Think and Dream in English: 01/12/10

"At times, teaching can be overwhelming. You have stacks of papers to grade, conferences to attend, grades to calculate, emails to respond to, and, if there is any time left—teach. So much to do, and so little time in which to accomplish it. Included herein are teacher-tested ideas on how to save time without sacrificing the quality of your teaching.

Before instituting a time management plan, however, you need to spend a few days simply observing and reflecting. Keep a notepad nearby; when you find yourself using your time inefficiently jot it down. For example, do you spend a considerable amount of time explaining to students what they need to do in order to make up missed assignments? Is your time taken up by filing, emailing, phone calls, disruptions, copying material, taking attendance, repeating directions? See where your 'time leaks' are and then find a way to plug them. You may be surprised at the activities that are soaking up your valuable time."

EasyTestMaker

EasyTestMaker:

"EasyTestMaker is a FREE online test generator to help you create your tests. With Easy Test Maker you can create multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer and true and false questions all on the same test. You can also insert instructions and divide your test into multiple sections.

EasyTestMaker automatically generates alternate versions entirely randomized and master answer sheets with a single click! Just click the 'Generate Alternate Versions' or 'Print Answer Sheet' link when you are done creating your test. It's that easy!"

The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet

The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet:

"As we quickly approach the dawn of a new year, here are my picks for the 101 most useful websites of the year 2010.

The list primarily highlights the lesser-known or undiscovered websites and misses out all-time favorites like Google Docs, Wikipedia or IMDB that most of us are already aware of.
Useful Websites Worth a Bookmark!

The sites mentioned below, well most of them, solve at least one problem really well and they all have simple web addresses (URLs) that you can easily learn by heart thus saving you a trip to Google.

In a hurry? Download this list as a PDF eBook and read it anywhere."

The Twelve Cognitive Processes that Underlie Learning

Engines for Education:

"The following cognitive skills are developed gradually over time. This is the stuff that we need to learn how to do in order to function well in the world. . The more proficient you are at these skills, the smarter you appear and the more you can learn:"

Read the whole article here: The Twelve Cognitive Processes that Underlie Learning

Related post: Aprender haciendo y el fracaso de nuestro sistema educativo

Everything is Amazing and Nobody is Happy

Google Sites Tutorial

Tutorial Google Sites

View more presentations from Luis Barriocanal.

Homework Talk

Homework Talk - Milan 09/10

View more presentations from Shaun Wilden.

100 Seriously Cool Classroom Blogs for Teaching Ideas & Inspiration | Online Classes

100 Seriously Cool Classroom Blogs for Teaching Ideas & Inspiration | Online Classes:

"Life as a teacher, especially one fresh off attending your own classes, can be hard. You have to wake up early, work late and manage a classroom full of kids, each with their own diverse needs and expectations. Luckily, there are numerous teachers out there who are willing to share their expertise and classroom experiments with teachers young and old. Here are some great blogs that offer insights into what classes of kids are doing around the world as well as providing some great advice on everything from dealing with parents to figuring out grades."

Father and Son - a short film in celebration of Father's Day

The seven secrets behind great teaching - Features - TES Connect

The seven secrets behind great teaching - Features - TES Connect:

"Stephen Covey’s business self-help book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, has sold more than 15 million copies. The book lists seven principles that, if adopted as habits, can help people become truly effective at what they do. But what makes teachers highly effective?"

Interactive White Boards - Technology Integration for Teachers

Interactive White Boards - Technology Integration for Teachers:

"Using Interactive White Boards to Engage Students

Regardless of what brand your school is using, interactive white boards are a really valuable tool to get students up out of their seats and engaged in the learning. Users move objects, words, and text - providing a rich learning experience. The software that is provided with the board allows teachers to create multimedia presentations with templates and visual elements build right in as well as the ability to integrate media from other web resources. In addition, the media and the presentation can be saved and shared with students who need extra reinforcement at home or other teachers who's students are learning the same concepts. If you are new to teaching with IWB or you are an expert, check out this community of educators to find more resources and ideas. You also must check out Jim Hollis's blogand website!"

