A wise lady once said...

It doesn't matter how much you know as long as you know where to find answers.

Another useful web 2.0 site

Another interactive web tool I have used in my classroom is http://www.visuwords.com/. Visuwords is a cool tool that gets kids excited about exploring vocabulary, which isn't the easiest thing in the world! It is basically a graphic dictionary/thesaurus. You can type in any word you want and then watch as related words pop up and a visual map is created that identifies related words and concepts, while also giving definitions and examples of proper usage when you use your mouse to hover over words. My students loved watching the graphics expand and shift while interacting with the word maps generated by this web site.

Check out this example I created for the word eloquent, so you can get an idea of how it works!

Khan Academy - love it or hate it, it's a useful tool

Khan Academy got pushed into the public eye with its semi-recent 60 Minutes segment. I came across it when brushing up on a bit of high school geometry. For my brain, it worked well. Search for a topic, watch a video, and then practice the concept... How coud that be a bad thing?

Visitors flock to http://www.khanacademy.org/ for the 3000+ instructional videos across most academic subjects. I have found the most helpful section to be math. The site offers videos that break down just about any mathematical concept you can think of and then offer interactive practice, which include video reminder prompts if you are stuck.

I think this could be very beneficial for students. Whether you introduce topics in class with these videos, or offer them as review before an assessment, the site provides another way to access content. Teachers can try a variety of teaching methods in a class, this site simply provides another avenue for delivering a lesson. Like any other means of instruction, it has pros and cons. Some brains will take to it, some won't. Modern education is all about exposing students to different viewpoints and ways of doing things and then letting the students themselves determine what works best for them, interactive web sites aren't any different!

Interesting article on training future educators

Just stumbled upon an interesting article on teacher prep on the Hechinger blog. (http://hechingered.org/content/practice-versus-theory-is-teacher-education-headed-for-a-revolution_5253/).

Makes some interesting points. I actually picked my grad program based on that fact that is focused on the methodology needed to actual teach each core subject in the classroom, as well as classes on the fundamentals of human development. I think successful teacher training programs need to do both in order to better prepare future educators.

Web 2.0 site

I spent hours dancing around the internet in search of a great web 2.0 tool. I think I found a gem in Museum Box... This is a place where kids can make virtual display cases that teach about anything you can possibly imagine. The site allows you to compile text, video, still images, and sound to put create presentation of sorts. I can see this being an amazing tool for the classroom at any age. Kids could use this as a medium for a science report on the water cycle, a report on a famous author, a final presentation for an immigration project. The list goes on and on. I like that this is a step beyond a powerpoint presentation. Students still would need to do research to find the information for their project, but they could also have fun when creating the final output. Students can make as little as one box or can make 10 or more, depending on the extent of an assignment. This site provides an excellent opportunity for collaboration, as group project members could work together with one log-in name to create their end product. I love this idea and plan to try and build a virtual display box of my own!

Here is the link if you want to take a peek:

http://museumbox.e2bn.org/

Here is a sample of a completed museum box that a student did on folk music:

http://creator.museumbox.e2bn.org/mediaCreator/show/389

A must-watch if you know anyone seeking their PhD

This is one of the funniest bits I have seen in a long time. I have laughed out loud every single time I watch it. Each and every joke hits right on the money. I watched this with a friend who has a doctorate and another that is applying to programs to get her PhD. They were howling the whole time. It made me think of the people that keep going on and on with their school simply because they are good at school.  Where does a doctorate in English get you, aside from owing plenty in loans? There are only so many schools out there to absorb all these new "experts", right?

I just stumbled on an interesting blurb on my Gawker feed: http://gawker.com/5924728/school-is-too-easy-say-americas-illiterate-incompetent-students.

The first thing that sprang to mind was the students find their busy work too easy, meaning the mind-numbing worksheets, etc. that come with most lessons that teachers just turn around, copy, and hand-out to students as classwork or homework. These activities aren't created for higher level thinking skills, they are made for students to spit back the day's content. I can see why students would say work is easy, but then bomb achievement tests. This just goes to reaffirm what I have been reading up on this summer. Developing those 21st century skills are a must! Creating engaging content that allows students to impart their own knowledge and work both sides of their brains should be the main priority as our education system is slooooooooowly overhauled!

Good day, world. I have never really thought of myself as being interesting or important enough to share my thoughts with everyone out there. In fact, I haven't really dipped my toe into the social media world since the good ol' Friendster days (showing my age, I know)... I do have a secret Twitter account which allows me to indulge in the musings of my favorite celebs, but you'll never find me!  The time has come to make a change. Now that I have discovered what I am meant to do (TEACH), I am ready to take the leap and share part of my teacher self. Here goes nothing!

As a frequent internet loafer, I am pretty good at stumbling on obscure blogs that make me smirk. Today's quest was to find some education-related blogs that are both interesting AND useful. Well, 90 minutes later, I have discovered quite a few. Finding creative ways to incorporate technology and foster long-lasting learning in my classroom is what I am typically after. The following sites seems pretty geared toward both of these goals of mine.

The very first blog I was pulled toward was The Innovative Educator, which can be found here: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/. Boy of boy, does this spot have it all. From posts about the latest in online education trends to tips on using gadgets in the classroom to articles on plain old differentiated instruction, this blogs hits on everything you hear about as a teacher in today's world. Blogger Lisa Nielsen's focus is to share ideas about the future of education. We all know that reform is needed and this blog is a one stop shop of the latest and greatest ideas that are flying around the digital world.


Another site that has me hooked already is Moving at the Speed of Creativity (http://www.speedofcreativity.org/). Written by Wesley Fryer, this blog has a slightly different viewpoint. Wesley uses his blog to document his journey of collaborating with people across the globe on issues and ideas such as how to use technology in the classroom to truly engage students, how the world of education is shifting, and web 2.0 applications. The site offers a chance to listen to podcasts of workshops Wesley has led, as well as a chance to read guest bloggers' thoughts on hot topics like what it takes to make an effective technology committee. Also available are links to wikis that Wesley has set up for past professional development days he has hosted. The one that immediately caught my eye was "Developing Problem Solving and Math Skills with Minecraft" - many of my sixth graders are always extolling the benefits of Minecraft and telling me how great it is. Wouldn't it be great to use a gmae they are interested in, to also sneak in some 21st Century Skills!??! The various types of media and viewpoints that are imbedded in this blog make it an interesting read for me.