• Click on the phone and hear real recorded phone calls to Edward, Robert, an astronaut and others.

• Click on a "record" button hidden on the desk and hear portions of the secret tapes.

• Try lots of other clickable items for audio and video presentations

Some of this is a little fatuous, but you get the idea. How many can you check off? Which ones interest you? Which ones would you like to learn how to do?

Perhaps some food for thought!

1. You require your students to use a variety of sources for their research projects...and they cite blogs, podcasts, and interviews they've conducted via Skype.

2. Your students work on collaborative projects...with students in Australia.

3. You give weekly class updates to parents...via your blog.

4. Your students participate in class...by tweeting their questions and comments.

5. You ask your students to study and create reports on a controversial topic...and you grade their video submissions.

6. You prepare substitutes with detailed directions...via Podcasts.

7. You ask your students to do a character/historical person study...and they create mock social media profiles of their character.

8. Your students create a study guide...working together on a group wiki.

9. You share lesson plans with your teacher friends...from around the globe.

10. Your classroom budget is tight...but it doesn't matter because there are so many free resources on the web you can use.

11. You realize the importance of professional development...and you read blogs, join online communities, and tweet for self development.

12. You take your students on a field trip to the Great Wall of China...and never leave your classroom.

13. Your students share stories of their summer vacation...through an online photo repository.

14. You visit the Louvre with your students...and don't spend a dime.

15. You teach your students not to be bullies...or cyberbullies.

16. You make your students turn in their cell phones before class starts...because you plan on using them in class.

17. You require your students to summarize a recent chapter...and submit it to you via a text message.

18. You showcase your students' original work...to the world.

19. You have your morning coffee...while checking your RSS feed.

20. You are reading this.

21. You tweet this page, blog about it, "like" it, or email it to someone else...

By making a free account at TIMSS ( http://timssvideo.com/ ) you can view 53 videos of 8th-grade classes conducted in math and science from around the world. The lessons were videoed in 1999 as part of a study conducted by UCLA and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to compare US math and science classes with those found in high-achieving countries.

The math classes you can watch took place in Australia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States. Science classes were videoed in Australia, the Czech Republic, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States.

It might interest students to see students from around the US and in other countries learning the same things they are—or you may want to view these just for your own interest. All lessons show teachers and students working on specific lessons and are translated with subtitles. In addition, you can view the transcript of the lesson and click on it to go to that portion of the video; and you can download the resources (worksheets, etc.) attached to the lesson, though probably only the US (and sometimes Hong Kong) resources are useful, since the handouts and worksheets are written in the language of the country being filmed.

Some of you may find a way to use these amazing images of various portions of the earth, sent from satellites in space.

The Mississippi River, for example, might be fun to look at when your classes are reading Huckleberry Finn!

ABCya

Build Your Wild Self is a web feature of the New York Zoos and Aquarium website that allows students to design a creature identity for themselves.

I saw samples of this created by Mrs. DiCicco's 3rd-grade class, as featured on Ms. Zanconato's Egremont library website. Looks like a lot of fun!

Some very good virtual resources for your use.

PBS.org, multimedia math lesson plans (preK-12)

Virtual Manipulatives (math, data)

The Learning Network Blog, New York Times (All subjects in the news, lots of activities; focus on social studies, English, reading)

Don't Buy It! Get Media Smart! Seeing through the sales pitch from PBS Kids.org. Evaluating media, distinguishin opinion from fact.

Tree octopus exposes internet illiteracy

A recent agenda for PD…ideas for you to try.

You can review the ideas on this image…

but you'll need to download the attachment in order to use the clickable links.

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Technology, by Sam Grobart

This link is to a lengthy list of apps (applications) to use for Special Ed students who have iPads, iPod Touches or iPhones.

I know some of them, but others are new to me. To check them out yourself and evaluate, search for them on the Apple store, available through iTunes.

1. Launch iTunes.

2. Click on iTunes Store in the column on the left.

3. Click on "App Store" up top.

4. Use the "Search" field up top on the right and search for the App by name. Be sure to look at the ratings and screen shots below, as you cannot try the apps out before buying them.