Back to the grind!

I hope everyone had a great time off. Now it’s time to get back to the grind and study hard until Winter Break! No slacking because of the holidays. Also, keep in mind that we have the new year coming so this is your time to set some goals. Whether it’s getting better grades, getting a new hobby, or waking up earlier so you get to school on time. Start thinking about some New Year resolutions and start off the new year with a bang! My New Years resolution is to come out with the best CD ever. What’s yours?

Happy Thanksgiving from Mr. Duey!

10 Tips For Teaching With New Media

* 1. Break the Digital Ice
* 2. Find Your Classroom Experts
* 3. Get Off to a Good Start
* 4. Think Globally
* 5. Find What You Need
* 6. Make Meaning from Word Clouds
* 7. Work Better, Together
* 8. Open a Back Channel
* 9. Make It Visual
* 10. Use the Buddy System

What's Inside the PDF:
http://www.edutopia.org/files/existing/pdfs/Edutopia-10-top-tips-for-teaching-with-new-media.pdf

Amazing Meteor Shower Tuesday

One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive.

The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.

The Leonids put on a solid show every year, if skies are clear and moonlight does not interfere. This year the moon is near its new phase, and not a factor. For anyone in the Northern Hemisphere with dark skies, away from urban and suburban lighting, the show should be worth getting up early to see.

Click here for the full story

Veterans Day

Today is November 11th and people in the United States, are celebrating Veterans Day, which is also known as Armistice Day. Veterans Day is a day to honor and celebrate the veterans, who have defended their country.

But it is also a day of sadness, because there are so many that have lost their lives trying to defend their country. Veterans Day is a legal holiday in USA, both state and federal and was declared a National holiday back in 1938.

According to dailyamerican.com, there are still 25 million living veterans, so today is not only a time to be proud of the soldiers who have died fighting for their country, but to also be grateful to those who have served and are still living.

Mr. Duey's Pumpkin He Carved

This is Mr. Duey's pumpkin he carved. If you have a cool pic of your pumkin from this past weekend email us at fans@mrduey.com

Also, students go easy on the candy. Don't get all "sugar crazy" in your class. You don't want to drive your teachers crazy because you ate five packs of Twix and KitKat bars.

Halloween Trivia

Food for Thought: Halloween trivia to trick your friends

Halloween used to be associated with ghosts and goblins, but nowadays it's all about tricks and treats.

So with that in mind and Halloween just days away, here's some trivia from the U.S. Census Bureau to stump your family and friends:

-- How many children age 5 to 13 will be out ringing doorbells this year? More than 36 million, and more if you add in toddlers and older youths who also go trick-or-treating.

-- How many pounds of pumpkins do growers produce? About 1.1 billion pounds in an average year, the same amount growers sent to market in 2008.

-- Where does all the candy come from? There are over 1,200 confectionery manufacturers producing chocolate- and cocoa-based treats in the U.S., plus 466 that are turning out candy corn and other nonchocolate goodies.

-- Who eats all these delicious morsels? We all do. Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2008 was 23.8 pounds.

That's a lot of candy!

Behind the Scenes w/ Mr. Duey

Daylight Savings Time History

Daylight Savings Time 2009 is Sunday November 1, 2009.

Two years ago, Daylight Savings Time 2009 was switched from the last Sunday of October to the first Sunday of November.

Did You Know…?
Daylight Savings Time is the invention of Benjamin Franklin from his 18th century Parisian days, he figured that to increase the number of productive daylight hours, during the seasons when the sunlight shines early, that if you bring the clock back you can gain an additional hour of sunlight in the morning.
However, it wasn’t Benjamin Franklin who gave it an actual start; instead, the practice was born of necessity during World War I and II. The practicality of his idea came into play during these wars, when scarcity and rationing were the operative words. By following their normal routines, and by going to bed hours after sundown, people relied upon artificially generated light, which depleted the scarce reserves of fuel in its generation. Germany realized that this precious commodity could better be used to serve the war effort, and instituted the first daylight saving laws in 1915. Those who refused to comply with the lights out curfew faced punishment.

England followed suit in 1916, and, finally, the United States, in 1918. The United States reinstated the daylight saving laws on a national basis during World War II. The close of the war ended the law’s necessity, but the national habit continued on a voluntary basis. Daylight saving time had taken root in our society, and was now the norm. Of course, daylight saving time never affected the farmer, whose livelihood dictates that he adheres to the old adage “Early to bed, early to rise.”
The next time you change your clocks is March 14 2010 – the second Sunday in March.

