Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY
Video: “New Year’s Resolutions”
I’m adding this animated video to The Best Ways To Help Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Succeed:
The ten most popular TED-Ed Lessons of 2013
TED-Ed has just shared their ten most popular lessons of the 2013. FYI, Teacher Training Videos has an excellent video tutorial on how to create “Flipped” versions of Ted Talk lessons. I’ve previously posted about this subject at Using TED-Ed Videos. I’m adding this post to The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” (& Similar Presentations).
“the danger of not having your own stories”
A tweet today from Carol Jago today reminded me of one of my favorite quotes. It’s from the late Chinua Achebe who, in an interview where he spoke about “the danger of not having your own stories,” said: The importance of who is telling the story is a critical one in history, broader social change, and education. I highlighted it earlier today in my post titled From The Archives: “English Langua
Two Common Core Resources
The California Educator, which is the bi-monthly magazine of the California Teachers Association, recently published a chart (and article explaining the chart) sharing the accommodations the SMARTER testing consortium is planning to make available to English Language Learners and learning disabled students in their electronic testing. As you will see in my predictions for 2014 (look for them in T
Video That You’ve Probably Seen Already: “Fireman Saves Kitten”
You’ve probably seen this video already, but I never got around to posting it earlier in the year. It would be a good one to show English Language Learners and have them describe what they saw:
21st Century School Libraries, Parent Engagement and Student Achievement is the title of an interactive video that the Ontario Library Association has created. You can see it here. Here’s how they describe it: [The video] empowers parents to support school libraries and thus encourage reading engagement and information literacy with their children. It contains information on how parents can suppor
From The Archives: “English Language Learners and the Power of Personal Stories”
I’m going to re-start an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles that I think might be worth a second look. After all, I’ve published over 13,000 posts and articles over the past seven years, so there are a lot to choose from! Today, I’ve decided to share an article I wrote for The New York Times Learning Network a few years ago called English Langu
More Excellent “Year-In-Review” Features
Here are some excellent additions to The Best Year In Review Features — 2013: The New York Times Year In Pictures 2013: the year in world news is an interactive from The Telegraph. NASA’s Year In Review interactive Interactive timeline: 2013 in review is from Al Jazeera. ‘Viral’ News In Review is an interactive from The Guardian.
The Best Resources For Identifying Qualities Needed In Order To Be “Successful”
I’m preparing a lesson to try out in class and for possible inclusion in the upcoming third volume in my student motivation “trilogy.” It will be focusing on Social Emotional Learning skills, and will be a follow-up to exercises on goal-setting, grit, and self-control. I also am figuring out if, and how, it might be valuable to somehow incorporate something on how developing all these life skills
This Is A Good Attitude For Teachers To Take…
To all parents, Thank You. I am so honored and humled to be tasked with helping shape your child's future. Signed, The Teacher — Jeff Charbonneau (@JeffCharbonneau) December 27, 2013 Jeff is the 2013 National Teacher of the Year
Ed Week Reports On How School Reformers Are Using Parents As “Foot Soldiers”
Newer Advocacy Groups Find Foot Soldiers in Parents is a very interested new Education Week article highlighting how “school reform” groups are trying to involve parents in their efforts. Though substantial portions of the article make clear that some of these groups are amazingly clueless about organizing and paternalistic in their view of parents, at least a few of them seem to at least know the
DEC 25
If You Needed More Reasons Why We Need Parents As Allies….
It’s not like we really need more reasons Why Parents Should Be Looked At As Allies & Not Targets Of Blame, but here are two articles that make another reason clear: Portland Public Schools parents rally for teachers as negotiations impasse continues (video) Highland Park parents walk out of BOE meeting, host vigil in support of staff
DEC 23
“How Important Are Parent-Teacher Conferences?”
Last month, I posted about a special feature in the New York Times titled “Rethinking Parent-Teacher Conferences.” However, I just realized I had forgotten to share a follow-up New York Times Learning Network post where they asked students to respond to the question: “How Important Are Parent-Teacher Conferences?” It’s worth checking out their responses…
“Message to next chancellor: Bring in parents!”
New York City schools have had lots of problems with parent engagement. It’s new mayor, though, has vowed to make some positive changes. You can read some advice to him from a New York parent leader at Message to next chancellor: Bring in parents!
