Kelly's Curriculum Corner

      A couple of key organizations have recently started some wonderful blogs. Expand your personal learning network with these great resources. Change.org started a blog in January. They hit on a range of topics including an interview with Thomas Friedman, Charter Schools, Writing, Class Size, Teacher Unions.... No educational topic appears off limits. Click here to check it out!  HOPE Foundation , an organization dedicated to "supporting educational leaders over time in creating school cultures where failure is not an option for any student," debuted their What's Working in Schools Blog in February. Topics include professional development, teacher issues, policy, assessment and much more. Click here to view the What's Working in schools Blog.   National Staff Development Council (NSDC), who's purpose is to ensure " every educator engages in effective professional learning every day so every student achieves....

My husband gave me the Amazon Kindle 2 as an early birthday gift. All I can say is "WOW." The gift of all gifts for a bibliophile like me. I can't believe I once professed an aversion to electronic books.... I simply could not imagine giving up the look and feel of a paper book. Well  here I am, eating crow. 14 Reasons to love the Kindle: The screen has a paper-like quality. The screen has no back light - no glare. Holds up to 1500 books - Imagine carrying a whole library with you anytime you want Weighs just a few ounces Plays audio books and has text to speech features - if allowed by the publisher. Wireless downloads of new books in 60 seconds. I actually purchased a book while waiting at a stop light. Built in wireless connection is built in - similar to a cell phone - you do not need to provide it. Ability to add PDF documents. Bookmark your favorite pages. ...

Back in December I shared that Southern Columbia School District in Catawissa, PA intended to have a Four-Day School Week through January and February to save on heating and transportation costs. According to School Leader News the idea of a four-day school week is gaining momentum around the county . National Trends Select districts in about 17 states already have a four-day week with similar proposals being considered by the legislature in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Missouri and Washington. The four-day school week was introduced in the 70's in response to the oil crisis and is now gaining fresh momentum in these troubling economic times. In order to meet state laws regarding instructional hours, most districts found they had to add just over one hour of instruction per day.   According to Associated Press (the source for this article) research indicates that districts save on transportation costs and can lead to increased attendance and teacher retention. In addi...