Class Websites

One of the most valuable tools for traveling teachers is an on-line content management system that helps you build a class website. I have all of my course materials stored on Teacher Web, and I can activate or deactivate documents according to the unit I am teaching. This is my virtual file cabinet where I can store documents, worksheets, and presentations until I am ready to use them. It’s a great way to communicate with parents, students, and other teachers. Students (and their parents) can download handouts, take on-line quizzes, ask questions about assignments, check their schedules, and look at their grades. When they are traveling or sick, they can check in to find out what the class is doing, and they can submit assignments by email.

Last fall, another Teacher Web user, a social studies teacher in Florida, was preparing a unit on the Middle East for his 7th graders. He browsed the directory, found my class, and sent a query: Would I be interested in setting up a pen pal exchange? It was a great opportunity for my kids to be good-will ambassadors for Egypt, and a great opportunity for his kids to do the same for the U.S. They all discovered that 7th graders, no matter where they are, like about the same things -- food, friends, and fun. In the second semester, we plan to set the kids to a more focused set of discussions and tasks.

A good CMS uses templates and menus that allow teachers to post materials without much knowledge of HTML and includes more than just assignment postings. Some basic features to look for include:

Calendars
Email
Distribution lists
Document uploading and linking
Discussion forums
Document sharing and web page collaboration
Individualization of forms and content
Archiving
Secure grade reporting
File storage
Interactive survey/quiz pages
Worksheet generators
Links

For a huge list of different types of systems, check out Least Tern Resources for Teachers and Schools. Their report provides useful analysis of content management systems, course delivery systems, grade reporting systems, and web filtering systems.

Finally, I’m getting ready to step into the world of educational wikis. I know nothing about how to use or build them, but I’ve got some vague ideas for the spring term. I don’t even know how feasible it is at a school that uses WebSense. If you have any advice, experience, or tips, could you send them my way?

Portable Resources for International Teachers

You can’t take it all with you. That file cabinet full of lesson plans and curriculum ideas is too much to lug from school to school and country to country. This week, I asked my colleagues about their favorite web-based curriculum resources. These range from general teacher resources to specific content area resources to professional organizations. There are some obvious gaps, so if you use another great site, let me know.

General Education Sites

ABC Teach

Boogle’s World ESL

Brain Pop

Ed Helper

Quia Web

Dr. Lebeau

Teacher Vision

Busy Teacher’s Cafe


Culture and Commentary

Arts and Letters Daily

Edge

3 Quarks Daily


English

Read Write Think

Web English Teacher

Teachers and Writers Collaborative


Psychology

John Crane’s IB Psychology


History

Best History Websites

History Alive!

Library of Congress American Memory Project


Science

Cells Alive


Subject-Specific Professional Organizations

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)

International Reading Association (IRA)

International Technology Education Association (ITEA)

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)


Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)


Regional Associations of International Schools

Association of International Schools in Africa

International Schools of Thailand

Mediterranean Association of International Schools

The Association of International Schools of India

The Association of German International Schools

Association of China and Mongolia International Schools

Association of American Schools in South America

Central and Eastern European Schools Association

The Amazing Race: 4 Survival Items for International Teachers

We are back in Cairo after a long winter break in the States. It was almost a month long this year because of the long sequence of Muslim and Christian holidays, and we were able to have great visits with friends and family from Virginia to California. Now as I iron my clothes and write my semester exam, I find myself wondering if there will be any AWOL teachers. Last year, three teachers went on winter break and didn’t return.

Sometimes the difference between who we are and what we want and the situations we find ourselves in chafes and pinches and raises blisters until something has to go. Sometimes it’s the quality of life. Sometimes it’s the quality of professional life in the school. In the worst cases, it’s both. Administrators shrug and say, “It wasn’t a good fit.”

This may be a stretch, but in some ways international teaching is like The Amazing Race. It's set on the global stage. The goal is to finish. There are physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

And obviously in many ways international teaching is nothing like The Amazing Race. "Teams" can be solo as well as pairs. The pay off is not big bucks or fame, but opportunities for travel and friendship. There are not really winners and losers, only people who move on to more adventures.

So who will finish the year? Barring health considerations, the teachers who finish the year develop and use a set of resources that help them through the year. Here are four survival items international teachers need to put in their backpacks.

Content knowledge. This seems obvious, but you have plenty to learn about the place in which you are living and the students you are teaching. The better you know your content area, the easier your race will be. Subscribe to your content area’s online website to get fresh ideas for your curriculum.

Good classroom management skills. Each school and its population is different. Wherever you go, it’s your first year of teaching. Your best strategy is to develop a good set of expectations, rules, and procedures to support your teaching practice. A helpful on-line resource is Harry Wong’s teacher.net.

The ability to work in teams and build positive alliances. The winners in The Amazing Race work well with their partners, and they build alliances and support networks. Don’t hang out with the whiners and complainers, the backstabbers and manipulators. Your best strategy is to build positive alliances with upbeat, energetic people.

A yogi attitude. Yoga builds flexibility, strength, and balance. I won’t push this analogy too far, but remember that in real life, we improve balance by falling. You will fall a time or two. If you expect it and consider it to be part of your growth as a teacher, it won’t hurt so much. Yoga Journal is a good portable resource.