Western Washington University’s compendium of writing resources.
Free Technology for Teachers: How To Do 11 Techy Things In the New School Year
Download a PDF quick-start guide for trying new technology in 2010-2011.
A Dozen of Literature’s Greatest Jerks :: Blogs :: List of the Day :: Paste
Paste compiles a list of some of literature’s biggest jerks. You know you love to hate them.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Langwitches Blog » Wrapping my Mind Around Digital Portfolios
Langwitches takes a look at digital portfolios.
How Important is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas? | Edutopia
“If you are a math, history, science, or art teacher, where does literacy fit into your classroom instruction? It’s easy to believe that literacy instruction is solely the charge of language arts teachers, but, frankly, this just is not so”
Studio 360’s American Icons series has some literary themed episodes.
“Have you been knocking your head against the proverbial wall trying to teach – or learn – expository writing skills? New York Times models can help writers learn how to write an expository essay that is compelling, convincing and authoritative as well as engaging to read – not to mention authentic. Try a fresh approach with these 10 tips. “
Teaching ‘The Great Gatsby’ With The New York Times – The Learning Network Blog – NYTimes.com
The NY Times offers “resources on, and related to, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” hoping they might help your students appreciate Mr. Nobody from Nowhere and hear the money in Daisy’s voice. “
Teaching Shakespeare With The New York Times – The Learning Network Blog – NYTimes.com
A collection of resources from the New York Times on teaching Shakespeare.
Lines on Plagiarism Blur for Students in the Digital Age – NYTimes.com
This New York Times article investigates attitudes toward plagiarism among today’s students.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
EducationNews.org – Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling in Graduation Speech
This speech was delivered by top of the class student Erica Goldson during the graduation ceremony at Coxsackie-Athens High School on June 25, 2010.
Worldometers – real time world statistics
Interesting statistics. Would make a good reference for many different types of educational projects.
AnswerGarden – Plant a Question, Grow Answers
AnswerGarden is a new minimalistic feedback tool. Use it as a tool for online brainstorming or embed it on your website or blog as a poll or guestbook.
for the love of learning: Abolishing Grading
A collection of posts on why grading is no good.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Educational Posters | Motivational Posters | ECHO-LIT
Really cool English teacher posters.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
If you’re looking to try out some tools to make teaching, sharing, discussing ideas, and planning easier, you might want to check out some of these tools.
I you want to ask a quick question or have a conversation, there’s nothing as efficient as Twitter. It’s also a quick way to get the word out about blog posts or other projects. Many people have it running in the background using a client such as Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Nambu, or Seesmic. I was skeptical about Twitter until I tried it. I think it’s one of those things you will have to try out for yourself in order to see its potential. It can be as useful as the people you follow. I have a great personal learning network on Twitter.
Diigo
I first started using Delicious a few years ago because Firefox kept losing my bookmarks. I became so aggravated by this bug that I decided at least with Delicious, I could have my bookmarks with added benefit that they are available on any computer. A couple of years ago, I switched to Diigo for two reasons: 1) it has the added capabilities of annotation, groups, and easy integration with my blog; and 2) I can integrate it with my Delicious account, so there’s no need to leave any of my Delicious subscribers high and dry.
Firefox
Though Firefox is perhaps not the fastest browser, its array of plugins enable me to customize my browsing.
WordPress
I use WordPress to manage the content on all of my blogs. Elegant theme designs and plugins add functionality. I’ve tried Blogger and Movable Type, and I found WordPress superior to both.
iPhone
As the commercials proclaim, if you can think of something you want to do, there’s an app for that. My iPhone helps me manage my to-do list, my Diigo bookmarks, and my Goodreads account. I also have the complete works of Shakespeare and a great many other books in my pocket. I can keep track of gas expenses and find the cheapest gas nearby. I can manage my grocery list or look up first aid information. I can check TV listings, listen to music, or take pictures. The two most recent apps I downloaded enable me to create packing lists and see what’s down the road at the next few exits.
Evernote
I haven’t used Evernote very long, but I recently planned my entire trip to Salem using it, and I found it incredibly handy. You can clip and save websites and take notes. I am only beginning to explore Evernote’s capabilities. Be sure to check out their blog post on the Evernote trunk and see how a former student of mine uses Evernote.
Google Reader
Google Reader helps me keep up with all the blogs I read. I would never be able to keep track of my favorite blogs without it.
Despite some bad press from what I believe are some poor decisions about privacy on the part of Facebook, I still use it to stay connected to my family and friends. Most of my friends and family are not on Twitter, but they are all pretty much on Facebook. It’s an easy way to share news, photos, and videos.
Wikispaces
I haven’t found another wiki service that’s friendlier to educators or easier to use than Wikispaces. I use it for all the wikis I create now.
Ning
I won’t use Ning for my classes anymore because of the changes to their pricing scheme, but I very much enjoy the English Companion Ning and the Making Curriculum Pop Ning as tools to help me share and learn.
