My Town Tutors

Month: August 2013

  • How Teachers Can Save Time Collecting School Fees

    Author Bio: Jay D. Bass, Ed.D., President Payment Partners, Inc. and Pay4schoolstuffonline. Jay has completed a successful career over three decades in public education in classroom instruction, counseling and school and district leadership positions.  He has been a national trainer for parents and school personnel on a variety of topics, taught graduate school as an adjunct university professor, and has served as coach and PTA executive while raising three children. His experience as a leader in schools, as a parent, and in working in various community organizations has provided ample background for understanding the payment and information management needs of schools and parent and community organizations.

    In the current climate of decreased school funding and increased accountability for student achievement, classroom teachers are caught between a rock and a hard place in many instances.  Faced with multiple student and family issues, growing pressure to help students learn and meet state and district standards, and contract and budget concerns, stresses on teachers continue to mount.  Compounding these stressors is the crunch for instructional time to meet curriculum goals and benchmarks, which are further squeezed by the myriad of responsibilities for the classroom teacher at all grade levels. These responsibilities routinely including the collection of paper forms and payments by check for test fees, field trip registrations, fundraising initiatives, emergency information, etc.

    The harsh reality for parents (and school staff) in public (and private) schools is that education is not free1.  The collections of fees by schools, to say nothing of the necessity for parents to pay for school supplies, activity and extracurricular fees, fines and other monies are an integral part of school district and family budgets and obligations.  School districts and teachers’ unions are now including language in their contracts which directly address the involvement of teachers in fee collections2.  And in some districts, the need to include fee collections in the amount of money a school district budgets for teacher hiring and other revenue projections results in the hiring of collection agencies for this purpose, as well as lower performance at school events so that parents can avoid the hassle of fee collections3.

    Payment Partners, Inc. (PPI) was formed in 2008 in order to address a glaring need for a secure, comprehensive online organizational payment and information management solution for leaders and members of community organizations.  Based in the Washington, DC area, Jay Bass (President) and Don Segal (Chief Operating Officer) established PPI with the mission of developing innovative web-based portals that allow community organization leaders and their families an efficient way to control and customize both their payment needs AND their information collection.  As such, Payment PartnershipTM solutions allow leaders of many groups affiliated with an organization to conveniently list and sell virtually any type of item—on one menu, with a small processing fee applied—AND create forms and collect information in free items to eliminate paper submission and allow schools and parent groups to go completely “green.”

    Pay4SchoolStuff, PPI’s flagship offering, has rapidly grown in popularity and, as of August, 2013, is used by more than 110,000 school, parent and community organization end-users in 10 states.

    The design of Pay4SchoolStuff is envisioned as a way to allow leaders of schools and related parent organizations to take better control of their management responsibilities by devoting more time to instructional planning activities and working with parents and school staff instead of tedious paper collection and check handling; providing school staff more time to teach; lessening the burden on volunteers; letting children learn instead of being fee and form messengers; and offering parents the convenience and efficiency of an organized, secure, online payment solution, available anytime.  Visit Pay4SchoolStuff.com to learn more.

     

    1 “Not free after all.  Public school fees add up.” http://www.cnbc.com/id/100942455

    2  Hillsborough County, FL School District contract, including provisions, Section 3.18, for teacher guidelines for collecting money http://www.nctq.org/docs/8.pdf

    3  “Need for collection agency to collect unpaid student fees in Des Moines public schools,” http://www.norwalk.k12.ia.us/attachments/981_STUDENT%20FEE%20COLLECTION%20SERVICES%2007-17-09.pdf

     

  • Teachers: How to Be Awesome like Beyonce

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!



      Top Joke Pages

      1. 180 School Jokes
      2. Clean Jokes
      3. 365 Family Friendly Jokes

      Top 100 Teachers on Twitter & Top Education Blogs
      We have some great blogs for teachers

      Top 20 Guest Blogs Teachers

      Author Bio: Rafranz Davis is passionate learner and proud of it! She is an Instructional Technology Specialist with an amazing school district. She works with an amazing team that works with amazing teachers who teach amazing kids. “Passion is Contagious! Share It!”

      Please Share!


      I woke up this morning with two deep thoughts. One was Amber Teamann‘s quote…(@8amber8)

      “Blowing out someone’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.”

      The other was a quote from my mother, who does NOT have a web presence…

      “Some people’s lights are meant to shine brighter. Imagine a world full of Beyonces.”

      My daughter, who reminds me everyday to find my inner Beyonce
      My daughter, who reminds me everyday to find my inner Beyonce

      Let’s take a moment and think about that…a world full of Beyonces. What does Beyonce have, other than more money than can be printed, goddess-like looks and the voice of an angel?

      CONFIDENCE & THE REALIZATION OF WHO SHE IS!

      Yes, I screamed that from the rafters…hence the bold print and all caps.

