edutwist.com - teaching and technology

A passionate cry for educational reform

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Dan Brown's video (below) presents the best rationale for educational reform I've seen, and like any provocative cry for revolution, it raises more questions than it answers. Even if we all agree that the U.S. educational system needs an overhaul, HOW do we go about it? We don't agree on the ...

Web 2.0 costs more than you think

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Web2.0 tools aren't free for long. An expensive webonomic trend is growing more and more prevalent: Once a tool has made its debut, becomes increasingly reliable and grows more popular, it eventually upgrades to subscription status in order to recover its costs. Otherwise, how could it sustain itself? Polleverywhere.com ...

Fear of rotary-dial phones (or, how to be gentle when introducing technology)

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

I watched a 1930's-40's video yesterday showing a Grandpa grumbling about rotary dial phones. Seems they were coming to town whether he wanted them or not -- and he did not! What fascinated me about this video (other than the curious retrospective back in time) was how methodically and deliberately ...

Down the rabbit hole: internet addiction

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Is there life after internet? In the Read Write Web blog, Jolie O'Dell struck a defensive nerve in her daring post "Should Tech Get a Turn-Off?" In her post, she confronts the geeky world of internet addiction and wonders if the seductive lure of the internet makes it much ...

More show and tell: Dave Truss rocks!

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

The POD's Are Coming Not only does this slideshow offer highly important points about opening our minds to new technology in education, but Dave Truss, author of the Pair-a-dimes For Your Thoughts blog, knows the secrets of polishing his visual material so it captures his audience's imagination along with its intellect. ...

Show and tell

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

I wanted to share a couple of eye-openers for educators. iSchool Initiative First, if you haven't checked out the iSchool Initiative yet, visit 17-year-old Travis Allen's website to explore more about his push to bring schools into the 21st Century with iTouch technology. Here's a short introduction to his ...

Imbedded leaders

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

As educators, we are all leaders. Our students look up to us, the public entrusts us to guide their children, and our colleagues depend on us for mutual support. We make decisions continually that affect our students' futures and, by our actions and our attitudes, we contribute to a school's professional, ...

Delicious binge and purge: An invitation to a bookmark makeover

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

It's time for deep cleaning. My delicious.com site is out of control. It's bloated, overloaded and almost as overstuffed as my neglected guestroom closet. The problem with delicious (and its cousin, diigo.com, which I also use) is that they are ridiculously effortless; you can save a website as a bookmark ...

Technology graveyards: Why schools need instructional technology integrators

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

We've run out of room in our schools for the clunky technology of yesterday, both figuratively and literally. We need to get rid of the old equipment, along with the old mindsets, instructional methods, and philosophies that keep us pinned in the past. But change is exploding all around us ...

Don’t forget the newbies at NECC 2009

sharonelin@comcast.net (Sharon Elin)

Washington, DC is swarming with educators and technology lovers as the NECC 2009 conference begins. Today's crowds should swell even more as attendees arrive in town for the official kickoff of the national conference this afternoon, capped by the opening keynote speaker, Malcom Gladwell, author of Outliers (2008), Blink (2005), ...

Links for 2010-03-10 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

Links for 2010-03-09 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

Links for 2010-03-08 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

Romeo and Juliet
Act by Act Summary of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Includes summaries of each act, but does not include the actual text of the play.
Interactive Folio : Romeo and Juliet
Interactive module includes text of play with visual resources next to it - related videos, definitions, images. (Lacks summaries of scenes but still an attractive site with valuable information.)
In Search of Shakespeare . Juliet Trumps Laura: Shakespeare and the Petrarchan Sonnet | PBS
"Francesco Petrarch (1304-74) was responsible for establishing certain ideas about love-relationships. He wrote more than 300 sonnets addressed to an idealized lady named Laura, with whom he had never even had a conversation. These sonnets were enormously popular, and poets in Shakespeare's day were still using Petrarch's sonnets as models." How did Juliet challenge these notions?
Elements of Drama - Romeo & Juliet
Drama as a genre: for a list of characteristics & vocabulary about Drama, navigate from home page to Resources > Elements of Drama
Romeo and Juliet - Who's who in the play
Character flowchart
Romeo and Juliet - synopsis
Brief but well-written summary of the play.
In Search of Shakespeare . "O, Wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?": The Art of Wooing in "Romeo and Juliet" | PBS
Was flirting the same in the 16th Century as it is today? A scholar/teacher writes about sharing the text of "The Arts of Wooing" from Elizabethan England with young students. Handout included.
Themes in Romeo and Juliet
Click on "Themes" from the home page. Explains six themes in the play (this is the author's opinion
Imagery and figurative language in Romeo and Juliet
Includes oxymoron and paradox along with others. Good examples from the play. May need to navigate to this section from home page.
Arranged marriages - Romeo and Juliet
Explains the custom of the time for parents to arrange marriages for their daughters
Memorization activity: passage from romeo and juliet
"Memorization Passage" is provided -- it also includes a translation. Possible activity for oral presentation. May need to navigate to this section from home page menu.
Globe Theatre - Shakespeare
.pdf document shows a drawing of the Globe Theatre labeled with all its parts

