TeachersFirst lesson plan Clearinghouse

I recently came across this great site. You'll find many good lesson plan ideas organized by grade and subject, with an accompanying URL. The database is searchable and each reference has an "In-the-classroom" tip that teachers will find useful.

http://teachersfirst.com/index.cfm

"TeachersFirst is a rich collection of lessons, units, and web resources designed to save teachers time by delivering just what they need in a practical, user-friendly, and ad-free format. We offer our own professional and classroom-ready content along with thousands of reviewed web resources, including practical ideas for classroom use and safe classroom use of Web 2.0. Busy teachers, parents, and students can find resources using our subject/grade level search, keyword search, or extensive menus."

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99 Library Ideas You Can Use

Actually, it's 88 ideas, but who's counting! Check out this site for a list of library ideas from "easy" to "involved". Good jumpstarts for enlivening your space.

http://duncanelementarylibrary.wikispaces.com/TLA+Conference

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Inspiring the Best in Students - Book

How to connect with kids beyond the content!

* Inspiring the Best in Students: Read parts online

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/110006.aspx

"Inspiring the Best in Students was born out of my 23 years working with children and adolescents, first as an English teacher, drama director, and coach; next as a staff development specialist; and finally as an education consultant, often invited to work with schools' most challenging students. I entered the classroom in 1986, well prepared to teach English, but not nearly as well prepared to teach kids. My preparation focused more on teaching content than on understanding how to connect with, motivate, and manage adolescents. Most of my education courses were theoretical survey classes, with little exposure to real children until student teaching, which was during my last semester. Needless to say, there was a lot of "on-the-job training."

Handouts and presentation summaries from Wes Fryer

Wes has put together a collection of all his links, handouts and summaries on a single page. These are well worth checking out, especially if you are looking for ways to integrate technology into your library practice. Sharing even a handful of these with your staff will make you look like a "super-genius"!

http://www.speedofcreativity.org/resources/handouts/

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21st Century Education in New Brunswick

Great video on where our education system could be/should be going.

21st Century Education in New Brunswick

(Saw this at an iFollett workshop)

http://quietube.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjJg9NfTXos

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WeGiveBooks.org - view books online an support global literacy

Through We Give Books, readers can support global literacy and charitable giving by reading an online version of selected texts!  Check out all of the award-winning books Penguin and DK have to offer. Each book read by a site visitor will generate a title donated by Penguin and DK to support a number of literacy campaigns. If you sign up as a "member", you can see more than the 3 sample titles on the initial page. (Good for SmartBoards)

http://www.wegivebooks.org/books

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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