Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's "Best of .... for 2007"

Larry has created an incredible resource for educators teaching ELL, EFL,and ESL and I have blogged about in the past. Now he has compiled a list of his 14 Best Web 2.0 Applications for all educators and it is clearly worth a look. No one does a better job of accumulating resources that benefit students and teachers.

But he didn't stop at creating just one list. He has put together a number of excellent resources by categories - Best Math Sites, Best Social Studies Sites, Best Science Sites, Best Online Learning Sites, Best Web 2.0 Applications for ESl/EFL Learners, etc. They can be accessed here:

Larry Ferlazzo's Best of the Year Lists

Friday, December 07, 2007

Student Voices

Student centered educational practices are paramount for me as an educator. I am always seeking out students' perspectives to better understand what it's like to be a learner in the 21st century. Appreciating learning style differences is an essential consideration in my practice as an assistive & educational technology consultant.

With all that said, I am thrilled to highlight the launch of a new website created by students from various parts of the world, globally connected through 2.0 tools. Check out this link for Student 2.0. Read their words for why they started:

For decades, students have been put in classrooms, sat down at desks, and told how to learn and what to learn. For a time when students were expected to become widgets for the vast machine of industry, this model of education was highly effective. However, we are now entering a new age: an age where thinking is more important than knowing, where the thought trumps the fact. Borders are melting away; project teams collaborate across the globe and intelligence is being continually redefined. The world’s information is at our fingertips and anybody can publish their thoughts for virtually no cost.

Everywhere, we see changes: in how business operates, in how people interact and success is accomplished. That is, we see changes everywhere besides the closed bars of education. The system continues to “stay the course” upon a falling ship. Yet, the widgets within the machine are no longer content to grind away. Ideas are popping up everywhere, across the globe. Students are continually redefining their own lives and how they want to learn and interact.

Adults and teachers talk about education and students, but rarely invite students into these discussions. Fortunately, this blog plans to change that by offering authentic student voices about education. This is not a gimmick, there's no puppet master: we're intent upon confronting the issues of modern education, never backing down from a challenge.




challenge isStudents 2.0 is challenge for leaders and teachers alike: are you willing to listen to students.Students 2.0 is challenge for leaders and teachers alike: are you willing to listen to students. challenge for leaders and teachers alike: are you willing to listen to students.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Blogs in Plain English

Need to help others understand the rationale and power behind blogging? Here's the latest video in Plain English by Common Craft. They don't really make the connection to education but the thing to remember is that blogs offer authentic writing for an authentic audience, an audience greater than one, the classroom teacher.
In addition, the collaborative, connective capabilities promote engaged writing. As I've written before: How do we improve as writers? We write. Blogs offer opportunities to write and respond to commenters, to dialogue with those who read our work. Our audience potentially reaches far beyond the four walls of our schools. How cool is that for our students?

If you haven't explored blogging possibilities in your classroom, watch this video to understand blogging in plain English.