January 2010 Blog Posts (153)

Open Curriculum for K-12 Educators

Over the past few years, open curriculum has gained momentum in K-12 education. In the face of difficult economic circumstances, site administrators are finding their budgets squeezed by severe funding limitations. In response to thee challenges, public school throughout the country are building comprehensive online learning environments that present new and exciting learning opportunities for students.… Continue

Added by Shawn Roner on January 12, 2010 at 10:58pm — No Comments

lesson outline

these lessons have been found all over the internet.

in a country where e-learning has gone to the dogs, the concept of zero-cost of education need not be a mystery.

i'm just picking up on crumbs.

thank you all for sharing.

i am ana fernandez, and i believe education is a right and not a privelege.

peace.

- - -

crumbs, breadcrumbs...

overview/orientation:… Continue

Added by ana fernandez on January 12, 2010 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Online classes and new sites for classes

Today for my online classes, I gave the students between my two classes and the four high schools that they are in a different kind of assignment. Each group has a different website to learn and create a presentation on how to use it. When they are done, I will put the presentations in one place so the students in any of the classes and schools will have access to them. The sites I chose to use are bighugelabs, blabberize, glogster, voicethread, toondoo, and dipity. Not sure how this will work… Continue

Added by Matt Carley on January 12, 2010 at 7:44pm — No Comments

Joy of Teaching Day 2 --"What Great Teachers Do Differently"

Today I had an "okay" day. Might have been a good day, but honestly, grades and report cards are stressing me out.

Anyway, I decided that after school, while I am working on those grades, I'd pop in the DVD that just came from our local Area Education Agency. I have it on loan for two weeks. It's the video companion to a book that I have sitting in my PILE of books to read called What Great Teachers Do Differently by… Continue

Added by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on January 12, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

New start coming up

While I have been able to experiment quite a bit this past semester, I still need to develop continuity with the tools being employed or deployed. Most of my students have access to most of the curriculum material online at home. Though they have demonstrated little interest in using their computers to do work from home. Most still see this technology as ways to expand their social umbrella, and share the misfortunes of others, rather than as a way to accomplish tasks. On more than one occasion… Continue

Added by Artie O'Connor on January 12, 2010 at 8:08am — No Comments

An Interview with Team Awesome Filmmakers

Brennan's

Spruce St. Weekly

1/10/10

Team Awesome

A good movie takes good teamwork, and a team of young filmmakers who are strong believers in teamwork are currently launching a filmmakers co-op just for that reason. Mike Denman and Aaron Anderson, both based in Seattle, started Team Awesome for both "filmmakers and non-filmmakers," as Denman said.…

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Added by Jack Olmsted on January 12, 2010 at 5:00am — No Comments

Skype Classroom Wanted!

My 8th grade classes are looking for other classes to converse with in debate and open forum discussions on whatever we wish to explore(current events, debate, health care). We have already had a meeting with our local U.S. Congressman and are wishing to reach out for more.

Added by Jason on January 11, 2010 at 5:32pm — 1 Comment

Joy of Teaching Day 1

Note: This week I'm on watch for joyful moments in teaching.

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Day 1:

Birthdays.

I LOVE celebrating a child's birthday in school. I let the… Continue

Added by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on January 11, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Chinese Corner

Chinese Corner is coming up this Feburary, 2010

Added by Hui Xu on January 11, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Responding to "Bad" Teachers

I had a former student -- now a senior in college who can't graduate because the last engineering class he needs is not being offered til next semester due to furloughs and budget cuts... another blog post entirely -- come to visit me this week. We chatted during lunch.

I asked him how he liked his professors. He said, some were good, some were bad. Then he added, "But the bad ones are good for me because they force me to learn the material on my own. I mean I gotta know… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on January 11, 2010 at 6:30am — 5 Comments

Fr: La meilleure école d'etwinning 2009 en Lituanie

Projet "Le Printemps des Poetes" a gagné le concours " La meilleure école d'etwinning 2009 en Lituanie"…

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Added by Gražina Likpetrienė on January 11, 2010 at 3:00am — No Comments

The Weekly Update: January 4-10

Check out last weeks latest news, best blogs, and interesting edtech news. MORE...

Added by Shawn Roner on January 10, 2010 at 9:02pm — No Comments

Teaching and Learning Algebra1 using Web2.0

Discovery how easy it is to teach and learn algebra1 using web2.0 Explore the many websites, math tools and math content on iTunes, YouTube , iPodTouch, iPhones and other smartPhones

Added by Bruce Roberson on January 10, 2010 at 8:44pm — No Comments

Joining Classroom 2.0

I am an English Language Arts teacher, and so glad to become part of the Classroom 2.0 community. I look forward to sharing ideas and activities with other teachers here, and to having a new way to communicate with my students and their families. I am reading "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" and I am hoping that, as author Will Richardson suggests, I can using blogging to "expand the walls of my classroom" (p. 27). Richardson says "the idea that the… Continue

Added by Sherrie Brann on January 10, 2010 at 5:12pm — No Comments

Comparing 12 Free Screencasting Tools

Combing through the basic functions and features of a list of tools I’ve become aware of, to select some for further testing.

Over the course of the week, the list of Screencasting tools that have been recommended to me, or that I’ve otherwise learned of, has grown to a dozen.

I have a goal of trying identify a free tool or set of tools to use to create… Continue

Added by Kelly Walsh on January 10, 2010 at 4:51pm — No Comments

A student witness to murder-suicide in the age of NCLB

To many students, the holiday break of 2009 is long gone. But I have a student who will never forget it. That's because his uncle strangled his aunt to death -- and then shot himself in the head in a murder suicide -- with his nephew, my ninth grader, in the next room.

And yes, my student heard the whole thing.

Of course I am setting my goal to do all the humanistic work I can to make sure this kid, well... doesn't go off the deep end. But how his story will play… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on January 10, 2010 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Burnout and the Joy of Teaching

Today I read the following from one of my favorite e-newsletters from Brenda Power at Choice Literacy.

"So many of us are experiencing burnout these days, even when we're getting better or more efficient or more competent at our work. If the job is exhausting, you may be paying too much attention to what others expect, and not enough to the joyful aspects of teaching." -Big Fresh Newsletter, Jan 9,… Continue

Added by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on January 9, 2010 at 9:50am — 3 Comments

Is the playing field of teacher accountability truly equal?

I love sports. Always have, always will.

And if you love sports the way I do you really get into all aspects of the game. This even extends to coaches and how they speak with the media.

I have a feeling I should start to take a hint. (More on that in a sec.)

In today's world, it's a simple truism of life. If you can't "manage" the media (no one really "controls" it, but most coaches and players -- the more high profile, the more important this… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on January 9, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

Classroom Scene: Making New Year' Resolution

So what in your New Year’s resolutions? Hopefully, it will be study hard and learn to value all the teachings and knowledge you are gathering in your school.

I can see now the scenario in most classrooms; it could be that the teachers and advisers are letting students to some essays and reflection in their New Years’ hopes and promises.

For students, as well as teachers, the first few weeks after winter break are… Continue

Added by ConorK on January 9, 2010 at 2:18am — No Comments

Social Learning Tools

Jane Hart (Center for Learning and Performance Technologies) put together a very useful chart comparing the three different ways to build a social learning environment. MORE...

Added by Shawn Roner on January 8, 2010 at 10:45am — No Comments