      We just left a massive technology conference (ISTE) where people were clamoring to have pictures made with “edu-stars from twitter,” which would have been okay had they not also at times diminished their own contributions while building up others. It broke my heart to hear, “I wish that I could____ like _____.”

      Dear Edu-World…We are all amazing. We have strengths in areas that are vastly different. Some of us are amazing at building relationships. Others are tech-wizards. We have Curriculum Super-Stars. Quite a few are amazingly brilliant leaders. The bottom line is that there should NOT be any lights brighter than others. We all have the capacity to shine and areas to shine within. What is your strength?

      What makes one light brighter than the other? It’s the Beyonce-syndrome, confidence and sense of self. When I was in high school, I was an officer on our school dance team. My mother used to to yell at me from the stands, “Smile Baby! Act like you own the place!” So I did. One would assume that with a mother like that, I’d grow up to be highly confident. I did not. It was only this year that I really found my inner strength. As successful as my career has been, I didn’t see it. I was too busy comparing my accomplishments, which were there to others that I thought were better. As crazy as that sounds, that was me! The moment that I took my mom’s advice and realized who I was and what I have to offer was the moment that my life changed. Yes, I credit Scott Floyd for helping me to see that but the reality is that it was all me…Acceptance of WHO I AM and WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE!

      Even Chrome tells me that I’m awesome and amazing daily

      What I hope that you get from this posting is that instead of diminishing someone else’s light, including your own, find what makes you stand out! Be Awesome, in the words of Kid President because you ARE! You were made to be Awesome!

      Steps to be Awesome! (Things that YOU can do instead of putting down those that ARE)

      • Submit a proposal to present at the next conference

      • Start a blog & share!

      • Join conversations on twitter.

      • Build relationships with those that you encounter

      • Tell yourself everyday how awesome you are!

      • Give props to someone else…give props to someone that you originally put down

      • Watch ALL posted Kid President videos like the one below!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o   If you are a teacher who tutors, register with us for just $12 for a year. This is the only fee! Teachers keep 100% of the money. Parents, “teachers are great tutors!” Find one in your area today!  

  • Top 10 Reasons @AFTUnion is AWESOME for Teachers

    A special thanks to our favorite AFT member Angela Cristiani for helping us with this post. Her insight was invaluable. Please show your support and follow her on twitter – @AngelaCristiani

    My Town Tutors, specifically @mytowntutursNW is committing to the idea that less is more on twitter. My Town Tutors values teachers, parents, and great resources for education.
    @mytowntutursNW will follow one account per week for the next year starting on August 4th, 2013. To see our most recent list please visit our 1st 52 Page. We hope parents and teachers find these resources useful.

    #2 Twitter Account for Teachers

    @AFTUnion (11,000+ Twitter followers) The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) represents 1.5 million members with more than 3000 local national affiliates across the US.

    Why do we like the AFT?

    1. We LOVE the AFT mission statement!

    “The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.”

    2. The AFT is rich with history in “championing fairness” dating back to 1916.  Even Albert Einstein was a member!

    3. The AFT believes that Teachers are Making a difference Every Day!

    4. The AFT has resources, resources, and more resources for teachers! Share My Lesson has 265,732 teaching resources for free!

    5. Along with First Book, the AFT has distributed 1 million books to 50,000 schools and programs.

    6. The AFT cares about community engagement!

    7. Online support for all AFT members (pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals; early childhood educators and nearly 250,000 retiree members) is available!

    8. Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten), AFT President, tweets to keep everyone informed!

    9. You can connect with the AFT on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more!

    10. Most importantly, the AFT cares about all children receiving a quality public education because the children are our future!

  • 75 Quick Tips for Motivating Students

    “Teachers are great tutors!” Teachers keep 100% of the profits! If you are a teacher we would love to list you in our national directory! It is easy to register.
    It is FREE for parents to search for a teacher in their area. Please help us find ONE MORE teacher who tutors!
    Author Bio: Julia G.Thompson ‏(@TeacherAdvice). Best-selling author of First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide, Consultant, Teacher. Virginia · juliagthompson.com
    Please Share!


    Although it’s only common sense that motivating students is a complex activity that needs plenty of time, thought, and effort to succeed, this list can serve as a quick reminder of some of the most important aspects of motivation. While many of these brief tips may only be common sense, when used with care and deliberation, they can make it easier for us to encourage our students to want to work hard and succeed at the tasks we set before them.

    1. All learning must have a purpose. Teachers and students should work together to establish long-term goals so that the work is relevant to students’ lives and driven by a purpose.

    2. Students need the skills and knowledge necessary to complete their work and achieve their goals. Help students achieve short-term goals to develop the competencies they need to be successful.

    3. Specific directions empower students. When students know exactly what they must do to complete assignments, they will approach their work with confidence and interest.

    4. Students want to have fun while they work. Teachers who offer enjoyable learning activities find that students are less likely to be off task.

