“Take 5” is a weekly update containing information related to teaching and learning for today and beyond...
Take just 5 minutes (or less) to look over these resources and see what might be helpful for your and/or your students. Better yet, set aside at least 15-30 minutes a week (yes, that's been increased from last year!) to focus on finding resources and ideas that will improve student learning and prepare them for their future!
===================================
Tips and Tools for Teachers
- Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines - Hall Davidson from Discovery Education put this PDF poster together years ago and I still find it to be a handy reference for both teachers and students. For more information and links to copyright resources, visit Hall's Copyright links page.
- Lizard Point – (elementary, middle levels) online geography quizzes; basic math problems online and worksheets; and money counting (Buy It with the Little Farmer) -- use with the SMART Board (whole class), centers, or intervention time
- Reqall - Need reminders like I do? Try Reqall! There are basic (free) and pay-for versions. I mostly use it for emailed reminders... I call their phone number (usually from my cell phone, since the things to remember happen when I'm doing other things, of course), say "Add" (as in add a reminder for me), then after the beep, I leave my 30 seconds or less message that gets transcribed into an email along with the actual recording (in case the transcription is bad... which does happen and is quite funny sometimes). So, when I next check my email, there is an email from Reqall about what I was supposed to remember. Plus, if the message is day or time related, it will even send a reminder to your email or phone (text, if you want) before that day or time to remind you. There's so much more, too -- such as sending these reminders or updates to others or groups. Check it out!
Ponderings
- Technology Empowers Differentiated Instruction (Feb 2009) - Although not a current article, this webinar summary is a great overview of a few tools that allow for differentiated instruction in your classroom. Here are some highlights:
... students are more successful in school and find it more satisfying when they are taught in ways that are responsive to their readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles.
... teachers can differentiate four elements of instruction: content, process, product, and learning environment. They also can differentiate instruction based on student traits, such as readiness, learning profile, interest, and affect.
"We also like to give students choices in their learning, because offering choices gives students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements," said Smith... One way to do this is to create and present what the authors called a "tic-tac-toe board," or three-by-three grid, of suggested activities from which students can choose to demonstrate their understanding of a topic.
"Teachers first need to pre-assess student interest through inventories and surveys, observation, or interviews,"... Next, the authors recommend that teachers choose different strategies to build on students’ interests in ways that are appropriate for their abilities or age levels. For example, elementary students might use a strategy called "I-Search," in which students do research online, to learn about earth explorers, while middle-schoolers might use I-Search to learn about the Civil War. Other strategies include WebQuests, interest centers, flexible groups, literature circles, Role Audience Format Topic Tech (R.A.F.T.T.), Jigsaw, or computer software. (For more information on these strategies, visit the links in the article)
Learning Opportunities
- District Professional Development Opportunities - Calendar
- NWO's STEM Education Inquiry Series (at Rossford High School!) - a low-cost, local opportunity for elementary teachers and JH/HS science, math, and technology teachers offered 7 times from September 23 - April 14, 2011.
- In the right margin of this blog, enter your email to receive future postings into your email Inbox (Take 5s and more!) -- plan on 1-3 posts per week.
;-) Just for Fun! (and a little learning, perhaps)
- Cartoon Bank (New Yorker Magazine) - "Teacher" category... enjoy... Here's one example for you regarding lining up students
No comments:
Post a Comment