Summer Series-Top 100 YouTube Videos For Teachers

YouTube, believe it or not, is one of the best resources out there for teachers and students. While there is some questionable and objectionable content posted, there is a plethora of great videos on a wide range of topics. John Costilla over at the Classroom 2.0 Ning compiled a list of the 100 best YouTube videos for use in the classroom. The list is organized by subject area and topic so it is very easy to use. Here are my favorites from the list...

First, one that is not on the list but should be is the Shift 3.0 video about why we need technology in education. I believe it is so important I have put it here for you to watch...



History
Learn History: This YouTube channel provides loads of videos on historical events related to crime and punishment and the American west.
Computer History: Technology is a big deal these days, and students can learn about where it all started by watching this video.

Science
Theory of Everything: Here you’ll find an explanation of the Theory of Everything.
Classification Rap: What better way to remember the categories of classification than to create a rap? Students will enjoy this catchy song.

English/Language Arts
Language Learning and Web 2.0: Watch this to learn how you can use technology to improve your language classes.
Grammar Rock: Who doesn’t love those old Schoolhouse Rock videos? Play these for your kids when they’re learning about elements of grammar, including this one on verbs.

Art
Art Education 2.0: This video gives educators an introduction to Art Education 2.0, an online community on ning.com.

Inspiration In Education
Teachers Make a Difference: This video tells an inspirational story about how a teacher made a difference in a student’s life.
Thank You, Teacher: Here you’ll hear the story of how a simple thank you from a student made a difference in a teacher’s life.

Classroom Management
Tips and Tricks for Classroom Management: Get some basic tips and tricks on keeping your classroom running smoothly in this video.
Positive Learning Places: Here you’ll get advice on several aspects of classroom management and how you can create an environment conducive to learning.

Technology (This section is really the best....of course I am a little bias...)
Podcasting for Teachers: Learn how to create your own podcast in this informative series. This video covers one of the first steps: getting your own blog.
Pay Attention: Don’t think technology is important in your classroom? This video might change your mind.

Humor
Teachers Suck: While somewhat vulgar, this Tom Green rap can be entertaining to see how some students might view education.
Welcome to My Home: Old videos have been paired with new commentary in this funny series.

This list has tons more to explore to head on over to the Classroom 2.0 Ning and check it out. Oh, and if you aren't a member, join the conversation!

Top 100 YouTube Videos For The Classroom

P.S....How is that summer assignment coming along. I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have no idea what I am talking about, read the post here.

Indispensable Web 2.0 Tools, Apps and Websites For Teachers

I know I have blogged about several places to go to investigate Web 2.0 tools or other websites/apps to use in the classroom.. There are tons of lists floating around the "Internets" and Twitter and within PLN's that highlight the same information.

Well how about I add one more that you may not be aware of. Recently I discovered a wiki created by Drew Buddie, and expanded by lots of people, that has the most comprehensive list of Web 2.0 tools/apps/websites to use in the classroom. The list is organized in alphabetical order and tells you if it is free or if there is a price. There are over 200 tools/apps/websites here, so many I could never give you the whole list. But what I will do is list some you may not be using that you might want to take a look at this summer.

2Simple - suite of many software tools for primary school use

Alice - programming language to move characters; Downloadable app; Free

Build your wild self - create an avatar for yourself; Used online; Free

CrazyTalk - make a photo talk or sing; Downloadable app

Digizen.org - learn about being safe on the Internet; Used online; Free

Exploratorium - resources centred around the human senses; Used online; Free

Freemind - mindmapping tool; Downloadable app; Free

Gazillionaire - business strategy game; Downloadable app; Free (trial basis)

Hot Potatoes - make your own multimedia activities; Downloadable app; Free

Inkscape - vectors graphics editor; Downloadable app; Free

Junkyard Sports - directory of ideas for recycling items to play games; Free

Kar2ouche - create your own animated films from storyboards tied in to specific curriculum areas

Lookybook - get to see & review childrens books page-by-page; Used online; Free

MediaWiki - make your own collaborative documents; Used online; Free

Nation States - political simulation game; Used online; Free

Oovoo - video conferencing tool; Used online; Free

Panoramas.dk - 360 degree panoramic images from around the world; Used online; Free

Quest Atlantis - safe virtual world in which children complete educational challenges; Used online; Free

Random Activity Generator - tool for rethinking how you complete tasks; Used online; Free

Shelfari - share your bookshelf with others; Used online; Free

TextArc - create word pictures from text files; Used online; Free

Ustream - broadcast video footage live; Used online; Free

Visuwords - graphical dictionary & thesaurus; Used online; Free

Wink - create animated screen captures from your desktop; Downloadable app; Free

Xtranormal - create animations from text; Used online; Free

Zotero - collect, manage & cite your research sources; Downloadable app; Free

Of course you will need to head over to the wiki to see the whole list. Bookmark it and when you are looking for something to do with your kids or need that special tool to make your lesson over the top, head over to the Indispensable Tools Wiki. Oh, and be sure to add yours in the comments section.

