A great blog for Whiteboard enthusiasts...

Check out the WhiteBoard blog here: http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/

They have great tools and references for using Promethean boards and other white board technologies.


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22 Learning Ideas from Edutopia...

Originated by Trisha Riche' who is a kindergarten inclusion teacher at R. L. Brown Elementary in Jacksonville, FL. The grade-level chair at her school, Trisha was selected as one of the top ten most innovative educators in the country for The Great American Teach Off. Written 12/14/2011 in blog from Edutopia!

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Suggested Activities: The Game of Learning

For the first six activities, seat your students in a circle and introduce a ball or something else they can pass easily between them.

1. "I know a word"
You can begin this skills game by saying, "I know a word that starts with the same sound you hear at the beginning of butterfly." Students will raise their hands, and you choose one to tell you a word the starts with "B." Once they tell you the word, toss them the ball. They choose someone else to tell them another word that begins with that letter, passing the ball to the student who gets it right. As the game continues, change the letter every so often. Play until everyone has had a turn. You can use this game for beginning sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds etc.

2. Rhyme time
Say, "I need a word that rhymes with cat." Pass the ball to someone once they give you a correct rhyming word. Keep changing the starting word and continue the game until all kids have gone.

3. Practice counting
You can have your class practice counting by twos, fives and tens. Pass the ball clockwise or counterclockwise, with the student who receives it saying the number that comes next. For example, you say, "We are going to count by fives. Five!" The person next to you says "ten," the next one says "fifteen," and so on.

4. Spelling review
For older kids, you can pass the ball and go through your spelling words one letter at a time. For example, you say, "We're going to spell the word their, as in 'This is their ball.'" The first person says "T," the second person says "H," the third person says "E," and so on. If one says the wrong letter, the next person says correct letter and fixes the mistake.

5. "I need a synonym"
This is a great vocabulary building exercise. You can use the ball or a pair of flyswatters, depending on the age of your students. You say, "I need a synonym for mad." Choose someone to give you another word that means the same thing, such as angry, furious andenraged. For older kids, you can put a list of synonyms on the board and divide the class into two teams. Have one person from each team come up and compete. Whoever slaps the board with the flyswatter and says the correct synonym wins a point for their team. In the end all of your students win a better vocabulary.

6. Reinforce other skills
What other subjects are you teaching? You could adapt these games to fit pretty much anything. "I need a name of an explorer." "I need you to name one of the phases of matter." "I need to know one of the reasons for the Civil War." Be creative!

7. Roll dice to have your students answer story questions.
"What is the plot of the story?" you might ask them. "What is the setting?" You can introduce more reflective questions such as, "Why did this character do what he or she did?" and "What was the author's purpose?" You can write these questions on cards or purchase them fromreallygoodstuff.com.

8. Sight Word Slap Game
Write your sight words on the board. Separate your class into two random teams. Let one person from each team step forward and hold a fly swatter. Call out one of the sight words. The first one to slap the correct sight word gets a point for their team. Continue until everyone has gone. This is great for helping sight word recognition.
Suggested Activities: The Artsy Side of Creative

9. Use different voices or accents when reading stories to the class.

10. Dress in costumes of storybook characters to leave a lasting impression, or let students dress up as characters to retell stories.

11. Turn your room into the environment of what you are learning about. When the class is learning about fairy tales, turn your classroom into a castle. When you're learning about animals, turn your classroom into a jungle.

12. Create class songs about topics they need to know, or use the music of singers like Hap Palmer and Jack Hartman. You might also borrow songs and games from coworkers. Songs are catchy, and children learn quickly from them.
Creative Science

13. When teaching about the properties of friction, use KS2 for interactive projects you can do in small groups or as a class using a smart board. You might ask your students slide down the hallway first in their socks, then barefoot, and have them journal about the different amounts of friction.

14. When teaching phases of matter, drop some food coloring into beakers of cold and warm water and note the difference. Then pour the contents of one beaker in a bag and put it in the freezer. The next day, compare the liquid bag with the solid chunk of ice and note differences.

15. Use the ice from the above activity and talk about gravity. Stand on a chair and discuss what will happen if you drop the ice, and if it matters which way you drop it. Let your students predict the possible outcomes. Incorporate Your Students' Favorite Things

16. Survey your students at the beginning of the year. Get to know them and what they like. Then make a point of using their names, favorite foods, games, books, etc. in word problems, writing exercises, shared reading and many other activities. People do better and learn more when working with things they like. As adults we know that we don't want to do something if it's not fun. The same goes for kids.

