What the heck is Goomoodleikiog?

Goomoodleikiog?
What the heck is Goomoodleikiog?

Click to watch this brief (less than 4 minutes) video about transforming teaching in plain english. The creators pay homage to Common Craft with their presentation on how to transform the old paper based teaching with Google, Moodle, Wikis and Blogs.




Enjoy!

My thanks to WNY Education Associates for sharing this posting!

"there are not enough homes for sale for buyers"

From Kathy Stankard, a Franklin based ReMax realtor:

It means that homes are selling faster than previously expected, usually around 4 months, if they are priced right. The data also tells us some other interesting things:

• homes priced under $450,000 are the most sought after price range
• there are not enough homes for sale for buyers
• homes are selling relatively close to their asking price

See the table of info that drove these conclusions here.

State Education Mandates - Part 9

From time to time, particular around the budget period, reference is generally made to Franklin Public Schools having to support "unfunded mandates." I managed to find a listing of such compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. This is Part 9 of the series:

Staffing

Professional Development - with the enactment of Education Reform, all teachers and other professional staff must be re-certified every five years. The district must provide professional development required for re-certification, with no cost to the individual employee.

Highly Qualified Staff – this requirement is a mandate that ensures employment of and reporting on highly qualified staff members and requires a substantial investment of time and money at all school levels. In many cases, there is insufficient guidance for districts that enables administrators to assist teachers and professional staff to meet the requirements established by DESE. (For example, appropriate licensure and completion of a designated number of courses is required for teaching assignments for which licensure may not exist at this time.)

Foster Care & State Wards

Districts are required to educate students who have been placed by the state in foster care and state ward settings. If a student has special needs, the town is responsible for that student’s education, even if the student is enrolled in a day or residential school that is not in town.

• Districts are also responsible for the transportation for the student. However, the local district is only responsible for regular day/vocational education of these pupils. When that student requires special education, which cost can be billed back to the district from which the student came.

Grant Percentages of Federal Grant Funds to Private Schools

School districts are required to give a percentage of grants funded under the No Child Left Behind Act to all private schools whether or not our students attend the schools. The percentage is based on total school and district populations. The district must provide reading services from its Title I grant to all schools within the state that our students attend if the schools meet certain criteria.

The full listing is available here (DOC)

Cafe Dolce - BJ and Dave are all smiles!

I stopped by to talk with BJ Carlucci and David Purpura, the owners and operators of the soon to open Cafe Dolce.

The new sign is up and shining. The interior space is ready for the furniture delivery. The inspections are due soon. Once that occurs, then the food can start being delivered. The staff, already hired, can begin training in preparation for the ribbon cutting currently targeted for Monday April 6th about 9:00 AM.

Their normal hours will start at 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM. They want to catch the early train traffic. Given the recent parking fare increase (now $4.00/day), I have noticed more folks walking or being dropped off to take the train. That walking traffic will now have the option of stopping at Cafe Dolce for something to eat/drank on the ride into Boston.




There are plenty of electrical outlets along the walls. BJ and Dave confirmed that they wanted at least one at each table to allow someone with a laptop to come and plug in. As I would be one of those visitors, I noticed that feature and will be making use of it.

They are the first business to have installed some special energy saving 17W lights from D'Daddario. The lighting is good and can be adjusted. The background music is a jazzy-Frank Sinatra mix that should be conducive to good conversations.

I can hardly wait until they open. I think they will do well. Franklin needs a good coffeehouse downtown. BJ and Dave are doing a lot of smiling as the opening approaches. They have the desire to make this work.

Attn: Franklin MBTA Commuters

There are two group efforts you should be aware of and might want to consider joining.

1 - Put the MBTA on Google Maps

People who live in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Moscow, Montreal, and some 250 other cities can log on to Google Maps not only for walking and driving directions but also for instructions on how to get to where they need to go via public transportation.

Bostonians do not have that option, but a 20-year-old college student from Cambridge is trying to do something about it.

Last month, Luke Bornheimer created a Facebook group - which he named "Put the MBTA on Google Transit!!!" - to petition the MBTA to list the city's buses and trains with Google Maps. The group's membership grew to 135 people in less than a month.

"It seems so simple, and frankly the Boston area as a whole looks a little silly for not having their transit authority's buses and trains listed on the website," Bornheimer wrote on the group's site. "So . . . invite all your friends, anyone who rides the T, or simply someone who feels that this is a logical and simple step to more accessibility for the MBTA and Boston."

Read the full article in the Boston Globe here

Join the Facebook group here

2 - Join Clever Commute

Clever Commute is a service that enables you to share with the other riders on your T route (i.e. the Franklin Line) what you see happening with service. Many a morning at the Franklin station, I could see the trains sitting in the yard not moving, the T Alert status board continuing to scroll "All trains are on or near schedule" and we could tell that was a lie.

You probably carry a cell phone that can send a text message. All you would need to do is enroll your phone for the Franklin Line and you can send status updates. By enrolling, you also will receive status updates by others in the group. This is a great tool to share information in a timely manner. Something you are well aware that the T can not do consistently.

Visit the Clever Commute website here.

Other articles published about Clever Commute can be found here

Join the Franklin Line with these steps

1. On the Clever Commute home page, select "Find your line"
2. From the drop down box, Select "Commurer Rail", then Select "Boston"
3. The screen should refresh to provide the MBTA commuter rail lines, check off Franklin
4. Complete the remaining information
5. Watch for the confirmation email, reply to confirm enrollment
   
6. Review the reporting tips and guidelines
7. Provide and receive updates on the Franklin line status

(Note: when I used Internet Explore to test the setup process, the screen refreshed to provide the proper choice of lines to choose from within Boston. When using Firefox, the screen did not refresh. Hence, use Internet Explorer to enroll.)

"It's very simple to use real time"

The Globe West section of today's paper has an article on local police departments use of Twitter featuring Franklin and Wellesey!

This immediacy drew Wellesley and Franklin police into the fold in 2007, ahead of many departments nationwide.

"We started it to keep the public up to date on traffic conditions, especially the morning and afternoon routes," said Wellesley Sergeant Scott Whittemore. "I was trying to figure out a way to put information out there in real time, and Twitter answered the call."

At the time, it was "kind of a radical idea," Whittemore said. "People didn't know what Twitter was. Now, we're hearing, 'You guys were really on the forefront.' "

"It's catching on like wildfire in the police and fire department communities," said Gary Premo, communications director for the Franklin Police Department. "It's a unique way of using a service not meant for police."

Read the full article on the police use of Twitter in the Boston Globe here

You can learn more about Twitter here.

You can sign up for Twitter here.

You can follow the Franklin Police here.

You can follow me here.

"make it with off-the-shelf, mature technology"

By Michael Morton/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Mar 28, 2009 @ 11:42 PM

---

Armed with an open-ended 55-gallon drum and a used boat propeller from eBay, Northborough inventor Richard Burton plans to bring hydroelectric power to the masses, no dam required.

"Anywhere you get flow you can throw it in," the 67-year-old said of his Hydrokinetic Cogenerator prototype. The device is designed for an alternative energy market he predicts will surge when fuel prices rocket back up. "People are going to be screaming for green power."

While the majority of hydroelectric power in the country comes from dams, critics contend that the structures harm rivers and wildlife, with new applications facing numerous regulatory hurdles.

In contrast, Burton said, his device is not only easily removed, but also low-impact: Simply toss the Cogenerator into an average river and plug it into the grid.

Read more about this interesting concept to create hydropower in the Milford Daily News here