-----Original Message----- From: owner-copernicus-cc@news.edgate.com [mailto:owner-copernicus-cc@news.edgate.com]On Behalf Of Copernicus Learning Communities Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 10:09 PM To: copernicus-cc@news.edgate.com Subject: The Electronic Classroom: Getting an Olympic Start ========================================================== The Electronic Classroom Visit EdGate's Copernicus Learning Communities at: http://www.EdGate.com ========================================================== January 4, 2002 ---------------------------------------------------------- This Issue's Theme: Getting an Olympic Start News in this issue: + CHECK IT OUT! + DID YOU KNOW? + TODAY'S TRENDS (New!!!) + FEATURE: Getting An Olympic Start + SPOTLIGHT SCHOOL + IN THE NEWS ========================================================== CHECK IT OUT! If you are unable obtain plane tickets and fly to Geneva Switzerland to visit the Olympic Museum you may want to take a virtual trip instead (http://www.museum.olympic.org/e/museum/museum_e.html). The "official" Olympic Museum is an indispensable source for research on the history of the Olympic movement beginning in 1896. The site includes a gallery, history timelines and current news regarding the present Winter games in Salt Lake City, Utah. ========================================================== DID YOU KNOW... As a new regular column of this newsletter, the International Center for Leadership in Education and its President, Dr. Willard R. Daggett will provide information of interest to educators on our changing society and its impact on schools. This month, "Today's Trends" focuses on home schooling. A new EdGate section has teachers talking! The EdGate Monthly Calendar of Resources features hundreds of links to historic events for a specific date, thematic content for the season and an easy-to-use listing of famous birthdays and world events. The thematic units, which are organized by topic and also indicate appropriate grade level, make it easy to find just the right lesson for a current curricular area of study. The EdGate Monthly Calendar of Resources is available from the main page of any Copernicus Learning Community. Coming Soon to Edgate!!: Olympic Winter Games http://www.edgate.com/wintergames/ ========================================================== TODAY'S TRENDS: Bill Daggett Reports on Trends in Technology and Education HOME SCHOOLING CONTINUES TO EXPAND According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 1999 there were an estimated 850,000 home-schooled children in America. Two and a half years later, the National Home Education Research Institute puts that number at between 1.6 million and 2 million. This doubling of the home-school population is striking, as is the diversity of those children. Minority groups are now a growing segment of the home schooling population. According to the NCES study, 9.9% of home-schooled children are African-American and 9.1% are Latino, with both groups growing at a faster rate than other ethnic groups. Today's home schooling families tend to share a belief that conventional schooling is not serving their children's' educational and social needs. The NCES study included a survey asking these families why they chose to take their children out of public schools. The results: 49% thought they could provide a better education at home, 25.6% cited the poor learning environment at school, 15.1% wanted to develop character/morality at home, and nearly 12% felt that school did not challenge their children. Home schooling is clearly here to stay, and public schools cannot afford to ignore this trend. It provides another alternative that, along with charter schools, distance learning and school choice programs, creates increasing competition for our public schools. - WRD Links: National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/ National Home Education Research Institute: http://www.nheri.org/ American Homeschool Association: http://www.americanhomeschoolassociation.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Resources for Rigorous and Relevant Learning - The Tenth Annual Model Schools Conference is June 30-July 3 in Washington, D.C. For further information go to http://www.leadered.com/model_schools.html ========================================================== FEATURE ARTICLE: Getting an Olympic Start BACKGROUND Contestants in Olympic games must be amateurs. The Olympic definition is as follows: An amateur is one who participates and always has participated in sport as an avocation without material gain of any kind. He cannot avail himself of this qualification: (a) if he has not a basic occupation designed to insure his present and future livelihood; (b) if he receives or has received a remuneration for participation in sport; (c) if he does not comply with the rules of the International Federation concerned, and the official interpretations of this rule. RESEARCH TOPICS TO CONSIDER Getting Ready: -How to choose which sport is best for you -How to find a coach -Tips from Olympic athletes on how to train effectively -Developing