All Blog Posts (9,939)

Freud once said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Obama wants to address the school-kids of this nation and, whodda thunk it, there's controversy surrounding the idea of such an address to our nation's youngsters.

Now, obviously, (or maybe not, so I'll say it here) I am of the opinion that a well-spoken President addressing our nation's kids in a "you can do it" tone now that it's back-to-school season is good for the kids, good for the schools, and good for the good ol' U. S. of A.

So I wonder, is it just me,… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on September 7, 2009 at 6:30am — 1 Comment

Glogster!

Most of you have probably heard of Glogster but if you haven't, I suggest you try it out! The .edu.glogster site is now private and is an amazing tool for student work. This year our school theme is Star Trek and I created a Star Trek themed Glog web for our school. It will continue to grow as the year progresses but if you would like to see it go to:
http://mckilloplibrary.edu.glogster.com/McKillop-Home/
I will be posting more book reviews there as we get into the school year.

Added by Doug Valentine on September 6, 2009 at 8:35pm — No Comments

Inventories

After taking the MII, I was very surprised at the results. According to the numbers, my styles (listed from highest to lowest) were Interpersonal, Body/Kinesthetic, Naturalistic, tied were Visual/Spatial and Music, Mathematics, and tied at the end were Linguistic and Intrapersonal. Never before has my highest score been interpersonal. I am not the kind of person that is very talkative or has lots of friends. The only reason that I could see this being true is because I do like to work in groups… Continue

Added by Kaleigh Marie West on September 6, 2009 at 10:14am — 1 Comment

Do You Know Who May Be Sitting In Your Classroom?

Do you know who may be sitting in your classroom? Or will someone else discover them?

I came across a YouTube video that caught my attention. It conveys that there may be unidentified talents in ordinary people. I believe as teachers, our job is to help students explore, unlock and discover what these talents are. Once identified, help them strengthen these talents.

I encourage every teacher to search for that…

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Added by Donnie Smith on September 6, 2009 at 6:53am — 2 Comments

The Bookless School Library

Reposted from Meg's Notebook

"When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books..." Cushing Academy (…

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Added by Meg H on September 5, 2009 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Will You Listen

For the last two years, the students in http://ahafilms.ning.com/ has been working hand in hand with the leadership of The Dream Project to create a film about how students can make a difference in communities around the globe. The film, Will You Listen, centers around the eight Millennium Development goals outlined by the… Continue

Added by Joe Fatheree on September 5, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Fourth Grader Brennan LaBrie, Time For Kids Reporter, On NPR Weekend Edition Today

This morning Brennan LaBrie, TIME For Kids - Kid Reporter, will be on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon.

Direct… Continue

Added by Jack Olmsted on September 5, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Yo, before you open your mouth, open a book, huh?

People who work in schools moan and moan all the time about how "the kids don't read" but you know what... the people who are moaning aren't really reading either. At least they're not, in large part, doing the professional reading necessary (IMHO) to stay up to date with what's going on the world of literacy and language arts.

I've got administrators screaming about how we need to make "data-driven decisions in the English Department" but these folks aren't reading what I… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on September 4, 2009 at 9:58pm — 2 Comments

Ending Failing Grades

As I began this year, I considered how to motivate students to succeed in Science. I realized many who think they “cannot do science” instead just do not complete their work. I, therefore, decided to not give a grade to work turned in “incomplete” but require these students to come to my classroom during our school’s “flex” time. We run flex time on Tuesdays - Fridays. This is 30 minutes where students who have either an “F” or “Incomplete” grade in any class are required to work with that… Continue

Added by Glen Westbroek on September 4, 2009 at 5:21pm — 4 Comments

Which States Rank at the Top When It Comes to One-to-One Computing?

In a recent article published in eSchool News entitled "1-to-1 Computing in the Spotlight," Laura Devaney reports on a few interesting findings from a recent study conducted by Project Red. Based on a close examination of nationwide data, the project determined the percentage of schools in each state which provide ubiquitous computer access. More...

