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Inanimate Alice - BradField Company Limited
Grades
4 to 12
4 Favorites
1 Comments
If you love to read, try this award-winning, interactive narrative. Inanimate Alice is a digital, interactive, graphic novel set in the 21st century. We meet Alice at the age of ...more
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If you love to read, try this award-winning, interactive narrative. Inanimate Alice is a digital, interactive, graphic novel set in the 21st century. We meet Alice at the age of eight and follow her episodic story into her mid-teens when she becomes a world class animator and designer. Your actions and choices take the story forward. As a little girl, Alice likes to draw and create games on her handheld device. She animates her imaginary friend, Brad. Travel internationally with Alice and her family as they leave China for Australia. In episode two they travel to Saudi Arabia and Italy. Read of life in the cities and visits to Singapore and Korea. Alice is truly an international citizen! World language learners will enjoy reading about Alice's travels to Indonesia and Japan in those languages. Read the episodes in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian, too.
The episodes of this graphic novel are available in your browser for free if you have Flash. To read the episodes, go to the menu (3 bars in the upper right corner) and slide to Adventures.Visit the Create link to view content created by students as they adopt Alice as a friend in this intriguing and interactive story. If your students choose to "create," you may use the tool suggested or use your own. The American Association of School Librarians recognized Inanimate Alice as a 2012 Best Website for Teaching and Learning.
The episodes of this graphic novel are available in your browser for free if you have Flash. To read the episodes, go to the menu (3 bars in the upper right corner) and slide to Adventures.Visit the Create link to view content created by students as they adopt Alice as a friend in this intriguing and interactive story. If your students choose to "create," you may use the tool suggested or use your own. The American Association of School Librarians recognized Inanimate Alice as a 2012 Best Website for Teaching and Learning.
tag(s): digital storytelling (153), interactive stories (30), reading comprehension (123)
In the Classroom
From the makers of Inanimate Alice: "... the level of interactivity starts out low in episode one, increasing with each subsequent episode in order to reflect Alice's own growing abilities, we've found that we can take an audience unfamiliar with multimedia fiction with us. Educators like Inanimate Alice because of this; students from primary to post-graduate level find the work engaging."You can use this site with younger children on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Older students will enjoy exploring the story on their own using headphones or earbuds. Have older students work in small groups, creating an episode of their own with Alice. Encougage students to use one of these recommended free multimedia tools Sway, reviewed here, Zeetings, reviewed here, or Moovly, reviewed here. Be prepared for lots of "on task" chatter from your students about this delightful site.
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inklewriter - Joseph Humfrey and Jon Ingold
Grades
4 to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
Create interactive, choose your own adventure (branching) style stories with inklewriter. This site is ideal for anyone to create a story and then share with others via a unique URL....more
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Create interactive, choose your own adventure (branching) style stories with inklewriter. This site is ideal for anyone to create a story and then share with others via a unique URL. These stories allow for others to create their own path or choose an existing one. Begin by choosing to read stories or create your own. Type parts of the story including the title, author, beginning, introduction, and add sections as needed. After each paragraph is the option to create different outcomes of the story, offering choices the reader makes. The site contains excellent tutorials for getting started with stories. When finished, share the URL for your story using Twitter or Facebook or copy the URL to share and bookmark as you wish. Of course, your "story" need not be fiction! You could also write an opinion piece with branches for people to ask click on questions about facets of your argument! NOTE: When you click to begin writing, you should click SIGN IN and choose to make a new account. Do this before you start writing in order to be able to save. The tool will then save your work as you go along. Although you do not HAVE to sign in before you start, it is risky to sign up later! Here is a sample to show just ONE way to use Inklewriter besides the obvious use for storytelling. Inklewriter has also made it easier for teachers to sign up students WITHOUT student email addresses. Read the directions about how to do this on the landing page by scrolling down and finding "Sign-up and email addresses."
