Richard Byrne has created a gift for us all in his newly-published, and free, The Practical Ed Tech Handbook. Here’s how he describes it: In The Practical Ed Tech Handbook you will find resources arranged in seven categories; communication with students & parents, web search strategies, digital citizenship, video creation, audio production, backchannels & informal assessment, and digital portfolios. I’m adding it The Best Places To Learn Web 2.0 Basics.

© 2007 cole24_, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio Though I had some doubts back in June that we could do it, Katie Hull Sypnieski and I are just putting the finishing touches on our forthcoming book, tentatively titled Navigating The Common Core With English Language Learners. Our 110,000 word "opus" will be completed by its September 1st deadline, and will be published by Jossey-Bass in March, 2016. It’s a sequel to our previous book, The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide. I think, and hope, that teachers will find it helpful. Between now and the publication date we’ll, of course, be posting the Table of Contents and other excerpts on this blog and elsewhere. This is my eighth book in eight years, and it’s clear to me that, though I think I’ve got several more books in me, I’ll be looking forward to a more sane writing and publication schedule - perhaps one every two years

Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in post. If you don’t use Twitter, you can also check-out all of my "tweets" on Twitter profile page. You might also be interested in The Best Tweets Of 2015 - So Far. [View the story "August’s (2015) Best Tweets — Part Three" on Storify]

I’m adding this very useful video to two lists: The Best Resources For Learning The Advantages To Being Bilingual Or Multilingual The Best Resources For Showing Students That They Make Their Brain Stronger By Learning

© 2013 Howard Lake, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio The Gates Foundation has committed to matching contributions to any teacher’s project on Donors Choose - for today. It’s late today, but the Donors Choose website is still saying the offer is open. I don’t know if they literally mean up until midnight tonight, or if they’ll even consider going on through the weekend. I shared this info on Twitter earlier today, but didn’t get a chance to blog about it until now. If you have a project on Donors Choose, or if you’re thinking of starting one, tonight’s a good time to encourage your friends and family to throw some money your way. You might also be interested in The Best Resources On - & Advice For Using - Donors Choose. Help teachers get ready for #backtoschool. We’ll match your donation to @DonorsChoose today: http://t.co/dNvihqhxWP pic.twitter.com/5xXO1IxBPf — Bill Gates (@BillGates) August 21, 2015

© 2008 Cliff, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio As Sarah Garland from The Hechinger Report recently wrote: In the fight over how to close the racial achievement gap in education, you rarely hear about the only policy that’s ever worked on a national scale: desegregation. I thought it would be useful, and important, to begin a related "Best" list, and hope that readers can contribute more suggestions. You might also be interested in: A Collection Of Useful Posts, Articles & Videos On Race & Racism - Help Me Find More The Best Resources For Learning About The "Achievement Gap" The Best Commentaries On The 60th Anniversary Of Brown vs. Board Of Education Here’s a few articles to start off with on this new list.  Again, I look forward to reader contributions: Separate. Unequal. Still. How public school segregation plagues New York City, and why it matters is by Sarah Garland. The Problem We All Live With is the must-listen to (or must-read transcript) from This American Life, and produced by Nikole Hannah Jones . Here is how it’s described: Right now, all sorts of people are trying to rethink and reinvent education, to get poor minority kids performing as well as white kids. But there’s one thing nobody tries anymore, despite lots of evidence that it works: desegregation. Nikole Hannah-Jones looks at a district that, not long ago, accidentally launched a desegregation program. This Florida School District Is Failing Black Students at a Shocking Rate. That’s Exactly What It Chose to Do. is from Slate.

This video, from Canada’s CBC, would be a great model for a student project where they offer advice to younger people: Thanks to Vox for the tip.

