2908 reading results | sort by:
return to subject listingDoing What Works - US Department of Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): grants (16), parents (60), professional development (388)
In the Classroom
Use Doing What Works to increase your knowledge of best practices and have research backing up your educational decisions. Need information and evidence for grants? Doing What Works is the go-to site! This site is a great site to recommend to eager parents to help them understand current educational practices, and also parent resources.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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A List of X (formerly Twitter) Educators by Subject Area - Alice Keeler
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social networking (68), twitter (19)
In the Classroom
Explore the site to discover and follow educators who match your interests and needs. Read the Xs X (formerly Xs X (formerly Tweets) about what is happening in other classrooms to gain some fresh, new ideas. Looking for more ways to use X (formerly Twitter) in the classroom? If you are the only person in your building who teaches a particular subject, such as gifted or learning support, this list can help you find like minds to share ideas or to set up collaborations between your students. Read more about X (formerly Twitter) at TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.Comments
what a great resourceSusan, NY, Grades: 6 - 12
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ShareDrop - Cowbell Labs
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
This would be a good tool to use in a computer lab or with laptop carts, iPads, or Chromebooks where students don't have email addresses or Google Accounts for sharing work with their teachers or each other. Students and teachers simply go to the ShareDrop site. When students are ready to share their work with their teachers, they can drag it into the ShareDrop page on their laptops, desktops, or tablets. For those interested in security, files are not actually uploaded to a server. Instead, ShareDrop is a peer to peer connection. Teachers can "push out" files to students quickly and easily using this tool. During curriculum development and other professional development activities, members of a specific department (or even school-wide) can share resources and documents easily to each other. This is a MUST in 1:1 and BYOD classrooms! Student groups working on projects in class can gather and share files easily.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tizmos - tizmos.com
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bookmarks (47), Learning Management Systems (22), Teacher Utilities (146)
In the Classroom
Create a Tizmo for classroom computers for students to easily access frequently used websites. Share a link on your class webpage or newsletter for student use at home. Since the free account only offers one page, change your page throughout the year to include links to sites corresponding to current classroom content.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Finding Dulcinea Online Guides and Resources - Mark Moran
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): careers (139), cultures (132), financial literacy (91), mental health (33), news (229), newspapers (91), religions (75), sports (78)
In the Classroom
Share articles from Finding Dulcinea with students on your interactive whiteboard when discussing current events. Create a link on classroom computers for students to read on their own. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings from any article using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zoho Online Surveys - Zoho Corporation
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): polls and surveys (46)
In the Classroom
Copy/paste the link to the poll or use the embed code to place in a wiki, blog, or a site. Be sure that students use the poll appropriately and know that personal information is not acceptable in poll responses. Use polls anywhere to record quick responses to questions. Have students create a poll about their interests and allow time to analyze responses and report findings. Use this site to vote for correct answers in math class, project ideas for science or social studies, social issues in current events, and practically any other subject area. Students should be encouraged to incorporate polls during class presentations. In an elementary math class, collect quick data to show use of graphs. Share the graphs on your projector or interactive whiteboard in "real time." Provide options for students to gain confidence in generating and analyzing statistics they have created. Include a quick parent poll, on a class website, to keep the lines of communication open. An iPad app is available for easy use in mobile settings.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist - Natural Disasters - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (159), disasters (36), hurricanes (35), independent reading (85), tornadoes (15)
In the Classroom
This collection of books could accompany a unit on earth science, weather, or even communities and government as your students look at how disasters affect people and how individuals or governments respond to adversity. These books would also connect well to a character education or guidance unit about dealing with a crisis. You could even include this list with a geography unit about differences in weather, climate, and landforms around the world. Talk about WHY natural disasters happen and/or the results afterward: How did communities change? What did people do in response? If having students read independently, you may want to pose a big question or two related to your curriculum for them to think about as they read. Have them return and share their answers after reading, perhaps as a presentation or small group project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nourishing Gifted Through Technology in Any Classroom - TeachersFirst/Melissa Henning and Candace Hackett Shively
Grades
K to 12tag(s): differentiation (83), gifted (64)
In the Classroom
Mark these pages in your Favorites as a reference whenever you have gifted students. These students may or may not be officially identified, but sometimes trying these strategies will save you and the student a lot of frustration. When it comes time to offer choices, share the handpicked tool collections in this article with your gifted students so they have a solid place to start. For more ideas about gifted, try the gifted tag in reviews, use a keyword search including the term "gifted," or browse for the subject "Gifted" in the TeachersFirst Subject/Grade pages.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Top Documentary Films - topdocumentaryfilms.com
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): advanced placement (26), animals (278), artists (77), biographies (93), drugs and alcohol (27), environment (238), evolution (85), hiv/aids (16), humor (16), media literacy (102), mental health (33), money (119), politics (113), psychology (67), religions (75), sports (78), vietnam (35)
In the Classroom
Use this site to find videos in a wide range of topics to share on your interactive whiteboard, on a projector, or as a link on your class web page. Use videos to demonstrate different points of view. Then use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. to compare and contrast information. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from any film using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Want to engage students WHILE they watch a video? Why not set up a backchannel chat using GoSoapBox, reviewed here. Be sure to ask your class if there could have been any bias in the video you watch together. What film techniques influence our thinking?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TinEye Labs - Idee, Inc.
