Must Listen For All Teachers & Parents

I randomly came across a podcast posted by a friend on Facebook done by This American Life. The podcast throws aside the usual union and political debates that have plagued education for decades, and it focuses specifically on HOW students learn and WHAT they should learn. I HIGHLY recommend every teacher and parent to listen to this podcast here.

Common Core App added @Swag Teaching

I am constantly having to look up Common Core standards online to cut and paste them into my IEP's. Another common time that teachers need to access them is to cut and paste them when doing lesson plans. You can now easily access all of the Common Core standards at Swag Teaching by using the app on the right of my blog. Just click on it and it will pop out and you can select the subject and grade level you need. Here is the HTML if you want to add it to your own site.

<div id="_MC_ccapp_widget"><script src="http://www.masteryconnect.com/learn-more/cmsjs/widget.js"></script></div>

Current Events Remixed with Hip-Hop

     Technology has made it easier than ever to stay current on news and events from all around the world. Even though technology is taking over every aspect of our life, it seems as if many students are still disconnected and unaware of major current events that take place. A simple easy way to keep them up to date on a weekly basis can be done by using Flocabulary.  They take the headlines from all around the world and put them into a short fresh eye catching rap. (Usually between 2-3 minutes) I like to use it to start discussion on Fridays in my Economics and Government classes. It could also be used to generate ideas for a short writing assignment in ELA classrooms. They also offer other free rap videos on various topics as well as a paid subscription service for even more videos.