Humility Boosts Learning is a short report from The John Templeton Foundation. It describes a study that showed learning about a growth mindset encourages "intellectual humility," and that increases student intrinsic motivation. I was particularly struck by how they defined the term "intellectual humility" - basically as recognizing that you probably don’t know everything. It seems to me that this piece might be particularly useful in an IB Theory of Knowledge class when we discuss "knowledge." I also thought all of us could benefit from reviewing its short report and findings to reflect on our own attitudes. Here’s an excerpt: Thanks to Brainlogy for the tip. I’m adding this post to The Best Resources On Helping Our Students Develop A "Growth Mindset."

© 2005 au_tiger01, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio The tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is coming up next week, and The Atlantic just wrote an article about what sounds like a great movie about it — called Low and Behold. Interestingly, it was actually made ten years ago. Here’s the movie’s site, and here is it’s trailer and a clip. According the The Atlantic article, the clip is one of the pivotal scenes in the movie, and I can see why. I’m adding this info to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About New Orleans. While I’m at it, I’m adding these tweets to that list, too: 10 years after Katrina, an influx of newcomers has triggered changes in New Orleans http://t.co/KbNpmb0CIG pic.twitter.com/C3B7Z4mKbe — Post Graphics (@PostGraphics) August 23, 2015 10 years after #Katrina a "New" New Orleans rises, but not for all: http://t.co/nmKVmYmNO6 pic.twitter.com/z9jsu3NNCk — AP Interactive (@AP_Interactive) August 21, 2015 A decade later, Chris Usher revisits families and subjects he photographed after Katrina. https://t.co/03Cr9Rcz2q pic.twitter.com/L20yNcDZBW — Post Graphics (@PostGraphics) August 21, 2015

The Sacramento Bee, which has editorially supported the teacher-bashing efforts of Kevin Johnson and Michelle Rhee in the past, appears to have had a change of heart. A teacher pipeline in need of repair is the title of their editorial appearing this morning focusing on our state’s teacher shortage. Here’s how it ends: I’m adding it to The Best Articles & Posts About The "Teacher Shortage."

Dave Stuart Jr., who writes just about the most useful blog on the Common Core and English Language Arts that’s out there, shared this video on Twitter today. I think the most useful part begins at about the two-minute mark. It’s definitely something I’d show to students when we start talking about the importance of revising one’s work. I’m adding this post to The Best Resources On Getting Student Writers To "Buy-Into" Revision - Help Me Find More.

Q & A Collections: Differentiating Instruction is the title of my latest Education Week Teacher column. It includes link to all my posts on differentiating instruction from the past four years - in one place! Here’s an excerpt from one of them: I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Differentiating Instruction.

Every year for the past 47 years, Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup have done a Poll On Education issues (you can see my posts from previous years here). This year’s poll results were just released, though I haven’t had time to thoroughly review them yet. You can read all the results at their site. I’ll be adding commentaries from others, but here are a few for now: Poll: Most Americans oppose key tenets of modern school reform is from The Washington Post. U.S. schools are too focused on standardized tests, poll says is also from The Washington Post. AFT Responds to PDK-Gallup Poll appears in Diane Ravitch’s blog. What Does the 2015 PDK/Gallup Poll Tell About Teacher Leadership? is by Barnett Berry. Gallup: Many Americans oppose linking teacher evaluations to kids’ test performance is from The Associated Press. Here’s what happens when you ask parents multiple-choice questions is from The L.A. Times. Two Polls Span Two Poles On Testing is from NPR. Very Interesting: Poll Finds That Students’ Feeling Engaged & Hopeful Are Top Indicators Of Successful School What Do Americans Really Think About Education Policy? is from The Atlantic.

The Case For Ignorance is a New York Times column that would be useful in a Theory of Knowledge class when discussing "knowledge." Here’s an excerpt:

© 2014 Laurie Sullivan, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio I recently discovered two short and accessible articles on the importance of reading: 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day The surprising benefits of reading before bed (thanks to Jennifer Serravallo). Here’s a writing prompt I plan to use with students after they read the two of them: What are at least three reasons the authors of these two articles say why reading is good for you? To what extent do you agree or disagree with what the authors are saying? To support your opinion, be sure to include specific examples drawn from your own experience, your observations of others, or any of your readings. I’m adding this post to The Best Posts On Writing Instruction.

