"Do not go where the path leads;
Rather, go where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Emerson

It's September and time to kick off our 5th year of the Innovative teaching Newsletter! Welcome new subscribers and thank you to all of you who have been faithful readers over the years. To commemorate this 5th anniversary, I've modified the format of the newsletter and offer it in web page and rich text formats for your use. The rich text format will come as an email attachment; the web page format will be a link included in the email.

This list is expressly for the distribution of the newsletter. If you are also interested in receiving announcements and chatting with other members of the I.T. community, you'll want to subscribe to the Innovative Teachers' Chat at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/innovative-teachers!

Since last June, my first book Multiple Intelligences and Instructional Technology: A Manual for Every Mind has been published by ISTE. It is full of ideas, templates and tools to help all teachers implement Gardner's theory in the classroom. The inclusion of technology makes it that much more useful for all of us trying to maximize technology in instruction. You can read more about the book at http://surfaquarium.com/book.htm.

Next week's topic will be a collection of resources to help you and your students recognize September 11th. Trying to avoid reliving the actual tragedy? Want to turn the opportunity into a positive celebration of American spirit seeing us through the years? This coming issue will help!

And now on to our annual Back to School issue. Hope there's something here for everyone. You can find past Back to School Issues at the ITN Archives. Here's to a great 2002-2003 school year!

Back to School Activities - http://www.eduplace.com/monthlytheme/august/activities_school.html

Eduplace offers this collection of Back to School activities for grades K-8. You can make a schultute in the first day surprise lesson, study the history of women as teachers in "A Long Time Ago" and make 'yummie hummies' in a fast food science activity. There's also a link to monthly themes. September includes Labor Day, Grandparents Day, Apples and Fall.

Back to School Teaching Theme - http://teachers.teach-nology.com/themes/holidays/back/

Teach-nology offers this very straightforward collection of beginning of school resources, from name tags and name plates to bulletin boards, activity sheets, seating chart ideas, teacher helpers, games and brain teasers and tips for teachers on the first day. Looking for some quick tales of tried and true inspiration - read through the War Stories link at the top of the page.

Beginning Teacher's Tool Box - http://www.inspiringteachers.com/

BTT has ideas for new teachers, student teachers, substitutes, mentors and administrators. There is a free registration requirement so that you can become part of the community - you don't have to buy any products that may be offered to benefit. The site can be as interactive as you want to make it. NB the free classroom kit and teacher web page offers.

The Educator's Network - http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/main/

Based in Ontario, this site offers a wealth of resources for busy teachers, including more than 120,000 lesson plans, worksheet generators and archives, extensive lists of units, tools and rubrics. Parts of the site are still being built and there's lots of opportunity to submit your work to share with others. Be sure to look through the free poster links they have while you're visiting.

Faculty Shack - http://www.facultyshack.com/

This site is not for everyone, but if you can stomach some irreverent satire and opinionated analysis about the current state of education, you just might find a home here. Current features of FS include "Textbooks and Hamburger Cooks or Do You Want Fries with That Textbook?" and "Lessons I Learned from Being Odysseus." This is not for the faint of heart, and there are definite overtones against private schooling and the like. But FS is strong evidence that the first amendment is alive and well in the US of A.

A Month by Month Wired News Collection - http://www.wired.com/news/school/

If you're looking to keep up with trends in commercial electronics, then Wired is the periodical you need to be reading. And if you want to target instructional use of these popular products, then this website will keep you on your toes. Consider "Teachers Wanna Hold a Handheld" and "Instant Answers With PDA Pop Quiz" as two pertinent examples. Fascinating reading.

No Child Left Behind Act - http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-10287.html?s

You've heard about it, you're ready to find out how it impacts your classroom. Teachervision offers a nice overview of NCLB for both teachers and parents. Set up as a n easy-to-use quick reference of the initiative, you'll find a treatment of accountability, reduced bureaucracy and increased flexibility, the focus on proven methods and expanded choices for parents. Need more ammo? Check out the opinion articles.

Songs4Teachers - http://www.songs4teachers.com/

Touting more than 100 songs for teachers ready to download and use, this site can be a blessing for those of us with limited resources or limited musical ability. Simply click on a theme (choose Back to School for starters) and watch the sheet music appear before you in .pdf format (Acrobat Reader needed). There are pay services for additional collections or personalized songs, but the basic 100+ website-based items are free.

Teachers Online - http://top.ngfl.gov.uk/

The British Educational and technologies Agency hosts this vital site of all kinds of educator resources. Taking teacher help sites to the next level, TO offers such higher level resources as case studies (laptops in the classroom, Internet safety), technology information sheets (what is broadband? what is caching?) and a library of original reports that address a vision for instructional technology over the next five years. You've got to see the projects offerings while you're here.

Teachers Without Borders - http://www.teacherswithoutborders.org

Citing its mission as "connecting teachers to resources and each other to close the education divide," this nonprofit organization offers a conduit to connect teachers across cultures and continents using the affordances of the Internet. Countries currently targeted by TWB include India, Costa Rica, Israel, South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Honduras and Russia. There are lots of ways to get involved.

Ultimate Back to School Site - http://www.teachingheart.net/backtoschool2.html

Brought to you by Colleen Gallagher, this page is part of the Teaching is a Work of Heart web site. It is a comprehensive collection of online resources targeting elementary classrooms. It includes all kinds of templates and suggestions for parent letters, parent-teacher conferences, lesson plans, thematic units, calendars, bulletin boards, pocket charts and more. There are a number of commercial pitches as you scroll down, but much of the offerings are online and free.

WWW4Teachers - http://www.4teachers.org/

The University of Kansas presents this hub for teachers integrating technology into their classrooms. Includes sections on integrating technology, tools, starts, and professional development. This is also the home of such popular tools as Rubistar and Trackstar. Be sure to check out the Notable Pics and Assign a Day features while you're there.

Find More Great Resources at

 

Next week's topic: "Celebrate America"

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