The Best Resources — Specifically For Parents — On Bullying
I have an extensive “Best” list at my other blog titled A Very, Very Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Bullying. In addition, I’ve published several posts in this blog about bullying resources specifically for parents, and thought bringing them together in one list would be useful. You can find all my parent “Best” lists here. Feel free to make other suggestions… The BBC has published What
What A Shocker: “Poor Rural Parents’ Problems Adversely Affect Their Children, Study Says”
To what I imagine is no one’s surprise, a new study has found that Poor Rural Parents’ Problems Adversely Affect Their Children. Even though it’s obvious to most of us that outside of classroom factors have the greatest impact on student learning, it’s unfortunate that educators seem to be often assigned 100% responsibility and, generally, blame…..
I’ve Heard Of “Helicopter Parents,” But Now There Are “Snowplow Parents”?
The Washington Post writes about a new term called “snowplow parents,” which supposed means: those who not only hover like helicopter parents but also plow ahead to preemptively eliminate any obstacles from their child’s path. It might, or might not, be a useful article to share at some PTA meeting…..
“Modern Families: What Educators Need to Know”
Modern Families: What Educators Need to Know is an article at NEA Today that provides some real-life examples of how today’s families might look a little different from years past. I don’t think many teachers will learn anything they didn’t already know (or should know), but it doesn’t hurt to get a reminder. In a similar vein, the Christian Science Monitor has published Good news for kids: Father
Nice Collection From ASCD: “Family-School Relationships”
ASCD has just published a useful collection of parent engagement resources titled Family-School Relationships. There are many more than these articles and videos, but here’s a sample: Home Visits for Relationships, Relevance, and Results Dynamic home visits help a district build personal connections and culturally responsive curriculum. More How to Guide Parents in Homework Help Parents should be
Video: “Grooming Parents to Take the Lead”
Here’s a video about a parent training program in Kentucky. You can learn more about it in this short piece at Education Week.
More Resources On The “Word Gap”
There has recently been a flurry of media attention to what is called the so-called “word gap.” It’s the term used to describe the difference in vocabulary development of low-income children and middle-and-high-income children during their pre-school years. I’ve brought together a list of resources on the topic, including some that bring different perspectives. You can find them at The Best Resour
“How to Guide Parents in Homework Help”
How to Guide Parents in Homework Help is an article at ASCD Educational Leadership by Cathy Vatterott, who knows more about homework research than just about anyone. It offers some excellent and practical advice. I’m adding it to The Best Sources Of Parent Engagement Advice For Teachers.
I’d Suggest That Charging PTAs Rent For After-School Activities Will Not Promote Parent Engagement
Prince George’s schools charge PTAs that use buildings is an article in The Washington Post. Here are a couple of excerpts: The John Hanson Montessori Parent Teacher Student Association has offered after-school dance and chess lessons for years, believing that the enrichment programs help engage Prince George’s County students. The group charges a small fee to pay the course instructors, and until
Two Somewhat Interesting Results From PISA Parent Survey
The 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, test results were releases this past week, and you can read all about it at The Best Posts & Articles On 2012 PISA Test Results. I thought readers of this blog might be particularly interested in a couple of passages from two of their reports related to parents. Their not earth-shattering, but are worth sharing: Parents’ expectati
“Family Literacy Night — Writing Together”
Last week, I shared a post about a teacher who had organizing an innovative “Bedtime Reading At School” night. Now, check out this post from another teacher who held a “Family Literacy Night — Writing Together.”
“Indiana School Earns National PTA’s First School of Excellence Award”
Education reports that an Indiana School Earns National PTA’s First School of Excellence Award. Here’s an excerpt: The National PTA has created a recognition program to highlight and acknowledge outstanding family-school partnerships across America. Northrop High School and the Northrop PTSA in Fort Wayne, Ind., is the first National PTA School of Excellence because of its “leadership and commitme
“Community schools gaining traction under state’s new funding formula” In California
Community schools gaining traction under state’s new funding formula is an article in Ed Source about the growth of community schools in California. It’s a pretty thorough article, and includes a number of useful links. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Community Schools.