Links for 2010-03-07 [del.icio.us]

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

Facebook Is Going To Be The Next Big Thing. Again. | Re-gur-gi-tate (n) | Omer Gertel
Aesop's Fables - Online Collection - 656 fables -
Online collection includes mp3s and well as text for hundreds of fables
Aesop's Fables
Students' illustrations of fables with computer-generated art, with text of fables.
Aesop's Fables - AFABLES.PDF (application/pdf Object)
.pdf version of a book about fables; attractively published for online viewing
Literature online course via wiki: onlinecourselady / FrontPage
Aesop's Fables by Aesop. Search, Read, Study, Discuss.
Includes a short description of Aesop with a photo
AesopSITE
Interactive site: Choose a fable to see the animated illustrated versions.
EDSITEment - Lesson Plan
Lesson plan; it includes a good introduction about fables and parables
Aesop's Cube
interactive flash allows choices - click on the cube to choose a fable
20 Essential Tricks Every Skype User Should Know - Page 2 | Maximum PC
Kid's Economic Glossary | Scholastic.com
2. Sounding Natural [Developing a Personal Voice in Audio Series] | I'd Rather Be Writing - Tom Johnson
#2 in a series
AudioPal - Add voice to websites for free with AudioPal

Links for 2010-03-06 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

HowStuffWorks Videos "The Great Depression: Poverty and Unemployment"
video - well done historical overview
Of Mice and Men Summary
Thesis Statements
Scroll down to the "Examples" section for good comparisons of weak and strong thesis statements.
Literature of the 1930s
Literature of the 1930s

Links for 2010-03-05 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

Screenr - @jeanettebrooks: Building branched scenarios in #Articulate Presenter (1 of 4: applying hyperlinks to your slides)
#1 of 4: adding hyperlinks to your slides (for branching scenarios)
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
Literature -- Analyzing Theme
themes.html
"These are a just a few of the many possible literary subjects and themes."
Theme In Literature
12 Most Common Themes in Literature - Life123
"...plot is what the characters do, but the theme is the lesson or moral underlying the plot. The theme of a book is a message that describes an opinion about life, human nature or elements of society."
Theme (literature) - The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Common Themes in Literture
"It has been argued that there are anywhere between 3 and 40 main themes in literature that continue to be explored by each successive generation of writers. No one knows for what the real number is--it depends on who you ask--but below is a list, not necessarily inclusive, of the most common ones. There are many variations, and there are often overlaps as well. "
Is the American Dream Dead? - Alpha Consumer (usnews.com)
Is the American Dream Dead?

Links for 2010-03-04 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PST

Native American Culture Areas
NativeTech: REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF NATIVE AMERICAN CLOTHING STYLES
NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE
Native American (indigenous peoples of Canada and United States) :: The Plains and Plateau culture areas -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Native American myths
American Folklore: Famous American folktales, tall tales, myths and legends, ghost stories, and more.
Native American Mythology : Gods, Goddesses, Spirits, Legends from North America
Native American myths about creation
15 Toughest Interview Questions (and Answers!) - TheApple.com
Interview Questions for Teachers of Every Grade
Scroll down to page through the bank of questions. There are question on several topics related to teaching/education careers
Enable Windows 7 Check Boxes
"Windows 7 allows you to select files in Windows Explorer using check boxes."
BBC News - Phone texting 'helps pupils to spell'
The top 60 soft skills at work
Future Plate Tectonics