Take 5! Integration Update - March 30, 2011 (Vol.2/#21)

Issue #21

“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!


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Tips and Tools for Teachers

• Scoop.It – This week's Take 5 is put in a new format... inside Scoop.It! Here's the link to my Scoop.It page on 21st Century Teaching & Learning and others of possible interest...

• Web 2.0 by Steve Dembo (from Discovery Education)
• Project Based Learning by Jackie Gerstein, PhD
• Infographics by thomesss -- great for visual literacy (some may not be appropriate for students... preview first! Then save image.)
• Teenagers? What's That?! by rougier marie -- “Everything to understand this strange breed, even if you're an adult.”

More on Scoop.It!...
Scoop.It! is currently in “beta” (testing phase), so it’s not widely being used yet... But I have a hunch it will be pretty big soon! Imagine the uses for teachers, students, school districts... Pick a topic and find information on the web that applies, then share it on your Scoop.It page! 
 
Like many other Web 2.0 tools, it allows you to “follow” other “scoopers’” topics and even leave a comment (reaction). They use the term “curating” information, but I compare it to being your own editor of what you find pertinent, timely, or interesting to share with others (or just to keep a record or or bookmark). 

Other Topics will return next time...

Take 5! Integration Update - March 22, 2011 (Vol.2/#20)

Issue #20

“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!


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Tips and Tools for Teachers

• Study Skills for Students – Just what students want to think about right before Spring Break -- study skills... "Yeah!!!" But this site contains great information for students, parents, and teachers to help students 1) study, 2) "learn how to learn," and 3) help themselves be successful!

• Mathmaster – for basic/elementary math, this site allows you to quickly create PDF worksheets in a snap for student practice or assessment. It also has links to videos (click the Videos tab) from Khan Academy on subjects such as: math (LOTS), economics, finance, history (limited), and various sciences (chemistry, astronomy, physics, biology) -- Thanks for sharing this, Josh M.!
    

Ponderings

• Ed Tech Quote Slideshow- from "solejea2" on Scribd - VIEW SHOW
  ... Spend a few minutes looking through this slideshow and reflect on how it relates to your subject area/grade level, your students, and how you teach both.
  

  

Learning Opportunities

• 1. In-District Professional Development Opportunities
• 2. iCANDY: Visual Tools for Teaching and Learning - wiki page of resources & teaching ideas
• 3. NWO's STEM Education Inquiry Series (at Rossford High School!) - THIS Thurs., March 24th (from 5-8pm) 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.
• 4. 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)

Got Time? How about creating your own time-lapse video! Oh, what creative people share videos on YouTube... Over 12 million viewers have seen these, but just in case you were not one of them...

Here are some classics based on video game classics, PacMan and Tetris. 

Could your students create something similar about a process, sequence, or historical event you want them to learn?

Take 5! Integration Update - March 9, 2011 (Vol.2/#19)

Issue #19

“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!


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Tips and Tools for Teachers

    

• Wigflip (image goodies) – For SMART Notebook files, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, etc.... Make your own...
  
• Sticky Note
• Tiny Tags (sales tags)
• Speech Bubble
• Sign Bot (an animate LED sign)
• Street Sign
• Motivational Poster

• Office & Word 2007 Tips – Click HERE for a PDF handout from the recent session on 10+ tips to save you (or your students) time... so you can spend that on more important things like teaching and student learning! Included are handy things such as...
• Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
• Split document (great for making Table of Contents or reference lists in large documents)
• Thumbnail view of your pages
• Copy/Paste text formatting
• Using highlighting text for student handouts or visuals
• Adding Smart Art (graphic organizers)

• For Mac Users: Right-Click Tips – HERE is a list of 15 uses for the right-click on a Mac (also known as Control+Click... hold down the Control key while clicking on an item or link, etc.). At least 3 of these are VERY HELPFUL for any and all Mac users.
  
  

Ponderings

• The Power of a Teacher's "Voice"
  ... If you or someone you know (or have voted into political office) would like to learn more about what it’s like being a teacher — a dedicated, hard-working teacher with real concerns... Check out these blog posts from “thalli1” or “Mrs. H.” (not sure of her real name, but she’s a teacher in Oregon... For now at least). Her words have a way of making hard-working educators both proud and sad at the same time.
  