Really Interesting Follow-Up To Yesterday’s Post On Students Knowing Family Stories
Yesterday, I published a post titled The Importance Of Telling “Family Stories.” In it, I discussed an article that reviewed a number of studies that found value in parents telling their children about family stories. Today, The Washington Post wrote a more in-depth piece about one of those studies, and included a pretty useful “Do You Know” series of questions that teachers could easily give to s
The Importance Of Telling “Family Stories”
What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories is a very interesting article in The Atlantic about the value of — in addition to reading books with their children — parents telling children about family stories. Here’s an excerpt: Over the last 25 years, a small canon of research on family storytelling shows that when parents share more family stories with their children—especially when they tell tho
“Smarter Schools National Partnership Family–School Partnerships”
Smarter Schools National Partnership Family–School Partnership is an Australian initiative that looks pretty impressive. They have a lot of good resources at their site. I’ve embedded a short animation that’s there, too. I’m adding this info to The Best Resources On Parent Engagement In Countries Other Than The U.S.
Seattle Times Special Feature On Parent Mentor Program
I’ve written several posts about the Parent Mentor Program of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association in Chicago. Today, The Seattle Times published a special feature on the same program: Lessons for locals on power of parents in schools is the headline of their article. Here’s the video they included in the article: And here’s a “sidebar” they published: Roundtable: How schools can work with p
“Home Visits for Relationships, Relevance, and Results”
Home Visits for Relationships, Relevance, and Results is a thoughtful article in ASCD Educational Leadership. It’s by Julia Zigarelli , Rebecca Nilsen , Trise Moore , and Margery Ginsberg. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Teacher Home Visits.
“Bedtime Reading At School”
Teacher Jenny Orr writes about a fun, creative and successful Bedtime Reading At School event she organized with parents and her colleagues. Here’s an excerpt: We invited families to come in their pajamas and we wore ours too. In the beginning of the evening, as families were arriving, we started together in a resource room. The kids got the chance to stamp bookmarks and I read them a big book. Re
California Survey On Parent Involvement Released
California parents on school participation is a new article in The San Francisco Chronicle. Here are some excerpts on the unsurprising results of a new survey: Wealthy parents are more likely to make cookies for bake sales, volunteer in classrooms and be otherwise involved in their children’s schools than lower-income mothers and fathers. That’s the conclusion of a survey of California public scho
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles on Education Policy
Here are a few recent good articles and posts on education policy issues: Ken Bernstein reviews what looks like a book that’s definitely worth reading, Public Education Under Siege. How hard is teaching? is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. The invisibility of teachers is by P.L. Thomas in the Washington Post. Simple Approaches to School Improvement is by David B. Cohen.
Two Days Left To Share The Best Education-Related Book You Read This Year!
As I’ve done every December for the past several years, I’m inviting readers of this blog to share the best education-related book that you read over the past twelve months. Forty readers have already contributed, and there are only two days left if you want me to include your choices in my post. December 29th is the deadline. Leave a your choice in the comments section with no more than a sente
Resources On Making New Year’s Resolutions Succeed
It’s that time of year, and I wanted to remind readers that I have previously posted The Best Ways To Help Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Succeed. Additional suggestions are welcome!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources
Martin Luther King Day in 2014 is on Monday, the 20th of January, in the United States. You might be interested in: The Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King The Best Resources To Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death (& Life), which focuses on resources specifically related to his assassination. The Best Sites For Learning About The Martin Luther King Memorial
Free Monthly Newsletter Sent Out…
I’ve just emailed this month’s free newsletter to 2,000 subscribers. If you’re interested, you can easily subscribe here.
December’s “The Best…” Lists – There Are Now 1,245 Of Them!
