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Saturday, April 11, 2020

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE THIS WEEK - Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007



SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... 
The latest news and resources in education since 2007


YESTERDAY

SEL Weekly Update

I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART TWO Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: 6 ways to build motivation
A Twitter Thread Worth Reading On “Student Growth”

Now, this is a Twitter thread worth reading: And not once has anyone said that the problem is due to uncompetitive schools, or the achievement gap, or ineffective teachers, or anything else associated with our metrics for accountability with respect to educational quality. — Drew Gitomer (@DrewGitomer) April 10, 2020 Those deficits are literally responsible for killing or harming thousands of peo
Video: “Living Through Coronavirus Around the World”

WikiImages / Pixabay I’m adding this video to: The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS You might also be interested in: Here is a wonderful interactive from The Washington Post sharing videos from around the world encouraging people to wash their hands correctly. Cologne Sanitizer, Boxed Wine and Bi
English Central, Which I Think Is THE Most Engaging Online Site For ELLs, Lets Teachers & Students Use It For Free During Crisis

English Central is an amazing site with a zillion videos and a feature that lets learners repeat what they hear and be assessed by artificial intelligence on their pronunciation. It has a fair amount of free content, but its best stuff requires a subscription. And, during the school closure crisis, they are offering free spaces for teachers to create virtual classrooms for students to access all
Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week

Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. Of course, this is a crazy time for “classroom” instruction…. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION IN 2019 – PART TWO. Here are this week’s picks: 3 Ways to Make Your Writing Clearer is from The Harvard Business R
April 23rd Is Both “World Book & Copyright Day” & “UN English Language Day” – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources For Both

akshayapatra / Pixabay The United Nations says that April 23rd is both World Book & Copyright Day and UN English Language Day. You might be interested in Today Is “World Book & Copyright Day,” “World Book Night” & “UN English Language Day” – Here Are The Best Resources For Them .
This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures

Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). It’s time for a new addition to that list, and this post introduces a weekly compilation of new and good resources to support those of us dealing with school closures. Some will be added to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coron

APR 09

Here’s What I’m Trying Out In My Daily Thirty-Minute Live Online Newcomers Class

Wokandapix / Pixabay Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing different versions of my online teaching plans as they evolve based on experience (see HERE’S MY ONLINE TEACHING PLAN IF OUR SCHOOL CLOSES DOWN BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS and then Here’s The Revised Online Teaching Plan I Hope To Implement Next Week ). Remarkably, the plans I laid-out for my IB Theory of Knowledge classes have gone v
My Latest BAM! Radio Show Is On: “School Closed? Time to Write That Book You’ve Been Considering”

School Closed? Time to Write That Book You’ve Been Considering is the topic of my latest ten-minute BAM! Radio Show. I’m joined in the discussion by Bobson Wong, Tara Dale and Elisabeth Johnson, who have also all contributed written commentaries to my Ed Week Teacher column. In the interest of transparency, I also have to say that the books these three teachers have co-written are modeled on one
Six Potential Models For School Schedules During The COVID-19 Crisis

We’re exploring what kind of schedule we want to institute at our school while we’re closed, and came up with a simple document examining six models. Please check it out and let me know what we’re missing… I’m adding this info to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To Support Teachers Dealing With School Closures.
Video: “7 Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning”

Here’s a video Katie Hull and I just did with Ed Week:
Ed Tech Digest

Eight years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in THE BEST ED TECH RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this

APR 08

“Editors Offer Suggestions to Teachers Who Want to Write a Book”

Editors Offer Suggestions to Teachers Who Want to Write a Book is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Two editors explain what it takes for teachers to get published in the education realm, such as doing homework about the education book field and the publishers, knowing the audience, and focusing the topic. Here are some excerpts:
Four Cool Sites Where Students Can Transcribe Historical Documents

LwcyD / Pixabay Having students transcribe actual historic documents for museums, universities and libraries is a pretty cool learning project for students – it’s certainly an authentic audience. I have many sites that teachers can use at The Best Sites Where Students Can Transcribe Historical Texts . Here are five more that I’m adding to the list: From The Page has about a zillion different proj
The House Of Representatives Has Designated April As “April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month”

Yusril Permana ali The U.S. House of Representatives has designed April as “National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month.” It’s a particularly timely reminder as many English Language Learners face a threat of being short-changed in our transition to online learning (see English-Learners May Be Left Behind as Remote Learning Becomes ‘New Normal’ ). You might also be interested in The Be
“Five Ways to Boost Student Participation in Remote Learning”

