20 Places to Educate Yourself Online for Free It seems like these days you can learn just about anything online for free, but of course some of that information is better than others. The good news is there are plenty of reputable places to educate yourself online for free, and here’s a good 20 of them to get you started. 1. The coolest thing about Internet learning is that you can take college courses which in the past were only available to people who forked over immense sums of money to attend elite colleges. Courses typically include videos and certain coursework (such as online quizzes) that must be completed in a certain amount of time, as these courses are monitored by a professor. 2. Home to more than 3,000 videos on subjects ranging from SAT prep to cosmology, art history to calculus, Khan Academy is a great place to learn. You can also leave comments or ask questions if you want more information or if something isn’t clear in the lessons. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. iTunes U Love videos by experts on all sorts of topics? 13. 14.
The do’s and don’ts of reading aloud to young children Today in our ongoing book study of “The Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease, I have the pleasure of sharing chapter 4 with you which is titled “The Do’s and Don’ts of Read-Alouds”… Chapter 4 is a list of Do’s and Don’ts that cover a broad range of ages and stages in the read-aloud experience so for the purpose of this post, I have selected a few of the points that I think are the most relevant to those of us reading to young children. Be sure to note that I am only highlighting some of the tips shared in the book today… Do… Begin reading to children as soon as possible. Add a third dimension to the book whenever possible. Arrange time in the classroom or at home for the child(ren) to read on their own even if it means only turning pages and looking at pictures.When a child wishes to read to you it is better to choose a book that is too easy rather than too hard.Encourage older children to read to younger children. Enjoying the tips so far? Don’t… by Jim Trelease! More from our book study
5 Keys to Inspiring Leadership, No Matter Your Style Forget the stereotypical leadership image of a buttoned-up person in a gray suit hauling around a hefty briefcase. Today, standout leaders come in all shapes and sizes. She could be a blue jeans-clad marketing student, running a major ecommerce company out of her dorm room. He might be the next salt-and-pepper-haired, barefoot Steve Jobs, presenting a groundbreaking new device at a major industry conference. "Our research indicates that what really matters is that leaders are able to create enthusiasm, empower their people, instill confidence and be inspiring to the people around them," says Peter Handal, chief executive of New York City-based Dale Carnegie Training, a leadership-training company. That's a tall order. 1. Great leaders are brave enough to face up to challenging situations and deal with them honestly. "The gossip at the coffee machine is usually 10 times worse than reality," Handal says. 2. 3. If you're not a suit, don't try to be one. 4. 5. The 5 Keys Series
September - Open-Ended Math Problems September Problems Number Theory | Measurement | Geometry |Patterns, Algebra, and Functions | Data, Statistics, and Probability | Grab Bag Number Theory Start out simple... 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Measurement Rabbit's Run (taken from MATH FORUM) 6. Now try to work this out... Area And Perimeter 7. This will really challenge you... Better Buy 8. Geometry Where Am I? 9. Reflections 10. Symmetry 11. Patterns, Algebra, And Functions Going Camping 12. A Batty Diet 13. Windemere Castle (From The Problem Solver) 14. Data, Statistics, And Probability Bouncing Babies (Taken from MATH FORUM) 15. Trees 16. Cookies! 17. Tom--$2 Jake--$3 Ted--$4 Sam--$3 Each person gets the number of cookies proportional to the money paid. Grab Bag Up You Go! 18. September Solutions Back to Open-Ended Math Index
Digital Is At Rose High School, located in eastern North Carolina and populated by students on extreme ends of the socioeconomic spectrum, we have students who are passionate and active about everything from establishing a witty presence on social media to saving orphans in Darfur, but these are often extracurricular activities that don't show up in the actual classroom. Students might spend hours posting selfies on Facebook or hours planning a benefit concert, but when they feel like they have to put on their academic persona, they tend to forget those parts of themselves. I wanted students to be able to funnel their interests into a more authentic academic experience so that they could learn about what they want to learn about and become empowered as researchers, both casually and formally. To do that, I needed to remix their idea of what research is, transform it from something boring and arbitrary into something rich and useful. When I don't know something, I look it up.