  Plus, her voice gives some perspective on things of issue lately in Ohio, Wisconsin, and across our nation (here they are, in order of her posting them on the Daily Koz blog):
  
  

  • I Don't Want to Be a Teacher Anymore
  • You Can Stop Waiting--I Am Superman!
  • I'm an Internet Sensation? Huh?
  • I Don't Want to Race to the Top
    

  And possibly my favorite...
  

  • Notice to All Banker-Types From a Teacher

Learning Opportunities

• 1. In-District Professional Development Opportunities
• >>> SMART Board Tips - Th. 3/10 @ HS (3-3:30)
• >>> SMART Board Tips - Fri. 3/11 @ IH (8-8:30)
• 2. NWO's STEM Education Inquiry Series (at Rossford High School!) - Thurs., March 24th (from 5-8pm) 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.
•  3. 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)

Easy one today... just read the post listed above -- Notice to All Banker-Types From a Teacher

Take 5! Integration Update - March 2, 2011 (Vol.2/#18)

Issue #18

“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!


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Tips and Tools for Teachers

  

• Hippocampus – Online curriculum, videos, textbooks... From their site: "HippoCampus is a project of the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE). The goal of HippoCampus is to provide high-quality, multimedia content on general education subjects to high school and college students free of charge."
• Some topics/subjects:
• Algebra (English & Spanish)
  
• American Govt
  
• Biology
  
• Calculus (English & Spanish)
  
• Environmental Science
  
• Physics
  
• Psychology
  
• Religion
  
• Statistics 
  
• US History

• Grammaropolis – A site full of grammar review games and lessons for elementary or even middle school students. Wondering how to use this site in your classroom, here are some suggestions from Kelly Tenkely's iLearn blog. 

  

• Internet Speed Test – Ever wondered how fast your internet connection is? Connect Ohio provides a speed test for your internet upload and download speeds in an easy to read format. Give it a try at: http://speedtest.connectedoh.org 

Ponderings

•   
  
  (Book & Website) Fires in the Mind: What Kids Can Tell Us About Motivation and Mastery (by Kathleen Cushman)
  
  Some important messages here about student motivation, effort, practice, and mastery... 

  (About the importance of connecting with students... From a student) - "If no one's going to notice what you're doing, it doesn't matter whether you push yourself. But if the teacher develops a connection with you, you don't want to disappoint them.

  
  

  (About effort... From a student) - "Everything takes practice. It's not like one day you can just get up and say, 'I'm going to do something.' You got to practice it."

  Goals Checklist for student practice in class - developed by students

  A teacher's planning tool for organizing a lesson around mastery

  Homework advice from students (this link is to the entire Ch. 8, which includes the HW advice, alternative HW assignments, and the difference between HW and "deliberate practice")
  

Learning Opportunities

• 1. In-District Professional Development Opportunities
• 2. NWO's STEM Education Inquiry Series (at Rossford High School!) - Thurs., March 24th (from 5-8pm) 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.
•  3. 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)

• Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - (from their site...) "NPR's weekly hour-long quiz program. Each week on the radio you can test your knowledge against some of the best and brightest in the news and entertainment world while figuring out what's real news and what's made up." Or try their daily quiz HERE

  

Mind Maps for Critical Thinking (free downloads)

Using the sample image above (of the "Luck Factor Mind Map"), think about how your students could benefit from some of these interpretations (or deciphering them or creating their own)? Check out some mind-maps HERE and download them for free. These maps are good for critical-thinking or analysis practice with visual information.

There's even a "MasterMind Matrix Chart" that "will guide you step-by-step towards success and achievement in any field of endeavor. It makes for an ideal self-coaching tool for any problems or challenges that may stand between you and your life’s objectives." ... Sounds like we all need to follow that!!!

Some good tools for map creation include: Inspiration , Kidspiration (REVS has licenses for these),  Cacoo, or Bubbl.us... plus MANY more you can pay good money for!