Blogs to Read

There are several educational blogs that I've read, enjoyed, and passed on to others.

Dan Meyer is a math teacher.  He does incredible things, especially with real-world math.  He also challenges notions of traditional schooling.  I like reading his stuff, even though I didn't teach math. If you do teach math, I think you will find it a wealth of ideas.  http://blog.mrmeyer.com/

Donalyn Miller is a middle school language arts teacher.  Her ideas on teaching ELA are really good, especially when it comes to encouraging reluctant readers. http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/

Randy Rodgers is a technology specialist in my district.  He constantly posts web tools and challenges to use them. It's a really good resource for Web 2.0 technology.  http://randyrodgers.edublogs.org/

Michael Smith is a superintendent who writes about the daily trials of educators.  Nothing particularly earth-shattering, but so funny that I never miss a post. (When I began reading, I read every post back to beginning.) Plus every once in a while he throws something thought-provoking in.  http://www.principalspage.com/theblog/

Want to see how students blog?  Great source for demonstrating to teachers how students can create effective blogs. http://students2oh.org/

Will Richardson, blogging and Web 2.0 guru.  http://weblogg-ed.com/

David Warlick, another Web 2.0 guy who will challenge your thinking (in a good way).  http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

Plain fun.  http://bionicteaching.com/

Who Knew Google?

Google has GoogleEarth, as I think everyone knows. But, did you know about GoogleLitTrips?  It combines Google Earth images with literature.  The one I previewed was based on Elie Wiesel's Night.  It looks like students and/or teachers can create projects and upload them.  It allows for pop-up pictures and text.  Check it out.

Another interesting Google site is Google Docs.  It allows you to upload documents and access from any computer. The cool thing is that you can share it with other people, say peers or teachers.  What a great tool to collaborate on essays or other written projects.  There wouldn't be a need to print anything! 

Teaching in the Knowledge Society

I started reading a book for my doctoral program and am very excited about it.  (Click on title to go to book ordering site.) Here's the rundown of Chapter 1:

It's basically how we are now in a knowledge-based society, and education needs to change the way we educate students. 

Some tidbits that hit home with me:

"Nations and groups that do not or cannot participate in the informational society become increasingly marginalized by it." - pg. 18

"But schools and their teachers cannot and should not stand aside from their responsibilities to promote young people's opportunities in, engagements with, and inclusion within the high-skill world of knowledge, information, communication, and innovation." - pg. 21

"Subjecting them to more of the same does not change what students are achieving at." - pg. 21

"The regulations and routines of factories, monasteries, and self-perpetuating bureaucracies provide young people with poor preparation for a highly innovative, flexible, and team-based knowledge economy where rountine is the enemy of risk." - pg. 23

"Schools that are learning organizations for everyone build capacity to develop these essentials of collective intelligence." - pg. 27

"If we are to encourage students to be risk-takers, teachers must be risk-takers, too.  Teaching is not a place for shrinking violets, for the overly sensitive, for people who are more comfortable with dependent children than they are with independent adults. It is a job for grown-ups, requiring grown-up norms of how to work together." - pg. 28

Take it for what it's worth.  I think it's stellar.