July 2012 Blog Posts (21)

This week I was thinking on how to improve my Italian language students’ experience. In fact, while in class we mostly learn and practice the language, their exposure to the Italian society and culture is reduced to short descriptions on the manual, anecdotes that I may tell, or videos that I may share with them. As we are all connected on Twitter, I often post links to interesting online resources, videos, songs, etc. But, let’s be honest, just a few of them access these links and just this…

http://keisergrads3.blogspot.com/

http://keisergrads3.blogspot.com/

This is my first Blog created jointly with two fellow MSE students.

Gina

This was originally posted in SmartBrief's SmartBlog on Education http://smartblogs.com/education

I was lucky to have scored an invitation to the ASCD Leader to Leader Conference. ASCD is a premier education organization that engages a membership of about 150,000 educators internationally. This particular conference…

I hope you had a good week. As I gear up for our two week Boot Camp program, I had the chance to participate this week in a “Boot Camp for educators,” held online by ASCD, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The program, a webinar really, was fascinating for several reasons. First of all, it showed the power and depth of Web 2.0. (What exactly is Web 2.0, you may ask? Not everyone present at the session knew that either, although the presenter seemed to take it for…

Although the world is rotating at a similar pace compared to 20 years ago, several things have changed in our lives. Technology has jumped miles ahead, attitudes have changed and lifestyles are different. This means that children today are growing up in a world that is almost completely different from the one we grew up in. Today’s world presents challenges that didn’t even exist 20 years ago.

So how does one equip their child with the right skill set to tackle this changing world?…

I’ve been a language teacher for the last 5 years: I’ve been teaching Spanish and Italian to American college students, in Spain and Florida. In class I’ve always had a computer connected to the Internet, speakers, and a projector and my courses always had a Learning Management System page (Moodle or Blackboard). Thus, I’ve always had the chance to integrate technology into my face-to-face courses, using multimedia material for in-class activities and online tools for out-of-class…

There are only a few explanations that many educators offer up as reasons not to learn and use any technology as tools for learning. One of the most popular excuses, frequently cited by educators, is that there is not enough time to learn all of the stuff that is out there. It certainly is true that there are a huge number of things to learn out there that are linked to technology. When thought about as a complete package, it most definitely can be overwhelming, and I wholeheartedly agree…

Skype offers fantastic opportunities for teachers and students alike to share, learn and collaborate with others around the world.  Skype for…

When the brick road changes again in you professional life it impacts on your personal life. As I am told today that I am part of the carnage of the 2.5% of teachers salary cuts for OTEN (TAFE) which will occur every year for the next 4 years; has an unexpected effect on me. As I have never lost a position of employment; I wonder where the road will lead next. I know that I have finished my practicum for my MTeach (Primary), I will be finishing my university…

Watch for the archive of this event.  This webinar was filled with great resrouces!

http://siemensstemacademy.com/index.cfm?event=showResource&resourceId=e1cc07de-1321-0c71-3c0e-68b0629b251c

     Hello, welcome to blogging with Kathy.  I am new to this so please give me the opportunity to grow and learn with you.

     I want to write about things that I am passionate about, but that list is very long. So my blogs will…

I just got off the phone after speaking with a doctor in California whom I have never spoken to before. Before we said goodbye, he said “Nice to meet you.” It struck me as a slightly strange way to say goodbye after speaking on the phone. Did I indeed “meet“ him? Just what does “meeting” mean in this context? A quick search shows the first definition of "meet" to be "To come upon by chance or arrangement." (1)



A few weeks ago, I wrote about a conference in California on education…

Good nutrition and a health, balanced diet are paramount for your child's mental and physical development. A proper diet during the early growth stages can go miles and stabilize the child’s energy levels, sharpen their mind, and even help stymie their tantrums. A healthy diet also boosts immunity and facilitates recovery from illness. However, it is not easy to get your child to eat what is really good for them as they…

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Let-the-Children-Play-Its-Good-for-Them.html?utm_source=SparkUpdate%3A+July+10%25

I recently attended a complete immersion of education philosophy, education methods and pedagogy, technology tools for learning and connectedness with education thought leaders from around the world. All of this took place at one of our premier annual education conferences, ISTE 2012 in San Diego. Educators attend these conferences with their own focuses. They select the sessions they need from a smorgasbord of high-quality…

I believe an open and flexible mindset is essential in education.  It is critical to receiving and embracing new ideas.  All too often, fixed mindset hinders growth for self and others.  How do you inspire others to have a growth mindset for learning?

Flat Classroom™ Projects Applications Opening July 1 for projects starting in September 2012!