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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 5, 2012 12:34 AM
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By Tom Whitby "I was a reluctant blogger. I needed to be pushed into doing it. I saw no need to put myself at the mercy of the public scrutinizing: my every idea, my every word, my every mistake. I also did not believe that, even if I managed to start a Blog, I could sustain it with any substantial ideas over a period of time. That was 136 blog posts and two years ago. That number does not include guest posts done for other Blogs. What I learned and appreciate more than any other thing that I get from blogging is that I write for me. It is a reflective, personal endeavor. I made the choice to open my blog to public scrutiny. I encourage comments to my ideas, to affirm, or further reflect on those ideas based on the reader comments. Testing my ideas in public is testing I can believe in. Of course I can take that position because pretty much most of what I have written has been fairly well received in over 2,000 comments."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 3, 2012 6:26 PM
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Edited by Shane Arthur, Sean Platt, and David Wright This is a nifty site that aims to help writers hone their craft. Every Monday and Thursday, the editors "create blog posts that contain 10 random words or phrases.In the comment section, you create and submit a cohesive, creative short story tying all the words together." All the submitted writings, including comments from readers, are posted for the world to see. This could yield a good deal of stimulation for young writers, middle school and up. They can submit their writings (with real or psuedonyms) for comment, comment on already submittied writing, practice offline, and develop their own online versions of this exercise. Teachers can use the already submitted stories as examples of good, bad, and in-between writing for students to analyze and critique. All in all, Creative Copy Challenge seems like a refreshing change of pace for practicing/learning how to write better. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 2, 2012 3:51 PM
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Tim Bedley offers practical videos and other matierials for teaching writing to 4th and 5th graders. Topics for videos include: -Writing a multi-paragraph essay -Critiquing and essay -How to take notes from informational text -Writing a theme multiparagraph essay -Summarizing from a source (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4) And the ever popular...Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes (previously scooped). -JL
There is nothing much rewarding for students than to see their accomplished work being published and celebrated with others. This is very much motivating and is a strong impetus for them to achieve more and work harder. Can you imagine how happy a student would be to share his classroom work with his parents in a neat and clean online platform that they access anywhere and anytime ?
There are several online tools that you as a teacher can use to host your students work and share them with the whole class and as well as parents .Below are some tools that can help you do that. Check them out :
Via Heiko Idensen
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
August 2, 2012 9:36 AM
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From the NY Times Learning Network By Katherine Schulten "The U.S. Department of Education has declared August Connected Educator Month, and since we’d be nothing without the teachers we’ve connected with over the years, we’re enthusiastically on board. "To celebrate, we asked every educator who has written a guest post for us, been featured in a Reader Idea, or collaborated on one of our features to answer two simple questions: "What is one important thing you’ve learned from someone in your Personal Learning Network (P.L.N.), however you define that network? "What one person, group or organization would you recommend every educator add to his or her P.L.N.? "Reading their responses, below, is a crash course in how to be a “connected educator.” By our count, together they’ve recommended more than 100 people, organizations, sites and other resources you can learn from right now, as well as shared insights on how to learn from them. "So read what they have to say, follow the links to their work both within and outside The Learning Network, and, when you’re done, tell us how you’d answer those two questions yourself. Like the connected educators we are, we’ll then share some of our favorite responses on Twitter, via @NYTimesLearning."
By Gregory Ciotti This blog post is generally aimed at a marketing audience, but within it is much wisdom regarding the power of storytelling and how to do it well. It also contains numerous links to relevant research. Very nice job. -JL
Via Dennis Richards
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 31, 2012 2:27 PM
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By Deb Lund "As a school librarian and classroom teacher, I often hired authors to speak to my students, and I witnessed the growth that took place during and after school author visits. I have several observations on what school author visits can do for students, and I’d love to hear your observations, too."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 31, 2012 2:06 PM
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By Jane Friedman "Last week, we asked you to share your favorite writing prompts or exercises—and more than 70 of you responded via the blog, Facebook, and Twitter! Thank you. The randomly selected winner of the Miro journals is Catherine Campbell. "Below, we’ve selected some prompts that are either unique or that represent common approaches in the prompts that you shared (e.g., using photos or visuals as a story spark). We’ve also compiled a list of the resources you shared with us—look for that at the end of this post."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 30, 2012 9:54 AM
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'Nuff said. -JL Scooped from Educational Leadership 2.0.
