Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
1/12/2017
Just ran across this wonderful site that was created by an English teacher called "Grammar Me" or GRMR.ME. It is designed to help students learn to write with immediate feedback and the ability to learn more on the spot while practicing writing. I think you will agree that this is worth your time and efforts to check out. As you grade student writing, you can give them the simple "code" or link as you discover an error. Here is a code for the ever so hard skill of subject-verb agreement: grmr.me/sva
5/02/2016
Do You Support Teaching Cursive in School?
Posted by Unknown on 5/02/2016
This topic I have discovered is very controversial. Many schools in states have decided to remove handwriting from their curriculum because of technology. (41 out of 50) Before you make up your mind on where you stand on this issue, you may want to listen to this TED talk from Jake Weidmann that has totally inspired me as I listened. Never knew someone could become a Master Penman, but I applaud his talent or might I say, God given gift! Love how he has used it to the glory of God too. This is the article that I came across this morning while working: "Quickly Improve Your Handwriting with These Fantastic Resources". I found it on the makeuseof website under the category, SELF IMPROVEMENT. I think it is worth the time to read and consider your own stance on handwriting. I can attest to the fact that I (and many others) have to write things down, if you want to recall them. It is a tool for memorization even though I don't know all the facts surrounding this, I have been doing it for years. In fact, it is how I managed to graduate from college and acquire my Master's degree also. Don't know about you, but getting a handwritten note trumps an email, enote or ecard in my opinion. It means more to know someone took the time to write their message to you. Don't you agree? Check out some of Jake Weidmann's works. He has a great story to tell on how a tragic event led him to write and draw. He is such an inspiration to others, you can check his work on his website. See how he works in pen, drawing, and wood to create some amazing art pieces. His wood work allows him to create his own pens! My favorite drawing is the one he drew of Christ in one stroke! He has won me over and deserves to be called 1 in 11 master penmans! Kudos to you Jake!
"A man who works with his hands is a laborer. A man who works with his head is a craftsman. A man who works with his hand, his head and his heart is an artist.”
"A man who works with his hands is a laborer. A man who works with his head is a craftsman. A man who works with his hand, his head and his heart is an artist.”
Up Close of my art, 'The Suffering Servant in a Single Stroke.' Check it out at https://t.co/k1RE8XHZNk #goodfriday pic.twitter.com/n04IRDEjNu— Jake Weidmann (@JakeWeidmann) March 25, 2016
2/23/2016
Lesson that Inspires: SOAR
Posted by Unknown on 2/23/2016
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/
Yesterday during my web surfing, I ran across this awesome award winning animated film by Alyce Tzue. If you are looking for an innovative lesson to inspire your students before or after spring break, you need to consider this. Mark Warner has given many ways to incorporate it cross curriculum. I love the suggestion for music teachers. It only has music and students can create the dialog or play-script for a ELA activity. Check out other ways to use this animation in English, History, Design technology, Science, and Art. The full video is found on Vimeo, but I viewed it on Teaching Ideas which is another great website. I love how they use a literature book as a spring board for teaching. It brings me back to my days teaching in first grade. Story time was always a favorite, especially when you knew you were going to use the story to create. If you are interested, you can find out more about the making of this award winning film by visiting SOAR.
Yesterday during my web surfing, I ran across this awesome award winning animated film by Alyce Tzue. If you are looking for an innovative lesson to inspire your students before or after spring break, you need to consider this. Mark Warner has given many ways to incorporate it cross curriculum. I love the suggestion for music teachers. It only has music and students can create the dialog or play-script for a ELA activity. Check out other ways to use this animation in English, History, Design technology, Science, and Art. The full video is found on Vimeo, but I viewed it on Teaching Ideas which is another great website. I love how they use a literature book as a spring board for teaching. It brings me back to my days teaching in first grade. Story time was always a favorite, especially when you knew you were going to use the story to create. If you are interested, you can find out more about the making of this award winning film by visiting SOAR.
4/08/2015
Need a Crash Course?
Posted by Unknown on 4/08/2015
4/05/2015
Want a Visual for Discussion in Class?