a winner's attitude -Overcoming injuries or setbacks -Sports you can successfully start competing in as an adult -Tips for parents on how to support your child's dream -A definition and explanation of Olympic events -Information about qualifying for the United States National Team -Information about qualifying for the Olympics -Tips for Olympic success -Associations for the sport (U.S., Canadian, and International) -How to get a head start on the competition: a list that may be included at future Olympics -Supporting an Olympic dream -Finding college scholarships -Getting a steady source of income through the World Class Athlete Program -Free room and board at an Olympic Training Center -Finding and receiving Corporate Sponsorships -Types of sponsorships available -Which companies fund athletes -Finding company contact information -Finding the money in corporations for sponsorship -The best way to ask companies for financial support -How to improve your odds at getting corporate funding Source: http://www.fabjob.com THE MUSCLES OF AN OLYMPIAN (New Research) What makes an athlete an Olympian; better than anyone else in the World? Are some people born to be Olympians? There is evidence that would suggest certain people are born more likely to be highly successful athletes than others. There are differences in the body type of a typical Olympian compared to that of an average person. Some of these differences are obvious, such as height and weight; some are not so obvious, such as cardiac efficiency and muscle composition. New research is directed at the study of the muscle composition of an Olympic caliber athlete compared to that of an average person. Skeletal muscle comprises the largest percentage of the human body by mass. The skeletal muscles are made up of contracting fibers that allow our muscles to contract with force. There are two broad categories of muscles fibers, 'fast-twitch' and 'slow-twitch.' Depending on the composition of a given muscle, the contractile speed and the endurance of the muscle can vary greatly. Most people have these two types of skeletal muscle, because most people have made the critical decision at mealtime: light or dark meat? The turkey we eat comes in two types, but most people don't bother to think why there are differences. The answer is that the skeletal muscle composition varies in different parts of the body of a turkey. The same is true in most animals, including humans. While this may not be visibly obvious, some human muscles are almost all fast-twitch and some are almost all slow-twitch. The difference between fast and slow twitch muscles is significant. The fast twitch muscle fibers can contract almost ten times more frequently than a slow twitch muscle. The slow twitch muscle is made to contract for longer periods of time without needing rest. An Olympic sprinter may have greater than 80% of their muscle as fast twitch, whereas a marathoner can have greater than 90% slow twitch muscle fibers. An average person has approximately equal amounts of both. Until recently, it was thought that muscle fibers could not change from one type to other. Therefore, the average person would have a difficult time becoming an Olympic caliber athlete. However, new research shows evidence of muscle fibers changing from one type to another. This research suggests that fiber types can, in fact, change with a vigorous training schedule. Does this mean that anyone can be an Olympian with the proper training? Probably not, but it does give hope to many people who may be slightly less of a 'natural athlete' than some of their competitors. The caliber of an Olympic athlete is incomprehensible to most weekend warriors. In order to compete in this elite group of competitors it is difficult to have anything working against you. The evidence shows that all athletes in a given competition share certain physiologic characteristics. It had been thought that in order to be an Olympian, you would have to be born with muscle composition tailored to your event. However, this new research shows that our body's muscle is adaptable, and can be shaped by proper training. Is there an Olympian somewhere inside each of us? Source: Anderson, JL; Schjerling, P; Saltin, B. Scientific American. "Muscle, Genes and Athletic Performance" 9/2000. Pages 48-55 ATHLETIC TRAINING RESOURCES Cross-Training: The Complete Training Guide for All Sports-by Gordon Bakoulis Bloch, Paula Newby-Frase Cross-Training for Sports: Programs for 26 Sports-by Gary Moran and George H. McGlynn Power Training for Sports: Plyometrics for Maximum Power Development-by Dr. Tudor Bompa Explosive Power and Strength: Complex Training for Maximum Results-by Donald A. Chu Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance-by Tudor O. Bompa Fitness Cross-Training (Fitness Spectrum)-Yacebda's works TEACHER LINKS/RESOURCES http://coolrunning.com/ http://www.fabjob.com/olympics.asp http://www.ksinclair.com/Article138.htm http://www.myprimetime.com/health/fitness/content/train916/index.shtml [You may need to copy this long URL in sections and past it into the Location or Address bar on your