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creative writing (164), digital storytelling (153), narrative (20), persuasive writing (57)
In the Classroom
View stories on the site together to understand the components of the site and discuss how different choices in characters and settings lead to different story outcomes. (Be sure to preview stories before sharing, since there is "public"' content.) Watch the tutorials together on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) before students begin to write stories. Use a graphic organizer to "map out" the story before writing. Create a short story together as a class to become familiar using the site. Assign a group of students to create an interactive story each week to share on your classroom website or blog. Have students create a story map before beginning a story on inklewriter; use a tool such as 25 Language Arts Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. Create class stories to teach about literature, geography, reading comprehension, history, science concepts, and more. As a more "serious" approach, use Inklewriter to present opinion pieces where you take a position and allow readers to click on questions about it. They could also click on statements expressing opposing views so you can write counterarguments to their points. This could end up being a powerful way to present an argument and evidence as required by Common Core writing standards. A graphic organizer for planning and organizing evidence is a must! Teachers of gifted could use this for students to develop elaborate fictional or informational pieces. If you work with students who struggle, scaffold with a template for them to organize their thoughts.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
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Pen.io - Anthony Feint
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Write and publish a very simple blog post or writing piece instantly. This is a simple tool and requires NO membership. Pen.io is also ideal for collaborative drafts. All you ...more
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Write and publish a very simple blog post or writing piece instantly. This is a simple tool and requires NO membership. Pen.io is also ideal for collaborative drafts. All you need to do to create a page is to choose a name and a password for editing. (You may have to try a few names to find one that is unique.) You receive a URL you can give to others along with the password to be able to collaborate. Or simply share the url for them to read only. You can include an image by dragging and dropping.
tag(s): blogs (85), editing (72), process writing (48), proofreading (25), writing (365)
In the Classroom
Publish student writing projects such as short stories, poems, and reports. Publish study guides before tests. Publish directions for assignments. With the options for password protected editors, students could post a collaborative report and have others help edit the work. This is an easy way to set up a student blog, especially if the focus is on writing rather than multimedia. Have students write a progressive story where they each add a portion. Practice vocabulary in English or world languages by having students add sentences throughout the year, continuously using the newest words. Just make sure that students use the same password for all the stories started in a class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SpeakPipe - Speakpipe.com
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
SpeakPipe offers a widget to install on your blog or website so readers can send you an audio message of up to five minutes in length. The message goes to ...more
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SpeakPipe offers a widget to install on your blog or website so readers can send you an audio message of up to five minutes in length. The message goes to your Speakpipe inbox, and you receive an email notification. You also receive a url for the message that you could post on the blog so others can hear the comments. Visitors click the "leave voicemail" button to access. Next, the visitor records a message for you. Users have the option of including their names and email addresses.
tag(s): blogs (85), communication (10)
In the Classroom
When installed on a school website, SpeakPipe provides a good way for parents to leave voicemail messages. Unless one of you shares the url, the communication remains confidential. Download messages to your computer as a simple way for students to record their voice responses for use in a multimedia project on your classroom blog. After posting student work on your classroom website or blog, allow students to record information responding or explaining each project. Encourage emerging readers to record their own voices reading a blog post they write. Auditory learners will truly benefit from this tool. Install this on your class blog or wiki so parents who visit can leave audio comments for the class. World language teachers could post an image on a class web site and ask students to record a response in their new language. SChool library/media centers can invite students so comment about new books listed on the web page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SimpleMeet.Me - Irian Solutions
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
SimpleMeet.Me is a free service to quickly create an online chat room and invite others. That code appearing when you open SimpleMeet.me is the code that you can give to ...more
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SimpleMeet.Me is a free service to quickly create an online chat room and invite others. That code appearing when you open SimpleMeet.me is the code that you can give to anyone you want to join your chat. They simply enter that code to join. Registration is not required to use SimpleMeet.me.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): chat (51), social networking (112)
In the Classroom
