Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Milwaukee Area Teachers of Psychology Meeting

Since 1993, Milwaukee area psychology teachers have gathered twice a year to share teaching ideas and develop friendships. Our group has come to be called the "Milwaukee Area Teachers of Psychology" (MATOP), even though many come from outside the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Below you will find an agenda for our next meeting on November 10th. If you live within driving distance of the Milwaukee area, please feel free to attend. If you would like to be included on the MATOP mailing list please contact me at the email address below.

For those of you not within driving distance of Milwaukee, feel free to "check out" our agenda for items you might find useful in your classroom. Whenever possible, I have tried to include email or website addresses for further information. Please contact me with any questions you may have.

Kent

Dear Psychology Teacher:

The Milwaukee Area Teachers of Psychology (MATOP) Fall Meeting will be held on Tuesday November 10, 2009, 7:00 PM, at Pius XI High School, 135 N. 76th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53213 in the library.

Our agenda includes:

• an examination of the new edition (8e) of Weiten’s Psychology: Themes and Variations. Through the complements of Katie Golem, the College Prep Sales Specialist at Holt-McDougal, (800-323-5435 ex. 3870) katie_golem@hmco.com everyone at the meeting will receive a copy of this new edition. To find out more about this text, go to http://holtmcdougal.hmhco.com/hm/detail.htm?ID=1007500000073418

• a review of the newly revised Zimbardo’s Psychology: AP Edition with Discovering Psychology. Kevin Kuckkan of Prentice Hall (866-340-3692) kevin.kuckkan@phschool.com has sent copies for everyone of this text, the only specifically written for Advanced Placement Psychology. For more information go to http://www.pearsonschool.com/

• an analysis of the supplements for the new Myers Psychology 9e. Thanks to the generosity of Eileen Tanania, the Bedford, Freeman and Worth representative (866-843-3715 ex 714) etanania@bfwpub.com we have examination copies of the IRM, test banks and student study guide. To learn more about Myers 9e go to http://www.bfwpub.com/highschool/

• information on the Teaching High School Psychology Blog http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com

• ways to use Cell Phone Texting in your class. Most schools either ban or tolerate cell phones and students texting. Can this technology be used for a practical purpose in your class?

• a conversation about changes in the AP Psychology Acorn Book. The College Board and the AP Psychology Test Development Committee has significantly revised the AP Psychology Acorn Book. We will discuss the changes and how they might influence the AP Psychology curriculum. The Acorn Book can be found within AP Central at http://apcentral.collegeboard.com

• new information on the Quizlet Flash Card Website (www.quizlet.com) Over the summer both Quizlet and MATOP have made some changes to the flash card website.

• a report from the APA/TOPSS Clarke Summer Workshop and items from APA and TOPSS. Nancy Fenton, TOPSS Board Member-at-Large, will fill us in on the latest news from the APA/TOPSS. The TOPSS website is located at www.apa.org/ed/topss/homepage.html

• explaining a new twist to Student Book Reviews. Laura Brandt of Adlai Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL will share a new type of book review.

• insights from the 2009 AP Psychology Reading. We anticipate a number of AP Psychology table leaders and readers will be attending our meeting. Come listen to their reflections on Kansas City and the 2009 reading. The FRQs, rubrics, sample responses, etc. can be found at http://apcentral.collegeboard.com

• announcing a new regular Psychology textbook coming out this spring. After a short hiatus, Cengage Learning is returning to the high school psychology market with the release of Psychology: A Discovery Experience by Steven Franzoi of Marquette University. To find out more about this upcoming text, go to http://school.cengage.com/

• presentations of online communications with students and parents (Moodle, Blackboard, WebCT, Wiki’s, Blogs, etc.). A number of teachers will give short presentations on how they use these technologies in their course. We are still in need of someone to present on Blackboard and WebCT. If you are interested please contact Kent Korek at kkorek@germantown.k12.wi.us

• activities from PsychKits. As always, PsychKits has sent us some of their classroom activities. We will be discussing Auditory Localization Lab, Running the Magic Pin Demo, and the Displacement Goggles. One lucky person will be leaving the meeting with their own set of displacement goggles. PsychKits can be found at www.psychkits.com

• plus much more

Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no need to RSVP. Please feel free to invite anyone you feel might be interested in coming.

If you would like to be added to the MATOP email listing, please contact Kent Korek at kkorek@germantown.k12.wi.us

For directions to Pius High School, 135 N. 76th, Milwaukee, WI 53213 go to http://www.piusxi.org/prospective/Transportation.aspx Our meetings usually last about two hours.

We look forward to seeing you.


Ruth Regent-Smith
Kent Korek

No comments: