Teachers Resource Force Blog

A handful of free 'lifestyle' apps!

26/12/2014

In a previous post I mentioned some great lifestyle apps that I own and believe teachers and anyone else would find useful too. These suggestions are definitely not your average "teacher apps", but will make life much easier for you! For reference, I use an Android device, but I have done my best to find Apple equivalents to these apps for you:

1) Voice recorder.
This app is great for recording voice notes. It might be that you are driving to work and have a great idea for a lesson or have just remembered something you need to add to your do to list. With this app, it's easy to just make a quick note while on the move!
Android
Apple

2) Podcast Addict.
This app is great for streaming or downloading podcasts to your phone so you can listen to education seminars, hobbies or anything else that your heart desires, all whilst on the move! Great way to spend your time on the commute.
Android
Apple

4) Google Keep - notes and lists.
A great note and list keeper app. I like that you can create different topics on separate coloured post-it style notes. Extra bonus points for being able to use it as a widget on your android phone, as you don't need to open the app every time; the post-its sit on your screen so are always there to remind you!
Android
Apple

3) Calm.
A great app for relaxation, meditation and sleep. You can choose a calming background setting to watch if you please, and with it you can pick any calming sounds. There are lots of other features to explore as well, such as meditation, but it really works at calming the body and mind (great after a stressful day teaching!).
Android
Apple

5) Silent Time.
I don't know about you, but I don't always remember to turn the sound off my phone when I need to - #CueAwkwardMoments. This app is great, as you can set your phone to automatically go on silent at any time you like. I have a 'work' setting and a 'sleep' setting - simple, but I can't be without it now!
Android
Apple

I hope you find these lifestyle apps helpful! These are definitely my staples and I use them all the time - what apps can you not live without? Leave a comment below!

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The Top Movies About Teachers

23/12/2014

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Seeing as it's Winter break and we have some time to watch lots of movies, I have come up with this awesome list of the top movies all about teachers!

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy watching teacher films - they can be so relatable, inspiring and often unrealistically hilarious! Obviously our chosen career is so amazing that they have made lots of films about it, especially teachers of teenagers (plus let's be real here, many of the things that happen to us as teachers are definitely movie material...!)

Without further ado, in no particular order, here is the first part of my list of the top teacher movies!

1) Freedom Writers
A very inspirational true story. This is about a new English teacher who enters into a very tough high school with a class of "unteachables". She comes across a lot of conflict from all directions in her efforts to teach them. She manages to utilise inspiration from 'The Freedom Riders' during the time of racial segregation, to encourage her students to express themselves in writing in a similar way The Freedom Riders did by riding the buses. I don't want to give too much away, but it is a wonderful film. A great one to watch when you're having those "why do I teach again?" days as it brings home how important influential and inspiring teaching is.

"Nobody ever listens to a teenager. Everybody thinks you should be happy just because you're young. They don't see the wars that we fight every single day." Brandy.

2) Bad Teacher
From the inspirational to the ridiculous! A story about a disaffected educator who is the epitome of a 'bad teacher' - being hungover in class, sleeping on her desk, showing videos in class etc.. all until a bonus pay is up for grabs for the class who gets the highest grades. She wants it for a new pair of boobs of course, and will go through extreme lengths to ensure she wins! It's a hilarious film and worth a watch for a giggle, even if it does make me wish I could get away with putting my feet up like she does!

"Hi! I'm a math terrorist, with close ties to Al-Gebra, with weapons of mass instruction!" Amy Squirrel

3) Dead Poet's Society
An oldie but a goodie. An inspiring story of an English teacher in a traditional boys school. His students deal with immense pressures of the exceedingly high expectations from the school and their parents. He reaches out to his students in unorthodox ways to inspire them to follow their dreams. Definitely a classic!

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world." John Keating

5) Here Comes The Boom
I feel this film is really underrated and no one ever talks about it, which is shocking as it is a fantastic movie! It's a comedy about a science teacher who tries to raise money for the school as they are planning on closing down the music department to cut costs. In order to raise the money needed, the teacher takes up mixed martial arts and enters into a competition. It is hilarious but still managed to bring a tear or two to my eye, truly inspiring and wonderfully presented. I really recommend watching this film!

"You’ve got to go after your dreams. If you don’t make an effort, nothing’s ever going to change." Scott Voss

4) School of Rock
A rock star recently kicked out of his band, somehow manages to get a subbing job to earn some money. As rock music is his passion, he basically dismisses the rest of the curriculum and focuses on rock in his attempt to turn his class into his own rock band, but not without conflicts along the way! It's a good laugh, especially watching someone new try their hand at teaching and realising it isn't what they thought it would be!

"8:15 to 10, rock history. 10 to 11, rock appreciation in theory. And then band practice till the end of the day" Dewey Finn

There they are, if you haven't seen these yet I highly suggest you do as they're fantastic! Have you seen any of these? What did you think?

Stay tuned for the second part to my teacher movie series coming soon, make sure you subscribe to be notified of new posts!

Remember, teachers are awesome, inspiring, funny and sometimes ridiculous... and no matter how crazy our jobs seem sometimes, we must keep pushing forward as you never know, someday your teacher life could become a movie too!

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How to make the most of your commute to work.

22/12/2014

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Not all of us live near to where we work. Maybe it's by choice (I mean, who wants their teenage students knowing where they live?! Haha) or maybe it isn't ideal for you, but you have no other option right now. Either way, if you have a long commute to work every day (I'd say 30 minutes or more counts as 'long') it doesn't have to be so bad, you can use it to your advantage! So I'm going to give you my top 5 tips in making the most of your commute to work.

How to make the most of a long commute to work

OK, so us longer commuters might get less time in bed and feel more tired due to the long drives every day, but to quote Ross in friends "I'll get so much done on the commute: I've been given the gift of time!".

Here are some ideas of what we can do with our "gift":

1) Plan lessons or create to do lists.
You have a large pocket of time when you're commuting, so why not make the most of it to plan lessons or create to do lists! If you don't drive on your commute, you can easily write things down in preparation for the day/days ahead. However, even if you do drive to work you can still do this with a voice recorder or a speech to text app on your phone to make notes of ideas that pop into your head!
P.S. Watch this space for a post on great teacher apps such as these soon... Make sure you subscribe to be notified of new posts!

2) Motivate yourself.
Listening to motivational talks are a great way to start the day on a positive note. You can download your favourite pod-casts onto your phone and listen to them while you travel. I personally do this on morning journeys so I have a positive message in mind to focus on throughout the day. Also, on the way home I'm usually too tired, and depending on my day, I usually prefer upbeat music to keep my spirits up/keep me awake! Experiment and find out what works best for you.

3) Catch up with a book.
If you're engrossed in a book right now, you can of course read it on your journey if you use public transport. But hey, drivers can do that too with audio books! Download your book onto your phone and let it read it out to you: a great way of passing time without wasting it!

4) Relax / meditate.
Alternatively, there are those days where you just need to relax your mind: either you have a mad day ahead that you want to prepare for, or you are coming home from an exhausting day (isn't that every day being a teacher?!). I definitely have days where I don't want any noise, I just want peace and quiet with my own thoughts. You could also play relaxing music to Zen out before or after a busy day at work.

5) Carpooling
Finally, another great idea for making the most of your commute is to car pool! If there are any colleagues or family who live and work near you, you can join a car pool where you could offer a lift or take it in turns to drive. This is great for two reasons: it provides you with some company on your journey and dramatically saves money on fuel as well!

So there you have it. Despite the challenges of a long commute (especially in the Winter when it's always dark on your journey!) there are definitely advantages and I hope these tips help you out! What are some of your top tips for making the most of your commute?

Finally, a quote to reflect on in the words of John Lennon:
"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted."