Making Teachers Nerdy

Are you ever overwhelmed with searching for classroom resources?  Do you seem to suffer from brain fades as you stare in the Google search engine wondering where to begin?  No worries.  Today, I’m offering my personal keyword and key phrase arsenal to help you navigate Google in record time and still find the best resources for your students.

I would recommend printing off this list before you begin searching as a quick reference.  Goodness, even I have the list close to my computer as I get stumped on playing the Google word game from time to time. 

Good luck and may the keyword be with you.

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Ah, Spring.  Poetry writing, field trips, research papers, and all those great units we love to teach after the state assessments.  It’s definitely one of my favorite times of the year, yet I know how much we all cram into those last few weeks.  Even I have been guilty of playing beat the clock with content until Field Day rolls around. 

Today’s blog post will feature one of the most common spring teacher projects – the end of the year slideshow.  Yep, you’ve seen dozens over the past few years and even created one or two, but today I’ll discuss ways to improve, simplify and enhance them.  I mean, there has to be an easier and cooler way, yes?  You bet!

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Yes, today’s post is another freebie for teachers featuring webcam feeds you could be incorporating into your classroom.  Consider these as teleportation devices to many of the world’s greatest landmarks, national parks, and historical significance.  In addition they are virtual eyes that allow students to study animal behavior patterns and habitats.  Possibly they could be regarded as voyeuristic tools where students can ride along with a big rig truck driver or observe the physics of skateboard parks.  The choices are vast, but they do bring a bit of the outside world into the walls of your classroom.

As I was gathering these sites, I have come to a few conclusions. 

First, webcam technology is drastically improving.  I did find many cameras allowed the viewer to take virtual control of the camera.  Students can zoom, move the camera around, and even switch camera feeds. 

Secondly, some of the best webcam feeds have been disabled and replaced with better internet broadcasting.  The concept is the same, except the image is fluid and more of a television show feed. I do believe this is going to be the mainstream for webcams within the next few months, so I will most likely be making modifications to this blog post periodically.

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I was tagged by three great educators to post my 5 things: abeam, Technorth, and RickH.  Honestly, I’ve been tossing this idea around for over a week so I could reflect on what I considered should be altered.  I came to the conclusion that I would focus on the positive opportunities teachers and students could have with the best talent we all share – imagination.  I love to see teachers become giddy with new ideas.  Do you know that feeling?  The one where you walk a little lighter,  your mind wheels turn much faster, and best of all the your energy virtually soars.  Just like the moment of screaming, “Surprise!” at a secret birthday party, adrenaline builds and builds until you can say, “Guys, I can’t wait to share what we are about to do in class!”  I almost get giddy writing about it.  It is that feeling that I’m hoping some of you get when you consider these five things and hopefully get to put them into action.

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Do you remember you favorite stuffed toy as a child?  Was it your best friend?  Your confidant?  The center of many childhood adventures?  My stuffed animals certainly were.  They played just as hard as I did and gave a sense of comfort and companionship.  Today it still rings true for children all over the world, and there is an opportunity for these stuffed friends to take on real global adventures through Travel Buddy Projects.

What Are Travel Buddy Projects?

These are intercultural exchange projects where a stuffed animal is chosen by a classroom to be an ambassador or “foreign exchange student” for research in another school anywhere on the globe.  Using postal mail, students ship the travel buddy in a box along with documents such as a travel diary or log to record the buddy’s experiences, gifts for the partner school, and the curriculum project requirements.  Both classes provide periodic updates on the travel buddy’s visits via email, wikis, or blogs loaded with digital photographs.  Upon completion of the visit, the travel buddy is mailed back home with souvenirs for his home classroom.

American teachers are most familiar with an alternative travel buddy project, Flat Stanley, which regained popularity after the re-release of the children’s book, Flat Stanley in 2003.  In the story, Stanley experiences a terrible fate when he is flattened by a bulletin board , but being in this flattened condition provides many physical advantages for him as he embarks on adventures and even solves a mystery by posing as a piece of art in a museum.  His greatest advantage, however, is his opportunity to travel around the globe for the price of postage.

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