Posted by Unknown on 4/05/2015
Discussion Board Rules http://t.co/w5MbqAdkrD pic.twitter.com/KFeARYHYoB
— Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) April 2, 2015
Thanks go to Alice Keeler for sharing her visual here for a Discussion Board. I like the idea of posting what is expected for students to use while responding to others. This visual is great for teachers to use or modify to fit their own lesson or situation. I just experienced the perfect time to use this while in a seventh grade classroom recently. Their assignment was to write a blog post and properly comment on each other's post. It was a great opportunity to pull in Digital Citizenship and proper etiquette for commenting and helping peers in a constructive manner.
3/27/2015
SMART Notebook Files in Easter Theme
Posted by Unknown on 3/27/2015
Wow, what a find today when I ran across this awesome resource just in time for the Easter holiday. If you want to engage your students (we know how their little minds wander when it's so pretty outside) with some fun activities, check out Shannon Long's (@SweetBlessShan) Smart Notebook files for Easter. While you are browsing through them, think about how she has organized these in a LiveBinder. It beats going through your old school files flipping through pages & pages of materials. Does anyone do that anymore? I know I spent many years in team meetings choosing the activities that everyone brought to the table for our unit. I think that they dreaded me coming with my large stack to cull through. It was so time consuming and now with digital technology, everything can be saved and organized online with a SEARCH feature to boot. That in itself is worth all the time saved. I hope you will agree that these resources will be a hit in your classroom. You don't have to bookmark them all. In LiveBinder, they allow you to add other binders to your shelf. It is free to join, and does not require you to create one. You can just go and add all the ones that others have curated! Now, go and enjoy this spring weather since you now have so many activities ready for your students next week!
8/29/2014
Marzano's 9 Instructional Strategies
Posted by Unknown on 8/29/2014
Hope everyone is having a great start to the new school year. What a wonderful resource here that you can download. Marzano's 9 instructional strategies!
Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics
Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics
8/05/2014
New Teachers, Please Support
Posted by Unknown on 8/05/2014
We were all there once. Young, excited, ready to branch out on the hard earned career of teaching. It excites my soul each year when we host our New Teacher Training sessions. Each year I am able to meet those new faces that come to our District ready to put their teaching talents in gear. I have been pleasantly happy this year as I meet more and more young faces who are tech savvy and ready to incorporate those technology tools that they are very comfortable using. I hope many of you seasoned teachers allow yourself to be rejuvenated by their excitement and energy. Please, please consider your own comments and be courteous and positive in welcoming New Teachers to our profession. Be careful not to drag them into negative conversations. I have come across some tips and resources that I'd like to share for new Teachers and maybe you can pass them along too.
1. Develop your PLN (Personal Learning Network) on Twitter
Twitter is a great starting place for new teachers to connect, collaborate, and share ideas with educators around the world. Let me suggest the #ntchat (new teachers chat) for support with like-minded teachers. You can also check out the many other educational hashtags for others to follow.
2. Keep students engaged (have extra tasks and activities on hand)
It is a good idea to have engaging activities on hand to keep students on task and learning at all times. If they are bored with nothing occupying their minds, they will misbehave. Technology is a great way to fill those extra minutes with whole class critical thinking and problem solving activities. You may want to keep a weblist, symbaloo, or livebinders with links to these approved websites that are both educational and fun. Below are a few suggestions:
Light Up Your Brain
Ask.com
I Know That. Com
Factmonster.com
Invention at Play
Zoopz.com
Exploratorium
Wonderopolis
3. Consider your own Personal Learning PD
Yes, we have our degree, but learning is never complete. A good teacher is adding continues to learn and improve. Technology makes it easy 24/7 and allows you professional development on demand. Keeping yourself updated on current education issues, and learning new teaching methods will help you understand your students while they struggle with new learning. Below are District resources for learning and a few others you may enjoy:
Atomic Learning
Learner.org
Teacher Tap
Learning.com
Knowmia
Coursera
Edutopia Instructional Modules
4. Keep Communications Open for Parents
Connections between home and school is important and your time and efforts will pay off. Informed parents can be advocates for your students’ education at home. Here are a few sites to help you keep parents involved and informed:
(Class website) Class Blog – Blogger, Edublogs, Kidblogs
5. Keep Organized with Tools and Apps
You will be discovering many resources and ideas to use in your teaching career. Be prepared to keep track of the great finds by saving your information to your favorite location. Here are a few suggestions to help:
Evernote (web notebook)
Pinterest (social bookmarking, lessons)
Diigo (social bookmarking)
LiveBinder (web notebook, presenter)
Google +
Scoop It
Educlipper
6. Follow Educational Blogs
Discover a favorite one stop place to read all the posts on the blogs that you choose to follow. Feedly or BlogLovin are two suggestions. Check out some of my favorite blogs to follow or discover ones that you like.
