Eight (8) "Best of ... in 2014" Lists Share Useful Resources

Best of ... in 2014 lists are beginning to appear in a variety of fields. I explored lists that are available for 2014 in education. Some interesting ones have already been published. This post shares eight such lists with useful resources.
 

You Want My Best Side? / Lori Branham / CC BY 2.0

ISTE Follow-Up 31: Miscellaneous education blogs (THE PUSH 2014)
http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2014/11/iste-follow-up-31-miscellaneous-education-blogs-the-push-2014.html
Dangerously ! Irrelevant (http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/)
by Scott McLeod (http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/bio)
 
McLeod and the readers of his blog are updating his THE BEST OF THE BEST list of education blogs. Their collection of BEST... blogs is mainly subject-specific (everything from agricultural education, art education, math education, … to world languages education). However, a few other categories (e.g., athletics / extracurricular activities, gifted education, … to superintendents / central office / districts) are also included. The list is designed for P-12 educators. The blogs included have RSS feeds so educators can subscribe to them. Because this list has been generated collectively it provides many more useful suggestions than any one alone could gather. 



2014 Recap: 15 Top Resources on Digital Citizenship
http://www.edudemic.com/15-resources-digital-citizenship-2014/
Edudemic: connecting education & technology (http://www.edudemic.com/)
by the Edudemic staff (http://www.edudemic.com/author/edudemic-staff/)
 
Edudemic provides resources teachers can use to help their students become good digital citizens. The resources are grouped into three categories:

• ready-made lesson plans to launch learning about digital citizenship
• engaging games to promote digital citizenship
• furthering the discussion.

The resources included in this collection are useful for a variety of grade levels and realistically speak to the need for our students to become “citizens of cyberspace.” 


 
The Dos and Don'ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/dos-and-donts-classroom-management-your-25-best-tips
Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/)
by Lina Raffaelli (https://www.edutopia.org/users/lina-raffaelli)
 
Educators responded to Larry Ferlazzo's (https://www.edutopia.org/users/larry-ferlazzo) request (http://www.edutopia.org/groups/classroom-management/8278) for their "most valuable classroom management advice." Both novice and experienced educators can find worthwhile ideas in this list. 



The 23 Best Game-Based Education Resources for 2014
http://www.edudemic.com/23-best-game-based-resources-2014/
by the Edudemic Staff (http://www.edudemic.com/author/edudemic-staff/)
 
This collection of game-based education resources can help you:

• understand game-based education
• get started using game-based learning
• decide which games to use
• design your own games
• view current news about game-based education
• expand your knowledge in this area.

If you have not yet begun to use game-based education in your classroom, these resources can help you get started. 



2014 18th Annual Webby Awards
http://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2014/
 
The Webby Awards honors the "best of the web" in websites, online film & video, advertising & media, mobile sites & apps, and social. Two awards are presented in each category: the Webby Award and the Webby People's Voice Award.

My recommendation? Do NOT limit your viewing just to the "education" winners. Spend some time and explore winners in each category. The Webby Awards truly do honor the "best of the web"! 



My Best of series
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/my-best-of-series/
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/)
by Larry Ferlazzo (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/)
 
Ferlazzo publishes best websites for students to access (http://larryferlazzo.com/Thebestwebsites.html). He also publishes websites of the year for educators (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/websites-of-the-year/). In addition, he lists the best websites by topics (http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/about/my-best-of-series/). His topics include the usual disciplines (art, math, reading, science, ...) plus many more (reference, search engines, teacher resources, growth mindset, ...).

One of my favorites of his Best of sites is The Best Web 2.0 Applications for Education in 2014. This site is available at http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2014/12/02/the-best-web-2-0-applications-for-education-in-2014/. 



Best of History Websites
http://www.besthistorysites.net/
EdTechTeacher: Leading Change in Changing Times (http://www.besthistorysites.net/index.php)
 
Best of History Websites links to more than 1200 history websites. They also link to lesson plans, teacher guides, and history activities/games/quizzes. This website is recognized internationally as an excellent site. The categories of websites available include:

• prehistory
• ancient/Biblical history
• medieval history
• American history
• early modern Europe
• modern history
• World War II
• military history
• history today
• art history
• oral history
• general history resources
• social sciences
• maps
• geography
• lesson plans
• games and animations
• research.

