Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Practice spatial awareness, logic, and reasoning skills with this Tetris site. Choose a level and click play to begin. Actions are controlled by the use of arrow keys on the computer keyboard and directions are included by clicking on the game surface. Progress through levels by successful completion of building lines with Tetris blocks. Game status is shown including lines created and total score.

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

What is a credit score? Why is it important? How do you build a credit score? Find answers to these and more with this puzzle/infographic. Follow through the puzzle to find out what information is used in a credit score and the best way to build your credit.

tag(s): banks (8), financial literacy (93)

Quiz Factor offers quizzes that are not about your typical "education" topics. There are both popular and specialist subjects. Some topic examples are: Animals and Nature, Cinema and Actors, Fashion and Design, History and Politics, Religion and Traditions, Science, Sports and Games, Technology and Manufacturing, and many more. At Quiz Factor you can climb the Leaderboards and win prizes. There are three types of quizzes: The Ladder, Time Trials, and True/False. You can also make your own quizzes. (At the time of this review, this feature was "coming soon.") This site is from the UK, and some questions in the General Knowledge section test facts you would know if you've been to the UK.

tag(s): animals (294), cultures (180), design (79), fashion (12), quiz (67), quizzes (90), radio (20), religions (95), sports (82), substitutes (25)

A Thunk is a beguilingly simple-looking yes/no question that stops you in your tracks to look at the world in a whole new light. Over a thousand Thunks are included on the site with simple yes or no responses. View results easily, read comments, or submit your own comment by including your name, email (will not be displayed), and comment. Thunks can be chosen by categories such as good and bad, human condition, or friendship. At the time of this review, we found no evidence of inappropriate public comments (and we looked hard!) , but you might want to preview before turning young people loose on the site.
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tag(s): logic (161), problem solving (233), questioning (36)

Use this visual bookmarking program to help you keep your online favorites/bookmarks organized. Choose to make shortcuts (tiles with the logo of the site you are bookmarking) for places you visit repeatedly. The tiles make it visual and so easy to use! Can't find the logo? Submit a site by clicking on a button at the bottom of the home page. Access and add to your Skloog bookmarks from anywhere using any computer, your mobile phone, or email. Make Skloog one of the tools on your browser's tool bar in order to add to your favorites quickly and easily. Add or change the preset category tabs that show at the top. Search your favorites by tags, URL, or website name. An added feature is the Skloog tab in the upper right corner of the menu on your short cut page. Click to find some of Skloog's favorite sites.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), curation (32), resources (83)

Want to make flashcards using tools you already know? Follow these step-by-step directions for making flashcards from a Google Spreadsheet. Directions also include screenshots, making the process much easier. You need a Google Doc account and some familiarity with using spreadsheets. This site does include comments. At the time of this review, all comments were appropriate for classroom use.
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tag(s): flash cards (44)

Find practice and skill interactives for many grade levels at PowerMyLearning. This site collects learning games, videos, and other activities from around the web and presents them via simple search so you can learn and practice concepts across many curriculum areas. The actual interactives and videos are created by other organizations and displayed within PowerMyLearning's colorful frame and subject/grade level organizational structure. Brief descriptions and keywording accompany activity listings. To view an activity on full screen and in a new tab/window (with its own url), click the "expand window" arrow in the top right corner. The site is designed for cooperative use by teachers, parents, and students and has been used successfully in schoolwide efforts to raise student achievement in targeted cities. To actually view any of the activities, you must join the free site. There are varied management options for students, teachers, and parents.
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tag(s): operations (72)

Picturing Words is an online exhibit featuring 40 illustrated, rare books from history, science, and art. The illustrated books go back to the 1400's with illuminated manuscripts from The Canon of Medicine (980-1037) up to 1996 and The Graphic Alphabet. The categories include: Inspires, Informs, or Influences. Also included is a section on the process of illustration, detailed images, and examples organized by theme. Suddenly, you will notice illustrations!

tag(s): artists (84), medieval (32), primary sources (117), renaissance (38)

