Teachers. Technology. Transformation.

In the latest issue of TECH & LEARNING magazine, Gary Stager offers some suggestions for student writing that I found to be very clever. He writes:

"Why should kids write book reports when they can review books on Amazon.com and have their reviews actually help others? Alternatively, ask students to write reviews of their favorite books and place those recommendations on your class Web site, blog, or wiki; If you become an Amazon.com Associate and site visitors buy books based on student recommendations" as much as six percent of the price of all your purchases will go toward buying books for your classroom library. This may motivate students to read and provides an authentic audience for their writing."

I have encouraged colleagues to have students post similar writings to their blogs. I know of at least on that uses the audio service, Gabcast, to have students record their book reports and then post online. Hearing the intonations of the student's voice brings a richer experience than just reading text on a page. Anyway, the more authentic the experience, the more the students will learn and grow from the experience.

What are your suggestions for making student writing more authentic? Please share!

When I was teaching a leadership class many years ago, we always spent some time of the process of goal setting, both for individuals and for organizations. Somewhere I came across the acronym of "SMART" for teaching this skill.

• Specific - Goals should be specific and not general.
• Measureable - If goals cannot be measured, how can one determine if they were reached?
• Achieveable - Can this goal be accomplished?
• Realistic - Is the goal realistic?
• Time frame - Goals should have a specific time frame in which they should be completed.

Therefore, I resolve...

• to post to this blog at least three times a week for the coming year.
• to find a  variety of resources that are practical for classroom use.
• to spend more time discussing how these resources can be used in the classroom.

What are your goals for 2010?

I am a little late with the information in this post since it was first published in August, but better late than never. Here is a list of the 100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers as selected by SmartTeaching.org. Categories include History, Science, Arts, Language, Inspiration, Classroom Management, How-Tos and Guides, Technology, and Humor. Enjoy!

If you know of others that you would add to the list, please share!