Creative time savers

17. Have your students rely on each other as resources. For each table, pick a team leader to try answering his or her classmates' questions before they come to you for help.

18. Pair your higher achievers with lower achievers to study sight words, letters or other skills.

19. Put them into literature circles to discuss books.

20. Have them read one another's writing to check for completion or suggest ideas before they come see you.

21. Use the Leap Frog Tag reading system. You can plug it into the computer to get student scores on activities, which will provide guidelines for what you need to work on. This is a great way to collect data!

22. Have a "math problem of the day" journal to review skills in which your students scored low on assessments. Put the problem on the board and have them copy it into their journals at the beginning of the day. You can take a minute or two after they have completed it to review the problem with the class. Check notebooks later for understanding.

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Using iPADS -- more ideas

68 Ways to Use an iPAD in your classroom. 

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_721gdk5jtd8&pli=1

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Using Technology in the Classroom....

4 tips for introducing technology in the classroomHigh-school English teacher Nicholas Provenzano offers some suggestions for educators who are considering the use of technology in the classroom. Teachers should start small with one digital tool and spend time practicing how that tool can be best integrated into lessons, Provenzano offers. Teachers also should seek suggestions from students and other teachers about the latest technology, he writes. Edutopia.org/Nicholas Provenzano's blog

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Hard Decisions for Learning Disabled

By JACQUES STEINBERG

Published: November 3, 2011

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The admissions process can be stressful for even the most gifted, organized students. But to applicants with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities, the path to college can feel like a maze. The Choice addresses some of the issues such students face.

1. Should a student who has struggled with A.D.H.D. or dyslexia disclose it when applying to college?

The answer, like so many aspects of college admissions, depends mightily on the particular student. (Testing companies keep confidential whether a student was given extra time on the SAT and ACT, so that’s not an issue here.) Edward de Villafranca, an independent consultant and former admissions officer and high school counselor, puts it this way: “The decision to disclose or not isn’t actually one of ‘Will it hurt my chances?’ but rather one of ‘Is it helpful to know?’ ”

Disclosure early in the admissions process is often recommended for applicants who need to provide context — a legitimate reason grades might have dipped uncharacteristically from 9th to 10th grade, or why a standardized test score seems abysmally low when compared with an otherwise stellar academic record.

On the other hand, an applicant with strong grades and test scores may decide not to raise a red flag — maybe learning issues were not an academic impediment, or are no longer relevant.

“The primary risk is having the essay read by someone who doesn’t understand learning disabilities, someone who thinks A.D.H.D. is a hyperactive kid in fifth grade bouncing off the walls,” said Rachel Masson, director of admissions at Landmark College in Putney, Vt., which offers an associate’s degree and is exclusively for students with conditions that impair learning. “Legally, of course, admissions officers are not supposed to hold it against a student,” she added. “The reality is, we’re all human and there is that human factor involved.”

However, Ms. Masson suggests that once admitted but before putting down a deposit, all candidates with issues seek out the campus office that coordinates support services. (Applying for special services is typically separate from the admissions process.) Students will want to ensure that the institution has the proper experience and sensitivity as well as a community of students wrestling with similar challenges.

 2. Once the decision is made to tell, the question remains: where and how?

Students have several places to explain their learning issues on the Common Application: the main essay, short-answer portion or the very last portion of the application, where supplemental information is sought.

That’s where Rose Valliere, a 23-year-old who transferred this fall to Keene State College in New Hampshire from Landmark, chose to reveal her condition — A.D.H.D. and difficulty with reading comprehension. Ms. Valliere, who is studying to become a dietician, didn’t offer much detail. She decided, “Don’t make it the star of your application, even though it may feel that way for you.”

I asked Marybeth Kravets, co-author of “The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students With Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder,” about Ms. Valliere’s approach. She didn’t disagree — some students “may not want to blow it up out of proportion.” But for many students, she said, the main essay, particularly where it asks about a critical experience and its impact, is a good place to introduce a learning disability.

She imagined how a student might construct an answer: “You might note that on my transcript, there was a struggle in mathematics. Understand that in third grade, I was diagnosed with dysgraphia. It took many years for me to understand how I learn. Now look at me. In senior year, I’m in A.P. Statistics.”

(For a college that does not accept the Common Application, a supplemental essay can be attached.)

3. How does one go about assembling a list of colleges known to provide supportive environments?

While finding an institution that’s a good fit is a concern for all applicants, it’s even more crucial to students who struggle to concentrate in a lecture setting or require extra time on tests or additional instruction.

Due diligence in collecting information is essential. “Research must be done and conversations must be had with learning support centers in any college or university that a student and family is considering,” Mr. de Villafranca said, adding the admonition that “not every place operates the same way.”

Among resources are the Learning Disabilities Association of America and Ms. Kravets’s “K&W Guide” (Random House/Princeton Review), an 800-plus-page encyclopedia that lists services at each college, admissions requirements and contact information for program administrators.

Families without access to good school-based counselors can consult the Independent Education Consultants Association, whose Web site offers a searchable database (you want a counselor who has a track record of success with applicants with learning disabilities, and verifiable references from former clients; fees can be several thousand dollars).

Landmark graduates regularly go on to traditional four-year colleges, and Ms. Masson says the college has had especially good success placing them at American University, Lesley University, Lynn University and the University of Denver, whose Learning Effectiveness Program is widely considered to be strong. As is the University of Arizona’s SALT (Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques) Center. Note that Denver and Arizona, and some other programs, have a multistep application — one to the university, one to the program itself. This year for the first time, the online application to the University of Arizona asks students if they are applying to the SALT Center, and links to it.

As Mr. de Villafranca reminds, a learning disability “isn’t a black mark.”

“I think the Americans With Disabilities Act has really been instrumental in helping us talk more openly about various disabilities and differences,” he said. “We are much smarter about how we learn, and that has made this whole issue less of a clandestine, ‘Shh… say nothing’ kind of one.”

Jacques Steinberg, a senior editor of The Times, moderates The Choice blog on college admission.

A version of this article appeared in print on November 6, 2011, on page ED14 of Education Life with the headline: Hard Decisions For Learning Disabled. Original weblink: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/education/edlife/hard-decisions-for-learning-disabled.html?_r=1

Retrieved from CEC-SmartBrief.com  11/05/2011

Be Proactive on Internet Safety!

Google it: It's a simple but often overlooked step to technical understanding and Internet safety, says Betsy Landers, president of the National Parent Teacher Association, and mother of three.

"Get online. Google your child's name. Google your family name. See what's out there," Landers says.

High school students—and their parents—need to be especially aware that what they post on the Internet is permanent, and poor online decisions can have severe consequences.

Create a Tech Challenge...

Can you help your students to learn to use search engines and find what they need?

Can they apply what they have found, synthesize and create something new from what was sent back from their search results?

This is one of the new Web2.0 technologies that we will need to be teaching our students. So start now!

Some of my students were asked to select two sites each and report on them. The criteria for these sites was that they needed to be something that would allow the user to create something new. They could not be gaming sites, or sites like YouTube that were common and known to everyone in the class.

To assist the students told them about two sites and they had to use a search engine in order to find the exact sites I wanted. They needed to validate the links to be the following:

www.go2web20.net  and http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/web20tools.cfm - both of these sites provide links to online photography, music, animation sites in addition to a variety of other applications.

Now, they are to create a presentation with panache. Some will have to look up the word and see what "panache" means. They will not be able to read directly from the screen. In order to "nail it" (slang for an A) My encouragement is to do your best.

I surprised them by offering some of sites listed below in order to help them to be more creative:

Soundation.com - an online music studio that had many students engaged (or distracted) from their work in class.
Popplet.com - a platform for sharing ideas - looks a bit like online mind-mapping but I haven't had time to explore it yet.
Knotebooks.com - online notebooks for math and science courses that people are able to edit and contribute to.
Spreaker.com - online tool for creating podcasts.
Photopeach.com - online slideshow creation tool.

Many of us were already a little more familiar with such as Prezi.com, Flickr.com, Glogster.com, Slideshare.net, andAnimoto.com.


I'm looking forward to a successful project and a good learning experience not only for the students, but also for the rest of us educators.

Top 12 Ways to Increase Student Participation

Call it "active learning," or "classroom participation" -- every teacher wants more involved students and fewer apathetic ones. With a little extra planning, that is possible.

Below are four common reasons students don’t participate and techniques to solve those problems and spice up your lessons.



Problem: The content is repetitive.
Maybe it needs to be repetitive because the students don’t really “get it,” or maybe you’re reviewing for a test. In any case, they’re tuning out.

Solution #1: Assess their prior knowledge.
This could be as simple as asking students, “What do you know about (topic)?” and writing their responses on the board. You could also try a pre-test or a graphic organizer like a K-W-L chart. The goal is to find out what they already know (or think they know). You create buy-in for the students because they feel smart, and you can tailor your lesson to the information they don’t know or don’t remember correctly.

