YouTube - WE USE TECHNOLOGY eINSTRUCTION contest WINNER

• YouTube - WE USE TECHNOLOGY eINSTRUCTION contest WINNER

  Check out the winning video for the eInstruction contest! This is a very cute video which attests to technology integration used by this class! eInstruction Video Winner

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  tags: technology youtube contest winner

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

ReadKiddoRead.com

• ReadKiddoRead.com

  James Patterson, the award winning author, and the board for the website, Read Kiddo Read are committed to encouraging kids to read. Mr. Patterson was frustrated when his own son was a reluctant reader and he joined together with a group to develop this website which categorizes highly engaging books for kids by age. The categories are Great Illustrated Books, Ages 0-8; Great Transitional Books, Ages 6 and UP; Great Pageturners, Ages 8 and Up; Great Advanced Reads, Ages 10 and UP. There are classics as well as new titles included.

  tags: reading books library education authors readkiddoread kids

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Order in the Library

• Order in the Library

  For my library friends, here is a great interactive website that allows students to sort books virtually using both Fiction and Nonfiction using the Dewey Decimal system. You can differentiate the levels by selecting beginning to expert levels.

  tags: de deweydecimal Library dewey lessons literacy

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Character Scrapbook

• Character Scrapbook

  This is a great avatar maker and you could then create a book report using this tool.

  tags: reading Writing character literacy

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

smartmeasurement - home

• smartmeasurement

• Jim Dornberg and colleague has created a wonderful wiki full of SMARTBoard resources for measurement! It has a great organizational interface which is visually appealing and then you can find the websites which support that skill. Thanks for sharing, Jim!

  tags: measurement smartboard math smartmeasurement interactive

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Addictomatic: Inhale the Web

• Addictomatic: Inhale the Web

  Search multiple pages at once. A metasearch engine.

  tags: search web2.0 aggregator engine

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Wiggio - Makes it easy to work in groups.

Check out this great website that contains a collaborative space for calendars, polls, meetings or ToDo lists. YOu can invite a group of people such as a church group, parent/ teacher organization, colleagues or classroom parents. Click here to watch the step by step video on how to use Wiggio. This is a very robust tool which is easy to use and offers a group many tools to use. The ability to upload files and share materials in an easy format is worth the look.

http://wiggio.com

PinkBat

My boss passed on this link to an inspiring video. Do you see possibilities where others see problems? Do you see solutions rather than issues? This is 'PinkBat' thinking! Watch this video! PinkBat was written by Michael McMillan!

Comic Creator: Read Write and Think

Do your students enjoy cartoons? Would you like a creative way to teach beginning, middle and end? Try out Comic Creator by MarcoPolo. This is a very easy and basic cartoon creator which students will enjoy using.

Build Your Fences!

Does your desktop frustrate you with how cluttered it is and the fact it is difficult to find your files and programs on it? I was working with a couple of wonderful teachers the other day and a PE teacher shared a great desktop organizational tool called Fences. You need to watch the Demo video on this website. It will show you how to build your organizational fences on your desktop so it will go from cluttered to this:



Sorry, this tool is only available for Windows.

SMART Lessons

I am asked several times a day for resources with SMART Board lessons! I am so proud of teachers for wanting to seek out content which is engaging and can motivate students in their classrooms! We need to continue to seek interactive resources which can support what we teach in our school environments. If I can make your search a little easier then I have accomplished my goal.

I composed a list of sites which include SMARTNotebook lessons or interactive whiteboard activities to meet your classroom needs. Always remember to cite your sources!

Teacher Websites with Interactive Whiteboard Lessons:

*Scholastic SMARTBoard lessons: http://www.scholastic.com/interactivewhiteboards/
*SMART Games, Templates, graphic organizers and such.. http://community.teqsmart.org/download.php
*TeacherLed All Interactive Whiteboard Resources:http://www.teacherled.com/all-interactive-whiteboard-resources/
*Longwood Elementary SMARTBoard Lessons: http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/longsmart_elem.html
Internet4Classrooms: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/whiteboard_lesson.htm
*Harvey's HomePage- Great lessons to download: http://www.harveyshomepage.com:Harveys_Homepage/Welcome.html
*SMART Exchange (Need to create an account-but great resources!) http://exchange.smarttech.com/#tab=0
*SuperTeacherTools- contains interactive games: http://www.superteachertools.com/
*SMARTBoard Lounge Lessons: http://www.smartboardlounge.com/math/default.htm
*PBS Interactive Whiteboard Sites: http://pbskids.org/whiteboard/
*SMARTBoard Math Activities: http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001794.shtml
*MisterTeacher MiniMovies for SMARTBoards: http://www.misterteacher.com/index.html
*Templates for your SMARTBoard! http://www.tangischools.org/smartbd/templates.htm
*Lesson Plans from Tangipahoa Parish Schools: http://www.tangischools.org/smartbd/notebookfiles.htm
*Wiki full of Resources: http://tmstechtips.wikispaces.com/Smart+Board
*Unifix Cubes for Math: http://slcstech.posterous.com/updated-unifix-cube-gallery
*Secondary Math Galleries: http://www.mathvizza.com/Smart_Board_Galleries/index.htm
*Center Teachers Galleries: http://www1.center.k12.mo.us/EDTECH/SB/collections.htm

If you have any sites you would like to see added to this list, please email me the link and I will add it, VDavis1@usd259.net. Keep in mind this list is not all the resources available out there. I just tried to select some of my favorites that I find to be well organized, easy to navigate and which have quality content.

