Tech Trekers Webquests

My GE 555 class just finished a module on WebQuests.

I thought I would share some other WebQuests with you:

http://www.techtrekers.com/webquests/

Any thoughts?

Word Verification Problems?

Is anyone having trouble leaving comments on blogs?

I wanted to share my problem with you. There have been several blogs that I have been unable to comment on. I write my comment and get a "Loading" message while I wait for word verification.

I searched the Help section of bloggger and found more than one other user having the same problem.

Please be patient. It is a blogger issue, and hopefully they will resolve it soon. Do not get frustrated. :)

Thanks!

La La La La

According to Howard Gardner, musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms.

Some of us (not all, but a lot) have this intelligence and may not even know it. Younger children embrace and use this intelligence. Sadly, as we get older (or teach older students), this intelligence gets lost in the shuffle.

Take a look at this site:
http://www.songsforteaching.com/

Here is Dr. Jean's site, too:

http://www.drjean.org/

Any thoughts? Do you know of any other sites for music to teachers?

Another Live Chat: Obama's Plan

I wanted to share another opportunity for you to take part in a live online chat.

Live Online Chat:
Obama's Education Plan
When: Thursday, February 19, 3 p.m. Eastern time
Where: http://www.edweek-chat.org/

With the new administration in Washington comes the prospect of new approaches to education policy and practice that would directly affect schools and districts at the local level. Get an advance look at how decisions on the No Child Left Behind law, Title I, and other key legislation by President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan may change the education landscape.

Log onto this website on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. Eastern time for a free live chat with federal policy experts.

This chat coincides with the release of the latest book from Education Week Press, The Obama Education Plan: An Education Week Guide.

About the Guests:

• Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
• Thomas Toch, co-founder and co-director of Education Sector
• Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers

This chat will be moderated by Education Week Associate Editor Scott J. Cech.

Copyright © 2009 Editorial Projects in Education.

NJ School Report Card

Take a look at NJ School Report Card.

Each year, the NJ Department of Education posts this information for the public to see. The NJ DOE's website claims, "The New Jersey School Report Card has provided the public with information about every school in New Jersey since 1995 when the Legislature mandated the annual accountability report."

Poetry 180

Here is a poetry website that provides a poem a day:

http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/

This site claims, "Poetry can and should be an important part of our daily lives. Poems can inspire and make us think about what it means to be a member of the human race. By just spending a few minutes reading a poem each day, new worlds can be revealed."

Webquests to Web 2.0

Students in my GE555 classes are currently working on WebQuests.

I wanted to share some information and resources with them, but figured we could all benefit from them.

Take a look at this workshop link.

The web site claims, "When you combine quality Internet resources and effective technology tools with the power of Web 2.0 applications, learning comes alive for students. WebQuests are an inquiry-based approach to addressing standards that place emphasis on motivating assignments, authentic assessments, and developing independent readers and writers."

Hope this helps!

Education quote

Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner; put yourself in his place so that you may understand… what he learns and the way he understands it.

-- Soren Kierkegaard

Online Chat: Technology and Literacy

I just got a reminder for a live online chat. Thought I would pass it along to you. If you are interested, it would be a great experience.

Here is the info I received:

Tech Literacy Confusion: What Knowledge and Skills Really Matter?

When: Thursday, Feb. 5th at 2pm Eastern time
Where: http://www.edweek-chat.org

Join us for an online discussion to tackle the question: What is technology literacy and how should it be taught and measured?

Teaching literacy—reading and writing—is a core mission for schools, but today’s young people increasingly "read" 3-D computer simulations and "write" via social networks such as Facebook. A growing chorus of experts say schools should add these forms of communication to their literacy mission as "technology literacy."

Many educators and digital learning experts argue, further, that technology literacy should include the processes and conventions of online communities in which young people may use the new forms of communication—for example, "fan fiction" Web sites and "massively multiplayer online games."

Others have much different ideas about what should define technology literacy. The science community and corporate world, for instance, say the need for young people to receive better preparation in STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and math—for 21st-century careers justifies adding the fundamentals of those areas to the definition of technology literacy.
Still other groups argue that technology literacy should cover Internet safety, cyberbullying, and the laws on the use of intellectual property.

All these different ideas about what should define technology literacy have created quite a bit of confusion. But the good news is that some new efforts may clarify the definition, including a high-profile push to add a technology-literacy test to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

About the Guests:
Tess Jolls, President and CEO, The Center for Media Literacy.http://www.medialit.org
Chris Stephenson, President, Computer Science Teachers Association.http://www.csta.acm.org
This chat will be moderated by Kevin Bushweller, Executive Editor of Education Week's Digital Directions.

Super Bowl Fun

Here is a link to some Super Bowl fun for you and your students.

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson096.shtml

As educators, we need to provide motivational activities to keep our students interested.


See what you can use!