Added by Shawn Roner on September 4, 2009 at 11:50am — No Comments

Rabbi Robert Abramson, USCJ Director of the Department of Education Reviews Toolbox for Teachers

Toolbox for Teachers and Mentors: Moving Madrichim to Mentor Teachers and Beyond, A Review by Rabbi Robert Abramson, Director, Department of Education United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

This book can make a difference.

For quite some time, some supplementary schools have engaged teens as teaching assistants in a variety of ways and some material was… Continue

Added by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on September 4, 2009 at 9:38am — No Comments

Cooperative Learning

I am interested in learning more about cooperative learning. If anyone has any insights, information, or great resources on cooperative learning, I would love to hear from you!

Added by Jenny on September 3, 2009 at 5:37pm — No Comments

Teaching Technique-WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY?

Teaching Technique-What did you learn in school today?

There was a time Parents would ask their student offspring, “What did you learn in school today”.

Do you know what the reply was then? Do you know what the reply would be today?

You got it; the reply would be “Nothing”

TEACHERS, that’s our fault.

We are involved in the lecture method of teaching. It’s the least effective technique. That’s just one problem. But we won’t focus on… Continue

Added by William Lambert on September 3, 2009 at 4:54pm — 2 Comments

Middle School Science Blogging Help

Our district is really pushing social media and social networking, but they never say anything about managing the huge volume of content that can be created. I'm looking for effective ways of implementing social media into my 8th Grade Physical Science Class.

Basically, my idea is that every couple of weeks, I or one of the other two teachers would post one of the essential questions upon which our curriculum is based, and then have the kids respond to that.

My big worry… Continue

Added by Damian Thomas on September 3, 2009 at 4:47pm — No Comments

Sped Wikis

Well, as I end the second week of school before Labor Day, I have to say that my time working with SPED kids with my wiki has passed with some success. There are some things that are worth changing. First, to all educators, simplify, simplify, simplify, simplify. The less clicking kids have to do, the more they will use your site and find their way around it. Also, big fonts and tables work wonders. There are some wonderful wikis to help make editing easier, but they are hard to find. One is… Continue

Added by DJ on September 3, 2009 at 2:16pm — No Comments

Pregnant Freshman Icebreaker Activities

So it's the first day of class this week -- I am teaching ALL freshman this year in an attempt to try and get a whole host of kids off to a good high school start with the ambition that a good leap out of the gate will help carry enough positive momentum for them to really see things through and graduate. (And graduation rate is a percentage we'd really LOVE to improve 'round these parts. Seems 50/50 isn't quite what the state is hoping for in terms of odds.)

So my little… Continue

Added by Alan Sitomer on September 3, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

A Teacher's Guide to Web 2.0 at School

This is a fun PowerPoint about using web tools in the classroom. Thought you might like it.

Added by Jennifer Stadtmiller on September 3, 2009 at 12:08am — No Comments

Wondershare offers 50% Discount for Back-to-School Sale

- Wondershare honors trainers and training by offering up to 50% discount pricing on all products on this year's back-to-school shopping season. Considering economic downturn is still a major factor to affect customer's spending expenditure, all customers who need e-Learning authoring tools for training and learning could enjoy up to 50% discount on all products.

"We have great e-Learning authoring tools for money-conscious Windows users who want to seek for easy-to-use yet powerful… Continue

Added by Tim on September 2, 2009 at 11:41pm — No Comments

Using Technology to Teach Social Issues

School has just started or is in the process of doing so in most communities around the nation. It is always good to talk with your students during those early days about having empathy for others. Four years ago, a couple of my students became concerned about how people tend to view one another from only the outside. The movie, Kick Me, grew out of the discussions we had during class. It is an excellent example of how technology can be used in a classroom setting… Continue

Added by Joe Fatheree on September 2, 2009 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Writing, Students, and the New Literacy

Reposted from Meg's Notebook

There are endless articles clamouring about how active participation in social media and social networking sites by students is eroding their writing skills, and how literacy - or a borderline illiteracy - is emerging as a societal concern. The Stanford Study of Writing offers some data and conclusions which outline a very different picture.

The… Continue

Added by Meg H on September 2, 2009 at 3:40pm — No Comments