Ted Talks to inspire conversation

Here are some of my favorite Ted Talks to inspire conversation.
Feel free to add your favorite to the list through comments.
I've been a fan of Sir Ken Robinson for years. I finally heard him in person at the GISA conference 2010. His humor and passion for the education revolution are truly inspiring. He has done several Ted Talks but this is one of his best.
Ken Robinson- Do schools kill creativity?

Adults can learn from children. This 11 year old reminds us of this in a very mature way
Adora Svitak- What adults can learn from children

This talk is especially poignant for me because of my aversion to school lunches and their lack of nutrition.
Jamie Oliver- Teach every child about food

I've been a fan of Daniel Pink since I read and reread his book " A Whole New Mind."  He shares some surprising facts about how motivation occurs.
Daniel Pink and the surprising science of motivation

A great talk about what and who truly matters in your life from the caring and compassionate Angela Maiers.
Angela Maiers- You Matter

A great talk about implementing a 2-1 program with laptops and IPod touches
David Fincher from Greater Atlanta Christian 

Chris Lehmann introduces a revolutionary idea in education- encourage learning by allowing students to do things they are good at instead of restricting them.
Chris Lehmann- Education is broken

Outside of the bubble

Recently I've had the opportunity to visit several independent schools and talk to them about education, professional development and the future we are facing as educators.We all face many of the same issues but what separates the good from the great schools is the ability to think outside the box, to venture outside the comfort zone especially in the area of professional learning. Dare to venture outside the bubble!
I'm a firm believer that schools sometimes exist in their own secluded bubble, believing everything is going well because access to outside sources to contradict this feeling, are limited. Existing in this bubble may be fine but it's not reality and it's not conducive to producing great education. Good? Maybe but certainly not great.
Unless they step outside the bubble to experience different educational communities or allow others to bring in new and innovative techniques, they will stagnate educationally. If you remain status quo in education you're actually going backwards.
Professional development must be an integral component in the educational process and this process is now more accessible than ever.  For instance, is there really any reason not to incorporate social media, think Twitter, and You Tube, think Ted Talks, for your professional development needs? Access 24/7 with a wide variety of resources and what's more it's free. Creating your own customized professional learning has never been easier.
Once again, remaining inside the bubble may work for you now but it must be supplemented by professional learning and conversation from outside the bubble to achieve greatness.

Diigo Resources

More Diigo Resources. Enjoy.

7 resources to teach and learn vocabulary
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/09/7-resources-for-teaching-and-learning.html

Utilizing You Tube in the classroom
http://www.youtube.com/teachers

Geography skills and vocabulary
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/10/geosense-online-vocabulary-game.html

A place for teachers to help teachers
http://www.teachercast.net/

Text your students and parents without using your phone number and it's free!
http://classparrot.com/

Solicit feedback from parents (or students) at Poll Everywhere
http://www.polleverywhere.com/

Teacher salaries and reality?

My son posted this on Facebook and I thought it would be a good blog post!


Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning..time, or any time they spend before or after. school. 
That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to babysit their children.
Now how many students do they teach in a day..maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE..That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year.
What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. 
Wait a minute --there's something wrong here! There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77 per day/30 students = $9.25 per 6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student - a very inexpensive babysitter and they even EDUCATE your kids! WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Make a teacher smile; re-post this to show appreciation for all educators.