Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
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Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHi Larry,
I have a recommendation for best website for kids to have fun while learning: http://www.kidzclix.net. Created by educators! Check it out.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHi Susan, I am in the process of blogging about Israel and Gaza, trying to get Americans to think and talk about what is happening, and take some personal responsibility in deciding what our government funds (eventually, I believe, the citizenry can affect what our government does, but we have to get mobilized on the issue) What resources would you suggest? Before the latest attacks, I was especially interested in the health and nutrition issues in Gaza and the West Bank (esp for women and children), more specific information than I’ve been able to find at the UN or WHO sites. Since the attacks, I’ve been concentrating on getting information out about that. I’m taking a humanitarian approach, because I believe that is what Americans will be most receptive to. Anyway, any help you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks! My email is: ellenpham@msn.com
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetLarry,
This is a fantastic resource! I love how recently, the web is full of invention lending us the power to get the information we want , when we want and exactly as we want it…. This is super handy as you mentioned for those involved with research but also great for just regular professional development and discovery.
Also interesting to look up you own name! Try it, you’ll be amazed what it captures….
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetFascinating (you really must be getting tired of my monosyllabic praise…) - had never heard of it, though, but will hitherto direct my students’ attention to it when “dealing with” The American Dream (which is a curriculum topic in our Year 12 English courses in Germany) - this is bound to add another new facet to understanding the Promise your country holds (after having discovered this gem of a play, Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” which - strangely! - is virtually unknown over here, that is…)
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetI’m with Darren, Larry—
Thanks for putting this list together. It’s a great idea for a post that I’m probably going to model. I like being able to see what’s rolling through your mind because I respect you as a practitioner and a thinker—so if a post has challenged you, it’s likely to challenge me too. This post makes finding those entries easy.
Rock right on,
Bill
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHi Larry! First, I’d like to thank you for the wonderful blog you’ve put together. Awesome!
Regarding this particular post, however, I don’t think the sources you’ve mentioned are the “best” sources, even though I’m sure you sincerely thought they are.
Mainly your sources tell the American-government-approved version of the story, which I consider to be highly biased. Funny how those who have all the weapons and are armed to the teeth are always acting out of self-defense or to avoid further bloodshed (killing lots of people but “ultimately saving more lives than were taken”), and those who are actually being killed are always the terrorists and to blame.
Similar reasons were given for the American government’s bombings of Japan in the World War, and for the more recent killings in Afghanistan and Iraq. But, Larry, the truth is that hundreds of innocent civilians are being killed in Gaza, and the rest are being starved to death. I just don’t see how that can be justified by people who favor peace and understanding.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHi Larry
happy new 2009 !http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/index.html#a051979
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHey Larry, since you were (kind of) asking for it, here it is… - syntax of the first sentence?-) - All the best - Matthias
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHi…
You are one of a kind - and I am really thankful for the wonderful blog you have been sharing with us. In a word? Inspirational!
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetI’ve enjoyed reading these comments this morning. Very insightful.
I second Jackie’s comments above about sharing. I’m always enlived when educators begin opening the doors of both their classrooms, their ideas, the resources to the teaching / learning community “en large”.
I learnt (more than ever) that it is sooo hard to get teachers to throw off their old notions of what teaching is (acquired through thousands of hours of observation/participation as students). So hard to retool the mind. We teach as we were taught and it is only the brave, the patient and the stubborn and persistent who do end up changing.
Coupled with that, I learned how whenever I explore or bring up the notion of the 2nd language learner as being “learning disabled”, I get a lot of negative energy, thoughts thrown back at me. I don’t know why but I think it has something to do with how we defend those notions entrenched in our head as to what learning/education is. I look forward to exploring more and promoting more the idea that 2nd language learners are “disabled”, as a framework for better teaching practice, this “new” year….
A great New Year to all.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetLarry, Happy New Year!
I love anything TTS but really am disappointed with the voice and the delay. Seeing this is a commercially sponsored site, you think they’d afford quality voices??? Wouldn’t this effect the experiment and the plant’s response
I prefer our own Dave bot. No typing needed, just select a question or response and keep the conversation going….
http://eflclassroom.com/bot.htmlIt would be interesting to create one which grew the MORE you talked to it. A kind of animation. Maybe I’ll make that a future project!
