Free Education Webinars Coming in September 2014

I can't believe that September is almost here! While the weather is currently warm and muggy (at least in northern Indiana), soon the air will turn crisp and cool, and summer will be a distant memory. Before that happens and before the semester gets too busy, now is a good time to look at some of the free virtual professional development opportunities on the horizon.

Books (Professional & Otherwise) for ReadaThing

LibraryThing's ReadaThing has already started, and while I'm not scheduled to start my official reading until later today, I have several books that I hope to read (and possibly finish) this weekend. While many are related to teaching in some way, I also have some that are just for fun. My to be read/to be finished pile for this weekend includes:

• How We Learn by Benedict Carey - I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and am about halfway through. Carey provides a nice balance of research study overviews and personal anecdotes to help illustrate the fact that things like distractions, forgetting, and changes of scenery can actually help our learning.
• Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time by Teri Lesesne
• How to Read Literature Like a Professor Revised by Thomas C. Foster - I have a great fondness for the first version of this book, and I'm excited to see the changes and additions Foster made to this new edition.
• A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children by Caroline Kennedy
• A Nancy Drew book - I have several of the reprints that Applewood did of the original Nancy Drew books, and while I've read them before, I'm looking forward to having the chance to revisit them.

What are you planning to read this weekend (for ReadaThing or otherwise)?

A Video Playlist for the First Day of School

While I'm sad to see the end of summer vacation (and its flexible schedule, absence of assignments to grade, and time to read a lot), I'm also excited for the beginning of the school year. Besides giving me the chance to work with students who want to be teachers, the start of school also signals a chance to start anew, to set new goals, and to do things differently (and hopefully) better than I did before. However, in all of the craziness that comes with back to school, it is easy to get overwhelmed and to forget about the joy, the excitement, and the possibilities the new year holds. To serve as a reminder of these aspects and to help set the tone for the school year, I've put a video playlist for the first day of school. Enjoy, and have a wonderful school year!

LibraryThing's August/September ReadaThing

Since the start of August (and the unofficial end of summer break), my schedule has been filled with meetings, planning, and class prep. Consequently, it has been hard to find (or to justify) time to just read for fun. Luckily, LibraryThing, which is one of my favorite websites and teacher resources, is holding its ReadaThing Labor Day (US) Weekend. From August 28 - September 2 (the dates/times depend upon your location), you can sign up to participate for an hour or two or more. Participation means that you read at a particular time. However, if you know that you will be reading but you aren't able to commit to a specific time, you can still sign up outside of the timeline.

While I don't know where I'll be in terms of my reading by the time August 28 rolls around, I'm hoping to follow Daniels and Zemelman's idea for a "balanced diet of reading" from Subjects Matter and read a mix of professional texts and trade books.

Will you be participating in ReadaThing in an official (or unofficial) way? If so, is there anything you hope to read? Let me know in the comments!

Pre-Service Teachers & Professional Development: Virtual Options (Part II)

from Edudemic.com

As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm hoping to do a better job encouraging my students, who are pre-service teachers, to become more involved in professional development. My first year in my education program, I had the good fortune to attend the annual meeting of the TCTE, and it changed my life. Besides giving me a different perspective on education, it made me feel like a professional who was part of something bigger than myself. For this reason, and for the reasons mentioned in the other post, I want my students to have the opportunity to experience professional development before they enter the classroom. However, I realize that, as students, their time and funds are limited. Consequently, this post is going to provide some ideas on ways students can participate in professional development using social media and other virtual tools. Not only does this provide a more convenient and more affordable alternative to attending in-person professional development events, but it also shows students that professional development is only a click away.

August's #nctechat on Building Classroom Community is Sunday (August 17)

One of my favorite virtual professional development activities is the monthly #nctechat on Twitter. While it can be a rapid-fire experience, I always walk away from the discussion inspired by lots of great ideas. This month's #nctechat is on building a classroom community. Come join in the fun this Sunday (August 17) at 8:00 pm ET.

Helpful hints:

• NCTE puts the chat up on Storify afterwards so you can go back and review what was said (or you can read people's responses if you couldn't make the chat). For instance, you can see July's #nctechat on the teacher as writer.
• For the sake of your sanity (and because there is often a lag on Twitter with the most recent tweets), you might want to use a tool like TweetDeck or TweetChat when participating. I'm partial to TweetChat because I find it more straightforward than TweetDeck (and its many columns). I also love that it automatically adds the hashtag to any tweet I do.
• If you've never participated in #NCTEChat, don't be shy - it is a fun and welcoming group. Just be certain to use the hashtag when responding. Also, be certain to denote which question you are answering (for instance, if you are responding to question 1, put A1 at the beginning of your tweet).

Do you have questions, comments, or concerns? Please feel free to leave a comment or send me a tweet.

Pre-Service Teachers & Professional Development (Part I)

One of my goals for the upcoming school year is to do a better job encouraging my education students to become more aware of and more active in professional development. While I realize this might seem a little premature, especially since some of my students are still trying to decide whether or not they want to enter the teaching profession, I'm going to place a bigger emphasis on it for several reasons. Here they are, in no particular order:

YA Book Review: My Basmati Bat Mitzvah

In 1970, Judy Blume featured an interfaith family in her seminal Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. The protagonist, Margaret Simon, not only has to worry about coming of age, but she also has to contend with the challenge of being torn between two religions (Judaism and Christianity) in a time and place where such a conflict is unusual. Margaret spends a year trying to figure out which religion she belongs to but comes to no final answer. Fast-forward 44 years, and Paula J. Freedman tackles a similar situation in My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, in which Tara Feinstein must figure out a way to negotiate both of her cultural heritages. In many ways, Feinstein’s work serves as a great companion piece of Are You There, God?. While it occasionally falls into sitcom territory and the ending might be a little too pat, the character interactions and the skillful way Freedman portrays Tara make this a worthwhile read.