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Powtoon - powtoon.com
Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
PowToon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Then start making magic! Label your title and description....more
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PowToon is an amazing, free, animated presentation tool. Choose from one of many templates available to edit, or start from scratch. Then start making magic! Label your title and description. Modify slides by changing text, font, image holders, and props. Preview your creation at any time with the play button. Stop and make changes as needed. Change styles easily by choosing a different style within the program. Select from the royalty free music options offered by Powtoon to enhance your presentation. Share the finished presentation via social media buttons on your page to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other popular pages or export to YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then using YouTube may not be your best option. Use the embed code provided to easily embed in your website or blog -- or simply share your Powtoon using the URL provided. Exports are not included with the free membership plan. Email is required to register and use Powtoon.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animation (65), digital storytelling (154), movies (72), multimedia (64), slides (65)
In the Classroom
Challenge older students to create their own PowToons. Students can use PowToon to share their ideas or to "prototype" an idea. Students can create videos to show math processes, explanations of complex concepts, review new learning, teach others, explain scientific processes, tell stories, or present research. The possibilities are really endless, and students will come up with hundreds more uses. Flip your classroom using PowToon presentations. Use PowToon to create teacher-authored animations for students in ANY grade. This is a great way to present new information or ideas for discussion. It is an easy way to share information with the class when a substitute is in your classroom. Embed your PowToon creations on your website or blog for students to review at home. Use a PowToon on the first day of school to explain class rules or give an exciting introduction to the year ahead. Use PowToon to create movies or presentations for back to school night or conference nights to display on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Teacher-librarians can ask students to create PowToon book reviews to share kiosk style in the library/media center.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)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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QR Code Generator - Visualead
Grades
5 to 12
4 Favorites
0 Comments
Create and share QR codes in a hurry with this easy to use QR code generator. Choose to create a QR code to share text, URL's, contact information, or phone ...more
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Create and share QR codes in a hurry with this easy to use QR code generator. Choose to create a QR code to share text, URL's, contact information, or phone numbers and personalize with information of your choosing. The QR Code Generator converts your information to a QR code to save, share by link or embed onto any web page. Customizing options allow you to change the size of your QR code to fit any need. Sign in using your Google account to change your codes from static to dynamic. This allows you the option to change information embedded in the code at any time. Creating an account also saves codes onsite instead of having to save to your computer.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): qr codes (22)
In the Classroom
Create a QR code that directs to your class site or blog and include it on handouts for Back to School night. Create a QR code scavenger hunt for students, making a webquest more engaging. Add QR codes to documents for students to check their answers to questions. Expand knowledge of a topic by adding a QR code to a site that expands upon what is in the textbook. Create a data chart accessible via a QR code. Students access the data and manipulate the information. Have students create a book trailer or review and affix a QR code to the outside of the book. Students may be more apt to read a book that has been reviewed by another student. Make a display completely interactive with a QR code that describes the assignment, the process, the research, student's reactions and more! Add extra help information to any assignment that asks students to solve problems. Create an online help tutorial accessible via a QR code, and place the code beside a similar problem. Link directly to a Google Map. Place QR code contact information for you and your school on contact cards to give to parents. Attach QR codes to physical objects around the room to provide information about the object. Place the links in a newsletter using QR codes instead of a series of words that need to be typed.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Edspire - Jim Moodie
Grades
11 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
This tool is much like a trip advisor for your online learning. Find information to help with courses, learn for personal enjoyment, improve professional skills, or develop a hobby,...more
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This tool is much like a trip advisor for your online learning. Find information to help with courses, learn for personal enjoyment, improve professional skills, or develop a hobby, passion, or interest. Choose your path, then select from subjects or topics. Topics vary from Psychology to Literature to Engineering and countless others. Choose your learning style: from visual, audio, interactive, words, structured learning, learning at your own pace, or blended (a variety of the rest). Choose the time you have to spend as well as cost you are willing to pay, including free. What you get is a list of online courses and materials from which to choose. As these are mostly university open courses, the resources are useful to increase your knowledge or those of upper level students. Copyright law would prohibit teachers from using the materials on this site as their own.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): advanced placement (23), learning styles (20)
In the Classroom
Use this resource to learn information to increase your knowledge and extend learning beyond the textbook. Link to this site from your gifted resource page. Gifted students will find a great variety of courses and materials in many fields and interests that can stretch their learning past the High School level. If you teach an AP class in your school, encourage students to find a passion related to your class. If possible, create an assignment where students choose their area of interest, take a course related to it (many courses are only 4 hours in length), and present material to the rest of the class.