David
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetLarry
Since my initial reply to your question on Learning in 2008, I have had a bit of time to let things gel a bit more. If I were to pull all of my learning together, the common theme would be developing my own personal PLN.
Envision all of the tools and skills, we learned and developed, as balloons with long colorful strings and the PLN as the hand that holds them together, passing them from one person to another.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetThis year I learned a lot! I went from teaching 5th grade in a low-income neighborhood to teaching high school ESL in a rich private school. Here’s what I’ve learned:
1. Teaching elementary has prepared me way more than I thought for teaching high school. I come to my content with a broad base of knowledge, loads of vocabulary strategies and lots of tech ideas.
2. Doesn’t matter if you’re in a “poor” school or “rich” school, people will always complain about never having enough resources to do the “right thing”. My question is: “What have you done with what you’ve been given?”
3. Teaching point of view as an actual skill changes your classroom. It doesn’t just affect reading or social studies, it affects how students view each other, you and the world in general.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetThis years thoughts, ideas, and opportunities for collaborative learning, educational networking, and personal, collective (seems paradoxical) intelligence increased exponentially. I learned/re-learned to be willing to share everything and re-conceptualized my ideas about what “ownership” really means. But I also learned to be selective and strategic in what I put out into the universe. I ask myself, “What are my intentions and whose needs will it address?” “Will this information have the ability to enhance the practice, discipline, and professionalism of education?”
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet…just a detail - “let students seat” (fourth from last paragraph) could be “let students sit” for those unbearable, snoopily priggish non-natives? - Seriously, I love your recommendations, and am determined to put them to the test in class… thanks ever so much - again!
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetI just put out the call for Year in a Sentence, if anyone is interested.
You are all cordially and warmly welcomed.
KevinPS — great reflections here, Larry.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetIn 2008 I learned that there was so much that I didn’t know simply because I hadn’t been looking for it. When I started my blog in November 2008 it was with some trepidation as I had no idea what the outcome would be. I took the proverbial bull by the horns and did it. Well, I can honestly say that facing the unknown proved to be a good learning curve for me and it has left me with a taste to try out other new tools such as podcasting and wikis.
This time last year I was a bit of a technophobe but thanks to innovative sites such as yours, Larry, I was able to experiment with and embrace a new technological world. I am very grateful to you for this “awakening”.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetWell, the year has barely started Larry, lol!
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetHi, Larry, “In Practice” is an amazing blog and I’d love to participate.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetLarry,
I have been directed to your site by a friend. I have been giving public talks on this topic for 35 years in the southeastern U.S. I can understand your inclination to point people toward current articles, but context and history is everything. The problem with current articles — at least if people really want to understand what in the heck is going on — is that there’s not enough space to tell people WHY things are happening. (Of course the WHY of it all depends on one’s perspective, but that’s for another discussion.) Articles are like TV broadcasts - not enough time to give context. So, IF you want to try to point people to information that will help them understand the history of it all, I would suggest that you lean more toward books and other longer historical documents, A good place to start for people who have little knowledge might be President Jimmy Carter’s book Peace, Not Apartheid. That gives a fairly balanced historical overview. This comment space is probably limited, so I’ll end here by saying that if you’re interested in more suggestions, send me your email and I’ll forward you a document that I hand out to people that will give you other suggestions. You can then review it and see if anything is appropriate for your list. All the best in your efforts to help people understand this conflict. Jim Harb, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetWOW!! Larry, that’s, indeed, a wonderful list of almost everything! Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us.
Wishing you all the best & a Wonderful 2009!
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetEvery break I re-read Leo Buscaglia’s “Living, Loving and Learning”. It gets me inspired to teach again by reminding me of my purpose and mission as a teacher.
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetLarry,
This is a great list of outstanding posts - some of which I hadn’t read yet.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for your excellent work!
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweethttp://www.teachingbooks.net/home/
James
Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | TweetSorry, I mean, I don’t know, call me picky at the end.
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