Brilliant or Insane?

1. 10 Tips for Mobile Learning from an International Expert: Brilliant or Insane friend and EdTech superstar, Shelly Terrell, shared this powerful slide show on mobile learning.
2. The 12 Pillars of Innovation: Author/expert Brian Solis posted this to LinkedIn, and we shared it to our readers, who loved it.
3. Buffer Makes You a Social Networking Machine: This post by Brilliant or Insane publisher Mark Barnes originally ran in January, but we reshared it (on Buffer), and it proved to be hot again.
4. Eclectic Technology: This Scoop, curated by Beth Dichter, caught fire quickly. Check out the cool info graphic.
5. 3 Reasons to Defend James Franco's Social Media Mistake: Brilliant or Insane managing editor Anna Turner unravels Franco's online dalliance. Turner includes her own take on what Franco really did wrong (hint, it's hilarious). 

via TeachThought

1. 6 Ways to Energize Your Lessons: Our education expert, Reed Gillespie, continued to engage readers, with these hot tips. 
2. 10 Ways Social Media Will Transform Your School: Mark Barnes shares ways that social media is impacting the classroom more than ever.
3. LeBron James Is Coming Back to Cleveland: This intriguing post includes a hypothetical conversation between Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, and James. Do you think it happened?
4. 5 Things Ellen Degeneres Did to Save the Oscars: If a show ever needed saving, this four-hour epic did, and the hilarious comedian came through. You won't believe how she did it.
5. Olympic Gold Medalists to Headline Dancing with the Stars: New Brilliant or Insane editor, Anna Turner, adds her typical pizzazz to this interesting post.
6. A Winning Idea Born from Losing, Much Losing: Cleveland blogger, Zach Fenell, shares this entertaining story about a man chronicling a lifetime of suffering as a Cleveland sports fan.
7. Twitter, Facebook, Google or Pinterest? We are there: Readers love this quick-reference social media address book for Brilliant or Insane. 

via popsugar.com

1. The Blogger's Handbook -- 101+ Resources On How To Start A Blog: Mahesh Mohan, from Minterest, provides a comprehensive help tool for anyone interested in starting a blog.
2. 3 Questions To Consider Before You Give A Test: Judy Willis, at TeachThought, suggests that students should be included in the test planning process, among other things.
3. Olympic gold medalists to headline Dancing with the Stars: The Olympics may be over, but readers are still interested in this piece from Brilliant or Insane pop culture writer, Anna Turner.
4. Delusions of great teaching: Brilliant or Insane's education guru, Reed Gillespie, sheds light on an old-school method that may work for particular students. But which ones?
5. Education's Endless, Erroneous Either-Ors: Chester Finn, at Educationnext, examines skills vs. knowledge, diversity vs. uniformity and other education topics that we tend to pit against one another in this thoughtful post.

via quotesbuddy.com

1. Most quizzes are made up of multiple choice items, which provide inaccurate results, because you never really know when a student guesses.
2. Many students simply don't test well, so they may know the material but get the quiz questions wrong.
3. There are many activities that engage students and are conducive to formative assessment, which is far less threatening than a quiz and provides much better feedback.
4. Quizzes create anxiety and tend to hurt students' grades.
5. If the goal is to check for learning, why not use a tool like Socrative, which will give you a good pulse of what students know, without punishing them with a punitive grade.

