UWCSEA Teachers

A blogpost from Jabiz Raisdana about whether or not students should unplug or disconnect from tech use. Very interesting perspectives, and a huge lot of comments, which all bring up interesting points

article talking about both the iPad 2 (which isn't out yet) and a rumored iPad 3 in the fall (????)

Amazing interactive that shows the size of everything in the universe....

Powerful video about the need to disconnect with tech and connect with others. A little simplistic (not all offline behaviour is good, not all online is bad), but a really good discussion starter for us all.

What will they come up with next?  I've tried it and it's amazing.  (Though no Khmer available yet, so not much help in Cambodia...)

Blog post re teaching simile, metaphor, personification, poetry -- and Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.....

lists of her books and the texts her lessons are based on

Make a fake facebook account for historical figures etc. Hopefully this will bookmark the actual page!

A huuuuge list of CC music sites - great for kids' videos and remixes etc.

a Flickr pool of photos + quotes 

"Here are a few essential elements that help make the teaching in small groups effective for these students:1)  Use short text;  2) Keep meaning-making at the forefront; 3) Plan in ways that help you tailor the lesson to the specific needs of the group; 4) Allow talk time as you encourage students to negotiate the meaning of the text beyond the literal level and actually teach talking behaviors to maximize comprehension"

"This presentation provides an in-depth overview of the micro-blogging tool, Twitter. The links to the tips, tricks, tools, research, and other items included in the presentation are listed below."

Good intro to Twitter -- a Picasa slideshow by Kathy Schrock

Fantastic to look at the art museums and particular paintings

"  For Kane, video is also a key to the project's success.--  "Improving teaching requires adult behavior change.  Imagine trying to get someone to quit smoking by showing them a video of a bunch of happy nonsmokers … and yet that is the way we do professional development for teachers, by showing them some third person teaching instead of showing them their own work." According to Kane, teachers need to see and analyze their own efforts, and then discuss with their supervisors what they are doing well, and what they could do differently to improve. This can be done by showing teachers their own videos and by providing feedback that is related to student achievement. Heather Hill, an associate professor of education at HGSE, developed a rubric for guiding classroom observations that will be used to help score the videos. Project organizers hope the effort will help lead to a new approach to professional development. "We are trying, said Kane, "to get people to quit smoking by taking them into their closet to smell their own clothes."

Great website on the intersection of learning and technology