Free English Teacher Resources This page contains materials I've used at conferences and inset sessions - including the PGCE course at the University of Cambridge, Lighthouse Training, SSAT, the DfE, Leading Edge, Gaining Ground, ARK, Teaching Leaders, ASCL, the National Association for Teachers of English, the National Association for Advisers in English, and schools and academies around Britain. Teachers of English may be interested in the Pick 'n' Mix site where I post occasional articles and other documents that may be of interest to students (and teachers) or A-level English Language. Note that files are all uploaded chronologically, so the most recent additions are at the bottom of the page. If any of it doesn't make sense, email me. 1: English Association Conference (October 2000) "85 Things to do with Non-Fiction Texts". 2: Three documents I use in my 'Teaching Tension' talks: 3: Teaching Writing at KS3 (Suffolk Heads of English Conference) 4: Whole School Literacy (October 2001) 8: Network Literacy 2
How Leadership Can Make or Break Classroom Innovation The leaders of a school or school district play a big role in setting the culture and work environment for teachers. And when it comes to trying new things, the attitude of principals and superintendents can sometimes make or break a teacher’s willingness and ability to weave new ideas and methods into the teaching practice. In most schools, strong, effective leaders can make all the difference. In addition to setting the tone for nimble and progressive teaching that’s geared towards what students need most, school leaders can also find ways to integrate technology in smart ways that work on the same goals. And they can help to remove roadblocks when necessary. “A key leadership role is to try to build a shared vision for blended learning,” said Eric Williams, Superintendent York County School Division in Virginia. Williams also tries to model blended learning for his staff, to help them get acclimated to an idea that didn’t exist throughout most of their careers. Related
Teacher HACKS: Innovative Teaching Tips and Strategies Teachers these days have a tough job (was it ever easy??). So we reached out to dozens of teachers and asked them for their favorite “hacks” that help make their lives easier and their jobs more manageable. So what’s a hack? A hack is an actionable tip or suggestion that doesn’t fit the norm for time and resource management skills. Behavior management Address the students who need more attention, and reward those who positively contribute. Stamps for behavior management: When the classroom gets too loud, go around to the students working quietly and give them a stamp. Attendance/time management Making sure time is on your side, around the clock. High school Spanish: Take attendance using a ball. Organization/grading Keeping your classwork, homework, and work-work on track and in the right place. Grading classwork: Require students to complete all work within a designated notebook, and grade it once every 2 weeks or so. Classroom tips User-provided hacks Share on Pinterest There are no images.
Insights- A New Educational Tool for Creating Paperless Interactive Lessons June 25, 2015 The popular educational app TinyTap has recently released a new tool called Insights. This is basically a data management tool to help teachers access real-time analytics on data related to classroom teaching such as which lessons students completed, how they scored on them and how they are improving. Insights is designed to help you engage your students, improve grades, and save valuable time. Here are some interesting video tutorials to help you make the best of Insights. Five Ways to Create More Teacher Rockstars in Your School “Rockstar” is a term that is being thrown around among educators lately. A few teachers and administrators who try new instructional practices—many that inevitably involve tech tools—earn that rockstar praise from their connected colleagues online. But, teachers are driven by the same thing at their core: they want to do what is best for kids. If that is true, then they all deserve to feel like rockstars! Here are five ways school leaders can create a culture that motivates all teachers in your school to take a risk and try something new. 1. We have all heard it while crowding around the microwave waiting to warm up lunch or pacing the playground for recess duty. School leaders can tap into those smaller conversations and spread that excitement. Open staff meetings with 3 quick stories from teachers about something positive that happened in their classrooms recently. 2. Teachers are told time and time again to differentiate, personalize, and meet their students where they are. 3. 4. 5.
Learning Doesn’t Stop At 3 O’Clock – Tools to Maximize Communication | Teachers Matter Learning Doesn’t Stop At 3 O’Clock: Four Reasons Teachers and Students Need a Class Blog Last March I received an email from my superintendent thanking me for my outstanding work. At first I was a bit confused. It was spring break and class was not in session. Four Reasons Teachers Need a Class Blog 1. 2. 3. 4. Click this link to access the Pearltrees collection of tools introduced in this post. Like this: Like Loading... About Lee Araoz K-12 Technology Coordinator, instructional coach, staff developer, speaker and author. This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Classroom, Common Core, Ed Tech Apps, Education, Educational technology, Educators, ELA, Highly effective, Instructional Strategies, K through 12, Student, Teacher, Tech for Teachers.
