Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 10/31/2013

In today's education and technology news, we have information on the Hour of Code happening as part of Computer Science Education week December 9-15. Every school should be involved in this event. Just take a look at the infographic in today's news about Computer Science as a field of study to see what great opportunities there are for students. As Google Plus continues to grow, some organizations are coming out with their lists of  Google+ people and companies who share great educational resources. A new free English language teaching MOOC is about to gear up in November and it is time to sign up now. An interesting student essay contest with a multigenerational twist is open for students.

I hope that you continue to learn and share. Sharing is what we all do. Hope you'll take time to share resources with your PLN today.

Hour of Code 2013

  • Plan now to join in on an “hour of code” December 9-15. Even if you don't have computers or have limited access, there are options for you to host an event. (As a bonus, educators who register will receive 10GB of free storage for Dropbox.) Plan an event and plan now. There are great tutorials and information for all ages about this event December 9-15. Join in.
    “Even if you aren't a student, you can take the Hour of Code yourself during Dec. 9-15. And you can help us recruit others to join the movement – at school, in your workplace, in the community.

    If you are an educator, host the Hour of Code as an activity in your classroom.

    If you're an organizer or employer, host an Hour of Code event as a team-building exercise, after-school activity in a club, or elsewhere in your community. Click the appropriate tab, and start planning your Hour of Code!”

    tags: education news computerscience computer_science_teacher

Google Plus in Education

New Free English Language Teaching MOOC starting in November

  • Here's the page where you sign up for the MOOC. There are already 83 enrolled in the class.

    “ELT-T consists of virtual classes, collaborative work by participants, and social engagement around content. It is designed for anyone teaching children or adults, in large or small groups, and in public or private schools. It is also appropriate for teachers-in-training.

    Whether you are working part-time, full-time, or not at all, you'll find that ELT-T easily suits your schedule.

    You do NOT need to have special knowledge of technology to participate in this course.

    ELT-T is overseen by Jason R Levine (Fluency MC) with the help of Sylvia Guinan, Dr. Nellie Deutsch, and a team of passionate English teacher facilitators from around the world.

    Course Presenters:

    Jack Askew of Teaching ESL Online
    Drew Badger of EnglishAnyone
    Sean Banville of Breaking News English
    Kip Boahn of Virtlantis
    Dr. Christel Broady of Georgetown College
    Mau Buchler of Tripppin
    Dr. Nellie Deutsch of IT4ALL and WizIQ
    Adir Ferreira of Transparent Language
    Charles Goodger of English FunSongs
    Sylvia Guinan of ESLbrain and WizIQ
    Tony Gurr of Momentum Learning Solutions
    Vicki Hollett of Simple English Videos
    Jennifer Lebedev of English with Jennifer
    Jason R. Levine of ColloLearn and WizIQ
    Paul Maglione of English Attack!
    Stephen Mayeux of ESLhiphop
    Justin Murray of Real Life English
    Carissa Peck of mELTing Activities
    Chuck Sandy of iTDi
    Rachel Smith of Rachel's English
    Shelly Sanchez Terrell of The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators
    Teresa Hecht Valais of University of Dayton Center for Intl. Programs
    Andrew Weiler of Strategies in Language Learning
    Jason West of English Out There”

    tags: education news ell elt

  • Another MOOC for English Language teaching.

    “After its enormously successful first massive open online course (MOOC) for English language teaching (ELT) entitled ELT Techniques: Vocabulary, WizIQ has announced that it will host the second in the series, ELT Techniques: Listening and Pronunciation. Created and overseen by Jason R Levine (also known as Fluency MC), the MOOC will begin on November 18, 2013 and feature numerous leaders and innovators in the field, including Sean Banville, Jennifer Lebedev, Paul Maglione, Chuck Sandy, Rachel Smith and Shelley Terell.”

    tags: education news mooc

Essay Contest for Students that Spans Generations

  • This looks like a great contest. (Plus you can win the kind of computer I have on my desk and it is awesome.) Here's information from the sponsor of this essay contest. I also suggest you get photos and take videos and you can share on your own school website or blog.

    “The Legacy Project's 14th annual essay contest changes lives and communities as it connects generations and gives students a powerful purpose for writing – listening to and learning from a life . Students learn about real life from real people, and often end up making unexpected friendships along the way.

    Here's one amazing example of a past winning essay:
    http://www.legacyproject.org/contests/winners12.html#tulsa

    Here's a closer look at the educational value of the contest and 21st Century learning skills, with quotes from students and teachers across the country:
    http://www.legacyproject.org/contests/ltalhowenter.html

    To enter the Listen to a Life Contest, students 8-18 years interview a grandparent or grandfriend 50 years or older about the older person's hopes and goals through their life, how they achieved their goals and overcame obstacles, or key life experiences. The young person then writes a 300-word essay based on the interview.

    The Grand Prize is a Lenovo ThinkCentre computer, along with 10 Legacy Awards of a keepsake timepiece from Expressions of Time. The contest runs to March 28, 2014.

    Students and teachers can find out more about the Listen to a Life Essay Contest, including complete contest rules, at www.legacyproject.org.

    This national contest is run by the Legacy Project, a big-picture learning project, and the nonprofit Generations United in Washington, DC.

    tags: education news contest essay all_teachers

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Never miss an episode

Get the 10-minute Teacher Show delivered to your inbox.

Powered by ConvertKit
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis is a full-time classroom teacher and IT Director in Georgia, USA. She is Mom of three, wife of one, and loves talking about the wise, transformational use of technology for teaching and doing good in the world. She hosts the 10 Minute Teacher Podcast which interviews teachers around the world about remarkable classroom practices to inspire and help teachers. Vicki focuses on what unites us -- a quest for truly remarkable life-changing teaching and learning. The goal of her work is to provide actionable, encouraging, relevant ideas for teachers that are grounded in the truth and shared with love. Vicki has been teaching since 2002 and blogging since 2005. Vicki has spoken around the world to inspire and help teachers reach their students. She is passionate about helping every child find purpose, passion, and meaning in life with a lifelong commitment to the joy and responsibility of learning. If you talk to Vicki for very long, she will encourage you to "Relate to Educate" or "innovate like a turtle" or to be "a remarkable teacher." She loves to talk to teachers who love their students and are trying to do their best. Twitter is her favorite place to share and she loves to make homemade sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls and enjoys running half marathons with her sisters. You can usually find her laughing with her students or digging into a book.

All Posts »

Comments are closed.

The Cool Cat Teacher Blog
Vicki Davis writes The Cool Cat Teacher Blog for classroom teachers everywhere
-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00