July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Graphic Organizers is the title of an excellent article by Tracey Hall & Nicole Strangman. It gives an overview of graphic organizers and research study results on their effectiveness.
I’m adding it to Not “The Best,” But “A List” Of Mindmapping, Flow Chart Tools, & Graphic Organizers.
Thanks to Diana Dell for the tip.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Blippr is a site where users can write reviews of computer applications, games, music, movies and books.
I’m adding it to The Best Places Where Students Can Write For An “Authentic Audience”.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
The Connected Classroom is the latest addition to The Best Collections Of Web 2.0 Tools For Education.
Kristin Hokanson has put together quite an impressive wiki.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
This collection of academic word list exercises includes crosswords, matching, clozes, and more.
It’s a great addition to The Best Websites For Developing Academic English Skills & Vocabulary.
Thanks to Nik Peachey for the tip.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Mashable has just written an excellent post titled Twitter for Beginners: 5 Steps for Better Tweeting.
I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Beginning To Learn What Twitter Is All About.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Here are a couple of more additions to The Best Sites To Learn About The Apollo 11 Moon Landing (After today I’ll stop writing posts about new sites I’m adding to that list:
ESOL Courses has a very nice reading, along with comprehension questions, on the lunar landing. I like it a lot. In fact, the whole site is a good one and is worth a visit. I’ve added a direct link to their vocabulary picture quizzes to my website under Vocabulary.
Celebrating Apollo 11′s Return To Earth is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Here are recent additions to The Best places to learn Web 2.0 basics list:
Educational Origami has several very nice printable Starter Sheets on using different Web 2.0 tools.
Here are several Common Craft videos that simply explain several Web 2.0 tools. I’ve mentioned these before, but it’s possible that these versions might be more likely to get through some school content filters.
Miguel Guhlin has put together an excellent collection of useful videos.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Sue Waters — edtech guru extrordinaire — has just begun yet another blog for Edublogs. It’s called The Campus.
I’ll just quote a little about what she wrote in her first post there, though I’d suggest you check out the blog itself and subscribe, too:
“So… with The Edublogger over a year old, we thought that it was about time to consider not only the individuals out there using blogs in their teaching, research and general educational contexts – but also the innovative, progressive and exciting institutions that are using blogs, and the people who are driving them forward. So that’s what this blog is going to be about – using blogs in an educational organisational context.”
It sounds good to me, especially since Alice Mercer and I are hoping to use Edublogs Campus at our schools in Sacramento this year.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Here are a couple of more additions to The Best Sites To Learn About The Apollo 11 Moon Landing:
The Times of London has a good slideshow on the mission. (Thanks to The English Blog for the tip)
The Wall Street Journal has an interactive called “Mission: Moon” and a slideshow titled With Their Steps Came Great Relief on Earth.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
4 Comments
We teach a unit on Nelson Mandela in our mainstream ninth-grade English classes (which also include many English Language Learners). Since yesterday was his 91st birthday, I thought I’d quickly pull together a “The Best…” list of accessible sites about him.
You can find also find these links, along with many others, in the Nelson Mandela section of my website.
Here are my choices for The Best Sites For Learning About Nelson Mandela:
This is an impressive interactive from CBS News about his life.
CBS has a video of his first inauguration as President of South Africa.
The BBC has an excellent multimedia timeline of Mandela’s life.
A student-created site has a short accessible biography.
Here’s another simple biography from a student-created site.
A piece from TIME for Kids provides a simple overview of the country of South Africa and its history.
TIME Magazine has a good audio slideshow made on his 90th birthday.
The Biography Channel has some good Mandela resources.
This is a great series of a combination comic book/video/audio narrations about his life, and may be my favorite link on this list.
The Los Angeles Times has a good audio slideshow on Mandela’s release from prison.
How Stuff Works has a series of videos about Mandela.
CNN has a huge number of resources on Mandela.
Students can try this simple game after they’ve learned about Mandela’s life.