The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You If you’re not an avid follower of #edchat on Twitter, you may be missing out on a great opportunity to learn about some new Web 2.0 tools that are currently being used in classrooms around the world. That’s because @chickensaltash posed a simple question to the PLN and there has been a huge swell of support as hundreds of people have jumped in to answer the question about which 5 Web 2.0 tools teachers are using in classrooms. The Best of the Best You can view the live stream of #edchat here and see what people are saying at the hashtag #chickenweb2tools here. We scoured hundreds of responses and have come up with the following list. Made at Tagxedo – it’s in this list! The List Glogster Great way to share posters and images you’ve made with friendsEdmodoSocial learning environment and one of the best ways to teach with techBubbl.us Free application to brainstorm onlineTwitter The micro blogging service that many love or hate.WordPress Content publishing system. Add To This List
Tech For Teachers Course Description A hands-on, high-tech workshop for teachers of grades 6-12. High-energy sessions designed for all learning levels. Participate in a hands-on, high-tech exploration of digital tools and resources tailored for the secondary (grades 6-12) educator. Join in a discovery, discussion and demonstration of free web-based applications that work anytime, anywhere, on any device. Increase Student Engagement Maximize Parent Involvement Click below for a Prezi preview of just some of these amazing education technology applications. Lee Araoz - Ext. 7222
Explain Everything Educational Web Tools to Start Your New Year Let's start 2014 off with a set of tools to help you and your students make stuff. Create animations, record messages, assemble videos, construct presentations, collect links, and build inventions. This is a great way to make something engaging for your students and to assess their comprehension of a subject. Check out the selection we have compiled for you below: Pivot Animator A free Windows program to create stick figure animations. A free online whiteboard where you can record your voice - or yourself (in a video) - while you draw. Put together an online lesson by adding images, text, quizzes, and discussions to your own videos or any from YouTube and Vimeo. Combine live tweets, blog feeds, interactive maps, audio notes, and streaming video into a real-time presentation for free. Using this free browser extension, collect and organize your favorite websites. Creating A collection of digital tools to create using images, audio and video. A collection of useful apps for creating comics.
FREE App: Stay Organized with Evernote If you are like me, you have tons of different things to keep track of – child’s after school activities, vacation plans, shopping lists, blog ideas, birthdays, work projects, school projects, …. It is so hard not to miss anything and stay updated on everything, till using Evernote. Evernote is a free, cross-platform application that greatly simplifies the process of keeping track of notes, ideas, memos, lists, pictures, web clips, etc., into a single place and keeps them in sync automatically. It is available for almost all the popular devices: Windows PC, Mac, BlackBerry, BlackBerry Tablet, Android, iPhone, iPAD, Windows Phone. You can freely edit the notes: move the text and images around, format the text, attach to-do bullets, tables, horizontal rules. One of Evernote’s best features is that it allows you to add any type of file to your notes. You can import and export notes. There are two types of accounts: Free and Premium. iGameMom comment:
Bloomin' Apps This page gathers all of the Bloomin' Apps projects in one place.Each image has clickable hotspots and includes suggestions for iPad, Android, Google and online tools and applications to support each of the levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.I have created a page to allow you to share your favorite online tool, iOS, or Android app with others. Cogs of the Cognitive Processes I began to think about the triangular shape of Bloom's Taxonomy and realized I thought of it a bit differently.Since the cognitive processes are meant to be used when necessary, and any learner goes in and out of the each level as they acquire new content and turn it into knowledge, I created a different type of image that showcased my thoughts about Bloom's more meaningfully.Here is my visual which showcases the interlocking nature of the cognitive processes or, simply, the "Cogs of the Cognitive Processes". IPAD APPS TO SUPPORT BLOOM'S REVISED TAXONOMYassembled by Kathy Schrock Bloom's and SAMR: My thoughts