Top 10 Tips for Using Blogs in the Classroom

1. Parents can access a teacher's blog in order to find out more about their student's homework assignments, class projects, participation and more. 
2. Student can use a teacher's blog to collaborate and share ideas in forum discussions.  
3. Teachers can monitor forum discussions to measure their students' comprehension, misconceptions, and participation. Teachers can also give feedback to students using forums. 
4. Blogs can be accessed from anywhere.  If a student is sick, out of town, or absent for any other reason, they can check the blog for class notes or information about upcoming assignments. 
5. A blog works as a kind of portfolio for students and teachers who want to keep track of their lesson plans, or academic work. 
6. Both students and teachers improve their technological skills by using blogs.  This will everyone as the world become increasingly technical. 
7. Students may be more open to blogging than they would be keeping a traditional "response journal." Along these lines, teachers wouldn't have to collect response journals to check students' work.  It would be as simple as clicking on a URL.  
8. Building a classroom blog where students showcase their work might help build community and increase the likelihood that students will do their best work. 
9. Students can use a class blog to access links to all kinds of learning websites and facilitate global connections.
10. Blogs facilitate creative, student centered learning opportunities.  For example, students can use blogs to post podcasts, screencasts, YouTube videos, surveys, and polls.  Opportunities for learning are endless when teachers use blogs.   

10 Tips for Using Educational Apps in the Classroom

1. Applications facilitate real student interaction with learning.  For example, a geography teacher could use google earth on a smart board to illustrate various maps, landscapes, topography, population density, weather patterns, etc. Using iPads, students can follow along and engage in their own inquiry.
2. Certain applications make excellent classroom management tools.  Students will understand, in real time, how they are doing in the class in terms of behavior and participation. 
3. Students can take and submit quizzes using different applications.  These are often time stamped to ensure students complete their work on time. 
4. Students can connect their tablets to the class smart board and write information on the board without coming to the front of the classroom.  Likewise, the teacher can continue writing on the board while moving around the classroom to monitor behavior and make sure students are on task.
5. Certain applications make it simple for parents to track their student's progress over the school year using nothing but an iPhone. 
6. Applications like Evernote allow students to take and access notes from anywhere.  If little Jimmy heads to the Bahamas on family vacation for two weeks, he can easily access the notes from class. 
7. Applications like Skype are useful for connecting students from different parts of the country and world.  For example, students in France studying English could connect in real time with students studying French in the United States.  
8. Students can use applications like dropbox to submit and share projects and assignments. 
9. Students can use mind mapping applications to work collaboratively on homework assignments. 
10. Students can use applications like Explain Everything (like iMovie only more simple) to make short videos of themselves explaining recently learned concepts so they don't forget.  

Here is a review of a useful application called Grammar Up I wrote for my Technology & Education class:

Grammar up application from Bensama

Top 10 Tips for Using Video Editing in the Classroom

1. Few things are more appealing to students than watching images move across a screen.  Why not harness that natural fascination by turning it into an instructional strategy? 
2. English teachers can use video and video editing to teach narrative structure.  Consider inviting  local filmmakers (like Spy Hop in Salt Lake City) to come to class and discuss how movies are created.  
3. Students could create a movie trailer advertising a novel or play from the current unit. 
4. Students could interview people in the community who have expertise a particular unit you are studying. 
5. Students can add video editing to their list of technological skills and abilities.  This will increase their confidence and benefit them in college or their careers.  
6. Video editing projects are challenging and require students to think creatively, be detail oriented, and make hundreds of small decisions.  
7. Video projects provide students with an excellent opportunity to develop their collaboration skills.  
8. Students can share their videos on Vimeo and Youtube.  The public nature of the project will likely inspire students to do their best work. 
9. Integrating a variety of technology into your teaching is just good practice. 
10. You can use video/video editing to document the school year in your class.  This will help to build a sense of pride and community in your students. 

Here are three videos I worked on over the last couple of months:

In this video, my wife and I are playing with our nephews and their parents in the snow.  