Here’s my monthly round-up of new “The Best…” lists I posted this month (you can see all 1,245 of them categorized here): The Best Web Tools For English Language Learners (In Other Words, The Ones My Students Regularly Use) The Best Websites For English Language Learner Students In 2013 – Part Two The Best Fun Videos For English Language Learners In 2013 – Part Two The Best Resources, Articles &a
December’s Best Posts From This Blog
I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including “The Best…” lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here). Here are some of the posts I personally think are the best, and most helpful, ones I’ve written during this pas
DEC 26
Infographic: “Good Luck Food for New Year”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sites For Learning About New Year Celebrations: by angelvicky. Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually. Via Gourmandia
A Collection Of Recommendation Lists From Around The Web For iPhone & iPad Apps
Over the past few days, the Web has been awash with recommendation lists of apps for people who received a new iPhone or iPad as a holiday gift. Here are a few of the best ones. I’ll be adding this list to both The Best Resources For Beginning iPad Users and The Best Sites For Beginning iPhone Users Like Me. 90 best free iPhone apps 2013 is from TechRadar. Start here: the best apps for all your n
Quote Of The Day: “School Testing Systems Should Be Examined In 2014″
There’s a great interview with Linda Darling-Hammond on NPR . It’s headlined School Testing Systems Should Be Examined In 2014. Here’s an excerpt:
Video: Thinking Outside The Box & Living To Tell The Tale
As the blog 22 Words describes it: After a dumpster near some woods was left open, some bear cubs decided to hop in for a snack…but then they couldn’t get back out. Here’s how some nearby humans solved this problem without getting mauled by mama… I’m adding this video to The Best Videos Showing “Thinking Outside The Box” — Help Me Find More.
This Is A Cool “A Taxonomy of Innovation” Interactive — I Wish I Understood It
The Harvard Business Review has just published a cool-looking “Taxonomy of Innovation” interactive. Unfortunately, I haven’t a clue what it means or how to use it. Let me know if you have better luck — perhaps my mind is just not working the day after Christmas. I’m still adding this info to The Best Resources For Helping Teachers Use Bloom’s Taxonomy In The Classroom, just in case someone else c
December’s Best Tweets — Part Four
Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in this post. If you don’t use Twitter, yo
“The 10 Most Popular ‘Classroom Q & A Posts’ of 2013″
I’ve just published The 10 Most Popular ‘Classroom Q & A Posts’ of 2013 over at my Education Week Teacher blog, and it seems — to me, at least — like a pretty useful list. I’ll get back to my regular schedule over there next week….
DEC 25
Quote Of The Day: “Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science. It’s Harder”
In case you haven’t already seen the excellent article in Slate by Bryan Fuller titled Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science. It’s Harder, here’ an excerpt: It’s definitely worth checking out the entire piece….
Guest Post From National Teacher Of The Year: Bad Days “Happen To All Of Us”
Readers might remember that last month I posted a popular series at my Education Week Teacher column on the best ways to deal with bad days. Because of some technical difficulties, I didn’t receive a response from Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 National Teacher Of The Year, in time to include it there, so I’m publishing it here as a guest post. The good news, though, is that we’ve worked out those techni
The Best Scenes From (& Spoofs Of) “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Count me among the legions of “It’s A Wonderful Life” fans. Here are some scenes from the movie and spoofs of it, too: Of course, the famous last two minutes: And the more extensive ending: Saturday Night Live’s more satisfying end to the film: Jimmy Kimmel’s version of how Fox News would make the film: And here’s a fun animation from MTV: Let me know which ones I’m missing. And Merry Christ
Classroom Management Advice From Pope Francis
Last week, I posted What “School Reformers” — And All Of Us — Can Learn From Pope Francis About Creating Change, which highlighted a quote from a recent New Yorker article about the Pope. Here’s another quote from the Pope that appeared in the same article. I think it can also serve as a good guideline for effective classroom management:
“Feel Good” Christmas Stories For Christmas Day
I’m compiling “feel good” Christmas stories today and will be adding them — whenever I can find time — as I find them and as people let me know. I’m using Storify to “curate” them: [View the story "\"Feel Good\" Christmas Stories For Christmas Day" on Storify]
DEC 24
Here Are My Favorite Fun Christmas Resources
As regular readers know, I have an enormous The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa list. I thought people might enjoy seeing a much shorter list of my favorite fun ones: To start off with, here are some easy tools to send neat and unique holiday greetings through the Web: Chatty Santa is one of my students’ favorite ways to use English and send holiday e-greetings. It’s
My Holiday Gift To You…
(I first posted this two years ago, but it’s a timeless gift!) I just received a special Christmas gift from Mary Ochs, a good friend who gave me my first job as a community organizer twenty-seven years ago and who was my mentor during my nineteen year organizing career. It was an older copy of a very small book titled “Axioms For Organizers” by Fred Ross, Sr. Fred Ross, Sr. was a legendary com
“Small Typo” In D.C. Teacher Evaluation Illustrate Bigger Problem With VAM
As you might have already heard, the Washington, D.C. schools announced yesterday that errors with their Valued Added Measurement formula resulted in teachers paying a price. You can read more about it in these articles: Errors found in D.C. teacher evaluations (2nd update) is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. ‘Small typo’ casts big doubt on teacher evaluations is at Politico. VAM Expert
Two Excellent “Year In Review” Features — From Washington Post & From Twitter
Here are two excellent additions to The Best Year In Review Features — 2013: Year in Review: Great Stories of 2013 is a great collection from The Washington Post. #YearonTwitter 2013
More Video Responses From Sister Classes — This Time From Latvia!