Solution #2: Try skills grouping.
Divide the class into groups based on what skills they need to practice – not forever, but for a class period or two, so they can focus on what they really need help with. So have a group that works on multiplying fractions, one on dividing fractions, and one on converting fractions to decimals. Make a group of “already got 100% on the test” kids and give them an extra credit activity or let them preview the next lesson. Then take time to move between the other groups and help them review. You’ll have more students engaged in the lesson and they’ll get specific, focused practice time.

Solution #3: Let them teach each other.
Especially good when reviewing before a test: divide the class into groups and give each group a topic. Set some guidelines and then let them teach each other. Encourage them to do interesting activities – write tests for each other, design review games, etc. – and evaluate each group on the accuracy of their content, the creativity of their approach, and how well they work together as a team.

Problem: The content is too hard.
This is really half the problem. The other half – especially with older students – is their fear of “looking stupid” by asking questions.

Solution #1: Allow anonymous questions.
Put out a “question box” where students can submit questions any time. Give each student an index card and ask them to write something about the reading assignment they did for homework. If they don’t have a question, instruct them to write a comment on the reading. Collect the cards and use them to lead a class discussion. You’ll easily recognize what parts of the reading confused a lot of students and they won’t feel embarrassed.

Solution #2: Allow them to work together.
We can’t do this all the time; individual students need to be assessed. Ask yourself: is the goal of this activity for them to learn the content, or for them to be assessed? If you want them to learn the content, why not let them work together? When they bring in their homework, do a quick survey for completeness, then put them in pairs and let them review the homework together. Encourage them to make changes if their partner’s answer looks right. When they've finished, review as a class. Students may be less embarrassed to share a group’s answer than their own and you may be able to complete the review more quickly.

Solution #3: Try a jigsaw approach.
No, we’re not talking about puzzles or scary movies. If you’re introducing new, difficult content, divide the class into groups and ask each group to master only one portion of it at a time. If, for example, you’re teaching the American Revolution, have one group focus on the Continental Congress, one on Washington’s Army, one on French support for the war, and so on.

Ask them to do a reading on their topic – to become the class “experts” on that subject. Then split up the class into new groups that include one “expert” on each topic. Ask these new groups to work together to write an essay or complete a worksheet that requires information about all the topics. They will teach each other in the process. Learn more about the Jigsaw Approach.


Problem: There’s too much information to present in too short a time.
Sometimes there’s no way around it: you simply have to get a lot of information out there in a short amount of time. So you opt for a lecture and just want your students to absorb the content. Instead, they fall asleep or stare out the window. What can you do?

Solution #1: Keep it “bite-sized.”
Remember: research shows the average student’s attention span is as long as her age. So even high school kids can only handle about 15 minutes. If you have a lot of information to convey, re-arrange your lesson plans so you never lecture for more than 10-15 minutes. Break up large concepts into smaller sections – give a brief lecture, then do an activity to help it “sink in.” Repeat this process over several days. You’ll increase participation – and improve comprehension, too.

Solution #2: Keep them busy.
Don’t allow students to stare into space while you talk. Give them something to stay connected. Try “fill in the blank” lecture notes. Delete key words and phrases in your lecture notes to create a “fill in the blank” worksheet. Then ask students to fill in the worksheet while you lecture. Another fun variation – lecture bingo.

Solution #3: Look into the future.
Before a lecture, give students a prediction activity. For example, tell them you will be lecturing on Shakespeare and ask them to predict what you will say, or give them a set of true/false statements and ask them to take their best guess.

As you lecture, instruct students to compare their guesses with what you actually say.When the lecture is over, have a class discussion and evaluate how accurate student predictions were.


Problem: The lesson emphasizes the teacher, not the students.

Solution #1: Keep them busier than you are.
The traditional classroom of yesteryear had the teacher at the front of the room, droning on while students doze. Re-imagine your classroom as a place where students are busier than you are. Keep the “sit still and let me talk to you” moments as brief as possible; get those kids working! Give them worksheets, activities, discussions, and projects. That doesn't mean you get to sit around -- you will still be busy, moving from student to student or group to group, correcting, evaluating, or providing feedback. But now everyone is busy and involved.

Solution #2: Use groups.
Homogeneous grouping? Heterogeneous grouping? Tracking? Forget the buzz words: having students work in groups is one of the best ways to increase student participation. Don’t keep them in the same groups all the time –give them a chance to be the “smart kid” who can help someone one day and the kid who needs help the next. Take a traditional worksheet or activity and give it to students in groups. Offer a reward to the group who finishes first with the most answers correct and watch them go! Note: it helps to have additional prizes available to keep groups motivated after the first group “wins.” Even high school students enjoy these competitions.