    5. Offer activities that involve higher-order thinking skills. Students find open-ended questions and critical thinking more engaging than activities involving just recall of facts.

    6. Curiosity is an important component of motivation. When students want to learn more about a topic, they will tackle challenging assignments in order to satisfy their curiosity.

    7. A blend of praise and encouragement is effective in building self-reliance. Teachers who offer sincere praise and encouragement establish a positive, nurturing classroom atmosphere.

    8. A combination of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards increases student focus and time on task behavior. When used separately, both types of rewards motivate students. However, when teachers combine them, the effect is much greater.

    9. Involve students in collaborative activities. When students work together, motivation and achievement both soar.

    10. Start with assignments that your students can achieve with ease. Success builds upon itself. When students see that they can accomplish what you ask of them, they will want to continue that success.

    11. Celebrate often with your students. After all, their successes are your successes. You do not have to dedicate lots of time to formal celebrations. A simple posting or display of good news, a class signal that allows classmates to acknowledge each other in positive way, or a quiet word with individual students will all establish a positive tone.

    12. Be as consistent and as fair as you possibly can. Students of all ages are quick to react negatively when they detect even a small hint of suspected unfairness. They will shut down quickly when this happens.

    13. Post motivational signs, mottoes, and other messages to encourage students to give their best effort.

    14. Reward effort as well as achievement. It is important to make sure your students see the link between success and effort.

    15. Create a risk-free environment in which students can risk trying new things without fear of failure or ridicule.

    16. Tell your students about your confidence in their ability to succeed. Tell them this over and over.

    17. Teach your students how to set measurable goals and how to achieve them. Model this for students. Set goals as a class and have students set small daily or weekly goals until it is a habit and part of the culture of your classroom.

    18. At the end of class, ask students to share what they have learned. Often, they are not aware of how much they have really actually achieved until they have the opportunity to reflect.

    19. We all know that open-ended questions and assignments can serve as sparks to deepen critical thinking skills. They can also serve to motivate students to work hard because of their intrinsic interest and risk-free nature. Open-ended questions and assignments are a respectful way to demonstrate your faith in your students’ ability to tackle tough work.

    20. Teach your students how to handle the failures that everyone experiences from time to time. Help them understand that they can learn from their mistakes as well as from their successes.

    21. Formative assessments can be helpful tools for those teachers who want to empower their students to believe in themselves. Use a variety of assessments to help students evaluate their progress and determine what they need to accomplish to finish assignments.

    22. Offer the entire class a reward when they meet an agreed-on goal.

    23. Use tangible rewards such as stickers or new pencils.

    24. Write positive comments on papers.

    25. Change an onerous chore into a pleasant one by allowing them to work on it together.

    26. Hold a weekly contest.

    27. Ask your students their opinions by surveying them from time to time.

    28. Provide an authentic audience for your students’ work.

    29. Display their work.

    30. Have students work on solving a real-life problem.

    31. Incorporate their interests as often as possible.

    32. Chart small successes so that students can see that small successes create large ones.

    33. Encourage students to compliment their classmates.

    34. End class with an intriguing  joke, riddle, poem, or question.

    35. Take photos of your students working.

    36. Have students teach the material to each other.

    37. Bring in interesting objects for students to use as part of a lesson.

    38. Play games.

    39. Arrange for students to mentor younger students.

    40. Provide opportunities for peer tutoring.

    41. Teach a different study skill each day so that students will find it easier to do their work well.

    42. Use visual demonstrations such as graphic organizers or illustrations to make the work easier to understand.

    43. Time students as they think for thirty seconds before responding to a question.

    44. Give them puzzles to solve.

    45. Slowly give clues to the answer to a question one clue at a time.

    46. Have students wear fictional name tags related to the lesson.

    47. Have students sort items into categories. Take the time to get to know your students as people.

    48. Use a kind voice when speaking with them.

    49. Set up your classroom where you can walk around to every desk.

    50. When a student speaks to you, stop what you are doing and listen.

    51. Be clear about your role as a teacher who will enable students to achieve their dreams.

    52. Use humor. Laugh when funny things happen in your class.

    53. Show your appreciation for the good things your students do.

    54. Stress that you won’t give up on your students.

    55. Allow your students to get to know you. Often our students are convinced that we sleep in the teachers’ lounge all night and eat only lunchroom food. They need to see your human side.

    56. Agree with your students as often as you can.

    57. Move your desk to the back of the classroom if you can. This small action signals a student-centered attitude on your part.

    58. Call parents or guardians when good things happen.

    59. Share your feelings with your students and allow them to share theirs.

    60. Use positive language with them. Be careful not to appear overly negative or critical.

    61. Take notice of the special things that make each student unique.

    62. Stop and chat with pupils anytime: when you are monitoring their progress, in the hall or cafeteria, or even when you are away from school.