Six Paths to Better Leadership Photo credit: iStockPhoto We know a lot about effective leadership in education -- and we keep learning the same lessons over and over. Between 1989 and 2000, Mark Goldberg interviewed 43 leaders across a spectrum of positions in or related to education. He spoke with men and women of varied ethnicity and age, some for whom English was not their first or even primary language. David Gergen, in 2000, published Eyewitness to Power, summarizing his perspective on leadership after having served in the White House for several presidents from both political parties. 1. Leaders must have a core belief that can be communicated with clarity, concision and passion. 2. Leaders must get off to a quick, sure start. 3. Leaders must have skills to persuade and inspire. 4. Leaders must have a strong social conscience. 5. Leaders must have the courage to swim upstream. 6. Leaders must excel at situational mastery and emotional intelligence.
The Role Of Empathy In Learning The Role Of Empathy In Learning Learning has to starts and end with the self: What do I know, and how can I relate to the world around me? If successful it should, by design, result in personal and social change through a combination of self-direction, reflection, and collaboration with ideas and the people who have them. Which brings us to empathy. The role of empathy in learning has to do with the flow of both information and creativity. Empathy and outrospection are tools not simply of emotional interdependence, but “radical social change.” How might you frame tomorrow’s lesson or your next project-based learning unit if you want the student to seamlessly transition between other perspectives and their own? The Role Of Empathy In Learning
Connected Education Might Not Mean What You Think - Finding Common Ground This month has been designated "Connected Educator" Month by the U.S Department of Education. Most of us who considered ourselves connected educators write about technology and social networking frequently, or at least during months other than one designated for connected learning. That kind of speaks to how we all feel about technology. Not because technology is the flavor of the month but because it literally has enhanced every aspect of our job. For the past few years I have expanded my professional learning network (PLN) through Twitter. Social networking has numerous chat sessions where we engage in debate or collaborate on ideas. The Downside I'm not going to lie, there are parts that I dislike about technology. I have actually asked my staff not to read e-mails after a certain time at night. I still like to pick up the phone or walk down the hall to have a real conversation. Mid-Life Career Change Blogging has been a life changing experience for some people. In the End
The Complete Visual Guide To Technology For Children Technology in education isn’t just for older students. There are a ton of resources out there for early childhood educators and their students, and many young children are already able to use the technology available to them. They’re even calling today’s preschoolers “Generation C”, aka the connected generation. In years past, parents were supposed to prepare their young students for kindergarten so that they would be well equipped to start their formal education. The handy infographic below takes a look at all of the issues surrounding technology for children. Technology For Children Today’s youngest students are expected to already have some technical know-how. Stats On Technology Use By Young Children Technology Addiction Is Real Children as young as four have been treated for technology addiction. Guidelines For Healthy Technology Use How can parents and teachers help children unplug?
Finding Students' Hidden Strengths and Passions Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is the President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and he has spent a lot of time thinking about how to inspire both. He has some ideas about how we can inspire our students by helping them find their hidden strengths and passions. To use the word "hidden" may not be quite accurate because often, strengths are hidden by lack of opportunity to display them. Too often, when students are in school, they are not looked at in terms of their strengths; rather, there is a focus on remediating their deficits. So what can educators do? Second, ask students to talk about times when they found out something surprising and good about someone else. Third, have students talk to their parents or guardians about "hidden talents"-- you may want to use this exact term. You may have your own ideas. Brad Hirschfield reminds us that miraculous discoveries must be discovered.
How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of Geniuses | Wired Business He started by telling them that there were kids in other parts of the world who could memorize pi to hundreds of decimal points. They could write symphonies and build robots and airplanes. Most people wouldn't think that the students at José Urbina López could do those kinds of things. "But you do have one thing that makes you the equal of any kid in the world," Juárez Correa said. He looked around the room. Paloma was silent, waiting to be told what to do. "So," Juárez Correa said, "what do you want to learn?" In 1999, Sugata Mitra was chief scientist at a company in New Delhi that trains software developers. Over the years, Mitra got more ambitious. Over the next 75 days, the children worked out how to use the computer and began to learn. A charismatic and convincing proselytizer, Mitra has become a darling in the tech world. Mitra argues that the information revolution has enabled a style of learning that wasn't possible before.