Use this site to connect to other classes to open up conferencing between your students in one convenient place. Safety is not a concern with this site, since only those with your unique code can participate in a chat. Chat sessions are not saved. (You can copy/paste the content into a document before closing to save an offline copy.) Use this site for a means to connect to any classroom you choose for any subject area. Connect to learn about other locations, learn various perspectives, find animals that are similar yet different, learn about the different books others are reading, survey students on various economic, political, or environmental topics. Be sure to plan content ahead of time, so students have the opportunity to think through the material and formulate a response. Discuss appropriate ways to communicate to others prior to connecting with another classroom. Use SimpleMeet.me as a place for students to brainstorm and share ideas about a topic. Use as a simple help forum for students to ask questions of each other and of you. Share your unique code with parents once a month for a question and answer session at a scheduled time.Use backchannel chat on laptops during a video or student presentations. Pose questions for all to answer/discuss in the backchannel, or ask students to pose their own "I wonder if..." questions as they watch and listen. Keep every student engaged and THINKING as an active listener. The first time you use backchannel, you will want to establish some etiquette and accountability rules. The advantage of backchannel chat is that every student has a voice, no matter how shy. In world language classes or even autistic support class, have students using new language vocabulary in backchannel descriptions of what they see while classmates act out a scene from a video, or describing the feelings of the actors. In studying literature, collaborate with another class to have students role-play a chat between two characters or in history class for conversations between soldiers on two sides of the Civil War or different sides of the Scopes Monkey trial.
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Snapguide - Heavy Bits
Grades
2 to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for an easy to use "how to" guide? You must visit Snapguide! Find various topics: Sports & Fitness, Technology, Cooking, Music, Arts & Crafts, Gardening, and countless others....more
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Looking for an easy to use "how to" guide? You must visit Snapguide! Find various topics: Sports & Fitness, Technology, Cooking, Music, Arts & Crafts, Gardening, and countless others. You can view all of the content of this site without joining. Create your own "how to" guide on any topic. It's a "snap" to create the directions with pictures. Use your computer or iOS device to create a guide. Download the app onto your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to create a guide for explaining anything! Each page contains a picture and text to explain the parts for your guide.
tag(s): computers (102), crafts (39), directions (19), fitness (50), makerspace (11), photography (157), sequencing (29), speeches (19)
In the Classroom
Share the ready-made snapguides in various classes: family and consumer science, music, art, photography, science, computer, and more! Create your own snapguides to share with your class on any subject matter. ESL/ELL and other special needs students will learn better seeing the photos along with the instructions. Use Snapguide to explain a lesson or a project that has multiple directions. Use Snapguide for directions for parents. Create a snapguide for your students when leaving plans for a substitute teacher. Students can also create their own snapguides to use as presentations and even for sequencing practice. These re the perfect prompts for writing and giving informative, how-to speeches. Students can explore the guides available and follow directions or even evaluate their effectiveness. Have cooperative learning groups create their own snapguides to share a new topic with the class. Encourage students to use Snapguide to illustrate their math solutions, discuss the completion and science behind a lab experiment, or show cause and effect.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)
Requires download/installation of software
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Talk Typer - 2012 TalkTyper
Grades
K to 12
10 Favorites
0 Comments
Your spoken words are instantly changed to written text. You need to use the Chrome browser for this site to work properly. Just click on the microphone and speak. Follow ...more
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Your spoken words are instantly changed to written text. You need to use the Chrome browser for this site to work properly. Just click on the microphone and speak. Follow simple directions and immediately begin to dictate. You need to the Chrome browser for this site to work properly. As soon as speech is ready, it appears in red, and you push ok. Corrections are suggested in red. If your speech is not recognized, there is an alternatives button to help you dictate correctly. You can also click on the speaker button to hear the written words played back to you. Click the blue arrow to move the text down to the larger text box. There you can store several phrases or sentences together. Choose to print, email, or tweet your message. Talk Typer is also available in a variety of languages. Be sure to speak slowly and clearly. This is best used with short phrases or sentences.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): text to speech (18)
In the Classroom
Talk Typer is a very versatile tool, for students, parents, and teachers alike. Bypass poor typing skills, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and physical disabilities. Use this tool in emails, documents, or anything requiring typed text. Use in your writing class so students can either write or edit their work. Use when you are in a hurry with emails requiring long text. Use for your newsletters or family emails. Share this on your class website and at Back to School Night. Emerging literacy students will enjoy the success they have with their oral language into written word. Improve content and forget about mechanics of writing or typing. Focus in on grammar and mechanics after seeing the recognized mistakes. Include this website on every tool bar and as a favorite on your class web page. ELL students can speak English, play it back, and correct it until it "sounds right" and expresses their ideas correctly.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vozme - Festival Speech Synthesis System Centre for Speech Technology
Grades
K to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Change text into speech in your email messages, in your browser, website, or Wordpress blog. VozMe is free and easy. Save as an MP3 file and expand your possibilities. Languages ...more
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Change text into speech in your email messages, in your browser, website, or Wordpress blog. VozMe is free and easy. Save as an MP3 file and expand your possibilities. Languages include Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Hindi, and Apache. You can also choose a male or female voice.
