Education, ESL, Universal Design for Learning, Videos, Websites

Standing Ovation for DC Public Schools

Tameka Petticolas – the subject of one of DC Public Schools’s Standing Ovation videos

It is quite obvious from looking at my blog stats that a lot of people on the internet are searching for inspirational videos for teachers.  During this time of year, when many teachers are returning to the classroom to begin a new school year, there is, perhaps, a desire to find some material that will help to motivate and invigorate these educators.

One source for inspirational teacher videos that I discovered recently is a YouTube Channel for DC Public Schools.  On this channel, there are several videos that spotlight Washington D.C. teachers who have won D.C.’s “Excellence in Teaching” Award.

Watching each of these teachers in their classrooms, and their obvious dedication to their students, reminds me of the reasons I went into Education – not for the glory of winning an award, but for the absolute delight exhibited whenever I help a child to reach his or her goal.

From what I can tell, every one of these featured teachers embody the principles of Universal Design for Learning, making them shining examples for teachers all over the world.

The video for one of the teachers, Eduardo Gamarra, is embedded below, or you can go to this link:  http://youtu.be/vy42aoC49LQ

K-12, Science, Teaching Tools, Videos

Interactive Sink and Float Video

O.K.  It’s Sesame Street.  But you would be surprised how engaged kids of all ages can be by this series of linked videos that allow the viewer to make choices that determine the next video that will be watched.  An experiment showing whether or not different objects float is the purpose of the video.  However, it could also be used as a general lesson that demonstrates the Scientific Process.  If you enjoy this interactive video experience, and would like to learn how to make your own set of videos that link together, you can find some very simple instructions here.