In honor of Black History month I always read an historical fiction diary written from the viewpoint of a slave child in 1857. It is a very powerful book that emphasizes the importance of getting an education and the power it gives to an individual. This power was the major reason why it was against [...]
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 [...]
In a recent ASCD newsletter, there was an article entitled, “Why Educators Should Teach Students How to Fail.” The premise of the article was that “students should be allowed to experience failure and rejection, so they can learn resiliency and become more motivated to succeed.” Yes, we have to learn how to deal with a [...]
“DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.” (quoted from website) I know this funding resource for educational projects has been shared on DEN blogs in the past, but I would like to share my recent experience with this organization. In August, I created a project page [...]
I recently hosted a workshop sharing some Google ideas with teachers and to my surprise none of them had heard of Google Alerts. If you haven’t yet tried setting up Google Alerts you should give it a try. You can send an alert about any subject that may interest you and Google will send you [...]
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 [...]
For the past several years, I have been fortunate enough to have a media cart in my classroom… Her name is Louse and with her, I have learned countless strategies and creative ways for integrating the laptop, projector, speakers, and document camera into my everyday routine. I have presented many workshops for teachers, and offered [...]
More than 800 universities have active iTunes U sites including Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford, and UC Berkeley. iTunes U allows you to upload and share educational content which is really cool. In the Beyond Campus section of iTunes U, students and teachers can also access content from distinguished entities such as MoMA, the New York [...]
Discovery Education Helps Students Search for the “Big Ones” “Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. [...]
Hooray for Edmodo! I am always impressed with the generosity of fellow educators when it comes to sharing their best practices and resources. Just visit a few of the vast number of teacher websites on the Internet to see the great ideas found there. Some sites even have teacher resource pages set up as a [...]
by Christine Cote After spending the long weekend cooking and shopping, I was eager to settle down and get into a good book. However, in today’s digital age, I found myself catching up on some interesting blog sites. Blogs are such a fascinating way to share a message or information. They are so easy [...]
by Suzy Brooks This fall has been spent in a state of inspiration as I wander the pages and pages of resources available on Pinterest.com. Have you? Are you using Pinterest for teaching? While it is tempting to spend time finding pins relating to ALL areas of my life, I’ve tried my best to find [...]
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 [...]
November is National Epilepsy Awareness month. Having a daughter with this disorder, it is something that has transformed not only her life but the lives of every person in her life. A previous den post by Jannita Demian (thanks Jannita!) spoke of how this disorder affected her family’s life as well. This is a far [...]
Do you live within a few hours of New York City? Are you looking for a great reason to head to the Big Apple? Discovery Education is hosting an event in New York City on Saturday, November 19. As part of our Discovery Education Wilkes University Instructional Media Program we are hosting several events around [...]
I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Yong Zhao speak two summers ago at the MA New Literacies Symposium and again at the MassCUE Conference on October 27th. I think you will be encouraged by this Asian educator’s perspective on the American education system, especially during this data driven environment. His views on what we’re [...]
I have had several conversations with teachers recently about using Twitter in the classroom. Most of the conversations had a negatively slant to any use of Twitter. I want to try and help teachers understand that although Twitter may not be a tool for every situation it certainly has a place in education both as [...]
The MassCue conference is behind us once again! I think it rains every year!! Gillette Stadium is a great setting for the conference and I even got to say hello to Robert Kraft! It was amazing what the elevator people were going through to see what elevator he would take and how they would have [...]
http://cct2.edc.org/dig_lit/web/resources.html This site is worth checking out. It’s not flashy and I almost dismissed it but it has a lot a great information and resources if you investigate..
We are well into October and the school year is moving quickly! I find as an educator this is the perfect time of year to update my personal and professional learning communities. Fall is probably the busiest time for most educators but a perfect opportunity to add to a network of educators to build resources [...]
One of my professional goals this year is to open up the learning experience for my students by using technology to connect them with the world. The global collaborations my students have been experiencing have far exceeded my expectations. The four walls of my room are only an illusion, and I now realize that the [...]
One of my favorite blogs is “Free Technology for Teachers” by Mark Byrne. Everyday he shares an interesting tool or classroom resource. He also explains how the tool may be useful in an educational setting. For example, today (9/21) there is a 5-minute video posted explaining the Aurora Borealis and vocabulary building resources and widgets. While perusing other [...]
I can grow with a little help from my friends… As educators, we need to continue our journey on the road to discovery and be life-long learners. It is always appreciated when a friend passes along an opportunity to collaborate and learn with others in the field of education. I have recently received two such [...]
As we begin yet another new school year, I think we all look for inspiration, motivation, and new challenges to keep our passion for educating at it’s peak.. I received a link to an article in the September 3, 2011 Sunday New York Post, written by Matt Richtel, titled “Grading the Digital School, In Classroom [...]
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 [...]
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