Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

The 180 Days Challenge is based on the PBS series 180 Days: Hartsville documentary. Take the challenge as a teacher, administrator, or parent to answer problem-based scenarios related to education. After completion, view results that provide insight into your education style and how it relates to the current educational climate. In addition to the challenge questions, this site includes several video excerpts from the series featuring events such as conferences and a discussion of generational poverty. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): classroom management (120), professional development (385)

This word cloud generator is similar to other word clouds except it includes a fascinating mathematical twist. Enter any URL or text to begin a word cloud, and then start playing with the different options. In addition to changing the font, take the time to play with the angle parameters. Move the arrowheads and rotate to view different orientations of the same text. Other options limit the number of words, the amount of words per line, or spiral and scale of the image. When finished, download and save the image as a PNG or SVG file. Jason Davies' Word Cloud Generator works on any device with a modern browser and Internet access.
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tag(s): angles (52), measurement (122), word clouds (13)

Looking to identify a wild bird? Visit the Merlin site to download the Merlin ID app for any phone or device. When using a mobile device, the Merlin app asks a series of five questions starting with when and where, followed by choosing a basic body type and other questions. View the generated list of possibilities to find your bird and identify it! Merlin is capable of recognizing 400 of the most commonly encountered birds in the US and Canada. When you choose the bird, data is recorded with Merlin. Read more about your identified bird and listen to its bird song. The Merlin bird identifier is designed for beginning and intermediate bird watchers. Note: When using Merlin on the web upload a photo of the bird, and then follow the prompts to place "pointers" on the bird image. The web version cannot be used to identify a bird and is different from The Merlin ID app.

tag(s): birds (46), DAT device agnostic tool (147), ecosystems (83), habitats (92)

This resource is an excellent online activity to learn Python through coding challenges. Choose a challenge and solve the problem to move onto another challenge. Complete each of the tasks to gain points and move to the next area. Designed for beginners and experts students will have to stick with it to be able to move past the beginning as the backstory is lost moving from one action assignment to another. The story can be the one item that makes this site different from other coding challenges. After most of the challenges, the solutions are shown. Create an account or log in through Google or Facebook.

tag(s): coding (85), critical thinking (127), problem solving (233)

Learn the basic steps for creating a grading rubric with this informative site. Find out why you need rubrics and the six basic steps for designing a rubric for any project. Most of the steps also include links to examples and templates for different situations such as discussions, presentations, and other types of projects.

tag(s): assessment (147), professional development (385), rubrics (37)

Oakland Schools provides an extensive collection of Common Core aligned resources for all grade levels. Read through the information on the main page for how to use the site to browse and search features. Items include unit calendars, curriculum maps, and standards alignment in all subjects and for grades K-12. Be sure to check out the Reference pull-down for many resources to use in teaching and planning using Common Core Standards.

tag(s): commoncore (73), professional development (385)

Common Core Quick Tips offers advice and strategies for helping build math fluency and decision making through Common Core Standards. Each of the eight tips offers a strategy along with a way to try it in action and tips for success.
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tag(s): commoncore (73), professional development (385)

Browse through over 9,000 resources at the National STEM Centre's eLibrary for ages five and up. Search by keyword or use filters to sort by age range, subject, or type of resource. Resources include videos, presentations, activity sheets, and much more. Optional account creation allows you to save resources and add activities to favorites. The site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.

tag(s): engineering (129), STEM (297)

Learn how to engage students through digital learning, integrate technology into any curriculum, and effectively use digital resources in the classroom with these free, online courses. Multimedia contents include animated eLearning tutorials and interactive learning exercises. Begin any of the self-paced courses anytime and complete them at your own pace.

tag(s): professional development (385)

The 4 Numbers Game is a classic math game. Use the four numbers provided and basic math (+, -, x, /) to arrive at an answer of 24 as quickly as you can. Play alone or with multi-players. Play with a time limit (or without). Choose the kids game to play without division or multiplication. Be sure to view the How to Play link for complete rules and suggestions. Find new puzzles on the site daily, or follow 4 Numbers via X (formerly Twitter) to receive notifications of the puzzle of the day. This site is also available as an app for both iOs and Android devices.

