TED-Ed Video

TED-Ed is a new resource to me, but one that I think I will begin using quite a lot.

I love that I can turn any youtube video into a lesson for my students.  I think that it could be great for introducing a topic, but also as a homework and/or computer lab assignment for students to learn more on a topic of study.  I can imagine posting TED-Ed lessons on my wiki for students (and their parents) to check out at home.

The following is the link to the TED-Ed video that I flipped on "Why Americans Vote on Tuesday?"
http://ed.ted.com/on/DivnIlYI

I chose this video because, with the upcoming election,  I think it would be a great conversation starter with my students.  The presidential election is such an interesting topic to study, and this video allows students to examine a new facet of this part of history.  I also think that it could lead to students wanting to know more about other parts of our government's history.

Some other TED videos that I found interesting are:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-power-of-simple-words
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/kevin-alloca-why-videos-go-viral
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html


Some

Games and Apps for Learning

The number of games and apps available to the public has grown exponentially over the past few years and so have the possible uses of these and the devices they work with.  The use of such resources is increasingly being used in the classroom in a variety of ways and for a multitude of reasons.

Some reasons for using games and apps in the classroom include:

• Increasing motivation and interest in students
• Many games and apps can provide immediate feedback to both the learner and the teacher that will allow for increased monitoring and help notice any needs for the adjustment of instruction
• Often less threatening than more traditional instructional methods
• Provides new and additional ways to review material
• Many of the new technology devices are more user-friendly for children and those with disabilities
• There are games and apps for every subject, as well as apps that can help students with other skills
• Provide the opportunity for more individualized instruction

A major guiding theory for teachers is Bloom's Taxonomy.  The advent of using games and apps in the classroom has given teachers many more options for teaching according to the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Check out this excellent PDF at http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/file/view/Bloom%27s+quicksheets.pdf that explains each level of Bloom's and describes some digital activities that can be used at each level.

Here are some specific apps and games that I like to use for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy: A selection of games and apps for the classroom on Prezi

Websites I Couldn't Teach Without

While I could probably come up with 100 websites that help me as a teacher, the following are the three websites that I have found the most useful thus far:

1. ALEX: http://alex.state.al.us/index.php/


Purpose- The purpose of the ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange) website is to provide Alabama state-certified teachers with the courses of study and standards to be taught at each grade level, as well as additional resources such as lesson plans, web resources, and professional development information.


Three reasons I love this site-

• I love knowing exactly where to go to find the standards that I need to include in my lesson plans. 
• The lesson plans posted by other teachers are an excellent source for new ideas.
• I also like that the website allows teachers to create their own personal workspace for storing and submitting lesson plans and teacher web pages. 

*So far I have found this site extremely helpful and do not have any suggestions to make it better.

 2. Teachers Pay Teachers: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/


Purpose- Teachers Pay Teachers is an open marketplace for teachers to share their original lesson plans and creations with other teachers.

Three reasons I love this site-

• I love all of the available resources. There is just about anything that a teacher could ever need or want; and some things that you didn't even know you needed/wanted. 
• I love that everything on the site is posted by other teachers. Knowing that the materials are coming from someone else experiencing the same sorts of situations as me, and that what they are posting are things that have worked for them gives me a bit of confidence in trying them out myself. Also, I believe that as teachers, we never stop learning; and, the best people to learn from are other teachers. 
• The final reason that I love this site is that it provides teachers with a way to not only share their ideas, but also a way to make some additional income. We all know that teachers are not paid nearly enough, so any means to make additional money, especially with something that they are already doing for themselves, is excellent.

* I have yet to find anything that I think needs to be fixed on this site.

 3. Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/

Purpose- Pinterest is a place to organize and share all the things that you love.

Three reasons I love this site-

• It is one of the greatest resources that I have ever come across for new ideas. There are more and more teachers using Pinterest now to share their teaching and classroom ideas. I have gotten lesson plan ideas, organization tips, management tips, etc. 
• I love how easy it is to use. It is extremely easy to navigate. I also love how it allows me to organize all of the "pins" into boards that I can personalize to suit my own needs. They can be as vague or specific as I want. 
• I love that this site is not specific to teachers. I get tons of ideas that were not meant for the classroom, but that are nonetheless helpful to me as a teacher. 

*The only issue I have with this site is that you have to be extremely careful what you repost or use from the site, as a lot of the stuff may be copyright protected.