Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Find unbelievably informative videos about a variety of topics on this YouTube channel. Search an extensive list of subject matter: the environment, popular science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, and more topics of interest. Choose from popular and new videos or click the Videos tab to view them all. Subscribe to the TED-Ed YouTube channel and mark specific videos as favorites or save in your playlist. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable; be sure to look at alternatives for sharing the videos on classroom computers.

tag(s): agriculture (49), biodiversity (36), brain (56), diseases (66), electricity (61), engineering (129), environment (252), gravity (43), medicine (57), plastics (4), robotics (24), water (102), water cycle (22)

Never leave your easy chair as you journey beyond the road to faraway places using Google Maps Treks! Choose Gombe National Park, Pyramids of Giza, Angkor Wat, Colorado River, or the polar bears at Churchill. Tour Taj Mahal, Venice, Galapagos Islands, Eiffel Tower, Mt. Fuji, Everest, Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon Basin, and more. Click on the option and then click the open in Maps or Views button. On maps with multiple placemarks, click the placemark to view information about the location, and then click the title to go to the map. Choose from a variety of images taken at various locations found along the bottom. Some images are photospheres and can be manipulated using the sphere icon along the bottom right. Use the arrows in the sphere to rotate the image, giving a panoramic view of the location as you click. Use the familiar Google map tools to zoom in and out. Some Treks offer short videos that are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): cultures (180), environment (252), images (263), maps (220), photography (130), virtual field trips (128)

Vizualize.me creates resumes in a beautiful and compelling infographic format. Create an account to begin editing your resume. Import data from LinkedIn or personalize your information using Vizualize.me's dashboard. Customize your profile, change themes, and modify colors and styles using the dashboard. Share via URL, embed onto your website, or share on social networking sites. Download to your computer for a printable version. The introductory video is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.
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tag(s): careers (156), infographics (56), portfolios (23)

The twelve videos on this site explore the science, technology, engineering, and math found in current events. These videos look behind the news at topics such as tornadoes, opinion polls, allergies, and drug-resistant bacteria. Each video includes a transcript that opens or closes for use while watching videos.
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tag(s): bacteria (22), computers (109), foreign policy (13), news (228), planets (113), plants (146), politics (118), STEM (297), tornadoes (14), video (266)

The Word Counter Tool offers a word and character counter and a typing speed finder. Simply type or paste in your text to see your word and character count. To find your typing speed, press the start button and type for one minute.
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tag(s): editing (93), process writing (37), word choice (14), writing (324)

YouTube EDU features some of the most popular educational videos across YouTube. Explore both elementary and secondary topics. This channel integrates content across 100 colleges and universities and offers access to campus tours, research, and lectures. Scroll through to find videos sorted into many categories such as science, mathematics, arts, languages, and much more. Subscribe to receive updates about new videos added. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): video (266)

Choosing color schemes for web pages, projects, and displays becomes easier with Color Schemer! Click on any color in the color bar at the bottom of the page to view a display of compatible colors along with hex and font color numbers for HTML use. Choose "lighten scheme" or "darken scheme" to adjust and personalize colors as desired.

tag(s): colors (63)

Quickly convert, share, and manage documents with Cometdocs. Upload any file from your computer then choose from options to convert, transfer, share, or host the file. Options or file conversions include to and from PDF, Word, Excel, image, and text formats. Create a free account to receive up to 2 GB in storage, upload files up to 150 MB, perform up to 5 conversions per week. Other options include downloading web and iOS apps for use. Login isn't necessary to do simple file conversions but is required for storage and hosting of files.
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tag(s): worksheets (69)

Find out instantly if the problem you are having opening a web site is YOUR problem or a website that is down. Is It Down Right Now (iidrn.com for short) instantly "pings" a site so you can tell whether the site is down for everyone or just for you (perhaps due to a glitch with your Internet provider). The Internet is never a sure thing, but this tool tells you whether it's just YOU having trouble. Although it sounds geeky, it's easy. Copy/paste or type the URL you are trying to reach into the box at top right, and click "Check." The results tell you how long it takes for the site to respond and how long it has been down (if it is). What a handy tool for ANYONE using the web! What this tool will not tell you is if you are mistyping the URL, so always double check.
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Learn about the early years of air transportation through the jet age using this site from the Smithsonian. Scroll down to read an explanation of the earliest to newest planes, mail carrier uniforms, and documents. Find activities and lesson plans under the Learn tab and click Explore to find stories, collections, and topics that range from Aviation and Early Flight to Spaceflight. Use the left menu to find many more air and space aviation topics.