I’ve been sharing an ongoing project my ELL Geography class has been doing — studying different countries, developing questions about them, and then recording videos of themselves asking those questions that we’d send to an English class in that country. It’s been a great experience for everyone involved, and I’ve previously shared some of those videos: Terrific New Videos: Using English “Sister
“Pancho Claus”
From The Associated Press: A South Pole Santa known as ‘Pancho Claus’ has become a fixture in Texas cities, bringing a Feliz Navidad to low-income families and at-risk kids. In Houston, it’s Richard Reyes who dons the red suit and fedora to spread holiday cheer. He wears a sombrero, comes from the South Pole and swaps reindeer for a Harley Davidson and donkeys. That’s right, Pancho Claus is comi
“Grit” Isn’t Everything, But I Still Think It’s Important For Students To Learn About (& Practice) It
Recently, there has been a fair amount of backlash against how some people, especially some “school reformers,” who may have seized on the concept of “grit” as a way to avoid dealing with much more substantial challenges facing our schools and students. I’ve certainly been one of those critics (see No, L.A. School Reformers, Grit Does Not Equal Giving Students Rewards & Being Data-Driven and
DEC 23
December’s Infographics & Interactives Galore — Part Two
There are just so many good infographics and interactives out there that I’ve begun a new semi-regular feature called “Infographics & Interactives Galore.” You can see others at A Collection Of “The Best…” Lists On Infographics and by searching “infographics” on this blog. I’ll still be publishing separate posts to individually highlight especially useful infographics and interactives, but you
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
I’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: MakeBeliefsComix has created a free downloadable book with writing prompts for English Language Learners. It looks like a nice piece of work. The Education Commission of the States (who I had never heard of, but that may just be
More Brain-Based Learning Resources
Here are new additions to The Best Resources On “Brain-Based Learning” — Help Me Find More: Looking at Executive Function is by Rick Wormeli. Why All Students Should Write: A Neurological Explanation For Literacy is by Judy Willis. 5 Strategies to Improve Working Memory Skills is from Learning Works For Kids. Building Brain Literacy in Elementary Students is by Judy Willis and appeared in Edutopi
What “School Reformers” — And All Of Us — Can Learn From Pope Francis About Creating Change
There’s a phenomenal article about Pope Francis in this week’s The New Yorker — and it isn’t behind a paywall! Who Am I to Judge? A radical Pope’s first year is by James Carroll. Here’s a key passage that “school reformers” — and all of us — can learn from about creating change: I’d add the quality of “listening” to “invitation and welcome” but, nevertheless, I think the passage does provide an e
Infographic: “How Christmas is Celebrated Around the Globe”
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa: And, while I’m at it, here are a couple more new additions to the same list: Why Tamaladas mean so much to Mexicans
“The Best Resources — Specifically For Parents — On Bullying”
The Best Resources — Specifically For Parents — On Bullying is a new post I’ve published over at my other blog, Engaging Parents In School. Additional suggestions are welcome…
Even More Fun Christmas Resources
Here are even more additions to The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa: Simple English Videos was begun by veteran ESL/EFL teacher Vicki Hollett. You can read her description of the free site here. The engaging videos have “clickable” transcripts. Here’s a fun Christmas rap video they just produced: TIME has published an interactive showing the most popular Christmas
Reminder: What Was The Best Education-Related Book You Read This Year?
