I decided that my collection of Weekly Finds needed a home, so I created a Wakelet collection where you can find all of the previous finds. You can also view these at my Wakelet profile under the section labeled Weekly Finds.
This week’s edition is a little podcast heavy and also has some great ideas from teachers I’ve showcased in previous Weekly Finds!
1. The Literacy Dive Podcast, Episode 47
I saw a few literacy strategies that Megan Polk had shared on Instagram and through that found her podcast. I listened to “7 Strategies to Enhance Higher Order Thinking Skills in Your Students”. Some of her suggested strategies include tried and true ones such as graphic organizers or visualizing. She also has a two-part series on Increasing Student Writing Skills and Motivation, which I know English teachers in my building could probably use right now as they gear our students up for the state writing portfolios, due in just three weeks!
2. EduTechGuys Podcast, Season 7, Episode 4
I was searching for a few new education podcasts this week and found this one. I listened to “Why You Should Be Creating Your Own Virtual Plan”. They had some great ideas and I really liked their point of view. While your district may have a plan, they encourage you to have your own too, and figure out what really works for you and your students. They also encouraged finding avenues to share the ideas that may have worked last year. This one’s a keeper!
3. Cult of Pedagogy, Episode 175
I’ve shared this podcast before and it’s one of the best educational ones out there. Jennifer Gonzalez continues to put out amazing, thought provoking content. In this episode, “Introducing the HyperRubric,” her guests ELA teachers Tyler Rablin (who I follow on Twitter and was excited to hear) and Jeff Frieden (who I now follow) share how they changed their rubrics and help students move from one skill to another and see progression, giving links to skills to work on as they give feedback. This is one that I would love to work on with a teacher and see how we could use it in my building (any takers?)
This isn’t the only item I could share from Cult of Pedagogy this week. I found several great items about how academically safe is your classroom and others on changing the mindset of grading. I encourage you to check out the recent posts on the blog too. This last topic has been on my mind a lot as our leadership team recently read Grading Smarter, Not Harder by Myron Dueck. (Funny, I went back and I realized I shared episode 174 a few weeks ago. I didn’t get far…)
4. 20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know
Eric Curts has put together an amazing list with examples of things students can do using Google Search that are essential for use in the classroom.
5. Weekly Wrap-Up
The words, “Don’t have time for Twitter? I do!” stopped me in my tracks earlier this week as I discovered another educator doing a video version of Weekly Finds! Stephanie DeMichele shares her top 5 weekly finds on YouTube. Great minds think alike, right?
What’s your favorite weekly find this week? Leave a comment below!
Ms Priester EDU 