Indispensable Tools

Image Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

Technology Tips For New Teachers (Or Old Ones Too...)

If you school or district has some extra money to spend this year, you might be thinking about doing some hiring. Even if you don't have any money you still might have to consider some new hires to fill vacant positions. While you probably have a list of qualifications that you would like this new hire to have there might me one you have overlooked, especially for brand new teachers.

The Apple is an online community that aims to connect teachers and provide resources to education. In a recent post, Kelly Tenkely, a technology teacher and trainer lays out a list of the 10 Technology Tips Teachers must have. I won't re-post the whole list, you can head over to The Apple to read more, but I will give you the "Cliff's Notes" version...

1) Develop a PLN (Professional Learning Network) on Twitter- Twitter is an excellent place for new teachers to connect, collaborate, share ideas, and struggles with educators around the world. When joining Twitter, make sure to fill out your profile with information related to education. This will help others in education find you.

2) Keep Students Engaged- Always have engaging activities on hand to keep your students on task and learning. Students will misbehave if they have nothing to do, don’t give them the opportunity to be bored. Technology is a great way to fill those extra minutes with critical thinking and problem solving activities. Keep a list or bookmark folder full of great online logic puzzle and problem solving websites for students to refer to when they have extra minutes.

3) Take Charge Of Your Professional Development- Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean that you are finished learning. A good teacher is continually learning. Technology makes it easy to extend your learning by offering professional development on demand. Professional development will keep your teaching fresh, current, and will remind you of what it is like to learn something new.

4) Involve Parents By Creating A Link Between Home And School- It is essential to build a strong connection between what happens at school with what happens at home. Students shouldn’t stop learning when they leave your classroom. Keep parents informed so they can be advocates for their kids education at home.

5) Keep Yourself Organized- During the first year of teaching you will find a lot of new great resources, keep track of all these great finds in one easy to manage location.

6) Find Educational Blogs To Discover New Ideas, Encouragement and Educational News- I have found some educational blogs written by other educators that make me laugh, keep me current, and encourage me on tough days of teaching. Below are some of my favorite blogs, you can find other great blogs by clicking on the links in each bloggers ‘blog roll’ (Remember, I had a post a few months ago about the Educational Blogs you should be reading...)

7) Get To Know Your Students: Nothing means more to a child than getting to know them individually. Find out about their likes, dislikes, family, pets, friends, and hobbies. Technology can make it easier to get to know your students.

8) Work Smarter, Not Harder- Use websites like Scholastic’s Book Wizard that will help you work smart and maximize your time. Scholastic Book Wizard helps you to find just the right books for your students. Level your books, find booktalks, author information and lesson plans

9) Don't Reinvent The Wheel- There are a number of free lesson plans available online for every topic and grade level. These can be excellent, creative supplements for school curriculum.

10) Always Be Prepared- Plan out lessons, and keep them organized. Discovery School has a great online lesson planner where you can create and store your lesson plans. Lesson Planner lets you edit, print or download your lesson plans while linking to puzzles, worksheets, and quizzes that you have created with the teacher tools on DiscoverySchool.com.

A very good and basic list, I haven't posted all the resources, so head over to The Apple to get the scoop. I know that this list is incomplete however. There are tons of other tips out there. What are yours? What do you want new (or experienced) teachers to know or do when it comes to technology. Leave me some comments and I will compile a list.

Top 10 Technology Tips For New Teachers

Image Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

100 Tools For The Twittering Teacher

As I have said before, Twitter is my favorite Professional Learning Network (PLN). Regular readers (or those just stopping by) have read about my obsession with this service and how I believe it will change education as we know it. But what if you are new to Twitter? Where do you start? Who do you follow? Do you use the web-based service or one of these desktop clients?

Best Colleges Online has created a list of the Top 100 Tools For The Twittering Teacher. While I would not have included all that on are their list (I will let you be the judge of that.) here are my favorites, some I use, some I intend to, from their list, broken down by category:

Managing Twitter
TweetDeck: You can create Twitter groups on TweetDeck, so you can keep your school and personal contacts somewhat separate. (This is what I use. There are lots of Twitter Desktop Clients out there but this one is a favorite of lots of users. Other favs are Sessmic Desktop and twhirl.)

