TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Oct 18, 2015
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Pantheon People Rankings - MIT Media Lab
Grades
7 to 12
tag(s): cultures (132), explorers (64), politics (112), scientists (62), sociology (22), sports (77)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use throughout the year when looking for ideas for research projects, biographies, and more. Have students create a list of whom they think is most influential and compare their lists to the actual results. Use information to find the most influential people around the globe or throughout time. Have students modify their learning and create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The Global Flow of Refugees Interactive - University of Zurich
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): continents (32), countries (69), cross cultural understanding (157), immigrants (33)
In the Classroom
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to research and understand the flow of refugees throughout the world. Use this as an introduction to understanding complicated events in the Middle East and other volatile regions in the world. After viewing the interactive, have students study the regions for large migrations of refugees from one region to another. Have them share their findings with a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Have students use Little Memory, reviewed here, to create a diary entry as a refugee traveling to a new country.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GeaCron - The GeaCron Project
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): continents (32), countries (69), maps (209), timelines (49)
In the Classroom
Use GeaCron's maps and timelines for an excellent visualization of changing borders of countries throughout time. Have students compare and contrast world borders during any different period. If your class discusses current events, this would be an excellent tool to use to track the history of certain issues. Allow students to explore on their own and create an infographic to share their findings using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Owlie's Skywarn Weather-Ready Educatioal Activity - National Weather Service
Grades
K to 5tag(s): weather (163)
In the Classroom
Print and share Flat Owlies with your students to send on travels around the country and the world. Ask travelers to share pictures of Flat Owlie in different types of weather. Include activities from this site with your weather unit. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, substitute paper and pen by having students create weather blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here. If you are teaching younger students and looking for an easy way to integrate technology and check for understanding, challenge your students to create a blog using edublogs, reviewed here. Take daily pictures of the weather outside your classroom and create an annotated image including text boxes and related links. Use a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here, for younger students, or Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Five Myths - The Washington Post
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): journalism (72), myths and legends (21)
In the Classroom
Share Five Myths on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an excellent starting point for lessons on the subjects included. Be sure to review comments on each section before sharing since they are unmoderated. After viewing the articles on this site, start a discussion about what students know about urban legends and Snopes. Have students research and find five myths for any topic, then create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nat Banting Blog - AKA - Musing Mathematically - Nat Banting
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): equations (119), factors (29), geometric shapes (136), patterns (64), video (257)
In the Classroom
Share Vines as a quick visual for many concepts. Challenge students to create their own Vine. Have cooperative learning groups create videos and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Share a link to any Vine on your class website or blog as a reminder of any concept.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GoConqr - ExamTime Ltd
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): classroom management (128), flash cards (42), homework (34), mind map (26), quizzes (90), social networking (68), test prep (66)
In the Classroom
Share GoConqr with students to build and use study skills. Although an individual can use the site on their own, it is best to use it as a sharing site for study information. Encourage students to sign up and build a network of friends for creating and sharing resources. Learning support teachers and teachers of gifted-but-disorganized students will want to share the tools and encourage their students to create groups and collaborate with their peers. Have students create review activities and swap them with peers. Use this tool with colleagues to co-create materials to use with content units or materials to use for flipping the classroom. Use this tool for professional development.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Siftr - David Gagnon & Shelby Copeland
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): citizen science (26), images (270), maps (209), photography (131), social networking (68)
In the Classroom
Browse through Siftr for ideas on how others use this site for photo sharing in the classroom. Create Siftrs for your citizen science unit to demonstrate different stages of plant growth, observations of mammals and insects, etc. Collect images identifing landforms around the world, to inspire creative writing, or share items that can be recycled. The possibilities are endless!Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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