Site Search : Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

Blog Excerpts

Thu Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2008

Frescata? Bananarcalepsy? Dreadhawk? Any of these ring a bell? They're all entries in a fascinating online project to document "false words" called Fauxlogism. Check out their entire list.

Teachers at Work

Content Area Literacy: Beyond the Language Arts Classroom

Wed Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2008

Our youngest generation is a scarce and precious resource facing a human wave of global competition. This reality is changing the way teachers think of literacy, and more importantly, it is changing their classroom practice. Teachers across the entire curriculum spectrum are beginning to realize that they are responsible for producing learners who possess the literacy skills needed for the 21st Century. They are realizing that literacy is the ability to comprehend all sorts of text, and helping students accomplish the goal of comprehension requires more than asking them to open a book and read the chapter.

Blog Du Jour

When University Presses Blog

Wed Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2008

Looking for a good read or good reading about good reads? Check out these university press blogs for reviews, interviews and tidbits about the wide-ranging and fascinating books they publish:

Indiana University Press Blog

University of California Press Blog

University of Nebraska Press Blog

University of Hawai'i Press Blog

Off the Page (the Harvard University Press author forum)

Dog Eared

Teach Stronger

Tue Feb 26 00:00:00 EST 2008

These books offer advice, know-how and personal experience for teachers striving to grow professionally:

The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World's Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom by James Stigler

Becoming a Better Teacher by Giselle O. Martin-Kniep

Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esmé Raji Codell

Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students by Gregory Michie

VT Tip o' the Week

Settings Panel: Advanced Settings

Mon Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2008

Audio Preference: This control allows you to change the audio pronunciation from a British English accent to an American English accent. You can also turn off audio pronunciation

Show Narrower Terms: This control limits when the Visual Thesaurus will show narrower terms for a selected meaning. If you set this too high, or to "show all," it may make the display cluttered and slow down your computer.

Candlepower

Business Communicators: Got Metaphor?

Mon Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2008

How do you effectively communicate -- sell -- your ideas in the marketplace? Anne Miller, a speaker, author and corporate trainer, answers this way: Think in metaphors. Metaphors? Review a speech by Ronald Reagan, Jack Welch or Steve Jobs -- or other legendary communicators -- and you'll read prose laced with imagery and analogies that drive their points home. As the author of Metaphorically Selling, Anne teaches businesspeople to put metaphors to work in their own communication. We spoke to her about her approach:

Backstory

Andromeda Romano-Lax, Author of "The Spanish Bow"

Fri Feb 22 00:00:00 EST 2008

I kept hearing about joy, but what I saw was struggle. Doubt. Anguish. I heard praise, but even without looking, I stumbled upon notes of opposition that told -- just maybe -- a different story. The year was 2002 and I was in Puerto Rico on a research trip, watching archival footage of the famous Spanish cellist Pablo Casals.

Blog Excerpts

Teacher Resources

Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2008

"Literacy, Education and Technology" is the slogan of the Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity website, "an exciting collection of online educational resources." Exciting, indeed! Partners include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the International Reading Association, the National Geographic Society, and more. Check out this terrific resource for educators.

Word Count

Keep Your Writing Gun Loaded With Bullets

Wed Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2008

What if I told you there was a simple, sitting-under-your-nose technique that would increase your writing speed, improve your coherence and dramatically enhance your audience's ease of reading. Would you use it? Yes, you'd say. Tell me more! But listen, my friends, you already know about it. I'm talking about bullets, the unsung heroes of the print world. Why are bullets so effective? Glad you asked!