Splitweet: Get multi-account management using Splitweet, so you can separate your educational and personal accounts. (If you are like most educators you wouldn't want your classroom account to turn into you personal account. You can use this client to run them both, but don't get confuses...)

Finding Friends
Twits Like Me: Find other users in education through Twits Like Me.

WeFollow: WeFollow offers a user powered Twitter directory.

Twitter4Teachers: (Not in the list but should be!) This is the best place to find educators that you want to help build your PLN. And remember to add your name and info so others can add you!

Sharing
LiveTwitting: During lectures, events, and more, you can use LiveTwitting instead of liveblogging.

TwitPic: You can share photos on Twitter, or find photos from all around the world using this service.

Twitter Weather: Share daily weather updates with your class by using Twitter Weather.

News And Research
Twiggit: Using Twiggit, you can find news and articles related to your curriculum.

twAnswers: Ask a question, and get an answer from Twitter by using twAnswers. (This one is really cool!)

Twitterers
@weather: You’ll learn about weather news from the Science News Blog from @weather.

@donorschoose: Follow @donorschoose to learn about funding for public schools.

@educationweek: @educationweek shares news about American education.

@digidirections: Check out @digidirections to learn about trends and advice in K-12 technology. (Great for Web 2.0 Info.)

There are other categories like games, productivity, and integration that I did not cover here. But I think you get the idea. There are so many tools out there to really get the most out of Twitter, no matter what you use it for, but especially for education. So head on over to the Best Colleges Online Blog to harness the power of Twitter!

100 Tools For The Twittering Teacher

Summer Reading....It's Not Just For Kids Any More

We are at that point in the traditional school year where students are beginning to receive their summer reading lists. Kids from Kindergarten to college-age students will have required reading over the summer. But they aren't the only ones any more.

Lee Kolbert over at the Geeky Momma's Blog recently asked for readers to submit suggestions for a Teacher's Summer Reading List. The list she has compiled is comprehensive and includes some "classic" education titles and some you may not have thought of. Here are a few highlights from her list:

What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina

The End of Education by Neil Postman

You Haven't Taught Until They Have Learned by Swen Nater and Ronald Gallimore

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Sir Ken Robinson

This is just a sample from her list. There are over 50 there; enough to keep you busy as you waste away the days on the beach or at the lake or where ever you go on vacation. Whatever you do this summer, take some time, find some books and read and become inspired!

An Educators Summer Reading List

Image Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Planning For Next Year...10 Tips For Technology Leaders

As the school year winds down, those involved with Technology Planning, inevitably turn to thinking about where the program has gone this year and where we want it to go next year. If you are like my district, your school or district has a survey to ask all stakeholders about the current state of the technology program, whether or not goals were met, and what sorts of focus there should be for next year.

As you analyze the current state of your program there are a few things to keep in mind as you plan for next year. Scholastic has come up with a great list of 10 Tips for School Technology Planning. Here are a few highlights;

Keep First Things First- Just because it's a cliché doesn't mean it's not true. The best touchstone in times of uncertainty is your school or district's core mission — whether it's the one framed inside the lobby or the one everyone who works there just knows. Before you add one more computer or one more software license to your stockpile, ask yourself how it fits into the larger picture and meets your goals."How will this help raise test scores in math? How will this improve students' reading levels?" If there's no good answer to the question at hand, skip the initiative or move it down the priority list

Think Open- One of the emerging themes in education technology is the ability of your boxes, wires, and software to work together with any other boxes, wires, or software. From interoperability to true open source, the move is away from proprietary systems that force you to go back to one vendor for every new need. Always be on the lookout for ways to make your technology plan as open and flexible as possible — even if it means having fewer goodies in the short term.

Think Fat- You just can't have too much bandwidth these days, especially as the Internet and intraschool networking become essential parts of day-to-day activities. Upgrading your schools' connection to the Internet, linking your facilities together in a fast WAN, and beefing up your LANs should be near the top of your priority list every year.

Learn From A Kid- As important as it is to have your top staff members involved in the school's technology enterprise, there is no substitute for the student's-eye view. A computer-savvy sixth grader can show you more of what is happening now, and will be happening in the future, than any collection of experts. For best results, do this in the student's home setting where technology is not limited by your school's current plan. It will require courage on your part to admit what you don't know, but it will give you the insight you need to chart a successful course into the future of technology.

So those are just a few tips to keep in mind. For the rest of the list head on over to Scholastic and get planning for a great school year!

