Win $1000 in Classroom Supplies from ClassWish & Citgo

ClassWh, an alternative to DonorsChoose where teachers can help get classroom resources, just launched a big giveaway:

109 teachers will each win $1,000 of classroom supplies.

Entering is really quick and easy:

1. Visit ClassWish.org/FuelingEducation
2. Find your school
3. Simply join the site as a teacher
4. Click the link in the activation email you receive
5. Then just follow the easy instructions to opt in for a chance to win.

Create a Wish List, opt in to the contest and that will help attract tax-deductible donations for classroom resources from people who care about kids. Also, many companies match employees’ donations, which can double their funding.

Many teachers on the site have already received hundreds of dollars of donations, and some have received as much as $2,000 of supplies. You can get books, computers, art supplies, musical instruments, science equipment, sports equipment, or whatever you want.

Teachers can enter until July 7th. Good luck!

Weekend Reader on Bullying in Schools

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A Must-See Anti-Bullying Poster Perfect For Classrooms [Edudemic] - More info about the poster below.

School Bullying Prevention Task Force Wants Less Talk, More Action [The Educated Reporter] - I think we all do.

The Next Step to Stop Bullying [Blackboard] - This is a step in the right direction. I think this can be done without a dedicated app, though, if we think the problem through.

Bully: An Action Plan for Teachers, Parents, and Communities to Combat the Bullying Crisis - This acclaimed book is a companion to the documentary of the same name.

At Work: Cyberbullies graduate to workplace [USA Today] - Finally, to hammer home the importance of tackling this problem before kids turn into adults, let's realize that bullying doesn't stop when students are done with school.

An Adaptable iPad Project Idea

Last year was a pilot year with iPads in my district, and my students were part of the first lucky group to get them. Teachers were mostly left to their own imaginations to dream up ways to incorporate them into our instruction.  For this simple project, my students used their iPads to produce content instead of consume it.

In this example, we were working on factoring expressions, but you could do this project with any topic you are working on.  Students simply had to either make a video or presentation where they both visually and verbally explained how to solve example problem drawn from workbooks we used regularly (you could use any convenient source).

FACTORING iPAD PROJECT
MMA 11th
Mr. DeRosa

In this project you will show how to solve 4 types of factoring problems (choosing examples from the given pages):

1. Factoring by GCF  (workbook pg 55)
2. Factoring x² + bx + c  (pg 56)
3. Factoring ax² + bx + c  (pg 57)
4. Factoring Special Products  (pg 58)

Because you have to explain how to do the problems and show the steps involved, you have two options:

Option 1: Make videos of you working out the problem on paper or on a whiteboard (you can use the one in the classroom). How to submit:

• Submit the videos by sending via message
• Send it directly to me via message on Facebook.

Option 2: Download the free Educreations app from the App Store to record yourself explaining the example. How to submit:

• Create an Educreations account, then send me a link to your presentation by email or text message.
• Email for submission is thomas.derosa@myschooldistrict.net.

Educreations works like a virtual whiteboard on your tablet, recording what you see as well as audio.  You can start with a blank slate or add content before recording, such as an image you might want to draw on.  Creating and sharing presentations is simple, and for camera-shy students, it's better than requiring a video.

This might seem a bit too simple, but that's the point. This small scale project can replace tedious independent practice that might involve them doing problems out of a workbook or worksheet. The creativity involved is a way to engage your kids and get them to use their tablets for learning.

Have you used iPads or other tablets in similar ways? Share your ideas in the comments.

Beyond Facebook & Twitter: Using New Social Networks in Schools

It seems Facebook is losing it's grip on young people as new (and less parent-filled) social networks pop-up. Twitter has certainly become very popular among young people in my area, to the point where schools are paying close attention.  I've shared lots of resources for using these networks, but it's time to give a serious look at how to use other social platforms in schools:

5 Best Tips For Using Pinterest In The Classroom [HowToLearn.com]

Using Instagram in an Educational Context [Emerging Education Technology]

How To Use Vine In The Classroom [Edudemic] - Vine is made by the people behind Twitter, but the bite-sized video app can be used independently.

Teachers, Youth, and Social Media: Experiments [DMLcentral] - Food for thought on using private social networks for just teachers and students, with some ideas that should carry across to other networks.

It’s a ‘like’: The IGGY networking site for smart pupils is a hit [The Independent UK] - A new social media network is aimed at "smart" teens, or more precisely, teens who want to talk about important issues and not waste away their time online. While I'm not usually an advocate for reinventing the wheel, there's a lot to think about here.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Perfect Teacher Coach

The Perfect Teacher Coach by Jackie Beer and Terri Broughton is a concise, thoughtful guide to becoming an effective instructional coach.  The two UK-based experts draw on years of teaching and coaching in a variety of settings, providing a clear blueprint of what coaching is and isn't.

I found their framework for coaching very similar to what I learned both from Teach For America and in graduate school,  In short, coaching is not about telling teachers what is wrong and how to fix it, but giving them the tools and encouragement to do so themselves.  Coaches are great listeners who ask the right questions and provide a positive, unwavering belief that teachers can find the right answers within.

It should come as no surprise that the elements that make a great coach of teachers also make a great classroom teacher.  I was always taught to constantly reflect on my practice, get feedback from my students and outside observers, identify weaknesses and find solutions. When I did a good job of all of those things, my classroom was at its peak effectiveness.  This is also the message of The Perfect Teacher Coach.