Class Notes is a new New Yorker article about the closing of Jamaica High School in New York City, and the broader picture of school reform. Here are two important quotes from it: I’m adding this post to: The Best Resources For Learning About School Desegregation (& Segregation) - Help Me Find More The Best Posts & Articles On The Impact Of School Closures — Suggest More!

Here’s my monthly round-up of new "The Best…" lists I posted this month (you can see all 1,472 of them categorized here): The Best Resources On Assisting ELLs With Special Needs - Help Me Find More The Best Resources For Learning About The Perseid Meteor Shower The Best Resources For Learning About The Blue Moon The Best Posts/Articles On This Year’s Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup Education Poll — 2015 The Best Resources For Learning About School Desegregation (& Segregation) - Help Me Find More The Best Articles & Posts About The "Teacher Shortage" The Best Comic Strips For Students & Teachers In 2015 - So Far The Best TV/Movie Scenes Showing Good & Bad Classroom Discussions The Best Resources On Close Reading Paintings, Photos & Videos Links To The Joint Projects My ELL Geography Class Did With Classes Around The World - Want To Join Us This Year? The Best Resources For Using "If This Animal Or Image Could Talk" Lesson Idea In Class The Best Tools & Lessons For Teaching Information Literacy - Help Me Find More The Best Resources For Teaching/Learning About How To Write Compare/Contrast Essays      

© 2006 laffy4k, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio Here are more new additions to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About New Orleans: U.S. weather disasters that topped $1 billion is from The Washington Post. 10 Years After Katrina is an interactive from The New York Times. After Katrina: New Orleans then and now - interactive photographs is from The Guardian.

I regularly highlight my picks for the most useful posts for each month — not including "The Best…" lists. I also use some of them in a more extensive monthly newsletter I send-out. You can see older Best Posts of the Month at Websites Of The Month (more recent lists can be found here). You can also see my all-time favorites here. Here are some of the posts I personally think are the best, and most helpful, ones I’ve written during this past month (not in any order of preference): Very Interesting: Poll Finds That Students’ Feeling Engaged & Hopeful Are Top Indicators Of Successful School New Study Finds Value In Looking At Mistakes As Positive Learning Experiences Two Good Articles - & A Student Writing Prompt - On The Importance Of Reading Video: "How Language Makes Your Brain Bigger" Our Book On Teaching English Language Learners Is Just About Done! Weekly Student Interactives For ELLs Are Coming To The N.Y. Times Learning Network Surprise, Surprise - Punishment May Not Be The Best Parenting (Or Teaching) Strategy A Great Piece On Student Boredom & The Writing Prompt I’m Using With It Growth Mindset - Don’t Throw The Baby Out With The Bathwater "Q & A Collections: Teaching Reading & Writing" "Interactive Sites For Education" Is A Nice Collection Of Learning Games New Studies Show, Unsurprisingly, That Stress Reduces Self-Control & Metacognition Video: StoryCorps & A Ton Of Partners Announce "The Great Thanksgiving Listen" BBC’s "Skillwise" Has A Great Collection Of English-Learning Games Nice Review Of My Latest Book On Student Motivation Quote Of The Day: Albert Einstein On "Flow" Harvard Business Review Publishes Nice Guide To Positive Classroom Management Guest Post: A List Of Useful Resources On Teaching Information & Digital Literacy "Playbuzz" Is A Great Place For Creating Learning Games - If It Doesn’t Blocked By Your District’s Content Filters Statistic Of The Day: How Long Does It Take To Learn English? Plotagon Is A Free & Simple Tool For Creating Animations Stop The Presses! Report Finds Most Professional Development Waste Of Time Quote Of The Day: Teaching Social Emotional Learning Skills Is Not Enough This Sounds Weird: PISA To Measure Student Ability To Collaborate By Pairing Them Up Anonymously Online Yes, Schools Should Develop Active Citizens &, No, We Don’t Need Another Test To Do It SAS Curriculum Pathways, Just About The Best Online Ed Site, Has Gotten Even Better… Statistic Of The Day: What Character Strengths Predict Well-Being? Statistic Of The Day: The Benefits Of Reading Quote Of The Day: "What Does This Experience Make Possible?" Links To The Joint Projects My ELL Geography Class Did With Classes Around The World - Want To Join Us This Year? Do You Know Of Research Showing That Writing For An "Authentic Audience" Helps Students Feel Motivated? You Can Now Create Your Own Activities With Amazing Math App Desmos Send An Ed-Related Research Question To One Of The Regional Educational Laboratories - And They’ll Answer It! This New Report May Provide The Best Overview Available On Social Emotional Learning Google Translate Announces Another Big Update Today "Zoom In!" Looks Like A Good Site For History Teachers "BrainRush" Expands Its Learning Activities To Play & Create

