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(18) Hope For Slaves My students are working on an awareness and social action campaign with the students from Reading, Ohio (teacher: Brian Page.) They are celebrating May DAy in a new way -- asking everyone to buy jewelry made by those rescued from human slavery and to wear it on that day. May Day: May all slaves be free one day but until then we will speak on their behalf. They have a blog, a Facebook page and more. Would you consider creating awareness next Monday and celebrate with them on May1st? We're looking for some more classrooms to join their voices to our blog at hopeforslaves.com a website we set up this week. tags: education news abolition endslavery flatclass digitalcitizenship Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

(18) Hope For Slaves My students are working on an awareness and social action campaign with the students from Reading, Ohio (teacher: Brian Page.) They are celebrating May DAy in a new way -- asking everyone to buy jewelry made by those rescued from human slavery and to wear it on that day. May Day: May all slaves be free one day but until then we will speak on their behalf. They have a blog, a Facebook page and more. Would you consider creating awareness next Monday and celebrate with them on May1st? We're looking for some more classrooms to join their voices to our blog at hopeforslaves.com a website we set up this week. tags: education news abolition endslavery flatclass digitalcitizenship A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning | Edutopia A download...

Design a Fruit Salad - Resources - TES I love this lesson plan that focuses on healthy eating. Students taste a variety of fruits and then make their own fruit salad. An age 3-6 lesson plan tags: education kinderchat lessonplan teaching Design and technology resources, lesson plans, TES Resources primary How to use technology with ages 5-8. Here are some lovely easter-themed resources and interactive whiteboard resources. tags: education elemchat teaching lessonplans TES collection SEN Autism spectrum - Resources - TES A collection of resources, lesson plans, and tools to use with those with an autism spectrum  diagnosis. There ...

the quiet place Go to the quiet place (hat tip Angela Maiers.) some of you could be using this right now. tags: education peace eduapp edapp teaching The PE Games App « Mr Robbo – The P.E Geek My very smart friend, Jarrod Robinson, from down under, has a PE games app.He is a PE teacher using QR codes and cross disciplinary learning experiences like few I've ever seen.(Plus he's nice and funny too.) If you work with Physical Education, you'll want to check out what he's doing. tags: education learning eduapp edapp Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

The PE Games App « Mr Robbo – The P.E Geek My very smart friend, Jarrod Robinson, from down under, has a PE games app.He is a PE teacher using QR codes and cross disciplinary learning experiences like few I've ever seen.(Plus he's nice and funny too.) If you work with Physical Education, you'll want to check out what he's doing. tags: education learning eduapp edapp Learning independence with Google Search features | Official Google Blog Very proud of my dear friend Cheryl Oakes from Maine who is on the Official Google blog with her work with those with disabilities. Cheryl is an amazing woman who loves children. My youngest son has met her only once (in San Antonio at ISTE) and still calls her Aunt Cheryl. She has that effect on people. Great post. "One teacher who ...

Learning independence with Google Search features | Official Google Blog Very proud of my dear friend Cheryl Oakes from Maine who is on the Official Google blog with her work with those with disabilities. Cheryl is an amazing woman who loves children. My youngest son has met her only once (in San Antonio at ISTE) and still calls her Aunt Cheryl. She has that effect on people. Great post. "One teacher who has taken advantage of the web as an educational tool is Cheryl Oakes, a resource room teacher in Wells, Maine. She’s also been able to tailor the vast resources available on the web to each student’s ability. This approach has proven invaluable for Cheryl’s students, in particular 16-year-old Morgan, whose learning disability makes it daunting to sort through search results to find those webpages that she can comfortably read. Cheryl taught Morgan how to use the Search by Reading Level feature on Google Search, which enables Morgan to focus...