Official Google Blog: TeachParentsTech.org: keeping tech support a family business

Official Google Blog: TeachParentsTech.org: keeping tech support a family business:

"TeachParentsTech.org lets you select from more than 50 basic how-to videos to send to mom, dad, your old college roommate, your neighbor or anyone else who could use a little help with tech tasks—whether it’s how to copy & paste to how to share a big file. Wrap up your video with a custom email and off it goes! The recipient will receive your message and a link to the video(s) you selected."

Converting Ebooks with Calibre - ProfHacker - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Converting Ebooks with Calibre - ProfHacker - The Chronicle of Higher Education:

"Even if we’re not “Kindling the Classroom,” there are a lot of us out there using ebook readers for our own reading. Here’s the catch: a lot of the materials we want to read don’t come from whatever bookstores might work with our readers. We might want to load journal articles, books from Project Gutenberg, or even our own work onto our readers. We might even want to read a file format that the reader we own doesn’t support. Depending on the reader we own and the format of the item in question, we may be able to just sideload the content—but that might not work for everything.

Enter Calibre."

15-Year-Old Protester Goes Off On British Establishment

15-Year-Old Protester Goes Off On British Establishment (VIDEO):

"British students protesting tuition hike fees at national universities now have a viral video to rally around: a rousing address given by a 15-year-old slamming the nation's government.

The impassioned plea was made at the Coalition of Resistance National Conference in Camden, U.K., on Nov. 27, a youth, students and education workshop."

Having Fun with Funglish

Madonna Opens Up on Bullying

After the recent tragedies regarding bullying, Madonna is speaking out about her own experience at The Ellen Degeneres Show.

Material Girl by Madonna

Watch Madonna's video:

Do the exercises:
http://www.english4all.pro.br/Materialgirl.htm

'Material Girl' by Madonna

Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me
I think they're O.K.
If they don't give me proper credit
I just walk away

They can beg and they can plead
But they can't see the light, that's right
'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash
Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are

Chorus:

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

Some boys romance, some boys slow dance
That's all right with me
If they can't raise my interest then I
Have to let them be

Some boys try and some boys lie but
I don't let them play
Only boys who save their pennies
Make my rainy day, 'cause they are

(chorus)

Living in a material world [material]
Living in a material world
(repeat)

Boys may come and boys may go
And that's all right you see
Experience has made me rich
And now they're after me, 'cause everybody's

(chorus)

A material, a material, a material, a material world

Living in a material world [material]
Living in a material world
(repeat and fade)

Now watch Marilyn's video:

and Kylie's version:

Madonna's Website:
http://www.madonna.com/
Material Collection:
http://materialgirlcollection.com/holiday_2010/
Material Girl Blog:
http://blog.materialgirlcollection.com/

Welcome to Hell - Rowan Atkinson (with English subtitles)

30+ Ways to Use Foursquare In Education | Accredited Online Colleges.com

30+ Ways to Use Foursquare In Education | Accredited Online Colleges.com:

"Foursquare is a smartphone app that is quickly becoming one of the most popular and useful geo-networking tools for general social networking and for promoting business. Unlike other social networks, Foursquare encourages people to get out and enjoy their city by sharing check-ins, tips and to-dos while earning points and badges as they explore new venues and favorite hang-outs. Foursquare can also be used in education, though, for online students, lower education teachers, and in campus communities. Read on for great ways to use Foursquare in education."

30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30: Magazine: glamour.com

30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30: Magazine: glamour.com:

"This 1997 Glamour article has become a popular web chain letter, usually titled “Maya Angelou’s Best Poem Ever.” Glamour contributor Pamela Redmond Satran is flattered, but she wrote the list, updating it in 2005."