This is a good Internet Scavenger Hunt on South Africa that would be accessible to ELL’s.
Here’s the link to another accessible Internet Scavenger Hunt.
U.N. Creates Nelson Mandela Day is a new lesson from Breaking News English.
I’m sure most people are aware of the new movie “Invictus,” starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, that portrays Nelson Mandela’s effort to help unite his country through a rugby team’s effort to win the world championship. There’s an excellent clip from the movie that highlights Mandela’s recognition of the importance of unity and reconciliation (portrayed by Morgan Freeman). It’s on the Wall Street Journal’s website, and is less than two minutes.
Life and Times: Nelson Mandela is a film that’s available for free online.
Nelson Mandela’s Life and Leadership is an audio slideshow from TIME Magazine.
Nelson Mandela Media Center is a great collection of multimedia resources on him.
Awesome Stories has a very accessible feature on the life of Nelson Mandela.
Snag Films has several full-length movies about Mandela that are available online for free. Type in “Mandela” in the website’s search box and you’ll see all the results.
The Associated Press has an interactive on Mandela.
The News from Australia has two slideshows about Mandela.
Slate has a slideshow on Mandela.
Mandela’s leadership lessons is a great piece from CNN.
Bikers on a drive to do good for Mandela’s birthday is from CNN.
In pictures: Nelson Mandela marks 93rd birthday is from the BBC.
Suggestions and feedback are always welcome.
If you found this post useful, you might want to look at previous “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
As I’ve explained in earlier pieces, I periodically post “most popular” lists of websites or books that I think educators might find useful. Of course, there are a number of ways to gauge “popularity.” I just view these lists as opportunities to check-out some new sites, and find it interesting to see which ones might be particularly “popular.”
This is a simple, but interesting one.
If you’d like to find which links have been bookmarked on Delicious the most since the service began, go to Popacular and click on “All Time.”
At the time I was writing this post, the top nineteen were:
July 20, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
The next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival will be hosted by Candace Williams, and the deadline for submissions is July 31st, with August 1st the publication date. You can contribute posts by using this easy submission form.
Anything related to teaching or learning English, including examples of student work, is welcome.
Alice Mercer published the last carnival — the eleventh edition of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival, and it’s a darn good one. Not only are there great posts included, but also good commentary from Alice to boot!
ELL Classroom will be hosting it on October 1st. Let me know if you’d like to host future editions.
You can see all the previous editions of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival here.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
I just realized I forgot to include two additional resources to the list I just posted — “The Best Sites To Learn About Advertising.” I’ve added these:
You Are Here is a very impressive interactive site developed by the Federal Trade Commission. It’s designed specifically to help young people develop a more sophisticated understanding of advertising.
I’ve posted before about lessons I’ve used with students focusing on Burger King’s insulting “Whopper Virgins” commercials.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
One of the units we teach in our Intermediate English classes is on persuasive writing. We do a brief study of advertising as part of it, and I thought a “The Best…” list on ads might be useful.
I found surprising few online resources on advertising techniques that were accessible to English Language Learners (though there are quite a few more on the bigger issue of online safety, and I’ll be creating another “The Best…” list on that topic).
I’m hopeful that readers might point me in the direction of other student resources.
I’ve also included teacher resources on advertising that contain good classroom lessons that would have to modified for English Language Learners.
Here are my picks for The Best Sites To Learn About Advertising (and are accessible to English Language Learners):
Student Resources:
CoCo Adversmarts is a nice interactive (that provides audio support for the text) and has students learn about food marketing by creating their own online ad. It’s from the Media Awareness Network.
Don’t Buy It! is from PBS, and has several very accessible interactives.
See How You Get Hooked Into Buying Now! is an accessible student-created website.
You Are Here is a very impressive interactive site developed by the Federal Trade Commission. It’s designed specifically to help young people develop a more sophisticated understanding of advertising.
Ad Decoder lets students see ads in a virtual magazine and points out the misleading techniques used in them.
