In this post, we continue digesting the input from the 85 Anabaptist educators who filled out our survey. For Part 1 of the results, which includes demographic profiles of respondents and the types of curricula and resources their schools make available, go here.
How valuable are these tools to you?
We asked respondents to rate the value of a number of digital tools in their educational work. They could choose from “Don’t use,” “Helps a little,” “Very useful,” and “Indispensable.” In the chart below, we have converted these responses to numbers 0-3 and taken the average ranking for each tool. The chart represents the overall likelihood that a respondent finds a tool valuable.
The pie charts (inset) show a slightly different metric: which respondents felt that a technology was crucial. Here, Office is even stronger. Google's free suite of apps has not convinced schools to move away from Microsoft's desktop programs. Microsoft's generous offers for schools no doubt helps.
Perhaps surprisingly, these educators valued blogs more than Pinterest. Perhaps this reflects the fact that the survey was conducted on The Dock, not Pinterest, so our audience was skewed.
What other resources can you recommend?
This question was wide open, and the responses were fascinating. Educators named or described 87 different resources. Many items were nominated by more than one respondent. These are indicated with a number in parentheses.
The results below are not sorted by school subject, but they are categorized by the type of resource. Educators recommended an inspiring number of books and a surprising number of websites and apps. Several respondents noted the value of interacting with other educators, both formally and informally.
Click on a category to view its resources.
Websites and Apps
- artprojectsforkids.org
- basketballforcoaches.com
- cK-12.org
- deepspacesparkle.com for art lesson ideas
- Desmos.com
- d-maps.com
- Duolingo
- FileFolderFun.com
- GAMEO.org
- desmos.com
- math-aids.com
- mathisfun.com
- memrise.com
- plickers.com
- purplemath.com
- Quizlet (4)
- remind.com
- Settera
- shopbottools.com/mSupport/forteachers.htm
- slideplayer.com
- Splash Math
- stackexchange.com
- study.com
- supercoloring.com
- teach4theheart.com
- The Dock (5)
- thecornerstoneforteachers.com
- themathworksheetsite.com
- Things app
- Wolfram Alpha
- xtramath.com (3)
Books
- The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History by Curtis, Lang, and Petersen
- Charolotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
- The First Days of School (5)
- Handbook for Creative Teaching (2)
- How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler
- How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis
- The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken
- Invitation to Science Inquiry by Tik Liem
- Leadership and Self-deception by Arbinger Institute
- Molder of Dreams by Guy Doud
- Number Talks by Sherry Parrish
- Overcoming Dyslexia
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory
- The Seven Laws of the Learner (3)
- The Story of Christianity by Collins and Price
- The Story of Christianity by Hart
- The Thread that Runs So True by Jesse Stuart
- Teach Like a Champion (2) [One respondent wrote, “Read it in chunks throughout the school year and look for opportunities to apply techniques. Be accountable to fellow staff members.”]
- Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire by Rafe Esquith
- Teacher 50 by Baruti Kafele
- Teaching to Change Lives (2)
- Ten P’s in a Pod by Arnold Pent III
- With All Due Respect (2)
- the many books Faith Builders uses as resources
- thick, serious, printed nonfiction books of all kinds
Training
- CLE Workshops (2)
- Faith Builders
- Faith Builders in general (3)
- TAP (2)
- Summer Term (2)
- Teachers Week (2)
- Hartwell Teachers Seminar
- Any type of teacher interaction… whether it be by blog, social media groups, or actual workshops. These all are great morale boosters, and you have contact with people who actually ‘get’ what you do and love to talk about the same things.
- I have found all training that I take to be useful in some way.
- Interacting with other teachers, whether on social media, at teacher conventions/workshops, or with co-teachers
- Inviting input from the administrator or fellow teachers
- Local adult education/career centers
- Networking with other teachers
- Nothings beats teacher conferences and any other kind of actual teacher interactions or training.
- Observing other teachers teach in one’s own school or a neighboring school
- Our moms of adopted children frequently let us know of classes or webinars coming up that help reach trauma children.
- Teacher friends! (Hearing their stories and ideas is a definite fuel.)
Recordings
- Audible.com (as a way of getting Great Courses)
- Khan Academy (3)
- Lectures.dollarstreet.org
- TED talks
- TheGreatCourses.com
Other Resources
- Books containing the paintings of Rembrandt
- Danielson Framework
- Dianne Craft resources
- “Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking our Kids—And How to Break the Trance” by Nicholas Kardaras
- Jossey Bass publications
- Professional reading, such as ASCD, Ed Week, journals
- Sycamore
- The Course of Empire and The Journey of Life paintings by Thomas Cole
- World Magazine
Which resources would you add?
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...CONTRIBUTOR: Lucas Hilty
SERIES: 2018 Survey Results
All items in the series:- 2018 Survey Results: Attitudes toward Education and Support from the Community
- 2018 Survey Results: Identifying the Educators
- 2018 Survey Results: Useful Tools
- 2018 Survey Results: A Focus on Character
- 2018 Survey Results: How Do They Do It?
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