Earth Hour Here is the earth hour website.Many world monuments like the eiffel tower will be turning off their power too! This is Saturday. Go look at this website, sign up to be involved. Share what you're doing. tags: education earthhour lessonplans teaching flatclass Y3/4 Cinderella Around the World (WK2) - Resources - TES This lesson plan brings in cultural literacy using Cinderella's story. By comparing different versions of Cinderella, you can also discuss culture. I love this method of framing cultural literacy for the elementary age student. tags: flatclass literature education Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

GOOD.is | Unhappy in the Classroom (Scaling) This infographic shares about the dissatisfaction level of teachers. While it points at specific areas such as increasing class size and out of date educational technology as issues, it misses some of the big issues I hear: paperwork ad nauseum, administrators that think that students have to be catered to instead of held accountable (many teachers aren't being backed up by admin even when very disrespectful behavior happens) as well as stress from a pretty unsupportive general public. The teachers I know are resilient, amazing people, and they will thrive and move ahead. We will keep our eye on students. tags: education edreform teaching attitude Pocoyo Game | Earth Hour Here's a game about recycling for children. Every time it is pla...

Google Reader - Ed Blog Collection clivesir.wikispaces.com If you want to quickly add some great feeds to your google reader, here's a bundle of lovely edublogs (over 800 of them) you can pull into a folder. You could remove those that don't interest you after reading. You can use these to get started in Google reader. tags: education news google rss pln Google’s Newfound Fascination With RSS | We Love Google Google is really starting to get RSS so say experts. It is shown in the methods that Google is using to embed ads into RSS. I think the biggest thing is that I'd like to do this to at least differentiate my clean blog with all of those who scrape and take my blog content without credit. Great article on how Google is (finally) using RSS. "Google has file...

Global Languages | Annual Guide to Schools | Gambit New Orleans News and Entertainment I don't see the information on this study that says foreign language improves global competence but I think perhaps it is the interaction with the native speaker from another country that causes the improvement in global competence. It is time to start studying global collaborative projects and their impact on global competence. Another point is that this article says that "it has been proven that proficiency in speaking a second language increases overall academic achievement." Unfortunately this author has no citations or links to follow and learn about. Perhaps it is citing the original NEA article. I just think this author can do better although I'm intrigued by what it says. "According to a study by the National Education Association (NEA) in 2010, global competence stems from proficiency in a foreign language." ...

Kids Corner At Kindle Nation Daily – Student Reviewer Merritt D. Reviews CATCHING FIRE (THE SECOND BOOK OF THE HUNGER GAMES) by Suzanne Collins: “She has written a sequel to the amazing Hunger Games, which not only does it justice, but is just as thrillin One of my students, Merritt, has as her Freshman project, to work with reviewing books with our relationship with the Kindle Kids Corner. She's learning a lot. Here is a review of Catching Fire, the second in the Hunger Games series. Book reviews are a powerful way to engage students in book reviewers. You can apply to have your school be part of the Kindle Nation Daily program. tags: education teaching lessonplans Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

Last week was a mess largely because the form we set up for teachers to share their information with us for the Eracism project was pulled down by Google with no warning. All of the data we collected to set up the voicethreads you now see at http://eracism.flatclassroomproject.org was lost with no hope of return. I contacted Google (is there such a thing) and found that the only way to get my file back was to publicly post on a   a thread on the Google product forum . Talk about a security lapse! They are concerned I'm collecting private data and I have to publicly post the link to my spreadsheet to get it reviewed? Here are some facts: Google Terms of Service says you can't use forms to collect personal information According to Google terms of service , you're not to be collecting personal information using Google forms. This includes a userid, password, AND emails. This is odd because we've been using Google forms in this way for as long as I can remember but ...

For Engaging Projects, Connect Learning to Students’ Lives | Edutopia I love this edutopia story about Heather Hanson and her students on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and their desire to tell the real story of their reservation. Kudos to Heather! This is what flattening the classroom is about: relevance, speaking out, connecting, and making a difference. tags: education flatclass A Principal's Reflections: Global Competencies and the Common Core Eric Sheninger shares notes from a presentation at ASCD about Global Competencies and the Common Core. Of course, there are many other resources that are connecting globally besides the Asia Society - iEarn, ePals, Global Schoolnet, and (of course) Flat Classroom Projects as well as sites like eTwinnings. Great read to frame the thoughts around glo...

