We all want to be teachers, but I think this helps us look at what kind of teachers we want to be. I know I don't want to be another bland, boring teacher who just goes by the books. Ken Robinson helps us see what schools do stop stop us reaching our full potential and why we need more creativity and arts - things that students will be passionate about in class - in the classroom.
A TED talk (because that's more or less all I'll be posting) about the status of creativity in early education, and the implications for all levels of education (and beyond).
Ken Robinson describes how schools are killing creativity and most importantly highlights why it is so important in our futures. He urges us to maintain creativity in our curriculum so English teachers, please do your part to keep it.
For those of you who are in English because of your love of language, Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue is a fascinating and entertaining book all about our wonderfully weird language: English. I have read a lot of Bryson's stuff and he's one of my favorite writers. But this particular book can be helpful for English teachers, as it better acquaint them to the language they will be teaching.
This site provides lesson plans for all subjects and for all grade levels for the most used types of lessons. Like Beowolf, grammar, Huckleberry Finn, just to name some English ones.
The official Department of Education website offers a plan for the integration of technology in the classroom. The mission of the OET is also described: providing leadership for maximizing technology's contribution to improving education at all levels. The website offers teaching resources as well as other online services and support.
References to Greek mythology are all over English literature, and this is a good resources to get the stories/references about goddesses from many different cultures, not just Grecian. It has an easy to use alphabetical list so it's a one stop shop for goddess information and those ever elusive allusions.
This site is a favorite of mine. You can create a profile and log all the books you have read, are reading, or want to read as well as give them ratings. For English teachers it is a great resource because it provides thousands of reviews on books you might be interested in teaching. It also has lists of books such as "new authors to watch for", "best young adult books", and of course the humorous ones such as "sexiest immortal males of all" might also give you a good laugh. There is also trivia, quizzes, information on authors and more...
I would use this website to get ideas for lesson plans on poetry, public speaking, grammar and spelling. This is a great place for teachers of all content areas and grade levels.
Since we are all in the early stages of developing our personal learning networks (PLN), I found this blog post to be a useful description of what a PLN should include and the purpose it can serve. Definitely some things to keep in mind as you continue to build your own personal learning network.
This magazine, assembled by and for teenagers, features short literary prose and poetry covering all kinds of topics relevant to high school adolescents. It is a great opportunity for students to vocalize their opinions while exploring their peers' opinions.
This is a collaborative website by teachers for teachers, with links to resources for all levels of educators, from students and beginning teachers to mentoring teachers.
A great online resource that not only provides free lesson plans for teachers, but also offers teachers daily news and trivia, blogs on current issues, and information on new technological tools, all relating to education today.
This is a site which sets high goals for a future educational system that is collaborative on a global scale, up-to-date in current technology, and focused on the holistic growth of all children.
This website has a blog (good for our personal learning networks!) news, research, information about funding, politics of education, educational research, and more. A solid resource for all of us future educators!
This website offers valuable information about the importance of the use of Collaborative Methods within the classroom and the means in which educators can achieve such methods within their classroom.
Sorry I am a little obsessed with young adult novel popularity, but this provides the novels that are popular at this moment for the high school and middle school age, so that as teachers we can get a grasp on what are students are reading and interested in.
I thought this blog was fascinating because it describes ways in which school for the children of military personnel are striving to meet not only educational, but specialized mental and emotional needs associated with frequent moves and deployments. I this way, it echoes ways all schools can try to meet specialized needs outside of pure education to have happier, more well-rounded students.