    63. Create opportunities for success every day.

    64. Speak to every student each day. Include everyone in class discussions.

    65. Make pens, paper, and extra books available when students need a loan.

    66. Set aside an afternoon or morning for “office hours” when you can provide extra help for those students who need it.

    67. Offer small perks whenever you can.

    68. Be sincere, generous, and tactful in your praise.

    69. Keep students busily involved in interesting work.

    70. Talk with students when you notice a change in their behavior or attitude. If a normally cheerful student, for example, seems distracted or upset, there’s a good reason for the change.

    71. When students confide in you, follow up on it. Ask about how they did on the history test that was troubling them or check to see if their grades have improved in math class.

    72. Be concerned enough for their futures to help them set long-term goals.

    73. Involve pupils in projects that will improve the school or community.

    74. Stress that you and they have much in common: goals, dreams, and beliefs.

    75. Focus on students’ strong points, not on their weaknesses.

  • Helpful Tips for Studying Abroad

    Author-Bio: Jenny Dizousa, a professional blogger who is working for ESTA VISAS, She regularly updates on ESTA information here and at other top blogs around the web. She loves to write blog posts on blogs related to Education, Travel, Lifestyle (fashion). She is looking forward to write many more in future.

    Education is very important in every person’s life and pursuing a higher education will not only boost your career but will also be beneficial to the society. When analyzing higher education options, especially studying abroad, it will be easier if you use ESTA to book for your flight as it is faster and hassle free.

    When making a decision, you should consider career goals and the programs offered by a college or university before applying. Create a list of schools that meets your needs, then compare the fees which will help you to budget.

    After choosing the college or the university, research residential places or hostels where it will be convenient for you to attend classes without a lot of problems. The lodgings should be near a resource center where you can do your research. This will ease the time you use when learning by saving yourself from learning up and down searching for libraries.

    Understand the rules and regulations of the college or university to avoid being dismissed. The student should read and sign before being admitted to confirm he is aware of them and will adhere to the rules. Always check the timetables to make sure you attend classes accordingly.

    Once admitted, get to know where you can get meals if it is not offered in school and check various hotels to make sure you get food at an affordable price to avoid straining. It is also very important to know where you can have some fun as you relax after classes with your friends. This should not be overdone to an extent of missing classes, establish time limits.

    Be updated in every information about the college and always know where your documents are in case a need arises to verify for example visas. The students must renew them when they expire to make sure they are not denied the chance to go to class. The students should know their lecture as this will help them to get information quickly in case they need to. Every student therefore should always get enough information for their college or university of choice prior to admission so as to be able to cope when they get there.

  • First Four: Terrific Accounts for Texas Education

    @MyTownTutorsTX is in the process of identifying the top twitter accounts for Texas Educators. Our research team has spent several years researching. It is not an exact science and at times we may miss some quality accounts, but we promise to do our best!
    The good news is if you feel we have missed an account, tweet @mytowntutorsTX and we will consider your recomendation.
    Here is the first four. We did not include @MyTownTutors on the list, even though we do follow them. As the Texas state account for @mytowntutors, we follow them for the latest news about our company and we certainly consider @mytowntutors a worthy account for teachers to follow.
    We are focusing our list on Texas educators, but there will be a few accounts we pick that are outside of Texas.

    1. @MrsMorgansClass – 2nd grade teacher using tech to differentiate instruction, challenge my students, & connect! #TCEA presenter #2ndchat moderator #globalclassroom lead teacher. Fort Worth, Texas · mrsmorgansstars.edublogs.org
    2. @OfficialATPE – Texas’ leading educators’ association, committed to supporting quality public education and the professional rights and obligations of the education community. Austin, TX · atpe.org
    3. @RafranzDavis – LEARNER! Math Geek! Inst Technology Specialist, DEN Star, DEN LC, Haiku Deck Guru, smart exemplary educator, Resident Pollyanna, @principalJ ‘s wordpress Google. Texas · rndesigns.com
    4. @kathyschrock – Educational Technologist, DEN Guru, Adobe Ed Leader, Google Certified Teacher, Sony Ed Ambassador (kathy@kathyschrock.net). Cape Cod, MA · kathyschrock.net

    If you are a teacher who tutors, register with us for just $12 for a year. This is the only fee! Teachers keep 100% of the money.
    Parents, “teachers are great tutors!” Find one in your area today!

  • 52 Great Accounts for Parents & Teachers

    My Town Tutors has been using twitter to connect with parents, teachers, and educators for the last two years. Along the way, we have made some mistakes, but also have learned some valuable lessons. Hopefully our experiences might be useful to others.
    One of the biggest questions is who should you follow first. We have the benefit of experience, but if we were to start over (And we did start over with @mytowntutorsNW, the worst twitter account in the world!), who would we follow first?
    This advice is for all the people new to twitter. If you follow these steps, I think you might be very happy with the results. So, if you are new to twitter, we hope we can be a great role model.
    We created a twitter account (@mytowntutorsNW) to test our ideas. We think we might see some amazing results. Below are the guidelines we recommend and will follow to the best of our ability.

