Here is part two of my online explorations and reading. Here are a few of the interesting topics, sites, and blogs I found this week.
1. Can An Educator’s Clothes Affect How He/She Teaches?- Here is an interesting blog post from Larry Ferlazzo. Some thoughts on what you wear in the classroom. Make sure you click on the links within the post. They are interesting also.
2. 12 Things Kids Want from Their Teachers– Great post from the kids’ point of view. Things to remember. Students rely more on us more than we realize.
3. 8 Great Sites for Reluctant Writers– Story starters, writing tools, and sites that make writing fun. Great sites for students to explore and create.
4. Iditarod- Here are some ideas to incorporate the Iditarod. There are videos, activities, and even a quiz. Enjoy!
5. Engaging Parents in school– Here is a blog post on The best resources on Parent/Teacher Conferences for 2011.
6. Bonus: Wolfram Alpha– this is a search engine for uncommon information. I saw this at a conference and couldn’t really think of anything to use it for until I came across this link on Plurk. Have fun with it. We need more fun in our lives.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
This and That Part 1
Through my online explorations and reading I have not focused on any one topic. Here are a few of the interesting topics, sites, and blogs I found this week.
1. Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy– Here is a link from a wikispaces link. It is a PDF of printable posters created by Andrew Churches. It puts programs and activities in terms of Blooms Taxonomy.
2. Free worksheets from Learning Workroom– These “worksheets” should have been called practice sheets. It is more an opportunity for students to practice what they should have learned in class. There are many word searches which will help with spelling. You can extend it to give them as math vocabulary words.
3. The Periodic Table of Videos– Here is a great way to teach all the elements. We have our Element of the week for science, perhaps you could show one of the videos each week so the students can see a little about the elements.
4. Webcam Toy– This is a really fun way to take webcam pictures. There are many effects for you to play with. Have fun! I did! Also over on the left hand side there are more activities for you to play with.
5. A Teacher’s Life for Me- This is a really great blog post from a 5th grade teacher about developing good writers. All good advice.
6. Bonus: 50 New tech tools you should know about– Challenge: If you have some time, try to find something new that you can use in the classroom and then post what you found and how you are going to use it on the blog.
I hope you can find something you can use. If you do, please make a comment.
1. Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy– Here is a link from a wikispaces link. It is a PDF of printable posters created by Andrew Churches. It puts programs and activities in terms of Blooms Taxonomy.
2. Free worksheets from Learning Workroom– These “worksheets” should have been called practice sheets. It is more an opportunity for students to practice what they should have learned in class. There are many word searches which will help with spelling. You can extend it to give them as math vocabulary words.
3. The Periodic Table of Videos– Here is a great way to teach all the elements. We have our Element of the week for science, perhaps you could show one of the videos each week so the students can see a little about the elements.
4. Webcam Toy– This is a really fun way to take webcam pictures. There are many effects for you to play with. Have fun! I did! Also over on the left hand side there are more activities for you to play with.
5. A Teacher’s Life for Me- This is a really great blog post from a 5th grade teacher about developing good writers. All good advice.
6. Bonus: 50 New tech tools you should know about– Challenge: If you have some time, try to find something new that you can use in the classroom and then post what you found and how you are going to use it on the blog.
I hope you can find something you can use. If you do, please make a comment.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
TCEA Clicks
I was at TCEA from Tuesday through Thursday. I learned a lot and learned about many new websites to explore. I wanted to share with you some of the best of what I learned and hope you can use it in your classroom. I hope you enjoy this issue and find something you can use.
1. Brainpop.com/games is a new member to the Brain Pop family. There are games for math, science, social studies, and health. There are student made games so I’m thinking that students, and teachers, could create their own games. The games are able to be shown on a white board and you could use the Turning point clickers. I don’t know about the Mimeo votes but I bet they work too!
2. BrainPop– Did you know you could put a BrainPop widget on your website or blog? There is lots to do in the educator part of BrainPop. If you haven’t checked out this free resource then you are missing the boat. Quizzes from BrainPop are compatible with the Turning Point clickers that we have on campus. Try the new Mimeo votes too to see if they work with BrainPop.
3. Twitter-While I did not get into the Twitter session, I did get a chance to see the livebinder from the session. There is a lot of good information and how tos. It takes you step by step on how to get an account and how to work your way around. If you aren’t on Twitter yet and want to check it out here is a great way to do it. The images are accurate. My handle is MrsCardon. I’m also a member of Plurk if you want to check that out. It’s more interactive with friends than Twitter.
4. Pearltrees and Squidoo are two online places where you can store your links. If you are not yet using bookmarking sites like Delicious, Diigo, or Symbalooedu try out Pearltrees or Squidoo. This Squidoo links to a Valentines Day list of cool activities.
5. AnMish-This is a fun site. Students, or teachers, can create their own videos using animated characters. If you really want the kids attention or give them a special treat this is the site for you!
6. Bonus: Join.me– This site requires no sign in or account. It will join your computer with another computer. Not quite sure how it works. This is one for me to explore. I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
1. Brainpop.com/games is a new member to the Brain Pop family. There are games for math, science, social studies, and health. There are student made games so I’m thinking that students, and teachers, could create their own games. The games are able to be shown on a white board and you could use the Turning point clickers. I don’t know about the Mimeo votes but I bet they work too!
2. BrainPop– Did you know you could put a BrainPop widget on your website or blog? There is lots to do in the educator part of BrainPop. If you haven’t checked out this free resource then you are missing the boat. Quizzes from BrainPop are compatible with the Turning Point clickers that we have on campus. Try the new Mimeo votes too to see if they work with BrainPop.
3. Twitter-While I did not get into the Twitter session, I did get a chance to see the livebinder from the session. There is a lot of good information and how tos. It takes you step by step on how to get an account and how to work your way around. If you aren’t on Twitter yet and want to check it out here is a great way to do it. The images are accurate. My handle is MrsCardon. I’m also a member of Plurk if you want to check that out. It’s more interactive with friends than Twitter.
4. Pearltrees and Squidoo are two online places where you can store your links. If you are not yet using bookmarking sites like Delicious, Diigo, or Symbalooedu try out Pearltrees or Squidoo. This Squidoo links to a Valentines Day list of cool activities.
5. AnMish-This is a fun site. Students, or teachers, can create their own videos using animated characters. If you really want the kids attention or give them a special treat this is the site for you!
6. Bonus: Join.me– This site requires no sign in or account. It will join your computer with another computer. Not quite sure how it works. This is one for me to explore. I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Valentine's Day
This week the focus is on Valentine’s Day and I wanted to make sure I found something for everyone. Make sure you check out Mightybook.com. It’s my favorite of all of them. I hope you enjoy this issue and find something you can use in your classroom.
1. Math-Flower Power– Here is an info graphic that you could use in class. Have students “read” the graphics. Create questions for students to solve or have them create the math questions using the info graphic. There is another info graphic one here from Cleveland.com.
2. Reading -Mightybook.com– This “book” is made up of old Valentines that are very punny. They are the Valentines I remember sending out to my classmates in school. The book reads it to you and there are sound effects. For those students who need reading practice, you might want to mute it and let them read it for themselves. After the “book” there are puzzles (6, 12, and 24 pieces) and a match game.
3. Language Arts- Lanternfish– This site has “worksheets” with a Valentines Day focus. They include things like a crossword, word search, rhymes, and cards. Maybe great for your Valentines Day Party afternoon.
4. Social Studies– History.com has a great article about the history of St. Valentine. Also on the side there are links for Valentines Day facts and quotes and many more topics.
5. For the little ones - Starfall.com-They can make a Valentine with the little candy hearts. The site reads the hearts to them and students choose one from each page. At the end they can print out their creation.
