Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Imagine Forest offers free Writing Resources, tools, and ideas to create stories. Begin right away finding inspiration by exploring the blog. Example ideas from the blog are Creating Comic Strips and 70 Fantasy Writing Prompts. Explore the Story Crafts for PDF downloads of craft patterns for stories like Red Riding Hood, Pirate Treasure Island, and others. Though Imagine Forest is not accepting new accounts, you can still access the free resources found on the site and the ideas in their blog.

tag(s): creative writing (124), digital storytelling (154), writing (325), writing prompts (61)

Explore your world through videos and interactives offered by The Lawrence Hall of Science. Videos feature a diverse array of topics ranging from features of a new penny to watching a spider build a web. Take part in activities including building a bridge from paper, hunting for bugs, and testing materials to clean up an oil spill. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (294), bridges (11), measurement (122), money (113), oceans (149), oil spill (13), olympics (45), plants (146), STEM (297)

Scholastic presents eleven interactives introducing and reinforcing topics including food webs and symbiosis. Scroll through the page to select an activity. Each lesson includes a video, vocabulary terms, and a short quiz.

tag(s): biomes (110), ecosystems (83), food chains (19), population (51), water (102), water cycle (22)

The Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) has an extensive collection of resources for integrating technology into classroom instruction. Find over 100,000 pieces of digital content including clip art, audio files, historical maps, and more for classroom use by students and teachers. Find resources and professional development in their Technology Integration Matrix (TIM), reviewed here, including graphics, PDF's, and evaluation tools. Each month FCIT curates and shares digital collections related to holidays and important events in history.

tag(s): images (263), maps (220), professional development (385), teaching strategies (50)

This site from New Zealand provides many different games focused on the environment and ecology. Select from various titles such as Electric Vehicle Race and Catch the Rubbish. Each activity includes a suggested age level and level of difficulty. Be sure to read the directions for how to play the games and earn points.

tag(s): earth day (60), ecology (103), forests (30), pollution (52), ponds (3), recycling (45)

Curate, organize and share web content with Weje (formerly Webjets). Create your account and begin working with your Weje desktop. Use links at the bottom of your workspace to add lists, mindmaps, folders, and more. Drag and drop content from your computer and add to your workspace. Install the bookmarklet onto your computer browser to automatically push information into your inbox. Weje operates on a system using "boardss." After creating a board, personalize content by changing backgrounds and adding information. Collaborate with others by sharing boards and allowing them to edit information.

tag(s): digital storytelling (154), microblogging (14), organizational skills (88)

Notion's goal is to be your all-in-one workspace as an alternative to using several different software tools. Use Notion to write, create lists and spreadsheets, collaborate, and more. Notion uses a concept called blocks to add information. Each block is a single piece of content such as a to-do list or an embedded file. Click the menu on each page to open items or add content. Notion's free plans offer up to 600 blocks on your workspace or unlimited blocks using a mobile device and up to 5MB per file upload.

tag(s): calendars (37), collaboration (93), organizational skills (88), spreadsheets (23)

Create interactive video experiences with Timelinely. Just paste your YouTube video URL to get started and bring up your video to annotate. Select any portion of the video timeline and add images, maps, links, and more to the annotation box. Edit and add as many highlights as you like, then publish when complete. You need to create a free account to publish your work. Share using social media links or the Timelinely URL provided after publication.

tag(s): communication (129), digital storytelling (154), video (266)

Create free posters in three easy steps without registration using DesignCap. Begin by selecting a template from the many offerings on the site. Use the tools to edit your poster's features including text, images, and background. Upload your images to use or choose from clipart available in DesignCap. When finished, share to social media using the provided link, download to your computer, or print your project. Registration isn't required; however, it gives you the ability to save projects to your online account.

tag(s): images (263), posters (43)

Androidify any image using this web app or the app on your Android device. Turn the green android into the look you desire. Follow the directions to customize clothing, appearance, and add a signature move. When complete, click the submit link to share on social media sites or download to your computer as a GIF.

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