Stuff for English Teachers

I recently started using StumbleUpon (here’s my profile) in my Firefox browser to discover new sites, and I feel stupid for not trying it before now. Poking around the Internet for the last week or so, I have “stumbled” upon some good sites (and found some on my own):

Read Print has online books. I like the Shakespeare section. I did notice a few typos on the site (Hamnet Shakespeare died in 1596, not 1896), but the articles were interesting.I’ve probably mentioned DailyLit before, but it merits mention alongside Read Print. I don’t think I could have finished Moby Dick if not for DailyLit. I am currently reading Emma. All of us have five minutes for a book each day.Guide to Grammar and Writing has some interesting grammar activities; I found it via SMART’s English/Language Arts Resources.NCTE Inbox is now a blog! I missed the inception when I let my NCTE membership lapse.What Should I Read Next? looks like a great tool for teachers to recommend to students who are looking for books similar to ones they already like.BookMooch enables users to swap books.  It’s free (except for postage).Here’s a huge collection of writing resources.

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Don?t blame the kids

David Warlick writes one of the most popular blogs in the education and technology space. He has inspired quite a few educators to take a harder look at technology. David often writes about how students are using technology outside of the classroom in ways that surpass their use inside the classroom.

But today’s blog, Be Very Careful about Student Panels, is a real shame that may do damage in the effort to create opportunities for authentic student voice. Warlick relates an experience where he was hired by a school district in Pennsylvania to keynote a day-long celebration of their new laptop program. After the keynote he moderated a panel of 12 students (four times too many).

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“Monetization is an ugly word”

At EdgeGeneration, Umair says that “monetization is an ugly word”:

Let’s put that a little more formally. Monetization is ugly because it blinds us to the truth that value must flow in many directions. That’s the essence of edge strategy, in fact.

That’s why businesses that aren’t deeply, durably connected to people are already falling apart (hi, Facebook, Gap, and Microsoft).

Just ask yourself: how many firms industries has “monetization” already killed?

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