Five Ways to Boost Student Participation in Remote Learning is another new column at Education Week Teacher. Helping students form habits and explaining they’ll get a chance to see their friends are just two ways to motivate them to do their online learning, says educator and researcher Harry Fletcher-Wood. Here’s an excerpt:
The Best Videos In Spanish To Help Parents & Students Access Tech In Remote Learning

kaboompics / Pixabay With the mass distribution of Chromebooks around the country, and the subsequent increased use of web tools, lots of our students and their parents may need to learn how to use it all. We’re not in the physical classroom to show students what to do, and Spanish-language videos might be helpful. By the way, I’m adding this post to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To Support Te
Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART ONE and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART TWO. A
CommonLit’s Newly Released Units Could Be A Big Help To English Teachers Cobbling Together Online Curriculum

I’ve written a lot about CommonLit , and it’s on several “Best” lists. They’ve now released some fairly decent one-to-two week units for various grade levels, and are creating more. If you are an English teacher and are looking for some reasonably engaging off-the-shelf curriculum, I’d encourage you to take a look at them. I’m adding them to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To Support Teachers De
Statistic Of The Day: No Surprise, But Lots Of Our Students Don’t Have Internet Access

Thousands of California students still without laptops and Wi-Fi for distance learning is a new article in Ed Source that’s worth reading. The information is no surprise, however, to many teachers, especially those of us who teach in low-income areas where that percentage is certainly higher. Our district hasn’t even distributed Chromebooks to most students yet, much less begun to provide assista

APR 07

“Overcoming Apathy in Remote Teaching”

Overcoming Apathy in Remote Teaching is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. “Tomorrow will come, and you should make every effort to meet it on your own terms to do what you can, for those you can, for as long as you can,” says teacher Susan Scott. Here’s an excerpt:
April 12th Is “International Day of Human Space Flight” – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources

WikiImages / Pixabay The United Nations has declared April 12th to be the International Day of Human Space Flight . You might be interested in: The Best Sites To Learn About The Apollo 11 Moon Landing The Best Sites For Learning About Possible Life On Other Planets The Best Resources For Learning About The Space Shuttle The Best Sites For Learning About The Mars Rover Curiosity The Best Photos &
Most Popular Posts Of The Week

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE THIRTE
New TED-Talk: “A history of Indigenous languages — and how to revitalize them”

geralt / Pixabay I’m adding this new TED Talk from Lindsay Morcom to The Best Resources For International Mother Language Day:

APR 06

“Three Podcasts Supporting Teachers During the Coronavirus”

Three Podcasts Supporting Teachers During the Coronavirus is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. The podcasts feature 11 educators who share their advice on coping with some of the challenges posed by the COVID-19-sparked school closure crisis.
Check Out These “Geography Treasure Hunt” Games

Esri Maps has a series of Geography Treasure Hunt interactive games on various topics. They’re definitely not easy, but I could see some students enjoying them. I’m adding it to The Best Online Geography Games . By the way, I took this opportunity to do a complete revision and update of that list. Thanks to Google Maps Mania for the tip.
It’s “Citizen Science Month” & Here Are A Ton Of Ideas On How To Practice Citizen Science

Alex Kondratiev It’s Citizen Science Month : Global Citizen Science Month (April 2020) is coordinated by SciStarter and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University with support from the National Library of Medicine and in collaboration with the Citizen Science Association, National Geographic, and Science Friday. You might be interested in THE BEST SITES WHERE S
“What Are Your Questions/Concerns About Remote Teaching?”

What Are Your Questions/Concerns About Remote Teaching? is the new question-of-the-week at my Education Week Teacher column. You can leave your questions in the comments section there or here, or use this contact form .
Could These Be Visions Of What Our School Year Might Look Like In The Fall?

