Avez-vous remarqué - videoclip

French version of "did you know?"

http://carnets.opossum.ca/roberto/2010/04/avezvous_remarque_1.html

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Teaching about Facebook

This link (from Brenda) has some great info to help students think about protecting their personal data on Facebook.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2TatUZ/mattmckeon.com/facebook-privacy//r:t

CommonCraft in French!

Not only does Commoncraft have great instructional videos for learning about social networking tools, but they are also available in a number of languages! Learn about Twitter in French, or Spanish. Great for language teachers.

http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter

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How to Make Better Use of PowerPoint - Lesson Plan 6-12

Here's a look at how Powerpoint can help or harm your presentation. Some great links to visit and some good pointers as well. Help your students and staff avoid "powerpointlessness"

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/point-counter-point-how-to-use-and-avoid-misusing-powerpoint/

Great Decks

http://noteandpoint.com/

Key pointers

http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html

"Open Parliament" Site

"Info on what your representatives are doing in Ottawa can be hard to find and use. We're trying to make it easy. Browse MPs, or find someone quickly by entering a name or postal code above. See what your representatives are saying, and what laws they're proposing."

This is a very interesting site for Secondary Socials Studies teachers, as well as anyone who wants to be better informed about the actions of our federal government and our representatives. Users can enter their postal code to see who their MP is. This allows you to view votes, statements and press sightings. There are also links to the official government site that gives email addresses and individual website URLs.

http://openparliament.ca/

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Grading and assessment video clip

Dr. Douglas Reeves speaking about best practices in grading and assessment.

http://quietube.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHZyrz0NcuE

Conte-moi la francophonie - stories told in French

This site presents stories collected from around the French-speaking world, read in French and accompanied by teaching materials.

http://www.conte-moi.net/home.php

"Ce centre de ressources du patrimoine oral francophone propose des contes collectés dans différents pays, enregistrés en français et en langue locale, accompagnés d'une fiche pédagogique."

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Virtual Author Visits in Your Library or Classroom - Skype An Author Network

Looking for ways to invite "far-flung" authors to your school? How about arranging a "Virtual Author Visits" to Your Library or Classroom. This site offers directions for Authors and directions for Teachers & Librarians:  http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/

"The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians with a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits."

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Map game to use with Smartboard

Fun site to use with Smartboards. Place the countries on the map.

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

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Some "booktalk podcast" examples

You, or someone on your staff, might be interested in creating "booktalk podcasts." Here is a page of samples to take a look at. (Could be a fun class project with Garageband)

http://www.nisdtx.org/120820731141528687/podcasts/browse.asp?A=399&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=70101

Study Guides for Film/DVDs

This UK site (Film Education) has a wealth of information and suggestions for using film/DVDs in the classroom. There are also a number of lesson plans for specific titles.

Teaching Resources: "Our free resources cover a wide range of curriculum areas and include film clips, Teachers' Notes and a range of activities."

http://www.filmeducation.org/

http://www.filmeducation.org/staffroom/film_in_the_classroom/

"At Film Education, we believe that film is a powerful tool that can help learners understand and access their world and other worlds – real and imagined. Part of our remit is to encourage young people to learn by viewing, and to be critical consumers of what they see: an ability to appreciate and analyse film is an empowering skill and one that is increasingly important for young people.

The combination of sound and moving image in film provides a unique means of accessing settings, subject matter and styles that might otherwise prove difficult to comprehend. The perspectives offered by the camera lens also provoke reaction and response: elation or disquiet; sympathy or indignation; wonderment or comprehension – and, more importantly, a desire to find out more."

"In Bflat site" - improvised Music - via Youtube

This site allows the visitor to click on any of the short video clips to create a "jam session" in the key of B flat. This could be a great project for a Music Composotion and Technology class to recreate, or even used as a way to illustrate musical improvisation for students.

Try it yourself, and forward this to your music teacher!

http://www.inbflat.net/

Read the FAQ for more info on the project

http://www.inbflat.net/faq.html

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Sec TLs: Assessing Websites

Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria for the Classroom

Trying to sort out the gems from the junk on the Internet?

