Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan.16 – 22, 2012)

January 23, 2012

Here are my favorite resources of the week, curated from my Twitter account.

Social Media Resources, Policy tools and How To’s

Managing social media complaints before they explode into Tweets, YouTube videos and Facebook shares – by Janet Cho

Social Media Policy Must Have: when are they on the clock? – by Shawn Tuma

Muscogee County Schools new social media policy discourages ‘friending,’ texting between teachers, students: Teachers urged to not communicate with students, parents on websites, texts – by Sara Pauff and Sonya Sorich

Business Insider: Our new Twitter-Facebook policy: What Do You Think? – by Henry Blodget

Hampton school board debates new social media policy – by Samieh Shalash

Social media rules for public servants ‘laughable’ – by Amy Simmons

Social Media News

25 Eye-Popping Internet Marketing Statistics for 2012 – by Pamela Vaughan

Educational Technology

Top 10 Free Online Tutoring Tools for 2012 – Edudemic

Grades 9-12 Examples: Voicethread – Voicethread4education

Top 10 Sites for Educational Apps – TechLearning.com

LibriVox – free audiobooks

Technology Resources and News

Shy students should be able to tweet their teacher in class, study finds – by Jeremy Pierce

Can Technology Help the Blog Replace the Term Paper? – New York Times

The 70 Online Databases that Define Our Planet – Technology Review

7 Google Search Techniques You Don’t Know Exist – Teacher Learning Community

Apple vows iBooks 2 will ‘reinvent’ school textbooks – Globe and Mail

Amazon: “Primed” to disrupt Apple’s textbook plans? – by Jason Perlow

Teachers Buzz about Apple’s Education Announcement – Globe and Mail

Literacy Resources

Books for Struggling Readers in Middle or High School – Jenna Scribbles

Literacy and Language News

How one New Brunswick school is celebrating Family Literacy Day – McAdam High

Barnes & Noble Donates Close to 1.2 Million Books To Nonprofit Organizations, Schools, Libraries And Literacy Partners All Across The U.S.A – Press Release

Pioneer of ESL, EAL in PEI, Canada celebrated by local media – The Guardian, Prince Edward Island

Library Link: We can help you give your kids the gift of literacy – by Anne Beaty, Airdire, Alberta

Church’s “Missionary Training Center” promotes international language learning – Deseret News

No Difference Between Kids’ Comprehension of Ebooks, Print Books, Study Says – School Library Journal

EAL / ESL / EFL Resources

Superb collection of ESL / EAL Learning and Teaching Resources – Alberta Education

International Languages Resources and News

Benefits of Learning a Second Language at a Young Age – Sewickley Academy

Hawaiian Language Immersion Program open to all children – by Louise Rockett, Lahaina News

Educational Leadership

7 Top Things Teachers Want from Their Principal – Connected Principals

How to Lead Effectively in Virtual Environments – by Frank Kalman

Education Resources

How can I help my (struggling) child with homework? (Part 1) – by Sylvia Hannah

New Year’s Resolutions for Children with Special Needs – Brain Balance

Education News From Around the Globe

Is Sweden’s Classroom-Free School the Future of Learning? – Good Education

Study on Teacher Value Uses Data From Before Teach-to-Test Era – by Michael Winerip, NY Times

In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise – by Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post

Everyday tasks can be teaching moments – by Kelly Pedro, London Free Press

Canadian Education News

Paul Martin says generation of Aboriginal Canadians lost – Canada.com

Medicine Hat (Alberta) school officials admit to illegal Tory donations – CBC News

Teachers’ union, province in secret talks to explore cap on work hours – by Matt McClure, Calgary Herald

Youngest students need more time in school: minister – Primary to Grade 2 students now spend four hours a day in class – CBC News

Military training, possible future for Canadian universities? – The Varsity

Related posts:

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 9-15, 2012)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 2-8, 2012)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 25, 2011 to January 1, 2012)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 18-24, 2011)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 11-17, 2011)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 4-10, 2011)

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 9 – 15, 2012)

January 16, 2012

Here are my favorite resources of the week, curated from my Twitter account.

Social Media Resources, Policy tools and How To’s

Who uses Twitter and how – by Andreas Silva

 7 Ways To Improve Your Social Media Skills and Influence – by Haydn Shaughnessy, Forbes

Using Social Media Marketing to Promote Green Business – by Paul Raybould, Sustainable Business

Social Media Policies: Promoting vs. Policing – by Kyle Lagunas

Social media plays a key role in crisis communication: Report – by Diana Nguyen

Social Media News

Why your business can’t ignore social networking –  by Debra Donston-Miller

Social media restricted for Olympic volunteers – Event Magazine, UK

Educational Technology

Technology Provides Parents a Window on the Classroom by Linking Home to School – EduTopia

10 New Trends in Outsourced Grading – OnlineUniversities.com

10 Most Popular Graphic Organizers – Teachervision

Technology News

Web addicts have brain changes, research suggests – by Helen Briggs, BBC News

The Many Benefits, for Kids, of Playing Video Games – by Peter Gray, Psychology Today

Mobile: Most people get news from social media, not branded apps – by David Silverberg

Literacy Resources

Free Books for BC Literacy Programs through First Books Canada – by Decoda Literacy Solutions

