TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jan 24, 2021
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
Twitter Chat: Inspire Ingenuity and Creativity in Your Classroom - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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This archived Twitter chat is from January 2021 and will open in Wakelet. The title of this chat is: Inspire Ingenuity and Creativity in Your Classroom. During this chat, participants...more
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This archived Twitter chat is from January 2021 and will open in Wakelet. The title of this chat is: Inspire Ingenuity and Creativity in Your Classroom. During this chat, participants will: 1. Define and discuss the components of design thinking, 2. Share resources and digital tools that can help manage the creative process in your classroom, and 3. Explore the role of ingenuity and creativity in education.
tag(s): creativity (92), twitterchatarchive (173)
In the Classroom
Find resources and information about ingenuity and creativity in the classroom. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for tools and resources on ingenuity and creativity.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Meme Buddy - Mike Bodge
Grades
4 to 12
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Create memes using your computer or mobile device with Meme Buddy. Meme Buddy works with Google Assistant to build a meme using your instructions for adding an image and text. ...more
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Create memes using your computer or mobile device with Meme Buddy. Meme Buddy works with Google Assistant to build a meme using your instructions for adding an image and text. Change options as you like until your meme looks the way you want. Save to your device to share as desired. Be sure to watch the video for an overview of how Meme Buddy works.
tag(s): creativity (92), DAT device agnostic tool (143), digital storytelling (141), images (271)
In the Classroom
Use Meme Buddy to quickly create memes on the fly. Share a meme on your interactive whiteboard as a discussion starter for the beginning of your lesson. Ask students to create a meme as a one sentence summary of the day's activity and use as an exit ticket. Meme Buddy translates information into other languages, create a meme in a different language as an anticipatory set for learning about a foreign language. Foreign language teachers will love creating memes to teach phrases to students!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MakerSpace Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students learn about the MakerSpace movement and mindset. Engage your students, challenge their...more
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This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students learn about the MakerSpace movement and mindset. Engage your students, challenge their minds, teach cooperative learning, and more. There is no right or wrong way to do a MakerSpace. Use the tools provided to find digital options to use in your MakerSpace area. Read the professional information to educate yourself about the mindset of MakerSpace.
tag(s): circuits (20), coding (88), creativity (92), engineering (119), makerspace (41), musical instruments (46), robotics (22), STEM (262)
In the Classroom
Use these resources for your digital MakerSpace. Find tools for all grades. Don't miss the Twitter Chat for teachers just starting a MakerSpace. There are also a few sites that have more information for educators just learning about MakerSpace. Some of these resources are ideal for individual devices.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bitmoji - Bitstrips Inc
Grades
K to 12
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Build an emoji with Bitmoji. Bitmoji is an Android and Apple app, also available as a Chrome extension. Use email to create an account then follow prompts to create an ...more
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Build an emoji with Bitmoji. Bitmoji is an Android and Apple app, also available as a Chrome extension. Use email to create an account then follow prompts to create an emoji with your likeness; save it as a PNG to your computer, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive. The fun starts after creating your emoji! Choose from countless options to share your Bitmoji in emails, messages, as an avatar (even inserting it into your favorite games), or anywhere you communicate online.
tag(s): creativity (92), DAT device agnostic tool (143), emotions (47), faces (5), images (271)
In the Classroom
Create a Bitmoji to use as your avatar on your class website or blog. Update your avatar to reflect current lessons, holidays, or events. Use emojis to appeal to students and draw their attention to important information. For example, choose the bitmoji with praying hands and "please" as a reminder to read all of the directions before beginning work. Choose a Bitmoji with an interesting background or phrase to use as a writing prompt. Insert a bitmoji into a Google form as feedback for student responses. Have older students (13+) take a picture of a portion of text and add a Bitmoji to share a connection or response to the text (also known as BookSnaps).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PosterMaker - PosterMaker
Grades
6 to 12
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Design posters, flyers, memes, and more without registration using PosterMaker. Use the tools from this site to create designs including borders, backgrounds, frames, and much more....more
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Design posters, flyers, memes, and more without registration using PosterMaker. Use the tools from this site to create designs including borders, backgrounds, frames, and much more. When finished, save in several different formats including JPG, PNG, and PDF.
