5 Steps to Motivate Your Child

A big part of life is doing things we don’t want to do — and not making a huge deal about it. But when you’re 8 or 9, having to finish your homework or practice piano for 30 minutes can feel like the biggest burden ever. Here’s how to give your child a dose of perspective while making it easier for her to manage (you’ll keep your own sanity intact, too!): 

1. Think small. Breaking projects down into smaller components helps your child avoid the feeling that she’s about to climb Mt. Everest. Ways to do it: Have her study for Friday’s spelling test a little bit each day or practice piano 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes before dinner, and 15 minutes after.

2. Make like Goldilocks. Keep your child motivated and involved by setting “just right” goals together: If they’re too easy, your child might become bored — and if they’re too challenging, she might feel frustrated and give up. Don’t expect a LeBron James performance from your basketball player, but explain that he’ll need to shoot hoops a few times a week in the backyard (outside of practice) to make progress. 

3. Fork over some power. Whenever possible, leave room for choice so that your child has a sense of control: Do you want to start with math or reading tonight? Would you rather sign up for dance or gymnastics? When she can buy into the task, it feels easier for her to tackle. 

4. Offer up praise. By acknowledging your child’s efforts, you teach him to value and believe in himself. This type of encouragement will help him keep working when the going gets tough. 

5. Try a reward. Note that we did not say bribe. There’s a difference! A reward is something you offer as incentive in advance. For instance, you might say: If you can start and finish your homework without being asked for one week, you can take a friend to the movies. A bribe, on the other hand, is usually an act of desperation and is often given before the child completes the desired task. When used correctly — offer them for one or two behaviors at the most — tangible rewards will spark your child’s natural drive, desire to please, and love of learning. 

Read Books On-Line for FREE!

It’s going to take a couple of years and probably a few major court battles but Google and another organization called the Internet Archive is working to create a searchable internet databases of all the world’s books.  There have been other efforts along these lines such as the Gutenberg Project which currently offers 25,000 free online ebooks  and Lit2Go which comes from Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse.

The Google project can be found here:  http://books.google.com
They have already scanned thousands of books from major universities all across the nation.  You can search their database and read the books right off the screen like this:

As you might imagine this book scanning project has caused an eruption of copyright issues.  Currently you can only read selected pages from most of the books that are available.  The Google Book project might someday charge a small fee to read or download a book or it might eventually be free or a combination of for free and pay books. 

My Data Button

We are pleased to announce the launch of the DoDEA “myDATA Button” initiative. This initiative provides parents with a web-based “button” linked to the Aspen Student Information System Parent Portal by School Year (SY) 2012-2013.  Loyd School was chosen as one of the Pilot Schools for the program.  Please visit the web site for information on how to register for the program and use the data portal.

The portal will provide families with access to their child’s electronic academic records, such as unofficial transcripts and student performance data at any time and any place.

Providing parents with this access will allow them to better plan and manage their children’s educational needs, particularly during school transitions. This project is a reflection of our belief that providing parents access to their children’s educational information contributes to better engagement in school matters, and ultimately, better educational outcomes for students.

myDATA for Parents

The myDATA Button portal is currently available only to the schools who are participants in the pilot launch of the portal. A phased deployment for all DoDEA will take place no later than school year 2013 – 2014. Read More... 

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myDATA for Students

Student access is only available to students in grades 4-12 in schools that are participating in the pilot. Students will be provided their logon credentials by their school administration.

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Bill Gates' Advice for Helping Your Kids Succeed in Life!

In Bill Gates' book, Business @ The Speed of Thought, he lays out 11 rules that students do not learn in high school or college, but should. He argues that our feel-good, politically correct teachings have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality who are set up for failure in the real world.

RULE 1 - Life is not fair; get used to it.

RULE 2 - The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will
expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3 - You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of
high school. You won't be a vice president with a car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4 - If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5 - Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

RULE 6 - If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7 - Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try "delousing" the closet in your own room.

RULE 8 - Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9 - Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off
and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do
that on your own time.

RULE 10 - Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have
to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11 - Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.              

Tips for Keeping Kids Healthier during Spring Break

Spring break is a time of freedom that all kids need to reset for those last few weeks of school. Many kids want to sit around and play video games or watch television the entire break, but that’s not a healthy choice. Keeping kids moving during spring break maintains good health and gives moms and dads the opportunity to get a little exercise in as well.
Get off the couch and out into the sunlight. Not only is sitting around on the couch all day not a form of exercise, it keeps kids and adults out of the sun. Sunlight causes a chemical reaction in the body that creates vitamin D. Sure, milk is a good source of vitamin D, but kids and adults cannot drink enough milk or eat enough vitamin fortified food to measure up to the amount of vitamin D the body produces in just 15 minutes of direct sunlight.
Take the time to learn something new and stay active. Spring break is also a great time to start a new activity that doubles as family fun.

If you care staying in town check out the local Parks and Recreation Services for family activities to enjoy...