As I’ve done every December for the past several years, I’m inviting readers of this blog to share the best education-related book that you read over the past twelve months. Leave a your choice in the comments section with no more than a sentence or two description/explanation. As usual, I’ll publish a full list on January 1st. December 29th is the deadline to get your choice in if you want me to
“What Are The Best Ways To Make A Flipped Classroom Work?”
What Are The Best Ways To Make A Flipped Classroom Work? is the new “question of the week” at my Education Week Teacher blog. Feel free to leave responses there or here….
A Few More Christmas Resources
Here are some new additions to my massive The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa list: An expat Washington Christmas: Antelope and ptarmigan can be tough to find is from The Washington Post. I wouldn’t say this video is in the “Christmas spirit,” but it would certainly be engaging to ELLs (thanks to Michelle Henry for the tip): Explore more infographics like this one
DEC 22
Quote Of The Day: This Is A Key, If Not THE Key, Evaluation Issue For Educators Everywhere
Here’s an excerpt from today’s New York Times article, Bumpy Start for Teacher Evaluation Program in New York Schools: You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Effective Student & Teacher Assessments.
The Best Posts & Articles On Boredom & How Students & Teachers Can Deal With It
A year or two ago, I published a couple of posts about student boredom, and a lesson I do with students to help them think about it a bit differently. In the past month, boredom seems to have become a “thing” and a couple of new articles have been written about the topic, which I will be including in my lesson. I thought I’d bring them all together into a “Best” list: First, here are links to my
More Resources On The Sochi Olympics
Here are new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Gays In U.S. Olympic Delegation Will Send Message To Russia is from NPR. U.S. delegation to Russian Olympics includes gay athletes includes many videos from CNN. Aiming For The Gold is CNN’s ongoing special feature on Sochi. NBC has an enormous site on Sochi. Olympic Posters Over Time is an Associated
Quote Of The Day: “Fighting in Teenagers Lowers Their IQ”
Fighting in Teenagers Lowers Their IQ reports on the results of a recent study. Here’s an excerpt: I’m not sure how strong a deterrent reading this article would be to students, but it certainly couldn’t hurt — ideally prior to an altercation. But, if not then, perhaps as part of the disciplinary process?
The Best Science Sites Of 2013 – Part Two
Well, this is the last of my annual lists for this year. You can see all twenty-one “The Best of 2013″ lists here. You might also be interested in: The Best Science Sites Of 2013 – So Far The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part Two The Best Science Sites Of 2012 — Part One The Best Science Sites Of 2011 The Best Science Sites Of 2011 — So Far The Best Science Websites — 2010 The Best Science &
Video: “NASA | Earthrise: The 45th Anniversary”
From NASA: In December of 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first people to leave our home planet and travel to another body in space. But as crew members Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders all later recalled, the most important thing they discovered was Earth. Using photo mosaics and elevation data from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), this video commemorates the 45th anniversa
Excellent Infographic On Writing Better Blog Posts
I’m adding this infographic to The Best Sources Of Advice For Teachers (And Others!) On How To Be Better Bloggers. I don’t think it will show up in an RSS Readers, but it’s worth clicking through to see it:
Cartoon: “Try To See Things From The Other Person’s Perspective”
created by Abstruse Goose This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Important Post For Email Subscribers To This Blog
I really “went to town” yesterday and published many posts to get caught up on a backlog. Unfortunately, Feedblitz didn’t include all of them in the email they sent to subscribers. So here are links to the posts they didn’t include: More Good “Year In Review” Features “Education Innovation Is Like A ‘Stradivarius Violin’” (this is my latest Education Week Teacher post) Impressive BBC Infographic:
DEC 21
Send A Personalized Google Maps Holiday Greeting
It’s A Message lets you send a personal holiday message, along with images of snow falling on the address of your choices. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa. And, while I’m at it, I’m also adding these resources to the same list: Here’s the EFL Classroom 2.0 Christmas page. A Christmas Game Gap Fill ‘How to celebrate Christmas with Technology: 7 id
Quote Of The Day: “Subtract Teachers, Add Pupils: Math of Today’s Jammed Schools”
Subtract Teachers, Add Pupils: Math of Today’s Jammed Schools is an article in today’s New York Times that includes a particularly interesting graph on school funding levels. Here’s an excerpt: You might also be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About How Class Size Does Matter.