tag(s): text to speech (18)
In the Classroom
Create a verbal classroom using speech in your email messages, blog, browser searches, and even class discussions, read alouds, and simple explanations. Lower elementary classes, ESL/ELL, or learning support classes can enjoy greater independence with both verbal and written text. Let students try making a blog post with synthesized speech. ELL students can hear written language to build listening skills and relate written English to the spoken sounds. Send an email with an anticipatory activity for a content lesson by polling, asking a question, or offering food for thought. At the end of the unit, have students create a review for content area subjects. Use in your writing class for students to listen to their own work read aloud. This allows for easier self-revisions. Share all written work on your class blog, allowing everyone to share (with parental permission, of course). Enjoy giving students writing prompts or homework assignments spoken aloud, playable as many times as each individual needs. Send a quick email to a sick or absent student, adding a more personal touch with them hearing your message. Use to read poetry or to illustrate inflection and emotion in your speech. Enjoy all the talking and listening you and your class will do!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Button Beats - Buttonbeats.com
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Make music using this creative tool. Play the instruments by moving your mouse over the keys, or use your computer's keyboard. To play with your computer keyboard, click the "activate...more
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Make music using this creative tool. Play the instruments by moving your mouse over the keys, or use your computer's keyboard. To play with your computer keyboard, click the "activate keyboard control button" on the right side of the piano. Play single notes or chords (hit two or more keys at the same time to play the chord). Use the built-in metronome and a chord chart. Switch from piano to organ mode and play other instruments. Sheet music is converted to a sequence of letters you type on the computer keyboard to play the actual song. The video here gives great directions on using the Button beats music player. Unfortunately this site requires Flash, so it will not work on touch-friendly iOS devices.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): music theory (44), musical instruments (51), musical notation (39), podcasts (57)
In the Classroom
Create original background music for any multimedia project or a lead-in for podcasts. Since the created music is original it is not a copyright concern. Use this site to teach basic music concepts on an Interactive Whiteboard or projector. This is a great tool for music classes or students learning to play the piano. Challenge students to RECORD their own creative pieces and share with the class. Have students create music to express their reactions to current events, social issues, after reading a book, or whatever relates to your curriculum.Edge Features:
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Products can be embedded
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Lesson Stream - Jamie Keddie
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Lessonstream offers 70+ English lessons originally intended for ELL/ESL learners. They are divided by ability levels, listed according to topic, language aim, learner type, and lesson...more
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Lessonstream offers 70+ English lessons originally intended for ELL/ESL learners. They are divided by ability levels, listed according to topic, language aim, learner type, and lesson time. Each lesson includes images or a video, preparation tasks, text prompts and then the lesson plan. Many include additional printouts to supplement the lesson. Explore the site in several ways: browse all lessons page by page, time needed for lesson, learner type, main activity, language aim, or materials. Download lessons using the PDF link provided with each lesson. "Pinned" images provide age level information, activity type, and language skill addressed for each activity. Most lessons are aimed at middle school learners and above. However, there are several for younger students and worth taking a look if you teach younger grades.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): narrative (20), parts of speech (67), punctuation (43), sentences (50)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site to access lesson plans throughout the year. Lesson plans cover multiple grade levels in many different English content areas. Resources can enrich, or even give further explanation to current topics of study. Teachers of English/language arts and special ed will find some of the lessons quite applicable for all students, not just ELL.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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The Times Spelling Bee - Times Newspapers Ltd.
Grades
3 to 8
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Practice spelling and recognizing word definitions with engaging interactives provided by the Times Spelling Bee. Choose the Play and Train option for several different spelling...more
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Practice spelling and recognizing word definitions with engaging interactives provided by the Times Spelling Bee. Choose the Play and Train option for several different spelling and word games. Titles include Spelling Bee, Word Workout, Mini Bees, and others. Spelling Bee offers an oral pronunciation of the word. You type the correct spelling in the box. Replay the word to hear again, or choose from word help to find the part of speech and definitions. Choose from different grade levels in Mini Bees to hear words. Play Missing Letters to spell words with missing letters in sentences. Registration is optional and allows for play of additional games and to track scores. Note - this is a British site so words are given with a British accent so some definitions, pronunciations, and spellings may differ from American English!
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): spelling (168), vocabulary (321), vocabulary development (124)
In the Classroom
Demonstrate this site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Allow students to play on their own at classroom computers. Challenge students to increase scores in games by recording scores in individual folders after each session. Have students write down words or definitions missed and use as spelling words when giving individualized spelling lists. Share the link to this site on your class website or blog for students to use at home. Be sure to talk about the differences in spelling between British and American English!
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QR Codes and Ideas for Using Them in the Classroom - Karen Ogen
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Learn what QR codes are and how to use them in a classroom. There are ideas for literacy, math, art, social studies, science, and more. The slideshow provides some quick ...more
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Learn what QR codes are and how to use them in a classroom. There are ideas for literacy, math, art, social studies, science, and more. The slideshow provides some quick tips for using QR (Quick Response) codes in the classroom. It begins with a short explanation of QR codes, how to generate them, and applications for reading them. Most ideas are easy to use immediately in a classroom setting. For example, use QR codes to link to book reviews in library books or add a QR code to student-produced artwork with a link to the student reading a story or describing their work. If you are interested in using QR codes in your classroom, this slideshow will help you get started. Be sure to read the comments at the bottom of the article for some additional ideas for using QR codes. There are also a few links provided for more information and video instructions.
tag(s): qr codes (22)
In the Classroom
All it takes to use a QR code is a device such as an iTouch or phone to aim at the code. Even very young students can aim at a code to open a web page or game. Make objects in your classroom play a song (on a web page) or teach. Choose one of the ideas suggested in the slideshow as a starting point for using QR codes in your classroom. Try additional ideas a little at a time. Share the slideshow with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies. Share your experiences as you learn together. Form a classroom "tech team" of interested students to try out an idea before launching it with the full class. Let them become experts along with you. Meet together over lunch or before/after school to become QR masters.
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How to embed almost anything in your website - Amit Agarwal
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This simple blog site offers directions for embedding practically anything in a web site. Directions are included for photos, RSS feeds, YouTube videos and other videos, podcasts, and...more
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This simple blog site offers directions for embedding practically anything in a web site. Directions are included for photos, RSS feeds, YouTube videos and other videos, podcasts, and more.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): images (277), photography (157), portfolios (32), resources (107), video (278)
In the Classroom
If you have students creating projects using online tools, embedding is often the best way for them to collect projects all in one place. Often the tools are not clear about how to manage the details of embedding, to this reference is very helpful. If your students create ME-portfolios to showcase their work to colleges or potential employers, embedding is a must. Link to this site from your class web page of general resources to help today's tech-savvy students learn how to embed from various applications. Provide this link on your class website, wiki or blog for students (and parents) to access at school and at home. Teachers can create a class wiki or web site using embedding, even in school-subscription web site services. Share your elementary class's creative projects by embedding them on your class site so parents can see their great work. This site wil help you learn how.
