I'm surfing around. But not on the web. I'm trying to spend some time inside twitter to see what's going on. I read a Time Magazine (remember them?) article this week about Twitter which started with an insight that I totally agree with:
"One thing you can say for sure about Twitter, it sure makes a lousy first impression. Do you want a technology to communicate constantly with people in 160 characters or less? Of course not"
Yet, the article went on to describe that twitter has pretty much become one of the IT technologies because of it's high adoption rate. So I'm surfing around in Twitter.
To be honest, I'm confused. I've found some people that I would like to twitter with (no pun intended) meaning that I'd like them to be aware of the incredible SpellingCity.com website but I'm not sure how to go about it without being spamish and bad. So far, I'm only using twitter to find blogs or emails who I approach in my usual tongue-tied comment or email approach (..if its not too much trouble...and you're curious about such things....and if you have some time....but I don't want to bother you...I've worked really hard....in any case, it's called SpellingCity.com and I'd appreciate a look or review if you can.....if you can't, I won't take it personally and I won't mind.... MUCH!)
In any case, I thought I'd review some incredible websites by elementary school educators that I'm finding in case my tweets get lost.....
EraserTown USA, The New Primary Classroom by Maryann Molishus. My first thoughts, how did she get all those little Web 2.0 icons up there so small and organized and what are they? Her widgets and stuff are first rate as is her credentials...2008 Milken Family Foundation Award Recipient, Star Discovery Educator, Keystone Technology Integrator, Received 2007 Best Buy Teach Award, Member: ISTE, NAEYC, ASCD, Iditarod Trail Committee; Twitter/Plurk. My second thoughts are is EraserTown a play on kids with pencils and erasers or is it about the Eraserhead stuff. Does Molishus rhyme with delicious and is that her real name or just a fortunate coincidence? And lastly, why doesn't she do a little more with the blog like make review SpellingCity.com or Vocabulary Learning Fun?
Philly Teacher - Ms Hertz is a Computer Science teacher in West Philadelphia. Her blog is very active (as I think her tweeting is but again, I'm so confused when I go in there) and she's just too wired. For instance, in her most recent post, she's comparing different social bookmarking services (have I ever admitted that I never really understood Del.ic.ious?). She's comparing it with something that I've never before heard of...Portaportal. Other recent posts were about Shidonni (sounds very cool) and Jam 2.0.
I'll stop there... I want to go check out shidonni
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Friday, June 05, 2009
PreK-3rd Education Advocacy Groups
I just listened to a very nicely done YouTube video by Christina Satkowski done earlier this week. She is part of the New America Foundation, a group that I had not previously heard of. I found them through the Foundation for Child Development, another group that I had not previously been aware of.
States agree to share standards: huge shift
Forty-Nine States and Territories Join Common Core State Standards Initiative
The Council of Chief State School Officers - CCSSO - led a Process to Develop Common English-language arts and Mathematics Standards. This was announced last week. It's amazing. Who would have thunk that the previously independent-minded states would sign up for a common set of standards? It's collaborative, it's efficient, it's sensible and it's about time. Bravo!
And I quote the release:
By signing on to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, governors and state commissioners of education across the country are committing to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills.
“To maintain America’s competitive edge, we need all of our students to be prepared and ready to compete with students from around the world,” said NGA Vice Chair Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas. “Common standards that allow us to internationally benchmark our students’ performance with other top countries have the potential to bring about a real and meaningful transformation of our education system to the benefit of all Americans.”
This means no more armies of people redefining the educational standards at each state level. No more need for state specific textbooks. An ability to use common tests around the country and compare results. But wait, there's more:
- They are likely to include science. Maybe social studies too.
- They are likely to include preschool.
- They are likely to define benchmarks that are observable and measurable!
- They are likely to remain consistent with international norms such as the international bac.
The Council of Chief State School Officers - CCSSO - led a Process to Develop Common English-language arts and Mathematics Standards. This was announced last week. It's amazing. Who would have thunk that the previously independent-minded states would sign up for a common set of standards? It's collaborative, it's efficient, it's sensible and it's about time. Bravo!