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Any New Books? - Antonio Cangiano
Grades
7 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Book lovers rejoice; this site is just for you! Any New Books? delivers weekly email notifications with new books in the subjects you love. Enter your email to get started. ...more
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Book lovers rejoice; this site is just for you! Any New Books? delivers weekly email notifications with new books in the subjects you love. Enter your email to get started. Choose genres of interest to receive weekly emails with information about new books in each category. Categories range from Children's books to the types you might see in a real or online bookstore. Choose three categories to receive three weekly emails. If you prefer, subscribe to the RSS feed for any category instead of signing up for email notifications. The lists include links to purchase on various web sites and ebook formats. The introduction video is hosted on YouTube. If YouTube is blocked at your school, you may want to view the video at home. If you want to share the video with your students, you could always view the video at home and bring it to class "on a stick." Use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to download the videos from YouTube.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): book lists (133)
In the Classroom
Subscribe to emails for any category of books for classroom and professional use to remain up to date on the latest books being published. Share with students as an excellent resource for finding new reading material. Share Any New Books? with parents as a resource for finding books to read at home. A valid email is required to join this site. Read tips for safely managing email registrations here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fargo - Dave Winer
Grades
7 to 12
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Fargo is a simple note-taking and outlining tool designed to work with a single subfolder in your Dropbox account. Authorize Fargo to access your Dropbox, and Fargo creates a sub-folder...more
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Fargo is a simple note-taking and outlining tool designed to work with a single subfolder in your Dropbox account. Authorize Fargo to access your Dropbox, and Fargo creates a sub-folder to store notes. Use Fargo to organize your todo lists, as a simple idea outliner, for project organization, or as a basic notepad/paper. Fargo does not access any other areas of your Dropbox account. As you add information to your notes, expand and organize information using the outlining tools. Be sure to read the Outliner how-to for a full explanation of creating and modifying outlines.
tag(s): organizational skills (128), process writing (45), writing (366)
In the Classroom
Use Fargo as part of your Dropbox account. Share with students to outline or add information regarding class projects, review information, and tests. Add Fargo to your personal Dropbox for note-taking and outlining ideas (for both professional and personal use). Create Fargos with course outlines, semester plans, and more. Use Fargo to teach outlining as one option for prewriting/planning a paper and having your notes handy from any web-connected device.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MightyText - MightyText.net
Grades
9 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Use this tool to create texts from any Android device AND from your computer. Texts are sent using your Android phone number and appear in the inbox of your phone. ...more
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Use this tool to create texts from any Android device AND from your computer. Texts are sent using your Android phone number and appear in the inbox of your phone. Text directly from Google Chrome! Easily sync your videos and images from your phone to computer or tablet. Why use this tool? Managing and responding to texts on the computer is easier when you use power view and can see all conversations at the same time. Additional features include texting from your Gmail account, editing photos using filters, and receiving alerts about the battery life of your phone. If you are an iPhone/Mac/iPad user, you already have similar functionality built in with iMessage.