tag(s): creativity (92), digital storytelling (141), images (271), posters (47)
In the Classroom
Before assigning this tool for students to use, be sure to allow plenty of time for practice and familiarization with how to create and save designs. Use the Typography Generator as a perfect "getting to know you" activity for the beginning of the school year. Have students upload a picture of themselves doing their favorite activity and label it with a witty text or a favorite quote (or song lyric?). Have them upload a collage of images that represent their interests and character traits. Label it with an "I Am" poem. Print the images with text for a back to school bulletin board. At the end of the year, students could do a "that was then, this is now" collage with text. Have them upload a current picture doing a favorite activity, and different images that represent new interests they have learned this year. Post the images or collages side by side for spring open house night or as a year-end activity. Students could use this tool to put images with a poem they created. For ideas for images/scenes for their poems, you may want to have them use WordsEye, reviewed here. With WordsEye students can put in lines from their poem and "position" words to create a scene. Then, right click to save their scene to their device. Other uses for PoterMaker would be to have students practice new words in a world language class by labeling and identifying images in that language. Create writing prompts using several annotated images. Have students create annotated images to explain key terms in science class. In ELA class, make homophone or vocabulary images to show the correct word along with an image that explains it.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
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Animaker - Srinivasa Raghavan
Grades
6 to 12
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Animaker is an easy to use animated video creation tool. Create an account to begin your video and choose a template to customize. Be sure to watch the tutorials before ...more
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Animaker is an easy to use animated video creation tool. Create an account to begin your video and choose a template to customize. Be sure to watch the tutorials before starting to learn all of the features included with Animaker such as auto lip-sync, extensive facial expressions, smart move, and more . When complete, download the video to your computer or directly to YouTube or Facebook. Free accounts allow you to upload your own files with a size limit of 2Gb and five exports per month. The tutorials reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): animation (62), creativity (92), movies (51), video (257)
In the Classroom
Animaker now allows 2 teachers to share 25 students, 3 groups, and has an in app messenger. Use this tool easily in your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or blended classroom since all students will be able to access it for free, no matter what device they have, using the internet and their is no downloading apps. Students will need the basic understanding of how to create using this tool. Work together on your interactive whiteboard to create a class video before assigning to students. Use Animaker to extend student learning and technology use by making commercials, science fair previews, infographics, and animated shorts in any content area. Have students make "advertisements" for an organism or a literary character. Make a travel commercial for a country being studied or for cultural sites in a world language class. Be sure to share the presentations on your projector or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Musink - Musink
Grades
4 to 12
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Musink is a free software download for music composition for Windows devices. Create sheet music by easily placing and clicking notes onto the desired location. Musink automatically...more
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Musink is a free software download for music composition for Windows devices. Create sheet music by easily placing and clicking notes onto the desired location. Musink automatically moves notes, rests, and more when adding notes or marks to the score sheet. When finished, publish your composition as a PDF, XPS, or PNG image file. Listen to or download your music in MIDI format. Be sure to view the introductory video and example page for a full understanding of options when using Musink.
tag(s): creativity (92), makerspace (41), musical notation (35), Teacher Utilities (146)
In the Classroom
Demonstrate the art of composition while using Musink on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Share Musink with students and encourage them to create their own music. In Destination Imagination or Odyssey of the Mind, use your scores to showcase talent. In honoring multiple intelligences, highlight the students' with musical talent. While reading historical fiction novels, have students compose a song typical of that period with the commonly used instruments and style. Offer in after school clubs for music, guitar, or band.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Creator Basics - YouTube
Grades
8 to 12
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Creator Basics offers a series of online video courses designed to maximize YouTube success. Although this isn't the goal of every video creator, the courses provide many valuable lessons...more
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Creator Basics offers a series of online video courses designed to maximize YouTube success. Although this isn't the goal of every video creator, the courses provide many valuable lessons in video production and creating engaging content. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): creativity (92), journalism (72), social media (53), video (257)
In the Classroom
View videos with a projector or on an interactive whiteboard before assigning multimedia projects. Include a link to the videos on your class web page for students to view at home. Set up a video chat time for one of these YouTube videos using a tool such as Watch2Gether, reviewed here, to discuss the video lesson. Be sure to share with your school's journalism teacher for use with writing and video projects.
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International Dot Day - Reynolds Center for Teaching Learning & Creativity
Grades
K to 12
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Become part of a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration on International Dot Day. Formed in response to The Dot written by Peter H. Reynolds, this day is...more
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Become part of a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration on International Dot Day. Formed in response to The Dot written by Peter H. Reynolds, this day is set aside to rekindle and inspire the power of creativity in all of us. Register (sign up) for a free to download Educators Handbook. Explore the site to find many posters, badges, pictures of Dot Day in action, and more. Don't forget to follow International Dot Day on Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with all of the latest updates from around the world. Sign up to become a member of the Dot Day Community and celebrate with others around the world each September! Some of the videos are on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
tag(s): creativity (92), cross cultural understanding (157), literature (217)
In the Classroom
Although the official International Dot Day is in September, use ideas from the site to inspire creativity and collaboration throughout the year. Read The Dot to students and encourage them to collaborate ways they can make their mark in the world. Celebrate by joining the Fllip, reviewed here community with a live stream featuring the author and his twin brother. Challenge older students to explore their place in the world through the use of a blog. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Penzu, reviewed here, with Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Or, use Webnode, reviewed here. Take this a step further by joining ePals, reviewed here, and sharing your Dot Day activities with your global friends. Consider following International Dot Day on Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with all of the latest updates from around the world.