The video below was an assignment for my Technology & Education class.  We were given a bunch of raw video and told to turn it into some kind of story.  The camera work is quite shaky, but I didn't film it... so...

This last video was a collaborative project also for Technology & Teaching.  My fellow students (Bruce, David, Brett) and I visited West High School and interviewed teachers about their use of technology in the classroom.  

Disability Categories: Legal Definitions, Characteristics, and Teaching Strategies

* Here you will find legal definitions, characteristics, teaching strategies, and additional resources for working with students with disabilities.


Scroll through the slides for useful information on each of the 14 Disability Categories listed in the following order:


Speech and Language Impairment, Other Health Impairments, Hearing Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Autism, Specific Learning Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Multiple Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Emotional Disturbance, Developmental Delay, Visual Impairment Including Blindness, Deafness, and Deaf-Blindness.

Disability catagories from Bensama

English Language Learner Resources for General Educators

New York Core: A Guide For Educators of English Language Learners

*Specifically for general educators who will work with ELL students.

This PDF is from the New York Collective of Radical Educators.  It includes information on how to identify English language learners and how to properly assess their levels of English proficiency.  It also describes the three major ESL teaching models (pullout, push-in, self-contained)  and includes a list of classroom and literacy strategies.  It also has a section titled "ELL MYTHS"  dedicated to helping general educators get over the kinds preconceived notions about English language learners that were picked up from old stereotypes and outdated research.  I highly recommend this site.


Top 10 Tips for Teachers Working with ESL/ELL Students

*Specifically for general educators who will work with ELL students.

On the website, each of these 10 tips are discussed in more detail.

1.  Don't assume that students know how the American educational system works.
2.  Learn about gestures from other cultures.
3.  Provide extra vocabulary help with every lesson.
4.  Work on your language skills.
5.  Give the students extra grammar practice.
6.  Try and incorporate aspects of your students culture into your lesson plans.
7.  Capitalize on holidays.
8.  Check your own attitude.
9.  Have realistic expectations of your ELL student.
10.  Become familiar with ESL websites.

Adjusting Lessons for ESL/ELL Students

*Specifically for general educators who will work with ELL students.

This site includes a list of very practical strategies that general educators can employ in order to ensure that ELL students are successful.  They suggest giving ELL students a copy of your teaching notes, giving them graphic organizers, giving them weekly quizzes in order to check comprehension, creating flashcards, selecting appropriate literature, and much more.

English Grammar Checker 

This site allows students to copy/paste text that they've written and receive a free grammar check. It's simple to use and does not require registration.  

Purdue Owl ESL Resources

This site is fantastic for people who are interested in both theoretical and practical information as it relates to English language instruction. The site includes several links to organizations, journals, and language policy developers, as well as online teaching and reference materials.

Boggles World ESL

This is a really useful site for elementary school ESL teachers looking for songs, worksheets, phonics activities, and complete lesson plans.  If you need some ideas for a lesson and get stuck, a visit to Boggles World should get things moving.  Also, many of the worksheets are themed around various holidays and seasons and tend to be quite fun.

Waygook.org

This site is an online community of EFL teachers in Korea who work together to develop and share instructional materials.  I used it constantly while I was teaching English in Korea.  There are literally thousands of lesson plans available on this site for all ages and ability levels from elementary to university.  Moreover, there is a forum devoted to Theory & Practice, where teachers share challenges and offer experience and instructional strategies.

Dave's ESL Cafe

Dave's ESL Cafe is a similar to Wagook.org, in that it's a community of English language teachers who share ideas, challenges, resources, and instructional strategies.  On their homepage you will see a section titled "Stuff for Teachers."  In it you will find forums dedicated to assessments, bilingual education, elementary education, secondary education, teaching students who are deaf, ESL management, etc.


General ESL Resources

This site includes links to 52 other sites covering a wide range of activities, grammar lessons, flashcards, worksheets, listening exercises, quizzes, and more.  I'm sure this site will be useful for both teachers and ELL students alike.


