February 2010 Blog Posts (135)

100 Ways to Teach with Twitter

These resources actually provide over 110 ideas for, and examples of, using Twitter in the classroom.

It's been almost 8 months since I published the post, "6 Examples of Using Twitter in the Classroom", about uses of the popular micro-blogging tool in the…

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Added by Kelly Walsh on February 7, 2010 at 12:30pm — No Comments

How to organize 6 groups of students with different level in one blog?

As I have mentioned before blogs are a perfect idea to maintain friendly working atmosphere with students. Now I'm looking for the best way how to organize my students in 6 groups. And Ning is one of the examples.

Added by Elena Yushkova on February 7, 2010 at 11:12am — No Comments

Fostering a Globally Competent Student through the use of Technology

One of my goals as a teacher is to adequately prepare my students for the world that awaits them. This means they need to be globally competent. Students need to understand the world is larger than the area that they live. They need to be aware of the different cultures and philosophies that exist in the world. In the technological world we live in, creating a globalized classroom is easier…

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Added by Jeremy Rinkel on February 7, 2010 at 10:37am — No Comments

FREE Tools that I have found effective

Greetings

I wanted to share two tech tools that I have found to be very helpful. The first is for PC and Mac.

It is called DropBox. Perfect for making sure that you have all the files you need in all the computers that you use. For example, when I save a file to the desktop that I use here at school, a copy gets saved to my work laptop, and my desktop at home. The best part is I don't have to email files to myself so that I can finish working on them from home, or worry about… Continue

Added by Adam Cohen on February 6, 2010 at 10:06am — 1 Comment

The Extended Value of Classroom Networks

Connected

An interesting thing happened on the way home from Educon 2.2 last Sunday night. Walking through the terminal and against my exhaustion, I reflexively checked my mail. Lazy eyes lifted open, I flicked my thumb scrolling… trolling for a demand of action. I’m hyper-connected. I pay for it. And yet, I’m a better teacher and leader because of it. This is the sort of thing that I am betting many folks in this…

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Added by Sean Nash on February 5, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Keyboarding Instruction Survey please?

Hey, all, I'm a K-4 technology coordinator at University School of Nashville and I've been asked to take a myopic look at my keyboarding instruction philosophies. if you are knowledgeable about your schools touch-typing instruction program, could you take a minute to fill out this VERY brief survey? I'm out to gauge current trends and could certainly use the help...…

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Added by Scott Merrick on February 5, 2010 at 2:11pm — No Comments

Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro (Breeze)

This week was a very busy week. We worked on our Midterm Projects. I decided to find out what Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro could offer in the classroom. It is a very interesting program and has so much to offer both learners and instructors. I became so involved in trying it out that I wanted to know how it really works. I invited some of my classmates to help me try it out. One of them took me up on the offer and I presented my midterm project on the site. It was a great learning experience. The… Continue

Added by Carol E. Kubota on February 5, 2010 at 9:02am — 3 Comments

Whoosh! Ka-BOOM! The sound of a deadline colliding with reality.

As a writer, one of my favorite quotes about writing comes from Douglass Adams. He says: "I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by."

Too funny, right?

Well, it seems as if George Dubya Bush, once again, has a preposterous amount of egg on his face. Why? Because he set forth a ridiculous deadline that no one in the field of education (no one worth their salt, I should say) ever though would possibly be made and… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on February 5, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

A Friday Smile...

One day at school, the children in class began to identify the flavors of Life Savers by each of their colors:

Red.....................Cherry

Yellow.................Lemon

Green...................Lime

Orange ..............Orange

Finally the teacher gave them all HONEY lifesavers. None

of the children could identify the taste.

The teacher said, 'I will give you all a clue. It's what your

mother may sometimes call your… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on February 5, 2010 at 6:00am — No Comments

TEACHING TECHNIQUES-TEACH THE BRAIN

TEACHING TECHNIQUES-TEACH THE BRAIN, NOT THE STUDENT I am an enthusiastic teacher that believes every student is capable of great success. I have two great friends and one soon to be great friend that cautions my enthusiasm, their contention is that the teacher’s ability may be good or even great, but we must place more accountability on the student. I agree.