10 Tips For School Technology Planning

Image Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

10 People Educators Shold Follow On Twitter...

I have been away from work for about a month now, taking care of my wife and a new baby. While life for me is very different, I was able to stay connected to the outside world through Twitter. Regular readers of my blog have read about my obsession with this service, and how I feel it has the ability to change the way teaching takes place in the classroom. I get asked all the time by teachers, "I have signed up for Twitter and think it is really neat but I want someone worth following other than Ashton and Shaq."

Fear not those out there in education land. Jeffrey Young over at The Chronicle of Higher Education has a Top 10 List of Twitter Users in Higher Education. While the list contains mostly users work work at the university level, their posts contain valuable information to most anyone interested in technology and education. Here are a few that I follow that you should to:

Howard Rheingold, a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley teaching virtual communities and social media. Mr. Rheingold has been a pioneer in online communities since the 1980s (before most people knew there was such a thing), and he remains on the forefront of social media and networks. He spent most of his career as a writer (his latest book is called Smart Mobs), but he started teaching at colleges a couple of years ago. He was an early user of Twitter, and he says he often turns to it for teaching advice. "As a relatively new teacher, Twitter is really my main connection to other educators who are using Web technologies in their teaching," he told me. "I use it to find suggestions of things to do, and to bounce things off people." He also uses it to have a public conversation about trends in social media. He argues that Twitter isn't for everyone — and that users have to post regularly so that people will be reading you when you want to turn back to seek advice. "I'm not selling it — you have to see whether it works for you," he said. "If you want to share information in small bites with a group of people who share your interest, that's what it's for."

David Parry, an assistant professor of emerging media and communications at the University of Texas at Dallas. Mr. Parry was one of the first to try Twitter as a teaching tool — we wrote about his experiments last year (The Chronicle, February 29, 2008). He has gained many followers of his Twitter feed, where he shares his experiences using technology for teaching and research. He led a panel about microblogging at the annual conference of the Modern Language Association in December, which he organized via Twitter. "Rather than giving the standard 15or 20-minute papers, we actually limited each speaker's paper to like five to seven minutes and had respondents in the audience ask questions, but we didn't let them ask long-winded questions that sometimes happen at conferences," he said. "The idea of Twitter is there are very strict limits, so you naturally have to converse instead of monologue."

Scott McLeod, an associate professor at Iowa State University and director of the university's Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Mr. McLeod argues that professors have been too slow to adopt Twitter. Academic discussions online often take place on closed e-mail lists, he says, when they should be happening in public forums like Twitter, so that a diverse group of outsiders can join in. "I think academics are actually missing a lot by not being involved in more of these social tools," he told me. "There are a lot of academics who think, 'If it's not coming from some other academic it's not worth a damn,' and that's not right."He admits that some of the messages on Twitter are banal, such as people describing what they had for lunch that day, but he said such notes are part of what makes Twitter such a powerful way to feel connected to far-flung colleagues. "It's like those daily interactions you have with your neighbor — sometimes they're highbrow and sometimes they're lowbrow, but after a while you really get to know the person."

There are 7 more users you should check out. So head on over to the Chronicle and see how others are using this valuable tool.

10 High Filers On Twitter

Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Travel The World...Virtually Of Course!

We are living in hard times. Several states are asking local school districts to cut their budgets, sometimes in half. Teachers have to find innovative ways to keep their kids engaged and learning, while doing with less. Traditionally field trips have been a great resources help kids make connections to what they are learning about in class. Instead of just reading about Abraham Lincoln students can visit his home in Springfield or Fords Theater as part of a trip to Washington D.C. But honestly, unless you live in Springfield or near Washington D.C. those trips might be out of reach for "cash-strapped" schools and districts.

Introducing the Virtual Field Trip, where you can travel the world without ever leaving the classroom. Wikipedia describes Virtual Field Trips as "guided exploration through the Web that organizes a collection of pre-screened, thematically based web pages into a structured online learning experience." Sounds cool huh?

While virtual field trips can never replace the hands-on experiences we want our students to have they can come close. But you may be thinking to yourself, where can I find these? Where do I start? The folks over at the LDS Homeschooling Blog have made it so easy. They have compiled a list of 100's of virtual field trips for your students to enjoy. The list is broken down into museums and buildings, science and nature, regional tours, factory tours, and educational webcams and videos. Here are a few of my favorite tours.

Alcatraz Island
Historical White House Tour
Smithsonian Institutional Tour
The Vatican Museum
Van Gogh's Virtual Tour
Safari Touch Tank
The Farm Tour
NYC's Virtual Central Park
Virtual Great Barrier Reef
Gibson Guitars
Ghirardelli Chocolate Making

This is just a handful of what is available and there are several other resources on the web for virtual field trips. What is great is that these can be done as a class or in small groups. I mean think about it, how else could you have every student have a different field trip experience on the same day, for free? So head on over to the Virtual Field Trip List and plan your next trip!