Easter collection - Resources - TES Easter-themed lesson plans of all type including poetry, board games, and more. tags: education easter teaching lessonplans Copernicus and Galileo (signed) - Resources - TES This made me smile. In a game show - copernicus and Galielo explain how they discovered and explained the movement of the earth around the sun. tags: education science lessonplan teaching Film Review Powerpoint - Slumdog Millionaire - Resources - TES While this particular slideshow refers to slumdog millionaire, if you have your students watching a video or movie, download these slides and change it around to help your sud...

Online converter - convert video, images, audio and documents for free Better file converter than zamzar. (Hat tip to Richard Byrne - free tech for teachers) because it doesn't require email. tags: education eduapp edapp tools Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

This week, as I teach my ninth grade computer fundamentals class about how to create a social media campaign, we are working to promote the sale of bracelets in the movement to end modern day slavery.  Three years ago, my students participated in the M any Voices for Darfur project with other students around the world. I want my students to be social media mavens, hinges that can influence society by understanding the power of social media . But building awareness isn’t enough. I want them to know that they can act.  I want to be a living lesson plan helping them learn about life itself. Who I want to be Like an explorer setting forth on a journey to an unknown country, I want to be the one in the crow’s nest spotting the land of their future profession or passion .  I believe that every student has something that student does best.   I want to be the one who helps the child who doesn’t test well see the beauty in the art she draws. I wa...

Teacherpreneurs – Connect, Create, and Collaborate (#flatclass Book Club – Part 2) : A Relief Teacher's Journey Teacherpreneurs – Connect, Create, and Collaborate (#flatclass Bookclub – Part 2) http://t.co/ao8PFZzZ via @zite tags: flatclass twitter Teacherpreneurs – Connect, Create, and Collaborate (#flatclass Book Club – Part 2) : A Relief Teacher's Journey Teacherpreneurs is what teachers must become in order to empower students and customize the classroom. Here, Michael Graffin, teacherpreneur, ponders what it means to him. tags: education flatclass HP Catalyst Project Gallery Lots of STEM ideas in this gallery. I support Mano (posted in this blog post) bec...

Wesley Fryer's Starwalk Picture The stars were beautiful in Medicine Hat, Canada this past week. Stunning. But they were also educational. As Steve Dembo ( @teach42 ) and James Hollis ( @jameshollis ) pointed their ipads and iphones at the sky, Starwalk was adding an overlay on the world that was remarkable. This is the kind of homework we should be giving. This incredible iphone app  or ipad app , when pointed at the sky, determines the stars, planets, etc. that you're looking at and labels them for you. As I searched on Google, I saw that my friend Wesley Fryer  ( @wfryer ) had snapped a picture just 17 hours a go of the sky and Al Gonzalez  ( @educatoral )  reviewed this app back in 2010 at the trustworthy review site, Iear.org ) Everyone who looked at this app during the three days we were in Medicine Hat would suddenly forget the cold, gaze at the sky and their jaw would drop open. This is a great example of augmented reality (see a Simple ...

Secondary: English: KS3 Poetry: Poetic Forms teaching resources - TES Teaching resources covering the different types of poetry. tags: education poetry lessonplans teaching engchat Shakespeare’s birthday collection Great collection of lesson plans and information on Shakespeare. There are a lot of downloadables here for literature teachers. tags: education teaching engchat literature lessonplans Interactive Self Scoring Jeopardy Template - Resources - TES A Jeopardy template for creating a self scoring game. You can download these free powerpoints and make your own. (They are fun on the interactive whiteb...

