Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/5/10

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my Personal Learning Network (PLN). As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

100 Video Sites Every Educator Should Bookmark – great list of video sites that you might want to check out

A Pictorial History of US Currency – Interesting look as to how US currency has changed over time

CSI: Web Adventures - Analyze forensic data and test your skills in this online game. This educational experience was carefully designed by experts at Rice University to maximize student learning.

Team maker – a great tool to use if you are working with groups and need to place people in random groups

The Alice Project – “Over 6 weeks, Mr. Long challenged 57 students to analyze Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — via their copies of The Annotated Alice — by publishing their questions & reflections in real-time on a very global scale.  All student progress was transparently shared with anyone who visited project blogs.”

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Leading Others Down the Right Path

In Ready For A Walk? from Tech Thoughts By Jen by JenW , she writes,

“A few days ago, while chatting with my friend, Ryan Bretag (http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/), I was questioning him on how he was able to persuade his teachers, his staff, his co-workers to follow him. I wanted to know….I needed to know…..how he was leading.

His response stopped me in my tracks.

they aren’t walking with me. I’m walking with them & they were walking before me. I just bring a diff perspective 4 that journey
9:12 PM Feb 26th via web in reply to jenwagner
(http://twitter.com/ryanbretag/status/9715834339)”

This was an “aha” moment for me too!

I don’t always have to lead in order to learn.

The thought of leading scares me. What if I lead and people actually follow? What if I take the wrong path and lead people down a road to nowhere? What if the path I’m taking is actually the wrong path?

I think that is why I read so many blogs and interact on social networks. I think these connections and interactions actually help me find my way. Maybe all of us are trying to find our way together?

By discussing topics and sharing opinions, the surroundings get less fuzzy and get more in focus. The more I interact with others (not necessarily agreeing but bouncing thoughts around), the clearer things get for me. As I learn to leave comments, it gets easier for me (and maybe some of the authors would rather I go away). Yet it feels almost liberating to be part of the conversation. It starts to actually feel good and not so scary.

Then I realize that maybe we can go down the path together. And if it is the wrong path, it is alright to turn around. It is alright to talk together some more to arrive at a different conclusion.

This is why it is so important to comment on blogs I read. This is why I try to interact with people on Plurk, Twitter, and Facebook. I used to lurk but when I lurked, I wasn’t moving. It was like standing in the path and watching the people pass me by. The more I interact, the more I’m moving. Moving is much better than standing still. I can’t learn anything by standing still.

This is also an important skill for students to learn in my classroom.

How many students have looked down when I call on someone to answer? Which student is the one that always declines to answer? Who doesn’t want to offer any input in the discussion? These are the students who are standing still. They aren’t moving forwards or backwards. If they don’t move, they can't achieve any success. Movement, whether forward or back, will be a learning experience. This is the only way anyone can be successful in school and out.

Now I ask you, do you leave comments? Do you interact with other educators? Or are you just standing still? Now is the time to make an effort to move. Even if you don’t leave a comment on this post, I challenge you to read other blogs out there and find one that you can comment on. Don’t be stagnant. Take a chance and make a move!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Magic Path'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57038667@N00/1021782142 by: Cindy Seigle

Teaching in Lima, Peru

I have a young friend who is a teacher in Lima, Peru. I feel so thrilled when I read her letters and her blog. You see, I’ve seen her grow up over the years from a youngster into this amazing young woman because her aunt is my next door neighbor. I was also thrilled to see her become a teacher and watch at all the wonderful things she has experienced in her teaching. They are building a new school because enrollment is growing (isn’t that a wonderful thing!) but it is slow and frustrating. Here is a link to the Carlton’s blog showing some of their church’s construction. It gives you an idea of what the area looks like.

Through her teaching, she is able to help others become successful in their lives and I want to support her efforts. When she sent this letter asking for help getting supplies, I felt that I would ask my friends to also help support her efforts if they could. So here is the information that she sent me and if you are looking for someone to support, I’d appreciate if you could help her.

“I am sending you a list of things that I will need for the classroom. If the Lord lays it on your heart to help with any of these things, please send the amount indicated marked with "Emily Snodgrass" to Colonial Hills Baptist Church, 525 Taylors Road, Taylors, SC 29687 *AND send me an e-mail letting me know how you will be helping.”

Emily Snodgrass

La Molina Christian Schools

Lima, Peru
emsnod83 (at) hotmail (dot)com

List of supplies needed:
List of supplies needed:
3 boxes of Zip-lock bags : $4 each
4 large plastic containers with lids : $15 each
2 large cushions for the reading corner : $20 each
Different prizes for achievement: about $40
Transformer for electric pencil sharpener (that was given to me by the school!): $20
2 rolls of contact paper to cover books: $5 each
Miscellaneous other supplies that I’m sure I’m forgetting! :) $ ?

Thanks for any help you can give this young teacher!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Students by Emily Snodgrass

Assistive Technology

Last week we had a Council for Exceptional Children Chapter 877 meeting and the topic was Assistive Technology. If you are interested in seeing the recording of the meeting, please click here. It was really interesting and I got new links for resources which I will be posting on my Assistive Technology Wiki. If you have any great links that I should add to it, please send them to me either as a comment on this blog or email it to me at successfulteaching (at) gmail (dot) com.

As I look at Assistive Technology, I see it going hand in hand with Universal Design for Learning so there may be links for both on this wiki. There are some items that will cost money and there are also some that are free. In my classroom, I was always looking for the free things but my district did buy WYNN and Test Talker, which I used often. Both of these were instrumental in improving my student’s achievement.

I think using Universal Design for Learning and Assistive Technology if necessary is what is needed in order for all students to be successful.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: '2009 Apple Workstation (Top)'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30285260@N02/3486668960 by: Raul Gonzalo

The Role of the New Teacher

Last week I received this Twitter message:

emapey2 @loonyhiker Hi Pat!! Teachers as Masters Learners, http://bit.ly/dshIp6 What do you think is the role of the new teacher???

He referred to the post, Teachers as Master Learners by Will Richardson. In the post, the author writes,

“…we teach kids to learn. We can’t teach kids to learn unless we are learners ourselves, and our understanding of learning has to encompass the rich, passion-based interactions that take place in these social learning spaces online.”

I think a new teacher has many roles. Here are some that I thought of but they aren’t in any order of importance. They are more in the order as they came to my mind. If you have any you think I left off, please let me know.

1. Bring in knowledge of new instructional strategies.

2. Be willing to learn from more experienced teachers.

3. Continue to fine tune their art of teaching.

4. Develop a Personal/Professional Learning network online and face to face.

5. Bring a zest for teaching and learning to the environment.

6. Be willing to share current research with others.

7. Stay current with what research is out there by connecting with others.

8. Ask questions when they are confused or don’t understand something.

9. Seek support when they are discouraged. Don’t be afraid to share these feelings because every teacher has them.

10. Don’t volunteer to do too many things (because it is hard for a new teacher to say no).

I think new teachers bring so many new ideas and techniques to a school that it would be a waste not to take advantage of this. With the energy and excitement of new teachers, I think they breathe fresh air into a school. I love when new teachers come to a school because their wonderful attitude can be quite contagious and help a school be more successful.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Reading Aloud to Children'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83955435@N00/5484879 by: Judy Baxter