Instructify

BY GRETCHEN SCHAEFER

When it comes to professional development for colleagues, it can often be challenging to explain to others a service that seems simple to a techie. As part of its Learning Initiative, Educause (an organization devoted to advancing higher education with information technology) offers its monthly 7 Things You Should Know About… series of PDFs, which break down emerging technologies into an easy-to-understand format, describing not only what the new technology does, but why it matters in education.

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BY BILL FERRIS

For many teachers, summer vacation is the Super Bowl of job perks. You’ve worked hard at a demanding job, and now get some well-earned time to relax.

This year, though, the economy has become the fingernail in teachers’ bowls of soup. A lot of educators have lost their jobs, and many worry that more cuts are on the way. While you can’t control who gets laid off, you can use your summer months to make yourself as valuable an employee as possible.

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BY BILL FERRIS

Students have gotten used to doing things electronically. Your classroom doesn’t have to be an exception thanks to LectureTools, a learning management thingy from the University of Michigan.

Developers designed LectureTools with huge, impersonal college lecture courses in mind. However, there’s a lot here that K-12 teachers can use, too (though some of them would probably be best suited for 1:1 laptop environments). (more…)

With May comes commencement, and with commencement comes new teachers. Armed with crisp diplomas, a government-issued teaching certificate, and big plans for September, it’s always good to have some resources for that first job. Scholastic’s New Teacher Zone should be bookmarked by newly minted teachers as well as veterans.

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In these very difficult economic times, education is feeling the pinch. In my district alone, we’ve had to trim nearly $15 million from the budget over the past two years. The unfortunate thing is when funds get tight, opportunities for professional development go by the wayside. 1105Media is trying to change that.

1105 MEDIA provides integrated business-to-business information and media. They are also the company responsible for putting on many technology conferences throughout the country, including the Florida Educational Technology Conference held in Orlando each January. FETC is one of the largest and longest-running conventions of its kind. FETC brings together educators from all over the world to talk about everything technology. Up until now, you had to spend quite a bit of cash to get to enjoy the offerings at FETC. This is about to change.

On April 23 from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. EST, the award-winning producers of FETC and T.H.E. Journal invite you to participate in a FREE virtual conference for K-12 educators and technology staff exploring the most pressing issues related to 21st Century Skills. The FETC Virtual Conference and Expo 2009 promises to be almost as good as attending a conference in person. There will be a keynote speaker, from Dr. Steven Paine, State Superintendent of West Virginia Department of Education, and many other break-out sessions to attend…all virtually. “No travel expenses. No line. No out-of-office downtime. It’s 100 percent online and interactive.” There will also be a virtual exhibit hall where you can check out the vendors’ products, enter drawings, and be able to pick up their information.

Registration is required ahead of time. You can access the registration site by clicking here.

I would also strongly suggest checking out the demo, which gives you an inside look at the conference and how this whole thing is going to work.

Be sure to clear your calendar on April 23, 2009 from 11 a.m. until  7 p.m. EST for what should be an excellent professional development opportunity.

Everyone would agree that learning is important. If we didn’t, none of us would be doing what we do. But are we practicing what we preach to our students? Are we, as educators, continuing our education in the same way we urge our students to do every day? In the past, unless you were willing to shell out thousands and thousands of dollars for additional schooling, continuing education was tough to come by. Not anymore.

Academic Earth is an organization founded with the goal of giving everyone on earth access to a world-class education. In conjunction with top-level universities such as MIT and Princeton, Academic Earth brings the best content together in one place and creates an environment where that content is remarkably easy to use.

There are thousands of lectures currently available from the world’s top scholars. You may already be familiar with the MIT Open Courseware project or the Open Yale courses, which make thousands and thousands of lectures and courses available online for free. Academic Earth includes these resources but has added lectures from Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton and Stanford.

