The Flu Is A National Epidemic And We Aren't Ready | ThinkProgress

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/12/30/3607301/flu-epidemic-is-ill-timed/

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10 Things Students Want All Educators To Know

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   10 Things Students Want All Educators To Know justintarte.com - 1). Students want you to actually spend the time to get to know them... Get to know your students by name as soon as possible. Learn something unique about them and find out what makes them tick. Students know when teachers don't know anything about them, so make getting to know your students a top priority. Available on the App Store.

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Article: 'Literally,' Emojis, and Other Trends That Aren't Destroying English

'Literally,' Emojis, and Other Trends That Aren't Destroying English
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/steven-pinker-interview/384092/

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Article: These Four Technologies Are Revolutionizing Classrooms

These Four Technologies Are Revolutionizing Classrooms
http://www.businessinsider.com/these-four-technologies-are-revolutionizing-classrooms-2014-12

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Article: These Are The 16 Attributes of The Modern Educator ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

These Are The 16 Attributes of The Modern Educator ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/12/attributes-of-modern-educators.html

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The Heart of the Matter: Why I Teach

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   The Heart of the Matter: Why I Teach Edutopia - Friends and family have been asking you for weeks, "What are going to do with all that time off during the holidays?" What am I going to do, you think to yourself . . . I'm going to sleep, people. I'm going to take a break from the fast-paced world of being a daily classroom teacher. I'm going to sit and listen to others talk and take a break from hearing my own voice. Available on the App Store.

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Predictions for K-12 Education in 2015

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   Predictions for K-12 Education in 2015 blog.pearson.com - It is tough to think about what is on the horizon for K-12 education in 2015 without thinking about the changes that have occurred in the last few decades and the challenges that have remained constant. Available on the App Store.

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Predictions for K-12 Education in 2015 | Pearson Blog

http://blog.pearson.com/predictions-for-k-12-education-in-2015/

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In 2014, One Size Didn't Fit All

I'm about to reread this one and go deeper into the other sources it mentions. So far, I'm in agreement with much of it, but iI need another read with a fresh mind tomorrow morning.  Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   In 2014, One Size Didn't Fit All The Atlantic - 2014 was not a good year for the word "test." "Standards" (and its equally unpopular cousin "standardized") didn't fare too hot, either. The terms paired together, and all hell broke loose—at least in education circles. And in concerned-parent circles. And among activists and lobbyists who've increasingly framed the issue as a key example of what's wrong with public education—and the role government strives to play in shaping it. Available on the App Store.

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The Pygmalion Effect: Communicating High Expectations | Edutopia

"Failure cannot be the path of least resistance in our classes." Love this! Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   The Pygmalion Effect: Communicating High Expectations Edutopia - In 1968, two researchers conducted a fascinating study that proved the extent to which teacher expectations influence student performance. Positive expectations influence performance positively, and negative expectations influence performance negatively. In educational circles, this has been termed the Pygmalion Effect, or more colloquially, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Available on the App Store.

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The Longer View: Edtech and 21st-Century Education | Edutopia

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   The Pygmalion Effect: Communicating High Expectations Edutopia - In 1968, two researchers conducted a fascinating study that proved the extent to which teacher expectations influence student performance. Positive expectations influence performance positively, and negative expectations influence performance negatively. In educational circles, this has been termed the Pygmalion Effect, or more colloquially, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Available on the App Store.

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Teacher of Year Sean McComb Makes the Case for Optimism | Edutopia

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   Teacher of Year Sean McComb Makes the Case for Optimism Edutopia - National Teacher of the Year Sean McComb is at the halfway point of his whirlwind journey, which has taken him all across the country to meet with fellow educators, policy makers, and even President Obama. Available on the App Store.

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A Look Inside the Classroom of the Future

Delightful look at the expanding roles of teachers and the deeper not more strategy.  Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   A Look Inside the Classroom of the Future Edutopia - Over the next generation, whether they work for corporations, small businesses, government organizations, nonprofits, or other organizations, many U.S. employees will move from working primarily with American colleagues, bosses, and customers for American organizations in U.S. cities, to being part of global teams. As leaders, they will use technology to bridge geographic divides, build organizations that transcend borders, and work together with colleagues from around the world on issues such as climate change, food security, and population growth -- issues that require multinational teams coming together to effect change. Available on the App Store.

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How ‘Deprogramming’ Kids From How to ‘Do School’ Could Improve Learning | MindShift

An excellent read, and a lot like what my classroom has been like this year and last year but with English 9. My kids have identified problems local and afar, written and acted to try to solve them, developed skills on their own and with each other simply to attempt to solve the problem and communicate, not because I asked them to. 

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/12/how-deprogramming-kids-from-how-to-do-school-could-improve-learning/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2046

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Verna Myers: How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them - YouTube

Face your biases

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uYyvbgINZkQ

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Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying | Edutopia

This gets to the root of teaching children and not courses. At the core of what we do, we must promote this kind of thing and acting in our children. They are tomorrow's leaders and their intellectual ability will be shaped with their emotional maturity. Here's great evidence to support embedding kindness in our curriculum.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-kindness-essential-reduce-bullying-lisa-currie?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-teaching-kindness-essential-reduce-bullying-countdown-image

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Article: The 12 most important moments in science in 2014

The 12 most important moments in science in 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/21/12-most-important-moments-in-science-2014

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The Importance of Asking Questions to Promote Higher-Order Competencies | Edutopia

Goldilocks helps explain the concept simply and illustrates the complexity of teaching thinking, decision-making, and reading between the lines. Oh, my! I'm realizing how I'm going to rethink Great Expectations this year. More soon. 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/importance-asking-questions-promote-higher-order-competencies-maurice-elias?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-importance-asking-question-promote-higher-order-link-december-repost

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3 Reasons Why You Should Share and 3 Things You can Do to Start Sharing

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   3 Reasons Why You Should Share and 3 Things You can Do to Start Sharing Langwitches Blog - …because I continue to see great things happening in classrooms, but get blank stares, when I ask, if these things are being shared beyond the school building. …because I watch as administrators feel the need to "protect" their faculty from "one more thing to do". Available on the App Store.

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A Weapon for Readers by Tim Parks | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books

A good idea spurred from this article plus memory of Great Expectations:

Have the kids each identify a few passages they would like to talk about in class for each reading. Then we can choose strategically or draw names from a hat. 

Use after warming everyone up. I must reread every single time. Also check SparkNotes and Shmoop. Discuss naming each chapter and analyzing the text. 

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/dec/03/weapon-for-readers/?insrc=rel

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New teaching model a 'game changer'

This is what we are doing. It's nice to have a term for it.  Fabulous Read.  Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   New teaching model a 'game changer' Cornell Chronicle - Robert Barker/University PhotographyA "flipped" class, taught by Bert Fulbright, senior lecturer in physics.Hundreds of students have just completed new courses in the College of Arts and Sciences' Active Learning Initiative (ALI), part of a strategic effort by the college to embrace engaged learning models and emerging technologies. The ALI five-year pilot project is funded by Alex and Laura Hanson, both Class of 1987. Available on the App Store.

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Outside the Skinner Box

Fabulous concepts. This one I will read again. There are several ideas here . That are also nuggets of my current value system in education .  Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   Outside the Skinner Box nais.org - ​The phrase "technology and education" usually means inventing new gadgets to teach the same old stuff in a thinly disguised version of the same old way. Moreover, if the gadgets are computers, the same old teaching becomes incredibly more expensive and biased towards its dumbest parts, namely the kind of rote learning in which measurable results can be obtained by treating the children like pigeons in a Skinner box.1 Available on the App Store.

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Smartphones: From Toy to Tool | Edutopia

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/smartphones-from-toy-to-tool-ramona-persaud?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-smartphones-from-toy-to-tool-link

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5 Effective Ways to Incorporate TED Talks into the Learning Experience | Edudemic

I've been using TED Talks for two years now, and they've really helped in creating a classroom open to other ideas. I was surprised by how much the talks allowed the kids to see from a different perspective, imagine life from someone else's shoes. 

Until now, I've had kids use the talks as part of presentations, as models for presentations, and as sources. They've also done several 2-paragraph papers: a strong, detailed summary paragraph and second paragraph, a personal response to the talk - where their thinking goes from ideas presented in the talk. 

I will definitely revisit his list. 

http://www.edudemic.com/ted-talks-lesson-plans/

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The Secret to Teaching Great Writing: Use the News!

Some great ideas I can't wait to try next semester.  Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   The Secret to Teaching Great Writing: Use the News! edudemic.com - As a professional writer and a writing specialist, I know that not everyone is as hepped up about words as I am. (What, you mean you don't want to spend the next five hours chatting about the relationship between a character's syntax and their familial history? Say it ain't so!). I know that if I have any hope of maintaining student (and teacher) attention spans, I have to keep it relevant to the here and now. Available on the App Store.

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