Brian's TRT Blog

Resources for Teaching Mandarin Chinese

Brian — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:35:20 +0000

Social Studies SOL 2.1 states that “the student will explain how the contributions of ancient China … have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language.” Considering that 1.1 billion people speak Mandarin—16% of the world’s population (source: WolframAlpha), what resources are available?

Blog post with ten links of ideas/websites

Online Chinese tools

Online Chinese Radio
Chinese Characters index

Translate a sentence by typing in a phrase/sentence

Quizlet: flash cards with pronounciation

Do you need a free online voice recorder? Besides the famous Audacity, Vocaroo is also a good choice for quick and easy recording.

Need a New Presentation Method? Try Some Vuvox

Brian — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:41:51 +0000

No, that’s not a medicine: it’s a website for making your own presentations. You can make an Express ( I’m trying all and made one from last week’s sports news by uploading Yahoo Sports News):

Or, you can make a collage (one of my trips to China):

Or, you can use “Studio” and pick different styles for your presentation:

I will be talking about this tomorrow at Tech Tuesday at 4:30. Interested? I can also arrange to show you 1:1 or in a small group–just let me know!

Resources
Vuvox Wiki
Example of a PBS project
Crazy Teaching Blog Post

Do You Need Some Friends? Do You Feel All Alone?

Brian — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:00:29 +0000

Teaching, by the nature of our jobs, require emotional support. Moreover, support needs to come from somebody who can EMPATHIZE and not just sympathize. You know what I’m talking about: somebody who has been in the trenches and ‘has your back.’ As you are alone in your classroom, it’s important to have somebody to bounce ideas off of, share your instructional needs, or even more importantly–share your phenomenal ideas and expertise with others.

I would highly suggest that you develop your own Personal Learning Network (AKA PLN). A PLN is a group of colleagues that you gather with over a virtual cup of coffee and discuss your common profession with. Richard Byrne, of Free Technology for Teachers, has a wealth of ideas for you to refer to on how to begin your own. I have my own PLN who I refer to for TRT/ITRT needs and consider them very valuable. Do you need assistance in getting one started? If so, let me know!

Bring History Alive with Newspaper Primary Sources

Brian — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:11:38 +0000

From the HistoryBuff.com website:

Welcome to HistoryBuff.com, a nonprofit organization devoted to providing FREE primary souce material for students, teachers, and historybuffs. This site focuses primarily on HOW news of major, and not so major, events in American history were reported in newspapers of the time. In addition, there is information about the technology used to produce newspapers over the past 400 years. Our latest addition is panoramas of historic sites in America.

If you want free resources that draw from historical events in newspapers, you will enjoy this site!

New Resources Portaportal for Your Use

Brian — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:52:10 +0000

Have you been in need of a list of resources to use in your classroom, or have had a parent request websites that students can practice skills at home? I have made a PortaPortal for just that use. Categories are broken down into subjects and SOL numbers and are arranged for quick browsing. If you see a broken link or know of a great resource to upload, just let me know! The address is http://guest.portaportal.com/trtguy.

Make Your Own Jeopardy Games Online

Brian — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:48:35 +0000

If you’re reviewing for a test that’s coming soon for your class (or the SOLs this week and next) and do not have time to spend searching for a new one, Jeopardy Labs is a website that permits you to build your own for free. No software is needed! Or, if you wish to search for one that others have made, these are available too. Also notice, while you are exploring, that three other sites are available to link to, such as their crossword puzzle maker. Their website can be accessed by clicking their icon above or going to http://jeopardylabs.com/.

Virginia History and Google Maps Wiki

Brian — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:00:38 +0000

Do you teach Virginia History? I have made a wiki that incorporates Google Maps and Google Earth with the Virginia History SOLs. Take a look and I hope it can help you in your classrooms!

Art Projects with Picture Editing Tools

Brian — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:08:16 +0000

I had an art teacher ask for ideas for her class, which got me to thinking, “What kind of editing programs are available for free without need of students logging in with emails?” I’ve posted about iPiccy previously (who has time?), but this is a site that you can’t believe is free. Tools are easy to comprehend, the site is easy to maneuver through, and results are wonderful. Remember that you can check out classroom digital camera sets for usage. Integration ideas needed? I’d love to share some ideas with you!

Here are examples of what I did with a picture that I took when working in Brussels (original picture first):

Free Fridays: Designing and Printing Posters

Brian — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:31:20 +0000

From National Geographic’s site:
Picture this: Now full-color posters of National Geographic’s classic photography are yours for the taking.

Just pick a poster below and download it. Then print, assemble—and watch your walls go wild!

MAKE YOUR OWN POSTERS Do you wish to take a picture and blow it up to poster size–for FREE? I made the movie posters that were hung in the hallways by doing the following:
1) I first made a movie poster from BigHugeLabs: Go .
2) I then saved it as a jpg
3) Go to BlockPosters
4) Follow the directions by uploading your saved poster, saving it as a .pdf. Print your pdf and tape your poster together.
Questions? Let me know!

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Brian — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:09:30 +0000

Mrs. C and I have had the 6th graders working on Ken Burns documentary style PhotoStory videos, and a common theme from the students has been, “This is FUN and I’m learning so much!” Makes one wonder, are we killing creativity? From the TED website:

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. Enjoy!