Thursday, May 26, 2011

15 Ways to Use Google Search in Class – SimpleK12

15 Ways to Use Google Search in Class – SimpleK12: "Sure... you know about Google Search. But are you using it effectively and creatively in your classroom? I just completed a course called Search with Google inside of the Teacher Learning Community and it gave me some real-life, practical examples of how I might use this in a classroom setting.

Here are 15 ways to use Google Search in your classroom..."

Extraordinary “What If?” Student Project | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Extraordinary “What If?” Student Project | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...: "This week, high school History teacher Carla Federman shared an extraordinary project she did with her students. You can read her complete lesson guide here, and here’ an excerpt:

You are to identify one specific point in American history for which you are interested in changing the outcome. Once you have identified your point of divergence, you will need to consider both the immediate changes and the long-term impacts that divergence would have on modern society. You will present your “revised history” through the creation of “new” primary sources and a multimedia project."

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Compare Contrast Map

Compare Contrast Map - Very cool resource to help students when writing a compare and contrast essay.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Math Teaching Resources for K-5 Classrooms

Math Teaching Resources for K-5 Classrooms: "Welcome to K-5 Math Teaching Resources! This site provides a range of math teaching resources, math games, and hands-on math activities for K-5 teachers. All activities provide opportunities for students to communicate their reasoning and mathematical thinking and are correlated with the Common Core State Standards"

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Classroom-Tested Tech Tools Used to Boost Literacy

Education Week's Digital Directions: Classroom-Tested Tech Tools Used to Boost Literacy: "Instead of investing in prepackaged software programs, many teachers are harnessing the technology they already have—such as webcams, audio recorders, blogs, and other Web 2.0 tools—to boost literacy in students.
“With schools being so cash-strapped, we can’t go around and buy a new program all the time,” says Adina Sullivan, a 4th grade teacher at the 720-student San Marcos Elementary School in California. “You can go with something that you can find a lot easier at no cost and make it work for what you need, rather than [using pre-packaged software.]"

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tools for Educators.com - Board Game Maker, printable board games, 100% customizable

Tools for Educators.com - Board Game Maker, printable board games, 100% customizable: "Tools for Educators offers free worksheets, a free board game maker, board game creator, and ready to print board games to use as resources for lessons, lesson plans and printable materials for English classes."

National Gallery of Art NGAkids Art Zone

National Gallery of Art NGAkids Art Zone

All a-board! Create a personalized board game - Microsoft Home Magazine

All a-board! Create a personalized board game - Microsoft Home Magazine: "Wherever people are found, board games aren’t far behind. In the Egyptian game of Mehan or the ancient Chinese game of Go (Wei-Ch’i in Chinese), the basic premise is always the same: get together with family and friends, show off skills of strategy and intelligence and, sometimes, put your faith in the fate of a roll."

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Authentic History Center

The Authentic History Center: "The Authentic History Center is comprised of artifacts and sounds from American popular culture. It was created to teach that the everyday objects in society have authentic historical value and reflect the social consciousness of the era that produced them. Authentic also means conforming to fact, and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief. To meet this definition by presenting an authentic interpretation of American history is our ultimate goal. When a collection is whole enough to be considered an authentic representation of the sources produced about an historical event, they are presented via interpretive essay."

Live Video Chat and Video Conferencing - FREE & Simple | FaceFlow

Live Video Chat and Video Conferencing - FREE & Simple | FaceFlow: "FREE Group Video Chat
Share precious moments and have fun in video chat with many of your friends and loved ones. Video chat live with up to 4 people, for FREE! No download required!"

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Battleships - General Quarters II Headquarters v2.8.1

Battleships - General Quarters II Headquarters v2.8.1: "Welcome to the BSGQ Naval Base!
Battleships General Quarters II is a human versus computer strategic naval battle game. You can play the game for free at our servers."

Monday, May 9, 2011

Google moms share tech tips for your family

Official Google Blog: Google moms share tech tips for your family: "As a Googler I often take my work home with me—in a good way. With two young boys at home, life is always busy, so my husband and I are always looking for ways to save time, get organized and enrich our lives in simple ways. Because the products I beta test and use in the office have become an integral part of my own family life, for Mother’s Day this weekend I’d like to share some favorite tips, including a few from other Googler parents."

Official Google Blog: Sort by subject in Google Images

Official Google Blog: Sort by subject in Google Images: "When you’re searching for images, sometimes it can be hard to come up with exactly the right words to describe what you have in mind. For example, when you think of London, you might picture the iconic clock tower or the big Ferris wheel. You may not always remember the names of those landmarks, but you can visualize them in your mind. To make it easier for you to find images in situations like these, you can now use Google Images with sorting.

When you search for [london], by default you’ll see image results ranked by relevance. Click on “Sort by subject” in the left-hand panel and you’ll see images organized into categories that will narrow down your search and help you find the exact image of London that you want."

BBC News - Time zones: About time

BBC News - Time zones: About time Interactive presentation about why time zones are as they are.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Rethinking Schools - Just For Fun - Map Game

Rethinking Schools - Just For Fun - Map Game

Dance Marathon Sponsors


View Dance Marathon in a larger map

Crocodoc Comes to Edmodo

Crocodoc Comes to Edmodo: "For those who are not familiar, Crocodoc is a tool that allows you to view files in your Edmodo stream without having to download them to your computer. Word docs, excel, PowerPoint or pdf under 10mb are now available to view shortly after the post appears in the stream. Now, when you want to view a file in your stream, you’ll see a “Preview” option — select this to see the content of the file without downloading it or to open the file in a new window in your browser."

Student PLN’s: Rules For Engagement

Student PLN’s: Rules For Engagement: "Technology creates a false sense of anonymity and students will often need guidance on proper online behavior. We cannot assume that just because they act appropriately in person that they will know how to respectfully engage with one another online. I know of teachers who are hesitant to use social networking tools because of their fear of inappropriate student behavior. As 21st century educators, I would suggest that it is our responsibility to use these tools in our classroom as a way to teach these skills. If we don’t teach them, who will? Students need an opportunity to practice appropriate behavior in a safe and secure environment and with proper guidance."