States of Matter: Engaging Students With Snow and Science States of matter can be a tricky topic to broach with young students. My students quickly attach to solids and liquids, but gas isn’t apparent, and phase changes are confusing. There are many scientific inquiry activities out there to explore phases. Combine science learning with some math activities and reading, and all of a sudden you have integrated lessons that make learning stick. These are a few of my class's favorites: Background Knowledge I showed students a few objects: stapler, bottle of water and filled balloon, and asked them to tell me the differences between them. States of Matter Snowman After learning what states of matter are, I asked students how we might create a snowman without any snow (which is easy to imagine since we rarely, if ever, have snow here). To assemble the snowman, unwrap the ice balls from the balloons and add salt, which helps the ice stick together. After our snowman melted, we made predictions about how long it would take him to evaporate. Crystalize
Teachers TV | Free education videos and resources for professional development 10 Best Powerpoint alternatives comparison by Powtoon No one can dispute that PowerPoint is the most popular presentation tool out there. In the Business world, Powrpoint is the absolute standard. Ever since Microsoft released PowerPoint businesses have used PowerPoint for sales presentations, idea pitches and even for webinars. Until recently there has been no real alternative to PowerPoint and a “Top 10 best PowerPoint alternatives” list was not even possible. But slides, slideshow, presentation have become synonymous with BORING and the Term “PowerPoint alternative” has been rising in google trends. So, if you are looking for PowerPoint alternatives, want some cool new presentation templates or just interested to see what new presentation options are out there. 4 Reasons why your PowerPoint presentations suck and what you can do to fix it Our number one in our top 10 best PowerPoint alternatives is PowToon (no surprise here). 10 Best PowerPoint Alternatives: Prezi is great for non-linear presentations
Teacher in a Strange Land By Nancy Flanagan January 1, 2015 at 5:37 PM Even though a child may indeed be reveling in and absorbing the wonders of a rich travel experience, or a deeply rewarding family visit, back home in the classroom, they're...behind. And school time is sacred. Or not. By Nancy Flanagan December 24, 2014 at 8:00 AM There are reviewers (both formal and casual) who judge a book entirely by one aspect: Does the author agree with me? By Nancy Flanagan December 22, 2014 at 10:36 AM Student athletes and student musicians have lots in common--they're kids who are seriously engaged in wholesome, school-based activities that have a big impact on their development and eventual lives, careers and citizenship. By Nancy Flanagan December 16, 2014 at 9:32 PM Kicking kids out for misbehavior is easy. By Nancy Flanagan November 26, 2014 at 8:39 PM Shouldn't we educators be modeling civic discourse, at appropriate levels of understanding? By Nancy Flanagan November 16, 2014 at 8:11 PM Here's the funny thing.
TeacherTube - Teach the World | Teacher Videos | Lesson Plan Videos | Student Video Lessons | Online Teacher Made Videos | TeacherTube.com The Digital Scoop The Massachusetts Teachers Association - MTA calls for “reinventing” state evaluation system The state’s largest teachers’ union has proposed that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education dramatically change the way teachers and administrators are evaluated. Under the Massachusetts Teachers Association plan, assessments based on observation and instructional artifacts, such as lesson plans, would be validated by two additional sources of information: multiple measures of student learning and evidence of the educator’s contributions to the school, district or profession. Other key changes include: Streamlining the number of standards and indicators on which evaluations must be based. "While the current evaluation system works well in some districts, many of our members report that their evaluations are infrequent, superficial and lacking in specific guidance on how they can improve their practice,” said Dr. The most controversial provision in the RTTT grant program is the requirement that student standardized test scores be included in evaluations. Policy Brief
A New Wonderful Wheel on SAMR and Bloom's Digital Taxonomy The buzz that the Modern Taxonomy Wheel generated over the last couple of weeks has not yet died out and now we have a new updated wheel from the same guy Allan Carrington. We love Allan's work and we find it really interesting. His wheels come along in such a visually attractive way summarizing most of the apps and web tools we have been sharing here with you. If you already had a chance to have a look at the previous wheel and compare it with this new one you will notice that Allan has brought about some new updates to the new wheel. If you are not familiar with what SAMR is all about, please read this post. Now, Click on this LINK to get the poster as PDF.
Resources for Using iPads in Grades K-2 If you are teaching with one, a few, or a class set of iPads, finding the right apps and project ideas for your students can be a challenging task. We’ve organized some of the best resources from Edutopia and beyond to help you figure out what tools are best for your early elementary school students. Explore different ways to integrate technology into your instruction! Favorite Apps 7 Apps for Helping Others (Edutopia, 2015) Children can practice empathy through apps that encourage collaboration, whether it’s drawing pictures together, cooking for each other, or creating lessons to share their knowledge. Social-Emotional Apps for Special Ed (Edutopia, 2015) On this list you’ll find nine apps to help special ed students build emotional literacy. Back to Top Best Practices Common Core in Action: Manipulating Shapes in the Elementary Math Classroom (Edutopia, 2014) In this post you’ll learn how to develop a tech-friendly task that addresses the Common Core State Standards.
@coolcatteacher Blog - Teach with better results, lead with a positive impact and live with greater purpose. Educational Blogs, Podcasts, App Reviews and more | Video: Watch Richard Byrne (@RMByrne) on @TeacherCast LIVE from #ISTE2014 - TeacherCast.net: Educational Blogs, Podcasts, App Reviews and more On Saturday June 28, TeacherCast welcomed Free Tech for Teachers founder, Richard Byrne, onto TeacherCast LIVE at ISTE2014. About the author Jeffrey Bradbury, the creator of TeacherCast.net and TeacherCast University is a highly respected educational consultant. Related posts
21 st Century Educational Technology and Learning | K12 educational transformation through technology