The Best Lists to List

I have to admit that I am an avid list creator. I know I am not the only one, but my wife always bugs me on Saturday morning.

"Another list dear?" she will ask.
"Why yes it is" I reply

(how's that for gripping dialogue?)

So I list and she doesn't. It got me thinking I need to list at least one list in my blog.

Does anyone out there follow Larry Ferlazzo? He is a great sharer of resources and an insane lister. I mean look at this page of lists for a second. He calls it his best of series. Each link on that page is a link to another list. I love what he is putting out there, and I follow him and his posts, but calm down with the lists just a little.

So I compromise. Here is my very short list of the top three products that students should be creating:

1. Digital Stories. Simple, create a story or re-tell a story and illustrate it. The students create the pictures that form the story. There are several ways to do this - voice thread, prezi, good 'ol powerpoint, and my favorite google presentations. They can also expand into movie maker or other multimedia pieces. You absolutely cannot work alone on this project. Storytelling can and should be a group effort. One person can tell the story sure, but it takes many to work together in building the story. Can you animate the characters? Is there narration? Music? Sound Effects? Make sure you practice the storytelling at least twice before you present to the class. 
2. Multimedia Projects. Not a whole lot different than the digital stories, but this time the students themselves are the moving objects and the voices. Ideas can include - reenacting scenes or original pieces and filming them, creating stop-motion animations, creating movie or book trailers, green-screen filming, make commercials. The main criteria for in the classroom is a) moving objects b) sound/music c) image rich. 
3. Infographics: I am still working on this. Google Docs seems to work well for this, but I am convinced there are other tools that will work even better. The basic idea for infographics is to present research findings visually. Here are a couple of examples.

Students should be able to create all three of the above products. They should do it often and they should always express meaning and student understanding. All three can be applied to all subjects and all content. I would love to hear from anyone regarding what tools they are using to make professional infographics.

Thanks for reading - listicle

Confucius For The Win

I often thought that the popular acronym FTW meant something else entirely than the urban dictionary definition. Urban dictionary states that it means For the Win. Interesting, and much more appropriate than what I always thought it meant. You can use your imagination when trying to decide what I thought FTW did mean (it had a swear word in it).


But what does any of this have to do with Confucius?


Listening to some of his lessons there is some timeless wisdom on what teaching is and how a teacher should be. A central lesson from the Master is that a teacher can create justice and value by being upright and noble. Further, a teacher's primary role is to model exactly what a noble and upright individual is for his/her students.

Think about whether or not you are upright and noble in your classroom, your hallway, your extra-curricular club or team?

Think about how often students today see a person in their lives that is upright and noble.

I used to believe that if I let the s. word drop by mistake or on purpose in my classroom that it was no big deal, they say things much worse all the time, it's a new generation right? I would often sink to their level in order to "connect" at the expense of my character. I was wrong to behave like this. Students today rarely see what an upright and moral person looks like.

I am not trying to preach being holier than thou, or above everything that happens in the classroom and pop. culture, but I am trying to advocate being the person students can think of when questioning their own values.

More than anything our students need someone to model for them kindness, respect, intellectual rigour, involvement in the world, environmental stewardship... anything that you believe is essential to being an upright and noble individual.

The original teacher has some still very relevant lessons for 21st century teachers.
CONFUCIUS FTW!