100's of Virtual Field Trips

Picture Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

Add A New Level Of Cool To Interactive Lessons...

As a user, teacher and all-around champion of Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom, I am always on the hunt for the best ways to use these tools.I remind my teachers often that anything you can sit your students down at a computer with headphones to do in isolation can be done as a group with a IWB.

Besides using the plethora of software available that is IWB specific, websites that offer a level of interactivity always catch my eye. Yesterday I discovered a great list over at the WebUpon Blog that highlights 10 Really Awesome Interactive Websites. While IWB's are not mentioned, why could these websites not be used that way! Here are a couple of my favorites from the list.

Alien Empire-Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about insects. Investigate insect parts, wars among insects and other really cool (and sometimes gross) things about bugs!


Interactive Radio-Find music for your classroom based on conventional methods like genre, era or location. But why do that when you can pick music based on your mood. Once you choose the site shows the artist and title. Lots of great stations here.
Mr. Picasso Head- My favorite from the list, this site gives you the opportunity to paint like Picasso. Choose a face, add features and make it abstract. When you are done print it out, save it or email it to your friends and family.


There are some really great other ones like the virtual autopsy (for older audiences), virtual kaleidoscope and more. So head on over to the WebUpon Blog and check out the list. You won't be disappointed!

10 Awesome Interactive Websites

Top 10 Great Things Technology Leaders Do...

It's Friday! So that means I step away from tools and websites and try to give you some insight into how great technology programs are run. In the past I have talked about energy savings, the future of assessment, and blogs to read to keep up with the ever changing pace of technology in education. Today I want to highlight a great article I came across on Tech and Learning.

Dr. Frank Rudnesky wrote a great article last summer on The Top 10 Great Things Technology Leaders Do. The list is taken from his book 50 Great Things Leaders Do: Let's Get Fired Up! published in 2007. The list highlights the leadership skills great technology leaders exhibit in their programs. Here are a few of my favorites...

Raise The Bar- "For me, "Raising the Bar" is the prelude to all the great things that leaders do. Granted, everything you do is not off the charts, but your goal should be to create the best. If you are an educator, you see it all the time. Teachers, parents, and students sometimes do "just enough". We are preparing our students for jobs that may not yet exist but one thing is for sure, they will need technology skills for the rest of the 21st century."


Never Ask Anyone To Do Something You Would Not Do- "Great leaders are not afraid to get their hands dirty. Don't be scared to chip in. As principal of our school, I've done just about every job. I have salted icy sidewalks, cleaned up dog poop, washed cafeteria tables, and painted walls. Granted, some people insist my time is mostly effective in other areas, but when you need something done, people are more willing to get it done if they see you getting it done for them. The same rings true in any organization."

Think Outside The Box- "This is such an important component to technology integration. The great teachers that integrate technology in a seamless manner are always looking for ways to improve the teaching and learning process. These teachers use technology to take their students to places that other tools cannot."

Have Fun- "Technology integration is a wonderful tool that can naturally differentiate instruction in multiple, fun ways. I have seen many students "tricked" into learning that was fun and engaging. If teaching is fun, enjoyable learning is sure to follow."

So head on over to Tech and Learning and read the rest of The Top 10 Great Things Technology Leaders Do.

Top 10 Great Things Technology Leaders Do

Group Management...The Web 2.0 Way

Collaboration and "the ability to work in groups" are buzz terms that are associated with 21st Century Learners. Sometimes it is difficult to keep students organized or on task. That can all change with Web 2.0 Tools. Over at the Rated Colleges Blog they have a list of the Top 50 Web Tools For Group Projects. There are some well known tools and a few not so well known. Here are a few of my favorites.

Toodledo- A task and goal manager that allows you to group up and share and view friends tasks.

Google Calendar- Share events, edit schedueles, keep everyone on task.

CampFire-A web-based Chat Program that allows you to set up password protected chat rooms, upload images and documents and go back and read transcripts of past chats. (Integrates with Basecamp, another Project Collaboration Tool.)

GroupTweet-Using your Twitter Account, create a Twitter Group to share ideas.

Grou.ps-Set up your own social network to create wikis, blogs, share files, chat, post links and more....and it is free!

Google Docs-Create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, online and share them with other group members.

Evernote-Clip pages from the web, record notes and share them with the group.

Diigo-Social Bookmarking. Create a group and share all your bookmarks for the project.

So head over there and see what you can use to help kids collaborate and get things done!

Top 50 Web 2.0 Tools For Group Projects