Group items tagged

Stacey Roshan writes about AP Calculus (which she flips, btw) but I think that this pondering on how she thinks classes should be redesigned to be online/ blended. I think her views are valuable because she's already flipping. Such views are very valuable and perhaps someone reading this will give her a chance to redesign Calculus or AP computer science in this way. Interesting post.

This is a superb random word generator split into nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Great for infusing a little magic into creative writing sessions. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/English

the Atlantic asked me to write about why I became a teacher. I left the business world to move into teaching. Not because I had to (I was a successful business woman) but because I wanted to. Please feel free to share your story. Here's mine.

This was a fun piece that you all helped me write for the Atlantic. I asked you, my friends, on Twitter, Facebook, and Google plus about why you became a teacher. The response was overwhelming as you shared why you got into (and stay in) teaching. Your words are powerful and inspired me to be more. Thank you.

Using a TED.com video in a Common Core aligned writing assignment as students learn about speech patterns with the purpose of driving a TED-like conference at the school.

What are the commonly used words in English? See 86,000+ of the most used English words ranked in usage order with this great site. Use it to build vocabulary and find interesting words for writing. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/English

A UK site which encourages exploration and outdoor activities by setting missions ranging from finding or photographing things from nature to going pond dipping to write reports about a location. Earn points for each mission completed. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/PSHE%2C+RE%2C+Citizenship%2C+Geography+%26+Environmental

Edit PDF documents with this great site. Just upload or link to an online PDF, add text, free hand writing/drawing and images, then download. Great for adding additional instruction or hand in dates to the PDFs you find online. No sign up require to use most features. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

There is a new type of wiki called the "federated wiki" that is the new brainchild of wiki inventor, Ward Cunningham. INfluenced by GitHub, this invention lets you "fork" a wiki page and make your own version with the original author having the choice to integrate your changes or keep it separate. This may be a great type of collaborative writing tool for researchers and academicians who often are concerned about adding to a common repository in that the page could evolve to no longer represent their views but their name is still affixed to the page. On the other hand, those who may not understand it, might incorrectly attribute something that has been forked and edited but not approved by the original author. I like the potential, however. For those of you who do collaborative work, this is an excellent read.

If you have a PC and want to write offline and then upload, Windows Live Writer is your option. It is actually a very powerful (free) tool for blogging. Here's a blog post about why Scott Hanselman uses this app for his blogging. I've used it off and on but am using it even more now that I have a Surface Pro. I used to draft on my ipad in Blogsy but the biggest issue I had was adding links and full compatibility with wordpress - I can do it all on my Surface Pro using Windows Live Writer. This post links to the app and the why-to from this blogger. It works with wordpress, blogger, and more.

This is the lead in story that tells how they are trying to solve the mystery of the silk tower. I love how they did this -- read this with your students first and then the next article for the answer. Very good writing and kudos to wired. Neat.

Writing contest for Kindergartners through third grade from PBS.

So, you want to know how to edit Wikipedia? There's a course for you. We are delighted to announce a new round of our free online course, "Writing Wikipedia Articles: The Basics & Beyond" (#WIKISOO). The course runs from 25 February - 8 April 2014, and is now open for enrollment. As many of you know already, WIKISOO teaches the nuts and bolts of Wikipedia. We focus on building and improving articles related to Open Education. Enrollment is open to all. We'd especially like to invite past students to re-register: your knowledge and experience will be valuable to your fellow students, and it's also a great opportunity to deepen your learning about Wikipedia and OER. WIKISOO students learn about the values and culture that have driven hundreds of thousands of volunteers to build Wikipedia. Through your work in the course, you will join an effort that has generated millions of free articles in hundreds of languages since 2001. The course covers the technical skills needed to edit articles, and also offers practical insights into the site's collaborative norms and social dynamics. You will graduate with a sophisticated understanding of how to use Wikipedia both as a reader and as an active participant. Sign up is free.

Listen up: nothing is ever free! If you're gong to take a MOOC or other course, you have far less accountability and must have far more discipline. Maybe paying for college classes is more paying for someone to hold your feet to the fire. But the failure rate in these MOOCs is atrocious. If you look at the cost per passing student, it might just be back up there at the regular credit price. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING is free and that ESPECIALLY includes education. Read this article and discuss. What do you think, what is the place for MOOCs? (If you write on your blog, please leave a link in the comments so others can see.)

Joli Barker, author of the Fearless Classroom Blog, talks about how to become a fearless classroom in 3 steps. She's an inspirational practicing classroom teacher and I've blogged about her before. Just amazing what she does with technology, writing, and improving her classroom.

Thanks for sharing! These are great to listen to.

Pernille Ripp's poignant post shares why more teachers don't refuse to give the tests. Unless it is done en masse, it can't really be done. That said, parents can refuse to have their children take the test without repercussions and in fact, a national opt out movement is brewing. "If I were to refuse administering these state mandated tests, I would get in trouble.  That is an absolute guarantee.  And while I have never been one to shy away from too much controversy, the kind of trouble this time would be much bigger than a write up.  I could even lose my job for failing to do my duties.  To some that may not seem like a big deal, after all, I should be standing up for my students and their rights, my own opinions, I should protect those children that I teach from the tests.  But my job is vital to my own children.  My job is our health insurance.  My job gives us just enough money so that we can pay our bills.  I wish my husband had a huge paying job, he doesn't, and so we are a very dependent two income family.  So losing my job refusing tests just isn't something I can rationally do and in a sense, I am not sure I should be the one refusing the tests anyway."

Awesome list of apps that has several that I need to explore including Writing House, Do Something, and Cool Math. Take time to flip through this list.

Nice assignment from teachers Helen Chang and Susan Oxnevad. I like how they use graphics to make the assignment easier to follow. It is to write an article review of a current event relating to drugs.

H&R Block asked me to write an article to help people understand the hidden costs of being a teacher. It is important to help people understand the profession we love. If you agree, I hope you'll like and share this article to help others know what it is like to be a teacher.