FreeLessonExchange.com

write-to-learn:

If you were either a participant or an observer in today’s #edchat discussion you’ll know that the phrase “paperless classroom” came up frequently. The discussion was a collaboration of teachers and other educators sharing their plans for the new school year. Focusing less on grades was a popular…

iteachilearn:

Just thought I would share. This goes great with the one posted last week about setting up a simple classroom management plan. One thing I wish was added to these articles about CM is that the tighter your lesson plan is, the less behavior issues you are going to have in your classroom.

teamteachers:

Here’s a sample:

Begin the Conversation

 

Instead of having parents sign a syllabus with difficult language try sending a personalized email.

• I use a blanket email I copy and paste but the first two sentences always say something along the lines of, “Dear Mr./Mrs. Doe, I really enjoyed meeting Johnny who is very bright and made me laugh with jokes.” I always try to send a positive message for every child. This way the first communication you have with the parent is positive versus negative.
• Include information and links to your wiki page, school website, your contact information, where they can find homework, your meeting hours, schools supplies needed, and other important dates or information.
• Use headers like I am using in this post for easy navigation.

world-shaker:

An outstanding overview of how one educator was able to integrate 8 iPod Touches into her classroom teaching. She really broke everything down here, including funding, equipment, logistics, apps, and even sample activities. Here are some of my favorites:

Sample Activities

As well as accessing the wireless internet on the iPod, our grade two students complete a range of activities on the iPod Touches. This is just a small sample.

• Students listen to various stories.  There are many free story podcasts available from the iTunes store. Some good ones include Storynory and The Story Home. We often have students practise various reading strategies as they are listening such as visualising, tuning in to interesting words (and listing), coming up with questions etc.

• How-to videos from the Howcast site have been stored on the iPod and students have followed the instructions to complete a task (eg. making origami). Tip: don’t let students on the Howcast site unsupervised.

• Students have listened to songs and sequenced cards containing the lyrics to the song.

• Students listen to a recording of instructions which they must comprehend to draw something or complete a simple task. The recording can by made by a student to practise oral language skills or a teacher.

Though bobo evangelists like David Brooks insist — without data, of course — that reduced testing “leads to lethargy and perpetual mediocrity,” Hammond notes that “nations like Finland and Korea — top scorers on the Programme for International Student Assessment” have largely “eliminated the crowded testing schedules used decades ago when these nations were much lower-achieving.”

Finland’s story, recounted in the new documentary “The Finland Phenomenon,” is particularly striking. According to Harvard’s Tony Wagner, the country’s modernization campaign in the 1970s included a “transforming of the preparation and selection of future teachers.”

“What has happened since is that teaching has become the most highly esteemed profession [in Finland],” says Wagner, who narrates the film. “There is no domestic testing … because they have created such a high level of professionalism, they can trust their teachers.”

(Source: l3fan-o-rama)