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IconBug.com - ClipArt Free - IconBug 2011
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Looking for some new free clipart to add to projects, presentations, and websites? With over 10,000 images and a keyword search function, IconBug makes locating and using clipart easy....more
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Looking for some new free clipart to add to projects, presentations, and websites? With over 10,000 images and a keyword search function, IconBug makes locating and using clipart easy. Simply click on the image to download. With Mac, the image automatically downloads as a PNG. With a PC, you need to choose to save the image. Either way, it is easy to use and there is no need to worry about image copyright. Each image page specifically tells you whether icons/clip art are free for personal use, for commercial use, or both. Note that many do require that you give credit via link back to their site.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): clip art (9), creative commons (23), images (277)
In the Classroom
Share this link with your students so they have safe images to use in projects beyond the standard images in their computer software. If you worry that students will spend far too much time making up their minds, download a smaller collection, including the links to give proper credit, to share locally as part of a project assignment. Use clipart to spice up your activity sheets and rubrics. Use clipart images in learning support, speech and language, or life skills classrooms to teach words using images. This method could also be applied for students learning a new language. World language teachers can create a presentation of pictures and speak the words in the world language to help students learn. An extension of this type of activity could also be helpful with ESL/ELL students in your classroom. The handy icons here would also work well for sharing link collections visually using a tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Common Core: The Fuss Over Non-Fiction - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6
1 Favorites
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Delve into the Common Core Reading standards and the shift to greater emphasis on non-fiction, "informational texts." If, like many teachers, you teach in a state that has adopted the...more
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Delve into the Common Core Reading standards and the shift to greater emphasis on non-fiction, "informational texts." If, like many teachers, you teach in a state that has adopted the Common Core State Standards, this Q/A article will help you to make sense of this shift and provide you with some practical tips and resources to get started. Although the article is intended for elementary teachers as part of our Help! I lost my library/media specialist series, the general questions about Common Core and reading informational texts apply at any level. TeachersFirst plans to offer further articles as Common Core "rolls out" in more and more schools.
tag(s): commoncore (99)
In the Classroom
Read the questions/answers and explore the suggested resources as background during this new challenge. Mark this article in your Favorites as you begin to implement Common Core. Many of the suggested resources may be helpful during curriculum planning sessions with other teachers. Click the "share" widget to send them to others!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Introducing the ELA Common Core - Kevin's Meandering Mind
Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites
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View this Prezi to learn more about the focus and goals of the Common Core English Language Arts standards. Among the highlights are reasons for the Common Core, shifts that ...more
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View this Prezi to learn more about the focus and goals of the Common Core English Language Arts standards. Among the highlights are reasons for the Common Core, shifts that are taking place, video clips explaining WHAT the Common Core means, and where Common Core plans to go.
tag(s): commoncore (99)
In the Classroom
This Prezi is very useful for the introduction of the Common Core standards to faculty or parents. This would be a great presentation to share at faculty meetings, inservice, or even at Back to School Night (probably a short clip, not the entire presentation). Share this link on your class website for parents (and older students) to learn more about the Common Core.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Pause For Later - Pause For Later
Grades
K to 12
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Pause for Later is a browser extension that allows you to pause a YouTube, Vimeo, or Hulu video and resume playing it anywhere, anytime. You do have to download and ...more
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Pause for Later is a browser extension that allows you to pause a YouTube, Vimeo, or Hulu video and resume playing it anywhere, anytime. You do have to download and install the bookmarklet or extension. Sign up for a free account for the server to store details of your paused videos. The program also keeps a record of the videos you watch, saving you from having to bookmark or search for them later. The program has extensions or bookmarklets for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari. There is an "Action" button on the side of the video that allows you to restart from the beginning and mark it as unmarked. There are several other features. After installing the extension, you'll see a pause button in your browser. Continue your paused videos from any computer, not just the one where you paused them.
tag(s): video (278)
In the Classroom
If a video is too long to share during one class period, use this tool to pick up where you left the video. It is worthwhile to ask the techies to install it at least on your teacher machine if school machines are locked down. Share this with your students when you assign videos to be watched from home, queuing the video to the start point you want the to use. Encourage students to mark start points for videos they include in oral presentations. Save them time searching if they get interrupted while viewing. This would be a useful tool to share on your class website.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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40 Interesting Ways to Use QR Codes in the Classroom - Tom Barrett
Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites
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Find ideas for using QR codes in the classroom. This slideshow is a must-see to get many unique ideas for using QR codes. Examples include adding QR codes to worksheets ...more
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Find ideas for using QR codes in the classroom. This slideshow is a must-see to get many unique ideas for using QR codes. Examples include adding QR codes to worksheets for students to check answers or to go to a video explanation for completing the worksheet. Another idea: print a QR code on a sticker and place into textbooks for students to access additional content. Add to displays or bulletin boards to make them interactive. There are many great ideas shared on this site. It is definitely worth a visit for anyone using or wanting to use QR codes in their classroom. Of course, you do need to have devices that can read the QR codes; smart phones and iTouches work well.
tag(s): qr codes (22)
In the Classroom
Choose one of the ideas suggested in the slideshow as a starting point for using QR codes. Try additional ideas one at a time. Share the slideshow with other teachers and split up the ideas for each to become an "expert" in one of the strategies. Share your experiences as you learn together. Challenge your students to dream up other uses for the codes. As a service project, students could create a QR code school "tour" or add QR codes for students to use while waiting in the cafeteria line to access nutrition information about today's menu.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
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Twitter - Education Chats - Chat Scheduler
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
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This Google site is a chat schedule for Twitter educational hashtags. Take a look at who is using Twitter and why. You'll see that Twitter isn't just idle "chat." This ...more
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This Google site is a chat schedule for Twitter educational hashtags. Take a look at who is using Twitter and why. You'll see that Twitter isn't just idle "chat." This is just the educational chats. You can find diverse chats about everything from leadership, to minimalist running enthusiasts, to 4th grade teachers, and more. You'll probably find something that piques your interest! Some of the chats occur live, but many are ongoing. Not free at a chat time? You can always read the tweets later.
tag(s): microblogging (40), social networking (112), twitter (45)
In the Classroom
Explore the site to discover and follow educational and professional chats that match your interests and needs. Read the tweets about what is happening in other classrooms to gain some new/fresh ideas. Students in upper grades interested in a particular career or trying to find a mentor in an area of interest could use this. You may want to preview and pick out certain hashtags for your student(s). Want to know more about Twitter? See TeachersFirst's Twitter for Teachers page.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Widbook - Flavio Aguiar
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
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Write, read, and share digital books with Widbook. Create a digital book that contains text, images, and videos. You can rearrange content on pages and upload images, etc. Invite others...more
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Write, read, and share digital books with Widbook. Create a digital book that contains text, images, and videos. You can rearrange content on pages and upload images, etc. Invite others to make contributions to your books. Create a profile on the site to begin your book or collaborate with others (or you can skip this step). Books you create become a part of your profile. If you allow it, other Widbook members can add content and or comments to your books. You can change setting to allow comments and additions on a book or not. Likewise, you can search for others' books and contribute to their books. The only way to share your books is with others logged into Widbook or other social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest).
tag(s): creative writing (164), descriptive writing (41), expository writing (43), paragraph writing (17), persuasive writing (57), process writing (48), writing (365)
In the Classroom
Create books on any subject for your students to review or learn. Set up a whole class account or use individual accounts with those 13 and older if school policy allows it. Challenge students to create a book as a multi-media presentation instead of a typical book report. This would be great to use for a student/star of the week presentation. Each week add a student's information. Do this together as a class on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Create a link (and log in) on classroom computers for students to view the book when they wish. Use this tool for groups to collaborate on science concept tales, poetry books, general writing, math problem solve-its, and more. ANY grade can use this tool with a whole class account, depending on the amount of direction by the teacher. Have students create a book as an end of the year culminatng/review project.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)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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