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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 11-10-12 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF



Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY

Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Problems.

“If we don’t take time to listen and get to know them, who will?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 10 hours ago
The headline of this post comes from a nice piece by Jimmy Casas on home visits called My First Home Visit With Larry Leonard. It’s worth a read….

Molly Munger’s (& PTA’s) Initiative Gets 28% Of CA Vote

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
I’ve previously posted my perspective/analysis on what I consider to be a disastrous alliance the California PTA made with billionaire Molly Munger to push a school tax initiative different from California Governor Brown’s Proposition. In that post, I suggested that Prop 38, the Munger/PTA initiative, would be lucky to get 40%. I made a dramatic [...]

Report From Last Month’s Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project National Conference

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
I’m a big supporter of teachers making home visits (see The Best Resources For Learning About Teacher Home Visits). Though I couldn’t make last month’s national home visit conference in Denver, several other staff and parents from our school did attend. Carrie Rose, Executive Director of the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project, agreed to write this [...]

“Schools Are Using Social Networking to Involve Parents”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago
Schools Are Using Social Networking to Involve Parents is a new article over at Education Week. Here’s how it begins: Digital technology is providing a growing variety of methods for school leaders to connect with parents anywhere, anytime—a tactic mirroring how technology is used to engage students. Through Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and text messages [...]

“Five-Minute Film Festival: Parent-Teacher Partnerships”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 4 days ago
Five-Minute Film Festival: Parent-Teacher Partnerships is a must-see collection of videos and resources about…parent-teacher partnerships. Amy Erin Borovoy has put it together over at Edutopia.

This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter — Home Visits

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 4 days ago
Guest post by Joe Mazza Image credit: media.mlive.com This week’s Parent-Teacher Chat on Twitter focuses on “home visits” made by educators to engage families. Virginia Supt. Dr. Steve Constantino and Iowa Principal JimmyCasas will join us as experienced resources for this discussion. When teachers build relationships with the families of the students they teach, those [...]

“It’s Show Time”

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 days ago
It’s Show Time is a post by Jessica Lahey where she offers some excellent advice to teachers about parent conferences. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Parent/Teacher Conferences.

New Haven Seems To Do “Parent University” Right….

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 days ago
I’ve posted a lot about “parent academies” or “parent universities” around the country — and my critique of them for not being parent-driven by emphasizing issues that parents want to learn about. I’ve often contrasted it with the Parent University program at our school. I read an article in The New Haven Register today about [...]

Is Spending $20 Million On Parent Centers In L.A. The Best Way To Increase Parent Engagement?

Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 5 days ago
Today, The Los Angeles Times published an article headlined LAUSD parent centers aim to boost involvement at schools. It reports on plans to spend $20 million to “upgrade” parent centers in the District. The article discusses a positive report on parent centers from the LAUSD “Inspector General.” I’d like to share my thoughts in two [...]

More On Sandy & Its Effect On Education

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 45 minutes ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources On How Hurricane Sandy Is Affecting Schools: More Students Return to Classroom, at Strange Schools in Strange Places is from The New York Times. Weighing Dangers of Cold Classrooms Against Risks … Continue reading →

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Posts/Articles On Education Policy Issues

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago
Here are some relatively recent useful articles on education policy issues: Confronting the Free Marketeers: Will They Plow Through Us? is by Anthony Cody. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Schools Should Not Be Run … Continue reading →

Some Final Presidential Election Links

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago
Here are some final additions to The Best Resources For Learning About The 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: Here’s an infographic from The Associated Press of the election results. Here are some interesting cartograms of the results. Exit Polls: Casting Ballots … Continue reading →

New Study Finds That Specific Praise Improves Performance — Have They Ever Heard Of Carol Dweck?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago
A new study has been receiving some media attention for showing that praising someone’s athletic performance results in….their improving their performance. Interestingly, even though it’s clear in the study that the praise is very specific about what was being done, … Continue reading →

Good Resources On Student Blogging

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are two excellent additions to The Best Sources For Advice On Student Blogging: Implementing Blogging in the Classroom is at Langwitches. QuadBlogging Connects Student Writers with Global Audiences is by Suzi Boss at Edutopia.