10 Great Literacy Games Sites – Creative Education Blog

Using Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom – by Andrew Miller

Literacy and Language News

Good grammar and sentence structure go hand-in-hand with literacy – Globe and Mail

Urban Dictionary, Wordnik track evolution of language as words change, emerge – by Mallary Jean Tenore

Immigrants struggle to land quality jobs in Canadian cities – by Tamara Cunningham

Student’s vocabulary knowledge has a strong relationship to academic success – by Lisa Rowell

Dyslexia and the Brain: What Does Current Research Tell Us? – by Roxanne F. Hudson, Leslie High, and Stephanie Al Otaiba

EAL / ESL / EFL Resources

Free English Language Audio and Ebooks for ESL and EFL learners – by EnglishTalkStation

International Languages Resources

5 must-watch foreign language films by – Geetanjali Jhala

Education Resources

Motivating Students Who Don’t Care – by ASCD

How profs talk about you behind your back – by Todd Pettigrew

Education News

Parents don’t have time to help kids learn, poll finds – CTV news

Music therapy in early childhood classrooms – by Ronna Kaplan, Huffington Post

Province unveils 10-point plan to improve Alberta’s education system: Initiatives include increasing transparency, collecting parental feedback – by Matt McClure, Calgary Herald

Related posts:

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 2-8, 2012)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 25, 2011 to January 1, 2012)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 18-24, 2011)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 11-17, 2011)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 4-10, 2011)

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Share this post: Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 9-15, 2012) http://wp.me/pNAh3-1aO

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 9 – 15, 2012) | education, languages, Literacy, second languages, social media, teaching, technology, world languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

The Joy of Books

January 14, 2012

This is stunning and inspirational display of books. The video makes the books come as alive to our eyes as they are to our imaginations.

Quite possibly, the most inspirational minute and 51 seconds of your day.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 2-8, 2012)

January 9, 2012

Here are my favorite resources of the week, curated from my Twitter account.

Social Media Resources, Policy tools and How To’s

7 Myths of Social Media Friendships – by Jed Diamond, Ph.D.

Social Media Behavior Motivates System Evaluation – by Lisa Stephens, Technorati

Social Media News

Integrating Social Media into Business Process a Challenge – The Financial

Clear, written social media policy helps protect brand – by Christopher Pan

Is it OK for teachers and students to be Facebook friends? – by Melody Gutierrez

Social media give customers new ways to bite back – by Scott Canon

Educational Technology

Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools – NY Times

Tips for Adding the Right Images to Your E-Learning Content – Atrixware

Defining the Excellent Online Instructor – by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt

Ten Best Practices in Online Course Design – by Robin Smith

Best ten articles of educational technology and mobile learning in 2011 – EducationTech

Removing barriers to e-textbooks – by Tony Bates

Literacy

Occupy your sidewalk with a micro-library – Good Culture

International Languages News

Foreign language program rules modified in the military – Army Times

The secret to learning languages – Tips from the polyglots: Find out how your brain works – by Colleen Ross, CBC

International Languages Resources

Latin roots in body language – by V.R. Narayanaswami

Education News

Education minister plans to fix Alberta’s aging schools – by Matt McClure, Calgary Herald

Re-thinking staff development for the 21st century – Education Is My Life

Related posts:

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 25, 2011-Jan. 1, 2012)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 18-24, 2011)

Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Dec. 11-17, 2011)

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Share this post: Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 2-8, 2012) http://wp.me/pNAh3-17X

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Dr. Sarah’s favorite resources of the week (Jan. 2-8, 2012) | education, languages, Literacy, second languages, social media, teaching, technology, world languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Achieving peace one word, one language at a time

January 4, 2012

I recently posted about how the U.S. military offers bonus pay to soldiers with demonstrated foreign language skills. In the post I suggested that language program managers might cite military examples when lobbying for funding for language programs.

The idea of advocating for language program funding by citing examples of military language training might not sit well with some language program administrators and teachers. In my experience, some of my most beloved colleagues are also peace activists and slightly (if not adamantly) anti-military.

Achieving peace one word at a time

But what if part of the answer to the global issues we face today was increasing, rather than decreasing, the focus we as a society place on communicating and appreciating one another’s languages and cultures? I won’t be so naive to say that learning languages is a panacea to all that is wrong with the world. But I do believe that peace and understanding are built one person at a time. One person, communicating with one person, listening and trying to understand one person. This is how we challenge our assumptions, learn about one another and wrap our minds around different ways of life, sharing, raising our children, worshipping, of thinking… and of living and being.

To speak another’s language is to begin to see the world from his or her point of view. We may never be able to fully understand those whose ways of life and beliefs differ so drastically from ours. But perhaps we do not have to fully understand. Perhaps we need only to begin to understand, in order for things to change for the better. There is a saying in English about how to overcome a seemingly insurmountable problem:

How do you eat an elephant? Answer: one bite at a time.

This could be modified to:

How do you achieve world peace? Answer: One word at a time.

Imagine a peace corps dedicated to global understanding through language learning: Daily verb conjugation drills, vocabulary drills, grammar sequences, language simulations, engaging with the other in one-on-one conversations in real time, with dictionaries and language apps instead of weapons.

What on earth might happen?

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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