Unlocking The Power of The Subconscious Mind

The most common and easy to master technique of reaching the subconscious is through positive affirmations. Whether for losing weight or increasing self confidence, positive affirmations can be applied to any aspect of your life. By inculcating a positive self esteem and confidence in your subconscious, you will be able to affect the conscious mind as well.

The subconscious mind is thus, more powerful and effective than most people give it credit for. For example, positive affirmation simply activates the subconscious mind to allow it to function at its peak, handling the everyday matters. It is able to do so by imprinting messages into your subconscious through constant repetition.

By accessing your subconscious mind, you are strengthening the linkage between the conscious and the subconscious, allowing you to achieve many things. These include getting rid of negative thoughts, unhealthy habits, and boosting your self confidence and other abilities.

Unlocking the power of your subconscious mind is a simple process, requiring only your willingness and effort. Below are 3 simple steps you can take to start on making your subconscious mind work for you:

1. What Drives You
Identify the reason that motivates you to work hard and excel in life. Without knowing what makes you tick, you will be unable to recover the same level of drive when faced with setbacks or discouraged. Being able to unlock your subconscious mind depends on knowing what you want, before you can achieve it.

2. Create a Strategy
When you are able to identify what drives you, you will be better equipped to draw out your possible options and make the relevant decisions that will help you achieve your goals. Without a strategy, you will be unable to chart a clear path and risk going off track.

3. Perseverance and Passion
Once you have decided on a course of action, immerse yourself in it. With passion and a strong focus, you will be able to realize your goals, fueled by perseverance.

With these 3 steps, you will be well on your way towards unlocking the power of the subconscious mind and making it work for you.

Google Wave

About Google Wave:

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation
and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
What is a wave?

A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.

A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.

Click Here to request an invitation to Google Wave

Want a FREE T-Shirt? Send us a video!

Want a FREE t-shirt? Send us a short testimonial video on how Mr. Duey's music has helped you. Students tell us what songs you like, teachers tell us how you use it in class. You can even upload it to your YouTube account and then we will post it on Mr. Duey's YouTube Channel. We will also throw in an autograph Mr. Duey poster. Just upload or email us a testimonial video and email us with your contact. Mr. Duey will send out a FREE t-shirt and an autograph poster to you. Thanks fans! - send videos to fans@mrduey.com

1 Billion Views on YouTube

On YouTube.com they just announced that there is 1 billion views per day on YouTube.com. Head on over to YouTube right now and there’s a minor change that’s sure to catch your eye: the site’s logo has been modified to include a new “1BN” banner, with the words “1 billion views per day!” beneath it. It’s obviously a huge milestone for the site, but it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise — back in June reports that YouTube was seeing over 1.2 billion views a day, and it’s likely above that by now. That's a lot of videos being watched. Go to Mr. Duey's Channel Now!

New Story - Hometown Life (Click Story to View)

Mr. Duey - Funny Studio Moments Creating CD

Little Inspiration

Today is about a little inspiration. We all need someone who inspires us to do better than we know how. Here’s what I say: You have two paths you can take. You can be down about school, work, life, friends and complain all day about it. Or you can enjoy your life and appreciate the moments you have because life goes fast. Whether it’s enjoying video games, movies, music, friends, family, vacations, just enjoy every little bit.

Stop complaining and being down about things you have no control over. It’s drawing negative energy around you and projecting that to the world. If you are complaining or saying I can’t, then that’s all that’s going to happen to you. It’s not going to happen.

For example, if you wake up in the morning and say “today is going be a boring day”, “I don’t feel good”, or “I don’t like school”, then the day isn’t going to like you either. Sorry, that’s the way it works. Stop drawing negative energy. Did you know it takes the same amount of time to say something positive then to say something negative? Well think about it. Today is going to be a great day. Today is going to bad day.

Make today great. Try this once. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, look in the mirror and say, “today is going to be a great day”. Help somebody out. Do a little something extra that you normally wouldn’t do for someone. Keep in mind, No complaining. No negative thoughts for the entire day no matter how bad it is. Find the good in it and comment about the positive side. Try this and see if you have a happy and successful day. Let me know how your day was?

Share The Long Division video

Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwa9YZzSj9c

Mr. Duey's 7 Twitter Tips

If you want to be successful at Twittering then follow some of Duey's basic rules.

1. (Breaking News)
If you want your Tweets to be seen, incorporate something popular that is being searched at the time you're writing your Tweet. example: Kanye West, Taylor Swift, or some kind of breaking news that everyone is talking about. Try to incorporate it into your Tweet somehow without getting away from the main news.