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 29, 2012 12:26 PM
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By Maria Popova "The newly released volume of Susan Sontag’s diaries, As Consciousness Is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980 (public library), from whence Sontag’s thoughtful meditations on censorship and aphorisms came, is an absolute treasure trove of rare insight into one of the greatest minds in modern history. Among the tome’s greatest gifts are Sontag’s thoughts on the art, craft, and ideology of writing. "Unlike more prescriptive takes, like previously examined advice by Kurt Vonnegut, John Steinbeck, and David Ogilvy, Sontag’s reflections are rather meditative — sometimes turned inward, with introspective curiosity, and other times outward, with a lens on the broader literary landscape — yet remarkably rich in cultural observation and universal wisdom on the writing process, somewhere between Henry Miller’s creative routine, Jack Kerouac’s beliefs and techniques, George Orwell’s four motives for writing, and E. B. White’s vision for the responsibility of the writer."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 26, 2012 2:52 PM
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By Tracy Wagner Summary by Accomplished Teacher "Tracy Wagner, the English and history program director at a school in Boston, in this blog post writes about her experience during a summer program in which she used the immigration debate to teach students about writing. Equally important to the writing lessons, she says, was a focus on talk. Students discussed and debated articles and issues related to the immigration law -- helping to develop their critical-thinking skills, which in turn benefited their writing."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 25, 2012 10:27 AM
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From the website "We are excited to announce that Sir Ken Robinson's speech at the AERO conference in Portland next Friday, August 3, will be broadcast LIVE on the internet for anyone to watch at 6:30pm Pacific time/9:30pm Eastern time "Sir Ken Robinson will be sharing his thoughts with the AERO conference audience on how to find the catalyst for the education revolution and YOU can watch too! Next week we will announce the link, but get excited now. "The live-stream of Sir Ken Robinson's speech from the AERO conference in Portland will be a very exciting--and probably FUNNY--event so invite your friends, co-workers, family, neighbors, and anyone else over to your place or another location with internet and a screen for a SIR KEN ROBINSON WATCH PARTY!
Friday August 3, 2012
6:30pm PST/9:30pm EST"
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Teaching Digital Writing
July 23, 2012 1:11 AM
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"NewLits.org is a wiki space created to collaboratively develop a rich range of specialist resources for middle school language arts/literacy educators (typically Grades 5 to 8). These resources focus variously and broadly on new literacies and digital technologies. “'New literacies' in the sense used here are literacy practices mediated by digital technologies (e.g., blogging, gaming, social networking), or that are newly recognized as literacies due to their increased ubiquity as a practice (e.g., fanfiction writing, live action role-plays)" More...
Via Karen LaBonte
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 3, 2012 6:37 PM
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By Jeff Gerke "Many beginning novelists think of the climax of their story as one single, explosive event. While that’s true to a degree, the climax of a novel actually has four components: -The run-up to the climactic moment (last-minute maneuvering to put the pieces in their final positions) -The main character’s moment of truth (the inner journey point toward which the whole story has been moving) -The climactic moment itself (in which the hero directly affects the outcome) -The immediate results of the climactic moment (the villain might be vanquished, but the roof is still collapsing)."
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 2, 2012 4:57 PM
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[This looks very promising.]
Point and click to create a feedback comment sheet. Provide your students with exceptional feedback, and reduce your grading time with Essay Grader.
Via Heiko Idensen
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 2, 2012 2:23 PM
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By Kerri Flinchbaugh Summary by ASCD SmartBrief "An object-writing exercise can be a powerful educational tool for engaging in personal reflection while interacting with a community of writers, offers writing program administrator and former teacher Kerri Flinchbaugh, who recently participated in a collaborative object-writing activity. In this blog post, Flinchbaugh provides a step-by-step guide for a classroom object-writing lesson, from selecting the object to involving students in creating the assessment rubric." This is a great idea on so many levels. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
August 1, 2012 6:20 PM
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From the Executive Summary "To be successful, students today need strong literacy skills, and also need to be able to use these skills as tools for ongoing learning. This report builds on Writing Next by identifying writing practices found to be effective in helping students increase their reading skills and comprehension. We hope that besides providing classroom teachers with research-supported information about how writing can improve reading, our data will stimulate discussion and action at the policy and research levels, leading to the greater use of writing as a tool for enhancing reading and a greater emphasis on the teaching of writing in our nation’s schools."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Writing Tools
July 31, 2012 2:42 PM
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A list of the top 101 websites for English & Language Arts (ELA) chosen by real teachers from prominent LinkedIn groups.