Thank you for doing what you do for kids!

Projector tips and tricks

• Projector tips and tricks

  Do you ever get the 'clean filter' message and you are not sure how to deal with it? Do you get tired of waiting on tech help to come and support you with your projector issues when it is a simple push of a button but you don't know which button to push? Here is a great site that has simple tips for maintaining your projector. Learn how to clean your filter, set your projector to economy mode and change a bulb!

  tags: projector bulbs lamps maintenance

   

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Google SearchStories

If you haven't checked out Google Search Stories then you should! You enter search terms and then indicate if you would like it to search an image, website, book, and more. Then SearchStories creates a video of the search. What a great way for kids to record their searches for a report. It is easy to use and motivating for kids. Watch the YouTube intro and then create your own.

Designing Highly Engaging Digital Lessons

• http://techntuit.pbworks.com

  I had the priviledge of listening to Mike King present at Podstock 2010 on Friday. He talked about creating interactive, engaging lessons for the 21st century learner. He has a wiki and it includes resources from SMART Board resources to videos as well as Creative Commons information. I would encourage you to browse through his site!

  tags: Mike King Creative Commons digitalstorytelling resources technology lesssons

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Free Clipart For Teachers! Adorable!

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  Here is a site, http://phillipmartin.com/, where the artist is sympathetic to teachers and allows teachers to use his adorable clipart for their sites. Use these images for free on your sites. Please remember to site your source.

  
  

  tags: Clipart, phillipmartin, Phillip, Martin, art, drawing

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

More Tools for Digital Storytellers

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  More Tools for Digital Storytellers

  
  

  Read this article from Technology & Learning to learn about resources to support your Digital Storytelling. Everything from Glogster to Storyjumper is annotated.

  
  

  tags: digitalstorytelling, digital_storytelling, web2.0

Self-Proclaimed Nerdy Teacher Shares

• http://mrssmoke.onsugar.com/

  Mrs. Dyane Smokorowski is one of the most generous, gifted and creative educators in this field. She shares her technology integration ideas in her blog as she takes the technology into her 21st Century, Project-Based Learning Classroom. I would encourage you to check out this great teacher and take some time this summer to read through her blog posts. This is guaranteed to motivate you for the next school year.

  tags: Smokorowski, blog, education, resources

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Labette County Schools Website Every Teacher Should Visit

• State Indicator Web Site and correlation-Labette County USD 506 -

  THe Labette County Instructional Technology Department did a great job correlating the tested indicators for each grade level and websites to match the assessments. Check out your grade level from K to 12th grade.

  tags: state, standards, assessment, testing, indicators

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Discovery Education-Homework Help Home

• Discovery Education-Homework Help Home

  Here are videos which Discovery Education has created to explain basic concepts in Math such as additon, subtraction, place value, etc... If students are having a tough time understanding a process, they could watch the video to get that 'ah ha' moment. This is a great resource.

  tags: homework, resources, discovery, videos

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Check out these Glogs!

DEN just asked everyone to post words to describe Glogster in their week long Teacher Appreciation. The words were explosive in support of using EduGlogster for technology integration.
I will attach some of the ideas I found on the site.
SUGKRFP:


Kristin:

Just a list...

How about viewing an annotated list of the top 1,000 Web 2.0 tools!

WallWisher- The Place to Post

WallWisher is a virtual interactive bulletin board! Try it out. Post your comments to my wall. See how you could effectively integrate this into your classroom instead of using large sheets of poster paper to:
*brainstorm or debate topics
*collaborate and add research facts
*sort and group wall content into categories
*vocabulary development- post a bunch of words and have students define them or *write sentences
*collaborate with another class


You can use an existing email address to log on so you do not need to create a new account for this tool.

Tagxedo- Tag Clouds

New from the creator of Wordle! Here is a great new application that uses words to create tag clouds. Similar to Wordle- since it is from the creator of Wordle, it is no wonder why! Check out the beta version of Tagxedo!