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Creative Educator - Tech4Learning
Grades
1 to 12
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Creative Educator offers articles, lesson plans, and resources for many different ways to put creativity into the curriculum. Explore eight main topics: Creativity, Digital Storytelling,...more
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Creative Educator offers articles, lesson plans, and resources for many different ways to put creativity into the curriculum. Explore eight main topics: Creativity, Digital Storytelling, 21st Century Classrooms, Project-based Learning, STEM, and Teaching and Learning. At the bottom menu find Curriculum related areas such as Literacy, English Language Aquisition, and STEM resources will grab your interest. Find a variety of lessons in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies to integrate technology and pique students' interest.
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tag(s): addition (128), creativity (92), Teacher Utilities (146)
In the Classroom
Creative Educator, designed for teachers, helps you move past stale worksheets to get inspired! Be sure to look at this site to help you discover ways to integrate technology and creativity into lessons. Work with a partner to make the lessons fit in your situation. Share at staff meetings and offer new ideas. Look for ways to bring a new focus to your gifted students. Give as a resource to students, so they can choose a multimedia product to share the content knowledge they are learning. Once you and your students are familiar with the site use Padlet, reviewed here, to list out student interests. Then use Symbaloo Learning Paths, reviewed here, to assign lessons to groups with the same or similar interests. Older students, once they have determined their interests, can select their projects/lessons and create their own Symbaloo Learning Paths. After several selections, ask older students to choose the topic they were most interested in, find resources to learn more about the topic, then extend their learning by presenting their findings using a multimedia tool such as (click on the tool name to access the review): Canva Infographic Maker, Marq (formerly Lucidpress), Powtoon, and FlexClip.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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I Am an Artist - RTE and the National Centre for Technology in Education
Grades
K to 5
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Bring art alive for young students. Paint and color, clay, fabric and fiber, drawing, construction, and print are the six strands of visual art covered by I Am An Artist. ...more
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Bring art alive for young students. Paint and color, clay, fabric and fiber, drawing, construction, and print are the six strands of visual art covered by I Am An Artist. Click on a strand to view short videos, about six minutes in length, designed to keep your attention. Each strand also has a "Look and Respond" stimulating slide show with discussion questions. The "Can You?" section under each visual strand provides steps for a hands-on explanation. I Am an Artist allows you to explore the visual arts with various materials and tools, allowing students to express their world in a visual, tangible form. The "For Teachers" section on each strand page provides child-centered lessons developed to foster creativity and design with printable activity sheets. The site also provides weblinks and interactive games on a wide range of visual arts topics. Explore the I Am an Artist Gallery for examples. Find information about how to submit your own work to the gallery. The content for I Am an Artist has been created in consultation with Irish teachers.
tag(s): colors (65), crafts (53), creativity (92), design (83), drawing (60), makerspace (41), painting (56), sculpture (21)
In the Classroom
Become art smart with resources from the I Am an Artist site. Use the collection of videos to flip your art instruction. Search through the lesson plans and activity sheets to provide hands-on, minds-on activities for your students. Use the videos or the slide shows as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students or groups collect ideas and thoughts from the slides using Padlet, reviewed here. Use a visual blogging tool such as Telegra.ph, reviewed here, to upload the students art work - no registration required! If you are teaching younger students try using Seesaw, reviewed here. The students can blog about their work, upload their artwork, and even create an online portfolio. Browse through the resources to see what can be used in your makerspace. Host an art show at your school for families and the communities to showcase the students' creativity. Your students can describe their work as visitors explore the gallery. Use the activities as stations during your art show for participants to create their own art. Many of the lessons on the site are cross-curricular.
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Nourish Interactive - Maggie LaBarbera
Grades
K to 6
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Nourish Interactive is a great source of nutrition tips, tools, and interactives. Play interactive activities from topics including food groups, balanced meals, the food pyramid, healthy...more
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Nourish Interactive is a great source of nutrition tips, tools, and interactives. Play interactive activities from topics including food groups, balanced meals, the food pyramid, healthy messages, and nutrition word games. Choose the teacher portion of the site to find lesson plans to accompany each of the "games." View and print many free printables on the site including holiday themed activities, gardening, calendars, and goal setting pledge sheets. Find many nutritional recipes just for kids under the "What's Cooking with Chef Solus" portion of the site. Choose from recipes broken into categories by meal type and snacks. Vegan and vegetarian recipes offer something for everyone!
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tag(s): myplate (18), nutrition (134), obesity (8), preK (254)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource for your nutrition unit. Find healthy recipes to make with your class. Send recipes home and ask parents to send them in for a healthy eating day. Several printables include games such as matching fruits, puzzles, and checklists - use these in classroom centers. Create links to games on classroom computers and share via your classroom website or blog for students to try at home. As a class, make an interactive healthy cookbook using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here and share it with parents to read together at home. Some games require flash which is not supported on all browsers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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