I can’t believe the semester is coming to an end!  Time sure does fly!   This week I am writing about a really cool website I found while I was doing some teacher observations this week.  The site is called Tools for Educators and features many tools useful in the classroom.  The site includes several different tools such as a wordsearch generator,  a board game maker, a crossword puzzle creator, and many different worksheet generators.  Some of the services are free, while others have a minimal cost.

Tools for Educators is part of a larger network of sites called Mighty Education Systems.   Mighty Education Systems is an amazing resource containing links for sites for various classroom materials such as printable certificates, stickers and charts, and even listening tests.   Teachers today are fortunate to have so many online resources and options for lesson plans.  Free tools like these should make lesson preps a breeze!

This semester sure is flying by!  This week I worked on an online group project.  We completed a digital story using a website called Mixbook.  Mixbook is really cool, it allows you to create digital scrapbooks which you can share online or even have ‘published’ and shipped to your home or classroom.  The books are fairly inexpensive and I can’t wait to have my classes create them.   Especially at the elementary education level, there are limitless possibilities on the books your class could create.  The Mixbook website has a wonderful example of a Mixbook created by elementary students.  Its called Kids for Kenya and features illustrations that the kids in the classroom had drawn.  I think it is a great way to encourage students to take pride in their work and is a tool which gives them a tangible sense of accomplishment.   Having students create a Mixbook is also a great way to involve parents as the books can be viewed online.

My groups Mixbook focused on Unique Christmas Customs from around the world.  Check it out!

 

 

This week I am here to tell you about my next new favorite thing.  Its called EtherPad.  EtherPad is an online wikispace which allows its users to communicate by modifying the same document.  My favorite part of EtherPad is that once you have developed your ‘pad’ each user’s comments show up in a different color.   This feature is especially handy if you do not know the people you are working with.  I am currently using Etherpad for an online group project and I have not met the other members of my group.  It helps me to remember who is who, for example, I can think ‘oh, Anne is the blue girl’ — its very nice for those of us that are visual!

Another thing I really like about EtherPad is that it is in real time.  Updates show up instantly which allows for lightening fast collobroation!  If you are working on a group project planning an event across a distance, EtherPad could be a great tool for you.  Try it out!

Here is a sample of an EtherPad Screen!

I just learned about the coolest thing.  Its called TinyChat!  TinyChat is sort of like a private chat-room with a video feature.   You can create a specific room for your group of friends to use and you can make the URL private or public.  Some of my favorite features are here:

1.  It’s so easy to use– your microphone and webcam just sort of automatically work.  There is no configuring and very little setup.

2.  Split screens– you can chat with multiple people and see all their faces simultaneously.

3.  You can log in using your Facebook account– if you want to.   You can also use Twitter or Myspace.   Or, you can just make up a name– there is no registration required!

TinyChat is a prefect site for the not-so-technologically inclined.  I used it last night to talk to some family members who claim they cannot even use the internet well enough to read this blog!    Tinychat is a great way to ’see’ relative and friends living out of town and I would def. recommend that you give it a try!

Remember back in elementary school, when teachers had you do pre-writing activities in order to help you brainstorm for a paper?  I know my teachers were fond of a tool which we called a mind map.  You know the drill, you put your main idea in the center and then draw lines connecting to sub-topics and keep extending outward from there.  I recently learned about a really cool website which allows you to create mind maps on the web!

The tool is called Webspiration and it allows you to do so much more than create mind maps.  You can make basic mind maps, but you can also view them in outline form.  Or, you can create outlines and turn them into mind maps!  In addition, the program offers preformed templates for easy organization.  You can also enhance your webs by adding graphics.  You can choose from tons that the website provides or you can upload from a URL.   You can even upload photos from your own computer!

The best part of Webspiration however is the ability to share your work.  Webspiration will send email invitations to whomever you choose.  When you send the emails, you can choose for the recipients to be either viewers or collaborators.  Viewers can check out your work.  Collaborators have the ability to make changes to your document.  The coolest part of using collaboration, is that Webspiration keeps records of every step along the way.  If you don’t like the changes someone makes, you can easily revert back to a pervious form!

I used Webspiration for two class projects this week, and my teachers, (who had never seen the program), were super impressed!    Give it a try!

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A recent New York Times article brings up a scary fact for those of us studying to be teachers.  Record numbers of teachers are being hired from abroad.  According to the article, in 2007 there were 19,000 teachers in the United States teaching on temporary visas.  Today, in 2009, this number is projected to be much higher.
Most of these teachers are being placed in hard to fill positions such as science, math, and special education.  Also, the positions are primarily located in extremely urban settings or in very rural settings.
Teachers coming from abroad are supposed to be proficient in English, but screening processes are not always thorough.  Teacher education programs in other countries also may not meet the high standards set forth by the United States.  Both these issues could potentially cause problems for students.
Another issue surrounding hiring teachers from abroad is that school districts are not recruiting teachers in the United States with the same intensity that they used to.  Teachers coming from abroad pay a recruiting firm between $5,000 and $8,000 for a placement in the United States.   Schools can then contact these agencies and fill all their positions at once rather than recruiting in many different places across the United States.  This is not to say that schools are hiring foreign teachers ahead of domestic ones, but teachers educated here may have a more difficult time finding positions since they will not be advertised as openly.
I was surprised by this article initially, but upon further thought realized that I should not be.   I grew up here, only 15 miles from campus and teaching jobs, especially at the elementary level are extremely difficult to come by.  I often worry about being able to find a job without relocating.  I realize that I need to expand my views beyond our little western PA bubble.  My problem with the situation is that according to the article, the hiring process is not the same for both foreign and domestic teachers.   I would not have a problem competing with these teachers for a position, but I believe the position should be made available to everyone equally.

