Each month, we scour the web to find the best resources for teachers.  This month, we’re looking at ways to add more games into your classroom:

Cyberbaiting is on the rise in classrooms across the country. A version of cyber bullying, cyberbaiting occurs when a student irritates or baits a teacher until the teacher gets so frustrated they either yell or have a breakdown. Students awaiting this breakdown are at the ready with cameras and cell phones to record the crack, and often proceed to post the footage on various online platforms. A simple YouTube search finds dozens of videos of teachers "flipping out" to the mocking laughter of students.

Google announced their newest product on Teacher Appreciation Day.  It’s not a fancy new piece of wearable tech or an update to their uber-popular Android operating system like one might suspect.  Instead, it’s a piece of software that is aimed to appeal to teachers, students, and schools called Google Classroom.

Welcome to Teacher Appreciation Week! AAE salutes our wonderful member teachers who go above and beyond everyday for their students! We appreciate your dedication and hard work. This week we will help celebrate by featuring discounts, promotions, and inspiring stories. Below is a list of teacher discounts:

It only takes a quick visit to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website to see that they’ve been undergoing changes recently.  The website itself has been completely redesigned, making it much easier to find information about their teaching certification.

In today's technological society, a growing number of children engage in daily use of smartphones and other handheld devices, providing a unique opportunity for teachers to integrate learning and technology. Below is a list of five, free educational apps, which can be easily integrated into lesson plans and used to cultivate interest in educational subjects.

As you may have noticed in your March newsletter, AAE dues are rising slightly this July due to the mounting costs associated with protecting our members from legal claims.  Still under $200 per year, and a fraction of the cost of union dues, we are confident you will agree this increase is a worthy investment in enhancing your protection and professionalism.

The Teaching Channel is one of those resources that has sprung up over the past few years and has really begun to shine.  It’s a unique case where teachers can find practical lesson plans, classroom management tools, and pedagogical tips from other teachers in a professional and easy to navigate way.  I’ve yet to be disappointed in anything that Teaching Channel puts out, but with so many high quality videos a teacher with limited time may not know where to start.  Here’s a few of my suggestions:

The newest member to the Kansas Policy Institute team posted on the KPI blog, soliciting teachers' ideas, suggestions, and comments to help improve teaching and provide each, individual child with the right opportunity:

Each month, we select the top picks from our PD Calendar and share them with you.  This month we looked at the top picks for English language arts and social studies. For more opportunities in a wide variety of subjects, check out our professional development calendar.

Education researchers has been busy the past few months with new studies that explore the effects of kindergarten, single-gender classes, and extended school time, along with the effects of teacher assistants, sports, bullying, and more.  We’ve outlined some of the most interesting research below:

While the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts never mention close reading by name as a strategy to use, it is clear by reading the standards and the accompanying documents that this method remains one of the best at reaching the goals CCSS sets forth.  For this reason, states and organizations dedicated to the implementation of CCSS are trumpeting this strategy as “the one” to use in English-Language Arts.  Unfortunately, many teachers remain confused on how to implement close reading in their classroom.

Our Professional Development Calendar is filled with the best opportunities to help you improve your practice. This month, we’re looking at opportunities that inspire.

With the holiday season in full swing, your students are probably not the only ones looking forward to exchanging gifts. Whether it’s a gift card, a free coffee, or homemade Christmas goodies, almost every teacher looks forward to a gift from their school or students’ parents. However, before you rush out and purchase gifts for colleagues, check in with your school’s gift policies. According to reports, recent changes to school policies could potentially limit gifts teachers give and receive.

Teachers have been a part of the blogging scene since the very beginning.  Blogging has always been an easy way for professionals in an often isolating and misunderstood practice to share the thoughts, feelings, and challenges of their everyday life.  Today, teacher blogs have proliferated across the internet and have even become a subset of blogging in their own right.

To anyone interested in the teaching of social studies and civics, it is no surprise that the public has mixed opinions when it comes to this highly important subject.  On one hand, people seem to be growing more and more distressed at the lack of civics and history knowledge among the population. It seems that almost every week there’s some sort of news article or study pointing out how much Americans don’t know, soon followed by a cry for more civics education in schools.

While many schools may be tempted to cut music programs to conserve funds, these classes prove to be worth the investment according to recent reports. Anew study released by the Society of Neuroscience corroborates the idea that music training produces many positive results in students.

Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instragram, SnapChat, or one of the many other apps or social networks, students across the country are engaging in social media activity daily. While these mediums constantly evolve and allow students plenty of learning opportunities, teachers should also recognize potential challenges.