Building Systems of Support for Classroom Teachers Working with English Language Learners 

This is an 80 page report from the University of Washington's Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy.  The report discusses the increasing responsibility that general education teachers have as the United States becomes even more linguistically diverse.  The focus of the paper is on creating "systems of support" meant to help general educators as they work to serve English Language Learners in their classrooms.  I've included the abstract below.

ABSTRACT

Recent immigration is dramatically altering the context of public schooling in the United States and in Washington state. Nationally, one in seven students speaks a language other than English at home. How states, districts and schools respond to this growing cultural and linguistic diversity continues to be a question of central importance for the future of education. As the numbers of English language learners (ELLs) increase, general education teachers are expected to assume greater responsibility for their learning and educational progress. As such, teachers must learn to adjust and adapt their instruction to address special learning needs and to work collaboratively with other educators, parents, and community members toward the goal of helping all second language learners succeed in school.

This report examines the assistance and support classroom teachers receive to work effectively with linguistically diverse students. In particular, we address the ways these efforts can form a “system of supports” for classroom teachers. In order to research these issues, we undertook a study of four districts in Washington state that serve different populations and proportions of English language learners. Through interviews, classroom observations and document analyses, we examined how these districts were addressing pressing questions about the education of ELL students and how to support the classroom teachers who work with them.

10 Tips for Creating Awesome Webquests

1. Use your state's Common Core Standards as a basis for setting student objectives within your Webquest. 
2. Create some kind of narrative or adventure that students must follow as they work through your Webquest.  This makes it more fun for everyone. 
3. Don't use too many links to the same source.  It will get monotonous for students if they spend too much time on the same site. 
4. Make sure your tasks are varied.  For example, if your first task requires them to read a lot, then the second task should involve watching a video clip.  Try to include as many different kinds of tasks and activities as possible. 
5.  Use Blooms Taxonomy as a reference when creating your Webquest.  The beginning of the Quest should be simple and straightforward.  As students progress, the tasks should involve more thinking, synthesizing, and creating.  
6. Make sure you let students know how much time they will need to complete the Webquest.  
7. Include lots of images, charts, graphs, etc. on your Webquest.  It will make it more fun and interesting for students. 
8. Use clear navigational directions for students.  Even though you've been to the sites in your Webquest many times, your students have not.  
9. If you plan to use the Webquest you created again, go through it and check the links to make sure they all work and that websites haven't changed. 
10. Include the answers to your questions at the end of your Webquest along with a credits and references page.  Webquests are great for substitute teachers when you can't be in class.  It helps them out a lot if they have the answers.  Also, it's just good practice to give credit to your sources.  

Five Thoughts on Why You Should Use Webquests:

1. Increasingly tech savvy students find them interesting because they can be done entirely on the computer.
2.  Teachers can use them to appeal to students with multiple intelligences. Students working on a webquests will encounter images, video, music, written and spoken language, and more. I'm sure teachers could also incorporate kinesthetic activities using interactive games and other applications.
3.  Webquests are perfect if you've become ill and need a substitute to take over for the day. 
4.  Webquests are perfect if students want an opportunity to earn extra credit. 
5.  Webquests are simply a lot of fun.

Below is an example of a Webquest I created for my Technology & Teaching class this semester: 

Literary devices webquest pdf from Bensama

(SERGE) Special Education Resources for General Educators

http://serge.ccsso.org/index.html

It is our responsibility as general educators to ensure that all of our students succeed, including our students with disabilities.  The Special Education Resources for General Educators website (SERGE), is an excellent place for general educators to seek out the information and activities they need to address the classroom needs of students with disabilities.  

The content of SERGE is organized around seven essential questions for classroom educators.  These include questions such as "How can I be sure that my students will succeed in the curriculum I am teaching?" and "What are effective ways to assess what my students are learning?" 