    1. Lay low for 30 days to try to figure out the twitter landscape. @mytowntutorsNW will post their first tweet on July 4th, even though the account was opened on June 4th! We did not do a thing and acquired 18 followers.
    2. Starting July 4th, @mytowntutorsNW will tweet for the next 30 days without following anyone. They will interact with others,  analyzing twitter accounts to see who to follow first.
    3. At the start of the third month August 4th, @mytowntutorsN will begin to follow the First 52 twitter accounts. At that point, @mytowntutorsNW will have been on twitter for 60 days and hopefully can identify the best twitter accounts to follow as an account focused on education and parenting. @mytowntutorsNW.
    4. Our goal will be to create some strong relationships with these “First 52″ accounts. If we do our research well, we will make connections with the best.

    We welcome feedback on our services and our unique approach to twitter. This may not be the best way, but if you follow us, I think you will see it is one way to really make connections on twitter.
    Below are some of great options for our first choices:
    My Town Tutors, specifically @mytowntutursNW is committing to the idea that less is more on twitter. My Town Tutors values teachers, parents, and great resources for education.
    @mytowntutursNW will follow one account per week for the next year starting on August 4th, 2013. There are so many incredible accounts that we apologize if you were not selected or possibly listed higher. We hope parents and teachers find these resources useful.
    We have not made our final decisions but below are some accounts that are in the running.
    Twitter Accounts for Parents

    1. @parentsmagazine (720,00 followers) – We’re the editors of Parents Magazine and http://Parents.com. New York City · parents.com
    2. @DailyParentTip (473,00 followers) – The most popular #parenting tweets, tips and links each day! DailyParentTip.com
    3. @parenting (435,000 followers) – http://Parenting.com is the home of Parenting and Babytalk magazines. NYC · parenting.com
    4. @PragmaticMom (48,000 followers) – I blog excessively about children’s and YA books. When I cover education and parenting, KidLit somehow slips in. http://sulia.com/pragmaticmom/ Boston, MA · pragmaticmom.com
    5. @NationalPTA (8,500 followers) – “The largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation, Parent Teacher Association (PTA). contact us, info@pta.org. RT does not = Endorsement. Nationwide · pta.org“
    6. @parentingsquad (3,500 followers) Forget the village. Parents need a special forces squad! parentingsquad.com
    7. @TalkingTeenage (9,600 followers) – Welcome to Talking Teenage! Our goal–to translate teen language to help parents understand what their teens are really saying. talkingteenage.com
    8. @Momsandthecity (6,400 followers) – Jessi – LA, Lauren – Austin/Dallas & Kat NYC/Brooklyn. We hand selected the content. We are NOT @themoms TheMomsandTheCity.com
    9. @ptotoday (4,600 followers) – Helping Parent Leaders (PTO, PTA, etc.) Make Schools Great. Tweets by Rose Cafasso. Wrentham. MA · ptotoday.com/newsletter
    10. @alphamom (23,600 followers) The one and only/ Forbes Top 10 Motherhood Gurus… awwww yeah/ found all across America · alphamom.com
    11. @BruceSallan (43,100 followers) – Dad, writer, radio host, founder of #DadChat (Thursdays 6-7pm, PST). My books are on Amazon, iTunes, my website. FB Page: http://bit.ly/FBDadPage . Los Angeles · BruceSallan.com