Currently, 17 subjects are represented ranging from Astronomy to Religion. All subjects include individual lectures, but many of them also offer entire courses. For example, if you’re interested in Computer Science, you can view all 32 lectures in Introduction to Computer Science I by David J. Malan at Harvard — for free. All of the videos at AE can be shared to a Facebook page, emailed, or embedded into a blog or wiki. Academic Earth also gives users the ability to create your own custom play list to make future visits a tad easier.

So the next time you’ve got the urge to learn a little about “The Fourier Transform and its applications” or “Convex Optimization,” Academic Earth is the place to go. - JERRY SWIATEK

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As a teacher, you have a wonderful, and enviable, situation over the summer – so much time! One way to fill some of your time is to attend the Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Academy. This is a free, week-long session of professional development open to all North Carolina teachers. There are two options for attendance — the Mountain Academy in Asheville, or the Coastal Academy in New Bern. The Academy is organized through the NC Forestry Association and the Forestry and Environmental Outreach Program at NC State.

During your week of professional development, you’ll learn about all aspects of forestry — from the ecology of forests, to the importance of managing forests for different purposes, to the making of all sorts of products from the forest. If you think like I did before attending the Academy, you might think forestry and foresters are bad. You won’t completely shake that bias during the workshop — most of the sponsors and cooperating agencies have to do with managing or profiting from forests — but you will learn about a positive side of forestry that you probably didn’t think about before. Also, the organizers do an excellent job of providing curriculum resources so that you can integrate what you’re learning into many subject areas in your classroom. Throughout the whole week, you’ll be treated very well — nice lodging, nice meals, and great networking opportunities. I can vouch for this workshop from personal experience because I attended a few years ago.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and participants will be notified by May 8, 2009. This workshop will be a great way for you to hug a tree, and get CEUs while you do it. –REBECCAH HAINES

Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Academy

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List of Educational Web 2.0 Apps to Jumpstart Your Productivity - From DiplomaGuide.com comes this list of 25 Web 2.0 tools you can use to get more productive. The 25 items are divided into categories including Note Taking, Organization and Homework, so these apps all have students in mind. You’ll find some familiars here, like Google Docs and Facebook, but there are also some neat and simple tools like The Awesome Highlighter, which lets you highlight text on webpages.

10 Things You Shouldn’t Buy New - We’re all feeling the crunch these days, and tightening our belts doesn’t just mean buying the generic brand of Ramen noodles. From MSN Money comes a list of 10 things you shouldn’t buy new, whether it seems like a deal or not. Books, toys and jewelry are all on this list. Makes sense to me.

5 Ways to Avoid Change in 2009 - Okay, so you and I both probably said “whaaattt?” when we read the title of this post, but not to worry, this LifeHack article is a tongue-in-cheek list of ways you can fall victim to being stuck in your old and unproductive, unchallenging ways. ‘09 seems to be a time when a lot of people are excited for something new, so get on the boat and figure out some things you might be doing to anchor yourself down.

100 Best DIY Sites on the Web - Here’s a list of some of the best do-it-yourself sites out there, courtesy of Bootstrapper. They’ve got everything from Arts & Crafts to Tech to the ever popular Lifehacking. This list has some good DIY tools and tips available, all amidst some of the sites you might already be enjoying, such as 43 Folders or Makezine. Who knows what fun class projects you might be able to find in this mega-list? -JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Photo credit: Stewf on Flickr

Most of us have heard of Twitter. The micro-blogging tool has become relatively famous for its users’ coverage of the earthquake in China and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, but what you may not be aware of is its power as a tool for educational professional development.

My district was in the same boat as many throughout the world — we had a budget in ruins. This lack of cash meant that, unfortunately, professional development was put on the chopping block.  This is when I discovered the power of Twitter.

Back in September, distraught at the notion of no professional development, I turned to the great list of educational technology people I follow in Twitter. On this single day in September, I virtually attended (on UStream) the Learn2CN conference in Shanghai, China and later that day, an educational technology conference in Pennsylvania, all from the cushy chair in my office and most importantly, at no cost to anyone. I’d discovered the most important tool in my toolbox.

The most frequent question asked by educators about Twitter is “How do I find people to follow?” Fortunately, there are several excellent resources to find educators from around the world.

