April 2009 Blog Posts (144)

Simply the Best?

I love this blog post response to a leading news publication that states the following:

You Call These The “Best”?

from…

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Added by John Costilla on April 24, 2009 at 7:14am — No Comments

Been looking for a place like this site.
Just finished two weeks of mandated state testing with the middle schoolers - quite an ordeal. Finished up with persuasive writing. Throwing a waffle party tomorrow morning so the kids can blow off some steam. Maybe then we can get our minds back to the last quarter's work! Lots to look forward to: reading a biography of Houdini, Tangerineand learning to evaluate internet resources.

Added by V Schauer on April 23, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Are there Jewish educators out there interested in improving the quality of day and supplementary school education?

Hi Colleagues,

I have just started a blog whose purpose is to create a venue where interested educators can access information about Jewish mentoring programs and materials. I envision that blog as a forum to discuss issues relating to the improvement of Jewish education through the mentoring of Jewish students and teachers. In the blog you will find articles, resources, and programs on the role of mentoring in the recruitment, development and retention of Jewish… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on April 23, 2009 at 11:00am — 4 Comments

Targeting the Right Social Media

Social media is all the buzz... but what is the right mix to meet your targets?

Be it education, consumer, community or commerce, we have all found our way to what is becoming more and more mainstream. Educators are utilizing social networks like Ning to setup school profiles and student projects to communities (… Continue

Added by John Costilla on April 23, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

The Great Gatsby and Google Earth

Yesterday I finally had some time to continue working with my new curricular unit which is a unit that challenges students to consider the relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and the Roaring Twenties, using Google Earth. I'm really excited about this unit because in addition to using Google Earth, students also have a chance to use Google 3D Warehouse and Google Sketch-up.

One of the most important themes that runs through this book is the distinction between… Continue

Added by Andrew Pass on April 23, 2009 at 6:59am — No Comments

Integrating Technology and Teacher Collaboration

April 24, 2009

Integrating Technology and Teacher Reflections by Nellie Deutsch

Get your own…

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Added by Dr. Nellie Deutsch on April 23, 2009 at 6:53am — No Comments

Edact.com Lunches Why Do I Need to Sleep? Book for Children and Kids.

Parents are often concerned about the amount of sleep their child or kid is getting. Many parents worry that their child not getting enough sleep, rarely parents worry that their child is sleeping too much. As a parent you already know if your child is getting enough sleep by his/her behavior.

Every Body knows sleep is playing an important factor in all our lives. When we sleep, we rest and our body is able to renew its energy. Sleep is also important because of dreams. When we… Continue

Added by John Khan on April 23, 2009 at 3:00am — No Comments

6 Days and Counting

So we've been typing on and off for . . . ever. I'm down to just one student who has not typed her piece. But I've learned a LOT about differentiation. Differentiating instruction has always been something that I thought sounded really cool, but too hard for my classroom. I didn't know how this would work, but I realized that by setting up clear expectations for my students where they understood that not everyone would be doing the same thing. I thought my students would be a little resistant,… Continue

Added by Amanda Addison on April 22, 2009 at 2:59pm — No Comments

Read the Writing on the Wall

I just found a Classroom 2.0 web site that has potential for collaboration and fun. It's called Wallwisher and it's like the old fashioned bulletin board in the village square or coffee house where you can post a stickie and get feedback. But this site provides a web site address and lets you post links to sites and videos. I've used it to jump on my anti-Arne Duncan soapbox, once again.

Added by Gary Latman on April 22, 2009 at 2:35pm — No Comments

Education Coalition Applauds California Being First State in the Nation to Receive Federal Stimulus Funds

In the midst of the biggest education funding crisis in California’s history, with an unprecedented 30,000 pink slips issued to teachers and administrators statewide, and nearly 10,000 school employees receiving layoff notices, the Governor’s office released some much-needed good news on April 18th: California will be the first state in the nation to receive federal stimulus funds for education.

