The Teaching Channel

This week my TEAC259 class was asked to explore a website called the Teaching Channel. Upon further investigation, it appears that this website is a place for teachers and administrators to post videos and articles about the things going on in their classrooms. Everything from techniques and teaching strategies, to new projects and technologies are included. I found that, if applied correctly, this website could be very useful as a future educator.
One of the articles I found that was extremely interesting to me, and also applicable in my life right now, was about improving ELL (English Language Learning) programs in schools. This is a huge area of interest to me, and I found it very reassuring to see that there is progressive work being done in the area. It talked about ways to get these students involved in class discussion, and how to improve their language skills to the best of a teachers ability. It was very informative and useful to me, as I am currently mentoring an ELL student as well. Many of the strategies talked about here are applicable to our sessions, and this has given me a couple of ideas for things to change and improve upon!
The second article I found on this website introduced one teachers creative way of integrating technology in her classroom. She used google hangout to enhance her students learning by increasing communication with herself and other classrooms/ classmates. For example, she was able to spend more time talking with her students one on one in a private setting. She also had students' conversations and discussions recorded for them to look back on to see what they could do better. I found this helpful because it ties into what we are learning about in this class very well. I think it was a unique way of using technology, and it is awesome to see new and different ways that it can be incorporated into classrooms successfully!