Under each essential question you will find very practical suggestions on how you can improve your instruction.  You will also find several follow up questions which offer factual information, suggestions for classroom activities, advice on successful collaboration, as well as additional resources.  Some of these follow up questions deal with very practical concerns such as "What is my role as a general educator in 'Response to Intervention' (RTI)?"  Other follow up questions address the kinds of puzzling things we've all asked ourselves before, like "Why are certain populations over-represented in special education?"  As an M.A.T. student, I find SERGE to be an invaluable website and I expect to visit it often as I begin my career as a general educator.  

10 Tips for Using Powerpoint in the Classroom

1.  Make your Power-points interesting!  Don't rely on the limited stock templates Microsoft Office provides.  Get creative and find other images on the web for more visually appealing backgrounds.

2.  Don't write long drawn out paragraphs on the slides.  If you do,  half of your students will fall asleep, and the other half will read through it quickly without listening to what you're saying... and then fall asleep.

3.  Write small phrases on your slides and then discuss them in detail during your presentation.

4.  You can number the order in which your bullet points appear.  This is great, whether your presenting  or  creating a Power-point Show.  Your slides will feel less cluttered and viewers won't be able to read ahead while you're talking.

5.  Use at least one interesting image on each slide.  Think outside the box.  Use graphs, charts, pictures, or even embedded video.

6.  Create hyperlinks that allow you to jump around in your presentation.

7.  Use animation sparingly.  Animation is a great way to make your Power-point more engaging, but if you overdo it and you'll end up distracting your viewers.

8.  If you're doing a Power-point show, make sure there are no background noises while you're recording.  Also, don't speak too close to the microphone or your voice will sound distorted.

9.  Speak clearly and enthusiastically while recording your Power-point show.  If you don't sound interested in your material, then why should anyone else?

10.  Don't make it too long.  Students are only capable of focusing on a Power-point show/presentation for 10-15 minutes.  Any longer than that and you've lost them.

Below is a PPT that I created for my Technology & Education class.  HOWEVER, the subject of said PPT involves the creation and of alcoholic beverages.  Probably not appropriate for a classroom.  The point of the assignment (in my mind) was to practice using Power point.  

Mindsteps and Differentiated Instruction

Effective teachers know that differentiated instruction is necessary if they expect to meet the wide range of needs common in most schools.  Teachers need to think carefully about how they are managing their classrooms, how they are grouping students, what kinds of instructional materials are appropriate for students with different needs, and what methods they will use to teach certain skills and content.  Sounds pretty overwhelming, right?

Mindsteps mission is to provide teachers with the professional development they need to improve their teaching skills.  A section of their website deals specifically with helping teachers learn to effectively differentiate instruction according their students' needs.   Please click on the following links to see the various strategies Mindsteps has come up with to help teachers improve:

The Four Types of Students Reference Guide
Blank Differentiated Unit Planning Sheet
Sample English Differentiated Unit Plan

Utah Center for Assistive Technology

The Utah Center for Assistive Technology's (UCAT) mission statement is:  "Helping people with disabilities identify and obtain assistive technology that will enhance the quality of their lives."

Check out the awesome work they've done, like creating a glove-like device to help a miner go back to work after an accident in which he lost nearly half his hand.  

UCAT also spends a lot of time helping make the lives of young people with disabilities more fun!  

Check out this "suck and blow train set" they created with help from a group of engineers in Logan, Utah at Autonomous Solutions.

Another UCAT staff member adapted a bike trailer using an old wheelchair so this young man could go on bike rides with his brother.

Supplementary Aids and Services under IDEA

Here is some really useful information regarding supplementary aids and services for students with disablities.  It's important that everyone involved in the development of a student's IEP understand that the IEP must contain a statement outlining the kind of special education, supplementary aids and services the child will require to meet annual goals.  This includes aids and services required by those who are working on behalf of the child.  It's also important that parents and professionals understand what is meant by 'supplementary aids and services.'

