Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

…For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Monthly Archives: November 2011

November 10, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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World Toilet Day Approaches…

World Toilet Day is November 19th and, though it sounds funny, it is designed to bring attention to the lack of public sanitation in many parts of the world. Here are new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About World Toilet Day & The Issue Of Public Sanitation In The Third World:

Four Ways a Toilet Can Change a Girl’s Life

Here’s some basic info from Water Aid.

On the lighter side, here are the latest results from a national survey of the best toilets in the United States:

In search of the USA’s best restroom is a slideshow from USA Today.

Best Bathroom is a Chicago Tribune photo gallery.

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November 9, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Extra Edition Of This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles

I posted this week’s “Round-Up” earlier this week, but there have been so many good ones I’m publishing an Extra Edition:

What Ohio vote means for teachers nationwide is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post.

Education and Poverty:Confronting the Evidence is by Helen F. Ladd. I’m adding it to The Best Places To Learn What Impact A Teacher & Outside Factors Have On Student Achievement.

Reports on charter schools expose new problems is also by Valerie Strauss. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools.

New Charter Study by Mathematica With More Bad News for Corporate Ed Reform is from Schools Matter. I’m adding it to the same charter schools list.

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November 9, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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TED Is Looking For Ten Teachers

TED, which hosts the famous TED Talks, just put out this call:

For the upcoming TED conference — TED2012: Full Spectrum — we’re looking for 10 of the world’s best teachers to take the TED stage during a special session we’re calling The Classroom. We’re accepting nominations to help track these people down. You can nominate yourself or a remarkable educator we should know about — who doesn’t have to be a teacher in the traditional sense.

You can find out more information here.

You might also be interested in The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” (& Similar Presentations).

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November 9, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Lots Of New Veterans Day Resources

Here are the newest additions to The Best Websites To Learn About Veterans Day:

The National World War II Museum has set-up a neat website where people can thank veterans. You can read more about it here.

MSNBC has a collection of Veterans Day editorial cartoons.

Mission Accomplishment: Exploring Veterans’ Challenges and Achievements is the title of a lesson plan from The New York Times Learning Network.

LIFE has posted a special Veterans Day photo gallery.

CNN has a ton of Veterans Day-related videos.

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November 9, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment

Most Big Cable Companies Agree To Provide Low-Cost Internet To Low-Income Students

Practically all of the major cable companies in the United States agreed today to provide Internet services to low-income students for $9.99 per month, along with low-cost computers. The project emulates a program begun this year by Comcast as a condition of their purchasing NBC.

A number of other players are in the mix, and you can read all about it in today’s New York Times article, F.C.C. Push to Expand Net Access Gains Help.

I’m adding this post to The Best Resources For Learning About Schools Providing Home Computers & Internet Access To Students.

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November 8, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles

Here’s a collection of recent good school reform-related posts and articles:

Coaching is Good for Doctors and Teachers Both is by John Thompson. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Instructional Coaching.”

NCLB bill: The problem with ‘continuous improvement’ is by Richard Rothstein. I”m adding it to The Best Places To Learn What Impact A Teacher & Outside Factors Have On Student Achievement.

Standardized tests for everyone? In the Internet age, that’s the wrong answer. is from The Washington Post. I’m adding it to The Best Posts On How To Prepare For Standardized Tests (And Why They’re Bad).

Getting Serious About Teacher Evaluation is from Education Week. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About Effective Student & Teacher Assessments.

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November 7, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Resources On The Hajj & Eid al-Adha

Here are the newest additions to The Best Online Resources For Learning About Eid al-Adha and to The Best Sites To Learn And Teach About The Hajj:

Celebrating Eid al-Adha is a TIME slideshow.

The Hajj and Eid al-Adha is a photo gallery from The Boston Globe.

The Hajj and Eid al-Adha 2011 is a photo gallery from The Atlantic.