browser.] ========================================================== SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS: The spotlight is shining on Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware! The Ursuline Academy recently began its second year as a Copernicus Learning Community, and staff members participated in a "drop-in" style renewal training. Faculty and staff members dropped by the Lower School Computer Lab during a prep period, lunch break, and after school to spend some time with the Copernicus Trainer. They had an opportunity to explore new Copernicus resources and tools, ask questions, and create and develop their SchoolNotes pages. Every Ursuline faculty and staff member has an active SchoolNotes page to keep parents, students, and community members involved with happenings in and out of the classroom. On the Ursuline Academy Copernicus site, you can find links to SchoolNotes pages with school calendars, volunteer information, and even instructions for creating SchoolNotes pages! Teachers have found creative and fun ways to use their SchoolNotes pages and to encourage access among parents and students. One teacher holds trivia contests on her SchoolNotes site, and she also posts a "secret internet spelling word", which is a bonus on the weekly spelling test. It is easy to see why Ursuline Academy is in the spotlight! Are you doing something great with Copernicus in your school or district? We would love to shine the spotlight on you! Write to us at cmccoid@edgate.com to tell us about your school. ========================================================== IN THE NEWS "High Flying" Schools http://www.edtrust.org/documents/DTMreport.pdf The Education Trust has established a solid reputation regarding clarification of issues in student achievement. Their recent publication, "Dispelling the Myth Revisited," provides a state-by-state and national analysis of high-poverty and high-minority schools that demonstrate superior student performance. The report finds that, in the year 2000, more than 4,500 poor and/or high-minority schools nationwide scored in the top one-third of all schools. This is a continuing effort to isolate factors that contribute to high student achievement. This article requires Adobe Acrobat Reader! Article in Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/education/A60011-2001Dec18.html [You may need to copy this long URL in sections and past it into the Location or Address bar on your browser.] By huge margins, both the Senate and the House have passed a bipartisan bill to revamp the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). On December 18, 2001 the Senate approved the flagship federal legislation for K-12 of the Bush administration. Less than a week before, the House gave its assent on a vote of 381-41. President Bush has indicated he will sign this early in the New Year. "I commend members of Congress for acting boldly and in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way to help make sure no child in America is left behind," President Bush said in a statement after the Senate vote. The legislation is likely to shape state and local policy and funding decisions. It imposes new requirements on states and school districts to improve student achievement, while also authorizing a substantial increase in federal aid and offering greater flexibility in how that money is spent. In addition, it mandates statewide testing in reading and mathematics each year in grades 3-8 and provides new educational options for students in failing schools. New ESEA Federal Legislation http://thomas.loc.gov/ Enter "H.R. 1" and read text of the new Elementary and Secondary Education Act. A fact sheet on HR 1 is available at the Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/12-2001/12112001b.html International Comparison of Performance for 15-Year-Olds in Reading, Mathematics, and Science http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002115 The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a new system of international assessments that focus on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy and science literacy. In this first cycle, PISA 2000, reading literacy is the major focus, occupying roughly two-thirds of assessment time. In 2000, 32 countries participated in PISA, including 28 OECD countries and 4 non-OECD countries. International comparisons are made in this report. ========================================================== HOW TO CONTACT US Send us feedback or recommend your favorite educational Web links at http://www.EdGate.com/contact . To change your subscription status or delivery address, or to read past issues, visit EdGate's Newsletter Center at http://www.EdGate.com/edunews . To receive information about creating a customized Copernicus Learning Community for your school or district, contact EdGate at info@edgate.com. Copernicus Learning Communities offer easy access to best-of-the-Web resources for K-12 educators, students, and parents. Visit our Web site: http://www.EdGate.com . © 2002 by EdGate.com, Inc. 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