Teacher Reboot Camp – http://teacherrebootcamp.com
Cybraryman – http://cybraryman.com
I Learn Technology – http://ilearntechnology.com
Project Based Learning - http://biepbl.blogspot.com/
Matt B Gomez – http://mattbgomez.com
Mathy Cathy – http://mathycathy.com/blog
You Matter – http://angelamaiers.com/blog
TechChef4u- http://techchef4u.com
7. Know Your Students
Get to know each student individually. Find out about their likes, dislikes, family, pets, friends, hobbies, etc. Consider setting up a classroom blog or twitter account for students to write in a protected web space. Pose questions and comments that will engage students in discussions.
8. Work Smarter, Not harder
There are many resources that will help you maximize your time and provide free lesson plans online for various topics and grade levels. Check out a few here:
A to Z Teacher Stuff – http://atozteacherstuff.com
Oswego Resources - http://resources.oswego.org/cur/standards/
Lesson Plan Sites - http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/govdocs/lessonelem.php
Share My Lesson - http://www.sharemylesson.com/teaching-resources/
9. Always Be Prepared, Look Professional
Plan out your lessons and keep them organized. Many teachers work together in teams to make lesson planning easier. There are many online interactive websites available for your lessons.
10. Have fun and be yourself
Let students know more about their teacher. Don’t be afraid to admit failure and say, “I don’t know” The fun is in learning together!
12/27/2013
My Favorite No (Formative Assessment Idea)
Posted by Unknown on 12/27/2013
I just love, love this idea shared here from an 8th grade Math teacher. However, any teacher can take this and use it to gain feedback on how students are understanding content. This teacher admitted that she uses this instead of the expensive student response clickers that her school could not afford. I found this on Teaching Channel which is free to join. They have great information for teaching and learning. It would be worth your time to visit.
5/15/2013
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How Can I Be a Better Teacher Next Fall? | Edutopia
Posted by Unknown on 5/15/2013
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: How Can I Be a Better Teacher Next Fall? | Edutopia
Great advice from Edutopia. While making an effort to change, we have the tendency to drop back into our old ways because they are our security and it's more comfortable. We need to be strong inwardly to fight that urge and attempt the one that it more difficult. In the end, we usually are glad that we did.This is the time of year when teachers naturally begin to self-evaluate their year. We have high hopes of improving before we return in August. Let me challenge you to participate in some of Edutopia's tips. Allow your students to reflect on YOUR teaching honestly. Don't forget to let them reflect on their own learning and discover ways that they can improve their own self-directed learning. Let them develop some summer goals to achieve before returning to school. Who knows how long it will be before they become bored at home!
Great advice from Edutopia. While making an effort to change, we have the tendency to drop back into our old ways because they are our security and it's more comfortable. We need to be strong inwardly to fight that urge and attempt the one that it more difficult. In the end, we usually are glad that we did.This is the time of year when teachers naturally begin to self-evaluate their year. We have high hopes of improving before we return in August. Let me challenge you to participate in some of Edutopia's tips. Allow your students to reflect on YOUR teaching honestly. Don't forget to let them reflect on their own learning and discover ways that they can improve their own self-directed learning. Let them develop some summer goals to achieve before returning to school. Who knows how long it will be before they become bored at home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Do You Teach Writing?