Solution #3: Give them a voice and a choice.
Do students ever get a “say” in your classroom? Of course you need to make most decisions, but there must be some things you could leave up to them – whether it’s what color chalk you use today or how long they practice a specific activity. Kids tune out because they feel like their ideas don’t matter. Show them their opinions are important and they’ll pay better attention and speak up more in class. There will always be some unreachable student who won’t respond, even with these efforts. But if you give these a try, you may be presently surprised at the previously unreachable students who just might join in!



Originally posted by: Kim Haynes from TeachHub.com (Creative Commons License)

National Writing Project - About Using Google Docs

This is a great resource on using Google Docs from the National Writing Project.

Check it out here!  You will be amazed at what all you can do and how simple it is!

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A great site on Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching & Technology in Education

The University of Georgia has created a wiki site which provides an enormous amount of content and information on teaching, learning and technology. Check it out HERE!

Today is National Writing Day!!

Initiated by the National Council of Teachers of English in 2009, October 20 is the National Day on Writing!


Outline for writing mini-lesson in second grade
http://teachers.net/4blocks/outline_for_writing_mini_lessons.pdf


Reading/Writing - TEACHERS
A chatboard for teachers of reading and writing


Sequence of Events (Middle, Reading/Writing)


Journal Writing Ideas (Elementary, Reading/Writing)


Teachers.Net - 6 TRAITS OF WRITING CHATBOARD


Teaching Writing to 37 Second Graders


Please remember to help us while you browse these resources.


Use Picture Books to Teach Creative Writing

Practical Tips for Teaching Elementary Writing

A Simple Way to Improve Students' Essay Writing

Writing Like Picasso

Writing prompts for October 20:

In 1883, the first vocational school in the United States was opened in Baltimore, MD. A vocational school specializes in training students for specific jobs. If you were to choose a job you might like to be trained for, what would it be? What are three things you would have to learn in order to do that job?


In 1956, a German doctor, Hannes Lindemann, began his successful attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a kayak. The trip took 76 days. The kayak was only 17 feet long, and had to carry all the supplies Lindemann needed for the entire journey. What are three problems a person trying such a trip would need to solve?


In 1859, the Minerva Club, the first club exclusively for women, was organized in New Harmony, Indiana. Some people think that there should not be any organizations for just men or just women, others disagree. How do you feel about this? Give reasons for your opinion.


Writing prompts for the remainder of October



NCTE resources for National Day on Writing: http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting


Brought to you by Teachers.Net Gazette. Your support is appreciated!

Bloom's Taxonomy --- So many options!!

This website is a great tool for so many of the ways to look at Bloom's Taxonomy... Check it out by clicking HERE!!!

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Maths Teaching Ideas: 10 Great Maths Games Sites

Posted by Pooky Hesmondhalgh on July 11, 2011 at 8:56 am


Online maths teaching games can be a great way to engage students in maths learning, even if they aren’t very motivated in class. There a huge range of sites available and I’m recommending ten that were highlighted to me by Vijay Krishnan, a maths tutor who has found that these sites have really improved his students’ maths abilities.

Ixl.com

SheppardSoftware.com

Mathgames.com

Coolmath.com

Hoodamath.com

Mangahaigh.com

Mathsduck.co.uk

Coolmath4kids.com

Free-training-tutorial.com

Funbrain.com

This was tweeted earlier today and I wanted to share it here as well as use it in my classroom!

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Interesting TED talk about Leadership...

I hadn't really thought of the first follower being so powerful. I've always been taught that the leader is the most important. This talk from Derek Sivers on TED.com has provided a new insight.

This is also a part of classroom management from the view of the "ripple effect" -- it's true that if you have one that does something then others follow -- but if you understand that the "first follower" is the key to handling the ripple effect in a classroom, then you can manage control much better.

Watch Derek's video HERE.

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Every Teacher Should Have a Blog (and why!)

I first ran across this video from the website "Free Technology for Teachers" and since then I've referred several of my fellow educators to the site for understanding why it's a good idea to use a blog as a teacher.

So for those of you that have asked where they can find it, I've posted a link HERE to Richard Byrne's website.

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8 Tips to Engage Students--from ASCD...

Tymeesa Rutledge wrote an excellent article from ASCD's March conference on "Eight Tips to Engage Your Students" -- these are practical and worth looking at. Sometime we forget the common sense approach to classroom setup, management and student engagement.


Click HERE to see the entire article.




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Fall Break - Relax, Refresh, Reflect and Renew!

