CALL_IS_VSL

While Cuisenaire rods are used often for maths, they are also used by teachers of the Silent Way (Gategno). Vance Stevens mentioned on the Webheads list that the rods go for around $70 US, but are available in virtual format at this site. Earl Stevick wrote a classic article on using the rods for the Silent Way, describing how his students created a city of "Islamabad," talking all the while about the city and the things in it. (In Silent Way, students are silent until they are ready to speak, thus replicating some of the natural processes of language acquisition. Enjoy!

R. Stannard shows how to use Quizlet and find ready-made sets in the interface. Quizlet also works inside Edmodo and can be used for tests and assessments. He also recommends that you teach students how to use Quizlet themselves, so as to review concepts and vocabulary for themselves.

This site for educators shows how to used video, for example, in flipped classes. Video can be combined with voice-overs, screencasts, and dialogues to leverage learning.

Discusses several good tools for videoconferencing including Oovoo, Facetime and Android equivalents, Hangout, and Skype. Also links to articles about how to get the most out of your video chats and conferences. t/h to Nik Peachey

Amazing and detailed explanation of how to incorporate Google Calendar for assignments -- and include parent participation. This really works, especially when combined with Google Docs to hold notes and assignments.

This is a very useful collection of articles on the how and why of flipping the classroom. Well worth the exploration.

This tool, imElfin, is recommended (by its owners) for safe download of YouTube videos: "Sites similar to KEEPVID are SAVEVID, ClipNabber and Deturl.Com. Just like KEEPVID, these sites require Java plug-in installation, fill with ads, and appear less secure. The best KEEPVID alternative I would recommend to you is an independent tool, imElfin YouTube downloader. While online YouTube downloader sites relate a lot with browsers, this program is separate from browsers, does not require a Java applet, and will not risk your computer at all. " http://www.imelfin.com/is-keepvid-safe-4-things-you-should-know-about-keepvid.html#.VVyYZKbfgUy It is free for 30 days, but is relatively inexpensive ($30 US).

Upcoming events at Learning2gether usually take place on Sundays. Times and content, and an archive of recordings from past presentations are available. Volunteer to offer your presentation!

"Spring Hill High School is using the Cornell note-taking method as a learning strategy that can help improve your recall and the usefulness of your notes. Do you want to know more about Cornell Notes? These resources will help you understand the process of taking notes using the Cornell system." Includes videos showing how to use the Cornell Note-Taking Guide and various templates, as well as the Guide itself.

"We're not going into detail on what rubrics are or how to write a basic rubric (you can learn that here). What we want to do is present the process of designing rubrics through the lens of students taking ownership of their learning, and teachers becoming facilitators rather than teachers, so that their Rubrics will ROCK! So we're talking about designing rubrics as formative assessment-and not only formative, but driven by the students themselves (astute readers will also find the great Stephen Covey within this blog.)" Looks at ways to have students design their own rubrics -- great for individualizing/differentiating learning.

"Many students are struggling with writing assignments, and spend huge amounts of time trying to squeeze words on paper. Even if it's not the case and students just want to improve their writing skills, some writing help services for students may be worth checking out. Includes tutoring services, skill-building exercises, and services for K-12.

10 factors that stimulate success in student project-based learning, based on a class participating in a 3-week project at Manor H.S. "Manor New Technology High School in Manor, Texas, is a 100 percent project-based learning school. They are part of the New Tech Network of schools and their approach has yielded remarkable results, including a 98 percent graduation rate, with all of their graduates accepted to college."

Absolutely great video (3.56 min.) showing how to observe students learning rather than the tasks or activities the teacher does. Very good way to observe each other's classes and all it takes might be a smart phone on a tripod in a corner of the room.

"Use the intuitive Animatron Editor to design and publish animated and interactive content that plays everywhere, from desktop computers to mobile devices." This looks like a great tool for creating imaginative learning apps. Get your students to help you!

This article also has links to other sites, but it's a nice way to start, if you can not get annoyed with having to stop all the pop-ups!

Several of these are mobile tools, and include apps for creating Pac-Man style games, timed quizzes, Jeopardy-style games, etc. Move over old Flashcards!

A great collection of instructional videos on how to use Pinterest for education, as well as a set of links to other educational sites.

LInks and insights from a talk at the iPadpalooza Conference 2015, Austin, TX: "Giving students websites increases motivation, reflection, and ownership of learning A blog is a type of website that includes an RSS feed (subscription) and comments (feedback loop) An ePortfolio is a structured blog or website that includes scaffolding for organizing student work Publishing on the web is not only 'the law', it builds digital citizenship and provides an authentic audience for students There are tons of web publishing tools available. WordPress powers 25% of the entire web for a reason. Many schools and districts are providing WordPress blog and website networks to every teacher and student. No two implementations are the same. Make it your own. But know there are tons of resources available."

This might be a good site for self-study or additional work. Offered in a variety of L1 languages.

"One of the challenges associated with using many web-based tools is that they require students to register for accounts or require teachers to manage their students' accounts. The process of registering and then remembering user names can take up a lot of instructional time. Therefore, whenever it is possible, I try to use tools that don't require registration. One example of this is found in the Stupeflix video creator which does not require users to register. It is just as versatile as the popular Animoto video creator. In the video embedded below I demonstrate how to make a video on Stupeflix." Another good article from R. Byrne