Via Steven Engravalle, Lori Johnson
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 31, 2012 2:20 PM
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By Erika Gomez-Schanne A detailed overview for elementary eductors on how to set up and conduct Writing Workshop, complete with numerous links to additional, more detailed, resources. Very good starting point for those desiring to get started with the workshop approach to developing their young writers. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 31, 2012 1:17 PM
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No tech, just cards in a box...but such a good tool. Smart people like you will figure out how to imvolve tech in this process. Certainly the writing can be online. There is a version for kids and also for young adults/adults. -JL From the website: "The Storymatic is a writing prompt, a teaching tool, a parlor game, and a toy. Combine a few of the 500+ cards, and watch a story take shape before your eyes. No wires. No screens. No batteries… Just a box of pure imagination. "The basics of The Storymatic could not be easier. First, draw two gold cards. Combine the information on the two cards to create your main character. For example, if you draw "surgeon" and "amateur boxer," your character is a surgeon who is also a boxer. Next, draw one or two copper cards. Let the information on the cards lead you into a story. Wild cards are interspersed throughout, and they prompt you to go in directions you might not ordinarily go. "There are literally trillions of stories in The Storymatic. That's a lot of stories, but there's one thing missing--a person like you to tell them. The booklet that comes with each Storymatic is filled with prompts, suggestions, and games for writers, teachers, visual artists, and anybody who likes to tell stories and play games."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 30, 2012 9:46 AM
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Presented by IDEO and Riverdale Country School "Design Thinking is a mindset. "Design Thinking is the confidence that everyone can be part of creating a more desirable future, and a process to take action when faced with a difficult challenge. That kind of optimism is well needed in education. "Classrooms and schools across the world are facing design challenges every single day, from teacher feedback systems to daily schedules. Wherever they fall on the spectrum of scale—the challenges educators are confronted with are real, complex, and varied. And as such, they require new perspectives, new tools, and new approaches. Design Thinking is one of them. "The Design Thinking Toolkit for Educators "This toolkit contains the process and methods of design, adapted specifically for the context of K-12 education. It offers new ways to be intentional and collaborative when designing, and empowers educators to create impactful solutions. "At IDEO, we’ve been using similar processes, methods and tools for years in tackling some dauntingly complex challenges. More often than not, we’ve experienced how Design Thinking helps to get to the next step. That’s why we are excited to see how it can impact the world of education. The partnership with Riverdale Country School has enabled us to create this toolkit and make it publicly available. "This is an invitation to experiment with the design process. Let it inspire you to approach challenges differently, and experience how Design Thinking adds a new perspective to your work." Download the Design Thinking Toolkit for Education from the large black rectangle near the center of this webpage. -JL
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Scooped by
Jim Lerman
July 27, 2012 5:46 PM
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By Dennis G. Jerz "There were four basic types of portable writing desks. The simplest consists of a box with a sloping lid, hinged at either top or bottom; if the hinge is at the top, the lid serves as the writing surface, but if the hinge is at the bottom, the lid folds down and acts as a writing slope or surface. A second type has two lids: the outside lid folds down to form a writing slope that extends the writing surface of the inside lid; in turn, the inside lid folds down to reveal a space for writing materials. The third and most common type of writing desk is a rectangle box divided on a slant and hinged at the center; when the writer opens the box, the two halves form a solid writing surface; both halves of the desk have storage space for writing materials. The fourth type, also typically shaped like a rectangle, is composed of three sections: the top section raises into an upright position and can, for example, hold stationery or, in the case of a combination desk, serve as a a dressing case or sewing case; in this type of desk, the second section, which folds down, forms a continuous writing surface with the third section."
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 25, 2012 10:03 PM
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From the FAQ "An ordinary thesaurus provides synonyms and near synonyms, usually only for single words, often without offering much information about when to use these terms. Try looking up the word “break” in a conventional thesaurus. Then look up “businesses are asking for tax breaks” in the Contextual Thesaurus. You will see the difference." This appears to be quite a useful writing tool produced by Microsoft. A really wonderful device when one is searching for a variety of ways to express the same idea. -JL
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Rescooped by
Jim Lerman
from Into the Driver's Seat
July 25, 2012 10:08 AM
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Robin Good: Must-read article on ClutterMuseum.com by Leslie M-B, exploring in depth the opportunity to have students master their selected topics by "curating" them, rather than by reading and memorizing facts about them. "Critical and creative thinking should be prioritized over remembering content" "That students should learn to think for themselves may seem like a no-brainer to many readers, but if you look at the textbook packages put out by publishers, you’ll find that the texts and accompanying materials (for both teachers and students) assume students are expected to read and retain content—and then be tested on it. Instead, between middle school (if not earlier) and college graduation, students should practice—if not master—how to question, critique, research, and construct an argument like an historian." This is indeed the critical point. Moving education from an effort to memorize things on which then to be tested, to a collaborative exercise in creating new knowledge and value by pulling and editing together individual pieces of content, resources and tools that allow the explanation/illustration of a topic from a specific viewpoint/for a specific need. And I can't avoid to rejoice and second her next proposition: "What if we shifted the standards’ primary emphasis from content, and not to just the development of traditional skills—basic knowledge recall, document interpretation, research, and essay-writing—but to the cultivation of skills that challenge students to make unconventional connections, skills that are essential for thriving in the 21st century?" What are these skills, you may ask. Here is a good reference where to look them up: http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf (put together by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills) Recommended. Good stuff. 9/10 Full article: www.cluttermuseum.com/make-students-curators/ (Image credit: Behance.net)
Via Robin Good, João Greno Brogueira, Daniel Tan, Jim Lerman
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