One of the great parts of a modified nine and two calendar is that after nine weeks of instruction there is a two week of break for both the students and the instructors. Those two weeks are broken into intercession and professional development as well as time off.

What will you do with the time? Will you relax, reflect or renew? Either way you and the students will be refreshed and ready for the next nine weeks of exciting instruction.

Relax - Since school began there has been a constant pushing and pacing to get the material covered, the lessons taught and rules and consequences practice and in place, just in time for a two-week break. So take the time and modify your schedule. Do something that will allow you to relax. Change your routine around. Enjoy time with friends. Work on your hobby or visit places of interest that you can do as the Autumn season allows us to enjoy. The important thing is to make time for relaxation. To clear the mind and to change the routine so that you are doing things differently.

Reflect - Now that you are more relaxed, you can start to reflect on what worked, what didn't work and how you might do things somewhat differently in your classroom when school returns to session. This is a good time for self-reflection and for determining, without the pressure of a daily schedule, what really did work in the classroom over the last nine weeks and what didn't. If you are a list maker, then make a list of things to do again and things not to do again. Put the list aside for a couple of days and then look at it again. With fresh eyes and a mind that is clear you can then focus on what made the classroom work for you and for the students.

Renew - You ask isn't this the same as relaxing? Not really. To renew is to "become new or as if new again," according to the dictionary. So, maybe you need to read over your lesson plans, your text book, visit some websites and see what others are doing in your area of expertise. Perhaps a renewal would be to personally recommit to be a life-long learner and to teach the students that same trait. To help them to understand that just because you are "out of school" we never really stop learning. What can you do to renew? Glad you asked. Here are ten great renewal techniques for all educators:

#1 - Laugh. Out loud. Completely and deeply find something that is funny and laugh out loud. This can be such a cleansing and laughter remains one of the healing mysteries.

#2 - Listen to music. Put your iPad, MP3 player or anything that you can listen to music with and turn off all of the other media inputs. Really listen to the music. Use headphones that totally cover your ears so that you can become engulfed in the music. Listen to how the music flows, get lost in it. Enjoy your favorites and get lost in your own concert.

#3 - Eat right. When we have time off we don't eat on the same schedule. Just because we can doesn't mean we have to eat those types of foods that will add additional sugars or fats -- those that taste so good. Instead, focus on eating foods that will help you to relax without adding to your waist.

#4 - Breathe. That's right, breathe. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. For some of us we have been so busy that we've even been overheard to say, "I'm so busy with school I don't have time to breathe!" So, breathe! Take deep breaths and exhale completely. The mind, heart and especially the lungs will thank you for it.

#5 - Exercise. Yes, even if it's just for a short time. Exercise doesn't necessarily mean power lifting at the gym or training for a marathon. A short walk around the yard or simply standing up to stretch during a break can offer immediate relief in a stressful situation. Getting your blood moving releases endorphins and can improve your mood almost instantaneously.

#6 - Sleep. Get some rest during this time. Unfortunately, lack of sleep is a key cause of stress. This vicious cycle causes the brain and body to get out of whack and only gets worse and worse with time. Make it a point to get the doctor-recommended seven to eight hours of sleep. Turn the TV off earlier, manage your time, and do your best to get into bed. It may be the most effective stress buster on our list. Don't try to make up for the lost sleep during the school year. Now is the time to start a better habit of time management and getting the proper sleep.

#7 - Change your attitude. When you have a positive attitude you will feel better, work better and see things in a better view. Over time you’ll learn to meet negativity with a positive reaction. A positive attitude will keep you from slipping back so easily into feeling overwhelmed. Don't let the attitude of a few make you join their negative ways -- keep the positive attitude and those with negativity will go away.

#8 - Plan. Plan. Plan. Yes, as educators we do a lot of planning. But this is more time management and planning of our day. Since you have some time now to look back at your daily schedule, then make some rules for your day. Drowning in papers. We’ve all been there, and it’s not a great place to be. To the extent you control your daily schedule, make your workload work for you. Time-management skills are vital to planning, prioritizing, and completing tasks. Set hourly or daily goals, but be realistic. If there’s no way you will complete a project in two days, do not push yourself. If, in the end, you’re left with some extra time after completing your project, consider it a few spare moments you can catch up on email or get ahead on your next task.

#9 - Just say no. Don't over commit. Sometimes we are asked to serve and to do and to work and we feel that we should. But there are limits to our commitments. We have to have a balance of time with our students, with our families and for ourselves. If you have no time left for you, then you will begin to regret the time you spend with others and it will add that much more stress. Take this time to look at your commitment and prioritize those things that you really want to be involved with and those that you don't want, just politely disengage yourself. You never know, but there maybe someone else who wants and has the time to volunteer, but doesn't because there are others already in place. Rotation of volunteerism is good.