Take a look at this online graphic organizer creator/drawing tool that requires NO membership. Although a bit "plain vanilla" in appearance, this is a wonderful tool! Research shows that graphic organizers promote strong thinking skills and comprehension for all ages. Draw.io is a simple, free online tool for creating mind maps -- or diagrams for any purpose -- using shapes and arrows. Just drop and drag the shapes (or nodes) you want to the panel, connect the nodes by dragging the arrow, and double-click in the shape to add text. Use the simple toolbar at the top to insert images, change, bold, color and enlarge text, etc. Printing and exporting is also an option. If you click on the "Help" tab at the top, you will see "Video Tutorial" which uses flash. Draw.io uses JavaScript, not Flash, so it works on iOS devices.

tag(s): brainstorming (18), concept mapping (15), graphic organizers (48), mind map (27), venn diagrams (15), visual thinking (8)

Here you will find a "kid-appropriate" search tool featuring countless general topics: Facts & Reference, Computers/The Internet, The Arts, Strange & Mysterious, Hot Topics, The World, Science & Math, Reading, Writing, Speaking, Nature, and several others. Within each of the main topics are subtopics. For example, in the Classroom section you will find English, Foreign Langauges, Math, History, Reference Tools, Shapes, Woodwork, Colors, Art, Religion, Philosophy, Social Studies, and Homework Help. There is a ton here to explore! The information includes articles and images/photos.

tag(s): alphabet (53), animals (294), animation (64), clip art (11), colors (63), comics and cartoons (55), cooking (32), crafts (64), creative writing (124), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), dance (31), dinosaurs (43), disabilities (32), diseases (66), drawing (61), fitness (39), flags (18), folktales (34), geometric shapes (134), grammar (137), homework (29), insects (68), journalism (74), measurement (122), museums (52), mysteries (23), numbers (120), nutrition (140), oceans (149), operations (72), origami (14), painting (54), photography (130), poetry (193), psychology (65), rainforests (18), religions (95), search engines (48), seasons (37), sign language (10), social networking (61), spelling (98), sports (82), trivia (19), vocabulary (238), weather (160)

Create drawings and simple gif animations. Four canvas sizes are available for drawing and two sizes are included for creating gif animations. Select a drawing tool to draw free hand or select pre-defined shapes to use in your images. Click the save button to download your drawing or animation to your computer.

tag(s): drawing (61), graphic design (49)

What is STEM? With so much emphasis on pursuing STEM, find great resources here about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Find articles, surveys, and other information about STEM careers. Find information geared towards students, teachers, counselors, and parents about pursuing STEM careers. Search through STEM disciplines, degree profiles, or other information.
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tag(s): careers (156), college (45), STEM (297)

Trello organizes your projects into boards. It tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what, and where something is in a process. Updates are shown in real time, so refreshing the site isn't necessary. The two main items used on boards are cards and lists. Cards are tasks; create a card for each task and drag it to the list. Attachments such as videos, due dates, user notes, and more can be attached to cards. Then pull each card into a list and place in any order necessary to complete the tasks. You can be identified with an @symbol and receive instant notifications.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), graphic organizers (48), organizational skills (88)

After a 60 day free trial, Thinglink is no longer free. Try using a similar program like Genially, reviewed here, Image Annotator, reviewed here, or even Google Drawings, reviewed here. If you need help using any of these replacement tools, you could watch an archived OK2Ask session: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here, OK2Ask Genially, here, or 3 Cool Tools for Images (Image Annotator is 1 hour and 5 minutes into the presentation), here. ThingLink is an interactive image tool offering a unique way to link "things," within images. Teachers and students should register using the EDU area. Although the example on the home page uses Facebook to share a ThingLink, you do not have to use Facebook at all. Start with an image from upload, online URL, or Flickr. Select specific items within your image (called "things") and link them to resources or other websites. By clicking an area within the image, viewers can access the "thing" (website) that you have linked. Add multiple links to separate items from areas within a single image. Choose or upload an image and click on the ThingLink icon on your image to begin editing. Click on specific spots to add information to the link. If you plan to create many ThingLinks from your own images, it may be easier to use a class or personal Flickr account to pull images from instead of using the maximum number of images to upload. Preload your images to that Flickr account before starting your ThingLinks. ThingLink presents a variety of levels for technology use depending on teacher requirements for the project, or even student ability; it allows for adding narration, videos, text and links to help explain different parts of the image. Free Android and iOS apps are available. Teacher tools include making student groups and more.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), DAT device agnostic tool (147), game based learning (205), gamification (83), images (263)

