Instructify

Let’s do an exercise together. Find a favorite poem of yours – pull it down off the bookshelf or out of your head or the folder on your desktop – and recite a few lines.

If you just said a piece of Elizabeth Bishop’s “At the Fishhouses,” then somewhere in Georgia a law professor has also said those lines aloud, or maybe you and a student in Boston both love the sound of “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, or maybe you and I both just spoke “Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Whatever you chose, when you made it vocal the poem became a living thing beyond writer or reader. At least, so said Robert Pinsky, US Poet Laureate 1997-2000, in a recent lecture I attended.

Rolling your eyes yet? Maybe not, but most of your students probably would be, right? Not many kids get excited when it’s time for the poetry unit. Hopefully you’re interested in changing that, and Pinsky’s pet project favoritepoem.org is a great place to start. On the site are 44 excellently made mini-documentaries. It’s one fascinating film after another – from elementary schoolers to the President and his wife, Americans from across the spectrum each read their favorite poem and talk about how it came to be significant for them.

If all you need is a springboard, then the videos are a great tool, but the site also has lesson plans for all grade levels and ideas for school-wide events if you really want to kick things up a notch. Get your students having fun listening to and reading poems before you start cracking that analytical whip, or as Robert Pinsky put it: “don’t study the score before you’ve heard the music.” — MARIELLE PRINCE

Favorite Poem Project

It is my own fault for not being bilingual. I have everything I could possibly need at my disposal to learn one or more languages, but I have not yet taken the time to learn something. Shame on me. It’s something I’m trying to remedy, though, and it’s something that’s entirely possible for me to do. With all of the resources on the web for language learning, I will never have to set foot in a classroom.

Unfortunately, it’s not me we’re worried about. I’m doing what I can, sure, but my childhood has long since passed, and I know enough about what I know to get by in the world. Whether it’s in familiar territory or parts unknown, I feel I have the communication skills I need in order to get me out of just about any pickle. Lucky me, right? For a lot of people, this is not the case, however. It’s important to consider the needs of language learners in a time when technology is an ever-present entity in our lives, so it’s just as important for developers to know what they are putting out there. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but what does it take to raise a village?

With more and more user content available on the Internet every day, it seems only likely that there would be an influx of user submitted materials to help language learners. And yes, there are a lot of sites out there designed specifically to keep people like you and me learning languages at a cost of next to nothing. These sites offer everything but the kitchen sink when it comes to learning a new language— the kitchen sink, of course, being actually living and interacting in a place where your language of interest is commonly spoken. Sites like BBC Languages, which offers eight different languages and oodles of resources for each so that you’ll be able to learn at your own pace. There’s also tools like Labpixies translator widget, which instantly translates text from one language to another. But how are these and other resources beneficial to those who are unable to easily access this technology?

The idea might not be that we can allow the millions of hungry minds access to these sites to learn on their own, but what it can do is teach teachers how to communicate. It is becoming easier and easier for those of us with access to computers and the internet (and if you are reading this, I am guessing you have both) to learn a new language, so why not take advantage of the tools that are readily available to not only expand our own horizons, but to learn more effective ways that we can share language. Here’s a list of some of our favorite online language learning tools, as well as a handful of others. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Related Resources:
BBC Languages
Labpixies’ Babylon Translation Box
American Sign Language Browser
Chuala
LiveMocha
Mango Languages

Bill Nye the Science Guy returns with a new show, The Eyes of Nye. Though I haven’t yet seen the program, you should definitely visit its accompanying website, which provides facts and background information on topics such as cloning, climate change, and nuclear power. You can also find out more about scientists leading the way in researching each episode’s topic. The site also provides opposing viewpoints on issues such as global warming and alternative fuel sources.

The Eyes of Nye looks like it’s geared toward an older audience than Bill Nye the Science Guy. But don’t worry—though it’s a new show, Nye’s goofiness and trademark bow tie are still intact.—BILL FERRIS

The Eyes of Nye

Have you only got 36 minutes left on your lunch break? Then why not take the opportunity to slurp down some philosophical knowledge for dessert? Glyn Hughes has taken some of the most famous texts of the world’s greatest philosophers and squashed them into time-friendly versions just ripe for the reading on Squashed Philosophers.

The texts are meant to be read in one sitting, and Mr. Hughes has designated an amount of time that should be spent on each. The idea is that you can take away just the essential ideas from each text rather than sit through the often archaic language which so often makes up a bulk of these books. There’s a great bit of content here, with philosophers ranging from Plato to Popper, and some of the greats have several of their texts squashed here, including my personal favorite, Walden.

