Links You’ll Love – January 6, 2012
Here’s a lovely blog post on doing lunch duty. Much of it goes for any kind of non-classroom situation like recess duty or supervising students on field trips.
Do you or your students use EasyBib for bibliographies? Did you know they have apps for the iPhone and Android phones? Creating a citation couldn’t be easier: just scan the bar code and it creates a citation.
Admongo.gov is a website designed to teach kids about advertising. Students participate in activities geared to answer questions like: Who is responsible for the ad? What is the ad actually saying? What does the ad want me to do?
One of my favorite education authors is Will Richardson. He has a new thought piece on District Administrator: Are you an old school or a bold school? Worth a read.
Here’s another website designed for teachers who rely on YouTube videos and want to present them in a safe environment.
I know you’ve all had that secret desire to learn how to code (as in programming for computers). No? Maybe you have a student or two who would like to… Check out codeacademy to get an idea of how learning to code can be fun. Really!
Links You’ll Love for 12-16-11
Want to know what everyone wanted to know last year? Google Zeitgeist sorted billions of Google searches for the answer :
The technology of storytelling, a map of the brain and more. Here’s a terrific list of the 10 best TED talks to share with your students.
Writing and need positive reinforcement? Do your typing at Written? Kitten!, and every 100 words (or whatever quantity you determine) you’ll be treated to picture of a cute fuzzy kitten. Prefer negative reinforcement? Go to Write or Die. (Hey – I don’t create these, I just find ‘em!)
Links You’ll Love for December 10, 2011
Here’s another Chanukah (or is it Hanukkah, or Hanuko?) video for you. The Los Angeles Jewish Home has a video out that is both a Chanukah greeting and a request for financial support. Whatever it is, it’s really lovely.
Sir Ken Robinson, in his talk on passion, states “… finding purpose in our work is essential to knowing who we really are.” Give yourself a 50-minute present and watch his sermon for The School of Life:
Many of us have casually mentioned that we’re happy we don’t have to take the standardized tests given students. A school board member in Florida decided to do just that. The blog post about his experience can be found here.
More and more libraries are putting content online, and the National Library of Israel is no exception. Their website is easy to navigate and feature-rich. The English website can be accessed here, and the Hebrew site is here.
National Geographic is developing a really stunning education website. It’s still in beta, which means there can be some glitches here and there, but you should check it out. There’s a phenomenal multimedia map about the attack on Pearl Harbor (which, incidentally, was 70 years ago this week). It really is worth a visit. Even if you’re not a history buff, this is an impressive example of what can be done with multimedia resources.
And, finally…gum or no gum? There have been some, shall we say… spirited…. conversations about whether or not students should be allowed to chomp their way through school. Wired magazine posts an intriguing science article worth chewing on (sorry….). Hmmmmm…could the benefits be worth the hassle?
Links You’ll Love for 11-23-11
Did you ever think you’d see “digital” and “Dead Sea” in the same post? How about the same website? The Israel Museum is digitizing the Dead Sea Scrolls and you can view the collection online. Here’s an interesting article in the New York Times about Google’s efforts to digitize artifacts from around the world.
And while we’re talking about ancient artifacts, check out this article in Haaretz about the Western Wall and what recent excavations have revealed.
Hanukkah resources:
Craig Taubman has generously made his Hanukkah sampler available FOR FREE. Download it here.
Hanukkah folk songs.
Links You’ll Love for 11-11-11
If you use YouTube videos in the classroom, you may want to check out Dragontape. Dragontape (which is drag-on-tape, not something that breathes fire…) allows you to essentially create your own YouTube mix tapes, combining bits and pieces of existing YouTube videos. This would be ideal for the times you want to show your classes a few minutes of a few different videos. A similar tool can be found at Veengle.
I’m a big believer in gaming in education. Here’s a fascinating article on how scientific discovery can benefit from gamers.
Consider asking questions. Here’s what happens when a sixth grader asks “How do you make an iPhone app?”
Do you celebrate questions in your class or do you just celebrate answers? Here’s an interesting blog post on the subject.
Chanukah is coming! Well, it’s not exactly around the corner yet, but it is out there. Jacob Richman has put together a nice video with 15 Chanukah-related Hebrew phrases.
Do you encourage inspiration? Want to learn more about inspiration and how to cultivate it? This blog post from the Harvard Business Review states, “…as recent research shows, inspiration can be activated, captured, and manipulated, and it has a major effect on important life outcomes.”
And one more from the HBR Blog about whether or not praise leads to cheating. While this is written for business organizations, I think there’s much we can gain from it about how to change mindset.
Links You’ll Love for 8-26-11
Ever feel like you’re a space case? Me too! If you’re interested in some great TED talks about the vastness of space, and about the awesome things that are up there… check out TED’s “To Infinity and Beyond” Playlist.
In the news this week… Steve Jobs, Apple Computer’s founder, resigned his CEO position due to health problems. As you might imagine, I’m a huge Apple fan, and the news saddened me. To understand a little of what makes him the innovative, creative genius that he is, check out the following links:
His 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Harvard Business Review’s Umair Haque on Steve Jobs’ Insights for Capitalists
Interested in learning more about the iPad? The middle school will be getting one as a pilot machine. I hope to get it shortly, and encourage you to borrow it to see what it can do for you. In the meantime, here are a few links:
10 Excellent iPad apps for Teachers
20 Amazing iPad Apps for Educators
And, finally…
The 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is quickly approaching. Visit the URJ for some teaching resources.
About
Debbie Harris is the technology coordinator at the Sager Solomon Schechter Middle School in Northbrook, IL and teaches religious school at Lakeside Congregation for Reform Judaism. Involved in Jewish education for over thirty years, she received an education degree from Northwestern University with a concentration in instructional media. She is skilled in using and teaching desktop publishing, video editing, presentation and animation software; and consults and presents regularly on integrating technology into Judaic studies. Her students podcast, blog, edit video and create claymations. She co-chaired the technology track for CAJE 33 in Vermont, is a SMART Certified Trainer for SMART Notebook version 10 for both Macintosh and Windows, and a 2011 recipient of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.
When not learning, teaching or writing about technology, Debbie likes to craft. While not particularly highly skilled at anything, she likes to knit, do calligraphy, sew, paint fabric and just generally play with fun toys like scrapbooking supplies, watercolors, and anything with texture. She is incredibly proud of her two daughters; Lori, who teaches English at a community college; and Allie, who is a student at Hebrew Union College in LA.
Look for her at:
Her educational technology wiki
Debbie Does Desktop
Flickr
Twitter
Diigo
YouTube
Ravelry
Email Debbie here
