Classroom+Tips,+Lessons,+and+Ideas



Classroom Tips, Lessons, and Ideas :

Crunch Gear: NYK Super Eco Ship 2030: How Ships Will Look Like in the Future [] //Rating: A Rated by: M. Elias// This blog is written by Serkan Toto. I found this site interesting because it discusses a “green” ship that is being built by Japan that emits much less CO2 than other ships. The theme at my school this past year was “Going Green” and I also teach a unit about the Titanic. I could have my students comment on this blog or just point it out to them and read it together and discuss it. I believe this site will allow students to look into the future and open their eyes to the “flat world” according to Friedman that we are now living in. There is not much other information on this blog but I would rate it high according to our system because of its usefulness in my personal classroom. I would rate it an “A.”

[] //Rating: A Rated by: R. Turian// The Edublogger is a site dedicated to teaching tips and tricks to new users as well as updating more experienced users with new information. This particular blog is a quick cheat sheet to help you get yourself or your class started in the blogging world. This entry is aimed at beginning users, although it does try to engage experienced users by asking for advice. I would rate this entry an A because of it's applicability for new bloggers.
 * The Edublogger: Here's My Top Five Mistakes Made By New Bloggers - What Are Yours?**

 http://blog.teachersfirst.com/thinkteach/2009/05/22/fascinated-naa/ //Rating: A Rated by: M. Brittingham// Candace Hackett Shively’s blog “Fascinated-NAA!” is a refreshing look at creativity. She asks why some students are terribly creative and some really struggle. She posts two links to research that has recently been done. This is a very relevant concept to explore as we all struggle with this issue in our classrooms. She links pertinent articles to help in the discussion of this topic. I rate this blog an A as it is an interesting and important topic for teachers and it also links to two articles which give us further scientific facts on this topic.
 * Fascinated-NAA**!

 Using Skype with Students ** [] //Rating: B Rated by: L. Clatterbuck // This Edutopia blog was published by Jim Moulton. He discusses Skype, which is free software that allows you to make calls over the internet to other users of the service. You can also use Skype to call other numbers as well for a small fee. Skype also allows for instant messaging and videoconferencing. Jim discusses how he uses Skype to stay in touch with others while on a trip to India. In this blog he lists other possible uses for Skype in the classroom. He talks about using Skype to stay connected with ill students so that they do not miss any important lessons. He also gives a suggestion of using Skype to have authors virtually visit the classroom. These are great suggestions of ways to use this software in the classroom. I would rate this blog a B because it gives great suggestions, but it could provide a little more information for users new to Skype. **

[] //Rating: A Rated by: L. Clatterbuck// This blog focuses on integrating technology into the classroom and was published by Mr. Kuroneko. In the blog I responded to, Mr. Kuroneko created a wishlist of technology for the classroom. He gave suggestions of ways to integrate all of the different types of technology into the classroom. He shared some great ideas of things to try over the years. His blog also contains posts on other classroom technology thoughts. Overall, I thought this blog did a good job a providing different ideas for using technology in the classroom. It got me thinking of things I would like to try in my room. I would rate this blog an A since it gave a variety of ideas rather than just one. The other links on the page (recent posts and related posts) also offer good ideas.
 * Integrating Technology in the Classroom Wishlist**

http://www.musicteachersblog.com/ //Rating: A Rated by: K Lioi// This is a Music Teachers Blog from Fun Music Company CEO Janice Tuck. It is great resource for teachers to integrate technology and music into a lesson. There are many resources to help you guide students to use computers. As a first grade teacher I am always looking for musical ideas to keep my students moving and to help them to remember some basic skills. Games, worksheets, teaching aids, and lesson plans are available. One the the great things about this blog is the Parents Music Guide and there are quick links for Music Theory Worksheets. This blog is a good place to get ideas!
 * The Music Teachers Blog.** Help and Resources for Music Teachers

**iPhone, iTouch Birds of a Feather** [] //Rating : B-// //Rated By: C DeRosa// This is a personal web blog from an experienced and intelligent educator. The author has won awards for her class Wiki and is a self-admitted tech lover. She attends technology conferences and is abreast of what is current. She links audio and video into her blogs. She has many followers and frequent additions to her blog. However, I would have to rate the site a B- due to its slightly confusing set-up. It takes some time playing around to be able to appreciate all the site has to offer. It is archived by month and year and has Google Bar at the top to search by topic, just be sure to select just this blog when searching.

[|http://watercentric.wordpress.com] //Rating: A Rated by: Shonda Williams//
 * Bringing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Education to Schools in Need**

This blog was set up through this big project to raise money, and get supplies to improve the situation in developing countries for various schools. They wanted to focus on hygiene education in the schools who really needed help. Lots of schools and organizations got together to improve the situation for a lot of less fortunate children. I think this blog could be used as a tool to motivate students. It would be interesting for them to read and hear about how kids their own age really have it bad, and how selfless kids their own age can be. It is always a good thing to bring hygiene education into the classroom at some point, and I think this blog could be a good starting point. The other links on this page have good information as well. There is even a link to the Watercentric website itself.

[] //Rating: A Rated by: Mary Beth Hale//
 * The Digital Music Educator**

Owen Bradley has been a band teacher for over 20 years and has some wonderful ideas about using technology in his blog. Useful and extremely practical ideas and ways of using simple things such as text messaging to operate an entire event among other things. Music teachers generally have a lot more students to work with than a homeroom teacher, and this blog gives helpful advice and ideas on how to stay contacted and work with large groups of people. Mr. Bradley also provides links to other useful music educator sites, along with resources for personal growth as a musician.

http://specialed.wordpress.com/ //Rating: A Rated by: Mary Beth Hale//
 * The Life That Chose Me (for Special Education)**

Author "Dick Dalton" is the father of two children with special needs. He teaches in a local high school in Georgia working with children with special needs. His blog offers insight as a parent along with the insight of a teacher/professional. His stories shed light onto situations that could come about in any classroom environment and he has links to many, many resources from other blogs about children with special needs, parents of special needs children, IEP helps, and much more.

[] //Rating: A Rated by: Christine Kelly//
 * Edutopia**

The Edutopia Blog was created by the George Lucas Educational Foundation to examine what works in public education. The site hosts the blogs of eleven professional educators who post on topics ranging from designing better tests to how to become more tech savvy to fostering student feedback. It is a well organized and easy to use site with timely topics and informative discussions. The site also provides a great deal of important, thought-provoking research for educators.

[|http://www.freetech4teachers.com] //Rating: A Rated by: J. Bishop//
 * Free Technology for Teachers**

Free Technology for Teachers is a blog written by Richard Byrne. He developed this blog to make teachers aware of free technology resources that are available for use in the classroom. He does a great job of explaining different resources he has used or been introduced. He tells his readers what the various websites and software are used for and sometimes gives ideas for how the teacher could best utilize the resource. Each blog focuses on different activities teachers could use technology to enhance. Some recent topics were "10 ways to make flashcards online", "Collaborative Study Tools", and "Story Place-Digital Stories in English and Spanish". His blog won the 2008 edublog award and has over 8000 educators who follow his writing.

[] //Rating: B Rated by: J. Bishop//
 * Kathy Schrock's KaffeeKlatch**

Kathy Schrock's KaffeeKlatch is a place for her to post new ideas, discoveries, and technologies she discovers. The blog is written very informally which gives the reader the feeling of having a personal conversation with Kathy Schrock. She includes her own experiences with using new technologies and recently blogged on her adventures at the recent technology conference (NECC). It isn't just a list of programs or websites that are helpful. She includes a lot of personal opinion and, occassionally, gives insights that are not technology related but would benefit the teachers reading her blog. The blog received a B rating because she can be wordy and it is sometimes difficult to read and understand.

[] //Rating: B Rated by: J. Bishop//
 * Tammy Worcester's Tech Tip of the Week**

Tammy Worcester gives great tips for using technology and different resources to use on her blog "Tammy Worcester's Tech Tip of the Week". Ms. Worcester worked as an elementary and middle school teacher. She has written several books on the subject of technology and she currently works as a Instructional Technology Specialist with ESSDACK. Her blog is written as a numbered list. For me, this made it somewhat difficult to view the resources she offers. Some of her entries give step-by-step directions on using a software program or website which is very beneficial to busy educators (and those who tend to forget). Also, each blog entry is titled with the resource name making finding more information about a specific program simple but if not, it can be difficult and timeconsuming opening and reading each tip to find the help you need.