The Learning Page

Another excellent resource for beginning teachers!

LearningPage provides a huge collection of professionally produced instructional materials you can download and print. Lesson plans, books, worksheets, and much more can be found at this site.

Scholastic Computer Lab Favorites

Thank you to Catarina for showing me this wonderful site!

The Scholastic website provides so many interesting ideas and this is one.

This link will bring you to some quick, compelling one-session activities that use interactive learning and technology. Each activity requires no prep and can be completed in 15-30 minutes.

Have fun!

Math Songs

At the AMTNJ conference, a teacher in my session showed me this site.

http://www.songsforlearning.com/index.php

You may find some materials to include in your lesson plans for musical learners.

Each song is designed to help children of all ages learn and remember important mathematical concepts and enjoy themselves at the same time.

Another Powerpoint Helper

Here's another Powerpoint video that may help you as future teachers:



Enjoy!

Pumpkin Lesson Plans

Here is a link to an elementary My Pumpkin Story lesson plan.

Your students can use an online tool to create a unique pumpkin and write a story about its special characteristics.

Happy Halloween!

How NOT to Use Powerpoint

Now you all know how much of a technology advocate I am. However, there is a side of me who knows that not all technology is effective.

Take a look at this humorous video about how NOT to use technology. According to Don McMillan, this is a viewpoint on how people (teachers included) should NOT be using PowerPoint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cagxPlVqrtM&feature=related

Any thoughts?

BrainPop Blog

At the NJAET conference, I met with a BrainPop representative who showed me this blog site.

http://www.brainpop.com/educators/blog/

There are a variety of lesson plans, graphic organizers, movies, and other cool teaching tools. Enjoy!

More schools fail to meet NCLB requirements in 2008

More schools fail to meet NCLB requirements in 2008

In a front-page story, the New York Times (10/13, A1, Dillon) reports that Prairie Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., "had not missed a testing target since the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law took effect in 2002. Until now." This year, "California schools were required to" increase "the students proficient in every group by 11 percentage points." Prairie and "hundreds of other California schools fell short," resulting "in probation and, unless reversed, federal sanctions within a year." New data shows that nationwide, "far more schools failed to meet the federal law's testing targets than in any previous year." According to the Times, one reason for the trend is that in some states, "officials chose to require only minimal gains in the first years after the law passed and then very rapid annual gains later." In addition, states with stringent exams, such as Hawaii and South Carolina, have reported lower compliance rates than states with easy exams."

Take a look at the full article, and see what you think:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/education/13child.html?ref=todayspaper

Skype!

Thanks to Ms. Evans, the new Blackboard administrator at SPC for showing me this piece of technology!

Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. Skype created a piece of software that makes communicating with people around the world easy and fun. With Skype you can say hello or share a laugh with anyone, anywhere. And if both of you are on Skype, it’s free.

Skype is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding.

Give it a try!!!

Guide to Grammar and Writing

Take a look at this site focusing on grammar and writing.

The Guide to Grammar and Writing is sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports scholarships, faculty development, and curriculum innovation.

Enjoy!

Educational Quote

“It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”

-Henry David Thoreau