Curriculum Collecting

classroomcollective: regular eraser can remove permanent marker...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:58:34 -0500

regular eraser can remove permanent marker from laminated materials!

High Stakes Testing Protests

Thu, 31 May 2012 13:09:30 -0500

While I agree that high stakes testing is not a valid measure of a child or their learning or the education they are offered, what is the option? We can’t simply say we don’t wanna without offering some sort of solution to how we can show that students have learned and are learning and will continue to learn. As a school that ranked top in the state on state mandated testing, it is easy to go with the high stakes testing flow. But is that also right? Do we rest on our laurels and know that we can succeed through any changes or do we, as the top, take a stance that this is not how we show we are successful? What kind of message would that send?

Though, to be truthful, I think the bottom line needs to not be with testing and regulating education through measureable means, but a true look at what is education and why is it important. Those are the questions we should be asking and arguing for. We can’t refuse high stakes testing when we don’t have enough people in our country who believe that teaching and education are more of a priority. Until we make that change, high stakes testing, regardless of our feelings about it, will remain as a way to find accountability.

Academic Entitlement

Thu, 31 May 2012 08:06:11 -0500

Academic Entitlement:

I think this is a very interesting study mostly because it is something we deal with at the place where I work. We have students like this all the time and often they are reinforced by the parents that raise them. It is a hard thing to face, but the best choice we have in dealing with it is to stick to our guns as teachers. It means we ask students why they answered as they did, teach them to think critically and converse about their work instead of just assigning it, going over answers and moving on. The more discussion there is about the learning that occurs, starting in kindergarten, the less this becomes a factor because they know we’re not giving answers, we’re building pathways of learning.

Tech or No Tech, That is the Question

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:42:43 -0500

Tech or No Tech, That is the Question:

This is a fairly interesting article about the decision to go to Tech or not. My school remains somewhere inbetween with some tech (smart boards) but a focus on interaction with the physical world (science experiments and social studies projects). I can’t decide which way I would go. I don’t think that tech is a fad and that it is just going to go away, but to do everything based on tech? I think there is still value in learning to add by hand and write a personal letter in cursive. Maybe I’m just old school. What about you?

Avoiding Burnout

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:14:25 -0500

Avoiding Burnout:

Now I can’t remember if I posted this or not, but the article is worth a read.

I think the most important of these is actually pushing out the information in different ways. As a very introverted person, it is even more exhausting to be the ‘teacher’ at the front of the room all day long. It is far better for me to have the students direct the learning and make education happen. And think how much it can save you. Even if you planned to do one lesson a week with the students taking the lead, that is an hour wherein you are less a director and more a facilitator or participator in the learning.

100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom [Updated]

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:41:52 -0500

100 Ways You Should Be Using Facebook in Your Classroom [Updated] :

world-shaker:

Here are the first four:

Ask for information: Instead of trusting Wikipedia, ask the crowd on Facebook. One kindergarten teacher asked parents to research seeds and got great information about the largest seed in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Attend remote lectures: Using Facebook, you can tune into remote lectures and presentations from around the world.

Museums and more: Help your students follow along with local and international museums, art galleries, exhibits, and more for enriched learning on Facebook.

Firsthand research: Students can connect with family members for genealogy assignments, discuss issues with local celebrities and more through Facebook.

Ten Paperless Math Assessment Strategies

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:02:34 -0500

Ten Paperless Math Assessment Strategies :

revolutionizeed:

With my school going 1:1, I know that the math department has been talking a lot about how they could use the computers in their classrooms. Here are some assessment ideas that don’t require the old pencil and paper!

Oh…and here are some more!

I love this. Love. Can I hug it?! Gah. This is what we can do with assessment. Don’t talk to me about how to turn something as organic as reading and reading assessment in to a piece of paper that you read and bubble answer questions. Talk to me about how organic assessments help us gather important data about students. Then we’ll talk assessment.

Building Positive Relationships

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:56:43 -0500

Building Positive Relationships:

On a personal level, I think that the more time we spend on this the better. I found that in the classroom, every minute I spent on this kind of activity was worth it in the end. WHy? It just made it all smoother and easier and provided a heck of a lot of chance to foster a community. If community is important to you or your school, be willing to take TIME and make it a priority. Because then in May, you’re not going crazy, but you have that community to build toward a positive end on.

A New Dance Craze

Thu, 17 May 2012 15:03:15 -0500

A New Dance Craze:

As we move to having middle school students in our building, I wonder about something like this being a possibility for them. Get them up and get them moving. It’s a cool idea and definitely something I’d love to participate in (though more than that, I’d love an hour for lunch….)

Minecraft and Education

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:51:43 -0500

Minecraft and Education:

I just love this use of a game and the things you can do with it. I think it also has the chance to do some great community building and learning about how to live and act within the virtual world - something students will need to know how to do as virtual education becomes more and more likely for every student. And what better way to teach than a game!