I wish I had found this website previously! 



Fantastic Tools for Schools: 50+ Ways to Rock!
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/slides/50-favorite-tools-schools/
The CoolCatTeacher: a real teacher helping teachers be really excellent (http://www.coolcatteacher.com/)
by Vicki Davis (http://www.coolcatteacher.com/bio/)
 
Davis shares more than 50 of her favorite tools for teaching and learning. Her slide show is an opportunity to learn from the best!

Interesting Applications of Mathematics

Fun Times / peddhapati / CC BY 2.0

I have enjoyed playing with mathematics since I was a young child. If you enjoy mathematics--or wonder why other folks do--you may enjoy reading about three of its interesting uses.

http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/info/history.html
Alfred Mosher Butts--with the help of James Brunot--invented Scrabble in 1948. Butts studied the letter frequency on the front page of The New York Times to decide what the letter distribution should be.

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/14/11/28/0338208/mathematicians-study-effects-of-gerrymandering-on-2012-election?
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of district boundaries to establish an advantage for a party in elections. Duke researchers are studying the discrepancies in vote counts based on how the redistricting is done.

http://scherlund.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-numbers-game-math-helps-to-predict_27.html?
Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are using mathematical models to predict how our bodies' immune cells fight disease.

Word games, politics, biology... all are affected by mathematics.

Interesting reading!

Three Guides for Technology Gifts

Gift Box / FutUndBeidl / CC BY 2.0

Many of us are thinking about technology gifts for family and friends during the holidays. Are you looking for ideas?

Edutopia has published How to Give a Successful Tech Gift by Vicki Davis. As always, Davis' writing has good ideas and thoughtful advice.

The Unclutterer blog shares Unclutterer's 2014 Holiday Gift Giving Guide: Technology Gifts from David Caolo for technology gifts for the 2014 holidays. The items on his gift list are unique and useful. Gift lists from previous years are available at the end of the article.

ThinkGeek provides Perfect Gift Ideas based on the budget of the giver and the interests of the receiver of the gift.


And, finally, if a camera (smartphone, compact, micro 4/3 system, or DSLR) is on your list, you may want to read the series about Buying a Digital Camera published on the Flickr blog. This five-part series may help you decide which type of camera fits your interest and your budget in cameras.

Resources for Teaching Digital Citizenship

Students, teachers--all of us--continue to grow in our understanding of how technology plays an important role in our everyday lives. It is useful occasionally to stand back to gain an overview of its role and to determine how we can more effectively handle the technology in safe, secure, and professional ways... and how we can help others learn to do the same.

Reputation / F Delventhal / CC BY 2.0

Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/) recently published an article by Vicki Davis in which she describes the proactive knowledge and the experiential knowledge she wants her students to know and experience about digital citizenship. Her content categories are up-to-date and useful for students and for teachers, too. Davis lists the basics as:

• passwords
• privacy
• personal information
• photographs
• property
• permission
• protection
• professionalism
• personal brand.

One of the resources I use when I work with digital citizenship curriculum is the Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship developed by Mike Ribble. He states that digital citizenship is "appropriate, responsible technology use." Ribble lists the themes of digital citizenship as:

• digital access
• digital commerce
• digital communication
• digital literacy
• digital etiquette
• digital law
• digital rights and responsibilities
• digital health and wellness
• digital security (self-protection).

In a recent post I shared an infographic designed by Mia MacMeekin for modeling digital citizenship in the classroom. See Good Reading on Digital Citizenship...


Edutopia published an updated resource roundup about digital citizenship. This roundup is a good addition to digital citizenship resources.

What resources would you add for digital citizenship?

Learning About Shapes (Geometric Polygons) and Creating Websites for Classroom Use

I taught mathematics for many years in grades 6 through 12. One of my favorite mathematics topics was--and still is--geometry. So, this week I enjoyed reading about two interesting approaches to learning about shapes (geometric polygons). One activity is for primary students; another, for teenagers. One is low-tech; the other, high-tech.

Colourful Street Art / Les Haines / CC BY 2.0

Kathy Cassidy teaches primary students (6 year olds) in Canada. This week her students worked with geometric shapes via an art activity. Read about her students' work and see the creations that the students posted on their blogs.

http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/2014/11/15/making-shapes/

 
Kyle Pearce teaches teenagers about mathematics and has used iPads to help his students learn. This week he reviewed Shape Lab, a new iPad app that allows students to draw and manipulate geometric shapes. Read about this interesting app on Pearce's blog.

http://tapintoteenminds.com/ipad-apps/shape-lab/

How to SEO Your Websites / SEOPlanter / CC BY 2.0

Some of my workshop participants last summer suggested several topics they would like me to offer in a workshop this next summer. One of those topics is the design and creation of websites for and by teachers and students. Yohana Desta lists five website creation sites (WordPress, Tumblr, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix) and reviews each on the Mashable blog. She lists pros and cons for each and indicates if there are initial costs or ones that you may want to consider later. These sites are not evaluated from the perspective of an educator; however, I like to read how other folks evaluate technology and add that to my own perspective as an educator.
 
http://mashable.com/2014/11/16/personal-website-platforms/

Good Reading on Digital Citizenship, Humor, and Physical Education

I love reading good ideas from members of my PLN. Here's some of what I'm reading this week.

THINK before you / Thomas Galvez / CC BY 2.0

An Ethical Island: How to Teach Without a Lecture and Other Fun
Happy Digital Citizenship Week
Mia MacMeekin
October 24, 2014

An infographic with 27 habits / suggestions for teachers and students to implement digital citizenship in the classroom...

http://anethicalisland.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/happy-digital-citizenship-week/

Always Laughing / Melody Hansen / CC BY 2.0

The Teachers' Lounge
50 Strange Things Teachers Say
Brandi Jordan
November 5, 2014

Just what the title of this post says... and definitely worth reading on one of those days when you need a chuckle...  :)

http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/50-strange-things-teachers-say/

Soccer Practice / WoodleyWonderworks / CC BY 2.0

The Physical Educator.com: Rethinking What Can Be Done in Physical Education
The Skillbook
Joey Feith and Mike Cicchillitti
November 2, 2014

I recommend this blog (and selected other resources) when physical education teachers--or university students who are studying to become physical education teachers--question my suggestion that they check out social media for ideas to help them become better PE educators.

In this post Joey Feith shares what his goals have been for "phase one" of this blog... and what he would like to see happen in "phase two." He wants to see a resource (using Google Sheets) developed by PE educators. This resource will become a "one-stop-shop for all skill content knowledge." Read more about his idea in the post... and consider volunteering to help if you are a PE teacher.

http://www.thephysicaleducator.com/blog/files/skillbook.html#unique-entry-id-391

Chunking and Being a Minimalist Can Help You Design Effective Lessons

Chunking training materials. Being a minimalist. The two ideas almost sound contradictory... but they are not.

Our School / woodleywonderworks / CC BY 2.0

Whether we are preparing instructional materials for face-to-face instruction or for elearning we need to decide how much content to put in each lesson. What order should be used for introducing new ideas? How should we organize our materials? The reason for each of these decisions is so that our teaching is effective in helping our students to learn.

Jeffrey Dalto at Convergence Training explains what chunking is, why it's important, how our memory works, and how to use this information to help us prepare effective lessons.

Clutter / spykster / CC BY 2.0

So, what is minimalism? This concept is often described as eliminating the clutter in our lives so that we can focus on what is important to achieving the goals in our lives. Rob Nightingale shares How to be an Effective Minimalist in your Daily Life on the Make Use Of website.

Clutter shows up in many areas. We might see it in our wardrobes, possessions, paperwork, computer desktop and applications. Cutting back in any of these areas can mean less money and time spent initially and in maintenance. As educators we often hear that less is more. Our students can benefit if we keep clutter out of our lessons... and that's where chunking and being a minimalist connect.

Chunking is not a new idea in instructional design. Minimalism is frequently discussed as a component of one's lifestyle. Chunking and minimalism are complementary when we think about creating lessons that will help our students learn.