tag(s): chat (53), classroom management (148)
In the Classroom
Manage texts to students and teachers from your computer or tablet using MightyText. View texts easily on your computer. Send texts to parents reminding them of upcoming conferences. Remind students of project deadlines or tests. Have a snow day? Send students the work so they have less homework the following day. If a student is absent, text the assignments to their device.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TweetedTimes - Tweetedtimes
Grades
9 to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Create a personalized newspaper from your Twitter account or for any topic of interest. Connect this site easily with your Twitter account and generate a newspaper in minutes. View...more
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Create a personalized newspaper from your Twitter account or for any topic of interest. Connect this site easily with your Twitter account and generate a newspaper in minutes. View the newspapers of your Twitter friends or popular newspapers from other Twitter users. New to Twitter? Learn more from TeachersFirst's Twitter for Teachers page.
tag(s): digital storytelling (154), newspapers (97), social networking (112), twitter (43)
In the Classroom
Use Tweeted Times to showcase your own Professional Development over time. Create and share a newspaper from a class or teacher Twitter account as a summary of content learned. Create a newspaper to use for real world learning in any subject (see Thematic newspapers). Share a newspaper of your class tweets with parents (and school administration) to show what students have learned and to highlight the value of Twitter in the classroom. Students can create a newspaper using their own Twitter account to document their learning and conversations. Be sure to use TeachersFirst's review of Twitter for great classroom ideas.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Power Poetry - Power Poetry
Grades
8 to 12
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Encourage budding poets with Power Poetry. Power Poetry's mission is to close the literacy gap through poetry. This is a community where young people of all backgrounds come together...more
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Encourage budding poets with Power Poetry. Power Poetry's mission is to close the literacy gap through poetry. This is a community where young people of all backgrounds come together to process their emotions using poetry. Find challenges to write about social issues or to write a poem in only 140 characters. There are tips for writing FanFiction poetry. Find many supportive community members to encourage you to develop your voice. Poets are free to write about any subject; however, there are site guidelines to prevent hate speech and other inappropriate content. Join with a username and email address. On your profile, there is the option of sharing your first name and last initial, profile picture, and a short biography. You can message each other within the site, but this feature can be disabled from account settings.
tag(s): poetry (224)
In the Classroom
Encourage your most avid writers to submit their poetry to this site. Use your whiteboard or projector to show them the "Take Action Guides." There you will find many issues of concern to youth today. Most students will enjoy uniting multimedia, poetry, and activism in one place. Challenge your students to write a poem in 160 characters or 140 characters (the length of a text message or Tweet respectively). Counselors may want to encourage disenfranchised students to join the site and write about their deepest feelings. This is a supportive community that encourages students to develop their own voice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OK2Ask'®: Introduction to Writing with Common Core - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from March 2014, opens in Adobe Connect. Writing is an important and powerful way to build and assess student understanding....more
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This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from March 2014, opens in Adobe Connect. Writing is an important and powerful way to build and assess student understanding. This fast paced session will help you find ideas and resources to implement Common Core ELA/Writing and science or social studies literacy standards as part of writing across your curriculum. This session is appropriate for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: Explore a sampling of web-based writing tools and resources, including Common Core-appropriate writing prompts, word choice/vocabulary resources, common error help, tools for citations and research, writing templates, and more; Refer to Common Core to guide in selection of appropriate resources; Locate specific TeachersFirst writing resources appropriate for the his/her subject and grade level; Consider possible writing projects or activities that students can do in his/her classes using web-based resources; and (followup) Implement Common Core appropriate writing lesson(s) with students using web-based tools. Applicable NETS-T standards (2008)*: 1c, 2a, c; 3a, b, d. Please read the full text at ISTE's NETS-T page
tag(s): commoncore (96), writing (366)
In the Classroom
Having trouble finding great writing resources for your classroom? Take your writing to the next level using the resources shared during this session. Learn more about the Common Core and how to implement the standards in your writing lessons. Take a look at the resource page full of GREAT ideas! Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.
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OECD Data Lab - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Grades
8 to 12
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Discover graphical displays of statistics about education, death, employment outlook, migration, income distribution, and more. The best way to understand our world and to educate people...more
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Discover graphical displays of statistics about education, death, employment outlook, migration, income distribution, and more. The best way to understand our world and to educate people is to know what is happening in the many aspects of our lives. Hover over a graph to view an abstract of the data used for the graph. Each graph is interactive. Choosing various countries or other parameters changes the graph. Click on the "Create Your Own" button on most of these graphs to enter your own data for viewing and comparison. Compare your graph to others and share. Graphs even showcase gender differences in responses. The Better Life Index is a great place to start.
tag(s): agriculture (57), charts and graphs (196), critical thinking (111), cross cultural understanding (117), financial literacy (80), foreign policy (16), migration (59), writing prompts (94)
In the Classroom
Start with the OECD Better Life Index that brings together many factors to numerically rank countries by happiness or well-being. Assign this graph as a "Make Your Own," with students rating the topics (or more importantly, asking their parents or grandparents). Compare their results and look at gender differences. Students can brainstorm reasons for gender differences or ranking of topics in importance. Compare the United States to other countries. Allow class time to look at other data found on this site and brainstorm how these are connected. Connect the data to curriculum being discussed in class: economic policies, wars, global problems with food and agriculture, social norms, and more. Connect the information to headlines from around the world, both past and present. Encourage students to write an essay, opinion piece, or elevator pitch on one aspect or social issue that is important to change. What a great example of argument and evidence as required by Common Core! This assignment can also be delivered as a podcast, video, or part of a news segment the class creates. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here) to create podcasts. Try creating a video and share it using TeacherTube reviewed here.
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Skillwise - BBC
Grades
7 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Find extensive assistance for older ELL/ESL students with reading, writing, word forms, sentences, and speaking/listening activities. This site even includes some math skills. Explore...more
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Find extensive assistance for older ELL/ESL students with reading, writing, word forms, sentences, and speaking/listening activities. This site even includes some math skills. Explore the videos, activities, exercises, quizzes, and games to improve English. In addition to practice activities and interactives, the site contains tips and other help for tutors who work with students desiring to improve basic verbal and math skills. Although the site is aimed at adult survival skills, the basic learning required would be beneficial for most ELL/ESL students. At the time of this review, all content appeared appropriate for secondary students. However, always preview before you share - since activities were designed for adult learners. The site is created in the UK so spellings will vary from American English.
tag(s): capitalization (18), grammar (215), parts of speech (67), punctuation (43), reading strategies (47), sentences (50), spelling (167), verbs (41), writing (366)
In the Classroom
Bookmark (or save in your favorites) on your classroom computers for ESL/ELL students to use when they are working on their own. Pair up ESL students and native speakers, having the better English speakers follow the tutor guidelines. Learning Support teachers will find many activities suitable for middle and high school students to reinforce grammar and writing skills. Share this tool on your class website for ESL families to explore and learn together and for ALL students to use for extra practice.
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Wibki - Roy Pessis
Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Bookmark your favorite web resources in a visual interface with Wibki. Instead of just creating a long list of bookmarks, use Wibki to organize your favorite resources through categories...more
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Bookmark your favorite web resources in a visual interface with Wibki. Instead of just creating a long list of bookmarks, use Wibki to organize your favorite resources through categories and labels you choose. Through the use of icons, Wibki displays each bookmark in a visually appealing display, making them easy to find and use. View up to 40 icons at one time. This view is especially handy on a tablet. Registration is required (with email.) Share any link on Twitter or Facebook by clicking the edit (pencil) icon in the link. Use the Discover link to find new favorites offered by Wibki editors weekly. Click on the star to add to any of your categories. Add the bookmarklet to your browser bar to quickly add any website as a favorite. Wibki works well with touch and click features on any device.
tag(s): bookmarks (64), DAT device agnostic tool (170)
In the Classroom
Create a Wibki of the most used sites for your class. Link to teacher web pages, webquests, resource sites for your subject, and any other resource that is helpful for students. Consider creating a login for the whole class to update with suggestions from class members. Be sure to link your Wibki on a computer center in your room for easy access. Since icons are shown rather than words, you could use this site with your nonreaders. Create a Wibki mix for parents and students to access at home before tests. Team up with other teachers in your subject/grade to create chapter by chapter Wibkis for all your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lookwork - Ben Pieratt and Eric Jacobsen
Grades
6 to 12
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0 Comments
Lookwork is an RSS Reader displaying images drawn from the "feeds" of over 400 of the world's most creative blogs. Browse by scrolling through images on the home page. Choose ...more
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Lookwork is an RSS Reader displaying images drawn from the "feeds" of over 400 of the world's most creative blogs. Browse by scrolling through images on the home page. Choose from subjects such as Photography or Architecture or Illustration to narrow your search. Create your own personal Lookwork feed after creating an account and choosing topics to include. Note: Content is unmoderated so take precautions when sharing with students.
tag(s): architecture (85), creative writing (170), design (83), graphic design (35), images (275), photography (162), writing prompts (94)
In the Classroom
Use Lookwork as an excellent inspiration for creative writing projects. Find interesting images to display on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) for students to use as inspiration. Use in Art class as a source for creative artwork and photography to discuss design elements and principles. Have your more advanced art students create their own accounts to "feed" their own artistic appetites.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Worldcrunch - All News Is Global - Jeff Israely and Irene Toporkoff
Grades
8 to 12
11 Favorites
0 Comments
Worldcrunch delivers news from top world-language outlets, translated into English and providing a non-U.S. "view" via reputable sources. The collection was created by a former Time...more
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Worldcrunch delivers news from top world-language outlets, translated into English and providing a non-U.S. "view" via reputable sources. The collection was created by a former Time bureau chief and foreign correspondent for various U.S. publications. He has teamed with a media collaborator from France. Worldcrunch is a great resource for locating news and culture from around the world. During periods of controversy or high international tension, this is an informative source for teens to adults. Explore the interactive map to find news from specific locations or browse through headlines on the main page. This site is very up to date and includes articles from the news today around the world. Choose from topics such as World Affairs, Tech/Science, or Culture/Society. Easily share articles using social networking and email links. Use the "Read Later" link to email, send to Pocket reviewed here. Free app versions are available for both Android and iOS.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (117), DAT device agnostic tool (170), journalism (55), media literacy (60), news (265), newspapers (97)
In the Classroom
Share with your students to show them different perspectives on world events. This site would also provide contrasting texts for close reading as required by Common Core. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here) to compare and contrast coverage between two newspapers. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here after reading and comparing many different articles. Build student awareness of the limited view provided by some publications, especially during times of international tension. Explore this site during Newspaper in Education Week or as part of a unit on the basics and nuances of journalistic writing. World language teachers can use newspapers to teach about both language and culture. Have world cultures or social studies students learn about local culture through advertisements and articles and share their findings using a screencast (or screenshots) of the newspaper and talking about their discoveries. Use a free tool like Screenr, reviewed here, to create screencasts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Noisli - Stefano Merlo
Grades
K to 12
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Stressed? Unable to concentrate or complete a task? This tool will generate background sounds and colors to create a positive thinking environment! Choose from a variety of sounds that...more
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Stressed? Unable to concentrate or complete a task? This tool will generate background sounds and colors to create a positive thinking environment! Choose from a variety of sounds that sooth and relax while promoting creative productivity. These sounds are much better than plain, white noise. Classic sounds for relaxation include thunder, rain, waves, summer night, forest, white noise, and more. Even Coffee House is a sound that is the general hum of a business and not distracting to your work. As the music plays, the background color changes through a variety of harmonious colors to match the mood of the sound. Click on multiple sounds to create your own mix that is sure to please. Note: Be patient for the music to start, and be sure to click the icon again to stop it before choosing another sound if not mixing them. There is also a link to click and be taken to a blank writing page. (It may not be a white background though, but rather red, yellow, or green.) Click on the lines on the right side of the site to access the writing area. Click the arrow to SAVE your work. Use the music to inspire your writing.