Internet Censorship in Schools

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:49:18 -0500

Internet Censorship in Schools:

An interesting point of view on internet censorship and the school’s responsibility in dealing with this kind of information. Do we have the right to censor? We can’t censor our libraries without a strict policy in place (originally called a Selection Manual and it discussed how and why books were selected and had a form for parents to deal with challenging a book). Do we need the same kind of manual in place for the internet? How intensive would something like that need to be? Or do we just not filter and hope for the best?

20 Free and Fun Ways To Curate Web Content

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:25:40 -0500

20 Free and Fun Ways To Curate Web Content:

world-shaker:

Here are three:

Pocket
(Formerly Read It Later)
First, let’s start off with my newfound favorite curation tool. Formerly ‘Read It Later,’ the newly designed Pocket tool is a simple way to create a truly gorgeous page filled with your favorite bookmarks. The style of the site is simple, easy on the eyes, and the service is pretty easy to use. I use the term ‘pretty’ because the setup process is a bit laborious. If you’re on a desktop or laptop, it’s a simple bookmarklet that you drag onto your toolbar. But if you’re on a smartphone, you have to create a new bookmark that’s comprised of some custom javascript. Once installed, you just ‘save to Pocket’ by clicking your new bookmark. It’s a bit clunky but easy enough. Definitely worth checking out. (UPDATE: For an easier way of using Pocket on your smartphone or other mobile device, just download the Pocket app for iTunes or Android marketplace, and saving is as easy as a single click–no clunks to be found.)
Pinterest
The uber-popular social network / social bookmarking / time sucking website is a great way for anyone who wants to organize their online travels. You can pin just about anything (as long as it has a big enough image on the page)using a bookmarklet. Pinterest is by far the easiest tool of all the ones mentioned by us. Best of all, it’s the best in terms of content discovery. Pinterest is a legitimate social network where you can waste, err, spend hours just browsing your favorite categories. You’ve been warned.
Diigo
Diigo is very popular with the world of education. That’s because it offers a few critical tools not found in most other tools. You can ‘highlight’ certain web snippets for easy access at a later date. In other words, you can pick and choose certain parts of web pages and not have to simply bookmark the entire page. That’s great for detailed lesson plans, research, citations, etc.

Printables

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:07:57 -0500

Printables:

Struggling with making things in the classroom? Check out these super cute printables! Lots of things for kids to color as well as things like flashcards. I love not having to make cute things and instead find ones to use for free.

Take a look!

classroomcollective: how to organize sticky notes…replace top...

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:24:59 -0500

classroomcollective:

how to organize sticky notes…replace top with new question as needed…good for exit questions

I love this! Mostly because I love post-its and finding good ways to use them with kids!

classroomcollective: 20 End of the Year Reflection Questions...

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:23:31 -0500

classroomcollective:

20 End of the Year Reflection Questions for Students

I love that we can help teach kids to think about their learning. I think that we often forget their reflection is just as our reflection. Their learning is always different than we think and we could use a good chance to peek inside the minds of the wonders we enjoy every day.

world-shaker: How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your...

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:15:34 -0500

world-shaker:

How to Create Social Media Guidelines for Your School

A free doc from Edutopia.

This is a trend in education and one of the big pieces that is coming for schools. I don’t see how we can escape this social media and certainly we need to be training our students to use it appropriately so that not only can they use it as part of their online education (which I believe every student will be doing to some degree), but also so they can function in our world. I know it is something to definitely pass on!

Technology Education in Schools

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:13:22 -0500

Technology Education in Schools:

Though they do tend to reference a good portion of their own work, they also have referenced large studies and projects that relate back to education and technology and point out many of the current trends that are affecting our students. We need to keep those trends and ideas in mind as we work towards a new technology plan at our school. I think it is important to keep the student focus as we move in that direction. How does your school make technology choices?

Teaching with Games: Video Case Studies

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:57:38 -0500

Teaching with Games: Video Case Studies:

world-shaker:

Three short YouTube videos of games-based learning case studies. They’d collectively take less than ten minutes to watch, and I’d recommend taking a peak.

This is how we can teach with things kids are interested in. Who wants student engagement? All of us. This is a way to make some of those outside interests into personal educational connections.

Our sixth grade teacher is readingThe Westing Gamewith her...

Wed, 09 May 2012 07:56:28 -0500

Our sixth grade teacher is readingThe Westing Gamewith her students. They made this great suspect board and have been adding to it as they read. The kids are rather addicted to the book and she’s having to collect them each day so no one reads ahead. It is fantastic to see everyone, even the lower readers, so motivated to be a part of a literature circle and contribute to the discussion. I love when you can get everyone on board with the literature you choose - especially pieces that are so much fun!

positivelypersistentteach: Maybe one day.

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:39:33 -0500

positivelypersistentteach:

Maybe one day.