"Boy CEO" Mark Zuckerberg's Two Smartest Projects Were Growing Facebook And Growing Up | Fast Company Excellent article about Mark Zuckerberg's growing up as a CEO. tags: News Facebook social_media Wikipedia Didn't Kill Britannica. Windows Did | Epicenter | Wired.com The demise of Britannica is being pontificated but I agree that it wasn't Wikipedia that killed it. I don't totally agree with this author in that the PC killed Britannica because it became our information portal through the Internet. tags: News education The NSA Is Building the Country's Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say) | Threat Level | Wired.com I always tell...

Teacher2Teacher Conference Information  Heading to speak at this conference this week in Canada- excited to do a smackdown on Friday with Richard Byrne (Free tech for teachers) that is going to be a highlight of my year, I think. tags: education teaching Posted from Diigo . The rest of my favorite links are here .

Learning with Meaning: Dude, Can You Please Edit? I love this great point from Kyle Dunbar that is very true. Harnessing peer pressure for positive - this is a perfect example. I want to use this example in my upcoming book. "Dude, Can You Please Edit? This was shouted across the room at him in a none-too-patient voice from a friend across the room. It was clear that when Student X went to give reluctant writer Student Y some feedback in his wiki, the piece was filled with too many errors. It was after this across-the-room exchange that reluctant writer Student Y quietly asked Teacher Wiki where the spell check function was in the wiki tool. Quietly, surreptitiously, reluctant writer Student Y went back and began to revise and edit his piece. That quick exchange with his peer made more of an impression on him than repeated attempts by his teacher. And I question whether or not the scenario would have unfolded the same way if the students had...

Why My Six-Year-Old Students Have Digital Portfolios - Kathy Cassidy This teacher has students creating digital portfolios. Many high schoolers don't do this and yet this teacher does it with 6 year olds. You don't have a choice, it is important, even if via dvd, to help students know how to build portfolios. If I were enrolling my child in a new school today, it wouldn't just be about test scores, I'd call and ask to see some sample portfolios. Savvy parents and board members will ask to see the same. From Teacher Kathy Cassidy tags: education teaching portfolio How to use Google Docs with Edmodo How to use Google Docs with EDmodo. You can link your Docs account and use it within your groups. Here is how. tags: ...

EmbedPlus - Video editing, chopping, looping, annotations, slow motion, and chapters tool for YouTube embeds and WordPress video plugins You can mark and annotate youtube videos with a customized player to mark sections, etc. This embed plus tool is a fascinating one to use with students and in blog posts. tags: education eduapp edapp video blogging technology CamStudio - Free Screen Recording Software Open source free screen recording software. I've used it in my classes as a substitute for Camtasia. tags: education eduapp edapp screen recording open source Posted from D...

Apple Distinguished Educators Program Another popular certification program for teachers. tags: education news apple The Sad and Infuriating Mike Daisey Case - James Fallows - International - The Atlantic A well-written article on purported "journalist" Mike Daisey who has since been disgraced when it was determined he took dramatic license to the extreme in his "reports" about Apple in China. He should have disclosed that he was dramatizing or that his monologue was inspired by true events but not that it was fact. It is interesting that I had this very same discussion with someone who writes for a major autistic organization about his refusal to disclose that he's using "gonzo journalism" in his pieces. I think that people should disclose - it is part of what an e...

Musings on Assessing Global Collaboration | The Global Classroom Project Musings on Assessing Global Collaboration http://t.co/W8LLikUB #flatclass #globaled #edchat #ukedchat #edsg #edbrunei #ibpyp tags: flatclass globaled edchat ukedchat edsg edbrunei ibpyp twitter Call for Submissions - The Classroom 2.0 Fifth Anniversary Book Project! - Classroom 2.0 Share your best practices in the classroom 2.0 book project. Global collaboration is worth talking about. tags: education flatclass news Flat Classroom Global Book Club: Monday's meeting and links to this past week We have a weekly newslett...