What are your favorite tools?
photo credit: fran.pregernik
“This website is an ongoing project being built by Mr. Bariexca’s Spring 2008 Honors British Literature class at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. While it is primarily for use by these students and their families, we hope that teachers or students who find their way here can utilize some of what we create in their own teaching or study of these works.”
English Central – Worlds Greatest Essay Rubric
“This is a basically holistic rubric that evaluates each of the parts of the essay I explicitly teach on a general scale and then considers the overall effect before assigning a final grade.”
Romeo and Juliet Annotation of Act Three Scene Five – Resources – TES Connect
“A PowerPoint with the entire scene annotated. A glossary is also provided. “
Ditch the Backpack: 100 Essential Web Tools for Virtual Students | eLearning Gurus
“Whether you need help, collaboration, or just want a little extra knowledge when completing your assignments, these web tools will help you find what you need. From note taking to researching to staying organized, the following resources will have you making top grades in your classes.”
20 Free Web Apps for the 2.0 Student | Digitizd
Here are 20 free web apps that every student can use.
“In all its guises, from words spoken and written to pictures and musical notes and mathematical symbols, language is our distinguishing gift, our hallmark as a species.”
Free Technology for Teachers: Seven Videos All Educators Should Watch
Summer is a time when many of us are thinking about and planning professional development workshops for our schools and for other schools. I’ve always found that a short 3-5 minute video can be a good introduction to a PD sessions and or make for a nice thought-provoking break during a PD session. Here are seven videos that I think serve those purposes well.
Ryan Goble, who often coaches teachers in what he calls the “mindful” use of technology, has written today’s guest post on user-friendly tools that enable the creation of student projects.
Allanah’s Podcasting Space – home
Wiki for podcasting tools.
Hero’s Journey : Summary of Steps
“This page summarizes the brief explanations from every step of the Hero’s Journey. “
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
EduDemic » The Ultimate Guide To Giving Outstanding Presentations
Michael Zimmer (of Ultimate Teacher’s Guide to Social Media fame) has just unveiled a handy guide for teachers, students, and pretty much anyone looking to deliver a tremendous presentation.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Columbia Copyright Advisory Office
The Copyright Advisory Office of Columbia University addresses issues of fair use, copyright ownership, and publishing arrangements in furtherance of higher education and the advancement of knowledge; provides copyright information and education resources for the university community; supports innovative policies, practices, and contracts to foster the creation, preservation, and accessibility of information resources; and undertakes research and exploration of copyright issues to provide original understandings of the law and its importance.
JEA.org | Journalism Education Association
The Journalism Education Association has resources for journalism educators.
YourNextRead: Book Recommendations (USA)
Finished a book you really liked? Try YourNextRead to discover a book like it.
Rubrics for the Chatterbox. Would be good to consider for journalism coursework.
Society of Professional Journalists: SPJ Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics from the Society of Professional Journalists.
APA Style Blog: A DOI and URL Flowchart
A handy flowcharts helps writers determine when to use the DOI and URL when citing references in APA Style.
Instructify » Blog Archive » Instructifeature: Keep parents in the loop with a class website
This article discusses the many tools that can help you design a website to keep parents in the loop.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Blooms Digitally, Andrew Churches
Bloom’s taxonomy and revised taxonomy discussed with some useful diagrams and key terms associated with each tier along with digital counterparts. Swiss army knife for writing objectives!
Planbook- Computerized Teacher Lesson Plan Book for Mac and Windows
Just downloaded and purchased this planbook, and so far, it looks great.
Evaluating blogs is hard. This post can help you figure out how to approach assessing blogs.
Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. You can: 1) Download the files to your Mp3 player and listen on the go, 2) Listen to the Mp3 files on your computer, 3) View the text on a webpage and read along as you listen, 4) Print out the stories and poems to make your own book.
“Our mission is to help people all over the world prevent plagiarism and restore integrity to written work.”
TextFlows: Reading Re-Invented
“TextFlows offer an entirely new way to interact with the written word. We use motion and light to present text as an animated flow on a simple, uncluttered screen. Reading becomes easier, more effective, and fun; writing receives an added dimension of artistic expression.”
“Using iTouch and iPhones for Teaching and Learning”
April eNews for Education: Learning with iPod touch.
Apple shares the latest educational apps, iTunes U links, and podcasts.
Literature Circle as Podcast – English Companion Ning
Adam Watson describes how he uses podcasting to conduct literature circles.
Greatest 101 questions of all time: 1-20 – Telegraph
“The ‘101 greatest questions of all time’ have been answered in a BBC magazine. Here we present the first twenty. “
Olivia Mitchell presents templates for seven slide types that will get your audience’s attention.
Professional Development for Teachers | Conference and Workshop Database
“Educator’s Professional Development is the largest online database of professional development conferences and workshops for educators and teachers from Early Learning to Grade 12. “
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Kathleen Nichols has one of the best websites I’ve seen. I have used it a lot over the years.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
250+ Free Stock Photography Sites | Media Militia
A collection of links to free stock image sites.
This page provides outlines for conceptual units of instruction of the sort found in the Virtual Library of Conceptual Units
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.