Cartoon: “Can we talk through a decision that I’ve already made?”
I don’t think this cartoon, or my commentary on it, will come through on an RSS Reader, but I think it’s worth a “click-through.”
Some Pretty Neat Language “Maps”
Here are some new additions to The Best “Language Maps”: How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk is a cool interactive from The New York Times. Here’s the subtitle: What does the way you speak say about where you’re from? Answer all the questions below to see your personal dialect map. Soda vs. Pop vs. Coke: Mapping How Americans Talk is from The Atlantic. There is not a red America and a blue America
Tablets Or Laptops?
The question of whether tablets or laptops are the way to go in classrooms is heating up in school districts around the country, and is probably being informed by the iPad fiasco in Los Angeles. I lean in the laptop direction, though I’d certainly like to hear what readers think. Scholastic has a useful discussion of the question, and I thought readers would also find this infographic useful (it m
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Education Policy
Here’s a collection of recent good posts and articles on education policy issues: China’s academic obsession with testing is from The Washington Post. The Common Core Kool-Aid is from Rick Hess. I’m adding it to The Best Articles Sharing Concerns About Common Core Standards. Common Core and the Food Pyramid is also by Rick Hess. I’m adding it to the same list. A PISA contradiction is by Valerie S
Many More Christmas Resources
Here are many more additions to an already lengthy The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa list: Google’s Santa Tracker has a interactive world map highlighting holiday traditions around the world (thanks to Google Maps Mania for the tip). Here are two interesting word maps (also found via Google Maps Mania): one showing the word people use for Santa Claus, and the other
More “Word Of The Year” Features
Here are some good additions to The Best “Words Of The Year” Features For 2013: Dictionary.com dubs ‘privacy’ their word of the year. But visiting their homepage sets 90 cookies. is from The Washington Post. A Wordnado of Words in 2013 is from The New York Times.
Must-Read Column By Joseph Stiglitz In NY Times: “In No One We Trust”
I’ve written a lot about the importance of trust in education. In fact, I have a list titled The Best Posts About Trust & Education. Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz puts that issue in a broader context in today’s New York Times, while at the same time making the connection to education. In No One We Trust is a must-read. Here’s an excerpt:
Video: Why School Libraries Are Important
Joyce Valenza has produced this video on the importance of school libraries: School Library Story from joyce valenza on Vimeo.
More Good “Year In Review” Features
Here are some new additions to The Best Year In Review Features — 2013: From The Boston Globe: 2013 Year in Pictures: Part I 2013 Year in Pictures: Part II 2013 Year in Pictures: Part III
“Education Innovation Is Like A ‘Stradivarius Violin’”
I just published my latest post in Education Week Teacher, Education Innovation Is Like A ‘Stradivarius Violin’. It’s the last post in a three-part series on the best ways to implement new ideas in schools, and features responses from Maurice J. Elias and Elise Foster.
Impressive BBC Infographic: “Absolute zero to ‘absolute hot’” & More!
The BBC has just published a very impressive infographic titled Absolute zero to ‘absolute hot’. I’ve embedded it below, but you might need to click through to see it, or just go to the previous link. You can see other great BBC infographics in two locations: BBC Technology Infographics BBC Interactives & Graphs You might also be interested in The Best Infographics Of 2013 – Part Two.
The Best Web Tools For English Language Learners
I received a comment from reader Mark, who says he loves all “The Best…” lists, but would like to hear my top recommendations sometimes. Of course, I have posted The Best Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced English Language Learner Sites, but even that is a pretty lengthy one. So, I thought I’d begin a running list here of posts where I have described (and future additions will describe) the We
It Appears That GoEnglish.me May Rise Again — In Some Form
In a post I published earlier this month, I asked Does Anyone Know What Happened To Voice Of America’s “GoEnglish.me”? GoEnglish.me was/is a excellent multilingual tool for English Language Learners (it had disappeared and, even now, that link will only lead you to the regular VOA Learning English site). I just heard back from Kyle King, Director, VOA Public Relations: Hi Larry, I have been looki
