February 2011
jekoh asked: Someone recommended abebooks.com -- they sell "international editions" of textbooks. I'm not entirely sure what that means in terms of the text itself but I was assured that it really didn't mean much. I guess I'll find out when I get the textbooks for this semester -- at about 50% of the cost.

I would also recommend googling "rent textbooks" and...
Feb 1st
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Feb 1st
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January 2011
cintulala asked: Hello! I'm in the process of ordering textbooks for my Education classes, and I was wondering if you could suggest a website or store that sells used Education texts at a decent price. Some of the titles I need are "Models, Strategies, and Methods for Effective Teaching", "Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning", "Landscapes of Learning", and...
Jan 31st
dramaqueen79 asked: I just wanted to say how awesome it is that you have started to compile a list of educators so that we can all network! I I live in DC and have been a school psychologist for the past 7 years, and will graduate with my PhD in Education Policy. This is such a great way to interact with others in the field and exchange ideas!
Jan 30th
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6 Solutions to the Most Common Teacher Problems... →
Not so sure how I feel about the solution for the too many students.   It is a good idea for some situations, but it isn’t something to rely on on a daily basis. However, a good discussion otherwise.
Jan 30th
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Jan 30th
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If you can pronounce correctly every word in this... →
girlwithalessonplan: elsi: htmlwings: This is extremely difficult, guys.  I probably got about 98% of it right, but some things were just impossible! Challenge Blog ‘10 Saving for the next unit. Wow!  This is hard!
Jan 29th
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Scholastic's Clifford Games →
I used to teach special education in an inner-city charter school (long story).  I had students in grade K-2, and many of them lacked basic phonemic awareness skills.  Their learning challenges didn’t prevent them from gaining skills, there was often a lack of reading experiences at home.  I used some of these Clifford games on my smartboard (when it wasn’t broken) during the morning...
Jan 29th
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Larry Ferlazzo: The Best Resources for Learning... →
Jan 29th
tulipana82 asked: Your recommendations are excellent. Thanks so much!
Jan 29th
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I just added a page to my Tumblr Main page
It lists my favorite teacher tumblrs, which I will probably add to later. I strongly encourage other teacher tumblrs to list their favorites (even if I am not on it) on their pages.  I think it is an excellent way to build the teaching community here, and possibly help it grow (assuming if someone sees your page, and a list of good teacher tumblrs perhaps they will join tumblr also). Thanks to...
Jan 29th
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“If we are to use taxpayer dollars to fund these projects, then we should demand...”
– —One of my coworkers (a REAL, LIVE teacher) is also our local Representative at the Indiana House. This is an excerpt from a letter he wrote in our local paper.   Tell it like it is, brother.   (via girlwithalessonplan)
Jan 29th
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Jan 29th
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How your mind responds to color →
I was thinking of trying some colored paper with students I suspect of having some visual processing problems, and then I came across this. I’m thinking blue for study guides and some light colors for tests :-)
Jan 29th
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Not that I am preaching that you teach to the the... →
I have some kids with high test anxiety.  Always looking for resources to give them or their parents since I don’t get to work with them nearly enough.
Jan 29th
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NY TIMES: Egyptian Hopes Converge in Fight for... →
But water cannons and tear gas halted the march, for a time. Atef Badr, 28, turned to the retreating protesters with tears stirred by the moment, not the gas. “I’m begging you,” he screamed. “All of you in the back, come forward!” A few tear gas canisters got caught in the wind and drifted away toward the river: an opportunity. The protesters surged forward, chanting, “Overthrow Mubarak!”...
Jan 29th
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Jan 29th
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On Reciprocal Teaching
I mentioned I used Reciprocal Teaching with my third graders recently, and someone commented that they’d like to hear more about it.  I first learned about it in my grad courses on literacy.  The Reading Teacher published by the International Association for Reading has published a few articles on its use.  If you are a member you can search the archives, or if you are a college student I...
Jan 29th
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NPR: Ohio Case: The 'Rosa Parks Moment' For... →
Kelley Williams-Bolar, an Akron, Ohio, woman who served nine days in jail for lying to get her children into a better school system, was released earlier this week. But the controversy over the case appears to be growing. Williams-Bolar’s felony conviction has stirred strong feelings over school funding, equality — and the law.
Jan 29th
A New Tactic In The War Against Teachers →
34years: From Salon and the New York Times comes this story outlining a new tactic against public employees, letting states declare bankruptcy, which would then let them go after public employees pensions. This is scary stuff and teachers need to stay on top of this, contacting their congresspeople and senators. Yes, the times are tough, but decent pensions are one of the few perks teachers...
Jan 28th
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Patricia S. Meyers: Do You Belong? Professional... →
Jan 28th
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Make Your Own Book →
Jan 28th
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Should Schools Stop Teaching Cursive Writing? →
literarymuse: I can’t even write in print. When I try, it comes out all scrawly. This article talks mostly about how the decision not to teach cursive comes out of the fact that its not tested through No Child Left Behind legislation. I think a lot of it has to do with the proliferation of typing now that most have computers or at least access to one. Personally, as a person who grew up during...
Jan 28th
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Ways to Retain Learning →
In today’s Academic Minute, Landmark College’s Jim Baucom suggests specific study methods that are firmly based in research on cognitive improvement. Baucom is a professor of education and social sciences at Landmark. Learn more about him here.
Jan 28th
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Time for another Teacher Dare DAY!
psithinkyousareawesomez: positivelypersistentteach: I dare all my teacher / future teacher  tumblrs to: reblog this post ask one education related question on their page for followers to answer ask at least 2 different education tumblrs ANY question (does not have to be about education) READY, SET, GO! My senior honors class demanded that I set up a teacher fbook account. I have friends...
