Just a quickie for today:
Poetry podcasts of the great poems of the past. It’s English literature for living: a few minutes of the day for quiet and reflection. Classic Poetry Aloud – giving voice to the poetry of the past.
A great, free way to listen to classic poetry for students and teachers. Check it out if you haven’t already. If you have, leave a comment on how you use it in your classroom.
Enjoy! (Thanks to Chris S. and Lisa M. for this one.)
It’s been a busy week but I finally found time to work on these:
Check out the short video clips I captured with my new FLIP video during the DEN’s Deadliest Catch extravaganza. It was such a fun evening! Thanks again Discovery Educator Network! Why not join today?!
Also: Lee shares his photos from the event. Thanks Lee!
Have I said recently that Discovery Education ROCKS?!! If you, your district, or your ‘entity’ subscribes to Discovery Streaming (United Streaming) then you need to become a DEN member – no questions asked!
The opportunities that the Discovery Education Network provides are extraordinary. Last year at NECC (Atlanta,) the DEN treated it’s STAR educators to a professional development day at Stone Mountain. They provided green screens and the knowledge to get us moving towards experimenting with digital video. They fed us, they provided transportation, and of course the famous DEN camaraderie amongst educators. They also rented out a wonderful restaurant, fed us and again provided that chance to network and chat with others from around the world. All free – no real strings attached. For simply talking to other educators in our districts about the wonders of Discovery Streaming, we get all these wonderful, free perks. Make sure to check out the extensive site at discoveryeducation.com.
Recently, the DEN invited a few, lucky, randomly-selected educators to have dinner and beverages with the Captains of the Deadliest Catch crabbing vessels. I was lucky enough to be selected at random, to meet up at the Sansom Oyster House in center city Philadelphia, with three ship captains from the Deadliest Catch Discovery television series. We ate crab, we had beverages, and we chatted with Captains Sig, Jonathan, and Andy. What down-to-earth, fun guys to chat with! I’ll post some video and audio snippets from the experience. Though I’d like to post it all, you can imagine we had some colorful conversation with these old salts from Alaska. What a great time! As a bonus, we were each given a special Deadliest Catch goody box filled with a full season 3 DVDs, a book, and a t-shirt from the show. All we had to do was physically show up at 1516 Sansom Street, Philadelphia and the flood gates opened. It was a blast! I chatted with several DEN members over dinner – including Eric who traveled all the way from Michigan to come to the event. The connections you can make through DEN members are priceless – I learn so much from talking with others in the DEN. It is a natural extension of my personal learning network.
So, if you aren’t a DEN member, it’s never too late to join. It doesn’t cost anything and if you are normally in “Tech Integration” mode, you simply need to log a few ‘events’ to retain your STAR Educator status. Events are defined as chats with a group of teachers (3 or more) that cover the benefits of using Discovery Streaming (United Streaming) in the classroom. If you are like me, you already are doing this, so why not make yourself eligible to attend events such as this, pre-conference sessions, and all access to the DEN freebies they offer? It’s a no-brainer! Take a look and if you decide to join, tell them the K12Geek sent you, or, tell them your local DEN member sent you. (I don’t care about WHO gets the credit for recruiting you — as long as we keep this valuable resource flowing from Discovery Education!)
Stay tuned: I’ll be posting photos and snippets from the Deadliest Catch bash real soon!
My wife and I have been chatting about communication lately. Actually we talk about it often, but not always in a pro-active way. Those of you who are married might be able to identify with that thought! 
But seriously, we’ve been exploring the idea of communication between co-workers, in business, with customers, etc. She attended a seminar on the subject recently and we’ve been conversing over dinner. From what she’s communicated to me, it was a worthwhile seminar for the both of us.
Which brings me to the following comment about my last post. Dave (not me) comments:
“Maybe I’m a fake digital native, but, to me, live presentation and video are both valuable in their own way. A live presentation has the advantage of being adaptable to the audience’s on-the-fly interaction. A video has the advantage of being editable and has advantages for sharing and archiving.
To say that one always trumps the other appeals to a natural competitiveness but doesn’t lead to future ability to choose the best tool for the job.”
You are so right, Dave. I obviously wasn’t communicating very effectively in my last post.
Although I did say:
“Don’t get me wrong, I know PowerPoint allows you to embed video, create transitions, add audio, mold text, attach hyperlinks, embolden clip art, etc. These are all good things especially if you need some sort of user interaction.”
I should have clarified the whole post within the bounds of ‘presentation in absentia.’ These folks weren’t actually doing live presentations – they submitted a sort of personal bio and work to be judged. I should have made that pertinent distinction in my post.
This further compels me to keep blogging – to hone my writing and communication skills. I obviously need some work, and this helps me practice.
Thanks for that comment, Dave. I learned from it — and it is much appreciated!
