Monday, November 8, 2010

The Season of Giving is here...

Actually it's been at my local Hobby Lobby since, like, September... but I digress...

When we think about "giving", how often do we consider the "gifts" we can give pre-service teachers, teacher interns, young teachers, struggling teachers, ANY teacher, really.

So in the spirit of giving, I'd like to make this post the place you can leave a "gift" for teachers. By gift, any resource- book, website, video, person to talk to, school to visit, etc.- where tips for not just surviving, but being a happy, fulfilled teacher can be found... as tempting as it may be, please avoid posting resources related to weekly sales at the liquor store or websites offering discounted prescription medication.

I'll get us started with a gift- this blog is hosted by Teacher Magazine and has posts related to a variety of "happenings" in the classroom. What caught my eye was his blog post regarding what to do when kids don't bring a pencil to class... been down that road (and a million versions of that road) countless times!

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/

So share your "gifts" in the comments section... and PLEASE feel free to share these resources with the pre-service, intern, young, struggling and otherwise teachers in your life.

The work of teaching and learning is too difficult to tackle alone- as teacher leaders it is our moral obligation to be a model of professionalism, supporting other teachers with our thoughts, words and actions.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Why blocking our "Tube" has to stop...

To paraphrase the 1967 movie The Graduate (for our baby teachers, check it out on Netflix.com... not saying that just because you might be a baby teacher you don't know this film :) )

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.  VIDEO


If you don't use video clips with your students and/or adult learners or you haven't at least looked into the notion (and I don't blame you if you haven't... it can be a PAIN to get around all the obstacles to these resources) HOWEVER, there are so many great, engaging, inspiring, informative, videos out there... it's such a shame to leave them untapped. Several of the "big thinkers" mention video as one of the digital tools that will remain important in the years to come.

Here's a little food for thought from Marc Prensky on Why You Tube Matters... (if you are short on time, skip to page 9 and start reading at "Making the Trade Off Correctly"

http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-Why_You_Tube_Matters-01.pdf

Below are some resources for video- some require You Tube, many do not, infact here's one...

30+ Alternatives to You Tube
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/06/30-alternatives-to-youtube.html

100 Incredibly Useful You Tube channels for teachers
http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2010/10/20/100-incredibly-useful-youtube-channels-for-teachers/

To feed your own brain, and perhaps the brains of some of your older kids-

TED: Ideas Worth Sharing
www.ted.com

We used TED if you recall in session 1 to watch Sir Ken Robinson and the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Big Think
www.bigthink.com

This is a relatively new site for me- I'm having to digest it in little bites... I think you could get "lost" in all the things to watch very easily. I will caution you that when they say "big think" they mean a BROAD range of ideas, political and social opinions, etc. Thought provoking information, however some of the information might be a little controversial or uncomfortable for some viewers/ communities- don't let that scare you, just a heads up. Most of the videos are broken down and labeled into smaller clips within the video, so you could just use a small part of a video instead of the entire file.

Mediastorm
http://www.mediastorm.com/

From their description... MediaStorm's online publication is an eclectic showcase for multimedia storytelling. The goal is to tell the story of today's world in a truly in-depth manner.

SO what are your favorite video resources? WHAT tricks or services do you use to share video at school when you know the video is going to be blocked? HOW do you use video clips with students? WHAT'S the PLAN for making a case for not automatically blocking all video resources?

Comment, please!!!