When I do "how to learn" presentations for students, I tell them they can learn regardless of how negative or… Continue

Added by William Lambert on February 5, 2010 at 4:00am — No Comments

iPad

I teach middle school PE and, as most of you know, PE teachers spend most of their days away from their offices and thus, desks. Today, my PE cohort and I were talking about ways to make OUR lives easier in our outdoor classroom. We began discussing what we might be able to do with the new Apple iPad. We use an online grading system called Schoolloop. We would be able to access that instantly, without having to write notes in a grade book and then transfer it online. We could show demonstration… Continue

Added by Kate on February 4, 2010 at 6:53pm — No Comments

Should Schools Block Social Networking Sites?

Over the past five years, the response of most school administrators to social networking sites– YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc.– is simply to restrict access on campus. In a recent piece in Slate, Nicholas Bramble argues it’s time to open access to these sites. MORE...

Added by Shawn Roner on February 4, 2010 at 10:22am — No Comments

"Cause our stupid schools sure ain't," she said.

Last weekend I took my daughter to LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). I hadn't been in a decade and WOW, was I blown away by the incredible experience.

LACMA is a really good museum. And I like really good museums. Why I haven't been in more than 10 years, I have no idea.

Anyway, LACMA lured us to their museum with an offer of free art for kids. (My daughter's 3 1/2 so what a great way to spend a Sunday, right?) Of course, it was… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on February 4, 2010 at 6:30am — 2 Comments

Spring Breaks is COMING!

Almost all the students’ loves holidays and vacations. Asking me - why? Well, of course we get tired of projects, school papers and homeworks. Plus stressful pop quizzes and recitations as well as quarterly exams. That’s why how can we not love the spring breaks?

We aren't too far away from Spring Break for college kids, and then Memorial Day isn't too long after that. Then you got Fourth of July, and these are all popular times to go camping. (Don't forget Labor Day.) If you really… Continue

Added by ConorK on February 3, 2010 at 10:55pm — No Comments

Blossom Learning Launch Interview

Hi everyone,

Check out this vodcast , posted at the MindShare Learning Report. Robert Martellacci discusses the launch of Blossom Learning with my colleagues David and Paul Weatherhead.

Happy Learning!
Mrs Blossom

Added by Mrs. Blossom on February 3, 2010 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Where's the Delete Button?

I can delete albums but not photos, why is that?

Just got tired of looking at my old photos, and want to remove these. I'm now teaching at a Mac school where every classroom has a Smartboard. I want to post photos about these, without cluttering my space with too much photos.

Added by Antoinette Go on February 3, 2010 at 11:33am — 3 Comments

Help Urgently Needed

Something is up with one of my students. In the last 2 weeks, it seems like her personality has just done a complete 180.

She used to be very sweet and get along with everyone in class. But in the last 2 weeks she's become very irritable, stubborn, and even has huge bursts of intense anger. She tattles on every little thing and has even been caught lying about many of the things of which she tattles. She's started picking fights with children she claims are her best… Continue

Added by Jessica Eitzen on February 3, 2010 at 11:01am — 2 Comments

Single-Taskers Will Rule the World!

I am kicking around a new book idea about the need for single-tasking in a world where people sing the praises a bit too loudly about the ability to multi-task.

(But since I kick around new book ideas all the time, it's probably best just to blog about it and see if the itch is still there to scratch at the end of this post.)

Multi-taking, in the modern world, is something we all do. Talking on the phone while googling an address as someone speaks to you from the… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on February 3, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Make Education Better! HOW?

Make EDUCATION better! HOW?

I would like for all teachers to think about this. If the school system you work for tripled your salary

Want would you different in the classroom?

My guess is that you are already doing all that you know how to do.

More money spent on teacher salaries would not make teachers currently employed any better.

If teacher salaries were tripled, MAYBE more people would be attracted to the… Continue

Added by William Lambert on February 3, 2010 at 1:54am — No Comments

Hello World

Hi, Thanks to Jane for inviting me. My name is Dean Groom and I work at Macquarie University in Sydney Australia. My job is to teach largely non-teachers -- how to teach, and in doing that, look for methods and ways that help them transition from the learning by absorption we see in traditional classrooms to more enquiry methods.

Enter PBL. I trained with New Tech High - and since then my interest is how to rip out tools like Microsoft Office, IWBs and projectors - and get kids to… Continue

Added by Dean Groom on February 2, 2010 at 11:42pm — No Comments