Phenix City City Parks and Recreation

400 8th St, Columbus, GA 31901 » Map (334) 291-4723

Kelly Hill Recreation Ctr

9079 Marne Rd, Fort Benning, GA 31905 » Map (706) 544-3079

Fort Benning Directorate of Family Morale Welfare and Recreation

2783 Eckel Ave, Fort Benning, GA 31905 » Map (706) 687-6648

Phenix City City Parks and Recreation

400 8th St, Columbus, GA 31901 » Map (334) 291-4723

Columbus Parks & Rec

1835 Riverland Dr, Columbus, GA 31903 » Map (706) 687-5813

Tips for Helping Your Child With Homework

Here are a few general tips to help you help your child with homework.

1. Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to work. Make sure it is away from the television set and other distractions.
2. Make sure your child has the supplies he or she needs—paper, pencils, a dictionary, and a computer.
3. Establish a set time for your child to do homework each day. Plan together when extra time will be needed for big assignments such as research reports.
4. Show that you value homework by doing your own homework. For example, if your child is reading a book for language arts class, you can read a book, too.
5. Help by providing guidance and encouragement, not answers. Your child won't learn unless he or she actually does the work.
6. Talk with your child's teacher to ensure that you understand the goals of homework assignments and any special requirements your child will need to meet.
7. Help your child set priorities. Help your child determine which assignments are more challenging than others and do them first—when he or she is freshest and most alert.
8. Watch for signs of fatigue or frustration. Let your child take a short break if needed.
9. Celebrate success. Reward your child for working hard with an occasional special treat—a pizza or a trip to the park, for example.

IPad Tips and Tricks

If you have an ipad here are some neat short cuts and things you can try…

iPad Tips and Tricks
1.Quick Email Delete - Quickly delete an email message by swiping over it in your inbox. This work in Notes and other apps too. *** Managing-
At the present time, there aren’t many options for managing the email you acquire on your iPad Email. You can’t create your own organizational folders just yet. So, the best way to stay organized is to delete items once you know you won’t need them, or forward them to a different email account to store them, away from your default account’s Inbox.

2. Cap Locks - Double-click the shift button (up arrow) on the keyboard to Lock the capital letters

3. Quick Number - To quickly insert a number from the alpha keyboard, hold down the number button and then drag to the number. You will return to the alpha keyboard.

4. Hidden Apostrophe Key on the Keyboard - This is a great tip for any app, like Notes, Pages or Mail, that you type into using the iPad's virtual keyboard. Rather than having to go to the second screen of the keyboard every time you want to type an apostrophe (which is a real pain) just tap and hold on the ! key and a hidden apostrophe option will appear - then just slide your finger up to access it.

5. Add Alternate Extensions - Change the URL extension in Safari by holding down the .com button.

6. Capture iPad Screen - Hold down the home button and the Sleep/Wake Button at the same time. This will capture the screen and save it in your Photos.

7. Go Home! - No matter which screen you are on, tapping the Home button will take you immediately to your Home Screen.

8. Add Extra Apps to Your Tray - There are four apps in the iPad's Dock (the shelf along the bottom of the Home Screen) by default, but you can have up to six apps here for quick access. Press and hold any icon on the Home Screen until the icons start to wobble, then drag two more apps to your Dock.

9. Save Time Using Spotlight - Instead of wading hopelessly through your music library looking for that one song you want, or endlessly hacking through your Contacts. It's much quicker to make use of the Spotlight search - it can search both iPod and Contacts. Flick right on the Home screen to access Spotlight search, or press the Home button. It also works for launching apps.

10. Redefine your iPad Home Button - Double-clicking the Home button takes you to the home screen by default, but you can redefine its action in General - Home. To help save you time you can set it to bring up Spotlight search or the iPod application.

11. Add a Web Page to the iPad Home Screen - If you visit a web page frequently then save time ponderously locating it in your Safari bookmarks by adding it as an icon to your Home screen. Tap the + icon in Safari then tap "Add to Home Screen".

12. Use the Magnifying Glass - You're entering text but you realize you've made a mistake a couple of lines back. You either fumble about with your finger trying to get back to the exact place, or you use the magnifying glass. Touch and hold your finger in the right area and the magnifying glass appears, enabling you to fine tune your insertion point.

13. Password Protection - You can password-protect apps like iTunes so that a family member can't buy every U2 record with your credit card. Go to Settings, then General, then Restrictions. Press Enable Restrictions and type a password, then turn on the restrictions you want for the apps available. Note that this password is different from your iTunes password - you'll need to tap in both.

14. Copy and Paste - You can quickly copy and paste text by holding down, then tapping Copy, then going to a different window, and holding down and tapping Paste. To select a paragraph of text tap four times.

15. Lock Screen Orientation- Go to Settings, General, Switch "Slide Switch" to Lock

16. Screenshots- You can take a screenshot on your iPad by pressing Home and then the Sleep/Wake button. The screen will flash and you'll hear a click, indicating that a photo has been taken. Your screen shots are saved automatically in your Photos gallery. Here, you can view or email them as you see fit

Sherri O. McKendree

Loyd Educational Technologist

706-544-8976 or 706-442-0231

sherri.mckendree@am.dodea.edu or fizzpro@aol.com