Whether you already coach teachers, have such a role on the horizon for next year or beyond, or are still just trying to improve in your own classroom, there's a lot to learn from this new guide.  I highly recommend it.

As usual, I'm holding a giveaway of my copy of the book! The book will not be released until July 16, so one lucky reader will be one of the first to get their hands on it.  If you're interested in the book, send an email to teachforever@gmail.com with the subject "The Perfect Teacher Coach" by 11:59pm CST this Wednesday, June 5.  I'll pick a winner at random. Good luck!

Pre-order The Perfect Teacher Coach on Amazon.

New Resources for Teaching Kids Financial Literacy

OSU gives students a lesson on debt [The Columbus Dispatch via The Quick and the Ed] - No reason you can't do this in some form for K-12.

Free Credit Lesson Plans for Middle School and High School Teachers - Financial education is both a necessity and a no-brainer as far as making math more relevant for our kids.

Elementary Math, Reading Skills At Age 7 Linked To Financial Success At Midlife, According To Study [HuffPo] - Perhaps the best financial literacy we can teach is indirect: making sure our children can read and write fluently in elementary school.

Use This "Bank Ledger" to Manage Your Kids' Allowance [Lifehacker] - This one is meant to be used at home, but I think it could be adapted to an early elementary classroom using play money or something of the sort.

7 Places Teens (and Adults) Can Learn About Money [Wise Bread]

New Resources for Teaching Math: May 2013

How math-phobic parents can teach kids to love math [Explore]

Math Worksheets Land - Tons of Printable Math Worksheets From All Grade Levels - A new, free resource created by a retired math teacher.

Balancing the Equation for Boys and Girls in Math [The Educated Reporter] - Research to apply to your classroom practice.

13 ways to make your kid a math genius [Holy Kaw!] - This echoes a lot of things I wrote about in Toys & Games Every Kid Should Play With Growing Up.

Math Games and Videos for the Common Core [PBS LearningMedia] - The free service recently added tons of new educational content, including this outlet.

Weekend Reader on Using Music in the Classroom

How Music Can Become A Bigger Part Of Your Classroom [Edudemic via Twitter]

Spitting Rhymes and Firing Synapses: Freestyle Rap Battles Could Boost Student Creativity [GOOD]

Swapping C.R.E.A.M. for STEM: Wu-Tang's GZA Helps Kids Learn Science With Hip Hop [GOOD]
Jake Scott on YouTube [via The Educated Reporter] - This high school math teacher has been combining rapping with instruction.

VIDEO: Why Music Moves Us [Explore] - A little more on the science behind the power of music.

Using music in the classroom also happens to be one of the lessons in my book Teaching is Not a Four Letter Word. You might like it.

Finally, here's the now infamous Domain & Range Song that I adapted a few years ago:

Weekend Reader on School Lunches & Student Health

How a $50 School Lunchroom Makeover Could Help Fight Childhood Obesity [Parade.com]

How the Food Industry Exploits Students’ Cravings for Sugar, Salt, and Fat [Edvoices] - Mr. Nast makes great points about the need to teach our kids media literacy, especially the power of advertising, as well as the science behind junk food.

What NOT to do: Lunch Ladies Teach Middle Schoolers About Debt, Trash Their Lunches If They Owe Money [Consumerist]

Action for Healthy Kids - This advocacy group has a lot of information on model school lunch and health programs.

USDA Rolls Out New School Brunch Program For Wealthier School Districts [The Onion] - A little satire that makes real life calls for better lunches for everyone seem much more reasonable.

New Online Resources for Math Teachers

JsTIfied is a Pixel-Perfect Graphing Calculator Emulator [Lifehacker] - I'm not sure if this is the best solution in terms of bringing obsolete technology into the smartphone age, but it's progress.

The Best Way to Teach Kids About Money? Slip It Into Math and English Classes [TIME.com] - This seems common sense to me, but it's only now becoming a national priority. Here's an example I came up with not too long ago: Math in the Real World: Should I Take This Loan Offer?.

IXL Math - A new website with math practice for nearly all K-12 grade levels and subjects. Your students can create accounts, track progress and get feedback and help on specific skill sets.

Murals and Math: One School's Solution to Graffiti [GOOD] - This could be done online or offline. Beautiful, smart and engaging.

Curriki Announces New Online Project-BASED Geometry Course Available Free to Teachers & Students [Curriki]

A Brief Collection of Critical Topics Missing From Most Curricula, Part 2

Entrepreneurship: Rise of the Mini-Preneurs: A Kid-Run Virtual Lemonade Stand To Teach Entrepreneurship [GOOD]

Independence: Hacking the Classroom to Encourage Student Independence [THE Journal]

Financial literacy: Moneythink: Giving a Handup (Not a Handout) With Financial Literacy Skills [GOOD]

Basic electronics: How to Get Started with DIY Electronics Projects [Lifehacker]

Coding: A Videogame That Teaches Kids To Code [Fast Company Co:Design] - See the game's trailer below.


See the original post, A Brief Collection of Critical Topics Missing From Most Curricula.

Weekend Reader on Gaming in the Classroom: April 2013

 Ten Surprising Truths about Video Games and Learning [KQED MindShift]

Bringing Gaming to the Classroom [Cisco]

Free Tools to Incorporate Game-Based Learning [Edutopia]

Can Video Games Make Us Better People? [Annie Murphy Paul via Twitter]

Math, Physic, Languages: Minecraft is the Teachers’ Ultimate Multi-Tool [KQED MindShift]