IDEA’s Exact Words

Again, let’s start with IDEA’s full requirement for identifying the supplementary aids and services a child will need and specifying them in his or her IEP. This appears at §300.320(a)(4) and stipulates that each child’s IEP must contain:

(4) A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided to enable the child—

(i) To advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals;

(ii) To be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities; and

(iii) To be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children in the activities described in this section… [§300.320(a)(4)]

We’ve bolded the part of IDEA’s regulation that specifically mentions supplementary aids and services, because it’s important to see the context in which this term is used. It is that context, and IDEA’s own definition of supplementary aids and services, that will guide how a child’s IEP team considers what services the child needs and the detail with which the team specifies them in the IEP.

The Short Story on Supplementary Aids and Services

Supplementary aids and services are often critical elements in supporting the education of children with disabilities in regular classes and their participation in a range of another school activities. IDEA’s definition of this term (at §300.42)reads:

Supplementary aids and services means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate …

Speaking practically, supplementary aids and services can be accommodations and modifications to the curriculum under study or the manner in which that content is presented or a child’s progress is measured. But that’s not all they are or can be. Supplementary aids and services can also include direct services and supports to the child, as well as support and training for staff who work with that child. That’s why determining what supplementary aids and services are appropriate for a particular child must be done on an individual basis.

Resources for More Effective Collaboration and Co-teaching

Gone are the days when teachers spent the majority of their time alone in classrooms with students.  Collaboration has become an essential part of the teaching profession.  More and more we are required to work with other teachers and administrators to share ideas, make decisions, solve problems, and organize reforms. The chance to include a variety of perspectives in a decision making process is exactly why collaboration is so awesome, but it can also create challenges when people with different perspectives disagree.

(Images found here and here)                            

I encourage teachers struggling with collaboration to read Addressing Bumps in the Collaboration Road found on the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) website.  There you will learn how to watch for bumps and find useful tips for constructively traversing the occasionally rocky road of collaboration.

Co-teaching is another increasingly common way in which teachers collaborate.  What follows is a list of the six most common methods of co-teaching:

One Teach, One Observe:  In this method of co-teaching, one teacher leads instruction while the other observes and collects data on how certain students respond and behave.  It is important that both teachers take turns observing and leading instruction.  This way, both benefit from seeing the class in action.  Also, both teachers have the opportunity to earn credibility with students. 

Station Teaching:  In this method of co-teaching, the class is divided into three groups.  Two “stations” will have teachers helping students.  In the third station, students are working alone or with partners.  Students will move between stations throughout the class and benefit from instruction and independent work.                                                                                                                  

Parallel Teaching:  In this method of co-teaching, the class is divided into two.  Teachers will present the lesson to their half of the class.  This is advantageous for a few reasons.  First, students in these classes will have double the opportunity to comment and ask questions.   Second, teachers can focus on different learning styles and place students into groups that are most appropriate for their particular ways of learning. 

Alternative Teaching:  In this method of co-teaching, one teacher leads most of the class, while the second teacher instructs a smaller group.  Traditionally, the smaller group has focused on remediation.  However, other possibilities include focusing on pre-teaching with shy students, students learning to speak English, or students who just struggle—not only students with IEPs. 

Teaming:  In this method of co-teaching, teachers have an equal share of the leadership in the classroom.  The take turns teaching different concepts and cooperate through modeling, role-plays, dialogues, etc.  This method can be difficult if the two teachers have very different teaching styles. 

One Teach, One Assist:  In this method of co-teaching, one teacher leads the class while the other assists.  This method should only be used occasionally or the ‘assisting’ teacher ends up feeling like an ‘assistant’ teacher.  This probably isn’t the best use of two professionals in a classroom.  Also, students may become over reliant on help when completing tasks. 

