All Blog Posts (9,941)

There are few programs that say 'competence' more than Adobe Photoshop. If a student can accomplish this photo editor, he becomes the go-to guy for technology. He develops a confidence that carries o…

There are few programs that say 'competence' more than Adobe Photoshop. If a student can accomplish this photo editor, he becomes the go-to guy for technology. He develops a confidence that carries over into so many other skills s/he'll want to use with computers. On my blog, Ask a Tech Teacher, I've itemized some of the favorites among my students, the easiest for a fifth grader to use when they're putting themselves into that… Continue

Added by Jacqui Murray on August 9, 2009 at 8:02pm — No Comments

Self-Regulation and Getting Back to School: 6 Things to Be Mindful Of

It's that time again!

The first few weeks of the school year are so important and set the tone for the entire year. Self-regulation is crucial throughout the year, but there are barriers at the beginning of the year. Children are coming in from less structure. They haven't had to regulate very well for a couple of months.

6 Things to be Mindful of:

1. Flexible reminders during the first few weeks are crucial.

2. Use questions.

3. Challenge the unhealthy… Continue

Added by Brad Chapin on August 9, 2009 at 10:35am — No Comments

21st Century Teaching & Learning

The following commentary discusses my viewpoint on 21st Century Teaching and Learning, based on responses to a PLN survey conducted by Lucy Gray, Technology Integration Specialist at the University of Chicago, on August 8, 2009.

What is your personal definition of 21st century learning and/or teaching?

21st Century learning is the process whereby digital natives utilize the power of modern technology to learn anything, anytime, anywhere. Classrooms are no longer… Continue

Added by David Ligon on August 9, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

Branding in Social Media

The concept of branding is an essential part of social media and web 2.0 literacy. The way in which an individual or business presents themselves online through a variety of online venues is absolutely essential to how viewers will perceive them. This can have either positive or negative consequences depending on how one's web 2.0 brand comes across. Case in point, in the latest issue of Government Technology an article entitled "The Trouble with Twitter and other social networks" depicts an… Continue

Added by David Ligon on August 9, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

Flight Simulator on a Microsoft Surface Table, set to 80's music

The above is a link to a recent post on my Interactive Multimedia Technology blog. The application looks fun!

Added by Lynn Marentette on August 9, 2009 at 8:40am — No Comments

School Supply Shopping

While I LOVE shopping for school supplies, I do NOT love it when my children are along. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only one. I know because I witnessed it myself yesterday. While shopping with my daughter in the school supply aisles I overheard SEVERAL conversations that went something like this:

"Let me LOOK at that list!"

"No, you do NOT need THAT!"

"Argh! I should have just done this MYSELF!"

Adding to that cacophony was my own argument… Continue

Added by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 8, 2009 at 10:16am — 4 Comments

Before School Starts Up Again...

Before School Starts Up Again...

I want to make sure I take back with me a sense of optimism about the upcoming year. I know it's gonna be more challenging in many ways due to these absolutely BONKER budget cuts. However, just because we have less money to spend on our kids than ever (at least as long as I've been a teacher) does not mean that we automatically have to provide less of an education to our kids than ever.

And I believe they way to ensure that this… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 8, 2009 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

Teaching Technique-expectations

Teaching Technique-EXPECTATIONS

First a story

When I taught in the Memphis City School System, I also worked summers for the Memphis City Park Commission. I worked at a Community Center. The Director of the center and I became friends. Years after leaving the Park Commission job the Director (a lady) shared this information with me.

Her story is this. “I was in a very sleazy night club (if you could really call it that) one night. I was with… Continue

Added by William Lambert on August 8, 2009 at 6:08am — No Comments

Free Collaborative Platforms for Teachers Part 5 - Glide Engage and OS Microblogging and Online Collaboration

Reposted from Meg's Notebook | Exploring the Digital Classroom

Glide Engage is an ambitious service which attempts to capture and serve two of today's most popular online 'application' activities: microblogging and online… Continue

Added by Meg H on August 8, 2009 at 3:00am — No Comments

Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond

Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers can now be ordered by clicking on to this web address: … Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 7, 2009 at 4:01pm — No Comments

Star Trek Wins Again–Fiction Becomes Reality

So often, StarTrek science predated reality. Here's another story of their amazing vision:

Transparent metal hints at nature of planets’ cores

Transparent aluminum, a sci-fi material brought to 20th century Earth by the crew of The Enterprise in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, turns out to exist after all – if… Continue

Added by Jacqui Murray on August 7, 2009 at 11:28am — No Comments

A Time of Educational Opposites

We are living and working in a time of educational opposites.