6. Bonus-Marks-English-school.com– There are some games on this page but I found them hard to use. What I did like was the printable cards. You can customize or create one and print a bunch.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
1. Math-Flower Power– Here is an info graphic that you could use in class. Have students “read” the graphics. Create questions for students to solve or have them create the math questions using the info graphic. There is another info graphic one here from Cleveland.com.
2. Reading -Mightybook.com– This “book” is made up of old Valentines that are very punny. They are the Valentines I remember sending out to my classmates in school. The book reads it to you and there are sound effects. For those students who need reading practice, you might want to mute it and let them read it for themselves. After the “book” there are puzzles (6, 12, and 24 pieces) and a match game.
3. Language Arts- Lanternfish– This site has “worksheets” with a Valentines Day focus. They include things like a crossword, word search, rhymes, and cards. Maybe great for your Valentines Day Party afternoon.
4. Social Studies– History.com has a great article about the history of St. Valentine. Also on the side there are links for Valentines Day facts and quotes and many more topics.
5. For the little ones - Starfall.com-They can make a Valentine with the little candy hearts. The site reads the hearts to them and students choose one from each page. At the end they can print out their creation.
6. Bonus-Marks-English-school.com– There are some games on this page but I found them hard to use. What I did like was the printable cards. You can customize or create one and print a bunch.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Digital Literacy Day
Digital Literacy Day is February 1 so I thought this week we would focus on what I call mega links. These are links that will take you many different places or have many choices of things to do. Like a portal into cyberspace. These links will literally take you hours if you click on everything. You could get lost in cyberspace! Have fun! Lose yourself!
1. A Different Place-This is a different kind of site. It is for students, teachers and parents. It is a place to find differentiated instruction ideas. Have fun searching!
2. Ideas to Inspire-Think of this as a portal to what you need. This will help you drill down to what you want. This site has lots of ideas that you can use and adapt to your classroom.
3. 15+Pintrest boards Teachers should be following-If you aren’t a fan of pintrest yet, you may want to check this out to see what all the hoopla is about. Here are several Pintrest boards that many teachers follow. It’s a great way to get inspired or to share or steal ideas.
4. High Tech Book Reports-This is a wiki from a workshop I attended. There are many, many ways to have students prove they read a book then just a summary. Have them choose one of these. Choose Alternatives link and you will find the reports are separated into topics like plot, setting, and character analysis.
5. Interactive Math Sites– This link will transport you in to Mathland. Do you have a student who you can’t keep challenged? Give them this link and set them exploring.
Have them show you what they found and how you can use it in your class.
6. Bonus– Here is a link from a blog with Groundhog Day activities. I am told the blog owner has just updated the list from last year. Lots of stuff.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
1. A Different Place-This is a different kind of site. It is for students, teachers and parents. It is a place to find differentiated instruction ideas. Have fun searching!
2. Ideas to Inspire-Think of this as a portal to what you need. This will help you drill down to what you want. This site has lots of ideas that you can use and adapt to your classroom.
3. 15+Pintrest boards Teachers should be following-If you aren’t a fan of pintrest yet, you may want to check this out to see what all the hoopla is about. Here are several Pintrest boards that many teachers follow. It’s a great way to get inspired or to share or steal ideas.
4. High Tech Book Reports-This is a wiki from a workshop I attended. There are many, many ways to have students prove they read a book then just a summary. Have them choose one of these. Choose Alternatives link and you will find the reports are separated into topics like plot, setting, and character analysis.
5. Interactive Math Sites– This link will transport you in to Mathland. Do you have a student who you can’t keep challenged? Give them this link and set them exploring.
Have them show you what they found and how you can use it in your class.
6. Bonus– Here is a link from a blog with Groundhog Day activities. I am told the blog owner has just updated the list from last year. Lots of stuff.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Math
All these links have something to do with Math. I hope you can find something that will enhance your teaching.