This could present itself as a great way to get students to understand just how far we’ve come as thinkers, and how the world of today reflects societies of the past. Assign students a philosopher or let them pick their own, and use these condensed ideas to get them jump started in thinking of how it applies to their own lives. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Squashed Philosophers

For a fun writing exercise, try the Simile of the Day Generator. Created by Mike Miller of Terre Haute North High School, the generator pairs one of 141 abstract nouns (fear, destiny, etc.) with one of 236 concrete nouns (a submarine, a tightrope, or a 1994 Ford Tempo—seriously) for some fun similes that will bring out your students’ creativity.

For example, say the generator gives you “Potential is like a nail.” Students might come up with, “Unless you have the motivation (the hammer), it’s worthless.” Or this one: “A goal is like school lunch.” It might yield something like, “Getting to the end is often a struggle.”

Give the Simile of the Day Generator a shot. Extra credit to the best response to, “Evil is like a goldfish.” –BILL FERRIS

Simile of the Day Generator

Imagine this scenario: You (Homo sapiens) are walking your dog (Canis familiaris). It is a beautiful fall day as you meander amongst the White Oaks (Quercus alba). You hear the call of a robin (Turdus migratorius), you spot a beautiful spotted owl (Strix occidentalis). Walking near the lake, you notice a pink, spotted, cat-like species that has both gills and wings (Genus: You gotta!!! Species: be kidding me!!!)

Wait, don’t not believe your eyes! You don’t have to give up hope in your quest for species knowledge. Starting in mid-2008, you can check for the pinkottedcatafish and more at the Encyclopedia of Life. This ambitious new site, in part conceived by E. O. Wilson’s letter about the Encyclopedia of Life in late 2005 to the MacArthur Foundation, is sure to offer students, teachers, and scientists a wealth of information on every species on planet Earth.

So how can students and budding scientist get involved? The site allows for student entries that are then authenticated by scientists to ensure accurate, descriptive details. This truly impressive project will surely be a hit in classrooms around the world. –DAVID BARGER

Encyclopedia of Life

Last year, I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time. Alas, a constant editor, I did not meet my goal and didn’t come close to reaching the finish line. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is also known as National Novel Writing Month, and it starts November 1st. NaNoWriMo is exactly what it sounds like: you write a novel in one month’s time. The goal is 50,000 words, or approximately 175 pages.

NaNoWriMo is the perfect tool to get students writing, and their Young Writers Program is a great way for students and instructors to interact and spur one another on to meet the finish line. In my case, I couldn’t get quite past 15,000. Not that it should be a deterrent for you or your students.

One of the best things about NaNoWriMo is the fact that the only thing at stake is your own self satisfaction. There are no prizes for best or longest novel, nor are there any opportunities for publishing your work. What it does is allow you to set your own goals and try to keep up with your peers. Additionally, the NaNoWriMo YWP has tons of resources for teachers and students alike, including writing related lesson plans, handouts and curriculum ideas, amongst others. Go to the website and get registered ASAP, though. Thursday will be here sooner than you think. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

NaNoWriMo

25+ Places to Find Creative Commons Content - Mashable has compiled a list of the 25 best spots to find Creative Commons content for audio, video, text and photos. Some of the locations are places you might already know, like Flickr or OpenClipArt, but others might surprise you with their vast amounts of content.

Mashable

8 Ways for Teens to Go Green – Going green is all the rage right now, and it’s a rage that we should certainly get behind. This list presented by AOL’s Red gives teens an opportunity to help the environment without doing too much physical labor or spending. It’s mostly common sense—like recycling and turning off light switches—but sometimes teens need a reminder of common sense, right?

AOL’s Red

50 Tools Which Can Help You in Writing – Lifehack presents this compilation of ways to help improve your writing. The list is the work of Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute, and contains everything you need to help you become a better writer. Most of the tips can be helpful for any writer, but some seem pointed toward fiction or essay—nonetheless, you’ll learn something.

Lifehack

39 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist – Sounds simple, right? Maybe not as simple as it seems, but this list by Dumb Little Man describes the things you are either already doing, or should be doing to make your life more livable. My favorite so far: # 9 - Turn off the TV and #10 - Pull away from the Internet. Maybe this Dumb Little Man isn’t so dumb after all.

Dumb Little Man

Hope these tips and lists make your Monday easier and more fun. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

I never go anywhere without paper and a pen. Those little Moleskine notebooks work great—they’re durable, and you can keep a lot of info in there. They also cost $10-12, and feel a little bulky in your pocket. If you’re a thrifty teacher with back pain, you may want to look at PocketMod, a do-it-yourself organizer that costs you only ink and exactly one piece of paper.

PocketMod is totally customizable—choose from the kind of pages you want, whether that’s a calendar, daily planner, lined pages for writing, graph paper, or leave the pages blank. You can even put in a Sudoku game if you want. Follow the website’s detailed folding instructions, make one cut on the dotted line, and you’re done. You now have a personal organizer that fits in your pocket and costs next to nothing. The entire process takes about five minutes, so you may as well make one for yourself now. –BILL FERRIS

PocketMod

Vocabulate so others might masticate. Or something. Play FreeRice, a fun online vocabulary game, where a healthy vocabulary means healthy food donated to starving people. For every word you define correctly, the United Nations World Food Program will donate 10 grains of rice. If you’re a bookish person, you can easily accumulate a Chinese take-out container’s worth of rice in a couple minutes.