tag(s): creative writing (170), learning styles (20), sounds (70)
In the Classroom
Be sure to share this link with students (and their parents) looking for less distracting sounds while brainstorming or working. Reading a book to the class or conducting a science lab? Turn up your speakers and use these background sounds as mood music to set the stage for your story. Why not listen to waves or water while studying it! Play a few minutes of relaxing sounds before a major test. Let a student "DJ" create a class relaxation or creativity soundscape. Consider using as background sounds for student presentations. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Use the writing tool available at this site to motivate your students with music, color, and more. If you talk with students about discovering their own learning styles, offer this site as a suggestion for them to try while prewriting or studying for tests. Emotional support (and autistic support) teachers may want to experiment to see if these sounds can help their students. Some students may find them overstimulating, while others may find the sounds very helpful.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Library of Congress American Memory - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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American Memory provides this digital record of American history and creativity through written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet...more
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American Memory provides this digital record of American history and creativity through written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. Some of the categories are Advertising, Environment and Conservation, Immigration and American Expansion, Performing Arts, Sports and Recreation, and many others. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that make up America.
tag(s): advertising (33), african american (114), architecture (85), branches of government (50), cities (25), conservation (128), cultures (107), environment (321), immigration (58), industrialization (14), literature (276), maps (293), native americans (78), north america (19), presidents (132), religions (67), sports (98), women (92)
In the Classroom
Use American Memory in your study of either state, or United States history providing further primary and secondary resources to bring life into your subject matter. Discover point of view or popular opinion found in the collections. Use on your interactive whiteboard with the class, or even as a resource on projects to give a personal reference. Combine with literature for understanding of a place or time in American history. Look at the year of birth for your students to compare and contrast for today. Use as an example for your year of learning in your subject area or even grade level. Be sure to list as a resource on student computers or your class website.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Teaching Florida - Florida Humanities Council
Grades
3 to 12
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Teaching Florida will bring Florida's history alive. Study Spanish Influence, Explorers, Native Americans, or Parts of Florida. Lesson plans, primary and secondary resources, maps,...more
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Teaching Florida will bring Florida's history alive. Study Spanish Influence, Explorers, Native Americans, or Parts of Florida. Lesson plans, primary and secondary resources, maps, paintings, and references make the subject matter come alive. Extend your learning by finding resources for summer workshops, district programs, and resources for teachers.
tag(s): explorers (65), florida (11), maps (293), native americans (78)
In the Classroom
Integrate fiction and nonfiction sources into your studies of explorers, Native Americans, or Spanish influences. Compare and contrast the differences between primary and secondary sources. Integrate units of English Language Arts Common core standards and Social Studies standards.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Writing Reviser - SAS Curriculum Pathways
Grades
6 to 12
1 Favorites
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Writing Reviser is a powerful, kid friendly writing revision tool, and it's FREE! Watch a two minute video to get an overview. Check out the demo to learn how to ...more
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Writing Reviser is a powerful, kid friendly writing revision tool, and it's FREE! Watch a two minute video to get an overview. Check out the demo to learn how to use the features and how to revise your writing. You do have to join to be able to see anything beyond the general demo video. Once logged in, you can paste in an essay, explaining your intended audience and purpose. There is automated feedback about organization, style, and grammar. See statistics about your writing and discover things to improve and revise. You can delve into very specific aspects of your writing, such as verbs, pronouns, cliches, sentence variety, power sentences, and much more. The explanations are a little bit text-heavy, but they are very helpful. There is also free access to the Writing Planner and Writing Drafter from this tool. Explore the entire writing process at your fingertips!
