April 2012 Blog Posts (30)

We are very exacting in our standards for quality education and it is our goal to be the premier education brand in China within the next 5 years. 



We currently create our own branded educational flashcards, game cards, flash games, tshirts, e-books, digital lesson content and more. 



Are you the one? How daring are you?

Hello friends, we look forward to meeting you here in Shenzhen.…

One of my concerns in the use of technology in the classroom over the last five years is the collaborative nature of online tools and easy of functionality between the teacher and student using these tools. As far as collaborative tools go for education, Google Docs has proven to be one of the best, I have ever used. My students and I have made it an indispensable part of the AP World and European History classes. Many of my students are now using it in their other upper level and Dual…

Photo via Jessica Smith @NCAAJessic

Last week, I was deeply touched by the news that Pat Summit, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, is stepping down as the head coach of the  …

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This poem is a tribute to Sir Ken Robinson's, The Element- and its essential insights about the importance of nurturing students passions-

Lines                                                                                                            By Lori Polachek

Cutting one’s own offspring’s

umbilical cord is a challenge,

even for someone as powerful

as the…

We are in a challenging transition period. It is becoming increasingly clear that the industrial educational model is ill-equipped to develop the skills and competencies our students will need, and it is insufficient to engage our digital learners.

And yet, we are struggling to find the formula or model that will move our education from where it is to where it needs to be. Many of us are not sufficiently literate in technology to fully appreciate the full…

Reading poetry is inspirational! And teaching it can be even more so. If you haven't thought about using poetry in your daily work with students, I really want you to re-think that whole idea today.

April's theme of National Poetry Month can be a great way to kick-start the use of poetry in your classroom. I'm keeping this book on my desk in April: …

Check out my newest blog post on integrating Non-Fiction Text Structures into your reading and writing instruction! Many freebies and resources are included!

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Kristin

Great thoughts on the use of Twitter for your PLN

http://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/what-if-school-was-more-like-twitter/

At our ManACE Technology Information Night, a presenter talked about how Twitter has become his most important source of valuable information regarding his journey of becoming a teacher in a one-to-one environment.

Twitter Ethics 101

wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons Almeida_Júnior_-_Moça_com_Livro.jp…

Every educator knows what their school is like, but few really understand what Twitter is like. The Twitter experience, like school, is different for everyone. One’s contribution to the effort in either of these endeavors has a great deal to do with producing the outcomes. Simply put, the more you put in, the more you get out. That at least is the theory.

I am fortunate to have a very large base of educators that I follow on Twitter and an even larger number of educators follow me.…

It is always difficult to figure out what way to integrate technology and how to use these new tools in ways that make sense. http://blend2learn.org/2012/04/14/a-day-in-the-life/.

this link describes some of the strategies the teachers I work with are using. I would love any thoughts or feedback.

For years I served on the board of directors of The New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education, a group known to most as NYSCATE. One thing that I always had a problem with while working with NYSCATE was the name of that group. The name gave the perception to teachers that this was a group for computer teachers. It is actually a wonderful, professional group that supports technology for all educators in any subject areas. As any honest politician worth his/her…

Twitter is a funny animal. Many school districts block its use due to the serious risks that it poses. However, if your district is willing to give it a try, Twitter is really worth using. There are important skills students can learn from using Twitter in…

Education has gone beyond the four walls of the classroom.  IT has taken over and has even made teaching and learning easier for us all.  Perhaps, many educators are yet to explore the internet to see we have.  I'll implore all to tap into this opportunity. Get the gists everyday.

Does anyone know anyone with Aspergers Syndrome?  Just wondering if a relationship is a feasible thing.  Want to know more from an educators standpoint.

There are few questions that I get from teachers about social media, or sources that I haven’t gotten in some form before over the last three or four years. Two similar questions that I get with frequency are: How do you know all that stuff? And where do you get the time to get all this stuff? My immediate response is that Twitter is my guide to relevant education sources. Those educators who are “unconnected” should know that many “connected educators” consider Twitter an indispensable…