12
August
2007
Here we go! School starts this week. Are you ready - or are you still on summer vacation? The kids that I've seen this past week say that they are ready. Are they ready to come to our classes or are they ready to get back with their friends? My guess is, some of each!
I've got a few ideas to help get all of us back on the ball as we begin again - but begin anew this year!
http://teachers.yahoo.com
Yahoo is in the process of making a "teacher" page with all sorts of things by teachers for teachers! They are hoping that it will be up and running very soon. Go to this link, enter your email address, and they will get information to you and you can be among the first educators in the country - world - to experience Yahoo Teachers!
k5techtip 
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20
July
2007
Hi there! Today, I would like to share some ideas that are just for you! NOT for your class, but for you as a professional adult person. I'd like to promote some blogs that are written by very knowledgeable educational figures of the day. A blog (if you don't know the word, according to the definition at www.wikipedia.org)
(a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
One of the really cool things to help you get the information from blogs is called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). I heard RSS explained once as giving you the power to have information find you instead of you finding it! All you need is a reader (aggregator - something that finds the stuff for you and many are FREE!) and I would be happy to help you set one up if you would like. One of the easiest readers to set up and use right now is Google Reader at http://www.google.com/reader . This works well, is easy to set up and use, and is free online! What a combination!
Blogs can be a very useful way to “help yourself” to professional development in an "as needed" timeframe. Today, I want to give you just a few excellent examples to go check out.
The first is http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ Weblogg-ed by Will Richardson. He has possibly been blogging longer than anyone else in the educational sphere. His site is, as he posts,
dedicated to discussions and reflections on the use of Weblogs, wikis, RSS, audiocasts and other Read/Write Web related technologies in the K-12 realm, technologies that are transforming classrooms around the world.
I have learned so much from reading his blog and listening to him in podcasts and I am sure that you will agree with me that he is a person to watch, read and follow after you check out his blog.
Another is http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ by David Warlick. This man was in the classroom for thirty years and definitely has relevant information for educators - and he has a great sense of humor! Plus, he is a fantastic speaker if you ever get the chance to see him.
The last blog I’d like to share is http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ by Vicki Davis. The tag line for her blog is “Teaching content with new tools, enthusiasm, and the belief that teaching is a noble calling.” She is
a teacher, entrepreneur, edublogger, conference presenter, and freelance writer, an avid reader, technology "geek", and a heart-felt Christian. In the community, She has been president of the Camilla Chamber, Rotary Club member, and the Leadership Georgia graduate. Her class wiki has won many awards and media recognition. She is a blogger for Tech Learning and a co-founder of Women of Web 2 and co-host of the WOW2 weekly webcast on Tuesdays at 9 pm EST at Ed Tech Talk at http://www.edtechtalk.com/ .
Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you get your reader set up. Also, pass on new blogs you find! I'm always on the lookout for interesting information.
Marsha
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18
July
2007
Hi there and welcome to my podcast/blog page! I'm so glad that you stopped by. I hope that from the podcast and the show notes, you'll be able to find something that will help you and your students learn in your classroom! If you would like to get in touch, please leave a comment and/or email me! Thanks for stopping by! Show notes for July 18, 2007 - Podcast #1 Websites that I’d like to share today include:
Elementary Theme Pages by Jim Cornish at http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/ - EXCELLENT!!! Themed Units already planned out for you. This man teaches in Canada and must have his whole school working together on these units. They really look great!
Another language arts choice is PICK A SCARE, ANY SCARE According to R.L. Stine, the most important choice in writing Give Yourself Goosebumps stories is the same one you make when you write any other kind of book. Choose an interesting "what if." How would you like to have writing prompts and instructions from R.L. Stine??? Do you think your students would like to write like the Goosebumps master himself? These two sites will help you get your students writing with a little less fuss!
How to Write Your Own “Give Yourself Goosebumps” Books http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1587
By R.L. Stine and The Nightmare Room
This site gives you the chance to download your own Nightmare Room writing classroom kit. Straight from R.L. Stine and complete with writing prompts and paper! http://www.thenightmareroom.com/writing-program.htm
In the Math department, I would like to present a video game that produces mastery on multiplication facts – without tears! My niece and nephew come to my house asking to play that math game! How cool is that! Anyway, check out http://www.bigbrainz.com for a VERY fun actual "video" game that teaches mastery of multiplication facts! So far, all the kids I have shown this to have tried it and want to play it more! I'm very impressed with the pedagogy behind this game. There is a free download that teaches 2's through 12's. There is also a "purchase" version that allows the players to move to different scenes as they progress through the different tables.
For our Science exhibit, what about Fossweb – the site for the inquiry-based FOSS science curriculum http://www.fossweb.com/index.php . You’ll find modules for K-2, 3-5 and Middle School complete with lesson plans, resources, home-school connections, videos, books, LOTS of stuff for you and your class! Hands-on science from K-8!
One of the most enjoyable Geography online games I’ve found is Place The State – Intermediate http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html
This is a really cool web-based game where player has to place all 50 states on a blank US map. Pretty cool – it times you, tells how far off you are (in miles) and shows the correct placement of the state when you miss. Then you are allowed to place the state where it belongs and lower your “missed by” column. However, it is incredibly addictive! Once you have completed the challenge once, you just have to do it again to either get a better mileage error report or to place them in less time! Beware!
Jazz In America
http://www.jazzinamerica.org/home.asp
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has developed "Jazz in America," an Internet-based jazz curriculum for social studies, American history, and music classes. The fifth-, eighth-, and 11th-grade curricula include eight, 50-minute class lessons to be taught as part of social studies or American history courses. Located on the Web at www.jazzinamerica.org, the curriculum presents a historical overview; examines characteristics of various jazz styles; highlights contributions of important performers and composers; and explores the social, economic, and political contexts. Other educational items, including a comprehensive jazz resource library, downloadable student handouts, a teacher's manual, and assessments can also be found on the Web site. JAZZ UP YOUR CLASSROOM , NEA Today, 07347219, Nov2005, Vol. 24, Issue 3
Professional Development links I’d like to share today are www.podcastforteachers.org with Dr. Kathy King and Mark Gura. This is a site with two years worth of podcasts – and resource pages archived. You have access to all the “stuff” there, and you can subscribe to this outstanding weekly podcast through your email there at the site or at iTunes in your iTunes account. The tagline for this podcast is “More ed tech you can use today and tomorrow.” And, you CAN use a lot of the information shared right away!
The other is the Learning Times Green Room www.ltgreenroom.org with Susan Manning and Dan Balzer. Their tagline is “Renewal, retooling, and conversations about learning.” These two always have good things to share and they are very interested in student centered education Be sure to leave comments here at the webpage and you may contact me at marskren@gmail.com. See you again soon! Marsha
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