April 16, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
As Andreas Kalt just pointed out to me, the new TED Talk site announcement is four years old, even though it just appeared in my RSS Reader. So, I guess my post from this morning, TED Talks Revamps Website should be ignored. In fact, I’m deleting it from my blog now.
Sorry.
April 16, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
National Geographic has just unveiled a new website for teachers — National Geographic Education.
I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Learning & Teaching Geography.
Thanks to Vicki Davis for the tip.
April 16, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
2 Comments
Jux looks like a great way to create nice-looking websites. It’s free and has a “drag-and-drop” interface, plus you can grab images off the web.
I’m adding it to The Best Ways For Students Or Teachers To Create A Website.
Thanks to Go2Web2.0 for the tip.
April 16, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
2 Comments
The final year of the year in our ninth-grade English classes is on Mount Everest. I thought it would be useful to our school’s teachers and to this blog’s readers (and to me!) to try to compile the best related online resources into one list.
Here are my choices for The Best Sites For Learning About Mount Everest:
I’ll start off with several Everest-related assignments we have on our class blog.
How Stuff Works has quite a few great short videos.
National Geographic has an Everest site, including this video:
PBS has a site on Everest, bringing together all their related resources.
Scholastic has an Everest site.
PBS has an interactive on outfitting a climber.
Here’s a panorama taken from the summit.
The Discovery Channel has an Everest interactive.
You can climb Everest virtually with this “SherpaCam.”
Take a brain test scientists have given Everest climbers to see what affect climbing has on them.
Experience Everest at this Discovery Channel interactive.
Here’s a nice video that shows a typical climbing route and the importance of acclimatizing (going back and forth to get one’s body acclimated to the altitude):
Imaging Everest comes from The Royal Geographic Society.
Check-out Storm Over Everest.
You can Experience Everest with this game.
Here are some simple Everest games.
Here are some videos from the summit:
Awesome Stories has a nice video about Everest climber Edmund Hillary.
I’m also adding this preview, and the direct link, to Farther Than the Eye Can See, a film about blind climber Eric Weihenmayer’s renowned summit of Mt. Everest:
TIME has a slideshow on Sir Edmund Hillary.
Here are several good videos from CNN, including ones on the first African to reach the summit and several on teenagers who have made the climb:
The Glass Ceiling is a movie about the first woman Sherpa to climb Mt. Everest. Here’s the movie trailer:
Early expeditions to Everest is an audio slideshow from the BBC.
Richard Byrne also suggests some good resources on his blog.
Feedback is 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.
April 15, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Alexander Russo’s one of my favorite education bloggers. He’s just published a book titled Stray Dogs, Saints, and Saviors: Fighting for the Soul of America’s Toughest High School. It tells the story of Green Dot Charter Schools taking over Locke High School in Los Angeles.
As readers know, I’m not a fan of charters. However, I am a fan of Alexander’s, and am obviously interested in the struggles of inner-city high schools since I teach at one. So I’ll certainly be reading it.
You can read a review Jay Mathews at The Washington Post wrote about the book today, and you hear Alexander being interviewed about the book here.
April 15, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
About a year ago I posted about a new site for beginning readers created by a North Carolina-based organization called GCF Learn Free. They also are responsible for Everyday Life, an extraordinary interactive site for ELL’s sponsored by a North Carolina-based organization called GCF Learn Free. It’s on several of my “The Best…” lists.
I had concerns then about the confusing navigation on the site. However, it appears they have made it considerably clearer. It’s still very unusual — different from just about any other similar application out there. But that “unusualness” might very well make it attractive to beginning English Language Learners.
You can find it at this link, and then click on “Reading.”
I’m adding it to The Best Websites To Help Beginning Readers.
April 15, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
I just got word from Eye On Education that my new book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges, is now in-stock.
If you follow that link, they are also offering a discount…
April 15, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Every month I make a short list highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. Now and then, in order to make it a bit easier for me, I may try to break it up into mid-month and end-of-month lists (and sometimes I’m a bit late).
I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in this post.
If you don’t use Twitter, you can also check-out all of my “tweets” on Twitter profile page or subscribe to their RSS feed.
Here are my picks for April’s Best Tweets — Part One (not listed in any order):
“The Mother of All Languages” Wall St. Jrnl
“The Tragic Death of the Flip” by David Pogue, NY Times
“New Orleans schools ‘miracle’ not so miraculous” by Valerie Strauss at Wash Post
“How to Fix (Or Kill) Web Data About You” NY Times
“Budget Idea: Divert Money From Prisons to Schools” Miller McCune
“Why people with a European background can’t help but judge a book by its cover” Mail Online
Field Museum exhibition on “The Horse” now online
“Meet Duolingo, Google’s Next Acquisition Target; Learn A Language, Help The Web”
Some day, you, too,can have a 360 deg video recorder in your classroom taping you & your students’ every move everyday
Very interesting interactive on Islamic face veils, Wall St Jrnl
“The Geography of Music on Google Maps”
David Brooks writes about the central role of metaphors in our thinking, NY Times
“America in 2010″ impressive interactive from Wall St Jrnl
“From Russia with love: The doting father bear who can’t help cuddling his cub “
10 Ways to Help Students Ask Better Questions
” Nick Kristof on Story Telling and Development”
“Feline fisticuffs: Cat goes Tyson on Dog” pretty funny video
You might also be interested in seeing a list of favorite tweets at:
April 15, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
“In pictures: The early days of spaceflight” is a slideshow from the BBC.