via twitter.com/TheEllenShow

1. The selfie seen round the world -- Ellen wowed viewers and social media lovers worldwide with what is sure to be the most famous selfie ever taken (see above). The picture, snapped by Bradley Cooper, received more than 2 million retweets in a couple of hours, literally breaking Twitter temporarily. This was certainly one of variety TV's most memorable moments.
2. "Who wants pizza?" -- Wondering out loud who was hungry, Ellen decided to order pizza for the stars, sitting in the front section. What seemed to be a sure gag turned into Ellen serving pizza a short while later and asking Sandra Bullock and Brad Pitt for tip money. 
3. Ellen's rapport with the audience -- As promised in pre-show interviews, Ellen worked the crowd magically. She bantered, strolled, skipped and mingled without taking emphasis from the awards.
4. The Jonah Hill joke -- The Wolf of Wall Street star took it all off and Ellen took advantage, deadpanning, "You showed us something in that film that I haven't seen in a very, very long time." This joke set the tone for an evening of lighthearted, hilarious quips and barbs.
5. Her smile -- Ellen DeGeneres is cute, funny and downright lovable. Her smile is infectious and it infected me all night. That radiant smile was one of the 5 things Ellen did to save the Oscars.

via startribune.com

1. Minnesota school changes are partially right, mostly wrong -- Brilliant or Insane publisher, Mark Barnes, criticizes so-called education reform at one Minnesota high school.
2. What tests actually measure -- Our friends at TeachThought take on this always-controversial topic. 
3. Watch as the Metrodome Gets Demolished by Explosives -- Bleacher Report's Kyle Newport shares awesome pics and video of this historic stadium coming down.
4. More Hints That Dad's Age At Conception Helps Shape A Child's Brain -- NPR's Maanvi Singh reveals some shocking news about how men's age at conception impacts their children.
5. Teaching Students Not Standards -- Edutopia examines the deleterious effects of standards on students.

via teachhub.com

1. My math teacher always gave me a heads-up before asking me to go to the board. “Reed, I see you got number 5 right. Show me how you did it….Great! I’m going to have you answer that one on the board.” Even though math was my worst—and least favorite class—I became increasingly comfortable. 
2. In health class, a class that relied heavily on class discussion, my teacher always allowed us to pass on answering any question. In a class where personal matters were often discussed (and I wasn’t ready to share anything about my personal life), this was vital. By allowing us to opt-out, he created a safe and more welcoming environment. 
3. My English teacher's constant use of think-pair-share also allowed safe participation. Instead of sharing with the entire class, I was given time to develop my own answers and discuss them with a classmate whom I was comfortable with sharing. Getting over this initial hurdle allowed me to become more comfortable in the whole class sharing portion. 
4. Honestly, I don’t remember any of my teachers making use of wait time, but perhaps no instructional strategy is more important than making use of wait time when trying to encourage all students—especially, shy students and/or those lacking confidence in themselves or their abilities. 

Ellen Page via ouchpress.com

1. Top 5 reasons homework destroys learning -- Brilliant or Insane publisher Mark Barnes continues to outline the deleterious effects of homework in yet an other popular piece.
2. More than 88 Percent of the Great Lakes Are Completely Frozen Over -- The Huffington Post provides excellent video and graphics on this amazing stat.
3. 10 reasons to greet students at the door -- Our education guru, Reed Gillespie, wowed our readers again with this post on building rapport with kids.
4. For Lower-Income Students, Snow Days Can Be Hungry Days -- NPR's Jessica Glazer got plenty of heads turning with this staggering story. 
5. What Would Happen If You Improved Everything by 1%: The Science of Marginal Gains -- Buffer's James Clear shares some interesting science on the benefits of small improvements.

via parenting-blog.org

1. Homework rarely connects to the real world -- My daughter recently had to complete 14 long division problems. Frustrated, she asked, "Why do I even need to know this?" I couldn't answer. Why not ask her to solve a problem on her iPad, using a cool math app? This is far more realistic.
2. Most homework is assigned for practice -- There is very little research supporting extra practice, such as 15 math problems or writing Spanish sentences, as a means of improving achievement. Application of skills to larger problems is much better for internalizing knowledge.
3. Students often don't understand the homework assignment -- My children come to me daily for help, because they don't understand the assignment. Can someone explain why I have to do fourth-grade grammar? Why do fourth graders, for that matter?
4. Homework cuts into family time -- Today's my birthday. We can't celebrate, until homework is done. What's up with that?
5. Homework is not fun -- As Cindy Lauper once sang, "Girls just want to have fun." (Boys too.) If homework is purportedly related to learning, and almost universally kids agree that it is not fun, then it stands to reason that homework destroys learning. Why would any educator ever give students something that destroys their love of learning?

