Review & Giveaway: Real Talk for Real Teachers by Rafe Esquith

His hair is still on fire! One of America's most beloved and respected teachers, Rafe Esquith has once again drawn upon his thirty-plus-year career to share his best advice for beginning, experienced and veteran teachers.

Real Talk for Real Teachers: Advice for Teachers from Rookies to Veterans: "No Retreat, No Surrender!" is divided into three parts: the first for new and beginning teachers, the second for those who have surpassed the five year mark, and the last for teachers closer to Esquith's level of experience.  He draws upon stories from his own classroom as well as those of colleagues to illustrate his straightforward lessons.  Thankfully, he avoids common education jargon or buzzwords (nor does create any of his own), opting instead for practical advice and thoughtful principles to follow.

I found myself agreeing with the vast majority of his advice--indeed, following most of these ideas is what kept me in the game for so long.  I didn't make it to the "Master Class" that he discusses in the third section of the book, but I could see myself following his lead had I survived that long.

At the risk of oversimplifying, Real Talk's advice centers around a few central themes:

1. This job is really hard. Hang in there.
2. Don't get bitter over time.
3. Always strive to grow, try new things and become a better teacher.
4. Love and respect your students.

This is a highly recommended book for any teachers, but I would particularly like new teachers to read this to gain perspective on where they are and where they could be if they stay in the classroom over the long term.

Viking/Penguin was nice enough to send me a review copy of Real Talk, and as always I am going to give it away to a lucky reader. To enter, email teachforever@gmail.com with the subject "Real Talk Giveaway" before Wednesday 11:59pm CST.  I'll pick a winner at random.  Thanks to all the loyal readers who always participate, and good luck!

Get Real Talk for Real Teachers on Amazon

Weekend Reader on Social Media in Education: July 2013

How to Handle Students on Facebook [Educational Technology and Mobile Learning]

Non-Profit Uses Social Media to Crush Bullying [GOOD]

Ten ideas for using Twitter in the classroom [TES Community via Twitter] - Bonus, for the skeptics: 3 things you should know about Twitter [Learning with 'e's, via Twitter].

Educators learning to evolve as technology, social media changes teaching [Globalnews.ca]

Not using social media should no longer be an option... [Life of an Educator by Justin Tarte]

Giveaway: Catch The Wind, Harness The Sun: 22 Super-Charged Science Projects For Kids

There is still plenty of summer left, and I want to give parents (as well as elementary and science teachers) an opportunity to win a book that will help kids take full advantage of it. Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun: 22 Super-Charged Projects for Kids, by Michael J Caduto, is full of fun, engaging science projects that will get kids off their duffs and out of the house (at least temporarily).

Besides the 22 projects, which utilize everything from swamp gas to solar power, there's also a list of resources for you and/or your kids to follow up so that the learning can continue.

This is the kind of book that should be in every home, and in every late elementary and middle school classroom library. Here's your chance to get a copy: email teachforever@gmail.com with the subject "Catch The Wind Giveaway" by 11:59pm PST Tuesday.  One random entrant will win. Good luck!

Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun: 22 Super-Charged Projects for Kids [Amazon.com]

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher For a RetailMeNot Classroom Shopping Spree

Coupon website/app RetailMeNot is hosting a contest for a teacher shopping spree at CostCo!  Nominate your favorite teacher on their website until Saturday, August 10th for a chance to win.  Good luck!

Weekend Reader on Entrepreneurship in Schools

Fishtree Blog — The Skills of Tomorrow Public speaking. [Fishtree blog via GOOD] - The author discusses whether entrepreneurship should be taught in schools.

3 Ways Schools Can Encourage Student Entrepreneurship [Edudemic]

Teach Your Kids the Value of Money with a Job Board [Lifehacker] - Teaching kids the value of work (and money) is a great way to set them on an entrepreneurial path.

How to Educate Next Generation of Entrepreneurs? Start by Reviving Financial Literacy [GOOD]

KidLead - A leadership training curriculum for kids ages 6-9. Leadership and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.

What We Really Mean When We Talk About Gamification in Education

For every article I read pointing to gamification as a key part of the future of education, there seems to always be a counterpoint about it being some kind of fad. It is admittedly a buzzword, and it will likely fade out of our vocabulary at some point (as all buzzwords eventually do). What it really means will remain a critical part of successful classrooms.

Gamification is not about making everything into a game, engaging players through fun and competition. At it's heart, when we're talking about gamification, we're really talking about positive feedback and reinforcement. Badges, levels, progress meters--these are all simply ways to say you are on the right track. Keep going. You're almost there.

Done right, there's usually no need for material rewards, just the external psychological motivation we all need sometimes. Finding ways to encourage your students to succeed is at the heart of good teaching.  Gold stars, a "Student of the Week" board, positive phone calls home, showing up at a student's athletic or academic competition... these are the most effective badges we can award our students.