ESL Holiday Lessons.com: Anti-Bullying Day

ESL Holiday Lessons.com: Anti-Bullying Day:

"Bullying is one of the nastier, darker sides of human nature. We see it everywhere, from our early days at school to our place of work. What is it that makes bullies want to tease, hurt, humiliate and injure others? In many cases, people who are bullied take their own lives. It’s so sad this can happen in today’s society. But it does happen and it’s allowed to happen. Many terrible things happen in school – children are beaten every day. If this happened to an adult on the street, the bully would be called an attacker or mugger and would be arrested. In school it’s called “part of growing up”. The bully gets away with criminal assault; the bullied child suffers long-term physical or emotional damage."

20 sitios para ver vídeos educativos gratis

20 sitios para ver vídeos educativos gratis:

"Una de las muchas cosas que podemos encontrar en refseek.com son directorios de recursos interesantes para el ámbito académico.

Aquí os dejo con uno de ellos, una lista de sitios web que podéis consultar para encontrar vídeos educativos de diferentes categorías y niveles."

Alice in Wonderland in the Classroom

Alice:

"Chapter 1: Alice falls.

Alice is at a garden party.

Suddenly she sees a rabbit with a watch and follows the strange creature.

She comes to a tree to look for the rabbit, but falls down a hole... down... down... down..."

Videos and Exercises here

Creating a Personal Learning Network

Creating a Personal Learning Network

View more presentations from Corinne Weisgerber.

To Be Better Teachers, We Need To Be Better Learners. « My Island View

To Be Better Teachers, We Need To Be Better Learners. « My Island View:

"Educators need to get over their fears and give up on this resistance to technology. We need to support more unconferences and the movement that drives them. We need to teach Educators how to know what they don’t know, and learn it. We need them to buy into the concepts and adapt to the tools, for the tools will continually change and develop. We need to connect teachers through their own Personal Learning Networks using social media for professional Development. Collaboration outside of our classrooms will take us beyond our personal limitations and allow us to learn continually and globally. As an added advantage, we will also be able to take our students with us."

Google Cloud Print, imprime desde cualquier lugar

Google Cloud Print, imprime desde cualquier lugar:

"Google Cloud Print ya está disponible para todos, y nos permite imprimir documentos desde cualquier sitio. Para esto tendremos que poseer una impresora específicamente preparada para ello, o bien una impresora normal conectada a un ordenador con Windows y con Chrome.

Aunque de momento sólo funciona desde Chrome y Windows, seguramente tendremos dentro de poco una aplicación para Android para poder imprimir desde dispositivos móviles. En cuanto a la seguridad, dependemos de nuestra cuenta de Google: las impresoras están vinculadas a nuestra cuenta y nadie más puede acceder a no ser que las compartamos."

Hackers Defend WikiLeaks by Attacking PayPal and PostFinance

Hackers Defend WikiLeaks by Attacking PayPal and PostFinance:

"A group of hackers connected to the online imageboard 4chan, often referred to as Anonymous, have retaliated against several sites which have denied service to WikiLeaks shortly after the site started leaking secret embassy cables.

The site of Swiss bank PostFinance, which has closed the account of WikiLeaks (Wikileaks) founder Julian Assange, has been taken down and is still unavailable at the time of this writing. Hackers have also attacked PayPal but have only managed to take down the site’s blog (blog), while the service remained operational."

Free Technology for Teachers: Free Guide - Making Videos on the Web

Free Technology for Teachers: Free Guide - Making Videos on the Web:

"Creating videos is one the activities that my students really enjoy doing. They enjoy it, in large part, because the finished product is something that looks good and can easily be shared with classmates, parents, and other teachers. Often when other people see the videos my students make, they're impressed and wonder how they can do a similar activity in their classrooms. This guide was created for those teachers who would like to have their students make videos but don't have access to editing software and or video equipment. All of the resources in this guide are completely web-based."

Free Technology for Teachers: 12 Ways to Create Videos Without a Camera or Software

Free Technology for Teachers: 12 Ways to Create Videos Without a Camera or Software:

"It wasn't that long ago that creating videos in your classroom meant that you had to have access to cameras and editing software. That is no longer the case. Now with nothing more than a reliable Internet connection you and your students can create all kinds of documentary, entertainment, and how-to videos."