I wonder if the NBC News story, South Korea’s return to normal interrupted by uptick in coronavirus cases , holds a clue to what we might be looking at in our next school year. I’m also concerned that it could also look like this: This COULD be important, but right now schools are not going 2 need money for facilities. Instead, they are going 2 desperately need 2 have their budgets 4 personnel bo
NY Times Expands Its Free Subscription Program – Now Every High School Student In The U.S. Can Get One

David Smooke I’ve previously posted about The NY Times program that offers two-year free access to all Title 1 high schools and their students (see If You Teach At A “Title 1 High School,” Your Students & You Can Now Get Free Subscriptions To The NY Times For Two Years! ). Today, they’ve expanded that offer – now all high school students in the United States can get a free online subscription fro
Statistic Of The Day: A Lot Of Students Aren’t Connecting To Our Online Instruction

As School Moves Online, Many Students Stay Logged Out is the headline of an article in today’s NY Times, and it paints a challenging picture that any of us who are making the transition to online teaching already know. Lack of devices and home Internet access, our students having to care for younger siblings, economic stress at home, health issues and many other factors (see The Best Places To Le

APR 05

“Advice for Teachers Who Want to Write a Book”

Advice for Teachers Who Want to Write a Book is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Four educators share advice with active teachers who might want to write a book, including writing when you can, writing simply, and owning a passion for your subject. Here are some excerpts:
SEL Weekly Update

NOTE: Yes, we all need to be focused on the Coronavirus crisis. But it can’t hurt to read about other topics now-and-then. I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART TWO Finally, check
Ramadan Begins On April 23rd – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources

mohamed_hassan / Pixabay This year, Ramadan will begin in the evening of Thursday, April 23rd and it ends in the evening of Saturday, May 23rd. You might be interested in The Best Sites To Teach & Learn About Ramadan .
If You Are A Fan Of “Hamilton,” You Will Want To Watch This Video

Ryan Quintal The whole video is worth watching, but you can also go to the 9:00 minute mark. I’m adding it to The Best Teaching/Learning Resources On The Musical, “Hamilton”
Expansion Of “Smart Compose” To Google Docs Is Great Learning Tool For ELLs, But Not Available To School Users

377053 / Pixabay Most people are probably familiar with the “smart compose” feature in Gmail, where Artificial Intelligence is used to extrapolate the words you might be typing next. It’s much, much better than autocorrect and predictive text on the iPhone. Google recently expanded this feature to some users of Google, primarily businesses. However, they are not planning to do so for schools who
Sunday’s Resources To Help Teachers Cope With The School Closure Crisis

geralt / Pixabay Here are new additions to either The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) – Please Make More Suggestions ! or The “Best Of The Best” Resources To Support Teachers Dealing With School Closures: NYC forbids schools from using Zoom for remote learning due to privacy and security concerns is from Chalkbeat. School districts, including New Yor
The Best Resources For Learning How Black Girls Are Treated Unfairly & What To Do About It

I’ve shared a number of posts over the years about how black girls can be unfairly targeted in schools and, with the new release of a PBS documentary on the topic (see below), I thought it would be useful to bring them together on a “Best” list: How Black Girls Get Pushed Out of School is a NY Times article about this new documentary. Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools is that
This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Ed Policy Issues

Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in THE BEST ARTICLES, VIDEOS & POSTS ON EDUCATION POLICY IN 2019 – PART TWO ): Schools, the Coronavirus, and the Near Future (Part 1) and Schools, the Coronavirus, and the Near Future (Part 2) are both from Larry Cuban. DeVos Weighs Waivers for Special Education. Parents Are Worried. is from
Easter & Passover Are Coming Up – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources

annca / Pixabay Easter and Passover are coming up over the next few days. You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About Easter & Passover .

APR 04

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART ONE and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART TWO. A
My Latest BAM! Radio Show Is On “Teaching ELLs Online: What’s Working?”

Teaching ELLs Online: What’s Working? is the topic of my latest ten-minute BAM! Radio show. I’m joined by Sam Olbes, Helen Vassiliou, Sarah Said, and Nicholas Fotopoulis, who have also all contributed written commentaries to my Education Week Teacher column. I’m adding this show to All My BAM Radio Shows – Linked With Descriptions . By the way, the show is now available on iHeartRadio .
I’ve Sent This Video About Making Face Masks To All My Students

coyot / Pixabay As you probably know, the Centers For Disease Control yesterday recommended that people in the U.S. start wearing face masks in certain situations where we are near other people, like in a grocery story. It’s not easy to find them to purchase now, and The Surgeon General just put out a forty-five second video showing how anyone can make one quickly and simply. I’ve sent it out to


These Are Great! Six Free Tools Teachers & Students Can Use To Learn English, Spanish & Other Languages During The Coronavirus Crisis

thisisprabha / Pixabay I’ve previously shared the tools I’m having my English Language Learners use to develop their language skills (see Here’s The Revised Online Teaching Plan I Hope To Implement Next Week and HERE’S 
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007