I normally use AUDACITY to make my recordings, however I'm aware it can be a bit challenging to newbies due to the fact that you have to download the program and then also download Lame to convert your recordings to MP3s. I was looking for something simpler to show to a group of trainees I have for the online course I facilitate and remembered AVIARY's audio editor MYNA.This is a short TUTORIAL I've created to help teachers record themselves so that later they can use the mp3 file to make a screencast at slideshare.netNext month, I'm starting a new course for ESL / EFL teachers who are familiar with the tech world but would like to learn a bit more.To view this animated banner you need to have Flash Player 9 or newer installed and JavaScript enabled. BannerSnack is a <a href="http://www.bannersnack.com/" title="BannerSnack - Free flash banner maker">banner builder</a> that allows you to create flash banners online and download them as SWF files.During CULTURA EDTECH "Moving Beyond" , teachers will be able to learn how to create their Blogger blogs, explore webtools and post mini lesson plans, try out online video editing tools, create screencasts and presentations they can share online. Interested? Just send an e-mail to anamariacult@yahoo.com.br and I can send you more information.

A colleague of mine, Claudia Melo, shared a great link with our group CULTURA EDTECH yesterday. I had already seen the site, but had completely forgotten about. The site ESL Fun Grammar Games offers a variety of flash games to practise GRAMMAR TOPICSTypes of games:HangmanSnakes and LaddersFling the teacherSpellingCatchingSequencingWalk the plankJeopardySpin the wheelThey also offer VOCABULARY and PRONUNCIATION games.

This afternoon, I presented a session about sites to help students improve their listening skills to a group of teachers.These are the sites I selected for the talk. Webtools to Enhance Listening http://www.visualthesaurus.com/bee/playhttp://www.manythings.org/listen/http://www.audiopuzzler.com/index.htmlhttp://www.listen-and-write.com/http://michel.barbot.pagesperso-orange.fr/hotpot/movies.htmhttp://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/http://www.eslvideo.com/http://www.manythings.org/voa/stories/http://www.voki.com/http://www.meegenius.com/http://www.listenaminute.com/         

I love memorization tools.This week a colleague of mine, Geórgia, showed me a site she'd come accross. We both decided we needed to explore it and see how to use it with our sts.I was happy to see DEMOGIRL has already made one of her great tutorials about MEMORIZENOW. Watch and Learn.HOW CAN WE USE THE SITE WITH STUDENTS?Paste a dialogue you wish your students to memorize. Use the Memorize button to work with repetition in the classroom.Paste sentences with grammar structure to be memorized.Paste poems for sts to memorize.Paste minisagas for memorization.

I've always been a great fan of Russell Stannard's tutorials and loved watching this video from Joe Dale's superb blog.He talks about screencasting and student feedback. I really advise you to stop for some minutes and listen to this great talk.I have been using http://screenr.com to make screencasts for the course I facilitate but I had never thought of using it for student feedback. It saves so much time and it's so rich as the student can both see what you're marking and also hear you.