2. (Don't flood Twitter)
Don't post every minute, on the minute. I don't want my Tweets flooded with a million Tweets of what you're doing every minute. It gets really annoying, plus your important Tweets get lost in your own sea of Tweets. Got it?

3. (Thank you)
Unless it's spam, follow the people following you and thank them for following. Got that? Always follow up with the people that take time to show interest in what your doing/saying.

4. (Re-Tweet)
Re-Tweet things you find interesting that others have Tweeted. Much like chain emails, keep them going, that's how you pick up more buzz resulting in followers.

5. (140 characters)
Don't use all the 140 characters Twitter gives you. Ok, maybe only sometimes. Think about it, you probably don't read every word of your fellow Twitterer's, so try to keep it short and interesting.

6. (Irrelevant content vs. relevant content)
Don't tell me that your brushing your teeth or taking out the garbage. Instead, try to talk about what show your watching, or what song your listening to. Example: Watching U of M football game and drinking a Mountain Dew. These are brands, trends and much more fun to read then "brushing my teeth".

7. (Brand yourself).
Use your picture and brand yourself on your Twitter page. It's very easy to put a picture in the background or as your avatar. In general people like to see what you look like, especially when your chatting or Twittering all day. That's why every social network asks you to upload a profile picture.

Thanks and I hope this makes your Tweeting much more effective and fun. Follow Mr. Duey today!

Mr. Duey's Long Division - Featured Video on TeacherTube.com

Mr. Duey - Long Division using SMART

Reaching Out To Mountain Dew

After being a fan of Mountain Dew for a number of years now, we feel timing is right for Mountain Dew to come out with a line for Mr. Duey...

It should be called Mountain Duey!

Also we think it should be an energy/brain stimulant type of drink. Maybe with a little Ginkgo Biloba added to it and less sugar for the younger kids.. Combine Mountain Duey with his educational rap songs and you will have nothing but success in school!

What do you think about a Mountain Duey drink for kids? Tell us by leaving a comment, or here is the link to Pepsi Co. so you can tell them directly.

10 Back to School iPhone Apps

Back to school doesn't have to mean a return to the low-tech world of notebooks, textbooks and ballpoint pens. Here are our top 10 picks for iPhone applications to make life in the classroom quicker and easier. Note:

Mr. Duey suggests that you keep these apps for after school and for your homework only.

1. CourseSmart
2. Stanza
3. Evernote
4. gFlashPro
5. Graphing Calculator
6. MyHomework
7. Facebook
8. Dictionary.com
9. Documents to Go
10. Wikipanion

The full descriptions can be found here

Mr. Duey on Channel 4 News

NBC affliate Channel 4 WDIV Detroit. They did a feature story on Mr. Duey and the benefits of incorporating rap music in classrooms. Thank you to Paula and the WDIV for covering Mr. Duey's story.

Reach Out

Mr. Duey is showcasing his fans by posting fan drawings and creative art on the top of www.MrDuey.com and all of his social networks. Keep the trend going. Reach out with your Mr. Duey hand photo!! Shout out to all the students that check out the website and promote Mr. Duey's music. Submit art and drawings to fans@mrduey.com

Also, on Mr. Duey's Myspace page you can record a message FREE of charge on the Snapvine recorder. Just click the "record by phone" box and call the number, then leave a message for Mr. Duey. You don't have to be a member to do this. He does listen to them all. Mr. Duey's Myspace is www.Myspace.com/KaasRecords

Thanks Fans!!

P.S. Upload photos with your G1, IPhone, Voyager, PalmPre, Blackberrys, Blueberries, and any other kind of berry phones you might have.

"Cells" video just added!

Mrs. Bunyi in Murfreesboro TN, had her 4th class create Mr. Duey's "Cells" video after a school performance by Mr. Duey last November. The students participated in recording the live show and implementing student drawings and pictures in the video..The 4th Graders created the entire video and was produced by Angela Bunyi.

Voted #1 on Scholastic.com - Inside Angela's 4th Grade Classroom

"This is one of the most popular links on Teachertube, and it is easy to see why! When I first heard Mr. Duey's music last year, I knew we just HAD to have him perform at our school. This actual classroom teacher offers a CD, lyrics, musis, t-shirts, and even school performances. With an actual background in music, Mr. Duey's songs will become an addition to your classroom repertoire." -Mrs. Bunyi

(voted number one do to his balance of reaching across the content areas on one CD-and for his coolness)

TeacherTube

Just wanted to post a blog about our friends at TeacherTube.com

They have recently changed the site layout and added some cool features. Other than tutorial videos from teachers, they now have Docs, Photos, Audio, Forums and new look to your profile page.

