Via: Online College Advice

Happy New Year! As we begin the year 2012, my teaching resolution is to share ways to differentiate instruction with others. Chris Burras and I have been preparing for the ALIVE graduate class and planning for some upcoming workshops this week. Our passion is to make sure students are actively involved in the learning process and that they are actually growing as learners. This begins with the teacher and how well he or she structures the lessons, keeping in mind that all students are not Word Smart or Math Smart . That is why we stress the importance of incorporating  Howard Garner’s Multiple Intelligences into plans.

Today, we will focus on writing Menus or Choice Boards for students.  Here is a PowerPoint that Chris created, simply click on the words and the presentation will open:

Differentiated Instruction PowerPoint

Turn the page…and—
Create
Innovate
Discover
Explore
Inquire
Achieve
Collaborate

Turn the page…
to new worlds
to the future
to where no one has gone before!
to new beginnings
to discover the wonder

Are you turning the page?

Good teaching begins and ends with the learner. Turning the page means we are giving our students opportunities to wrestle with real problems by turning and twisting their minds around challenging ideas and applying content in meaningful ways. We are preparing our students for the 21st Century as we provide opportunities for students to collaborate, think creatively, and solve problems. It is time to teach well with technology, not just differently. Are we turning the page by connecting students with a world of ideas? Do we as teacher/learners engage in opportunities-alone or with our peers-that call for creativity and innovation or are we still on page 1?

Join us at UTC 12 as we turn the page together.

Check out the movie we made using the Hue Web cam! Click here:

The Uglified Ducky

Learn how to use Hue in your classroom!  Click here:  Hue Presentation

You can use your Hue Web cam to take photos, too. This is a great, inexpensive way to take pictures of your students and their work and of your classroom projects.

Learn how to use Photopeach for classroom quizzes and photos on your teacher website:
Dr. Frankie Childers on PhotoPeach

This week I’ve enjoyed training teachers how to use Blabberize with their students. This is a free Web 2.0 tool that will encourage students to publish their research and record their voices.  Go to www.blabberize.com and sign up. You will love it!

1. Sign up for a free account.

2. Log In and go to Make

3. Select a picture from your files. Click the arrow.

4. Crop your picture. Click the arrow.

5. Add a mouth. You will have to move the dots to place on the mouth. Click the arrow.

6. Select microphone to record. Click the arrow.

7. Click the red button to record. Click the arrow and Play your video recording.

8. Click Share and choose either a URL link to copy and post on your website or embed it like I did. Have fun!

Here is a birthday message I made for my niece:

24 educators from Greenville County Schools took an Intense 3 Hour Graduate class this summer at MT Anderson Support Center. We had 9 High School teachers, 5 Middle School teachers, and 10 Elementary School Teachers.

They learned so many cool ways to engage students in their classrooms this year using 21st Century Learning Web 2.0 tools.

We will use this post to evaluate the class: