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Comments4Kids - William Chamberlain
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
If your students blog, you may want to consider using Comments4Kids to encourage them to do their best writing, proofread, and learn how to tactfully and meaningfully comment on others' writing. You might want to consider using the hashtag #comments4kids in your Tweets. Read the 5 Smart Ways To Get Comments4Kids page to learn more. If you are interested in blogging but never have, you might want to check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics For the Classroom. You also may want to use prompts from Thought Questions, reviewed here, as an easy way to get kids writing blogs. There are many other ideas for your students to blog about such as having science students display photos and information about lab work or research findings of a famous scientist. Language arts students can write about the main character in a book. Have literature circle groups create one blog to present the book and its different characters. Create blogs for current events, biographies, or explanations about curriculum topics such as plants.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Call Me Ishmael - Logan Smalley & Stephanie Kent
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): book lists (166), family (51), literature (222)
In the Classroom
Share Call Me Ishmael on your interactive whiteboard to listen to story reviews together with your class. Use these prompts as examples and models of information to include with book reviews. Enhance learning by asking students to think of prompts for a list of ideas in which books may shape your life. Use this site as a model and have students create an annotated image book review, including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Extend learning by challenging students to create their own videos using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here. and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Be sure to share a link to Call Me Ishmael on your class website for students to use as a resource for finding reading materials.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dotstorming - Gareth Marland
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): bulletin boards (15), gamification (82), images (260)
In the Classroom
Share your board with a projector or interactive whiteboard. Put the URL link on your website for students to access. If you don't want to share the link that way, then use a tool such as Stich, reviewed here, for students to type in (and reduce input mistakes). You may want to think about students using only their first name or their code to participate. Dotstorming does not show which posts belong to which student, so you may want to require that students identify their post and comment by putting their initials, their first name, or their code on their contributions to get credit. If you plan to allow all students to post to the wall or make comments, you may want to discuss Internet safety and etiquette and establish specific class rules and consequences.Use Dotstorming to collect WebQuest links and information to share with students. Assign a student project. For example, have students create a board about an environmental issue. They can include pictures, video, links, and other information to display. Use as a new format for book reports. Do your students have favorites such as music or sports? Create a board around these favorites or hobbies. Use a wall for grammar or vocabulary words. Create walls for debates or viewpoints. The voting is perfect for that idea! Post assignments, reminders, or study skills on a board. Do you use student scribes or reporters? Use Dotstorming to create a board with class news and updates.
Use Dotstorming as an "idea bin" where students can collect ideas, images, quotes, and more for a project. Require them to share a brainstorming Dotstorming board to show you the ideas they considered before they launch into a project. Have them brainstorm (and rank by votes) the possibilities for a creative problem solving or a "Maker Faire" project. In writing or art classes, use Dotstorming as a virtual writer's journal or design notebook to collect ideas, images, and even video clips.
Use Dotstorming as your virtual word wall for vocabulary development. Have students submit and share questions or comments about assignments and tasks they are working on.
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NewseumED - NewseumED.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): civil rights (203), elections (82), evaluating sources (28), freedom of speech (14), media literacy (107), politics (118), primary sources (117), sept11 (18), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)
In the Classroom
If you teach or even discuss civil rights, the First Amendment and its freedoms and ideals, current events, or the presidential elections be sure to look at the lessons provided here. The lessons will also help you show students how to tell facts from opinions in current events. Use ideas from the lesson plans to supplement your current teaching materials. Enhance learning and challenge small groups of students to create an infographic sharing their learning from the notes they took during a lesson. Use Infogram, reviewed here, to construct the infographic. If you plan on using one of the EdCollections ask students to enhance and extend their learning and develop a multimedia presention using Presentious, reviewed here, or an interactive poster with a tool like Genially, reviewed here, for one of the suggested Extension Activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OmniLibros - Carthage College Center for Children's Literature
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (166), cross cultural understanding (172), literacy (121), maps (218)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for finding reading material with settings from all over the world. Encourage students to choose a place that interests them, and then find books set in that location. Use this tool as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard about setting or geography. Be sure to share a link to this tool on your class website or blog for students to use at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ocenaudio - ocenaudio
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use Ocenaudio in early grades to promote literacy by recording your students and creating an audio portfolio record of their reading. Use this tool with ESL/ELL students to practice fluency and hear themselves speak. Use Ocenaudio to record parents, principals, lunch ladies, librarians, relatives, and bus drivers all telling a favorite class story. During writing time, allow students freedom from the pencil to express their true creative voices. Also, dabble into digital storytelling to create a lesson in adding voice, emotion, and characterization. Record audio interviews at local nursing homes, fire stations, or museums to recollect times such as wars, the Great Depression, Civil Rights Movements, or as a primary source during memorable events. Record world language conversations as a student project. Make music class or the school band a gold recording!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Keith Hughes Teaching Stuff YouTube Playlist - Keith Hughes
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (55), mentoring (6), professional development (386), test prep (69)
In the Classroom
Include videos during back to school preparation and planning with other staff members. Share with your student teacher as an excellent repository of teaching advice. Use these videos as examples for creating your own videos to share with your teaching colleagues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): authors (106), biographies (94), literature (222), poetry (192)
In the Classroom
Share recordings on your interactive whiteboard to introduce literature readings in your classroom. Take advantage of the many biographies on this site for use when introducing poetry and literature. Include information from this site when transforming learning & creating multimedia timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here. View all of TeachersFirst's Editor's Choices for Poetry Month here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about an author or poet found on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mobile Learning: Why Tech Savvy Educators Are Turning to Podcasts - Buzzsprout
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): podcasts (106), professional development (386), radio (20)
In the Classroom
Share this article with parents (or administrators) as an explanation and introduction to using podcasts in your classroom. Share with other teachers as part of your professional development sessions on learning technologies. Explore these other options for choosing your podcasting tools - PodOmatic, reviewed here, and Spreaker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ultimate Camp Resource - Ultimate Camp Resources
Grades
K to 12tag(s): back to school (55), crafts (62), family (51), makerspace (40), seasonal (16), songs (46), sports (82), summer (28)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this tool for the first week of school or any time that you want to experience some "team-building" in your class. Use this site to find games and activities for classroom icebreakers. Find ideas on this site to build relationships among students. There is even an Art Project section (scroll to the bottom menu to find it) that has lots of crafts for your makerspace! Share this site with parent helpers to find ideas for classroom parties.Comments
This is a valuable resource, not just for summer!Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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GetEdFunding - CDW-G
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): grants (15)
In the Classroom
Create your account and explore GetEdFunding to find many grant opportunities. Apply for a grant using the tips provided in the Resources link. Be sure to share with your colleagues as an excellent resource for all grade levels and subjects. Consider creating a committee of interested teachers to divide up grant writing and win money for your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Buzzsprout - Tom Rossi
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): communication (129), digital storytelling (153), podcasts (106)
In the Classroom
Even if you aren't ready to create podcasts, share the How To Start a Podcast page with your students with excellent tips for creating any type of speaking presentation, create regular or special podcasts to share on your class web page or wiki to read/listen to in class AND from home, adding a touch of blended learning to your classroom! Have readers (perhaps older buddies) enhance their learning by building fluency and recording selected passages for your non-readers. Don't forget to have them listen and critique their podcast! Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events. Make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News." Have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!). Have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings. Language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages and listening to themselves. Allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy. Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person. If you have gifted students who lean toward the dramatic, this tool is simple enough for them to create dramatic mini casts without needing a video camera.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Comments
Great resource for podcast novices like me! I love the step-by-step instructions to help with creating a podcast as well as the helpful tips and ideas for a podcast. Can't wait to begin using with my K-5 students.Christina, , Grades: 0 - 8
The podcasting 101 information is incredibly helpful for anyone wishing to begin podcasting. It also establishes tips that can be helpful for any speaker (as the description says).Patricia, NJ, Grades: 6 - 12
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GIMP - Jens T. Lautenbacher and Adrian Likins
Grades
K to 12tag(s): editing (93), images (260), photography (122)
In the Classroom
Use this tool anytime photos need to be edited for use on class blogs, wikis, or in presentation tools found here. In primary grades, this tool could be useful for teachers to use 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 together! Encourage older students to use this site themselves on images for projects or presentations. Use this tool in photography or art classes. Use the editor to edit pictures to fit styles of pictures when doing historical reports or to set a mood. Use text options for the photos themselves to tell the stories. Have students annotate or label Creative Commons online images of cells, structures of an animal, and much more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SRecorder - SRecorder Company
Grades
K to 12tag(s): video (264)
In the Classroom
Use SRecorder to record instructions for using websites. Share how to perform problems, step by step directions for any project, and much more. Leave a video message for your substitute teacher or even your class! Create a video message to share with parents about current projects, clips from field trips, and more. Share on your class website for students to view at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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401 Prompts for Argumentative/Persuasive writing - New York Times
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): news (229), persuasive writing (58), writing (324), writing prompts (61)
In the Classroom
English/writing, social studies, and current events teachers are sure to find something here for their students to write about. Introduce a few of the prompts and the winning student editorials using an interactive whiteboard or projector to get students interested. Have students define what concise means and what it should mean in their writing. Point out the good writing habits of the student winners. Students should read the NYT's article(s) that give information about the topic of the prompt(s). At this time, you could have students choose a topic, or you could select several from which students could choose. You could also use one prompt a day as an opener or closer quick write. Another idea would be to have students respond on a class blog to the prompts and then make comments on each other's opinions. Haven't started blogging yet? Check out TeachersFirst's Blog Basics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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ZenPen - Tim Holman
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): editing (93), process writing (37), proofreading (21), writing (324)
In the Classroom
Use this simple tool with an interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate different writing techniques without any distractions. Create and save student writing projects such as short stories, poems, and reports. Create study guides before tests or directions for assignments. Have students write a progressive story where they each add a portion.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wizer.me - Wizerme L.S (2015) Ltd.
Grades
K to 12tag(s): gamification (82), multimedia (51), worksheets (69)
In the Classroom
Wizer.me would be an excellent tool to use to implement and/or integrate technology into lessons. Look through worksheets others have created to get an idea of what you can do. The possibilities for using this tool in the classroom are limited only by your imagination! Having students view videos or label images is sure to keep them engaged and interested in your subject. Any subject area teacher will find a use for this tool, and it's free! Use worksheets (lessons) you have created in learning centers, with small groups (the possibilities for differentiating abounds), or as homework. Since these "worksheets" can include video, using wizer.me would be a terrific tool to use to "flip" your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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turnitin - Source Educational Evaluation Rubric (SEER) - turnitin
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (28), media literacy (107), rubrics (36)
In the Classroom
Share this rubric with middle and high school students with your projector or on an interactive whiteboard. Ask students to suggest a popular site for referencing in papers and projects. Use the rubric together and evaluate the site. Break students into small groups and have them evaluate several sites. Make these sites you have already evaluated, and then have the students evaluate them until you know most students agree on what makes a Highly Creditable site compared to a Creditable or Discreditable site. At the end of the activity give a quick assessment. This way students who do not feel sure about evaluating a site have the opportunity to let you know. Consider using Quizalize, reviewed here, for a more in-depth assessment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Boomerang for Gmail - Bavdin
Grades
1 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): organizational skills (88)
In the Classroom
Let Boomerrang simplify your email life. Start the beginning of school with welcoming emails to each student/family. Schedule emails with newsletters, timely events, or parent conference reminders in exactly the right time! Design unit newsletters to coincide with your lessons time periods. Schedule birthday wishes or even schedule emails to remind yourself of an important event. You will never forget to collect all responses or assignments with a reminder email. Manage daily or weekly parent reports with ease and timeliness. Share at Meet the Teacher Nights or Curriculum Chats to help parents improve organizational skills for their student.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Drama Notebook - Janea Dahl
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): acting (19), plays (32), readers theater (12)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your favorites. Take advantage of the free activities (labeled as drama games) in any class to create a positive class environment. Get drama students warmed up and then challenge them to come up with a game that is similar. Use this site as the starting point for group projects like having the students write and produce their own play(s). Let student groups select from the scripts, to record their own audio podcasts of a play, illustrated with a selection of copyright-safe images or student drawings. Use a site such as PodOmatic, reviewed here. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos of the plays they write and produce. Share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Create audio of ESL/ELL students performing the plays to practice English speaking skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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