Muslim hajj pilgrims perform devil stoning ritual is a photo gallery from The Sacramento Bee.

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November 7, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment

A “Must-Read” Column On Educational Technology

The Relationship Status of Teachers and Educational Technology: It’s Complicated by Roxanna Elden is hands-down the wittiest, and certainly one of the most insightful, pieces I’ve read about the use of ed tech.

After you’re done reading and digesting it, if you want to explore ed tech issues in a more serious vein, you might be interested in these “The Best…” lists:

The Best Research Available On The Use Of Technology In Schools

The Best Posts On The NY Times Ed Tech Article

The Best Places To Find Research On Technology & Language Teaching/Learning

My Best Posts For Tech Novices (Plus A Few From Other People)

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November 7, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Photo Galleries Of The Week

Obviously, photos can be great educational tools with English Language Learners and with any students (see The Best Ways To Use Photos In Lessons). I post about many photo galleries, also called slideshows. To do it in a little more organized way, though, I recently began this weekly feature called “Photo Galleries Of The Week.” This post is a “round-up” of online slideshows I’m adding to various “The Best…” lists:

Photo Gallery: Pedestrian Signals Around the World comes from Spiegel Online. Thanks to Michelle Henry for the tip. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures.

A simple day in the life… is a slideshow from the Boston Globe. I’m adding it to the same “The Best…” list.

The Best Of Sign Language comes from The Telegraph. I’m adding it to The Best Collections Of Funny Signs (For Use In English Classes).

An Oxford Professor has identified eleven images he says are the most “iconic” in the world, and the BBC has created a slideshow of them. It doesn’t quite fit, but I’m adding it to The Best Sites To See “Photos That Changed The World.”

A History of Map Monsters is a slideshow from Slate. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Historic Maps.

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November 6, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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The Best Visualizations Of Poverty In The U.S. & Around The World

Poverty is not an “excuse,” as some school reformers charge, but it is a challenge and a reality facing many of our students that has a huge effect on their learning (and our teaching).

I thought it might be useful to take a look at very recent visualizations of poverty in the U.S. and around the world, and plan to update this list in future years.

You might also be interested in The Best Tools For Analyzing Census Data.

Here are my choices for The Best Visualizations Of Poverty In The U.S. & In The World:

IN THE UNITED STATES:

US poverty mapped – interactive is from The Guardian.

A picture of poverty state by state is an interactive from the Associated Press.

Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for School Districts, Counties, and States are interactive maps from the U.S. Census. You can read more about them here.

Half In Ten has some excellent visualizations:

Interactive Map: 2010 Poverty Data by State

Interactive Map: 2010 Poverty Data by Congressional District

Interactive Map: Multiple Indicators

America’s poorest poor: the best and worst cities is another interactive from The Guardian.

The Kids Count Data Center is from The Annie Casey Foundation.

The American Human Development Index is from Measure of America.

Below The Line: Portraits of American Poverty is a photo gallery from TIME.

AROUND THE WORLD:

Maps from Oxfam.

History of Poverty is an interactive from Christian Aid.

The Index Mundi has multiple maps.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index comes from the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative.

Human Development Index: how does your country compare? is from The Guardian.

Additional suggestions are welcome.

If you found this post useful, you might want to consider subscribing to this blog for free.

You might also want to explore the 800 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.

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November 6, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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Want To Host A Future Edition Of The ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival?

Are you an English teacher and want to host a future edition of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival?

There have been twenty-five editions of the ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival. They’ve been published every other month, and you can see them all here.

David Deubelbeiss from EFL Classroom 2.0 is hosting the next one on January 1st.

The March 1st edition will be hosted by Adam Simpson. You can read about his plans for it at his post, No, don’t stop the carnival.

There’s not a whole lot of work involved in hosting it, and it certainly is a nice way to bring additional traffic to your blog. Leave a comment if you’re interested…

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November 5, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
2 Comments

NY Times: “All Americans Should Feel Ashamed” Of Alabama Immigration Law

The New York Times has published an editorial about Alabama’s attack on immigrants. Here are its last two paragraphs:

Alabama has seized from the federal government the job of controlling immigration within its borders. The law’s architects and supporters proclaim that their goal is to catastrophically disrupt the lives of illegal immigrants and their families. With reports of harassment and panic, and of a mass exodus of immigrants fleeing the state, the potential for civil rights abuses is acutely obvious.

That Alabama’s attorney general would not welcome a federal inquiry, but bristle instead, with an implicit appeal to state’s rights — with all the defiant history of intolerance and minority oppression those words suggest — says volumes. All Americans should feel ashamed.

I’m adding it to The Best Resources To Learn About Alabama’s Awful Immigration Law (& Its Impact On Schools).

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November 5, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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“What Teachers Can Learn from English-Language Learners”

What Teachers Can Learn from English-Language Learners is a nice post from Lesli Maxwell, who is now posting at Ed Week’s Learning The Language blog.

Even thought it’s not my post, it seems to fit into My Best Posts On Students Evaluating Classes (And Teachers), so I’m adding it there. I’ll have to figure out a different title for that ‘The Best’ list now.

I know I’ve seen similar articles where ELL teachers have shared ideas from their students about what has helped them the most, but can’t place my finger on them right now. Are readers familiar with any of them?

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November 5, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
2 Comments

The Best Ideas On How Parents Can Help Their Kids Succeed Academically

I’ve found several good resources sharing ideas on how parents can best help their children learn, and decided to bring them together in one post. You can see all my parent engagement-related “The Best” lists here.

Here are my picks for The Best Ideas On How Parents Can Help Their Kids With Schoolwork At Home:

Lorna Constantini has posted a link to a Livebinder of parent resources with activities that parents can do at home.

“But What If I Don’t Know English?” is another great resource from Colorin Colorado. It shares ideas on how parents who don’t speak English can still help their children develop literacy skills.

Census: Parents Reading More With Their Children is a new Education Week article that includes useful research that teachers might want to share with parents. It could be used to help parents see what are some good ways they could interact with their children to encourage learning.

En Camino: Educational Toolkit For Families is a series of free online “modules,” available in both English and Spanish, designed to help answer parent and student questions about college. It’s from the National Center For Family Literacy.

It’s related to three other “The Best…” lists:

The Best Posts About Getting Our Students To Attend College

The Best Sites For Encouraging ELL’s To Attend College

The Best Resources For Showing Students Why They Should Continue Their Academic Career.

Involving Latino Parents in Homework is a nice practical post from ASCD Express.

Feedback is welcome.

If you found this post useful, you might want to consider subscribing to this blog for free.

You might also want to explore the 780 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.

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November 4, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
1 Comment

What In The World Are They Thinking In Alabama?

I’ve been regularly posting updates on the state of Alabama’s attack on immigrants and its impact on schools, and it keeps getting crazier. Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources To Learn About Alabama’s Awful Immigration Law (& Its Impact On Schools):

Alabama’s attorney general balks at giving feds school data is from CNN.

Alabama Hispanic students not coming back is from Politico.

Feds answer Alabama on immigration-related civil rights violations is from CNN.

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November 4, 2011
by Larry Ferlazzo
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This Week In Web 2.0

In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth sharing, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” It’ll be a short compilation of new decent sites that are worth noting, but not necessarily worth a separate post:

Zwiggo is yet another tool to use for creating a public or private social (or educational) network. I’m adding it to Not “The Best,” But “A List” Of Social Network Sites.

Consmr lets you write a review of just about anything, ranging from toothpaste to cans of tomato sauce. I’m adding it to The Best Places Where Students Can Write For An “Authentic Audience.”

Simple Meet Me is another in a long line of easy tools to quickly stet up online chatrooms. I’m adding it to The Best Online Tools For Real-Time Collaboration.

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