FreeRice is designed to be fun for all vocabulary levels, and adjusts depending on which words you get right and wrong, so don’t be afraid if you don’t know what “coarctation” means (it means narrowing, apparently). According to the site, there are 50 levels in all, though folks rarely get past level 48.

FYI, there are small logos from sponsors on the page, but they aren’t intrusive, and since they’re footing the bill for the rice, you probably won’t mind.

You’ll definitely want to send your English students here before their next vocabulary test or during SAT season. Got the hankering for a master’s degree? GRE words abound on FreeRice. And since it’s for a good cause, you won’t feel guilty for spending your entire planning period trying to raise your level. –BILL FERRIS

FreeRice

Instructifeature: Five Tips to Improve Students’ Information Evaluation
Here are 5 strategies students (and you) can use to figure out what information is worth citing, and what is worthless.

Watch Out for Common Science Misconceptions
Lots of “common knowledge” is actually just plain wrong, even in textbooks. Spot the misconceptions with this helpful site.

Potato, Potahto? Before you call the whole thing off, consult Chuala
Despite sounding like the new menu item at Taco Bell, Chuala helps students and English language learners with their pronunciation. Feed Chuala a word and a kindly British lady will say it properly for you.

Create Happy Little Digital Trees and More with Inkscape
Free open source vector graphics software. Not unlike Adobe Illustrator, except several hundred dollars cheaper.

Edtags Nails It
Like Digg for teachers. The best educational resources, submitted and voted on by teachers like you.

For those of us who are continually convinced that there is something wrong with us, we always assume the worst. Before you run out to the doc’s office, though, check out TauMed—a YouTube-esque site that presents video explanations of various medical aliments, procedures and maladies. TauMed is a virtual community that helps users understand their symptoms, what to expect from surgeries, and to know what to look for when it comes to assessing physical discomfort.

The videos are often brief, but extremely thorough in explaining various procedures and health related queries. The content is easily searchable, and you might find the answers you are looking for through others who use the site also. This site might be the perfect thing you need in order to keep yourself and your students healthy and informed to the goings on of the human body. Use them as part of a health presentation or explanation, or to keep yourself in the know about the sometimes overwhelming world of health. – JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

TauMed

The government can be helpful after all. Lifehacker has assembled a self-explanatory list of government websites in the article, “U.S. government websites you didn’t know you could use.”

“Overlooked and difficult to find, there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. government web sites that can help you accomplish a variety of tasks. At the right federal .gov destination you can locate historical documents, keep tabs on Congressional happenings, view presidential paperwork, and a whole lot more.”

Have your history students poke around the Library of Congress site for state and check out the American Memory collection. USA.gov has lots of stuff like grant information and government news that your US government class would be interested in. You can also snoop around in the CIA World Factbook. Just don’t tell anybody what you see. –BILL FERRIS

U.S. government websites you didn’t know you could use

Related Stuff:
The Genuine Article–Browse Original Historical Documents for Free with Footnote
Monitor The Government As Avidly As It Monitors You. Well, Almost: OpenCongress.org

We recently swooned over Son of Citation Machine, a Web app that helps you cobble together a stylistically-correct bibliography in like thirty seconds. If you thought that was something, OttoBib ushers in a new era of laziness where you just type in a number and let technology do the work.

To paraphrase their own press, OttoBib works like this: Step one: Submit ISBN number(s). Step two: There is no Step Two. With a click of a button, OttoBib gives you a citation straight out of the MLA handbook (OttoBib also handles APA and Chicago/Turabian), complete with a permalink for future reference.

OttoBib does have a notable drawback, however - it only works for books, so you’ll have to use Citation Machine for journals, online resources, etc.

If you’re working on your Master’s degree, you may be better off with Citation Machine, which allows you to cite non-book sources. Your book-citing students, however, will wonder how they ever got along without OttoBib. –BILL FERRIS

OttoBib

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Of course, some pictures may vary in word count, but the point is essentially that every picture has a story behind it. Flickr users are taking this idea to a whole new level by telling the story behind the pictures from a fictional point of view. They use the tag “Flicktion” to denote the story’s presence, which also categorizes it amongst others of its kind. There some nice love stories and brief encounters on Flickr, but surely what this means is something more than simple amusement.

For a class project, have students write stories based on pictures you assign them, or better yet, have them fill in the stories of the pictures their fellow classmates bring in. This could be a fun project that nurtures creativity and the idea that there is often more happening than what is on the surface. For some examples of how it works, go to Flickr and use “flicktion” as your search tag.–JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Flicktion