Jan 28th
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Jan 28th
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Time for another Teacher Dare DAY!
I dare all my teacher / future teacher  tumblrs to: reblog this post ask one education related question on their page for followers to answer ask at least 2 different education tumblrs ANY question (does not have to be about education) READY, SET, GO!
Jan 28th
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Jan 27th
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NPR: Are U.S. Schools Really Falling Behind China? →
Jan 27th
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Qwiki - The information experience →
Qwiki’s goal is to forever improve the way people experience information. Whether you’re planning a vacation on the web, evaluating restaurants on your phone, or helping with homework in front of the family Google TV, Qwiki is working to deliver information in a format that’s quintessentially human – via storytelling instead of search. We are the first to turn information into...
Jan 27th
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Ed.gov Blog: State of the Union: Education... →
Jan 27th
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I'm listed in Tumblweeds under education,...
I’m listed in Tumblweeds, a user-generated community directory that rates Tumblr bloggers by their number of followers. Find me listed in #education, #teaching, #technology
Jan 27th
Apparently fb is getting Oregon Trail and Where in...
Jan 27th
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Letter Roll Reading Game →
toseealambatschool: “This printable board game packs a triple reading punch. As they play, your students will practice spelling, expand their vocabulary, and improve their reading and phonics fluency all at once! Each player takes a turn rolling the dice, then spells a word using the letters rolled and writes the word on their player card. Words can be simple like dot or bow or more...
Jan 26th
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triskaidekaphobia
wordjournal: noun • fear, hatred, or dislike of the number 13. From Ancient Greek τρεῖς (treis, “three”) + καί (kai, “and”) + δέκα (deka, “ten”) + -phobia. good to know
Jan 26th
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“None of this will be easy. All of it will take time. And it will be harder...”
– President Barack Obama (1/25/11) I like this. (via valleygirldubs)
Jan 26th
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I use Reciprocal Teaching
with my students that struggle with comprehension.  The basis of this is that good readers question, clarify, predict, and summarize as they read.   They do all four thinking strategies.  I introduce one at a time, and model it before it is turned over to the students.  I have cards given to them with prompts for each strategy.   The program our school use does teach students to use these...
Jan 26th
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Paper Rater →
  PaperRater.com is a free resource, developed and maintained by linguistics professionals and graduate students. PaperRater.com is used by schools and universities in over 46 countries to help students improve their writing. PaperRater.com combines the power of natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, information retrieval (IR), computational...
Jan 26th
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What If We Treated Doctors The Way We Treat... →
 What if we indeed held doctors and other professionals to the same bloat and condescension that we currently hold teachers? I can predict some of the responses that physicians might make: “We can’t control what our patients do or eat outside of our offices to maintain minimum levels of health. Also, these variables — BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure — are limited and...
Jan 26th
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Holy websites, Batman! →
kicksandgiggles: Oodles of (mostly) educational links organized by category (ex. art, dictionaries, ESL, history, special needs, etc). 
Jan 26th
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Bright Hub: Template for Monthly Planning →
Jan 23rd
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International Children's Library →
Language barriers have never been more pronounced. Whether in an urban area of a modern country (e.g. the Chicago Public School system has 73 different languages represented in its student population) or the rural areas of a less developed country (e.g. Mongolia, where the ICDL has its first “branch” and where rural schools do not yet support a culture of reading for pleasure),...
Jan 22nd
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Jan 22nd
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Legal Tumblr-ers, any idea?
heymrdonutman: So I posted yesterday about the great idea we came up with for my students’ service project. Everyone was so on board, our technology specialist was falling all over himself to try and help us with it, etc. The librarian at my school today pointed out the possibility of copyright infringement. In case you’re too lazy to click the link (don’t blame you), the idea we came up with...
Jan 22nd
I'm Not a Journalist: Classroom Blog Update →
notajournalist: I finally made a decision about which blog platform to use in my classroom this semester. While I completely loved—let me emphasize the love—the idea of using Tumblr for this, I just couldn’t justify the potential objections from parents. I know that my students can find everything that is… I’d love to see tumblr try to come up with a solution for the problem you...
Jan 22nd
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Educating Our Way to a Better Economy →
Secretary Arne Duncan joined Labor Secretary Hilda Solis today to announce a historic $2 billion investment in helping meet the President’s goal of having the “most-educated, most-competitive workforce in the world by 2020″: the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program. I don’t know much about this plan, so I can’t really comment on it negatively...
Jan 21st
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gjmueller: Make Me a Genius: New Semester, New Study Habits For students, the beginning of the spring semester is often brimming with the desire to change some aspect of their school lives. So why not take this opportunity to start a new way of studying? Improving your study habits, even in little ways, lead predictably to less stress, better grades, and a better college experience. ...
Jan 20th
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Bright Hub: List of Learning Disabilities Commonly... →
Jan 20th
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Grammar/Science app for Ipad →
Jan 20th
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a little lamb: 2011 Award Winner Book List. →
toseealambatschool: 1. Caldecott Medal Winner: A Sick Day for Amos McGee - Erin E. Stead 2. Newberry Medal Winner: Moon Over Manifest - Clare Vanderpool 3. Newberry Medal Honor: Turtle in Paradise - Jennifer L. Holm 4. Newberry Medal Honor: Heart of a Samurai - Margi Preus 5. Newberry Medal Honor: Dark Emperor…
Jan 20th