via midatlantic.coastguard.dodlive.mil

1. Build relationships with your students and meet your their emotional needs.
2. Offer praise and feedback (this need not be class related).
3. Some students, like those with ADD/ADHD, have trouble switching classes. Greet these students at the door with explicit directions about what to do. For some of my more challenging students, I would essentially escort them to their seats to ensure they started class on task. 
4. It gives you a chance to connect with every student and to gauge their emotional state.
5. Students have a lot to say and we should take the time to listen to them.
6. Albeit brief, it's a chance to have a one-on-one conversation with a student.
7. It gives you an opportunity to model (and for students to practice) socially acceptable behaviors, like eye contact, a firm handshake, and good posture.
8. You can ask each student a question to formatively assess their understanding of the previous day's lesson. With some classes I'd take this a step further and ask a question which the students had to get right before entering class.
9. Teach the students respectful behaviors. My rule was a simple one, "Every time I ask you a question, please answer the question and ask a question in return."          
1. Me: Did you watch the football game last night?         
2. JJ: Yeah, I can't believe the Redskins lost. Did you watch it 
3. Me: Of course. Not sure why it surprised you though. They've been awful this year. A matter of caution, I'd often ask about their lives outside of school and about their weekends. For students with horrible home lives, doing so sets them back and can ruin your effort at fostering a welcoming classroom environment.
10. It can be a time saver. While I had a consistent classroom routine, greeting students at the door would allow you to cue them to something that may be different (please be sure to turn in your homework or please pick up the work you missed yesterday from the absent folder).

Shirley Temple via KTVN.com

1. Shirley Temple dies at 85: Pop Culture writer, Anna Turner, shared a brief history and highly-entertaining video from the child star's life.
2. 1 Weekly Habit That Will Push You to Peak Performance: Inc.com's Laura Garnett suggests that if you ask yourself these questions, you'll always be at your best.
3. 8 things all students need from their teachers: Education writer, Reed Gillespie, inspired thousands of educators with this powerful, can't-miss list.
4. Browns fire GM Michael Lombardi: Brilliant or Insane publisher, Mark Barnes, offered a local perspective as yet another Cleveland GM got canned. 
5. The recliner desk you've been waiting for: Holy Kaw's Kate Rinsema sparked the pragmatic comfort-monger in all of us with this nifty post.

celebs turning 50, via: torontosun.com

1. Lots of celebrities are 50, and look how good they look.
2. I'm young enough to have vices and old enough to tell my doctor to leave me alone about it.
3. I'm youthful enough to enjoy my kids but wise enough to know I don't need more.
4. At 30, I was an impatient teacher, who thought kids should sit quietly and work  nonstop. At 50, I know that teacher-student rapport is as important as the curriculum -- more, in fact.
5. When I was 30, my gray hair made me look old. At 50, it makes me look distinguished -- at least that's what my wife tells me.

via: Inc.com

1. The game of school, by Reed Gillespie -- Since joining Brilliant or Insane, Reed has wowed our readers with insightful, edgy posts on hot-button education issues. This one was our number 1 post of the week.
2. 10 Phrases Great Speakers Never Say, Inc.com -- Jeff Haden articulates what's wrong with these 10 phrases in another excellent article on one of our favorite sites.
3. Five Career Mistakes You Might Not Know You're Making, Lifehacker.com -- Libby Kane sheds some light on a few surprising career mishaps. 
4. This TED Talk might just save your life, by Mark Barnes -- Psychologist Kelly McGonigal shares some astonishing information about how we handle stress, and our readers loved it.
5. Philip Seymour Hoffman's overdose symptomatic of a larger problem, by Anna Turner -- While the world mourned the loss of a fabulous actor, our Pop Culture blogger made sure we didn't overlook the serious issue surrounding Hoffman's death.

