TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Jan 22, 2023
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
Free Avatar Creator - Adobe Express
Grades
3 to 12
Create a customized avatar by scrolling down the page and selecting any easy-to-use template provided on Adobe Express. Each template includes options to choose from and select facial...more
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Create a customized avatar by scrolling down the page and selecting any easy-to-use template provided on Adobe Express. Each template includes options to choose from and select facial features to make a one-of-a-kind avatar. In addition, the templates offer several looks that serve as the starting point for the avatar. To begin, choose a template and login into your Adobe account. Next, drag and drop features onto the face outline to create your desired look. Additional options allow avatar creators to change the background, add text, icons, and more to personalize the slide. When finished, select the download link to save to your device as a JPEG, PNG, or PDF file.
tag(s): creativity (86), emotions (49), faces (5), social and emotional learning (102)
In the Classroom
Include this site in many classroom activities in many different learning activities. For example, ask students to design an avatar for a character in a book they are reading and add text about their character. Create avatars for famous people in history to summarize their stories. Ask students to create avatars to use for reports and blog posts. For example, when using edublogs, reviewed here, ask students to add their avatar image to their blog post as a replacement for a picture. Ask students to create avatars for parent/teacher conferences. When conferencing with the parent, share their student's avatar on the interactive whiteboard or within your remote conferencing app. Ask the student to include text that tells about their educational progress. Use avatars as part of social-emotional learning lessons to share their emotions using the characters and features found within the avatar templates.Free Anime Avatar Maker - Avachara
Grades
K to 12Design a personalized avatar using the accessible tools at this avatar maker site. Begin by choosing the gender then start customizing features, including facial features. Add wardrobe...more
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Design a personalized avatar using the accessible tools at this avatar maker site. Begin by choosing the gender then start customizing features, including facial features. Add wardrobe items and accessories as desired to complete the look. When finished, save your completed avatar to your computer as a JPG or PNG image file.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): creativity (86), emotions (49), faces (5)
In the Classroom
Create and use avatars similar to how you use Bitmoji, reviewed here characters. Create an avatar for use on your class website or blog. Update your avatar to reflect current lessons, holidays, or events. Use avatars to appeal to students and draw their attention to important information. Design an avatar with an unusual look to use as a creative writing prompt. Have older students (13+) take a picture of a portion of text and add an avatar to share a connection or response to the text (also known as BookSnaps).STEAM Art Lessons - Tricia Fuglestad
Grades
K to 8Do you need inspiration for art and technology-rich STEAM lessons? Take a look at the many ideas on this site created by art teacher Tricia Fuglestad. Lesson topics include ideas ...more
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Do you need inspiration for art and technology-rich STEAM lessons? Take a look at the many ideas on this site created by art teacher Tricia Fuglestad. Lesson topics include ideas based on famous works of art like Edvard Munch's The Scream and Gilbert Stuart's George Washington portrait. Each lesson consists of a link to the blog post describing the lesson; many of these also include a video overview of the activity. Several ideas are also offered for Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat. Editor's Note: Some links in the lessons go to a paid site to purchase lesson materials such as PowerPoints. The free lesson ideas and suggestions on this site are sufficient for creating and teaching these ideas without buying anything additional.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): black history (133), coding (85), creativity (86), digital storytelling (154), dr seuss (12), drawing (61), environment (252), graphic design (49), great depression (30), literacy (122), nutrition (140), photography (130), poetry (193), problem solving (233), qr codes (18), read across america (9), STEM (297), stories and storytelling (58), symmetry (27)
In the Classroom
If you feel that you are strong in the arts but not technology (or the other way around), find a teaching partner that complements your strength and work together to teach lessons from this site. Use ideas from here in your classroom makerspace. Use Wakelet, reviewed here, to add notes and questions as you prepare to teach lessons from this blog. Wakelet offers the ability to collaborate and share with others through the addition of written and audio notes to any web page. Use lesson activities found on this site as a replacement for traditional research projects, book reports, or written reports. Have students use a blogging tool like edublog, reviewed here, to share images and videos of their work from start to finish and to reflect upon learning. Have older students extend learning through the use of Canvas LMS, reviewed here. Ask them to research and find additional information on the topic of your lesson and create a learning path for other students to complete. For younger students, create a Symbaloo Learning Path for students to complete as a center activity to complement your STEAM learning activities.Meme Buddy - Mike Bodge
Grades
4 to 12Create 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 (86), DAT device agnostic tool (147), digital storytelling (154), images (263)
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!MakerSpace Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12This 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 (85), creativity (86), engineering (129), makerspace (40), musical instruments (52), robotics (24), STEM (297)
In the Classroom
Use these resources for your digital MakerSpace. Find tools for all grades. 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.Animaker - Srinivasa Raghavan
Grades
6 to 12Animaker 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.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animation (65), creativity (86), movies (54), video (266)
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.Creator Basics - YouTube
Grades
8 to 12Creator 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 (86), journalism (74), social media (48), video (266)
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.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
Girls Garage (Project H) - Project H Design - Emily Pilloton
Grades
3 to 12Project H has evolved into Girls Garage and offers programs to teach design, creativity, and hands-on building to pre-teen and teen girls. Choose the Programs link to learn about Camp...more
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Project H has evolved into Girls Garage and offers programs to teach design, creativity, and hands-on building to pre-teen and teen girls. Choose the Programs link to learn about Camp H and Studio H, offered for elementary and secondary students. Each link provides a quick insight into the projects created by students. The ToolBox link provides lectures, videos, lesson plans, and more for implementing building projects in the classroom. Topics include many diverse activities such as a Home Depot Scavenger Hunt and a long span bridge competition.
tag(s): architecture (75), creativity (86), design (79), gifted (66), STEM (297)
In the Classroom
Share Project H with students as a resource for group projects or enrichment. The ideas on Project H are perfect when considering ideas for math, science, or art Fairs. Create a link on your class website for students to use at home. After completing a project, have students take a photo. Then, show them how to embed media transforming their work by uploading it to Google Drawings, reviewed here. Students can then annotate the photo with text boxes, related links, and video to explain the process of how they created their product. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.
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Skyenimals - skyenimals.com
Grades
K to 4Skyenimals is a website just for kids to learn about real and make-believe animals. Skyenimals are mixed up and imaginary animals created by kids. Explore and choose different animals...more
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Skyenimals is a website just for kids to learn about real and make-believe animals. Skyenimals are mixed up and imaginary animals created by kids. Explore and choose different animals to find related pictures, games, puzzles, and more. Choose the activities link to find coloring pages as well as online and printable activities.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): animals (295), creativity (86)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share a link on classroom computers for use as a center. Allow students to explore their imaginative side and use this site to create their own Skyenimal to use as inspiration for a creative writing project.Creative Educator - Tech4Learning
Grades
1 to 12Creative 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.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (129), creativity (86), Teacher Utilities (198)