What biome might this be? Who committed the crime in this mystery novel? What can you infer about this era in history from the artifacts found at an archeological dig? These are just a few of the ways in which the ability to infer is important in school. As a firm believer in using visual [...]
Every year the Massachusetts Computer-Using Educators (MassCUE) conference provides many opportunities for learning and sharing among innovative, committed teachers, administrators, and technology specialists. This year was no exception! DEN Stars and Leadership Council members contributed to the conference’s success at every level. Joanne Najarian, MassCUE Board Member and DEN Star chaired the entire successful conference. [...]
“There is nothing here to help me teach reading,” lamented a woman at a recent Discovery Education Day of Discovery in Connecticut. She said this to me after learning that I am a middle school reading specialist and very excited about Discovery resources. She taught struggling high school readers. While I empathize with this woman [...]
Did you ever wonder if llamas really spit? How about what are ten strange holidays? Wonderopolis is a web site sponsored by Thinkfinity that poses questions like this accompanied by a picture or video and then text that answers the question. This would be a great way to add some novelty into a lesson, stimulate [...]
At the recent New England Day of Discovery, I briefly met Greg Limperis from Lawrence. He has a lot to offer the DEN community, so I was thrilled to learn that he became a DEN Star. Thank you, Greg, for sharing a little about yourself, your experiences, and your interests. Greg writes: My name is [...]
TED-Ed has developed an idea to recognize great educators by helping them share their lessons with the rest of their world! The educators and their lessons will be paired with equally talented animators to create “curiosity-igniting videos.” At this point, TED-Ed is looking for nominations for educators, lessons, and animators to begin the project. Watch [...]
A great day of learning and sharing! Thanks, Discovery Education.
Everloop is designed to provide a safe environment for tweens to become a part of a social network. They can connect with friends, loop together based on interests, play games, and even play a prank by virtually “tp-ing” a friend. Everloop allows tweens to be involved without exposing them to some of the risks that [...]
A recent blog entry on the Teaching Channel caught my interest. It was titled, “The Detriment of Teacher Isolation.” I have never considered myself an isolated teacher. I do spend a lot of time in my classroom with the door closed; however, I don’t feel isolated. Hallway discussions, conversations with colleagues, and great resources like [...]
The internet and professional learning networks have opened up so many wonderful avenues for sharing and teachers learning from each other. I am constantly amazed at how willingly teachers share ideas and lesson plans with each other as well as offer help and support to solve problems. Some of my favorite sites to go to [...]
Have you ever wished your job allowed you to wander the halls and peek into other teacher’s classrooms … be that proverbial fly on the wall? While some lucky teachers may be able to do this, most of us do not have this opportunity. Enter … The Teaching Channel. The Teaching Channel records real teachers [...]
How many of your students watch, listen, or read about important events happening in the United States and the world? If they are like my students and my children, knowledge of current events is extremely limited. Flocabulary is a great tool to use in your classroom to quickly review the week’s happenings through The Week [...]
Since I was unable to attend ISTE this year, I was excited to see a link to some webcasts and keynotes on Richard Byrne’s blog “Free Technology for Teachers.” I am looking forward to checking out some of the great things I missed and thought you might want to as well. ISTE Resources
“Engage, Enrich, and Instruct using Technology in the Middle School Classroom” was the topic presented by Massachusetts DEN Stars, Rachel Leblanc and Robin Talkowski, along with their colleague Alison Breaux at the recent Massachusetts Reading Association Conference, “Setting Sail for New Horizons in Literacy.” Storybird, Glogster, TweenTribune, Flocabulary, and Voki along with the AFI Curriculum [...]
Spring has Arrived!! Let’s talk about some Web 2.0 Tools that will inspire Creative and Colorful Projects to pop up in your Classroom Students love to learn new ways of expressing themselves and finding new creative outlets. We have heard of some of the popular Web 2.0 tools that are classroom friendly like Wordle, Voicethread, [...]
Registration is now open for the EdCamp Boston unconference scheduled for May 7 at Microsoft NERD. It is designed to provide a forum for participants to explore and share k-12 issues and ideas. They have posted the following on their website. Registration open! Posted by dancallahan on March 8th, 2011 It’s two months until the [...]
TED Talks recently posted this on Facebook. Check out the link. Announced at TED2011: The launch of an online forum, the TED-Ed Brain Trust. We’re seeking the expertise of educators, students, organizations, filmmakers & other creative professionals to guide, galvanize & ultimately lead this initiative. To express your interest in joining the TED-ED Brain Trust, [...]
I am always interested in finding ways to stimulate a child’s curiosity. To really spark their interest and perhaps expose a new area they would like to explore. I have found two sites that offer students an opportunity to learn about current events as well as a variety of topics that are designed for young [...]
Peter Reynolds, the talented and inspiring founder of Fablevision and friend of Discovery Education, has captured the weather in Massachusetts recently. So, I just couldn’t resist posting some of his work.
Can gaming change the world? This TED Talk raises some interesting ideas about the power of games. This presentation begs the question … How can educators use the aspects of games that make them so engaging in our instruction.
Years before you sat with a laptop on your lap, you probably sat cuddled on your parents lap listening to or reading a good book. Which books do you remember? Which books have you shared with your own children or students? Which books have influenced your thinking? The answers to these questions point you [...]
Entries for the PBS Innovative Teacher Awards will open on January 11. This is a good way to share some of the innovative lessons you have developed using PBS resources. Their website notes: “The 2011 PBS Teachers Innovation Awards will officially open for entries on January 11, 2011, but you can start preparing your entry [...]
Suzy Brooks has been a teacher since receiving her graduate degree from Lesley University in 1999. Her uniqueness as a 3rd grade teacher lies in that which inspires her: computers, connections and community service. A licensed Instructional Technology Specialist who has been a Girl Scout for 35 years, Suzy strives incessantly to make strong, positive [...]
Stephanie Golas presented at the MassCUE conference recently along with her colleague Joanne Najarian. They presented “iPod – Education and Learning in Your Hand.” This session looked at the capabilities of iPods for teaching and learning. This tool is much more than an MP3 player.
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