Wandoo Planet

It took me quite a while to get through my backlog of podcasts, so I just listened to a great episode from Chris Bugaj of the A.T.Tipscast.  Episode 132 featured an interview with a former educator spreading the word about Wandoo Planet.  Wandoo Planet is a recommendation engine for children, think Pandora or Netflix.  Basically, kids pick some of their favorite interests, via a fun game, and the website suggests books and/or movies for them to check out.  The goal is to help students find books in their interest and get them reading more, which as we all know, is one of the best ways to increase students ability to read!

I took a few minutes and tried it out myself, and have to say it's fun.  The game is a great way to get children thinking about their interests.  Some students may need to have the interests read to them, and a suggestion to make it more accessible might be to include pictures or text to speech for the interests.  It looks like a fun way to engage students and get them reading!

Patrick

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Open Source Strategy-A-Day Calendar

Loudon County Public Schools has been publishing a Strategy-A-Day calendar for their teachers for several years.  These Calendars are a wealth of information and simple tips to use in the classroom.   Chris Bugaj (@attipscast) has been one of the people responsible for creating this calendar each year, and while it's not available to the public, he has started an open-source version.

If you are interested in contributing to the calendar you can head to - http://bit.ly/opensourcesadcal.  You can also use the pages and create your own Strategy-A-Day Calendar for use in your own district.

I encourage you to take a moment and contribute a page to the calendar and share with your colleagues!

Patrick

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Edublog Awards 2012

I have not been the best blogger lately.  I won't give excuses, but school comes first and that has been a priority the past month or so.  With that being said I'm excited to put up my nominations for the 2012 Edublog Awards!

Best individual blog

From the Desk of Mr. Foteah

Matthew Ray, a special education teacher in New York City, writes this blog about working and teaching in a large public school setting.  The start differences between my experience is startling, as well as the similarities.  I enjoy his style, frankness and content every post!

Best ed tech / resource sharing blog

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day

Larry Ferlazzo's posts are still one of the best ways to get information about current events, current trends and more.  Larry share so much for students who are English Language Learners, but many of those same resources are wonderful for students with communication needs too.

Best free web tool

TarHeel Reader

One of the easiest ways to publish an ebook online.  Once you've created your account, simply search for a picture, add it and start creating your book.  Once published you can have it will read the book to you and you can download in multiple formats.  With almost 26,000 books created there is sure to be something you can use!

Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast

A.T.Tipscast

Chris Bugaj continues to share insightful, fun and easy ways to implement UDL in schools.  The episodes are short and easy to listen to.  I've tried so many of the tips, tools and resources that Chris has suggested!

Best educational wiki

UDL Tech Toolkit

Looking for a UDL tool, this site has them all.  Created and maintained by Karen Janowski & Joyce Kazman Valenza it is full of amazing ideas.  They are sorted into categories, easy to find and easy to implement!  Check out this amazing resource for all your UDL needs!

So those are my nominations, but the best part of the Eddies, is checking out all the nominations!!!  I always find new tools, blogs and ideas by reading all the posts.  Make sure to check out all the nominees at http://edublogawards.com.


Patrick

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Piano & Laylee Giveaway

My good friend, Chris Bugaj, at the A.T.Tips Cast has a great giveaway going on.  He's currently giving away a set of picture books all about Digital Citizenship.  The Piano and Laylee series features books about cyber bullying, texting, and more.  Make sure to check out podcast episode #99 for a full review.

If you'd like to enter to win these books, just share this link - http://bit.ly/pianoandlaylee and let Chris know in some way - @attipscast or send him a message on Facebook.

Good Luck!

Patrick

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