More On Education & The Elections

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Reports On Education-Related 2012 Election Results: Teacher Bashing Is a Loser is by John Wilson at Education Week. Bad losers in Tuesday’s election is from Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. Will … Continue reading →

I Like “GeoSpeak” — Especially For Geography Classes (I Just Don’t Know For How Long I’ll Like It)

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
GeoSpeak is a neat site that lets you — without having to register — find any location on Google Maps and write something about it. You’re given a virtual “pin” on the map that leads directly to your comment. It … Continue reading →

Will California Election Results Bring Sanity To Education Funding Decisions?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Happily, the elections here in California brought victory to Proposition 30, Governor Brown’s tax proposal that saved our schools from closing several weeks early — this year and in future years — among other likely negative results. It was close, … Continue reading →

Pretty Amazing Machine Translation Demonstration

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Microsoft’s Chief Research Officer gave a pretty amazing demonstration of computer translation advancement. In this video (I’ve used TubeChop to embed the most interesting part, so you will have to click through to see it. Or you can watch the … Continue reading →

Google Creates A Rather Odd “Story Builder”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Google just announced a new tool called “Story Builder.” Without having to register, you can create a “dialogue” of sorts, add music, and end up with a link to a video-like presentation that you can share. Here’s a short Hall … Continue reading →

A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Writing

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I will be publishing a multi-part series on writing over at my Education Week Teacher blog, and thought it might be useful to publish a compilation of all my writing related “The Best…” lists. Here they are: The Best Websites … Continue reading →

Diwali Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
The Hindu celebration of Diwali in 2012 will start on Tuesday, November 13th and will continue for 5 days until Saturday, Nov. 17th. I’ve just updated The Best Sites For Learning About Diwali.

Using The “Carrots, Eggs & Coffee” Story In Class

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I’ve previously posted about the lesson I do on “grit” and a “growth mindset” (see Have You Ever Had A Student Say “This Is Boring”? Here’s A Lesson On It I’m Trying Out Tomorrow) and which I share more extensively … Continue reading →

Infographic: Gestures In Different Countries

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures. Can readers let me know if the information in it is accurate? Clicking on “info” will get you a clearer image. by smbrtz. Browse more … Continue reading →

“How Can Teachers Best Assist Students With Special Needs?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
How Can Teachers Best Assist Students With Special Needs? is the new “question of the week” at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave your responses there or here….

The Best Reports On Education-Related 2012 Election Results

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
There were lots of education-related issues on the ballot yesterday. Here’s a quick round-up of what I think are the best reports on those election results: Results in key education races is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. Teachers … Continue reading →

Video & Transcript Of President Obama’s Victory Speech

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Source: shareasimage.com Here’s the transcript and video of President Obama’s victory speech (you may have to click through to see the video if you’re seeing this in an RSS Reader). I’m adding them to The Best Resources For Learning About … Continue reading →

Instagram Creates Website For Photos — Finally

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Instagram, the photo app that is also one of The Web 2.0 Social Media Tools I Use Everyday, has finally announced that they’ve created their own website. Users will have their own webpages (http://instagram.com/your user name). However, they seem to … Continue reading →

New Version Of Delicious Unveiled

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Delicious, the popular social bookmarking site that is also one of The Web 2.0/Social Media Tools I Use Everyday, has just unveiled a new version (though you can still use the old version). It seems to me like a “Back … Continue reading →

This Is The Best Site I’ve Seen On The Presidential Election

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
The Guardian has published an excellent online “graphic novel” reviewing the 2012 Presidential election. For English Language Learners especially, I don’t think there’s anything better out there on the election. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About … Continue reading →

All My Class Blogs

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
I have had quite a few class blogs over the years, and have now updated them on the Blogroll over on my sidebar. Here are the most recent ones (one or two might be a little old, but are still … Continue reading →

A Potpourri Of The Best & Most Useful Video Sites

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I’ve been accumulating a variety of online video sites that don’t quite fit into my extensive list of previous “The Best…” lists related to videos. So, I’ve decided to make a “potpourri” list and, within it, include links to all … Continue reading →

“I Want My Country to…” Is A Nice Interactive

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I Want My Country to… is a New York Times interactive. Here’s how they describe it: The New York Times and CBS News asked a sample of Americans about their opinions on issues that may affect their vote in the … Continue reading →

Today’s Sandy Update

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here are the newest updates to The Best Online Resources About Hurricane Sandy (I’ve also been continuously making additions to The Best Resources On How Hurricane Sandy Is Affecting Schools): Sorrow and Hope in a Visit to Staten Island After … Continue reading →

Hurricane Sandy and Schools

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I’ve converted a short post I wrote yesterday into The Best Resources On How Hurricane Sandy Is Affecting Schools. Additional suggestions are welcome.