The best is a wiki entitled twitter4teachers. This incredible wiki lists Twitter users by the subjects they teach. This is a great way to find people with the same interests you have, which will allow for excellent resource sharing. The subjects range from administrators to media specialists to music teachers. This would be the place to start your trek into Twitter.

Educators on Twitter is a public Google spreadsheet that lists educators from all over the world. The spreadsheet contains their name, Twitter name, and a bunch of information about where they live and what they teach.

A third resource is Just Tweet It!.  JustTweetIt breaks their listings down into a directory containing much more than just educators. They do have a section dedicated to education. The list here is huge but is not meticulously broken into categories like twitter4teachers. It’s still a nice place to start.

If this all seems a bit overwhelming right now, it is. The key is sticking with Twitter for a couple of months. You’ll discover that this is an amazing solution to cash-strapped budgets and their lack of dollars for professional development.

Oh yeah…shameless plug: You can follow me here, and you can follow LEARN NC/Instructify here. -JERRY SWIATEK

Twitter

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So one day you’re checking your mailbox at school and there is a letter from central office delineating your CEUs. You scan it and see that you’re in good shape except…yikes! Renewal is due at the end of this school year and you’re short some content area credits. What are you going to do? Never fear, NSTA’s Web Seminars are here.

Like everything else produced by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), these seminars are well worth the time — and of that they don’t take much. The seminars are offered on weekday evenings and typically last one-and-a-half hours. You can participate in them from home (in your PJs if you like), and they’re free to everyone! What could be better?

The seminar topics should appeal to a wide range of science teachers — from elementary to high school level. While NSTA hosts, coordinates, and provides reliable technical support for the seminars, they are taught by experts in the field, or produced by such big name organizations as NASA, NOAA, and the FDA to mention a few. If you can’t decide which seminar would be most useful, you can see the state standard correlations for each topic in order to help you select the best one. The seminars are presented using the Elluminate platform. The program allows you to hear and see the lecturer, their slides and diagrams, and chat with other seminar participants. Once you sign up for a seminar, NSTA will guide you through setting up and using the program both before and on the day of the seminar.

Still not enough time to take the seminar live? See one on the list that you missed? Well, luckily, the seminars are also archived so you can still view the ones you missed.

All in all, this is a very painless way to accrue content area CEUs. The seminars are interesting and relevant, not to mention quick and free. So, when that dreaded renewal notice comes, you’ll be prepared with a great way to catch up on some professional development. –REBECCAH HAINES

NSTA’s Web Seminars

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So one day you’re checking your mailbox at school and there is a letter from central office delineating your CEUs. You scan it and see that you’re in good shape except…yikes! Renewal is due at the end of this school year and you’re short some content area credits. What are you going to do? Never fear, NSTA’s Web Seminars are here.

Like everything else produced by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), these seminars are well worth the time — and of that they don’t take much. The seminars are offered on weekday evenings and typically last one-and-a-half hours. You can participate in them from home (in your PJs if you like), and they’re free to everyone! What could be better?

The seminar topics should appeal to a wide range of science teachers — from elementary to high school level. While NSTA hosts, coordinates, and provides reliable technical support for the seminars, they are taught by experts in the field, or produced by such big name organizations as NASA, NOAA, and the FDA to mention a few. If you can’t decide which seminar would be most useful, you can see the state standard correlations for each topic in order to help you select the best one. The seminars are presented using the Elluminate platform. The program allows you to hear and see the lecturer, their slides and diagrams, and chat with other seminar participants. Once you sign up for a seminar, NSTA will guide you through setting up and using the program both before and on the day of the seminar.

Still not enough time to take the seminar live? See one on the list that you missed? Well, luckily, the seminars are also archived so you can still view the ones you missed.

All in all, this is a very painless way to accrue content area CEUs. The seminars are interesting and relevant, not to mention quick and free. So, when that dreaded renewal notice comes, you’ll be prepared with a great way to catch up on some professional development. –REBECCAH HAINES

NSTA’s Web Seminars

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Looking for some money for your professional development or classroom? The NEA has a grant program that could help you out. They have several grants available for educators, including:

Learning & Leadership Grants: provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study.

