Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

GoConqr (formerly ExamTime) is a crowdsourcing site for uploading and sharing class notes, flashcards, quizzes, and more. Free membership offers you access to 3 subjects and 20 public resources. Sign up using your email account to begin using GoConqr's features. Be sure to watch the video tutorials for creating resources for your personal page. Use the search feature to find and access resources already designed and shared on the site. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): classroom management (120), flash cards (44), homework (29), mind map (27), quizzes (90), social networking (61), test prep (69)

Build interactive, map-based stories without coding skills using the Odyssey open source library. Click Create Story to begin and follow the prompts to choose a template for slides, scrolling, or an animated story template. Add story content, images, links, and more within the "sandbox." When finished, publish directly to GetHub, download, or share as iFrame to embed directly into your blog or website.

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), gamification (83), images (263), interactive stories (22), maps (220)

Search and share animated GIF files with Giphy. Search using keywords or browse by categories, authors, or stickers. Create a free account to save your favorites. Easily share or embed GIF's using the codes provided.

tag(s): animation (65), images (263), photography (130)

Create an interactive categorization activity with The Vortex. Give the activity a title and begin adding categories. Add items in up to four different categories. When finished, drag and drop items as quickly as possible into the correct bin. Use the provided links to share the activity, embed into a blog or web page, or print it. Use password protection if desired to limit access. Click the question mark on the bottom right toolbar, and scroll down that page to find many templates for inspiration or use.
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tag(s): game based learning (205), quiz (67), quizzes (90)

Design professional looking front pages for a newspaper with this tool. Simply fill in the pertinent information (headline, date, place, and more) and an image. Share via URL, Twitter, or download to your computer. Be sure to view the several samples available, and click on the little question mark at the end of the title to see ideas for use of this tool. No registration is necessary.

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), images (263), newspapers (93)

Conduct virtual conferences with up to 1,000 people at one time with Free Conference Call. Instantly share your screen during online calls for participant viewing or use the active speaker mode. Other features allow for recording and sharing meetings when finished. After creating an account, follow instructions for inviting participants and setting up the conference call. This tool works on any device with a modern web browser and Internet access, or download the free iOS or Android app.

tag(s): blended learning (37), chat (41), communication (129), DAT device agnostic tool (147), parent conferences (21), parents (57), remote learning (54)

Tux Math Scrabble takes the traditional Scrabble game and replaces letter tiles with numbers and mathematical symbols. Drag tiles anywhere on the Scrabble board to form equations while earning as many points as possible from the value of the tiles. Use links on the menu to the left to change the background, adjust grid size, see a demo, and change skill levels.

tag(s): addition (129), division (98), equations (119), galileo (6), game based learning (205), multiplication (122), problem solving (233), subtraction (110)

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)

This graphic is a wonderful visual of nine of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Read a quick overview of the works of Newton, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Euclid, and others who offered significant contributions to our understanding of the world around us.

tag(s): biographies (94), famous people (19), newton (21), pythagorean theorem (19)

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)

Organize and annotate videos and files with Acclaim. Acclaim's step-by-step process and prompts makes creating courses, sharing course information, creating folders within courses, and adding videos or files almost effortless. The free registration is referred to as a demo. Register with email and create a course, a Course URL will be given. No need to copy it at this time. Clicking on the setting symbol on any course (and even folders) will give you the URL again. Students will need an email to join and access your courses and folders. Folders and courses can be made public or private. When prompted, upload files (including videos you created) from Dropbox, Google Drive, your computer, and others. Do this by "choosing" from a list, or using the "drag and drop" method. Add videos, your own recorded on a webcam, or from Vimeo or YouTube by pasting in their URL. Teachers and students can annotate videos at certain points with comments and questions. These comments and questions will receive a time stamp. If you organize your videos and documents within a course with folders, once students have registered with their email, you will need to go into the folder settings and give them access. Acclaim is 100% web based, and it is mobile friendly for all devices.
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tag(s): teaching strategies (50), video (266)

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)

Which One Doesn't Belong provides stimulating and challenging math puzzles. Select a category to find puzzles related to numbers, shapes, graphs, expressions, photos, incomplete sets, and miscellaneous. The site does not provide a "correct" answer. Each puzzle has multiple (possible) answers providing opportunities for all to choose and justify their response.

tag(s): critical thinking (127), logic (161), problem solving (233), puzzles (149)