Last week I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the The Rising Stars Summit from the Office of English Language Learners in Washington D.C. where I presented on teaching writing in the context of the Open Court Reading Program as part of a larger presentation by my colleagues on a four year grant …
Category: Educational Technology
Give A Laptop Get a Laptop
This has been well publicized elsewhere but in case you missed it… One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a non-profit organization which allows you to donate a $200 laptop to third world countries. Right now they’re running a promotion where you can pay $400 and get a laptop for yourself and send one to someone …
CUELA Tech Fair
Chris Walsh’s keynote was terrific. He spoke about how television has been evolving. From the one story episodes of Dragnet to the multiple threads of the Sopranos, TV audiences are getting smarter. And yet teachers are still teaching like the one thread of Dragnet. See Chris’s blog entry about this or read the book, Everything …
The New Blog in Town
Welcome to Frank Guttler and American Film Institute’s Screen Education Program to the world of blogging.Now there’s another place to gain exposure to AFI’s screen education process. Interesting posts include a debate on which is the better film, The Princess Bride or Pulp Fiction and a comparison between visual language and the printed word: Visit …
Digital Storytelling Educational Technology Media Literacy Open Court Reading Video in the Classroom
Apple School Night
Tuesday, November 6th is my fourth Apple School Night but my first at my new school.  Those who attended in the past have enjoyed the event.  This is the first time I am going in November instead of the spring which means I’ve had less time to put the event together but we do have some special projects …
It’s a Low Tech Life
I’m reposting this one…If you like it, do vote for them as per comment below. Here’s an amusing parody of “It’s a Hard Knock Life” created by an elementary school teacher and her classroom. Most of us can relate.
CUELA Tech Fair–Not Too Late to Sign Up
It’s not too late to sign up for the CUELA (Computer Using Educators: Los Angeles) Tech Fair, this coming Saturday, November 3rd. In additon to my workshop on Integrating Technology in the Open Court Reading Program there are several other fantastic classes being offered. The whole day costs only $50. It’s a chance to meet …
Revive Dead Links: Get Free Reader’s Theater Now!
I’ve been aware of Archive.org’s Way Back Machine for awhile but only this month has it really come to my rescue. For the uninitiated, the “Way Back Machine” captures web pages at various times throughout the past four or five years or so. I used to use it to see my old web page designs. …
Free Professional Development Podcast
There are many professional development podcast but I’ve recently found a cool podcast on iTunes which can be used for professional development (your own or others’) and relates to your work teaching phonemic awareness and conepts of print. These podcasts do require iTunes. What are podcasts? Podcasts are essentially downloadable movies, TV shows, or radio …
Virtual Guest Speaker: Videoconferencing Made Easy
Having a guest speaker is a fantastic way to open up your unit. Students get to hear from someone besides you and your guest is probably an expert in the field. However, it is hard to get someone to come to school but it’s easier to get someone to appear virtually via video conferencing for …