Student Achievement Grants: provide $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.

Some recent winners used grant money for teacher training for the Numeracy Project (a program from New Zealand); implementnig a faculty mentorship program; and training in a culture program in Italy for a foreign language instructor.

Application deadlines are February 1, 2009 and June 6, 2009. -ALICE MERCER

The NEA Foundation Grants

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If you read Instructify every day, it’s safe to say you like finding nifty tools for your classroom. Believe it or not, there are more places than this one to find out about these resources (wait, don’t leave! Come back!).

Vicki Davis, owner of the Cool Cat Teacher Blog, is one such teacher who enjoys spreading the word about useful ed-technology. This Thursday, August 28 at 8 p.m., you can talk to her live and sort-of-in-person via Second Life in her presentation, “New School Year: Cool Tools Here.” Davis will share some of the tools and tips she (and hopefully you too) will use this coming year.

Davis’ session is part of “The Future Is Already Here,” a series of interactive professional development sessions from USDLC (you might remember their session, “BANNED in the Bookhenge” from earlier this year). The series is designed to give teachers a chance to hear from and talk with outstanding teachers who integrate technology such as Web 2.0, 1:1 computing, robotics, or serious gaming / 3D Web into their everyday teaching.

If you’re not sure about this whole social networking through Second Life thing, you can still take part through Internet radio and chat at  www.Literacy2Learn.org. USDLC plans more of these events throughout the year, so keep checking back. Isn’t it nice to know there are so many places to find out about great tech resources for teachers? All I ask is that you don’t forget about Instructify. -BILL FERRIS

Cool Cat Teacher Blog

The Future Is Already Here

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8 Essential Skills They Didn’t Teach You In School
School’s important, but there are some lessons it doesn’t cover. Your students — and maybe you, too — can try adding a few soft skills to the ol’ resume after reading this list. These skills are useful to folks of any age. I found some I’m already doing (listening to audiobooks while driving or doing mundane tasks) and a few I need to work on (networking). Defining the problem is half the battle, so if you feel you’re deficient in any of these skills, now’s as good a time as any to shore them up.

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The interweb as we know it today is a ripe old 5,000 days old. We’ve come a long way since Prodigy, baby. Wonder what the next 5,000 days hold? Check out this TED Talks video.

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Speaking of TED, they’re an all-around compendium of awesome videos, tantalizing us with what’s possible. Here’s a handy Top 10 list, courtesy of Mike Stopforth, of cool, inspiring TED Talks to get you excited about the coming school year.

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40 Quick Tips for Career Happiness and Success - Sickeningly adorable blogger couple Marc and Angel present this great list to offer advice on making sure you are living the dream job you’ve always wanted. Be sure to check out some of their other nauseatingly optimistic musings over at Marc and Angel Hack Life.

More than 100 Free Places to Learn Online - and Counting - A new presenter for MBTN - and hopefully, a repeat player - Mission to Learn gives us this list of great online learning resources. The article presents the sites in a very organized way, with categories ranging from How-To’s to Higher Education. Things get even more specific in the Topic Areas, which cover such things to know as Art, Law or Theology. Finally, I can learn to wakeboard online without having to get my toes wet.

Ten Whatchamacallits and Their Real Names - A few months ago, I noted to our friend Bill that the little thing on the end of your shoelace was called an “aglet.” Right now, spell-check isn’t recognizing this word, and back then, neither did Bill. It was just one of those things I knew. Now, thanks to The List Universe, you can know that one and nine others. I love information like this, and I hope you do too.

10 Simple Ways to Save Yourself From Messing Up Your Life - I know, I know, Lifehack; I’m botching everything by not doing this or doing too much of that. Maybe if there were an article that could give me some tips to stop being so focused on failure and to start seeing the brighter side, I might be able to dig myself out from this merciless toil. What? There is an article about it? Yay! -JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

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