The Kids Should See This

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The Kids Should See
This Site

Check this excellent site, The Kids Should See This, for videos to use in the classroom. They range from science to music and other creative arts to any number of areas including the language arts. Browse through the collection, and let us know what you find that is of interest to you and what you might use in the classroom. If you have other favorite sites for finding videos to use in the classroom or a favorite educational video that you think we should see, please post information and a link for us. Thanks for sharing.

Skype in the Classroom: Connecting Students across Schools

Connecting Classrooms with Skype describes a project connecting students in two states: Washington and North Carolina.  Students in both classes created PowerPoints on Native Americans and also created questions for their Skype exchange. The site Connecting Classrooms with Skype provides tips for creating cross-classroom Skype projects and contains some informative videos. Have you used Skype? Have you seen cases of classrooms Skyping with one another? What did you think of the Connecting Classrooms with Skype project? Was the Connecting Classrooms with Skype site helpful?

Top 50 School Technology Blogs

This list of Top 50 School Technology Blogs will surely contain some that will pique your interest. Among them are iLearning Technology and the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. With 50 listed, you will definitely find some blogs of value to you professionally. After checking the list and browsing a few of the blogs, let us know which of the blogs appeal to you and why.
If you have other favorite blogs, let us know and leave a link

21st Century Curriculum and Assessment Framework

21st Century Curriculum and Assessment Framework

Use the headline link to connect to the National Council of Teaches of English's recent position statement on 21st Century standards for literacy, which includes points about multimedia literacy. This position statement is relevant to all disciplines and grade levels. After reviewing the position statement and its points, post your response to the content and rationale for this position statement.

Looking for Ideas for Students to Blog About

Check this resource: 10 Teen Blogging Topics to Jump Start Creative Ideas The topics apply to other age groups, as well, and will also help you think of new ideas. Which of these ideas would you use? What new ideas do you get from reading through these 10 topics?

Image from: http://www.peacefulmind.com/creativity.htm

Yes to Blogging in the Classroom

On the Cool Teacher blog, Vicki Davis, gives 12 reasons to incorporate student blogging into the curriculum. Among them, blogging gives student a chance to practice writing in a form other than the conventional essay, it helps students develop their writing voice, it encourages collaborative learning, and it affords students opportunities to enhance technology skills in a real-world writing situation. Read Vicki’s full explanation on her blog post: 12 Reasons to Blog with Your Students. Do you agree with Vicki? Do you use blogging in your teaching? If you are not using it now, would you in the future? What do you see as the pros? Are there drawbacks?