Whether or not you explicitly try to gamify your classroom, the game is being played there every day. It's up to you to find out how to help your students win. 

Weekend Reader on Games, Gamification & Education

Can Digital Games Boost Students’ Test Scores? [MindShift] - The short answer is yes, but it's also important to note that simulations seemed to have an even stronger correlation with better test scores. "We shouldn’t frame games, or any other instructional support, as ‘the answer,’" says one Gates Foundation official, but says that the data can't be ignored. "We should be careful not to view learning technologies as a replacement for deep teacher and student interactions. We see effective technology supports as enabling the opposite."

Is Gamification Just a Fad? [Mashable] - Short answer: no.

Games to keep teenage girls enthralled with math, science [The Seattle Times]

Videogames and Learning [blogs.worldbank.org] - A look into the research on how games can be effective in the classroom.

The Game That Will Save Zynga (And Mathematics Education) [This blog] - A learning game idea I came up with last summer, which seems appropriate given the game publisher's business woes. I'm still willing to hear your offer, Zynga.

Coming Monday: my take on gamification and education.

Independence Day Sale On My Books At Lulu.com

Here's a holiday coupon code for 25% off any order at Lulu.com: FIREWORKS.  It's a great chance to add either of my books to your summer reading pile. It's good until 11:59pm this Friday, so use it quickly!

Basics of Quadratic Functions iPad (Tablet) Project

For the last few years, when my students were learning about the graphs of simple quadratic functions (usually ones in the form y = ax² + c), they would make posters of quadratic equations and label key parts.  As we discussed solving quadratic equations by graphing, students would make posters explaining the process. 

Last year, I combined these projects using the iPads our students had available:

BASICS OF QUADRATIC FUNCTIONS IPAD PROJECT

1. Create a Keynote presentation or video that shows 2 quadratic equations and their graphs (one that opens up and one that opens down).
2. Label these parts:
   
   1. Vertex
   2. Axis of symmetry
   3. Roots/zeros (if any)
   4. Minimum or maximum
3. Show how to tell if a graph opens up or down just from the equation.
4. Show how to find the vertex using the calculator.
5. Show how to find the zeros/roots using the calculator.

As with the adaptable iPad project I shared last week, you could also give students the option of using the fantastic Educreations app.

Essentially this is the same project as those simple posters, but it utilizes the technology we had available in a meaningful way. While I would never want to replace every low or no-tech project I use, it's always important to take advantage of the resources you have.

Weekend Reader on Teaching Coding

Kids DIY Game Creation App TinyTap Heads To iPhone, Launches Its Own App Store [TechCrunch]

UT launches video gaming academy [Austin American-Statesman] - Video games are big business, bigger than movies at this point. This is at least part of the reason to incorporate coding into our K-12 curriculum.

How and Why to Teach Your Kids to Code [Lifehacker] - Plus two bonuses from the same site, Learn Beginner and Advanced HTML/CSS Skills for Free and Hopscotch HD Introduces Kids to Programming.

Three Free iPad Apps That Teach Kids To Program [iPad Apps for School via Twitter]

Why You Don’t Need to Go to University to Learn How to Code [GOOD]

How coding might just save our kids [USA Today]

If You're Reading This in Google Reader, You Need To Switch Now

If you've been reading this blog using Google Reader, you're going to need to switch to something else before July 1st, because it's shutting down.  GR had been my feed reader of choice for as long as I can remember, but as soon as I heard the news, I sought out an alternative.

Using this guide by Lifehacker, I decided to try out Feedly, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It has a beautiful, easy to read and use interface, both on the web and their smartphone/tablet app. I actually like it better than GR. You can import all of your GR feeds directly into Feedly when you sign up, but you need to do that before Google's service shuts down.

On iPad, Flipboard is also a great option. You could also try a free service like Bloglovin. You could also follow the blog on Facebook, although that seems a bit inefficient to me.

Choose quickly! Remember, you have until July 1st.

Building Internet Savvy Kids

Online 'Driver's Ed' Course Preps Kids for the Social Web [Mashable]

Common Sense Media - This well-established site is a one-stop-shop for parents and teachers looking for help teaching kids to be savvy about all media, including social media.

Teaching Students Better Online Research Skills [Education Week]

You're Being Monitored All the Time — Deal With It [Mashable] - The best way to use the current debate about the government tracking us is to engage your students in a discussion about how easily the government, corporations and anyone else you know can track your whereabouts based on what you do online. Between the data you agree to share or don't own when you sign Privacy Policy agreements and what students decide to freely post, it will be hard for them to be frustrated with anybody but themselves. This particular article should serve as a great discussion piece.

Creatively Designed Posters Educate People About The Perils of Cyberspace [DesignTAXI.com]