Docs- is a chance for teachers to upload Excel, Word, PDF and more. You can upload lessons, facts, tests and other related educational articles

Audio- is a chance for teachers to upload music they create to make learning a little more easier and fun.

Photos- is where you can share photos of your class and other fun/related school photos.

Also if you create a TeacherTube channel you can now blog on your channel.

Check out TeacherTube.com and tell them Mr. Duey sent ya!

"Scientific Method" Mr. Duey creates beat then raps

Students, welcome back to school!

I hope all the students had a great summer off. It' that time to start getting your brains focused on the task at hand. School!

I know it's hard to get back into the swing of things, but it's a tough world out there and you need your education. Study hard then you can play hard. If you're having trouble grasping some of the info, you can always listen to some of my music on your iPods.

I wish all of you a great and prosperous year. I hope all of you will get A's and have some fun doing it. Make your teachers and parents proud, but more importantly succeed for yourself.

-Mr. Duey

Song List for "Class Dis-Missed"

Song List Available on "Class Dis-Missed"

Math Songs
Fractions, Plotting, Greatest Common Factor / Least Common Multiple, Integers, Measurement

Language Arts
Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Essays

Science Songs
State of Matter, 3 Rocks, Cells, Atoms

Social Studies Songs
Latitude / Longitude, Core Democratic Values, Branches of Government, Things Changed (Martin Luther King)

Note: All songs can also be downloaded individually at these locations:
iTunes Store:

iTunes USA
iTunes U.K
iTunes Japan
iTunes Canada
iTunes Australia/N.Z.
Rhapsody
eMusic
LaLa
Napster
Amazon MP3




Note: Class Dis-Missed has the "Instrumentals" CD available for download. You can now create, or sing-a-long using Mr. Duey's beats.

Also, Class Dis-Missed Vol 2. Coming Soon!!!

Mr. Duey Merchandise Line

Check out the new Mr. Duey merchandise line featuring clothes for men and women.

http://www.cafepress.com/mrduey

We now have mugs, hoodies, t-shirts, track suits, clocks, sweatshirts and much more! Also, check out our line of "Green Clothes". These are t-shirts that are made of organic materials. We also have the kids section for the young ones. Check it out and rock some new Mr. Duey merch today!

How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class | Edutopia

How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class | Edutopia

Shared via AddThis
Quick view list
-10 Rules of Engagement

1. Start Class with a Mind Warm-Up
2. Use Movement to Get Kids Focused
3. Teach Students How to Collaborate Before Expecting Success
4. Use Quick writes When You Want Quiet Time and Student Reflection
5. Run a Tight Ship When Giving Instructions
6. Use a Fairness Cup to Keep Students Thinking
7. Use Signaling to Allow Everyone to Answer Your Question
8. Use Minimal-Supervision Tasks to Squeeze Dead Time out of Regular Routines
9. Mix up Your Teaching Styles
10. Create Teamwork Tactics That Emphasize Accountability

Exchange Smart

Check out this new site the Smarttech has coming out in September called Exchange Smart. http://exchange.smarttech.com/

First of all, every teacher should have a Smart Board in the classroom. Smart also have a bunch of new products that students in younger grades can use. The new site they have is forum based and you can get a lot of ideas on how to use the boards in your class. For more info check out http://smarttech.com/

www.MrDuey.com

New website coming soon. Sorry friends it's been a while since last post but I have been in the studio working on my second CD "Class Dis-Missed" Vol 2.

The release date is TBA. I can't wait for it to drop.

Also, we are making several adjustments to our social networks, but hang in there it will be all done shortly.

The Schoolhouse Rocks: Using Music to Engage Learning

From Education World's Voice of Experience.

In this week's Voice of Experience essay, educator Max Fischer reflects on the first time he used pop music lyrics in the classroom. Since then Fischer has found many ways to introduce music -- from the Rolling Stones to Steve Martin -- to achieve learning objectives. Included: Tips for getting started.

In the mid-80’s I taught a lesson on drug education to my sixth graders. In that lesson, I wanted to debunk the stereotypical image of a drug addict. Many of my students thought of addicts as decrepit skid row bums who slept on the streets in cardboard boxes. I wasn’t overly surprised by this prevailing mindset, because I was teaching in a suburban community at the time; the origin of the students’ stereotype seemed to be rooted in a community doing its best ostrich impersonation. To counteract that impression, I would play the Rolling Stones hit from the mid-60’s, “Mother’s Little Helper,” which included the following lyric:

"Kids are different today," I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day.