#10 - Don't sweat the small stuff. Focus on the things you can change, you can do and you are prepared to spend resources (time, money and energy) doing. Then let the rest of it go. Identify what and who you want to be and do those things that support that decision. You will be much happier and your stress level will be reduced as well.


Enjoy the time provided in the nine and two calendar. 

Our next break will be coming up after the next nine weeks of instruction and what you don't get done in this two week time of renewal and reflection you can continue. Enjoy the break and don't forget -- Laugh often, laugh deep and take care of you - you are an educator. You are priceless!




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If You Can Type: You Can Make Movies!!

This website is great for educators of all kids... the kids will love the avatars and you can control the content.   Check it out HERE!

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A Great Inspirational Video from a "Pencil"

What's inside of you is the most important part!

Power Point -- Great video on what NOT TO DO!!!

Don McMillan: Life After Death by PowerPoint

Here's a great video on what not to do when creating your next power point!!  

Thanks to Don McMillan for posting!!

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So how can we fight Engagement Deficit Disorder?

How do we RE-ENGAGE students who have checked out?

Read Caitlan Tucker's blog and her 10 ideas on how we can re-engage our students in the classroom. 

http://catlintucker.com/2011/09/fighting-engagement-deficit-disorder/

Free High School Books in digital format!!

Here's a great website that lists how to get 20 popular high school books.

Every year, thousands of American high school students read a common selection of great novels — classics loved by young and old readers alike. Today, we have selected 20 of the most popular books and highlighted ways that you can download versions for free, mostly as free audio books and ebooks, and sometimes as movies and radio dramas. You will find more great works — and sometimes other digital formats — in our collections of Free Audio Books and Free eBooks. So please give them a good look over, and if we’re missing a novel you want, don’t forget Audible.com’s 14 day trial. It will let you download an audio book for free, pretty much any one you want.

Click HERE for the blog posting of the 20 most popular books in digital format....

Alternative Assessments

40 Alternative Assessments for LearningBy: Charity Preston

When people think of assessment, pencils and bubble sheets may be the first things that come to mind. Assessment does not always have to involve paper and pencil, but can instead be a project, an observation, or a task that shows a student has learned the material. 

In the end, all we really want to know is that the skill was mastered, right? Why not make it fun and engaging for students as well?

Many teachers shy away from alternative assessments because they take extra time and effort to create and to grade. On the other hand, once the assessment guidelines and grading rubric are created, it can be filed away and used year after year.

The project card and rubric can be run on card stock (one on each side of the page), laminated, and hole punched with other alternative assessment ideas. Keep them all together in a binder or with an o-ring. Assessment just became a snap!

Here are 40 alternative assessment ideas to get you started! CLICK HERE for Charity's blogpost....

Creating your own eBooks for use on the iPad or Tablets...

I ran across this blog on how to create your own eBooks and immediately thought how I could take my lessons and create them as eBooks so that my students could download them afterwards and use them as extensions, review, or in case they missed a lesson or wanted to study for assessments later in the term.

Click HERE to so to the original blog entry from Langwitches.org.

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LiveBinders!! A great new tool for all teachers

LiveBinder is a great new tool for the Educator2.0 that wants to share their work with others or have their work online and be able to use it interactively!  Check out their website HERE.

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I found the following poem (written by Lee Crockett, Ian Jukes and Andrew Churches) on Tony Gurr's All Things Learning blog.  Take a look at Tony's blog and follow it, too!!

In coming closer and closer to the end of my teacher education program I thought it was appropriate to re-post the poem as part of what I intend to become -- along with a continuing reflective educator!

What is a Teacher?

A guide, not a guard.

What is learning?

A journey, not a destination.

What is discovery?

Questioning the answers, not answering the questions.

What is the process?

Discovering ideas, not covering content.

What is the goal?

Open minds, not closed issues.

What is the test?

Being and becoming, not remembering and reviewing.

What is learning?

Not just doing things differently, but doing different things.

What is teaching?

Not showing them what to learn, but showing them how to learn

What is school?

Whatever we choose to make it.

(by Lee Crockett, Ian Jukes & Andrew Churches)

140 Ways to Change YOUR world (and others' too!)

A great website for 140 ways to change the way you look at life and the way you do things.

Read it often and let it get into your "action" memory!!

