Around the World in 80 Schools

Check out this website on how you can connect with 80 or more schools as you circle the globe with your students.  Learn about different cultures by having your students communicate with other students in different countries.  

Lewis and Clark (and others) Cross this Majestic Land

This is a very good website which is educational and has pictures, timelines and videos (you have to be a registered user). Wow, can you imagine what it was like for that group of people? I would love to walk across America, when it was still untouched by our sinful hands and see all of her breathtaking beauty. All the wondrous colors and smells. All the flora and fauna. Flocks of pigeons so large it would take hours for them all to fly over our heads. The rivers and streams overflowing with fish. Herds of animals thundering by. The Grand Canyon, Yosemite Valley, Mount Shasta, all as of yet "undiscovered".

Are you a 21st Century Teacher or are you Medieval?

Do you surrender yourself to your student's knowledge? Are you an inclusive leader? Find out.

Great Valentine's Day Activities

Need something to do on Friday? Check out these great ideas!

Really Cool Pics

Larry Ferlazzo does it again. Another list of really good websites, this time of pictures. Basically an extensive library of links to the year-end photograph collections of major media outlets, national and worldwide. I like the pictures from the San Francisco Chronicle, which has surreal animal pics and Rueters, with its international touch.

Good Hispanic Heritage Month Websites as recommended by Larry Ferlazzo

The Biography Channel's website is really cool. It has interactive trivia games, bios and a nice history lesson as well. Did you know Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 as a week long celebration. In 1988, it was extended to a month. " September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18." (Courtesy of U.S. Census Bureau) The Smithsonian Website has audio files and concise biographies. The Scholastic Website and the Smithsonian Institute are good for younger ages.

Maintaining a "Good" class!

Essentially, you have to treat your students like human beings. According to Larry Ferlazzo, you have to engage them and make your instruction fun. Which for me is actually the hardest part of teaching. Use stress balls. Take deep breaths when you feel the need to resort to punishments, which I think I need to try. Buy them a book, he recommends Amazon. Ask them how they feel after a successful day. Help them get to know feelings of success. And as always model, model, model.

20 reasons to Blog

Some things that stood out to me. Blogs are a means to publish work, which is a motivational tool for students. If the whole world can read their blogs, they will do their best work. Blogs are an authentic task, it has a real life application. Blogs are a fun way to express yourself and say what you really think.

http://murcha.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/20-reasons-why-students-should-blog/

How to Wikis

This wiki website will tell you how to do just about anything you want. It starts with how to kiss and goes from there. It has great links that are relevant, informative and has virtually no advertising content. And of course, the best part is you can share what you have learned during your many times around the sun.

http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page

Coolcatteaching!

I think this is a "cool"website although it may take some time getting used to. I am not entirely sure how to make use of all it has to offer. Frankly, it is confusing. It does mention some educational products one can buy and it has some good links. I like the activities for beginners. I think I might have a lesson on writing on the web for my students or I can have a learning center where they can choose from the three activities.

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2009/01/basics-for-beginners-what-is-web-20.html

20 Reasons why students should blog.

This article gave me a lot of good ideas and presented a good argument for using blogs in the classroom. Students today are fascinated by technology and the internet, in particular, and of course, its relevance is undeniable. Blogging is good to use with students because it allows them to publish their work instantly and the point was made that if their work is published online, the whole world can see it, which hopefully will make them put their best foot forward and do their absolute best.

Comment on jblack website.

It was interesting to learn a quick history on blogging and to read the comments left by educators on how blogging can be used in the classroom. Essentially, I see it as user friendly way to create a website. I like all the suggestions for educational uses for blogs. It was suggested that one could use it to post student work, make general comments about student performance or use as a communicative tool. While not all parents will have access to the internet or the desire to use it as a means of communication, their children and our students will no doubt benefit from such exposure and even find it fascinating.

Shift Happens!

I like the video, but I am skeptical. Statistics are misleading and it seems too much like propaganda and scare tactics. Also, when did homeland security become a major, is violation of privacy rights and domestic espionage a legitimate profession? I don't necessarily agree that the stats mentioned in the video spell doom for the United States. I am not sure what factors are critical to a country's success and while I agree that having a populace that is on the forefront of technology is vitally important, I think our greatest strength is our universities and other institutes of higher learning.

video

Access to computers.

I have a laptop that I use for teaching and my classroom has 4 computers. I also have access to the computer lab twice a week for computers and keyboarding, specials for 45 min and 30 min.