The 6th Man for My Classroom

Prompt:  What are your three favorite go-to sites for help/tips/resources in your teaching?

I'm pretty confident that the resources that I'm about to list are used by the vast majority of teachers today.  It's not too hard to see the value of using these particular resources because they allow teachers to compartmentalize, organize, and utilize (ha, see what I did there!).  Anyway, I want to keep this post short and sweet, so here are my favorite go-to sites:


Twitter
I don't know how many times I've clicked on a link from a tweet and have been taken to one of the best resources that is actually relevant to me.  I can almost always count on finding some sort of aid for my teaching via Twitter, and I think that it's a testament to the effectiveness of social media in relation to education.  Instead of being afraid of something that we may not know too much about, by embracing the positive attributes of this site, teachers can unlock a vault of pertinent and effective resources for our classrooms.

Pinterest
Okay, so doesn't love looking at beautiful pictures.  I started using the site for personal reasons, but when I discovered the "Education" section, I was completely lost to the world.  While a vast majority of the education section is geared towards elementary teachers, there are still some great gems.  I find that this is a good jumping off point, and by using this site to link up to a great blog, I can find really what I need.

Also, by being able to see an image and record it on a site, it makes it so much easier to find what you were looking for in the first place.  I've spent time bookmarking blogs that I love, but not having a description for the site often keeps me from actually going back to that site.  However, with Pinterest, I'm able to see what it was that attracted me to the resource, and I can quickly locate and open up the resource.  I adore the simplicity and direct approach to cataloguing information.

Tumblr
In previous posts I have discussed my minor addiction to this site.  As soon as I get home, I'm logging onto the site (after Twitter, of course).  I often use it as a means of unwinding after work, but I also follow fellow teachers around the country.  I love being able to see the strategies that they use in their classroom, but more importantly their reflection on that particular strategy.  I have found various web-sites, blogs, and articles that have completely changed my perspective and approach towards teaching.  My ability to push students to critically analyze various sources and allow them to take the lead in determining the outcomes of the education was due in part to understanding a broader context of 21st century skills, which came from coming in contact with other educators on this site.