How much have you developed your Professional Learning Community? (PLC) Or maybe a Professional Learning Network? (PLN) Does your school lack in funding for professional development? Or maybe you would like to have a social networking experience with your students and your school blocks Facebook/Twitter. Or maybe you just aren't quite ready to conquer Twitter language? Perhaps you have recently moved to a new state and you're trying to learn the ropes of teaching a new population of students. Or maybe you're at a school that, unfortunately, lacks opportunities for collaborating with your colleagues. Want to find new teaching strategies? Or develop a different content-specific curriculum?   Continue Reading...

Engaging an audience with humor and anecdotes, eduteacher founder, Adam S. Bellow, shared his The 7 Golden Rules of Using Technology in Schools while at the ISTE Conference this past June in Philadelphia.   Continue Reading...

Last week I posted about my week at ISTE, a fabulous education technology conference, and my fabulous colleague, Alix, posted about Twitter for Teachers. I was elated that she wrote such a timely article because I had just attended a workshop about how Twitter is changing professional development and teacher interaction throughout the world. (Here is a basic video about Twitter. And here is a video that explains why it's beneficial for companies, organizations, and groups of professionals, like teachers.)   Continue Reading...

I'm on the road this week in the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, for the annual ISTE conference (International Society for Technology in Education). I'm up to my ears in ed tech and loving it.   Continue Reading...

The internet has revolutionized everything in our lives, from paying bills to shopping and everything in between. Education is now well on its way to being revolutionized by online learning with teachers nationwide taking advantage of new, emerging and often free internet resources. One service in particular that is gaining popularity among teachers is Twitter, the micro-blogging site that allows users to communicate via 140 character transmissions.   Continue Reading...

Ever re-arrange a lesson, or lessons, because it turns out that the computer lab is booked solid? Ever have your excitement for a student-driven internet search quelled because, once again, the computer lab isn't available? How about wishing that you could offer students additional material to assist them when struggling or to challenge them when their sailing through the curriculum? Or what about students who don't turn in their worksheet because they "lost" it? I'm sure you've said yes to at least one of these questions. The solution to these difficulties, in many cases, could be that little box at right—the QR Code.

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Khan Academy: The Khan Academy is... a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere...With over 2100 videos, it is easily the most exhaustive collection of instruction on the internet allowing learners to know that they can fill in almost any of their "gaps" with the content on this site. The content is made in digestible 10-20 minute chunks especially purposed for viewing on the computer. All of the site's resources are available to anyone free of charge.   Continue Reading...

Ms. Christi Bello, a teacher at Northfield Elementary in Ellicott City, MD, was awarded a scholarship by the Association of American Educators Foundation to attend the International Search Institute Conference in Austin, TX. The funding offset the costs of registration and travel expenses for the conference. AAE Director of Professional Development Jill Newell visited the Baltimore suburb personally to deliver her AAEF certificate alongside her principal.   Continue Reading...

The following educators have been selected from a pool of applicants nationwide. AAEF applauds the innovation and commitment which these teachers demonstrate to their students and their profession.   Continue Reading...

DifferentiationDaily.com was brought to my attention last week by its creator, Paula Kluth, and her team. It's a potpourri of posts that provide quick descriptions of websites that teachers can add to their arsenal of teaching tools and strategies.   Continue Reading...

The Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA) recently held a Differentiated Instruction (DI) Training at the Dawson Education Cooperative located in Arkadelphia. AAE director of professional development, Jill Newell, lead the workshop.   Continue Reading...

I may get virtual rotten tomatoes thrown at me by some of you, but I liked the textbook that was issued for my 7th grade classes.  (Dodging an overripe red projectile.)

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"Weʼre headed for radical choice–not just school choice but choice to the lesson level. Weʼll soon have adaptive content libraries and smart recommendation engines that string together a unique ʻplaylistʼ for every student every day. These smart platforms will consider learning level, interests, and best learning modality (i.e.,motivational profile and learning style to optimize understanding and persistence).   Continue Reading...

I was teaching on September 11, 2001 when the Towers fell. In fact, my student's brother worked at the Twin Towers. (Sidenote: the brother escaped safely from the buildings before it collapsed). It was a long day of teaching. As eighteen and nineteen year-olds, the students wanted to talk about what was happening and it just seemed right to put the current lesson on hold and teach another lesson that day. Considering that we didn't have much information and my iPhone had yet to be invented, there were a lot of questions unanswered.   Continue Reading...

I stumbled across an online article titled "600 Tips and Links for Using Social Media for Education and Learning"? Yes, please.   Continue Reading...

Why is Netflix such a success? I suggest that it comes down to the fulfillment of three desires of the consumer.   Continue Reading...

It's pretty obvious why Mr. Kevin Grover is Maine's teacher of the year for 2010. He dreams big and then he gets to work.   Continue Reading...

My decision to travel outside of the United States as a twenty-year old quickly became a time to observe what education looked like throughout the world. On every trip or study abroad experience I did my best to experience education in the country being visited. And upon my return from every trip I realized just how much the experience broadened my horizons (pardon the cliche) and helped me develop many content-rich lesson plans that intrigued my students.   Continue Reading...

I find myself in the constant state of "student" regarding technology in education, especially when it comes to my iPhone. It's exciting; it keeps me on the edge of my seat; it keeps me humble.   Continue Reading...

Twitter. People are still abuzz about it. What about Twitter + classroom discussions? This communication trend tool in the classroom is only picking up speed. The benefits of emerging technologies like Twitter outweigh the downfalls. Look at this interactive class at the University of Texas at Dallas using Twitter to increase student engagement."   Continue Reading...