tag(s): 1920s (15), 20th century (62), aircraft (16), aviation (40), flight (34)

Find interesting discussion topics for high school math classes at Math Arguments 180. This blog offers 180 days of ideas for discussion in math class. In fact, it has gone beyond 180 and is still counting. Scroll through by date to view topics or search the archives for past posts. Try clicking on the categories to find specific content such as geometry or probability. Find the most popular posts by viewing links on the right side of the home page.

tag(s): logic (161), probability (99), problem solving (233)

Get free professional development in Common Core math. Watch the YouTube video produced by Scholastic: Number Talks created by Sherry Parrish. Number Talks supports the Standards of Mathematical Practice in the Common Core Standards for all grade levels. The video helps one understand the process of number sense, flexible thinking in problem-solving, and fluency. Examples of the Number Talks are shown in use in real classrooms where students manipulate numbers to gain a deeper understanding. Students reason abstractly and quantitatively to help persevere in solving problems. Students use models to find structure and use reasoning to provide evidence for answers and thought processes. Gain a fuller, deeper understanding of the process of Number Talks. Number Talks are often used in many schools' curriculum. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.

tag(s): number sense (69), problem solving (233), video (266)

Common Core Conversations is your place to find Common Core resources. The Standards, Resources from state education departments, free resources in all subject areas, using tech tools for learning the standards, and a section for parent information provides a great basis for your Common Core needs. Resources include: ENL/ELL, library, careers, family and consumer sciences. Join the online community to join in the conversations.

tag(s): commoncore (73)

BotLogic is an online activity that teaches programming and code. Enter by clicking play. First go through the short tutorial. Choose the player link to begin playing without a code. Select your age to begin at the proper level. Each level offers a tutorial with directions for play. BotLogic shows the window of code as you create your line of icon instructions. As an extra challenge, try to use as few instructions as possible to earn rewards.

tag(s): animation (64), coding (85), computational thinking (40), computers (109), logic (161), problem solving (233), STEM (297)

Use Sway to create interactive presentations across all devices. Drag and drop content from your device, social networks, and the web directly onto your Sway canvas. Log in using your Microsoft account to begin or create a new account using your email and a password. Add content to your storyline using links to add text, images, and media. Change the look of your Sway using the Design tool to change the color palette, layout, and fonts. When finished, click the Share button for options to share to Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, URL, or copy the embed code. Sway will work on any device with a modern Internet browser and an Internet connection. They also have an iOS app. The introduction video and tutorials are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. Note: "New video and audio uploads will be discontinued June 10, 2024. We recommend that you embed video and audio files." There is a link to instructions after that statement.

tag(s): communication (129), digital storytelling (154), Microsoft (80), multimedia (53), slides (43), visualizations (11)

Instantly grammar check any piece of writing using GrammarCheck's editor. Simply copy/paste your text into this website, and receive instant feedback. Click on the color coded information and find style suggestions, spelling errors, and grammar suggestions. There is a premium option with more features.
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tag(s): editing (93), proofreading (21), writing (324)

Still wrestling with Common Core? Let Shmoop help with math and language arts Common Core resources. Search for any standard or browse through standards links to begin. Links to each standard offer a tab explaining the standard and another tab with aligned resources. Resources may include videos, teaching guides, sample assignments, and more. Not all standards include resources, but most do.
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tag(s): commoncore (73)

Virtual dice can be addicting when trying to figure out what number will come up next, and they are quiet! You'll never have these dice roll off the table and under furniture. Choose from one, two, or three virtual die at a time. Simply click Roll and start the guessing.

tag(s): game based learning (205), mental math (19), operations (72), probability (99)

This PDF explains the teaching strategies of Cubing and Think Dots. Cubing is an instructional strategy that asks students to consider a concept from different perspectives. Use ideas from the site to understand how to use cubes to differentiate teaching for various groups of students. Similar to cubes, Think Dots incorporates the idea of students constructing the meaning of concepts through the use of activity cards correlated to the roll of a dice. The PDF starts with an overview of Bloom's Taxonomy and its revision.

tag(s): blooms taxonomy (7), differentiation (84), learning styles (18), professional development (385)

WikiWand is a browser add-on to enhance the look and use of Wikipedia. Follow links to add the extension to Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Once installed, WikiWand adds an easy to use table of contents to the side of the screen, easier to read typography and a handy preview-on-hover feature. Personalize your screen by changing fonts and size of fonts.

tag(s): media literacy (109), writing (324)