Admongo is a brand new online game begun from the U.S. government to help students understand the hidden messages of advertising.
According to The New York Times, the game:
seeks to educate children in grades four through six — tweens, in the parlance of marketing — about how advertising works so they can make better, more informed choices when they shop or when they ask parents to shop on their behalf.
Teacher Resources:
AdText – An Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Advertising in Society, Culture and History is an absolutely incredible treasure trove of information and lessons. Thanks to Jim Burke for the tip.
I’ve posted before about lessons I’ve used with students focusing on Burger King’s insulting “Whopper Virgins” commercials.
Textbook publisher McDougal Littell has a nice let of Understanding The Media links.
Web English Teacher has good Media and Advertising resources.
English Online has a great lesson plan and resources.
Persuasive Techniques in Advertising is the title of a good resource from Read Write Think.
On the Market: Thinking Critically About Advertising is from The New York Times Learning Network.
Suggestions and feedback are always welcome.
If you found this post useful, you might want to look at previous “The Best…” lists and also consider subscribing to this blog for free.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Promise and Peril in South L.A. is an impressive multimedia series from LA Times on gangs and gang intervention.
I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Learn About Street Gangs.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Perk Up Your Projects With Web 2.0 is a wiki filled with resources and tutorials. I’m adding it to The Best Collections Of Web 2.0 Tools For Education.
Dianne Krause created it, and I learned about it from Mrs. Howard on Twitter.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
The Sacramento Bee has an extensive article today on General Vang Pao, whom many call “King of the Hmong.”
It’s a fascinating piece — good for background information on the General and the Hmong in general. If you’re teaching Hmong students, it can also be used for high-interest reading material and as a source of clozes and other exercises.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Public Domain 4 U has music available for download from before 1922 that is now in the public domain.
I’m adding it to The Best Places To Get Royalty-Free Music & Sound Effects.
I learned about it from Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age, and I learned about that blog from Maryna Badenhorst.
July 19, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
As I’ve explained in earlier pieces, I periodically post “most popular” lists of websites or books that I think educators might find useful. Of course, there are a number of ways to gauge “popularity.” I just view these lists as opportunities to check-out some new sites, and find it interesting to see which ones might be particularly “popular.”
Today, I’d like to share two lists.
The first lists the top ten selling books on education, as identified by Amazon. The list changes every hour, and it actually lists the top one hundred books in that category. You can check them all out here, but I’ll just list the top ten in this post.
The second list shares my personal choices of the six books out of the one hundred that I’d highly recommend. Feel free to leave your own picks from Amazon’s list in the comments section. Or, add a book you’d recommend that isn’t on the list.
Here are Amazon’s top ten selling books — at the time of my writing this post:
1) Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar: How Self-Education and the Pursuit of Passion Can Lead to a Lifetime of Success by James Marcus Bach
2) Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson (Author), David Oliver Relin (Author)
3) Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know
4) The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
5) The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition by The College Board
6) The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition by Graduate Management Admission Council
7) The Daily Five by Gail Boushey
8. Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom by Daniel T. Willingham
9) A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61) by Eckhart Tolle
10) Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits by Wayne W. Dyer
Now here are my top six choices out of Amazon’s top one hundred (I’m listing them here in Amazon’s order, not in my order of preference):
2) Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson (Author), David Oliver Relin (Author)
21) The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry K. Wong (Author), Rosemary T. Wong (Author)
26) On Writing by Stephen King
41) Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher
68) Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement by Stephanie Harvey (Author), Anne Goudvis (Author)
72) Civil Disobedience by Henry David, 1817-1862 Thoreau
I’ll look forward to hearing what others have to say!
July 18, 2009
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Watch Know is a video sharing site that has been on The Best Ways To Access Educational YouTube Videos At School.
Read Write Web has just written a very informative post on it — WatchKnow Brings Educational Vids (Plus Games & More) for Kids — and it clearly has a lot of potential. I was impressed to learn that the person behind it was also one of the creators of Wikipedia.
Check-out both the site and the blog post.