And I quote the release:
By signing on to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, governors and state commissioners of education across the country are committing to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills.
“To maintain America’s competitive edge, we need all of our students to be prepared and ready to compete with students from around the world,” said NGA Vice Chair Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas. “Common standards that allow us to internationally benchmark our students’ performance with other top countries have the potential to bring about a real and meaningful transformation of our education system to the benefit of all Americans.”
This means no more armies of people redefining the educational standards at each state level. No more need for state specific textbooks. An ability to use common tests around the country and compare results. But wait, there's more:
- They are likely to include science. Maybe social studies too.
- They are likely to include preschool.
- They are likely to define benchmarks that are observable and measurable!
- They are likely to remain consistent with international norms such as the international bac.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
an online alternative to cancelled summer school classes
This creates a lot of opportunity for innovative education a la homeschooling and the private sector. Tis indeed an ill wind....
June 5, 2009 - Time4Learning.com, a Homeschool.com top-rated online education software company, offers California parents an online alternative to cancelled summer school classes caused by the State budget deficit. Time4Learning.com provides award-winning, online Pre School to 12th grade education curriculum.
According to John Edelson, Founder and President of Time4Learning, “The summer is a critical time for many students to catch up or advance their skills. The cancellation of summer classes by the State of California has created a large gap in the ability to do this affordably for many families and the Internet is a great alternative.”
June 5, 2009 - Time4Learning.com, a Homeschool.com top-rated online education software company, offers California parents an online alternative to cancelled summer school classes caused by the State budget deficit. Time4Learning.com provides award-winning, online Pre School to 12th grade education curriculum.
According to John Edelson, Founder and President of Time4Learning, “The summer is a critical time for many students to catch up or advance their skills. The cancellation of summer classes by the State of California has created a large gap in the ability to do this affordably for many families and the Internet is a great alternative.”
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Ed Mouse Icon
I'm having some trouble uploading my little avatar onto a forum so I'm going to put here here and see if I can upload him across the web.
This particular Ed Mouse is only 8KB! He's a GIF.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Maryland Homeschooling
While the national debate about education is about coming up with a single national curriculum rather than fifty state versions, the debate that is not happening is about homeschool rules. Each state has its own rules and regulations about homeschooling. I think it's fascinating that these questions are too hot for any politician to handle. It's also interesting how dramatically different the Maryland homeschool rules are from say Alabama homeschooling rules.
If I've understood correctly, in Maryland, the families are required to meet with the board of education twice during the school year for a review of the program. As I've heard, while this seems scary, they actually send out very positive supportive well-informed people who seem to have a constructive relationship with the families.
In contrast, in Alabama, homeschooling is basically not allowed under that name unless the parent is a certified teacher. Families must join these bogus "cover schools" which are basically private schools organized to provide an umbrella or cover for homeschoolers.
For homeschooling in Florida, there are cover schools but many homeschoolers take the option of notifying their school board that they intend to homeschool and then fulfill the annual requirement of getting their child reviewed by a certified teacher or other formal annual review.
If I've understood correctly, in Maryland, the families are required to meet with the board of education twice during the school year for a review of the program. As I've heard, while this seems scary, they actually send out very positive supportive well-informed people who seem to have a constructive relationship with the families.
In contrast, in Alabama, homeschooling is basically not allowed under that name unless the parent is a certified teacher. Families must join these bogus "cover schools" which are basically private schools organized to provide an umbrella or cover for homeschoolers.
For homeschooling in Florida, there are cover schools but many homeschoolers take the option of notifying their school board that they intend to homeschool and then fulfill the annual requirement of getting their child reviewed by a certified teacher or other formal annual review.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Geography Games
Geography forms the basis for understanding our political and physical realities. Want to understand the challenge of global warming, start with understanding the basics of our world...of geography.
How about playing some great geography games.
A great deal of geography education can be effectively taught through geography games and map games. These geography learning games help form the basis for understanding our country, our states, our world. Play on!
How about playing some great geography games.
