Ruminating Out Loud 01/08/2012

Image via Wikipedia

• Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain - NYTimes.com
  I like that this article address the obvious gaps of research and lack of control of multiple variables that could eschew results. Nevertheless there are some great data points on why keeping and retaining the best in our profession needs to be a continued focus and conversation. Is it enough to use test scores, of course not. But a balanced system that helps us speed up the process for removing ineffective folks in our profession can't hurt.
  tags: study links teachers nytimes nytimes com com effectiveness
  • Elementary- and middle-school teachers who help raise their students’ standardized-test scores seem to have a wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics, including lower teenage-pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation and adult earnings, according to a new study that tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years.
• Gooru - Home Page
  18,000 Resources, 1,200 Lessons, and a great space for students to search, study, and practice. I like this site quite a bit. It is run by a nn-profit, which has me hopeful for what's to come.
  tags: gooru platform education resources OnlineLearning edtech lessons teaching
• The Power User's Guides to Chrome and Firefox

  

  Image via CrunchBase

  If Chrome continues to be the fastest growing browser, this resource may be helpful for soem folks helping to "sell" IT on the idea of supporting it. If you're a chromebooks school or program, then this is a super useful tool to put in the hands of your teachers.
  tags: firefox chrome
  • The more shortcuts you know, tricks you master, and tweaks you understand, the more quickly and efficiently you can use your browser
• The SIOP Institute
  Would love to look into the possible purchase of some or all of these resources to share them with our teachers. Wondering about cost and work load that would be taken on. This could be a great resource for the developers and curriculum specialists designing ELA certification trainings and courses.
  Look forward to see what if anything is possible to work out.
  tags: siop el ell
• 15 Tricks to Get Your Adult Learners Talking
  I came across a nice "Top 15" list that I thought was worth passing on. I'd love to hear what you all think. Are these enough? Is there something missing that you would add? They don't call out "directly" any of the Adult ID experts, so is that a place where they may be missing a key strategy? Feel free to pass on to any groups.
  tags: adult Professional Development

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.