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I just posted another article in my Wyzant.com blog; read it now. I listed a set of very helpful sites that will get you started using the new HTML5. Since most browsers and many app engines and other media already are using HTML5, it will soon take over as the preferred basic website development code. It does not look hard to learn if you are already coding in XHTML. There are some new tags, Read Full Story

Valerie's WyzAnt Tutoring Blog I just wrote about tricks for teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten children to count and Kindergarten and first graders to begin to use simple fractions. Yep, I am tutoring a bit now. Read Full Story

What if you could control the flow of slime across a table? What if your Silly Putty could curve toward, then stick to the side of the refrigerator? I just read about magnetic putty on Instructables, an online network for tinkerers and inventors. Looks like tons of fun. I thought that teachers might want to make some for demos and class activities. Also, the comments at Instructables offer many Read Full Story

When I see the commercial of the fellow at the station that breaks into a cheer only to find out the the Flash Mob has been rescheduled, I am reminded of a story my Dad tells. He and at least 8 other WWII vets returned home to MS to attend Southwest Junior College in Summit, MS, during the summer of 1947. They called themselves The Plowshare Boys. My Dad, Paul Smith, and Jerry Clower, renowned Read Full Story

I have posted 10 reasons for using science fiction to teach science to the blog Reading for the Future Reflections. The article is based on a paper I co-wrote years ago, but is still relevant today. There are many books on the value of Science Fiction. Of interest to school teachers are the works of Julie Czerneda that offer lessons on teaching with science fiction. Search Amazon.com for Read Full Story

This cat sculpture by Sue Lannen reflects the several sci fi cats featured in the list. This book list of YA science fiction features women authors. The types of sci fi ranges from military to romance to coming-of-age to epic to mixed types. Although suitable for YA, many are stories good enough for adults to enjoy, too. Enjoy a good read. Then give the book to a teenager. Read Full Story

I recently discovered a new science fiction universe to explore. The deftly built Okal Rel Universe is visited through the books of the Okal Rel Saga by Lynda Williams and her proteges. The central character of the saga is introduced in The Courtesan Prince as Von who is, well, a popular gigolo of the royal ladies of the court. He is also a young man who was stolen at birth and is just discovering his specialized genotypic heritage. He is, unbeknownst to anyone, a Sevolite, genetically... Read Full Story

I have posted an article on Robert J. Sawyer , science fiction author, on the RFF Reflections blog. I invite you to read it. He writes exciting tales of aliens and of computer networks. Of his books displayed on his website, these are the ones I want to read first. . .. Then I would want to read Calculating God followed by Illegal Alien . Then I would want to finish the trilogies and maybe start on the Hominids series. I suspect that the ones listed above will be suitable for teens... Read Full Story

Today I posted a book review for Misfit Leaves Home, a sci fi novella in Lynda William's Okal Rel Universe and written by teenager Krysia Anderson. The book review for this charming YA and middle school novella can be found in the Reading for the Future Reflections blog . Check it out. The book is hard to find and must often be specially ordered even at the larger bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders. But you can get it here! Read Full Story

(c) W. Sterling Centuries ago, the Bible reports, Noah was told by God to get ready for a severe climate change. He was instructed to use technology to save himself, his family, and a boatload of animals from the ravages of an impending flood resulting from an extended period of excessive rain. Yes, he was told to prevent the disaster of drowning by building a huge boat. This is technology in action. Technology that can save man from a natural disaster. Today we can use technology to... Read Full Story