A great deal of geography education can be effectively taught through geography games and map games. These geography learning games help form the basis for understanding our country, our states, our world. Play on!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Learning Games for Kids
I'm going to run a series highlighting some of the most interesting learning games on the web. Today:
Dental Games - They provide great dental info through fun learning games. And I quote:
Come play and learn how many baby teeth we have and how the saliva gets into our mouth. Also, dental hygiene!
Would your kids like these games? Their best is called Molar Madness.
Dental Games - They provide great dental info through fun learning games. And I quote:
Come play and learn how many baby teeth we have and how the saliva gets into our mouth. Also, dental hygiene!
Would your kids like these games? Their best is called Molar Madness.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Summer School
Summer school, do I have to?
I was just reading about a great idea for summer study. This is so much better than a traditional summer school.
Have you noticed how much your child enjoys using the computer? If you haven’t, you should. Kids are constantly surfing the web. Whether they’re checking out a video game or chatting with their friends, they are (without a doubt) online. So, it makes sense to turn to the web for a fun alternative to summer school. Time4Learning’s website offers just that. A web based summer learning program that they won’t mind using. In fact, they might even like it!
I was just reading about a great idea for summer study. This is so much better than a traditional summer school.
Have you noticed how much your child enjoys using the computer? If you haven’t, you should. Kids are constantly surfing the web. Whether they’re checking out a video game or chatting with their friends, they are (without a doubt) online. So, it makes sense to turn to the web for a fun alternative to summer school. Time4Learning’s website offers just that. A web based summer learning program that they won’t mind using. In fact, they might even like it!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Learning Vocabulary
I just learned that words taken from a person’s name are called eponyms. These include maverick, 'diesel, galvanize, zeppelin, watt, saxophone, bloomers, braille, pasteurize, nicotine.
Time4Learning has an incredible fifth grade vocabulary building program (in any case, that's where i learned this). Here is all the info that you might need on their programs for vocabulary:
first grade vocabulary
second grade vocabulary
third grade vocab
fourth grade vocabulary
fifth grade vocabulary
sixth grade vocabulary
seventh grade vocabulary
eighth grade vocabulary
Time4Learning has an incredible fifth grade vocabulary building program (in any case, that's where i learned this). Here is all the info that you might need on their programs for vocabulary:
first grade vocabulary
second grade vocabulary
third grade vocab
fourth grade vocabulary
fifth grade vocabulary
sixth grade vocabulary
seventh grade vocabulary
eighth grade vocabulary
Monday, April 13, 2009
thefreedictionary.com stuff
Ok. It's a whole new ball game. I'm going to put up thefreedicationary.com's simple scripts for giving a page a simple definition for any term. It's free, simple, and probably won't work on this type of page with the awful implementation.
thefreedictionary.com//lookup.htm#script
thefreedictionary.com//lookup.htm#script
A test of a cool new box
-------------
Word of the Day
| |
| Definition: | Incongruous; inviting ridicule. |
| Synonyms: | absurd, cockeyed, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous |
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Top Educational Sites per Quantcast
I am manually reviewing the top sites on Quantcast to find the highest volume educational sites. While I need to refine my definitions, I'm focusing on K12. Data is monthly.
Merriam Webster: Do they count?
addictinggames.com 161
Nick.com 184th
Funbrain.com: 10 M people, 135 Million page views. 189th
Discovery.com 214
Miniclip 232
NationalGeographic 238
Gamestop 269
pbskids.org 310
bigfishgames 372
greatschools.net 425
enchantedlearning.com 448 2.9M people,
coolmath-games.com 541
primarygames.com 575
scholastic.com 586
virginia.edu 705
studyisland.com 732
edhelper.com 735
stanford.edu
christianbook.com 794
wonderhowto.com 795
agame.com 797
factmonster 865
starfall.com 892
nickjr 887
myiqquiznow.com 922
questia.com 984
....