Zoho

Zoho is a suite of productivity tools that is absolutely amazing. It is basically open source for word processor, spreadsheets, PowerPoint (presentations), wikis, project management, online meetings, and more. The one that caught my eye was Zoho Polls. You can create quick, easy polls for your students to fill out and then see the results! Check it out.
This is a suite of applications that every educator should check out and tell their students about. Students will be able to afford these productivity tools- they are free!

Exploratree - Exploratree by FutureLab

• Exploratree - Exploratree by FutureLab

  A way to format your thinking electronically! Really. This website allows you to create graphic organizers such as flow charts, diagrams, hierarchal templates, etc... You can add your text, images or shapes to the content maps and then print them out. Try out ExploraTree!

  tags: visualization, web2.0, collaboration, brainstorming, mindmap

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

WolframAlpha

Your students may have already discovered WolframAlpha much to your chagrin if you are a teacher that asks basic inquiry based queries. I certainly hope my son doesn't find it anytime soon to do his Math homework!
However, think of the possibilities of using this dynamic algorithm-based site. Sure, if a student enters an Algebra equation into the search engine, it will solve the problem. But this is a very robust engine. The latest I just read is it will provide data for the Oscars. For example, if you enter "Ocsar nominees" you will receive historical data for the Oscars. If you narrow your search by a year such as Oscar nominees for 1980, then you will receive analytical data of all the Oscar nominees for that year.
Check out WolframAlpha and teach your students how to use this effective tool to gather and then compare the data they harvest. Bump up the lesson on Bloom's taxonomy. Don't just put the answer; analyze, compare, and then ask students to process the information. Then WolframAlpha is a useful tool rather than a homework 'helper'.

100 Useful Tools for Special Needs Students & Educators

What a great list of resources for Special Education Teachers! This site has adaptive technologies from virtual keyboarding, a camera controlled mouse, text to speech, magnification applications to web browsers for the differently-abled students. The way this site is organized and the annotations make it ideal for educators to navigate quickly. The Zac browser I have mentioned in this blog before is listed as well as many other great resources. Check it out.

Big Huge Labs Web Site

Every month I do a local television spot called Focus on the Internet in our technology show titled, TechFocus. This month, I showcased a website from John Watson, from Flickr called BigHugeLabs.com. If you have not had the pleasure of purusing this site, what a treat you have in stored. Watch the video on our TechFocus site called Big Huge Labs

Inservice Today

Today I am presenting on four topics to Wichita teachers and librarians. I was asked by some colleagues where they can access my materials and as usual, I have created a variety of resources to meet each audience. Therefore, I am going to post the topics and the locations for the resources here:

1. Teaching the 21st Century Learner with Limited Technology: Click here for the Prezi.
Additionally, when you find yourself with limited resources, you can turn to the internet. There is a very good book titled, Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum. Here is a blog which includes all the hyperlinks of the websites which are annotated in the book and additional sites as well. It may help you to extend your classroom resources!

2. Catch the KanEd Craze: If you are not a Kansas Educator and you are visiting this site, then this will not be a relevant link for you. However, if you are, then certainly you will want to reaquaint yourself with what is new in KanEd. Here is the wiki for my KanEd resources.

3. Blogging and Wikis for Teachers: This session will compare blogs and wikis. It will provide a quick overview of both and provide examples of why an educator would use them. There are two sites for this session: Blogging for WIchita Teachers and Wikis for Wichita Teachers

4. Google Magic: Google is going to take over the world! That is the comment I heard last night from a fellow teacher. I laughed. He may be correct. I am going to show what all the buzz is about! Yes...that is a play on words. GMail just did an upgrade yesterday and called it Buzz! They change all the time. So check out this slide share on Google Magic.

Flip Video Camera Resources (Mrs. Nicholson's Technology Education)

Jennifer Nicholson, a Wichita technology teacher and friend of mine, has created a website with a plethora of resources for use with the FlipVideo camera. It contains helpful tips, videos, step by step directions, and more. http://sites.google.com/site/mrsnicholsonteched/flip-camera-resources

SafeShare.TV

Have you been frustrated when you try to show a great educational YouTube video to your students with all the distracting advertisements and additional clutter on the site? Here is a great way to share your YouTube videos with others and your students. You simply copy and paste the URL (address) into the window and it creates a safe URL in SafeShare.TV. Try it out.

FireFox Tips and Tricks

I really like Mozilla's Firefox browser. Firefox runs smoothly, quickly and efficiently. You can import all of your Internet Explorer bookmarks directly into Firefox so you can use both browsers on your computer easily. Here is the link to download Firefox. You can also enhance your Firefox browser with additional add-ons.

If you already use Firefox then try out this list of tips and tricks to help you better utilize the features. The article includes suggestions for bookmarking, configuring it to run optimally on your computer, some handy keyboard shortcuts and more.

Teachers Should Be Seen and Not Heard?!

This blog posting was certainly a thought provoking and insightful article. I have sat through several conversations very similar to this one. I thought the author's response was very apropos.