1. Yummy Math– Here is a great blog that give you math activities that are real word type problems. Roman Numerals is the most recent since the Super Bowl is soon.
2. Virtual Dice– Here’s a tool for use to use on your Mimeo or Smartboard. You can customize your dice. Type in math problems, sight words, or vocabulary words! It has a limitation of 5 places.
3. Math Charts– Printable math charts for all occasions and skills. There is also a math dictionary from this site as well.
4. Illuminations: Lessons– Need another way to reach students in specific skills? Here is a place where you can search for and find an activity for a specific grade level, topic or, skill. It comes to us from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
5. Tangrams– Here is a site called Mathwire.com. This link will link you to all types of activities for teaching about tangrams.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a
comment.
1. Yummy Math– Here is a great blog that give you math activities that are real word type problems. Roman Numerals is the most recent since the Super Bowl is soon.
2. Virtual Dice– Here’s a tool for use to use on your Mimeo or Smartboard. You can customize your dice. Type in math problems, sight words, or vocabulary words! It has a limitation of 5 places.
3. Math Charts– Printable math charts for all occasions and skills. There is also a math dictionary from this site as well.
4. Illuminations: Lessons– Need another way to reach students in specific skills? Here is a place where you can search for and find an activity for a specific grade level, topic or, skill. It comes to us from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
5. Tangrams– Here is a site called Mathwire.com. This link will link you to all types of activities for teaching about tangrams.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a
comment.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Language Arts
All these links have something to do with language arts. I hope you can find something that will enhance your teaching.
1. Lit Trips-This link will take you to a blog of links where there are Lit Trips divided by grade level. These Lit Trips will allow the students to follow a character, via Google maps, as they go through a book.
2. Scholastic videos-There is a lot of great stuff here. There are professional development videos, author interviews, writing tips, news, and book talk videos.
3. Izzit.orghttp://www.izzit.org/index.php-This site was suggested to me by a co-teacher. Sign up for a 30 day free trial from this educational video site. They have games, contests, and current events with questions. You can search the site using the state standards too! Sign up for a free account and they send you a DVD in the mail. Give them feed back and I’m told they will send you another. I can’t wait for my DVD.
4. Scoop.it– This looks like pintrest to me. I have a great Scoop.it sample from an online friend. Check it out. It looks like a magazine. Lots of great Language arts sites.
5. WackyWebTales– Remember Mad Libs? This site is like that. Students choose a tale, fill in the blanks with a focus on parts of speech and then read the story. You might want to use this for a sponge activity or a special treat. Could also be used at a center.
6. Bonus: Vocabulary games and resources-Students could always use some more vocabulary words. Here are some fun games for students to play and learn at the same time. Some have foreign languages too.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
1. Lit Trips-This link will take you to a blog of links where there are Lit Trips divided by grade level. These Lit Trips will allow the students to follow a character, via Google maps, as they go through a book.
2. Scholastic videos-There is a lot of great stuff here. There are professional development videos, author interviews, writing tips, news, and book talk videos.
3. Izzit.orghttp://www.izzit.org/index.php-This site was suggested to me by a co-teacher. Sign up for a 30 day free trial from this educational video site. They have games, contests, and current events with questions. You can search the site using the state standards too! Sign up for a free account and they send you a DVD in the mail. Give them feed back and I’m told they will send you another. I can’t wait for my DVD.
4. Scoop.it– This looks like pintrest to me. I have a great Scoop.it sample from an online friend. Check it out. It looks like a magazine. Lots of great Language arts sites.
5. WackyWebTales– Remember Mad Libs? This site is like that. Students choose a tale, fill in the blanks with a focus on parts of speech and then read the story. You might want to use this for a sponge activity or a special treat. Could also be used at a center.
6. Bonus: Vocabulary games and resources-Students could always use some more vocabulary words. Here are some fun games for students to play and learn at the same time. Some have foreign languages too.
I hope you can find something you can use in this newsletter. If you do, please make a comment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)