I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Planets & Space.
April 15, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
2 Comments
Magisto is a new Animoto-like service that lets you upload several short videos and it then somehow “recognizes” the most important parts and turns it into a magically-produced one minute video. You can read more about it at Go2Web2.0.
It’s still invitation-only, but I got one seconds after I requested one.
I’m adding it to Not The “Best,” But A List… Of Online Video Editors.
April 14, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
I made some revisions to my book excerpt that appeared in Education Week recently, and it was just published in The Washington Post. My small changes connected the idea of helping students motivate themselves to school reform, and how perhaps making schools adopt what some see as business practices might not be a good idea.
I’m adding this piece to The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Schools Should Not Be Run Like Businesses.
April 14, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Here are a few recent good school reform posts and articles:
A Big Fish In A Small Causal Pond is by Matthew Di Carlo at the Shanker Blog. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn What Impact A Teacher & Outside Factors Have On Student Achievement.
Vouchers making a comeback, but why? is by Diane Ravitch, and it appeared in The Washington Post. I’ve added it to The Best Resources For Learning Why School Vouchers Are A Bad Idea.
What Do Teachers “Produce”? is by Diana Senechal and appeared in the Core Knowledge Blog. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Schools Should Not Be Run Like Businesses.
U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead is from Business Week. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Getting Some Perspective On International Test Comparison Demagoguery.
LIFO is good Part II is by Gary Rubinstein. I’m adding it to The Best Articles For Helping To Understand Both Why Teacher Tenure Is Important & The Reasons Behind Seniority-Based Layoffs.
Same Kids, Same Building, Same Lies is by Gary Rubinstein. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools.
April 14, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Here are two new good additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The American Civil War:
Battles and Casualties of the Civil War is an interactive from The Washington Post.
Civil War Timeline: Fury Unleashed is another interactive from The Post.
And, while I’m listing new additions, here’s Slavery, Not States’ Rights, Caused Civil War Whose Political Effects Linger from NPR.
April 14, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Joe Dale has created a new blog just devoted to apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad that might be useful to language learner students and teachers. It’s called MFL edapps, and it looks great.
I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Beginning iPhone Users Like Me.
April 14, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Over the past two years, I have posted:
My Best Posts On Building Parent Engagement In Schools — 2010
My Best Posts On Parent Engagement Over The Past Six Months
My Best Posts & Articles About Building Parent Engagement In Schools — 2009
My Best Posts On Parent Engagement So Far This Year
It’s been six months since I shared my latest “picks” from my Engaging Parents In School blog, which I began when my book, Building Parent Engagement In Schools, was published.
So, here are my choices for The Best Posts On Parent Engagement Over The Past Six Months (not listed in any order of preference):
Feedback is welcome.
If you found this post useful, you might want to explore the 660 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.
April 13, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
Yesterday, I posted about Cisco closing down Flip Video Cameras (see Uh Oh, Cisco Shuts Down Flip Video Camera).
Today, the 10,000 Words blog posted Five Alternative Devices To Replace The Now-Dead Flip Cam.
The most promising one might be the Coby SNAP mini camcorder, which is selling for between $25 and $60.
Have any readers tried it out?
April 13, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Here are some more new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The American Civil War:
Photo Essay: The Civil War: Between the Battles is from the PBS News Hour.
Here are several Civil War-related slideshows from LIFE.
Resources | Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War comes from The New York Times Learning Network.
Then and now: Civil War battlefields is from CNN.
Blogging History: Interpreting Civil War-Era Primary Sources is from The New York Times Learning Network.
April 13, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
“Dr. Stanley’s House 2″ is what is known as a “point-and-click” adventure game. Its “Walkthrough,” or instructions on how to win, can be found here.
You can my article, Free Online Games Develop ESL Students’ Language Skills, to learn how I use these kinds of games as a great language-development exercise.
April 13, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
0 comments
Tweet When shows you the days and times when you get the most retweets.
I’m adding it to The Best Third-Party Twitter Apps That Don’t Require Your Password.
April 13, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment
This is not good news to those of us using Flip Video Cameras with our students — Cisco has just announced they’re shutting the business down. Read about it at Farewell, Flip Camera over at Read Write Web and at Tech Crunch’s post, Cisco To Shut Down Flip Video Camera Business; Will Give Pink Slips To 550 Employees.
Cisco says “… it will support current FlipShare customers and partners during a transition plan” — whatever that means.
Smartphones that can take video have killed Flip, but that really isn’t going to help many of us who have students who still can’t afford Smartphones….
I’ll obviously be adding this news to The Best Sources For Advice On Using Flip Video Cameras.