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/09/04/140-ways-to-change-the-world/#comment-938725


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Parent Communication & Relationships!!

A former teacher and instructional coach, Elena Aguilar is now a transformational leadership coach in the Oakland Unified School District.

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In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, we're producing a series of Top 20 lists, from the practical to the sublime.

Twenty Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Parents

In our busy day of juggling papers, lesson planning and managing sometimes more than a hundred students, we can easily forget the group that could lend significant support in our charge as teachers -- parents and families. Consider these tips for improving connections with this valuable group:

1. Smile When You See Parents
Greet them. Most parents only occasionally interact with teachers so make sure that at least 90 percent of your encounters with them are positive, warm, and friendly. The impressions left from fleeting encounters in the hallway last a long time.

2. Learn Their Names
(If you have a self-contained class.) Learn how they like to be addressed (Mr. ____? Señora? By their first name?) and how to pronounce them correctly.

3. Declare Your Intention
Tell them that you want to partner with them, that you appreciate their support, and look forward to working together.

4. Communicate Often and in Various Forms
Provide information about what's going on in your class (weekly would be ideal): what students are learning, what they've accomplished, what you're excited about, what they're excited about, and the learning and growth you're seeing. Suggest things that they might ask their child about: "Ask them to tell you about what they learned last week about meal worms," or "Ask them to read you the haiku they wrote."

5. Make a Positive Phone Call Home
If you have a self-contained class, call all homes within the first couple of weeks and then at regular intervals throughout the year. If you teach many students, identify those students who perhaps need a positive call home.

6. Lead with the Good News
Give positive praise first when calling parents or meeting with them to discuss a concern. Every kid has something good about him/her. Find it. Share it. Then share your concern. Adhere strictly to this rule.

7. Find a Translator
If you can't speak their language, seek a translator for at least one parent conference and/or phone call. (For obscure languages, you can sometimes find a refugee center or other public agency that can help). Reach out to those parents as well; do whatever you can to connect.

8. Your Language is Powerful
It communicates an awareness that there are many different kinds of families. Be careful not to assume a mother is, or isn't married, or even that if she is married, she's married to a man. Learn to ask open-ended questions and understand that sometimes parents/guardians might not want to share some information.

9. Ask Questions about the Child
"What kinds of things does he enjoy doing outside of school? Who are the special people in her life -- family or family friends? What do you think are her best characteristics? What was he like as a little boy?" Demonstrate an interest in knowing your student.

10. Listen to Parents
Really listen. They know a whole lot about their kid.

11. Smile at the Child When talking to a parent in front of a child, smile and make eye contact with the student to demonstrate that you care about him/her. Recognize what he/she has done well in your class in front of the parents. Then share a concern, if you have one.

12. Invite Parents to Share
Distribute a survey at the beginning of the year (if parents don't read/write in English, students can interview them and relay their answers). Find out what parents know about and what skills they have. Invite them in especially if it connects the curriculum and content. Let them share with you their cultural traditions, interests, passions, skills, knowledge.

13. Let Parents Know How They Can Help
Many want to help but especially as kids get older, parents aren't asked for help as often and don't know what to do. There's always some way they can help in the classroom.

14. Be Very Specific
Provide ways parents can support their child at home: "You can help your child with her math homework by asking her to explain how she got an answer," or "As you're reading stories at night, ask your child to make predictions. This strengthens reading comprehension."

15. Be a Broker of Resources
If they share a concern, be prepared to point them to a direction where they can find help. If you share a concern ("Your daughter spaces out and doesn't pay attention") be prepared to suggest what the parents can do.

16. Explain Your Instructional Decisions
Take the time to do this and help them learn about the education system if they're not familiar with it. Help them understand what you're doing and why.

17. Invite Parents to Participate in Making Some Decisions
Invite their input, give them information that will help them form an opinion, and listen to their conclusions.

18. Thank Parents
Both individually and publicly for their support, perhaps in your weekly newsletter. Recognize what they do to help your class and how it's impacting students.

19. Share Every Success
Let parents know what their child is doing well, what academic skills, social skills or knowledge he's mastered.

20. Invite Parents to Celebrate and Break Bread Together
Communities are strengthened when people come together in celebration. Start the year with a potluck. Share food and stories about food. We all bond over food.

Visit Elena Aguilar's blog at:  http://www.edutopia.org/spiralnotebook/elena-aguilar

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If you like this, you might also like

• Listen, Please, Ron Clarke: On Developing Partnerships Between Parents and Teachers by Elena Aguilar
• Sage Advice: Staying Connected to Parents by Edutopia