*Our class sizes are growing as our teacher ranks are shrinking.

*Our students' needs are expanding as our professional development time is diminishing.

*The public's confidence in our professional abilities is lessening while the public's distaste for supporting public education is broadening.

These opposites are not good. However, there's a bright side as well.

*Socioeconomic… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 7, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

Finished wiki #2 on eluminate

Pretty cool app, even as a recording. I'm going to try to catch up with the RSS feed one too but I'm so busy with just a few weeks left before school starts. Wiki's as a tool.....a tool for an outcome. There are so many tools with Web2 that it takes a while to catch up. I agree with what Sue said about using them. Many times you have to get busy with it personally before you use it in the classroom.

Added by Leyton Roberts on August 7, 2009 at 9:35am — No Comments

Are you ready?

As I look forward to tomorrow's Freshmen Orientation, I am struck by sooo many conflicting thoughts: Am I ready? and Will I be ready?

Am I ready? No I am not ready but I will be. Well, I will spend the next week getting ready. I have been patting myself on the back because I have my lesson plans done for the next 4 weeks and I do not have that much work to do to my wikisite.

Guess what? We aren't to study short stories as I thought; we will be completing a unit on… Continue

Added by Valerie Burton on August 7, 2009 at 1:10am — No Comments

Collaborative Project: Encompassing the Arts Across the Grades

The collaborative unit/project I created is titled Encompassing the Arts Across the Grades. It has been said that a name tells all. In this case, much can be assumed from the title. The Web 2.0 tool, VoiceThread is used, the main curriculum area covered is the arts, and the participants span more than one grade level of students. I would add that the language arts are also a major curriculum area that this project complements.… Continue

Added by Nancy L. Jacobson on August 6, 2009 at 11:33pm — No Comments

Invitation to participate in important survey

If you have not completed the survey on how you use AND how you have your students use online tools, please go to http://snipurl.com/nnpvg.

If you have, please share with colleagues.

Thank you, Cheri

Added by Cheri Toledo on August 6, 2009 at 2:04pm — No Comments

The Cheating Heart

Perhaps the most difficult problems facing educators is the staggering number of students who cheat in school. With the emergence of all sorts of exciting technologies– mobile technologies, social media technologies, etc. — teachers and administrators are finding it virtually impossible to effectively combat cheating. MORE...

Added by Shawn Roner on August 6, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

Like Mom always said: Why? Because I said so, that's why!

How in the world can we expect all students to show the same amount of enthusiasm for all subject areas on their schedule? I am not sure we can.

And if you agree we can't -- read on. (If you think we can, then this post is probably not for you.)

I think about my own experience in school. For me, science class was always something I endured more than I enjoyed whereas creative writing was an after school club for me that I choose to join which had me up til… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 6, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Teachers Without Borders

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and will never be.

Thomas Jefferson recognized the relationship between education and freedom hundreds of years ago, so why do we still expect nations to do the glorious mountain building required of their future without the bedrock of teachers? We ask the world to ‘cut carbon emissions’ without teaching them science. We ask them to… Continue

Added by Jacqui Murray on August 5, 2009 at 12:13pm — No Comments

School: when it comes to amassing great fortunes, it's so overrated

It is with great sadness that I must inform everyone that I will be retiring from the world of education. See, a few hours ago, I just learned that a dead 3rd aunt who moved to Senegal in the early 1900's just left me 67 million Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF) -- this is the official note of the Central Bank of the West African States -- which translates into about 32 million US dollars.

Of course, I couldn't begin to explain how ecstatic I was to receive the… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on August 5, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments