Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 2-9-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF



Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY

LOOK FOR MY UPCOMING BOOK IN MARCH, 2013

Ferlazzo200(1)
"Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" 

You Can Now Pre-Order My Book, Self-Driven Learning, On Amazon

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago
My new book, Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation, is now available for pre-order on Amazon. It should be released by March 1st. You can read more about the book here.

State Of The Union Message Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago
What They Said is a new cool interactive from The Wall Street Journal comparing words used by modern U.S. Presidents during their State of The Union messages. I’m adding it to The Best (& Most Intriguing) Resources For Learning About … Continue reading →

Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago
(Usually, I just post a weekly version of this regular feature. However, sometimes I post an extra “Special Edition” when I have more good links than usual) I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post … Continue reading →

“How to stay connected in a power outage”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 13 hours ago
For all of you facing the snowstorm in the Northeast, you might want to read How to stay connected in a power outage from the Associated Press. I’m adding it to The Best Ideas On How To Stay Electronically Connected … Continue reading →

The Most Moving Video Clip You’ll See Today — David Attenborough & Blind Baby Rhino

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 20 hours ago
“Sir David Attenborough concluded his BBC One series about the wildlife of Africa with an extraordinary close up meeting with a blind baby rhinoceros” “The rhino is currently awaiting an eye operation in the hopes of restoring its sight before … Continue reading →

February’s Best Tweets — Part One

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 20 hours ago
Every month I make a short list highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. Now and then, in order to make it a … Continue reading →

“Syria: The Basics”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I haven’t updated The Best Resources For Learning About What’s Happening In Syria in awhile, and thought this informative and accessible Prezi Presentation would be a good addition. Thanks to Cool Infographics for the tip.

This Week’s “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a … Continue reading →

“Dio” Comes From The Creators Of Second Life

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Dio is a new interactive tool from Linden Labs, the creators of Second Life (which, apart from hearing from people with physical disabilities that it was very helpful to them, I have yet to figure out its usefulness). Dio, on … Continue reading →

“Try Being Me” is an “interactive dyslexia experience”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Try Being Me is a BBC site for children that they describe as being an “interactive dyslexia experience” where users get a taste of what it might be look to have dyslexia. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For … Continue reading →

I’ll Be A Guest At An Ed Week Webinar On “Developing Intrinsic Motivation in Students”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Principal Chris Wejr and I will be guests at an Education Week Webinar on Developing Intrinsic Motivation in Students. It will take place on March 5th. You can read more about it here. Our Webinar kicks-off a series of three … Continue reading →

“What Does It Mean to Be a Citizen?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
What Does It Mean to Be a Citizen? is my latest post and lesson plan at The New York Times Learning Network. You can also see all my previous Times’ posts here. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For … Continue reading →

“How Can I Balance What My District Tells Me vs What I Feel Students Need?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
How Can I Balance What My District Tells Me vs What I Feel Students Need? is the new “question of the week” at my Education Week Teacher blog. Feel free to leave your comments there or here….

Mardi Gras Is Coming Up!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Mardi Gras 2013 falls on Tuesday, February 12th. I’ve updated The Best Sites To Learn About Mardi Gras & Carnivals.

ESL Student Glogsters On The Amazon Rain Forest

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Students in my ESL Geography class are creating simple Glogsters on the Amazon Rain Forest. I thought readers might find it useful to read about the assignment and to see a couple of examples of what they’re coming up with….

Wideo Is A New Tool For Making Online Animations

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Wideo is a new tool for making online animations. You still have to request an invite to use it, but I received mine within seconds of requesting it. I wouldn’t say it’s as intuitive to use as some others on … Continue reading →

Updates On The Seattle Standardized Test Boycott

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources On The Seattle Standardized Test Boycott: Today We Are All Garfield Teachers! is from John Wilson at Education Week. What You Need to Know About the Seattle Teachers’ Rebellion and the … Continue reading →

“Brainy Box” Is A Winner!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Russel Tarr has created lots of great online learning tools, and I’ve blogged about many of them. His latest is called Brainy Box, and it lets you easily create a 3-D animated cube with any content you want to include … Continue reading →

More Immigration Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are some new (to me) resources on immigration: The changing state of US ethnicity is an excellent animated infographic from The BBC. Immigration Law in America is a Wall Street Journal interactive. I’m adding both of those links to … Continue reading →

Resources For President’s Day

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Presidents’ Day in 2013 is on Monday, the 18th of February. You might be interested in The Best Resources About President’s Day.

Video: “The Chinese New Year: From Fear to Festivity”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
The Chinese New Year: From Fear to Festivity is the title of this video from English Central that I’m adding to The Best Resources For Chinese New Year. More importantly, though, it’s the first English Central video that I’m embedding … Continue reading →

“How Peer Assistance Can Improve Teacher Practice”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
How Peer Assistance Can Improve Teacher Practice is Part Two in my Education Week series on Peer Assistance Review. This post features several guests, including American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

NY Times Slideshow on “Favorite Class Assignments” & Invitation For More — Too Bad It’s Only For College Students

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
The New York Times has just published a slideshow featuring college students’ favorite class assignments and has invited people to send in more. Too bad it’s only for college students — I’d guess perhaps permissions would be a little tricky … Continue reading →

Video: Watch The Extended Interview Jon Stewart Did With Michelle Rhee

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Michelle Rhee was on The Daily Show last night. I thought she generally came across as quite reasonable and tried to minimize and gloss over many of her beliefs. Stewart kept pressing her — admirably, I thought, while trying to … Continue reading →

Another Interesting List Of “Top” Education Blogs

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Less than one month after USC Rossier Online, associated with the University of Southern California, unveiled a rating system for education blogs that they call The Teach 100, another organization has come up with their own list The 100 most … Continue reading →

Brain “Priming” In The Classroom

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
I’ve written several posts about brain “priming” research and how I apply it in the classroom, as well as some of my ethical reservations. I primarily use it on days for standardized tests, and they’re all fairly innocuous (such as … Continue reading →

Chinese New Year Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Chinese New Year will begin on February 10, 2013 and marks the start of the Year of the Snake. I’ve just updated The Best Resources For Chinese New Year.

Surprising — To Me, At Least — Statistic On Charter School Teacher Turnover

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
The PBS News Hour has a segment tonight on a charter school. Here’s a statistic that was surprising — to me, at least: Source: shareasimage.com via Larry on Pinterest

New Hans Rosling “Magic” Video

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
The Gates Foundation today released a new one of Hans Rosling’s “magic” world data videos (you can see his previous ones I’ve posted here). Check it out:

What A Great New Financial Literacy Tool For English Language Learners & Everybody Else

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 4 days ago
Here’s a new announcement from The Cultural Orientation Resource Center: With training and guidance from COR Center colleagues at the Center for Applied Linguistics, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection has developed a website with financial literacy … Continue reading →

“FxMyPics” Is Another New Online Photo-Editing Site

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
As if the Web needed another online site for photo-effects and editing, it now has another — FixMyPics. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Online Photo-Editing & Photo Effects.

Valentine’s Day Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I’ve just updated The Best Sites To Learn About Valentine’s Day. Feel free to offering additional suggestions….

More On Immigration Reform

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
Here are three new additions to The Best Resources About The New Push For Immigration Reform: Which G.O.P. House Members Might Support Immigration Reform? is from The New York Times, and is pretty interesting. Five things economists know about immigration … Continue reading →

Maryland School Board Considers Proposal To Own Rights To ALL Student & Teacher Work

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 days ago
I can only say that this news item should be filed under “bizarre”: The Prince George’s County Board of Education is considering a proposal that says the District owns the rights to all student work created at school AND all … Continue reading →

The Best Resources On The Value & Practice Of Having Older Students Mentoring Younger Ones

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
As I’ve previously mentioned, it looks like I’ll be teaching a couple of classes of Seniors next year (in addition to ESL and IB TOK) instead of my usual double-block ninth-grade English class. My colleague Katie Hull, who will be … Continue reading →

“Creating a Culture of Improvement With Peer Assistance & Review (PAR)”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Creating a Culture of Improvement With Peer Assistance & Review (PAR) is my newest post over at Education Week Teacher. Today’s post starts with a brief introduction to PAR from Dean Vogel, President of the California Teachers Association. Then Shannan … Continue reading →

More On The “Next Generation” Of Standardized Tests

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Here are some new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Next Generation” Of State Testing: Common Assessments Hold Promise, Face Challenges, Study Finds is from Education Week. Common Core State Standards: 2014 is a Year Away is … Continue reading →

ASCD Has Just Published Some Great Articles On Nurturing Creativity & Curiosity

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Creativity Now! is the theme of the February issue of ASCD Educational Leadership, and it’s a good one. Several are behind a paywall, but here are some great ones that are freely available now: I’m adding these next four to … Continue reading →

The “Best” Multimedia News Content In The World

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
Three years ago, World Press Photo expanded its awards to multimedia productions. They just announced this year’s winners, and, let me tell you, it’s pretty impressive. You might also be interested in The Best “World Press Photo” Winners. Here are … Continue reading →

Start Viewing & Rating Super Bowl Ads Today

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 days ago
The Wall Street Journal always has a well-done collection and online viewer-rating system for Super Bowl commercials, and it’s already in operation at their Super Bowl Ads 2013 page. USA Today has a similar site, but right now you can … Continue reading →

Video: This Eagle Certainly Illustrates An Example Of Perseverance

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
The eagle in this video certainly illustrates an example of perseverance. I’m adding it to The Best Videos Illustrating Qualities Of A Successful Language Learner:

Groundhog Doesn’t See His Shadow — Early Spring Coming!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Today’s Groundhog Day, and here are some new additions to The Best Resources For Groundhog Day: Here’s a video of the 2013 festivities, though I don’t think you’ll see it if you’re reading this on an RSS Reader: Unfortunately your … Continue reading →

The Best Ways To Deal With Rudeness In Class

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
One of the chapters in my upcoming book shares ideas and lesson plans on how to deal with rudeness in class, and I thought readers might appreciate a compilation of my previous posts on the topic: How Do We Contribute … Continue reading →

Quizpoo Is An Easy & Unique Tool For Making Online Tests

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Quizpoo lets you create, without requiring registration, “this or that” quizzes. I had never actually heard of that “genre” of tests before, but you can see plenty of examples on their site. I could see students having a lot of … Continue reading →

Student Reflection Form On Goals & Joy

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
I’ve published many posts on student goal-setting (see The Best Posts On Students Setting Goals), along with others on the benefits of having students share positive events that have happened in their lives (see My Best Posts On Why It’s … Continue reading →

Teens & Sleep

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Here are three new additions to The Best Resources For Helping Teens Learn About The Importance Of Sleep: Are Sleepy Students Learning is by Daniel Willingham. Disease and sleep: Recent studies find new links is a great infographic from The … Continue reading →

Two Important Articles On Immigration Reform

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 week ago
Two important articles on the immigration reform debate were published today, and I’m adding both to The Best Resources About The New Push For Immigration Reform: The first is from a New York Times columnist, David Brooks, who I often … Continue reading →