CK-12 offers a large variety of lessons and resources in STEM topics mostly geared for sixth grade and higher. Choose to access the site as a student or teacher to begin. Search by specific content or to find standards-aligned flexbook textbooks. Download flexbooks in several formats such as PDF or mobi and epub format for use on Kindle and e-readers. Create an account and add flexbooks to your list. Add your own files and resources. Specific topic searches provide links to information from flexbooks as well as available study aids, activities, and assessments.

tag(s): atoms (43), cells (82), charts and graphs (171), decades (7), energy (133), equations (119), fractions (160), genetics (80), inequalities (25), landforms (39), measurement (122), oceans (149), organisms (15), periodic table (44), probability (99), pythagorean theorem (19), rocks (35), scientific method (48), seasons (37), solar energy (34), solar system (110), statistics (121), STEM (297), test prep (69), variables (14)

Wolfram Tones is a different and dynamic approach to thinking about music. Instantly create music and download it to your computer. Choose tone style, select a variation, and adjust the tone by using the generator, instrumentation, pitch mapping, or time controls. Save your "tone" to your collection or email it to friends. Your collection is associated to the computer where you make it using web browser cookies so no registration is necessary. Tones are packaged as midi files. Mathematical rules create these complex forms of music on Wolfram Tones. The program takes the mathematical pattern and turns it onto its side to produce a musical score. Here, the height of the pattern is the pitch of the note. More than just a musical resource, this website allows you to see and hear math.

tag(s): music theory (46), musical instruments (52), patterns (61), sound (72), sounds (43)

Math Pickle goes WAY beyond traditional math drill and skill games or math problem worksheets. There are mathematics puzzles for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Choose by grade level or math topic. View the puzzle list by name and math content. Puzzles include correlation to math standards and downloads for puzzle sheets when necessary.

tag(s): logic (161), number sense (69), operations (72), problem solving (233)

Manage behavior and boost involvement in class quickly and easily. ClassDojo allows you to recognize desirable behaviors and accomplishments in real time. Use it on any Internet-connected device in your classroom. Be sure to check out the Resources from the top menu for helpful, timesaving items like a Back-to-School night resentation, a Parent Introduction letter, a Student Introduction video, and Student Account Facts. You can choose an avatar for each student. Student behavior records are automatically created, updated, and reports generated with just one click by you. You can even write comments to parents about why a student lost a point. Weekly summaries are automatically emailed to parents. Students can earn badges. On ClassDojo students can now have their own portfolio to share photos and videos of their successes. The wording on the ClassDojo site indicates that ClassDojo "will always stay free for teachers."

Please be aware that ClassDojo falls under the FERPA laws for "directory information" and "educational records." Any school getting funds from the Department of Education (public schools) is required to disclose to parents and get written consent to use ClassDojo with their child.

tag(s): behavior (45), classroom management (120), DAT device agnostic tool (147), game based learning (205), gamification (83), Special Needs (53)

Jefferson Lab is a tremendous resource for science. It has loads of resources for classroom use, divided by the type of activity. Hands-on activities include the lab's BEAM program for 6th-8th grade. There are descriptions of each activity along with a PDF of the lesson, handouts, and worksheets. Most activities also offer an online version. Worksheets, puzzles, and other interactives include items such as vocabulary lists, word searches, and crossword puzzles. Each activity includes a short description and explanation of how to play. Many activities have links to other, similar games. Another portion of the site has videos of science experiments such as shattering pennies and flying rings. Videos are generally under 5 minutes and would work well in most classroom settings. You can subscribe to the lab's YouTube channel and be notified when there are new videos to view.

tag(s): atoms (43), electricity (61), elements (33), experiments (55), magnetism (36), microscopes (10), periodic table (44), planets (113), puzzles (149), solar system (110), STEM (297), video (266)

Create your own "Face card" playing cards, inserting a different face on each card. Simply upload your image using the link at the bottom of the page, adjust the size and location of the picture with the included tools, then save to your own computer to reprint as needed. With a little instruction, students can help. Add fun and personalization to playing cards using this card generator tool!
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tag(s): images (263)