"Teachers and students may use the following criteria to select web sites for their academic work. " Lesley University in Massachusetts

http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/evaluating_web.html

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NPR story about librarian's affect on boy

Boy Lifts Book; Librarian Changes Boy's Life

"Amidst the doom and gloom these days about librarians and other educators being devalued and discarded, this story was a bright moment.  So few people know how many times we do this type of thing..." Steve Patnode.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113357239

Teaching Writing in a digital world

iWrite by Dana Wilber

http://heinemann.com/products/E01397.aspx

Sample:

http://heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/e01397/Wilber_iWrite_websample.pdf

"The power of Dana Wilber’s insight is in its simplicity. Students are texting, networking, and blogging— i.e., writing and reading— all the time, everywhere, just maybe in places we aren’t necessarily paying attention to. Build on their authentic interest and motivation using the technologies they are already committed to and you’ve won half the battle. You won’t believe how engaged they are; they won’t believe they’re learning for school."

The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks

"ttp://heinemann.com/products/E02674.aspx

Sample:

"ttp://heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/E02674/Hicks02674Sample.pdf

"Where others have talked about new technologies and how they change writing, Hicks shows you how to use new technologies to enhance the teaching of writing you already do. Chapters are organized around the familiar principles of the writing workshop: student choice, active revision, studying author’s craft, publication beyond the classroom, and assessment of both product and process. In each chapter you’ll learn how to expand and improve your teaching by smartly incorporating new technologies like wikis, blogs, and other forms of multimedia."

Pyrotechnics on the Page - preview writing book online

Playful Craft That Sparks Writing

(Pyrotechnics on the Page)

Ralph Fletcher

http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9202&r=sb100427

"Writers in every field play with words each time they sit down at their desks. In his newest book, Ralph Fletcher demonstrates how playful craft can energize student writing and breathe new energy into the writing workshop.

Children have a natural affinity for language play; Pyrotechnics on the Page demonstrates how writing teachers can tap into it. This book provides a wealth of resources for teachers."

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"Storyjumper" site

A great site to explore. Read my blog post about "Storyjumper"

http://gordonsthinking.blogspot.com/2010/04/make-and-share-your-own-books.html

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Why do boys lag girls in reading and what can we do about it? IRA Radio

Now Playing on IRA Reading Radio: Boys Lag in Reading.

http://www.jackstreet.com/jackstreet/WIRA.Billboard.cfm

http://www.reading.org/Resources/Radio.aspx

Why do boys lag girls in reading and what can we do about it? Listen as literacy expert William G. Brozo discusses the overwhelming evidence of a gender gap between boys and girls in reading that is an accelerating international phenomenon. Brozo explores how current notions of masculinity may be contributing factors and shares field-tested strategies for closing the gap.

Brozo is Professor of Literacy in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and is author of To Be a Boy, To Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy (International Reading Association). 

Drive: the science of Motivation

Daniel Pink has recently come out with a new book called: "Drive: the surprising Truth about what motivates us". In it, he talks about what makes us go the extra mile, what makes us pursue excellence. Is it "carrots and sticks" or something else? These ideas are critical for teachers who are looking for ways to engage students. In our schools, "marks" take the place of "dollars", and they just don't motivate most students. We need to key in on what Pink calls the "third drive."

"Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people--at work, at school, at home. It's wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new and paradigm-shattering book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world"

TED talk where he shares his findings.

http://quietube.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y&feature=sdig&et=1251728132.58

Excerpt from his book: Drive

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703483604574630034192655434.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

PBS segment on motivation

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=news01s3e2eq793

Cinderella around the world

For those doing Fairytales from other cultures:

The Annotated Cinderella

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/

An Internet WebQuest on Cinderella Stories

http://www2.visalia.k12.ca.us/teachers/kcoulter/docs/cinderella.htm

Additional versions (including some PPT files)

http://fairytales.pppst.com/cinderella.html

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