SpellingCity.com 3050
ufl.edu
Merriam Webster: Do they count?
addictinggames.com 161
Nick.com 184th
Funbrain.com: 10 M people, 135 Million page views. 189th
Discovery.com 214
Miniclip 232
NationalGeographic 238
Gamestop 269
pbskids.org 310
bigfishgames 372
greatschools.net 425
enchantedlearning.com 448 2.9M people,
coolmath-games.com 541
primarygames.com 575
scholastic.com 586
virginia.edu 705
studyisland.com 732
edhelper.com 735
stanford.edu
christianbook.com 794
wonderhowto.com 795
agame.com 797
factmonster 865
starfall.com 892
nickjr 887
myiqquiznow.com 922
questia.com 984
....
SpellingCity.com 3050
ufl.edu
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Research-based....bah hambug
I received an email inquiry from a bright-eyed new teacher which somehow triggered this response from me....
Inquiry: I am trying to find out if SpellingCity.com is research-based. I am an undergraduate student. I am not working on research so much as finding the best resources to help a student that I am working with. I need the resources that I use to be research-based. As a prospective teacher, I am keeping track of good resources to use in my classroom someday.
My rant of an answer:
Here's my two cents on research-based. It is very expensive to get something properly researched. Consequently, the reseach-based concept is badly undermined. For instance, I might go through the effort refining and documenting SpellingCity.com as research-based. Frankly, I'm considering it. I could then promote it as research-based. People would look at the article on research-based and be comforted and be able to use it.
Research-based might actually mean that I hire a professor to write a report citing references that support this approach. And, perhaps, we take three groups of 3rd grade students, teach with SpellingCity versus some other approach, and document that their spelling improved.
So, how does that tell a tutor of a student, in a one-on-one situation, perhaps a child with APD or ADD or gifted or mainstream, whether this is a good list to use or not for that particular student's needs?
How does that guide a teacher who already has a superior approach to teaching spelling?
What about 1st graders? Fifth graders?
In short, I've generally seen research-based labels used to promote all sorts of things in all sorts of places when in fact, the research had next to nothing to do with the questions being asked.
Here's an intereting point: By restricting spending government money on research-proven initiatives, teachers risk losing confidence in their own judgement and common sense. And students in public schools are inevitably denied use of any new services or anything from a company that does not have extravagent funding. This is probably why charter schools, private schools, and homeschoolers have much better educational experiences than those students in public schools.
Keep thinking on your own to evaluate what's useful and what's not.
Inquiry: I am trying to find out if SpellingCity.com is research-based. I am an undergraduate student. I am not working on research so much as finding the best resources to help a student that I am working with. I need the resources that I use to be research-based. As a prospective teacher, I am keeping track of good resources to use in my classroom someday.
My rant of an answer:
Here's my two cents on research-based. It is very expensive to get something properly researched. Consequently, the reseach-based concept is badly undermined. For instance, I might go through the effort refining and documenting SpellingCity.com as research-based. Frankly, I'm considering it. I could then promote it as research-based. People would look at the article on research-based and be comforted and be able to use it.
Research-based might actually mean that I hire a professor to write a report citing references that support this approach. And, perhaps, we take three groups of 3rd grade students, teach with SpellingCity versus some other approach, and document that their spelling improved.
So, how does that tell a tutor of a student, in a one-on-one situation, perhaps a child with APD or ADD or gifted or mainstream, whether this is a good list to use or not for that particular student's needs?
How does that guide a teacher who already has a superior approach to teaching spelling?
What about 1st graders? Fifth graders?
In short, I've generally seen research-based labels used to promote all sorts of things in all sorts of places when in fact, the research had next to nothing to do with the questions being asked.
Here's an intereting point: By restricting spending government money on research-proven initiatives, teachers risk losing confidence in their own judgement and common sense. And students in public schools are inevitably denied use of any new services or anything from a company that does not have extravagent funding. This is probably why charter schools, private schools, and homeschoolers have much better educational experiences than those students in public schools.
Keep thinking on your own to evaluate what's useful and what's not.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Math Facts
The math facts start with addition and continue through addition. In addition to getting a firm conceptual understanding of what they mean, the kids need to memorize them. What are the best online tools for this?
Of note,
Time4Learning's Math Facts
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