YouTube Blocked?

If you are working at a school that blocks YouTube, consider checking out this shared Google Doc, Eighty Alternatives to YouTube.

Using Digital Images

I’ve observed middle school students work on projects about U.S. landmarks, countries and cultures, science projects and more. Students are searching for resources on line, gathering information and copying photos. It seems that the students are not recording any information on where the images are coming from. There seems to be a lack of awareness, even on the instructor's part, that both text and images require a citation.

Students need guidance on what is allowed to be copied from the Web, and what isn’t. This could easily be a topic for a pre-writing activity. There are several resources on copyright within the Thinkfinity community. Do you know copyright law?, posted by Lynne Hoffman is one discussion post.Understanding Copyright in a Media-Rich World provides links to lessons for use in the classroom that will lead your students to respecting the work of others.

Many educators prefer to use only royalty free web sites when images are required as part of an assignment. Some instructors explain what Creative Commons is and use sites like Flickr. There are sites that offer many images that are available and are in the public domain. FCIT and Pics4Learning are two sites that are a source of royalty free images. I realize Google Images is one of the first resources that comes to the mind of many, but it isn’t necessarily the best tool to use in school. A good example of why not is that kids don’t always know the best keywords to use. Today, the use of “whitehouse” in a Google search and then selection of ‘images’ on the left, brought some very graphic images to view that were not of Washington.

This post is to act as a reminder that educators need to provide direct guidance and be available to intervene whenever students are working on the Web. As to citing sources, why not use BibMe? Students will find this to be very easy to use and guidance is provided to cite magazines, books, film, and the Web.Son of Citation Machine and EasyBib are similar sites. ReadWriteThink provides an internet search organizer.

Using Checklists

Many educators have found that there is nothing like a checklist to focus attention on necessary tasks. With the end of the school year approaching, many will find the varied lists made to include closing out their classroom, grading final papers and projects, and calculating grades for that final report card. The Checklist Manifesto is a book on making and using checklists. For those of us that use checklists and know they are a good thing, don't really need convincing from a book; we've been using them for years. Have you helped your students see the value of list making?

To Do lists are extremely popular. I've heard folks say to be sure at least one item is on the list that can immediately be checked off. That way you feel a sense of accomplishment and motivation. It seems to work for me. As with all things these days there are good Apps for helping one stay organized. Remember The Milk: Online to-do list and task management is a favorite of many.

Many schools provide their staff with an end of the year checklist. It is often the final thing submitted to the administration along with room keys before heading out for summer break. Summer should be a chance to replenish the patience level and interest in the subject one is teaching. So here are a few suggestions for your summer checklist:

__Take time to enjoy the special moments of a day

__Treat yourself the gift of time to spend with someone special

__Read a book

__Write, email, or call family and friends you've not touched base with in awhile

__Rent or go see a movie

__Enjoy a day in the sun and at the beach

__Lunch with friends

Resources:
Why Checklists Work – ProfHacker - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right: Atul Gawande: 9780805091748: Amazon.com: Books
Editing Checklist for Self- and Peer Editing - ReadWriteThink
Homework Checklist
Quality Rubrics / Checklists
Essay Writing Checklist
Checklist for Papers and Speeches
Classroom Arrangement Checklist
Every Teacher's Checklist for Struggling Readers

Well done!

Educators! You made it.  Perhaps this has been your first year of teaching.  How'd it go?  What did you learn?  Are you happy?  Are you already thinking of things to do next year? Remember to rest and relax over the summer.  Recharge yourself. Take time to smell the flowers and enjoy the sunshine.  You've earned some time for yourself!

Congratulations to all those folks retiring from education this year!  You have much to be proud of!

Communication and Effective Teaching

Communication and Effective Teaching

TEACHING TIPS

TEACHING TIPS



Ideal for new teachers and ideas for veterans.

Wealth of Web Resources

created by Jeanne Rogers on Feb 17, 2014

There are so many wonderful resources available on the web for educators, students, families.  

Curriculum

WordTamer is an interactive site that addresses writing.  Students will find information on genres of stories, character development, plot and more.

Storycamp Resources offers teaching kits for the creation of web native films. Students will learn about media history, media use, web mechanics and more. Collaborate with others while making interactive projects for the web.

BuzzMath is a website and mobile application (iPad App - Buzzmath) that focuses on learning andpracticing middle school mathematics skills.

Digital Passport by Common Sense Media Check out the new iPad and Android App! Please note thatstudent accounts and seeing scores, are ONLY available on the Digital Passport website, NOT through the mobile app.

NoRedInk offers online practice exercises for grammar and writing.

HowtoSmile offers a wealth of science and math activities.

Productivity

Symbaloo | Access your bookmarks anywhere by preparing a start page for your favorite sites.

AndrOpen Office Released December 19, 2013

First OpenOffice for Android app. You are able to view documents, edit, export using the full features you have come to love with OpenOffice.

MindMup is a free mind mapping web based app. MindMup is available and works well on the desktop,tablet, and mobile browsers. MindMup maps can be saved to Google Drive.

Blendspace, formerly EdCanvas, is a free resource for educators. Collect web resources, assess student understanding, and monitor student progress. Read more at tuesdays with Karen: Blendspace.

Apps

Frolyc | Authoring & Real-time Publishing On iPad For K-6 Teachers create learning activities and publish to the iPad.

Doodle Cast Pro is now a free app for the iPad. Not sure for how long, but worth checking out. Really good App for presentations

Animate Your Life | Tellagami is a new app for both iOS and Android devices. Use it to share animated messages. Ryan Archer, Science Teacher, shares information on this app, Bow and Tech: What the Gami?.

New Mobile App from Mimio offers student collaboration and assessment option for teachers.