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Hidden Costs of Being a Teacher | Block Talk - The H&R Block Official Corporate Blog
H&R Block asked me to write an article to help people understand the hidden costs of being a teacher. It is important to help people understand the profession we love. If you agree, I hope you'll like and share this article to help others know what it is like to be a teacher.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Friday, 4 October 2013
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Connected/CEM Cafe | Connected Educators
Most weeknights of Connected Educator month #cem13 there are Connected Cafes with many online leaders in education. They are free and will be great conversations. I'm on October 3 at 7:30 pm and we're talking about connected leadership with Dean Shareski and moderated by Steve Hargadon. Take a look at the calendar to see more. October 4 is Larry Ferlazzo and Angela Maiers, October 8, Ira Socol and Kathleen Cushman and many more.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
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Top 100 Tools for Learning 2013
Jane Hart has her list of 100 Top tools for learning 2013 based upon her 7th survey. This is usually a pretty good indicator and I would agree with it for the most part.
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Tweeting Down The Classroom Walls | EdSurge
The guidebook from Edsurge on how to connect. Share this with educators to help them learn how to connect and use the many online resources for educators.
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Five Essentials To Create Connected Students | EdSurge News
Connected educator month is here! Edsurge has created a lovely guide for educators to share. Here is my small contribution to this piece and there are many great articles to read and share with others.
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
This post is inspired by Everyartist Live!, a national, collaborative art event with the goal of engaging a million elementary school children on November 21, 2013 - the largest art event in history. Want to get involved? Join the effort to show that creativity matters. Sign up at http://everyartist.me
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| November 21 will mark the largest art project in history (we hope.) Here's how you and your students can join in. |
Creativity for kids: will it keep kids healthy?
Recently, I came across a book that listed the “12 apostles of ill health.”1 I was stunned to see that one was “a lack of creativity.” How can lack of creativity lead to ill health? Is this true?
Think for a moment… it seems like the faster the arts and music have been removed from schools, the higher the drop out rate has escalated. Students are disenchanted and disengaged as they've had paint brushes replaced by pencils as they figure math problems instead of drawing figures on a page.
Join the largest art project in history on November 21.
Certainly our students need to learn math, science, and all of these other things. However, I would argue if each of us has things that we are made to do and those things are pulled from us, then we will pull away from the thing that pulls us away from what we love. Kids are creative and they need it in the classroom.
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| Join the largest art project in history on November 21. |
Genius Fridays and Raven
I have a beautiful student, lets call her Raven. Raven is gifted beyond measure and creates drawings that can make your eyes mist. That kind of talent. Most Fridays we have genius day and Raven has chosen to draw. She’s learned about apps that let her draw and has photographed her work and opened up a personal gallery on a website for artists.
She glows on Fridays and says to me,“It is like I can bring all of me to school… I don’t have to leave a piece of me at home.”
“It is like I can bring all of me to school… I don’t have to leave a piece of me at home.”
Do you want a piece of me?
We don’t want one piece of a child… the part that does math or the part that writes paragraphs. We want the whole child. The child that decides what to eat and how to exercise and especially the part that creates.
When I think of the impact of personal interest projects on math and science, I think of the EAST initiative in Arkansas. This program uses technology to help students pursue personal interest projects. In research, they've discovered a positive impact on student motivation and self directed learning styles. Why?
Maybe it is because kids are able to bring themselves to school, not just a piece. They are solving problems creatively.
We are made to create. It is part of the human DNA. We are also made to collaborate. (I write a lot about flattening the classroom, this is yet another way to do that.)
Let's help kids join a massive world wide elementary art event
I’m writing this post because Everyartist Live! contacted me about their world wide elementary art event on November 21, 2013. Admittedly, I have many companies who contact me to write posts for them - some sponsored, some not. The only posts I accept as sponsored posts are those I’d write about anyway for topics that I think are important to those of you who gift me with your eyes and attention several times a week.
Join Everyartist Live! in their mission to spark creativity Here’s how:
Everyartist.me is sponsoring a program to let elementary students around the world participate and join in the collaborative event. While the focus is on the US, anyone can join in and many have already registered.
1. Read about everyartist.me2. Sign up at https://signup.everyartist.me/
Mark your calendar and check your email for more information on this project. And remember, whatever you do, inspire creativity in your classroom.
I believe every child should be creating something original each week.We need creativity to bloom. We must make time for this generation to create. This is one way and I hope you’ll join in!
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Mark your calendar and check your email for more information on this project. And remember, whatever you do, inspire creativity in your classroom.
I believe every child should be creating something original each week.
Footnotes
1 - E Stanley Jones as quoted in “Ordering Your Private World” by George McDonald
All photos licensed from iStockphoto except for the Everyartist Live! Logo
All photos licensed from iStockphoto except for the Everyartist Live! Logo
Monday, 30 September 2013
Don't measure your worth by how often you're thanked.
But just so you know - THANK YOU.
Your job is important. You are important. Your sacrifice is worth it. THANK YOU.
You are noble. Never let the lack of thanks cause you to forget your nobility. Live it. Be it. Be the kind of teacher this world desperately needs.
And for every one of you who are THAT kind of teacher - the world owes you gratitude for which it will never give. But let us teachers give it to one another, for truly, we are among the few who really know what it means to give up your life in pursuit of helping a child find theirs.
Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPadFriday, 27 September 2013
Thursday, 26 September 2013
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blink(1), the USB RGB LED by ThingM — Kickstarter
Cool little light that can show various colors to indicate things that have happened. This was funded on kickstarter and I noticed it being added to ifttt.com as a channel. So, for example, if you have a big download and want to be notified when it is done - or if you want to be notified when a certain person (Grandma) logs into skype but you don't want to have to log in or look at the screen - this USB RGB light will light in the color you wish. There are so many cool applications for this as we move into the "internet of things."
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A popular website for uploading your best photos and selling them is 500px. You can upload 20 pictures for free a week and have your personal store selling your photos. This is a money maker for those students who are photography buffs.
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10 Powerful Screencasting Apps For Mobile Devices
Screencasting (sharing your screen, often accompanied by narration) is an essential skill for all of us - especially if we teach. Here are 10 resources - one which may work on your mobile.
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Discovery Brings STEM Curriculum, Professional Development to Girls Inc. Program
Excited to see Discovery work with an incredible nonprofit, Girls Inc to bring STEM to girls. Now THIS Is something with a lot of potential. Girls INc is a great organization that I worked with here in Albany (yes, back in the 90 - has been a while) but I was always impressed with their programs. Excited to watch this develop.
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Dual ownership of IP - a win-win policy?
This post from Doug Johnson NAILS the IP issues that K12 teachers have. I hope that all administrators and teachers who develop anything online work together and look at this discussion because we must take action NOW with clarity as to who owns what when a teacher develops a course. Now, K12 schools claim ALL rights - this is not good as it discourages sharing and dissemination of best practices. But colleges give professors all rights - which means if the prof leaves so does the curriculum. I agree with Doug Johnson that we need something in between.
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