Easy to Use Weight, Exercise, and Calorie Tracker

http://www.hotcal.com/

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In 20 years

7,383,060 people already peeked into the future. Are you ready to be next?

http://in20years.com/

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Garage Sales Tracker

This site offers individuals the ability to advertise garage sales on the internet. We strive to make advertising yard sales as effective and efficient as possible.

http://www.garagesalestracker.com/

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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

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TO UNSUBSCRIBE from this newsletter, simply visit go to the signup page at http://www.schoolcounselor.com/unsub.htm and click the unsubscribe button after entering your e-mail address. Important: You will then be asked to click on a link called "click here" to complete the process.

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UNSUBSCRIBE with your old address and SUBSCRIBE with your new one.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS send a note. Please allow a week or two for changes to take effect.

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PRIVACY POLICY

http://www.schoolcounselor.com/privacy.htm

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Want to advertise in this newsletter? Visit http://www.schoolcounselor.com/advertising.htm

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The SchoolCounselor.com newsletter may contain links to sites on the Internet owned and operated by third parties. SchoolCounselor.com is not responsible for the availability of, or the content located on or through, any such third-party site. Information in this document is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from infringement. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. SchoolCounselor.com will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this information, including, but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and consequential damages.

Sabella & Associates, LLC, 4922 SW 26th PL, Cape Coral, FL 33914

Sabella@Schoolcounselor.com

GuardingKids.com: A Practical Guide to Keeping Kids Out of High-Tech Trouble

Russell A. Sabella, Ph.D.

From podcasts to porn, cyberbullying to cell phones, Dr. Russell Sabella helps readers understand the risks that emerge when high-tech tools, uninformed parents, and exuberant youth collide. Because kids are growing up with modern technologies, many are more expert than their parents. As a result, a parent's ability to make effective decisions for how technology is used may be compromised.

GuardingKids.com empowers parents, educators, and other care takers to better understand the electronic terrain. Readers will be better able to help children safely and securely navigate a minefield of inappropriate and risky situations.

http://www.guardingkids.com/


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Michele Borba: 10 Secrets to Stay Connected-Even Civil-With Your T(w)een | Dr. Michele Borba's Reality Check

Michele Borba: 10 Secrets to Stay Connected-Even Civil-With Your T(w)een | Dr. Michele Borba's Reality Check

Saturday, June 12, 2010

SOLUTION FOCUSED CHANGE: Redirecting attention from negative to positive in 3 small steps (P->C->O)

Redirecting attention from negative to positive in 3 small steps (P->C->O)

Improvement is often realized by redirecting attention from dissatisfaction about a status quo to a positive goal and to then start taking steps in the direction of that positive goal. This process of shifting from negative to positive is something we do manage to do very often in our daily life in a variety of circumstances. usually we do this routinely and we may even be hardly aware of it sometimes. But sometimes we find it hard to make this shift and we get stuck in our dissatisfaction. In these cases it is often hard to do anything but express our dissatisfaction and complain. When this happens, a litlle help from someone else can help us to turn our perspective from negative to positive. It is one of the things solution-focused coaches can help with. They often use three small steps to assist this shift of perspective:
  1. PROBLEM: Acknowledge problem: after the client has told about a problem, coaches acknowledge what the client has said for instance by saying something like: "That must be hard for you...".
  2. CHANGE: Suggest there is a desire for change: after the client has acknowledged that the situation is hard, and perhaps has explained how the situation is problematic for him or her, the coach may suggest that the client has a desire for change, for instance by saying: "I can imagine that you would like things to be different."
  3. OUTCOME: Ask the desired situation question: "When the client has agreed that he of she would like things to be different the coach may ask de desired situation question, for instance like this: "How would you like things to become?
By using these three small steps the client will usually experience this shift of perspective from negative to positive as quite natural. Step by step the solution-focused coach helps clients to shift their perspective on their reality.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Amazon.com: That's What Friends Do: Kathryn Cave, Nick Maland: Books




PreSchool-Grade 1–This treatise on friendship is wrapped in the goofy guise of a relationship between a large pink creature that's a cross between a hippo and a dog, and a short animal with a long nose and orange-and-yellow striped skin, who narrates the story. At first, the smaller creature describes being lost, hurt, or simply shy and tells how the larger friend is there to help. Later, the two of them fight but quickly make up. Finally, the narrator is able to rescue his big buddy, who has become lost "in the woods, in the woods." The two of them fly off together in a hot-air balloon knowing that friendship is a two-way street. With repetitive phrasing and a poetic sensitivity, the text does a fine job of addressing the emotional vulnerability of individuals. It also moves the action along at a brisk pace. Besides the imaginative depictions of the fanciful characters, the artwork playfully uses color to augment their emotions–be it sunny yellow or an angry red. There is a heartwarming sweetness to this book.–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Set Up Social and Emotional Learning in Your Classroom, School, or School District | Edutopia

Set Up Social and Emotional Learning in Your Classroom, School, or School District | Edutopia: "CARE for Kids, the Jefferson County Public Schools's program for social and emotional learning (SEL), is helping invigorate school culture, reduce discipline problems, and boost academic performance across the Louisville, Kentucky, school district. Replicated in other districts, it could have a similar effect."

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Copyright, 2009. All Rights Reserved. Contact Dr. Russell Sabella at news@schoolcounselor.com.