New Features for 2010
Welcome Back!
Welcome to the 2010 edition of PlanbookEdu, the premier online lesson planner. We’re excited to bring you new features that will maximize your ability to create, read, and share your plans. We thank all of you who have contacted us with your questions and suggestions, as we used your feedback for our revisions and additions.
We're on Facebook
One of the best things about about being involved with PlanbookEdu is hearing from all our great users. With your help we continue to improve the best online lesson planning site. We hope that you'll take a minute to drop us a note on our new Facebook page and let us know what you like the best and how we can improve.
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Common Core Standards
PlanbookEdu is one of the first sites to incorporate the Common Core Standards into its software. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a shared set of clear educational standards for English language arts and mathematics that states can voluntarily adopt. Over 25 states have adopted the standards so far.
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Undo!
Ever make a change and immediately after you hitting the "Save" button realize that you edited the wrong box? Now for any change you make on your plans an undo link will appear in the box. Click that and everything will go back to the way it was before.
Use Last Year's Plan This Year
Many teachers have similar plans from year to year. We wanted to take the hassle out of having to start with a clean planbook each year and give teachers the ability to use an old planbook as a starting point. Now you can take an old planbook and copy it, adjusting all the dates to match your new school year.
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Copy and Move Your Plans Around the Week
Making quick adjustments to your plans is now easier than ever. Last year we added the quick edit feature (just double click in any box). This year we've added the ability to drag your plans around the calendar. Simply grab the green arrows with your mouse and drop the plan in a new spot. A menu will appear and you can choose whether to copy or move your entry.
Have A Great Year!
As always, please let us know what you like, and what needs improvement. We love hearing from our members! Best wishes from all of us at PlanbookEdu for a productive, enjoyable school year.
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We're on Facebook now. Make sure to drop us a note!
Common Core Standards
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a shared set of clear educational standards for English language arts and mathematics that states can voluntarily adopt. Over 25 states have adopted the standards so far. For more information visit www.corestandards.org.
PlanbookEdu is one of the first sites to incorporate the Common Core Standards into its software. To use the standards in your planbook is very easy.
Enabling The Standards For Your Planbook
Since not all teachers use these standards you must first you must enable the standards for your planbook. You can do this for a new planbook or an existing one. Go to "Planbooks" in the main navigation. Then either "Create New" or "edit" your existing planbooks. One of the options will be a checkbox to enable the standards.
Adding Standards To Your Plans
Once you have turned on Common Core Standards for your planbook will see a search box when you edit a period. Start typing any part of the standard into the box and a list of matching standards will appear.
Select the standard you would like and it will be added to the period. To remove a standard simply click the "x" icon next to it.
Once you save your entry the standards will appear in a box on the top of the period. You can mouse over the standard code to get the full description.
We hope you find this feature useful. Any feedback or comments can be sent to support@planbookedu.com.
10 Great Teacher Blogs
Through the world of blogging, connect with other passionate teachers and be inspired by their writings, philosophies, and ideas for the classroom. To start, consider adding these 10 great teacher blogs to your RSS feed.
1. Cool Cat Teacher Blog – Vicki Davis
The “cool cat teacher,” shares her passion for combining education and technology through her blog. As a co-author of the Flat Classroom Project, Vicki shares great insights into how you can incorporate technology into a K – 12 classroom, ranging from class wikis to safely using Web 2.0.
Authored by Mathew Needleman, this blog provides intriguing literature on how to “close the digital divide” that currently exists in our classrooms. Whether you have wanted to learn about the pros of blogging in the classroom or how to help students manage their independent computer time, Needleman shares useful tips that are easily applicable in the classroom.
This tongue-and-cheek blog expresses many of the frustrations that teachers feel, or more specifically, cuts “through all the crap” to “get to what’s really useful in the American public education system.” Indeed, the blog cuts through the theoretical and gets straight to the heart of reality in the classroom. Yes, giving students independent computer time to conduct their research is a good idea, but the blog author questions: how do you deal with the fact that “half their time in the lab is spent making up for the fact that they dicked around when they were supposed to be doing research in the library?”
For all passionate science teachers who need a smile at the end of a long lab day, the Science Teacher blog is the perfect destination. Filled with funny adventures in the science classroom (and beyond!), this blog also provides excellent food for thought for both you and your students.
5. Free Technology for Teachers
Like the name implies, this blog connects you with free technology resources you can integrate into your classroom. Better yet, there are assignment ideas that incorporate technology, news clips, and even widgets to help you jumpstart your lesson plans.
For art educators, this blog is an inspirational resource that helps with classroom management, provides ideas for integrating music and art in the classroom, and inspires new projects. From how to help your students mind their manners at a museum visit to virtually touring other art teachers’ rooms, this is a fantastic blog to inspire your own classroom’s palette.
Although a relative newcomer to the education blogging community, Smart Classroom Management provides sound techniques to help any educator improve the class environment. Drilling down to the psychology of the classroom and students, this blog provides insightful tips, ranging from “how to love unlikable students” to “how to get students to stay seated and quiet in time-out.”
Another excellent blog on incorporating technology in the classroom, Generation YES explores the successes and failures of integrating digital classrooms. From how to bridge the gender gap in the technology classroom to creating the perfect classroom presentation, an abundance of helpful tips abound.
History educators will find fun facts, lesson plan ideas, and plenty of smiles through the History is Elementary blog. You may even learn a few nuggets of history knowledge yourself, including “13 New World Explorers Not Commonly Known.”
Math teachers don’t have to feel left out in the blogging world! Join Dan Meyer in his math teaching adventures as he explores how to most effectively manage the classroom and inspire students numerically. True to its goal, this is a teaching blog that focuses on practice, not policy.
NJ Teachers Get A Free Year
To show our support for New Jersey teachers against Governor Chris Christie's plan to freeze teacher salaries we are giving away a year of our premium service for NJ educators.
To participate:
- Sign up for a free account with your nj.us email address
- Send us an email at support@planbookedu.com with the subject "NJ Free Year"
If you are already a premium user just send us an email and we'll add another year onto your subscription.
For more information check out the Facebook page NEW JERSEY TEACHERS UNITED AGAINST GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE'S PAY FREEZE
Please pass this along to any NJ teachers you know. Thanks!
Fine Print
- You must sign up before 11:59 EST on March 5, 2010.
- New Jersey teachers only for now. If you believe your town/state government is treating its teachers unfairly send us an email and we'll consider expanding the offer.