Sweet Search- a Search Engine for Students

Are you tired of having to cross your fingers each and every time you have your students do an internet search, worried they're only one click away from an inappropriate site that has somehow slipped through the filter?

Direct them to SweetSearch.com and relax.

SweetSearch is a search engine in which every single web site has been evaluated and approved by a real person. The site also features a helpful web research tutorial and a special sections for Biographies and Social Studies Searches.

So have your students try it out- see how sweet a successful search can be.

Cool Tools for Schools

If you've ever tried in desperation to hammer a nail with a shoe or tighten a screw with a butter knife, you understand that the right tools can make all the difference.

Web 2.0 Cool Tools for School is perhaps the most comprehensive listing of technology tools I've seen, broken down into categories like "Music," "Writing,""Presentation," and 'Collaborative." The "Creativity" category, for example, is broken down into subcategories like Games, Simulators, Classroom Activities, Animations and even "Create-your-own-Activity."

If you've been trying to include more differentiated instruction into your classroom, these sites will prove invaluable. Your high-ability learner will find endless, challenging activities (Scratch computer programming, anyone?). Perhaps a resource student would like to see her work turned into a 3-D online book? There is also an excellent Teacher Resources page.

The only drawback is the sheer number of incredible tools available- I believe there are over 100 (!) Imaging Tools alone. The site provides an A-Z listing of the tools and links, but needs to allow a way to more easily search for what you need.

As it stands now, you'll want to allow yourself an hour (or ten?) to explore all the site has to offer. It will be time well spent.

An Introduction to Plurk

Need an excuse to "plurkratinate"?" Plurk is the newest so-called microblogging social network. Imagine Twitter but with a timeline layout and the ability to allow users to easily follow 140 character conversations and "plurk" their own updates. The service has been marketed as an alternative to Twitter and is growing in popularity in the Far East, especially Taiwan. Accounts are quick and easy to set up- just go to www.plurk.com.

A social network, Plurk is currently blocked by our filter; it's still a good idea for you to be aware of the next up- and- coming thing, though. And to know what students are talking about if you ever hear them mention that something is "plurkworthy."

Online Classroom Through Edmodo

Screenshot of our English 9 Edmodo Page

When our server went down before Christmas break, our online classroom at the high school (Sakai), also went down with it. I relied heavily on Sakai to post classroom documents, have discussions, offer online quizzes, etc. that I scrambled to find an equivalent site that I could throw together quickly. My solution: Edmodo.

Last year a colleague and friend from Lincoln Public Schools introduced me to the site. It's been an incredible tool in my classroom. It looks very similar to Facebook, so it's easier for me and the kids to navigate. And because of its resemblances to the popular social media site, the kids were excited to give it a whirl.

What can you do with Edmodo?

• Create multiple pages if you have several different classes
• Create a library with folders for individual units and then post links, documents, etc. for students to access
• Have online discussions
• Use for students to turn in assignments
• Connect parents with the class with Edmodo's parent code feature
• Create a calendar of events for students to access
• Keep track of grades
• Create a multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, or short answer quiz for students to take
• Post updates or notes to groups, classes, or individual students/parents

Edmodo is easy to use for both teachers and students, and it's not stored on the school's server...so in the event of another server crash, you could still access this site. The site also allows teachers to have a great deal of control over student access; teachers can limit individual students' access if need be. Here's a link to the help center that has many useful tools for getting started with Edmodo.

List of Web 2.0 tools

It is always a treat to find links to great web 2.0 tools that are first and foremost, easy to incorporate into class, and secondly, easy for me and my students to use.

I came across this first short list of Web 2.0 tools, broken out by grade, that are specified for the English and Language Arts realm (K-12) and thought I'd share. Of course you don't have to be in those content areas to use and benefit from them though!

I liked the bubbl tool for online brainstorming - easy, fun, and worked well with my kids!

The Acapela tool/site would be great for an English OR foreign language class...

For those of you who are looking for a more extensive list, here is a link to the top 100 Web 2.0 tools of 2011, according to edudemic.com

I KNOW there are some tools on there that you can use in your classroom. Give some a try!

Featured Blog: Film English

I stumbled across this blog tonight: Film English via Richard Byrne's blog. The Film English blog won a 2011 EduBlog award for Best Individual Blog, so I had to check it out. Let me tell you, it's incredible! The blog boasts a diverse amount of short films that all teach unique ideas: critical thinking, developing passions, creativity, social justice, human rights, writing, empathy, grammar, vocabulary, conservation, ecology...I could go on and on. Not only does each post contain multiple short video clips and images, each post contains step by step lesson plans for how to utilize this in the classroom. Posts are labeled by age appropriateness and difficulty. This teacher is committed to using film creatively to promote critical thinking and language acquisition. I can't wait to use a few of these in my own classes!

Professional Development: Nebraska Writing Project Summer Courses

The semester is nearing an end; that means it's time to start thinking about summer professional development opportunities!

Hands down, the best professional development opportunity I've had as a teacher is through the Nebraska Writing Project (NeWP). The NeWP instilled in me the importance of professional inquiry, gave me a network of quality teachers around the state and country to consult with and learn from, helped me to improve my teaching skills in a way that puts students first, and has helped develop my leadership and writing skills. The NeWP has two courses this summer that are open to K-16 teachers in ANY content area:

1. The Lincoln Summer Institute will be held on UNL's campus from June 4-June 29. Participants may qualify for up to a $750 stipend to offset the cost of 6 UNL grad. credits in the Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education or English department.

2. The Humanities Institute (which has a focus on social justice this year) will also be held on UNL's campus from June 4-June 22. This course counts for 3 UNL grad. credits in the Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education or English department.

Interested in learning more? Check out this link or send me an email. Below is information about the Nebraska Writing Project.

About the NeWP:
The Nebraska Writing Project (NeWP) is in its 34th year of existence and is under the direction of Dr. Robert Brooke of UNL who is assisted by three co-directors: Mary Birky of Papillion La-Vista High School, Dan Boster of Ralston High School, and Beverly Hoisted of Pyrtle Elementary in Lincoln. The NeWP is the state affiliate of the National Writing Project, a federally funded network of teachers that works to improve students' writing abilities by promoting teacher development through summer institutes, year-long continuity and school in-service programs. (more about the National Writing Project)

Mission Statement of the NeWP:
The Nebraska Writing Project, a network of professional educators and affiliated writers, provides opportunities to improve, enhance and celebrate writing for classrooms and communities across Nebraska.