    Twitter Accounts for Teachers

    1. @principalspage (11,300 followers) – Superintendent, Self-Proclaimed Author of #1 Read Superintendent Blog in the World, Google Certified Administrator, Speaker, micsmith@principalspage.com. Tuscola, Illinois · michaelsmithsupt.com
    2. @TDOttawa (4,000 followers) – Learning in the 21st century with a focus on EDtech, web 2.0, innovation, and creativity. Tom D’Amico is a Superintendent – Ottawa Catholic School Board. Ottawa, On · scoop.it/t/igeneration-…
    3. @KingCenterATL (4,300 followers) – OFFICIAL PROFILE. The King Center is a living memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy founded by Coretta Scott King to promote nonviolent social change. Atlanta, GA · thekingcenter.org
    4. @EdcampUSA (600 followers) – Not-for-profit organization promoting organic, participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators worldwide. Tweets are by Foundation board members. edcamp.org
    5. @shannonmmiller (23,500 followers) – Teacher Librarian & Tech Integrationist who loves connecting, creating, change, advocacy & NOISE. Presenter & Blogger. Connecting People Shorty Award Recipient. Van Meter, Iowa · http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/ Guest Blog: A Day To Make A Difference: Celebrate Literacy With Everyone
    6. @askteacherzcom (1,025 followers) – Educators & Parents. Managers of #CollabEd & @Power_of_Hi – Gr.1 Tchr. w/ Counseling MA & Gr.8 U.S. History Tchr. w/ History MA – Coach & Free-Lance Writer. Grosse Pointe, Michigan · askteacherz.com
    7. @NormandinBill (3,500 followers) – Proud father of 2 wonderful children, husband to an amazing educator, proud Principal of Normandin Middle School in New Bedford, MAhttp://normandinprincipal.blogspot.com Guest Blog: All Kids Can SUCCEED – Be the “1″
    8. @PatrickMLarkin (23,000 followers) – Artist formerly known as @bhsprincipal – BPS Asst. Supt. NASSP National Digital Principal Award Winner (2012), Evangelist for Web 2.0 and Digital Tools. Burlington, MA · http://www.patrickmlarkin.com/ Guest Blog: Patrick Larkin’s Top 5 Twitter Accounts for Teachers
    9. @tomwhitby(35,900 followers) – Prof of Education. Founder: #Edchat, The EDU PLN Ning, Linkedin group Technology-Using Professors et al. BLOG: My Island View http://tomwhitby.wordpress.com Long Island, New York http://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/Guest Blog: What’s An Education Thought Leader?
    10. @feedtheteacher (9,900 followers) – EFL Teacher, E-tutor and social media and technology enthusiast! I believe in the power of sharing and collaborating! · http://feedtheteacher.blogspot.com Guest Blog: Digital Parenting: The Digital Parent in You!
    11. @cybraryman1 (30,000 followers) – Educator & Writer trying to catalog the internet for students, educators and parents. http://cybraryman.com ÜT: 27.179819,-80.236438 · http://www.cybraryman.com Guest Blog: Teachers, Follow That Hashtag!
    12. @plnaugle (9,200 followers) – I teach 4th graders math and social studies using many Web 2.0 tools like Edmodo. Glogster, kidblog.org, Jing, Skype, Wikis and I have 35 years of experience. New Orleans, LA · http://pnaugle.blogspot.comGuest Blog: Should You Be Using Exit Slips in Your Classroom!
    13. @Edudemic (53,200 followers) – A dedicated community of educators and technologists looking to enhance learning. Cambridge, MA · edudemic.com
    14. @pbsteachers (42,100 followers) – Multimedia resources & professional development for America’s preK-12 educators. Arlington, VA · http://www.pbs.org/teachers
    15. @LAFund (13,700 followers) – We are an education non-profit in Los Angeles. Currently revitalizing arts education in LA with a group of world-renowned artists. Tweets by Leigh. #ArtsMatter Los Angeles, CA · http://www.lafund.org/#arts-matter
    16. Guest Blog: The LA Fund & Facing History and Ourselves Combat Bullying
    17. @USATeducation (15,000 followers) – Using USA TODAY to connect what students are learning in the classroom to events, trends and circumstances in the world around them. Listening closely. Everywhere in the USA · http://education.usatoday.com
    18. @TeacherSabrina (5,750 followers) – Teacher-turned-advocate for kids, teachers & communities. Pro-#edreform that works for real people, not corporate interests. Tweets = mine, RTs ≠ endorsements. Washington, DC · http://www.sabrinajoystevens.com
    19. @TeacherCast (8,000 followers) –  TeacherCast.net was set up to help teachers better use technology in their classrooms. We are your Educational Community for 21st Century Learning. Philadelphia · http://www.TeacherCast.net
    20. @smithsonianedu (9,000 followers) – Resources for teachers and their classrooms from the Smithsonian Institution. Terms of use: http://www.si.edu/Termsofuse Washington, DC · http://www.SmithsonianEducation.org
    21. @SirKenRobinson (190,000 followers) – Los Angeles · sirkenrobinson.com
    22. @ShellTerrell (39,500 followers) – Education thought-provoker, The 30 Goals Challenge author, International Speaker, #Edchat founder, Host for AM TESOL Free Fri Webinars, SC Mgr @TheConsultantsE worldwide · http://bit.ly/ShellTerrell
    23. @NCTM (15,500 followers) – The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a public voice of mathematics education, providing vision, leadership and professional development. Reston, Virginia · http://www.nctm.org
    24. @NAESP (10,700 followers) – National Association of Elementary School Principals: Serving all elementary and middle-level principals. Alexandria, VA · http://www.naesp.org
    25. @khanacademy (182,00 followers) – Working to make a free, world-class education available for anyone, anywhere. Mountain View, CA · http://www.khanacademy.org
    26. @edmodo (43,000 followers) – The official twitter account for Edmodo. Make your classroom a community. http://bit.ly/pCk24J San Mateo, CA · http://www.edmodo.com
    27. @AngelaMaiers (96,500 followers) – I believe these 2 words can change the world – #YouMatter – I’m an Educator, Author, Speaker passionate about literacy, learning, and power of social media. Iowa · http://www.AngelaMaiers.com
    28. @ASCD (55,000 followers) – The international education association dedicated to providing programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner. Alexandria, VA (D.C. area) · http://www.ascd.org
    29. @coolcatteacher (58,000 followers) – Best teacher blog award winner, co-founder- Flat Classroom Projects, Conference, Digiteen, NetGenEd, known as the Wikinator by my students, author Camilla, Georgia · http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com
    30. @CNNSchools (9,000 followers) – CNN’s Schools of Thought blog covers education from a variety of perspectives that include policies, practices and people. CNN, Atlanta, GA, USA · http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/
    31. @DiscoveryEd (90,000 followers) –  Supporting teachers by bringing the world of Discovery into classrooms to ignite students’ natural curiosity. Global · http://DiscoveryEducation.com
    32. @DianeRavitch (55,00 followers) – I write about education. I blog at dianeravitch.net Brooklyn · http://dianeravitch.com
    33. @ncte (15,800 followers) – National Council of Teachers of English: devoted to improving literacy teaching and learning at all levels of education. RTs/follows do not imply agreement. Urbana, Illinois · ncte.org
    34. @massteacher (4,800 followers) – Massachusetts Teachers Association Boston, Mass. · massteacher.org
    35. @NSTA (16,100 followers) – The National Science Teachers Association: promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. Arlington, Virginia · nsta.org
    36. @educationweek (185,00 followers) – American education’s newspaper and website of record. Bethesda, MD · edweek.org
    37. @AFTunion (10,100 followers) – We’re 1.5 million teachers, paraprofessionals/school-related personnel, higher ed faculty, gov’t employees, & healthcare workers making a difference every day. Washington, DC · aft.org
    38. @NPSEducation (4,800 followers) – An official source of National Park Service education program information for teachers and learners of all ages. (Following is not an endorsement) National Park Service · nps.gov/learn
    39. @NEAToday (73,000 followers) – The National Education Association, the nation’s largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. Washington DC · nea.org

