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"How are you making connections between your English Language Arts instruction and the work happening in social studies? Incorporating social studies reading passages into your instruction can help you address learning goals in both subject areas. If you are teaching a lesson about the American Revolution you might share a short selection of informational text so students can discuss cause and effect in a reading passage in the context of that moment in history. If you are reading a historical fiction novel you can use short reading passages to provide additional information on notable figures or events that pop up during the course of the story. Earlier this year I shared some favorite online resources for science reading passages (see the post here). There are a handful of great social studies reading passages organized on websites and available in mobile apps. Locating just-right resources for your classroom can be a struggle, especially when it comes to reading materials. As you begin the search for content to share with your students, you'll want to check out the range of resources featured on this list. Make sure to scroll to the bottom for a special link to reading response tools that students can use in combination with the resources on this list."

"While project-based learning has existed for decades, design thinking has recently entered the education lexicon, even though its history can be traced back to Herbert A. Simon's 1969 book The Sciences of the Artificial. So why the resurgence of these ideas? Lately, I have heard teachers and school leaders express a common frustration: "We are _______ years into a _______ initiative, and nothing seems to have changed." Despite redesigning learning spaces, adding technology, or even flipping instruction, they still struggle to innovate or positively change the classroom experience. Imagine innovation as a three-legged stool. Many schools have changed the environment leg, but not the other two legs: the behaviors and beliefs of the teachers, administrators, and students. Consider this conundrum: much of what we know about teaching comes from 16+ years of observation as students. In no other profession do you spend that much time watching the previous generation before being told to change everything once you take control. Without the framework or scaffolding for that change, it's truly unreasonable to tell educators, "OK, start innovating.""

"I've been using green screen software with students since about 2004. In fact I'll always remember filming a student dressed as a superhero about ten years ago and struggling with the lighting. Luckily a Channel 4 film crew were with us (making a film about us making films!) and used their professional setups to sort us out.  Times have changed though and these days a genuinely decent green screen effect can be accomplished in a school setting without the need for any professional gear. The one thing you will need though is the single best green screen app ever produced:   Green Screen by Do Ink.   Let's take a look at some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your movie making experiences using Do Ink."

"As the maker movement sweeps the nation, many school librarians are in the early planning stages of incorporating a makerspace into their current programming. Some libraries are struggling to get buy-in and funding from administration, while others are still figuring out how to transform their space. What are the right tools you need to get buy-in and jumpstart makerspaces in schools?"

What purposes does education serve? What needs of humanity does education serve? What might the product of our labours be like and how might our efforts contribute to the greater good? These are questions we have long struggled with but with but it seems that in the current times we might need to rethink how we answer these questions.

Only those who have taught a class for a year, who have struggled with the challenges faced by students and who have shared in the moments of success will truly understand why we teach. Maybe that is why we seek out opportunities to gather and share what we do, to spend even a Saturday in the company of those who "get" what it is that we do and why we do it. Teaching is a beautiful thing to be a part. 

"When students start taking photos and video on a variety of iPads, iPods and iPhones for a collaborative project, it can be a little hairy trying to pull all of that media into one place. Last year while struggling to share photos through a variety of apps that just never seemed to work well enough, I discovered that I could use the camera connector kit to connect one iPad to another to share photos and even large video files"

"I love the iPad but I really hate typing on it. Though touch screens are magnificent for some tasks, frankly typing just isn't one of them. Maybe it's my hands and fingers fault or maybe I'm just a grouchy old school tactile typer, but I struggle to get in any kind of real workflow that involves typing more than a sentence or two on touch screens. I'm probably not the only one to feel this way, so here are six helpful tips to improve the typing and writing experience on the iPad:"

"We are all learning together. If you have a problem, your PLN (Personal Learning Network) may be able to solve it. If you are struggling for ideas, there are people to ask. The iPad and twitter make the process easier."

"iApps For Learners Who Struggle With Text"

"I was one of the first teachers in my district to receive an iPad to use in my classroom. I was elated. I immediately found all kinds of apps for doing administrative tasks, but I really struggled with how to use the iPad with 25 or more students and only one iPad. It has taken a lot of trial and error, but I've found some free apps that work for me in a whole group situation. Here are a few of the apps I have used successfully."

"In this post, I'm sharing 10 free and low-cost apps that may be especially helpful for individuals who find reading and/or writing challenging. I've written previously about some of these resources, but I thought it might be useful to put them together in one place, with information about the apps in point form."

"During this first week of school, I wanted to inspire my students to be creative and have fun with their learning. In years past I have always struggled to make my writing lessons fun and engaging, yet productive. This is year I decided to introduce writing with the help of my favorite tech tool: Augmented Reality! "

"CHICAGO - By the time they reach eighth grade, according to federal tests, half of all African-American schoolboys have not mastered the most basic math skills that educators consider essential for their grade level. A new paper being released Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests a promising approach for helping the most challenged students, who often arrive in high school several years behind their peers."

"Our students are not the only ones struggling with verifying credibility. Journalists, especially those dealing with the crunch of deadlines and the flood of social media during a crisis, fall prey to hoaxes, phoney tweets and image fakery as well."

"24-year-old Lizzie Velasquez was born with an extremely rare medical condition that keeps her body from storing fats. In addition to being severely underweight, she is also blind in one eye. In 2012, online bullies had taken upon themselves to brand Lizzie the "world's ugliest woman." An eight-second clip of Lizzie was uploaded on YouTube without her knowledge, and had garnered over four-million views, with thousands of nasty comments. However, instead of letting this cruel twist of fate defeat her, Lizzie stood up for herself, and showed us what true beauty really is. Here are 21 lessons we can learn from her struggles and triumphs:"

"For the last ten years, we've worked one-on-one with students from elementary school through graduate school. No matter their age, no matter the material, when you ask what they're struggling with, students almost universally name a subject: "math," "English" or, in some instances, "school." Doubting that all of school is the issue, we then ask to see their last test. After some grumbling, the student digs down, deep into the dark, dank recesses of his or her backpack, and pulls out a balled-up, lunch-stained paper that, once smoothed out, turns out to be the latest exam. "

"Fontbonne speech-language pathology student Andrea Darveau, right, and Jennifer Schnitzler, 16, of Shiloh, Ill., second from right, wait for Schnitzler's cue as they listen to Tahlia Lowe, second from left, deliver her lines during dress rehearsal for the play "The Pirates of Punxsutawney," the culmination of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Theater Camp on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in St. Louis. Participants either can't or struggle to talk, so they use language programs on computers to talk for them. Their siblings and family may also participate in the play."