See the full article at:… Continue

Added by Anne Bubnic on April 22, 2009 at 2:24pm — No Comments

Wednesday, April 22

Today was a good day here at the ole Western Middle School. Student behavior was great, the lesson was good (teacher directed, mostly, but good), and I was very happy with my student results. The lesson was geared on using cubes to find volume and surface area, then using cubes to find formulas for volume and surface area. At first, I thought my students might not be able to grasp the connection between using cubes to find volume and transferring that information into finding a formula, but… Continue

Added by Ryan Churchill on April 22, 2009 at 2:18pm — No Comments

Interesting summer course with an option to visit Holland

Just to let you know there are (at least :-)) 2 courses at the Utrecht SummerSchool that might interest you: one on designing for WEB 2.0 (including an introduction to the LanguageQuest quality criteria) and another specifically about the didactic use of Interactive Whiteboards. And participants who would like to extend their visit to the Netherlands can apply for an additional period of campus accommodation at 125 Euro (!) per week.

More info and links below

'Designing… Continue

Added by Ton Koenraad on April 22, 2009 at 2:50am — No Comments

The Funnel Groove: New Ways to Learn with FunnelBrain

Raise scores by collaborating with other students from around the world!

Create, Learn and Share Flashcards

Create and personalize your review questions: include videos, photos, voice

recordings, and even math equations. Share your questions and collaborate

with your classmates and other students around the world by working on a

common set of flashcards together.

Flashcards Don't Have Two Sides… Continue

Added by Joe on April 21, 2009 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Tuesday, April 21

Today was a somewhat challenging day again. First, let me go through my lesson plan.

1. Sponge.

2. Biggest Gainer review activity over Fractions, Decimals, and Percents.

3. Finishing up Problem 2.2 in our textbook.

Two of my three blocks today did really well. They really strived for, and achieved, success. However, my 2nd block class (which is typically my most difficult anyway) was especially hard today. It's not that they were bad...it's that they were too… Continue

Added by Ryan Churchill on April 21, 2009 at 5:16pm — No Comments

Chart of collaborative tools

Pretty impressive.
http://www.mindmeister.com/12213323. Seems useful to people in this community.

Added by Jeff Karlsen on April 21, 2009 at 2:05pm — No Comments

Live Video on Facebook with Qik

I use this app on my iPhone and link live video feeds to my blog and now Facebook.

Qik Adds Mobile Video to Facebook

from…

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Added by John Costilla on April 21, 2009 at 5:31am — No Comments

Teachers Investing in War

This is a headline that one does not see very often and it is my hope that it will be proven untrue in the near future.

The New York State Teachers’ Retirement System is, to my understanding, a very effective system. My unscientific polling of various teachers has indicated to me that there is great satisfaction with the NYSTRS. Many people are working hard to make sure the teachers that work hard get the benefits they deserve. There is nothing but praise to be said for… Continue

Added by Eli Steier on April 20, 2009 at 5:24pm — No Comments

Monday, April 20th

Today was a really good day for me. My lessons went really smoothly, and student behavior was impeccable. Today was one of those days where I say, "Do I really get paid for this?!?" Haha, not really, but it did go really well.

Here is how my lesson went:

1. Sponge.

2. Review of Biggest Gainer material (in note-taking format)

3. Problem 2.2 in our textbook.

Problem 2.2 is a complex problem that requires the use of manipulative cubes to find the surface… Continue

Added by Ryan Churchill on April 20, 2009 at 4:24pm — No Comments

Where for art thou Twitter?

I have been using Twitter for over a year. Since New Years 2009, Twitter has taken off to new heights. Everybody wants you to follow him or her on twitter, from United States Senators to Shaq, twitter has become a ubiquitous forum for those who want to know everything.…

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Added by Andrew Marcinek on April 20, 2009 at 1:26pm — No Comments

Time Magazine Calls Arne Duncan An Apostle of Reform

False prophet is what I'd call Arne Duncan. I am uncertain about the specifics of his plan to "scale up" NCLB, but that’s the type of phraseology that has caused many teachers in Chicago to lift a skeptical eyebrow. Those of us who worked in the Chicago Public Schools, who were in the trenches, did not find that Mr. Duncan was an Apostle of Reform. Instead, we see him as anti-union and pro-privatization, a school CEO who was a political pawn of our mayor. As head of the school system, he was… Continue

Added by Gary Latman on April 20, 2009 at 11:42am — No Comments