    Other Twitter Accounts

    1. @NWF (150,00 followers) – National Wildlife Federation works to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. Staff updating: @d_tinker @starfocus @rarewildlifeguy Washington, DC · nwf.org
    2. @WinterDolphin (26,000 followers) – I’m an Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin who lost my tail after getting entangled in a crab trap. I recently took up acting and played myself in Dolphin Tale. Clearwater, Florida · SeeWinter.com

  • Coaching Youth Basketball: Finding the Right Balance

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Check out our Guest Blogs for Education, Parents, Travel, Tutoring, Sports, Music and College.

    Author Bio: This article was written by Kyle Ohman. Kyle Ohman was a thousand point scorer at Liberty University (div. 1), was ranked the 19th best shooter in the country by Fox Sports his senior year. Kyle has also played professionally in Spain. Most recently he coached a high school team that played on a national level and beat the 12th ranked team in the nation. Coach Ohman is the Co-Owner and founder of BasketballHQ.com. Connect with him via twitter @BasketballHQ.

    Being a youth basketball coach requires you to have a delicate balance with your players between having fun and teaching them the fundamentals of the game. If you push the players too much and only do skill development, training, competition, etc. you will burn them out and push them away from the game. It might not happen right away, but the players will never have that time of pure joy and love for the game itself and it will cause them to burn out later on.

    On the flip side though there are coaches that are only concerned with making it a fun environment for the players and there is no emphasis on developing the players. The outcome of this is players that love the game, but are not able to make the team when they get older because their skill set is so far behind everyone else. They missed out on the chance to build a strong basketball foundation when they were younger and because of this their skill development was stunted.

    These are not situations that any youth basketball coach wants for their players, and that is why it is important to find the right balance between having fun and teaching your players the skills that they need to learn. Here are a few tips to make sure that you are finding the right balance.

    Basketball Drill Selection

    When you choose what basketball drills you are going to do make sure that you pick drills that will challenge the players, but that they will also be able to do. Make sure that you stress effort and not results when doing the drills. As long as the player is giving their best effort that is all that matters. Later on in life results will be stressed more, but it is important that they first learn how to give their best effort.

    Keep the drills fresh and interesting to keep the players motivated and working hard. If you do the same drills every day or every week then the players are going to get bored and turned off. However if you keep a rotation of fresh drills in the mix then they will always be doing something relatively new and interesting. This will keep them excited about working hard and getting better.

    Competition and Fun

    A great way to keep the players motivated and having fun while doing the drills is to turn it into a competition and make it fun. If you are doing a drill that is working on layups then make it a challenge and the first team to make 10 layups wins, or if it is a ball handling drill make it a relay. Whatever you want to do to mix it up and make it more fun for the players is good. You don’t have to do this for every drill, but mixing it into your basketball workouts is key in keeping the players engaged.

    Basketball IQ and Teaching

    A lot of youth coaches neglect teaching their players how to think the game and why they are doing something. When you teach a player a certain skill like keeping their eyes up while dribbling, take the time to explain to them why they are doing it. This will help keep them motivated to do it. Just like you would want to know the reason behind why you are doing something and how it benefits you, your players are the same way.