1. "oh my god RT @barkbox: Interception, Peyton Manning. #ruhroh (see picture above)
2. Bronco defensive end Shaun Phillips' son texted, "It's ok daddy u r still my hero." 
3. "My pee wee team tackled better than the Broncos. But wait, it's Manning's fault."
4. "If I were running sound for the Super Bowl, I'd just have Flea take a bass solo for the entire game."
5. Peyton Manning saw his shadow yesterday on Groundhog Day. Unfortunately, the shadow picked him off too."

via: 1000awesomethings.com

• I used to think -- Stump The Teacher
• Becoming invisible in my classroom -- TeachThought
• Seven facts you should know about the new Common Core tests -- The Answer Sheet
• Dear Bammy Awards, where did I go wrong? Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension
• #622 When the dog's really excited you're back home -- 1000 Amazing Things

Here are 5 bad trends in education from 2013

1. Grades. I've promised myself that 2014 will be the year that I do everything possible to help eliminate traditional grading in American education. Arguably the largest barrier to effective teaching and learning, grades do nothing more than punish students.
2. Teacher accountability. Although the government wants accountability through test scores and bizarre principal rubrics, teachers are accountable primarily to kids.
3. More high stakes testing. The Common Core purportedly adds depth to learning. I'm not sure about that, but I know it nearly doubles the amount of tests students will take. 
4. Ongoing fear of mobile learning. While many schools are moving to iPads and some are embracing Bring Your Own Device policies, far too many schools are still forcing students to leave their mobile devices in lockers. We need all schools to put the most powerful learning tool we have in our students' hands. 
5. Homework. I've said it hundreds of times, and the research bears me out: homework does not help kids learn! Still, I find that honework is a major teaching method nationwide, and it has to stop.

via: nobelprize.org

Here are the most popular posts of 2013

1. KidBlog is no longer completely free -- When I realized that the popular education blog host moved to a paid upgrade platform, I wasn't happy. This post prompted a social media uproar and a mix of upset users and KidBlog defenders.
2. Dear Parents: I want to stop grading your children -- With a promise to redouble my efforts to end traditional grading, I started by giving teachers a letter that explains the reasons for ending grades.
3. Top 5 reasons homework fails children -- This post originated earlier at ASCDEDge but was hugely popular here, when I posted it this year. Homework is always a hot-button issue among educators.
4. Top 5 reasons to eliminate guided reading -- What can I say, teachers are passionate about what they teach and Top 5 posts typically generate a lot of views. This one was no different.
5. Hey Major League Baseball, I'm breaking up with you -- I began my journalism career as a sports writer, so I enjoy the occasional post about sports. I'm not completely sure why, but this one got plenty of run here at Brilliant or Insane? 
6. KidBlog CEO defends move to pay platform -- After many shares of my original post revealing KidBlog's move to a freemium model, co-founder and CEO Matt Hardy commented, sparking even more dialogue from the blog's users.
7. We must teach our kids about Nelson Mandela -- The death of the former South Africa president inspired this post. Hopefully, it will encourage teachers to keep Mandela's memory alive.

via: InterBasket.net

1. Mike Brown will be fired as the Cavs head coach. The Brown-LeBron marraige failed once, I doubt Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will want to preside over a second union.
2. The Cleveland Indians will win a World Series. Sound crazy? I thought so too, until Terry Francona brought the hapless Tribe back to life last season.
3. My fantasy football team will win another championship. It's been a few years; I'm due, and I have Jimmy Graham on my side.
4. Cleveland's hockey team will win the Stanley Cup. Come on! Does Cleveland even have a hockey team? Okay, technically, I suppose it's Columbus. Need I go on?
5. The Cleveland Browns will win a Super Bowl. If you haven't deduced by now how little confidence I have in LeBron returning to play for Cleveland, this one should clarify the matter. The Cleveland Browns winning a Super Bowl? Is Hell freezing over, too?