Personally, I have found Teaming with occasional One Teach, One Assist to be most effective methods.  My work with a co-teacher in a Korean public school involved Teaming about 70% of the time.  My co-teacher and I were fortunate enough to have very compatible teaching styles.  This was especially effective with EFL because we were able to incorporate lots of role-plays into our instruction.  Also, my Korean speaking co-teacher could use the students’ native language to explain English language learning activities.  This allowed for far more productive English language activity time.  The only draw back to Teaming was that it required a lot of planning in order to determine who would lead which parts of the lesson.  I don’t think one method is better than the other.  I think effective co-teaching would involve all of these methods at different times depending on the needs of the students, the curriculum, and the teachers involved.

* For interesting data on how students react to co-teaching, read Patricia Dozier's article How Do Secondary Students Feel About Co-teaching?  also found on the CEC website.

* Interested in reading personal accounts and advice from other teachers about their co-teaching experiences?  Check out Co-teaching 101:  Lessons From the Trenches by Marie Huggins, Jennifer Huyghe, and Elizabeth Iljkoski.  As they mention in their article, "Teachers are the best resource for other teachers."

Parents as Partners Handbook

The Parents as Partners Handbook is an essential resource for parents and teachers. Most importantly, it includes comprehensive information on the creation and implementation of the Individual Education Program (IEP). It also serves as a fact sheet outlining the 6 principles covered in the Individuals with Disabilities Education act (IDEA). The handbook also outlines the language and acronyms commonly used in the field of Special Education. Parents who have children with disabilities can use this handbook to learn more about how they can participate as an equal member in their student's IEP process. General education teachers who review the handbook will be in a much better position to collaborate effectively with Special Education teachers regarding students with disabilities.

Prezi for Teachers: 10 Most Useful Aspects

1.  Unlike Powerpoint, Prezi gives teachers the ability to zoom and focus in on important concepts during presentations.

2.  Teachers can also zoom out, offering students a basic, overall impression of the presentation and its key points.

3.  If used well, the zoom and navigate functions can make the presentation feel fluid and visually interesting.  (As long as teachers don't overdo it and make students sick).

4.  Often times, powerpoint presentations can feel cluttered.  Prezi presentations, on the other hand, can hold A LOT of information without the cluttered feeling.  The ability to zoom far into and out of the presentation makes this possible.

5.  Powerpoint presentations can be easily converted to Prezi and then improved upon in the methods described above.

6.  Prezi is new and hip.  You can impress students with your technical savvy and and awareness of new and interesting ways of presenting information.  Students may go to sleep when they see a teacher queuing up a powerpoint, but not so with a prezi.

7.  Prezi encourages learners to forge a 'less linear' path to discovery.  Power point moves from one slide to the next until the presentation is over.  Prezi makes it easier to make connections between points by stepping back, looking at the big picture, zooming in and then moving around more freely between concepts.

8.  It's simple and easy to embed videos and images into your prezi presentations.

9.  There are more opportunities for the teacher to be creative and have fun while creating and organizing prezis.  Students will recognize the playful aspects of prezi and remain engaged.

10.  Finally, because prezi is a "cloud based" program, students and teachers can use it collaboratively--building and learning together.  With prezi, students can become active participants in their own learning, rather than passive receivers of information.


Over the summer I created a powerpoint to prepare my Korean students for our annual Summer Camp Auction.  I created my first Prezi by converting that powerpoint, adding pictures, and using it to create a big picture AND short summary of our class auction.

The second Prezi I created outlines how I would like to arrange the desks in my future classroom.  It also includes the posters I would like to put on the walls, and examples of community building activities for the first three days of school.  

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is defined on About.com as "a law that provisions service and support to children with disabilities throughout the US. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to US children. IDEA, ensures that children with disabilities receive a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE). This means that schools will provide Students who are eligible (have a disability) with specialize supports/instruction that will address their academic needs in the least restrictive environment."


 IDEA uses 9 basic steps to identify, evaluate, determine eligibility, create an Individual Education Plan (IEP), measure progress, and reevaluate the IEP of students with disabilities. It is important that all K-12 educators have some familiarity with IDEA. Please visit IDEA.ed.gov for more information.