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): colors (65), creative commons (29), design (82), graphic design (50), images (270), media literacy (102), psychology (67)
In the Classroom
Use this tool when you seek specific color(s) to coordinate with a presentation or other class project. Use it to talk about the emotional impact of different colors, such as during a psychology unit on perception, a media literacy lesson on advertising color, or a discussion of color schemes in art class. Be sure to discuss the ethical use of images with proper credit, including Creative Common images. Start by having students carefully NAME files as they download and save them (include the photographer's name and a title). Remind them that they still need to give credit even if it is Creative Commons. This is a great site for looking at contrast, analogous and complementary color schemes, and other artistic expressions. Use TinEye Labs to uncover various elements of graphic design found in images. Art teachers will love the many options for demonstrating different color palettes on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Use the photo examples from Tineye Labs together with a tool such as Color Hunter, reviewed here, or Colour Lovers, reviewed here, to play hands-on with digital color. Share this with your gifted students who are especially interested in art or design.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Meeting Words - Meetingwords.com
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): editing (93), proofreading (21), writing (315)
In the Classroom
Have your students set up collaborative groups for projects, lab data, and more. Anything students can do on a single computer, they can do collaboratively on this tool, accessing their work from any online computer. Be sure to test out this tool before using with your class. It may be a good idea to set up the groups with the teacher as a "member" but have students work from home for group projects. Make sure you are protecting the safety of student work and identity and are within your school's Acceptable Use Policy.Create an innovative, exciting revision experience for students to suggest revisions to each other's writing and instantly engage in the peer review process by using Meetingwords. This tool facilitates teacher comments on student essays by not having to wait until students turn in their papers. Have them share links with you to their works in progress. Check essays online, monitor progress, and even make suggestions for revisions to provide feedback along the way and drive successful evidence support, proofreading, and editing skills. Challenge gifted students on their drafts and push their thinking further, adding questions or responses. Since most if us do not have time to provide such individual challenge throughout the writing process, why not connect them with other gifted students to collaborate and debate beyond just your classroom? Obviously, this tool is also fabulous for collaboration among students or teachers creating a shared writing piece at any level. You could even use it for parent input into draft IEPs.
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Picfull - Picfull
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): editing (93), images (270), photography (131)
In the Classroom
Use this tool anytime that photos need to be edited for use on class blogs, wikis, or sites. In primary grades, use this tool to edit pictures from a field trip, science experiments, and more. Share the editing process with your younger students using your interactive whiteboard or projector. Edit the project together! Encourage older students to use this tool themselves on images for projects or presentations. Use the editor to edit pictures to fit styles of pictures when doing historical reports or to set a mood.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Activities for Kids - Activities for Kids
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (50), directions (12), holidays (159), parents (60)
In the Classroom
Bring great ideas to your next PTO meeting with Activities for Kids! Feature this site during parent nights, open houses, and curriculum nights. Include this link on your class website for kids to access during snow days or vacations. Encourage teachers and students to use it in after school craft clubs or after school care. In math, work with fractions using kid friendly recipes. Use the blank checks for a unit on personal finance or as a checkbook reward system. In language arts, practice personal letter writing with the thank you notes or use the how-to activity directions as an examples for following directions. During thematic units, check for ideas in the party section.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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School Report Writer - School Report Writer
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): assessment (147)
In the Classroom
Avoid writers' block and embarrassing misspellings or errors by perusing through ready-made comments. Why reinvent the wheel when so many great comments are already available! If you choose to create your own comments, be sure to share them. Add your own topics, assignments, and lists to save to your free account. Save your best comments from each narrative to share with others or for years to come. Save time and sanity on report cards using this fabulous resource. You might even ask your students to suggest some positive comments they would like to see on their own report cards. If they know you have them ready to use, they may strive to achieve them!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hashify - David Chambers
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): blogs (66), communication (136), creativity (92), social networking (68)
In the Classroom
Use this minimalist tool for a student scribe to keep track of key terms during a class discussion. Share the url with classmates for them to add their thoughts, as well. When brainstorming with a class, use this simple tool for students to add ideas or make lists. It is so simple it does not take up space with lots of fancy toolbars and gadgets. It also does not offer spell checker, so it could be a useful way to have students write without all the "crutches" of grammar and spell checkers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remind - Remind 101
Grades
K to 12tag(s): chat (42), communication (136), DAT device agnostic tool (143), microblogging (18), Teacher Utilities (146)
In the Classroom
Set up accounts for all your classes, and even your extracurricular activities, to send homework, project, and supply reminders. Remind students of upcoming events, practices, or things they need to bring to class or practice. You could also use this to communicate with parents (allow them to sign up for text message updates at back to school night). Share this site the first week of school to save time throughout the entire year. Remind parents of big tests, report cards, field trips, deadlines, back to school night, sneaker days, conferences, and more. Set up a faculty reminder group within your school for emergency closures and more.Comments
Love this site! I'm using it to send reminders to students about overdue library books and/or fines!Terri, VA, Grades: 9 - 12
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Smithsonian Science Education Center Games - Smithsonian Science Education Center
Grades
K to 2tag(s): animals (278), DAT device agnostic tool (143), habitats (87), motion (49), preK (254)
In the Classroom
Be sure to check out the "About Our Games" portion of the site for game features and information. This site is excellent for use as a classroom center or on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to share the link with parents on your classroom newsletter or website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachersFirst's Editors' Choice Tools for Pretests - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): differentiation (83), gifted (64)
In the Classroom
You may not always be able to pretest at the start of a new unit, and sometimes an informal assessment will tell you that a student is ready to move beyond the regular curriculum content right away. You may want to wait a day or two before offering a retest, since many truly gifted students will absorb or even seem to "intuit" the full unit of content very quickly after a short exposure. The great thing about using online pretests is that once you create them, you have them for the next year. Consider teaming up with other teachers in your subject/grade to build a library of pretests that you can share.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brief.ly - Brief.ly
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bookmarks (47), organizational skills (90)
In the Classroom
Brief.ly is a lifesaver for every classroom, teacher, or school. Whenever you are sharing multiple sites at centers, during small or whole group presentations, or even sites gathered for a research projects, Brief.ly takes away frustration and saves time! Save different content areas, subjects, or study links in one simple click. Gather all grade level websites on your school webpage, and list all classes. Unclutter your own class webpage or blog with just a few links. Sending links to parents or colleagues could not be any easier! Collaboration within classes, groups, or home is a snap! Improve organization for yourself and your class. As students work on group projects, they can share their link list easily. Use a class account so students do not have to register, and you can watch what they are using for sources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCES Kids' Zone - NCES
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): charts and graphs (168), probability (96)
In the Classroom
Strike an interest in your school and community by finding out where you rank. Investigate college choices. After short quizzes, have a daily comparison of your students to see how they compare in civics, economics, geography, history, mathematics, and science at multiple grade levels. Inspire students to collect data and make their own graphs about school wide topics. Have students create an online graph using ChartGizmo, reviewed here. Dig into probability problems to discover the odds.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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