With those lyrics on the overhead, I would lead a discussion about who the song was about (a typical mother), what her problem happened to be (drug addiction), and the root cause of the problem (stress in dealing with various issues in her life). With that anticipatory set, I launched my drug ed unit designed as much to dispel the myth that addiction could never happen to these students as it was to give them concrete information about various types of drugs and their effects.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how frequently I could have employed music in my various subjects as a dynamic engagement tool for young minds. It seemed to me that teachers had several reasons to exploit pop rock in the classroom.
MUSIC PERKS UP STUDENTS

With sloth-like ambition for traditional techniques such as lecture and worksheets, adolescents perk up to the novelty of a catchy tune played during class as part of the lesson. I’ve witnessed enigmatic eighth graders energized about the War of 1812, of all things, simply by playing Johnny Horton’s memorable tune, “The Battle of New Orleans”:

In 1814 we took a little trip
along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we fought the bloody British in the town of New Orleans

We dissected the lyrics and compared them to Andrew Jackson’s actual tactics. Genuine engagement replaced mindless lethargy.
MUSIC MOTIVATES CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking on the part of students can be a direct result of a well planned insertion of music into a lesson. When I initiate studies on ancient Greece, one of the first topics we deal with is the social structure of Greek city-states. Although the birthplace of democratic ideals, Athens certainly didn’t represent our version of democracy. At this point, I introduce “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone:

I am no better and neither are you
We are the same whatever we do
You love me you hate me you know me and then
You can't figure out the bag I’m in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah

I ask students to describe how ancient Greeks would have reacted to the theme of the song. They ultimately come to the conclusion that Sly and his family couldn’t have placed their “bag” in ancient Greece for long without meeting significant resistance.

Since critical thinking is closely linked to creativity, pop rock in the classroom can also open doors for gifted students. The following lyrics from an original tune, “Socrates” (played to an innovative melody on an electric piano), were created by one of my students a few years ago:

Socrates traveled around Athens
To get out of the philosophy rubble
He formed the Socratic Method
And it got him into trouble

JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!

Finally, just for the fun of it, on occasion I play some music that, while related to the topic at hand, is simply for comic relief. Steve Martin’s classic Saturday Night Live video skit in which he performed “King Tut” is absolutely hilarious. After 40 minutes of mentally dissecting the importance of a 3300-year-old mummy, why not have a little fun with it?

Now when I die now don't think I'm a nut
Don't want no fancy funeral just one like old King Tut (King Tut)
He coulda won a grammy (King Tut)
Buried in his jimmies

GETTING STARTED WITH POPULAR MUSIC

So, how does one initiate the use of popular music in the midst of lessons in any discipline from reading to geometry to earth science? (It’s suitable for any class, not just history.) First, the instructor has to believe that people learn in different ways and that musical intelligence can be harnessed to obtain learning objectives in different areas. With that philosophical basis, the initial practical step is to obtain The Green Book of Songs by Subject, which classifies over 35,000 popular tunes into some 1800 categories. It’s the first place to look in order to discover the multitude of music that exists for an incredible array of topics.

While my music vintage spans the late 50’s into the mid-80’s, any era of music has lyrics that can be relative. After I really began to think about how I could use music in my classroom, I found myself listening more intently to my favorite radio stations and realizing there were even more tunes that I could take advantage of than I had initially tracked down in The Green Book of Songs by Subject.

Cost shouldn’t dissuade teachers from exploratory forays with this concept. Old LP’s that have successfully survived your own garage sales are one place to begin. Thrift stores or garage sales can be a productive source of inexpensive music. Finally, discount stores, such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart, where “Golden Oldie” cassette tapes sell for three to five dollars, afford a budget-minded inventory of music. With various Internet Web sites devoted to discovering thousands of song lyrics, locating additional musical resources can be relatively easy.

A relatively meager investment will reap significant dividends in learning within the classroom for the instructor who realizes the value music has as a tool in the overall education of adolescent minds.

A teacher for nearly three decades, Max Fischer currently teaches seventh graders the marvels of ancient history. A National Board certified teacher in the area of early adolescence social studies/history, Max has authored nine resource books for teachers in the fields of social studies, health, and math. You can read a previously published article about Fischer: Simulations Engage Students in Active Learning.