ETMOOC

"When I observe teachers, I see one small, specific problem more often than anything else. If they fixed it, they would notice an instant difference in how well their classes go." - check out the solution

"The world is full of noise and those that are the loudest are the ones we tend to follow but what about the quiet ones? Author Susan Cain shines a spotlight on introverts and reveals how over time our society has come to look to extroverts as leaders. Not suggesting that one is better than the other, Susan argues that the world needs an equal space between introverts and extroverts; that an innovative, creative world wouldn't be the same without the two coming together." How can we help students and teachers take advantage of this intersection of introverts and extroverts? How can we effect leadership with these two personality types? via blog post by Fenella Olynick - http://goo.gl/LjcdSh

Terry Heick, Curriculum Director, etc. wrote this short blog post with a nice graphic aimed at helping us look at self-talk that encourages a "Growth Mindset." I like this statement in the post: "While teachers are constantly admonished to change, there is very little dialogue as to what that kind of change looks like, exactly how to go about making that sort of change in the face of local expectations, and maybe most critically, what kind of "internal coaching" a teacher might start with to establish the kind of thinking position of mindset that promotes fluid change."

Katie Ritter's graphics - Web Tools for Bloom's Taxonomy, by Category & Flow Chart - will help you get some ideas of tools to use to support students learning process - not just the "content"

Katie Ritter, Tech. Coordinator developed a helpful tech. integration flow chart that will help with the CCSS - "I hope it helps you think backwards (or rather the "right" way) to think about selecting a technology tool to use in your class."

Joann Fox (AppEducation.com), a member of my PLN, shares how she's made Twitter her top Personal Learning activity and how you can, too. Oh, yeah, she's a CA teacher like you, except she does 4th grade...and is a blogger, San Diego Co. Teacher of Year, CA , co-founder of #CAedchat, #EdCampSD organizer, and Google Certified Teacher. She's a connected teacher.

an amazing mix of tools to explore for using in music class - for remixing, creating, listening, learning. Awesome stuff. Thanks to @doremigirl for the share.

Will Richardson explores this idea: "By pairing personalized learning and technology, a teacher can help students learn what they need to learn through the topics that interest them most." How does "personal learning" fit into the structures we have in school learning environments? 

Aimed at high school and college students, "Operation ARIES! is an intelligent tutoring system that using principles from the science of learning and serious learning games. " The game covers 21 scientific concepts shared among psychology, sociology, biology, and chemistry. The storyline of Operation ARIES! involves an epic story of love, revenge, uncertainty, spies, aliens, political intrigue, suspense, surprises, and saving the world. The story elements are presented across the game to maintain engagement. Watch the introduction on the homepage to get a feel for it!

"Connected Teaching and Learning" - how can we encourage a culture where teachers own their own professional learning? Tom Murray shares his insights and how their district is doing just that.

Dean Shareski brings up a vital discussion around the fears we have in "publishing" online and what this space is really for: CONVERSATION. Take the time to read this, as it will impact the way you view publishing and provide discussion points with colleagues and students. 

Whether or not you realize it, you probably have philosophical discussions with your students. But if you use the term "Philosophy", it would probably be met with blank stares. This website, developed by a college philosophy professor, provides an easy to understand, engaging introduction to philosophy for middle schoolers using FILM. I think it could also be used with high school students and used as a tool for how students could engage each other in a variety of discussions across the curriculum.

Cool music video that presents the Five Elements of Story - check it out

Nice guide to leaving comments on blogging and why commenting is a good idea.

"Mr. Robb's Math is a YouTube channel containing 555 videos produced by high school mathematics teacher Bradley Robb. Mr. Robb's videos explain and demonstrate solving problems in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Calculus. Most of the videos are recorded while Mr. Robb is teaching. You can find the videos on the Mr. Robb's Math YouTube channel or visit Mr. Robb's website WowMath to find the videos organized in sequence with accompanying screenshots."

Holly Clark, aka EdTechDiva, provides some great points about how to help improve search skills for students AND teachers. There are other skills, as well, but these are a good start. Google also has resources for building these important skills.

"Coding In The Classroom: 10 Tools Students Can Use To Design Apps & Video Games" gives some of the best sites where students can learn code for design work. This is a must skill for students who have an interest in computer programming and developing games/apps.

Haven't We Gone Too Far With Data - A High School Senior's View Of The Common Core

self-directed learning toolkit

Award-winning educational futurist David Thornburg discusses classroom design and four learning models he has written about extensively in his book, "From the Campfire to the Holodeck: Creating Engaging and Powerful 21st Century Learning Environments" Is your classroom designed primarily for the traditional lecture? For using technology to do the same old things better than differently? Give out too much information vs. using more open-ended approaches? Transform the way information is learned and used? This article helped me to reflect on the way I encourage the use of technology and how to make its use an experience more reflective of what is presented in the CCSS and 21st century learning. What is your response to the article? Agree, disagree? What model(s) do you see yourself using? What movement would you like to make in your approach?