Using Mobile Devices As Tools in French and German Courses

In this article in Foreign Language Annals, Lara Ducate and Lara Lomicka (University of South Carolina/Columbia) report on their study of college students in intermediate French and German classes who used iPod Touches and cell phones as an integral part of their courses. Here are some of the in-class tasks that were assigned: searches about cities, people, political parties, and…

Research Findings on Gestures, Misconceptions, and Budding Engineers

This roundup in Principal recommends three brain-based strategies to try in classrooms:

• Encourage gestures. San Francisco State researchers found that 2-5 year-olds who used hand gestures while sorting cards by color and shape did better than older children who didn’t use gestures. A different study reported in Child Development’s spring…

Jazzing Up a Science Unit with Fine Arts Activities 

“Science must be something that students do, not something that is done to them,” say Judy Beck and Laura Kaufmann (University of South Carolina Upstate/Greenville) and Cece Toole (Meredith College) in this article in AMLE Magazine. In that spirit, they suggest how a middle-school unit on simple machines can incorporate drama, visual arts, dance, and music:

• Show videos…

Helping Students Notice and Make Good Use of Graphics as They Read

In this article in The Reading Teacher, Kathryn Roberts (Wayne State University) and five colleagues suggest how elementary teachers can foster graphical literacy in their students, following the emphasis on this in the Common Core standards:

• Help children see that good readers pay attention to graphics. Some parents and teachers inadvertently…

http://www.teacherstechworkshop.com/2013/10/8-educational-timeline-tools-for.html

Ben Franklin's Guide to Innovation

Imagine Ben Franklin, fat and self-satisfied. 

That image his hard to conjure because Franklin, one of America's great innovators, was …

Trick or treat,

Smell my feet,

Give me something good to .....

                                                    read?

The New York Public Library has posted Halloween Reads IV: The Repass.  Check out the librarians' suggestions for some haunting reads.

Happy reading,

Christine…

Teachers, Don't Forget Joy

• Ed Week

As another school year moves into high gear, I would like to offer a few thoughts.

Not long ago, the room where classmates and I met for our 50th high school reunion buzzed with all the conversations you'd…

Anti-Bullying Programs Could Be a Waste of Time

Bullying has been declining for over a decade, but data suggests that's not because of anti-bullying programs

http://www.teacherstechworkshop.com/2013/10/are-you-left-brainer-or-right-brainer.html

Following less than a week of intense criticism, Commissioner King is at a learning crossroad.  His next leadership  steps will either reveal his capacity to lead or not.  Read more here.

Making a School Into a Community of Leaders

(Originally titled “The Time Is Ripe (Again)”)

In this thoughtful article in Educational Leadership, leadership guru Roland Barth explains why teacher leadership hasn’t taken off:

First, principals want to be in control. “If I, as a principal, delegate or accept a teacher’s leadership of something and it goes badly,” says Barth, “…the superintendent isn’t going…