tag(s): editing (68), process writing (45), writing (366)
In the Classroom
Give students the benefits of immediate feedback. Use this formative tool to help students focus on their purpose, audience, structure, and use of language (sentence economy, variety, power, and clarity). Start with whole-group instruction by projecting the demo, and work on one strategy at a time. Suggest individual areas for each student or let each one decide on an area of personal writing "need." You might want to start with Sentence Power (verbs). Show students the "About" and how to change "was" to an active verb. Allow students time to work on their own sentence power before moving to the next revision strategy or letting them choose another. Once the students know the program, use it for peer conferences or at home on their own time. Once you set up your account, enroll your students with your school. Their parents can also set up an individual student account. In 2014, SAS plans to develop a teacher "dashboard."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zentation - Karl Siegert
Grades
5 to 12
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Do you have a PowerPoint presentation AND YouTube video to combine for your next presentation? Zentation helps you combine these two tools into one dynamic presentation with both the...more
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Do you have a PowerPoint presentation AND YouTube video to combine for your next presentation? Zentation helps you combine these two tools into one dynamic presentation with both the slides AND the video showing side by side. This presentation method can share the "live" presenter (from a video) and his/her slides together on the screen. Watch the demo to see what the results look like. After creating your account, choose New Presentation to begin. Provide a name and description. Click the Start under the Public column. (Premium Private provides additional paid options.) Copy/paste in the link to your prerecorded YouTube or Google video. Upload your PowerPoint from your computer or link to a SlideShare presentation and choose "Upload PPT." Once all uploads finish, use the sync option in your account to add descriptions and modify slide display time as needed to sync with the video. Use the share button to share your finished project via URL, embed into your blog, send through email, or create a link with thumbnail images. If your district blocks YouTube, you may not be able to use this tool at school.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use your existing presentations along with video of you narrating them (or other video) and upload them to Zentation. Zentation is perfect for use in your BYOD or 1:1 classroom. It does use Flash, so iOS devices will not display the results. Use during your presentations to increase student interest and interaction. Share with students for use to combine their own slides and video to create a more dynamic presentation. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Compfight, reviewed here. Use Zentation as an excellent resource for creating and sharing review materials on your website. It would also be a great way to "flip" your classroom. Use the video area to include examples of a scientific process (found on YouTube) or even video of students themselves explaining student-created review or presentation slides in a format you can easily share and archive on a class web page or wiki. Anything you can put on video can go in the left video box! If you have students who are too shy to present in person, this would be a great way for them to record and combine slides with video of themselves. Teacher-librarians could record students doing booktalks alongside slides of images from the book or illustrations the students draw themselves.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zeemaps - Zee Source
Grades
4 to 12
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Generate maps with unlimited markers easily with this tool! NO membership is required to create, save, or collaborate on maps, and you do not need to install software. Enter a ...more
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Generate maps with unlimited markers easily with this tool! NO membership is required to create, save, or collaborate on maps, and you do not need to install software. Enter a title, description (optional), an admin password for others to collaborate, and a starting location to create your map. Add simple or detailed markers to your map. Input data from multiple formats: KML, CSV, Excel, and more. Add video, audio, and information to each of the markers. Markers can also be customized icons. Be sure to check out the menu options available such as Additions, where areas of the map can be highlighted and Annotations can be added to the markers. Share your map by URL or publish in a webpage.
tag(s): directions (19), map skills (82), maps (293)
In the Classroom
If you teach geography, this one is a must. It is also helpful for showing students WHERE a story or news event takes place. Teach map skills by letting students explore and annotate their own community. This site is great on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Create multiple markers for various points within your community. Annotate the markers with specific information that students research. Remember to create an admin password (and save it somewhere safe!) for others to collaborate on the map. Research various places around the world, and create markers of must-see places, historical finds, and other locations of interest. Create a map of news hot spots around the world. In Biology, find places where environmental or biodiversity concerns are occurring. Collaborate on a map to include annotated information of student research about these problems. Create a map to introduce various cultures around the world. Enter video, audio, information, and links that students can use to "uncover" the content to be learned.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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