tag(s): addition (129), DAT device agnostic tool (147), division (98), equations (119), mental math (19), multiplication (122), problem solving (233), subtraction (110)

The Griddle offers a small selection of math and logic puzzles. Choose from puzzles for younger students including Sudoku and Number Soup. For older students check out a Sudoku or Conflict Graphing puzzle. Click the name of each puzzle to go to the link for the PDF download. Other downloads are multiplication charts in black and white or color with options for including numbers or using blank charts. The Arithmetic Worksheet Generator provides a large number for creating customized worksheets, be sure to read the instructions at the bottom of the page on how to change the type of problems and locations on the worksheet.

tag(s): logic (161), problem solving (233), sudoku (10), worksheets (69)

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) offers an evaluation tool to assess the use of technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. This rubric evaluates the level of technology integration along with characteristics of a learning environment. Click on a content subject in any of the evaluation tool boxes to view a video of an example lesson in a classroom demonstrating different levels of technology integration. As a complement to the evaluation tool, view resources found within the rubric sorted by grade level, type of digital tool, and resources by choosing links at the top of the page.

tag(s): rubrics (37)

Convert, edit, and save video files with Freemake Video Converter. The video converter supports over 300 file input formats including video, audio, and image files. Use templates provided to turn photos or images into slideshows with a chosen soundtrack. Other features include the ability to clip and rotate video, upload to YouTube, and convert files to burn and save on Blu-ray or DVD. Be sure to watch the video on the site with directions on how to use this tool. It is a YouTube video so you may need to watch it somewhere other than at school.

tag(s): conversions (37), images (263), movies (54), multimedia (53), slides (43), video (266)

Create beautiful photo collages, cards, and posters easily with Fotojet. Choose from over 320 templates and upload pictures directly from your computer or Facebook. Edit photos for size, exposure, rotate, flip or mirror, add text (and edit), and more. When finished, share using links or download as a JPEG or PNG file.

tag(s): collages (17), graphic design (49), images (263), posters (43)

Watchkin provides tools for a safer and cleaner view of YouTube videos. Use Watchkin to remove text, comments, thumbnail images, and most ads from any video on YouTube. Copy and paste the video URL into the Watchkin search box for automatic redirection to the clean version of the video. Install the bookmarklet on your search engine toolbar for easy video clean up while on the YouTube site. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): internet safety (114), video (266)

Jump into stop animation using video devices instead of drawing. Find all you need to know when creating a stop motion animation (SMA) at the New York Film Academy. Discover simple, detailed instructions and the type of equipment required. The site also lists accompanying links to make SMA projects a breeze! There is a warning at this site for SMA - it is very time consuming and requires a great deal of patience!

tag(s): assessment (147), digital storytelling (154), reading comprehension (149)

The Google Takeout Tool is a backup service to your Google account. It allows you to back up and create an offline archive of your information stored on Google. Select what you want to archive then choose next. Choose the format to receive your archived data and delivery method. Receive data through email or directly into your Google Drive account.

tag(s): organizational skills (88)

Explore examples of thinking in math through original solutions found by students! Find ways to include an inquiry-based approach in mathematics education. Each post explores a particular math situation and conversations with students to find solutions. Browse through the blog by scrolling through recent posts or find specific topics by keyword search, tags, and categories.

tag(s): blogs (65), number sense (69), questioning (36)

SurveyPlanet makes creating surveys, polls, and quizzes quick and easy. Create an account with your email and see how many free features they have for you! The basics include unlimited questions and responses, color themes, various types of questions, a bank of questions for many different industries, and then there are special free features. Some of these are storage of your survey and results for a year, four types of results charts, duplication of surveys, survey embedding and much more. SurveyPlanet supports over 20 languages.
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tag(s): assessment (147), polls and surveys (49), quiz (67), quizzes (90)

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 (129), creativity (86), Teacher Utilities (198)