There Are Now One Thousand Categorized “The Best…” Lists

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Though I never imagined nearly six years ago when I published the first “The Best…” that this day would come, earlier today I posted the one thousandth post in the series. You can see all of them categorized by topic … Continue reading →

Excellent Infographic Comparing Sandy With Katrina

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
The Huffington Post has just published an excellent infographic comparing Hurricane Sandy with Hurricane Katrina. I’m adding it to The Best Online Resources About Hurricane Sandy: Source: huffingtonpost.com via Larry on Pinterest

The Best Videos To Help Students Visualize Success

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I’ve written a fair amount about how I encourage students to use very short and simple visualization techniques — see My Best Posts On Helping Students “Visualize Success.” Here are a few videos of athletes talking about how they use … Continue reading →

The Best Videos I’ve Shared On Google Plus In 2012

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I share a lot of education-related resources on Google Plus, but I’ve also gotten into the habit of posting videos that are just plain fun there, too. They may not have much educational value (though some could be useful for … Continue reading →

The Best Resources On How Hurricane Sandy Is Affecting Schools

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Here are several articles about the affect of Hurricane Sandy on New York and New Jersey schools (you might also be interested in The Best Online Resources About Hurricane Sandy): With Students Set to Return, Schools Face Tough Logistics is … Continue reading →

Destruction on Staten Island

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Here are two videos by the same filmmakers about Sandy’s destruction, particularly on where I grew-up — Staten Island. I’m adding them to The Best Online Resources About Hurricane Sandy:

The Best Ideas On How To Stay Electronically Connected When The Power’s Out

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
With the power still out for millions in the wake of Sandy, there have been some very interesting resources popping up on the Web for ways to still stay electronically connected. Most people who could probably use this info won’t … Continue reading →

Native American Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Instead of having a “Best…” list just for Native American resources, I have The Best Sites For International Day Of The World’s Indigenous People. You’ll find lots of Native American … Continue reading →

“Teachers as “Brain Changers”"

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Teachers as “Brain Changers” is the final post in my Education Week Teacher series on “brain-based learning.” It includes my thoughts, a guest response from David Sousa, and reader comments.

Free Email Newsletter Sent-Out

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I send out a free monthly email newsletter to about 2,000 subscribers, and just sent out the latest one. You can subscribe here.

“Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
My article, Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do, appeared in ASCD Educational Leadership last month. Its website says it’s, for now, their “most viewed” article. If you missed it, you might want to take a look…

My Best “Pins” On Pinterest In 2012

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
I have a couple of fairly active “Boards” on Pinterest, and thought readers might find it useful to seem my choices for the best resources I’ve “pinned” there this year that I might not have already shared on this blog: … Continue reading →

October’s “The Best…” Lists — There Are Now 997 Of Them

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here’s my monthly round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 997 of them categorized here): The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2012 (So Far) The Best Posts & Articles … Continue reading →

Sandy Update

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Online Resources About Hurricane Sandy: Interactive: Slide To See Before And After Sandy is from NPR. Sorting the Real Sandy Photos From the Fakes is from The Atlantic. Superstorm Impact is from … Continue reading →

Useful Tweets For Teachers From Dan Meyer At #CMCMath

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Dan Meyer sent out a number of useful tweets from a session with Phil Daro at the California Math Council conference today. Even though it’s a math conference, the info in the tweets is useful to all educators. I’ve used … Continue reading →

Some Final Pre-Election Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources For Learning About The 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: The Associated Press has a new interactive. Teaching the Election in the Final Week: Bellwethers, Unicorns and Attack Ads is from The New … Continue reading →