The Best of Classrooms Without Walls - 1

acohen843.wordpress.com

About This Presentation

• Classrooms Without Walls is a blog about whatever interests me at the moment. It began with articles about online education and has since expanded.

• This presentation links to some of my favorite articles that I have written over the years.

The First Post

• What was I thinking when I began this blog on Aug. 4, 2007? Providing free ESL classes via the internet. 

•http://tinyurl.com/3u7cegs

Room To Read

• Sometimes good things happen by chance. A marketing project led me to some great non-profits and a book that changed my direction in life.

• I decided to create a blog to market some products for the high tech company that employed me at the time. 

Room To Read

• The blog paid you based on the number of clicks your posts generated. Since this was a company project, I felt uncomfortable receiving additional money. 

• There was an option to donate the money to charity. I love to read so I chose a charity named, Room To Read, an organization that built libraries in Central Asia. 

Room To Read

• I checked the box to subscribe for the free email newsletter and promptly forgot about this charity. A few months later, I received an email from Room To Read advertising a book written by its founder - Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.

Room To Read

• That title caught my attention as it would many people in the technology field. Microsoft has changed the world and leaving Microsoft to do so seemed a paradox. 

Room To Read

• After reading that book, I knew social entrepreneurship was my path in life.

• 09/01/07 http://tinyurl.com/3msz38s

Women are Better Students

• If you want to change the world, educate women.

• 5/10/11 http://tinyurl.com/3q68xhz• 6/1/11 http://tinyurl.com/67a3jna

Story Pirates

• In their own words, • “Story Pirates is a nationally respected arts

and creative writing organization founded in 2003 to celebrate the words and ideas of young people, to promote literacy as a vital part of education, 

Story Pirates

• and to preserve the spark of youthful creativity often lost in the transition to adulthood. – storypirates.org/

• 5/31/11 http://preview.tinyurl.com/3nzpne4

Using Music to Teach ESL

• Music was my major in college and I have found numerous ways to use music as a teaching tool. Here is one way.

• 5/14/08 http://tinyurl.com/3sr5c3w 

Using Comedy to Teach ESL

• I joke that teaching is stand-up comedy  with a purpose. It reflects my philosophy that humor makes learning enjoyable. As an ESL teacher, I also have the pleasure to teach students of different cultures from around the world. Laughing about our differences is a great thing.

Using Comedy to Teach ESL

• My students often share videos of comedians that they like. 

• 5/25/11 http://tinyurl.com/3pl8lfh

Thank You

• Please share your thoughts and comments with me.

• acohen@photographer.net