    In every practice or workout you should take 10-12 minutes to talk about and explain a certain part of the game to your players. Their attention span will not last much longer than 10 minutes so I wouldn’t go much longer than that, but teach them about the game. Explain to them why it is important to space the floor, cut hard, set screens, etc. They may not get it at first, but it will really help lay the foundation for when they get older. If they are only learning about setting a down screen when they get to high school then someone failed them as a youth coach when they were younger.

    Conclusion

    As a youth basketball coach you have a responsibility to your players and what you do could affect the rest of their playing career. You have the opportunity to invest in your players and give them the jumpstart that they need for the rest of their basketball careers.

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    by Kyle Ohman

    www.BasketballHQ.com

  • Student Engagement: 5 Tips for Making Education Fun

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!





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    Bio: As a teacher for more than two decades, Denise Fawcett Facey focused on engaging her students and making education fun for them. Now those same themes are the focus of her blog and her books, Can I Be in Your Class and The Social Studies Helper.

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    What answer do you often hear when you ask a kid the usual “how is school?”  Boring. Yes, boring is the word many students use to describe school. For educators, that’s uncomfortable to hear. After all, if students are bored, we certainly have something to do with it.

    Minds adrift during class, bored students are often the ones who awaken from some sort of reverie when you call on them. Or they’re the ones who socialize all period, seemingly oblivious to any learning that may be going on. Sometimes they are the ones who continually disrupt our classes, entertaining their classmates and exasperating us. But school doesn’t have to be boring.

    The thing is, contrary to all those teachers who like to say that they’re not here to entertain students, learning is supposed to be fun. It should engage students’ minds, elicit creativity, entice students to seek more and excite them enough to come back each day in anticipation of a great experience. That’s real education, real learning, and it’s not boring.

    However, if all this seems a bit much to you, more than you bargained for when you entered teaching and far outside your comfort zone, just know that making education fun can be fun for teachers, too. The trick is to begin with simple things that make a big difference. To help get you started, here are five tips that will help in engaging students and making education fun:

    1. Develop a good rapport with your students. That old saying about people not caring how much you know until they know how much you care absolutely applies to students. Creating a welcoming environment from the time you greet them at the door — by name — to the cheerful and inviting décor centered around their work on display to the atmosphere of mutual support fostered among the students, our students need to know and feel that we are on their side, looking out for their best interest, invested in them individually. It matters. And, ultimately, students work with greater engagement and enthusiasm for a teacher who cares, for one with whom they have a good rapport. This is where engaging students begins.

    2. Make everything student-centered. Rethinking everything from lesson plans to seating arrangements to class discussions, to make each focused on the students rather than on the teacher, effectively signals that the students are central to learning. After all, they are the learners.  So their academic needs, individual needs and overall benefit have to be the impetus for how we do everything in our classrooms. Arranging seating to facilitate discussion and collaboration while placing the teacher’s desk on the periphery, for instance, makes students the center of learning and actively invites their engagement. Besides, learning is more fun when students can actually look at each other rather than gaze at the back of the head in front of them.

    3. Keep learning active. Remember the most boring class you had as a student?  It likely involved little to no meaningful activity on your part. But learning is an action word and, therefore, requires active, experiential student involvement in order to be relevant, meaningful, and engaging.  Otherwise, of course, it’s boring. You can tell students all about the content, but when they experience it first-hand, they own that learning and enjoy the process. Let them act out a battle, conduct the science experiment, develop the math problem, create the play to perform in class. This makes learning real and fun, engaging students in ways that lecture, reading the textbook or doing worksheets can’t begin to do.

    4. Give students options. Set the basic parameters for class collaborations, outside projects, group discussions and any other activities, and then let the students fill in the details. By allowing the students to select various aspects of their learning within those given parameters, you give them a sense of empowerment over their own learning, a feeling of being part of learning rather than having education inflicted on them. In reporting on a biography, for example, let students choose the biographies they are interested in reading or in presenting a culminating project, for instance, allow them to determine how they will present all the facts you want included. They will still essentially learn what you want them to know, but with greater interest, relevance and, of course, engagement, simply because they have the option to include their own input, interpretation and skills.

    5. Seek student feedback. Everyone enjoys having their opinion sought and students are no exceptions. Knowing that their opinions actually count, that their input is taken seriously, engages students. The result is that they are likely to participate more actively and to offer thoughtful, valuable feedback. So when you try something new, ask for impromptu critiques on how it went, either verbally or anonymously in writing. Ensuring that students know they can ask questions without threat of a disapproving response and can comment without reprisal makes it much easier to actually elicit the feedback and piques student engagement.

    When you try these tips, tweak them to suit your own students, throw out what doesn’t work for you and add others. The point is to increase your students’ engagement and make education fun specifically for them.  You’ll find that the more engaged and involved your students become in learning, the more you enjoying teaching. One thing is for sure: engaged students are not bored.