An alarming trend is hitting the American higher education system.  The problem?  Students are not graduating.    Colleges are doing an excellent job recruiting students.  Classrooms are more packed than ever but graduation rates are falling.
In Boston, the University of Massachusetts reports that only 33 percent of its entering freshmen graduate within six years.  The University of New Mexico maintains only a 44% graduation rate, while the University of Montana ranks in at only 41%.   According to former Princeton president, William Bowen, these numbers are the norm.  Bowen discusses this disturbing trend in his new book, “Crossing the Finish Line.”
In the book, Bowen sites many reasons why more students are dropping out than finishing.    First, Bowen believes that inadequate high-school preparation is a big reason.   As a second time in college student I completely agree with this.  I was able to graduate high-school with a 4.0 GPA, but felt completely unprepared upon entering college.
Next “Crossing the Finish Line” states that cost of education plays a major role.  Some students simply cannot afford to finish and are forced to enter the work-force full-time.   Hand-in-hand with this is a mismatch between students coming from low-income families and their colleges of choice.  According to a recent study, low-income students who are highly qualified college candidates tend to choose schools with lower admission criteria and graduation rates, even if they are qualified for schools ranked much higher.
A final contributing factor is the fact that colleges are more interested in filling their seats with freshmen than upperclassmen.  Large lecture classes are more cost efficient and most colleges and universities are funded on a per head basis.
Its no secret that major education reform is needed in America on many levels.  This problem however, is not being addressed.  Its true, record numbers of college freshmen are packing campus’s this year, but the statistic we should be looking at is how many are finishing.

If you’d like to read the whole article, check out The New York Times

Want to see where other colleges rank?

Will you see this day?

RSS Feeds:

I’ve been reading a lot about RSS Feeds this week and its actually pretty interesting stuff.   Basically, RSS Feeds are a system for syndicating websites with frequently updated content.   They are most frequently used by news sites and bloggers.    When a reader subscribes through an RSS feed they are able to see only the most recently updated content which saves time.

In order to subscribe to RSS feeds you will need a reader.  There are lots of readers available for free online.   Windows users can grab a popular feed reader by clicking here. Mac users can try this.    Once you have a reader, you need to subscribe to sites with frequently updated content.   The reader will then begin checking the feeds you subscribe to for new stuff.

RSS feeds are sorta like super bookmarks.   If you have sites you check regularly, you have to go to each of them individually.  One you have your Feed Reader all set up, it will look a bit like your email.  Sites with new content will be identified with bold text or in another easy to see manner.   You can then read the newly updated content right there in the reader, or click to go to the actual site.   Either way, the content will be marked read and you can move on to the next one with out wasting time on sites that have not been updated.

Sites identify themselves as RSS capable with many different logos.   Here is a conglomeration of some of the most popular ones!

Common RSS Logos

I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical about the actual benefit of RSS feeds, but now that I’m using them, I’m obsessed.   Give it a try!

Hello to all the new readers from Ed. 217 and welcome to The Best Things Come in Twos!  My name is Megan and as you can see I have been blogging for a while.  Before this blog I maintained a different one on another site.   Mostly, I blog about my life as a way to update friends and family who are far away.  It will be exciting to have some new topics to introduce and new comments to respond to!

A little about me:  I am not quite sure what year I am considered here at CUP.  I perviously attended  two different universities studying biochemistry.  Now, I am getting my combined masters in Mid-level science and special education.   I am a commuter and live in a small town about 15 minutes from the university.  I also grew up there, though I did move out of state for a few years!

In case you couldn’t tell by the rest of the blog, I am a proud mama to almost 9 month old identical twin boys.  They are pretty much the driving force behind everything I do and it kills me to be away from them while I am in class.  It seems they are adjusting to daycare much better than I am.  My life is busy, and crazy and wonderful and I look forward to getting to know you all through the course of the semester.   Since I will be blogging both for the class, and for personal reasons I will always title class-related posts with Ed. 217 at the top.  You can also find related posts using the tag cloud or categories on the right of the page!  Please feel free to comment on any and all posts however!

If you would like to check out some of my archives, try these:

Curious about life with twins?

Amusing stories from Bible School

Everybody’s Doin’ it – - 25 Random Things about me.

Here I am!