Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Create a personalized newspaper from your X (formerly Twitter) account or for any topic of interest. Connect this site easily with your Twitter account and generate a newspaper in minutes. View the newspapers of your X (formerly Twitter) friends or popular newspapers from other X (formerly Twitter) users. New to X (formerly Twitter)? Learn more from TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

tag(s): communication (129), digital storytelling (154), newspapers (93), social networking (61), twitter (13)

Discover graphical displays of statistics about education, death, employment outlook, migration, income distribution, and more. The best way to understand our world and to educate people is to know what is happening in the many aspects of our lives. Hover over a graph to view an abstract of the data used for the graph. Each graph is interactive. Choosing various countries or other parameters changes the graph. Click on the "Create Your Own" button on most of these graphs to enter your own data for viewing and comparison. Compare your graph to others and share. Graphs even showcase gender differences in responses. The Better Life Index is a great place to start.

tag(s): agriculture (51), charts and graphs (171), critical thinking (128), cross cultural understanding (173), financial literacy (94), foreign policy (13), migration (45), writing prompts (61)

The State Archives of Florida provides online access to resources that had a significant impact in Florida's history. The collection includes over 176,000 photographs, more than 110 videos, an audio collection, historical and genealogical collection, exhibits, and an online classroom. The online classroom contains lesson plans, online activities, and primary documents of Florida's past. Enjoy folk music from Florida's past or look at Florida in the Civil War. There is a lot here to explore about Florida and beyond.

tag(s): black history (133), civil war (139), florida (12), hurricanes (32), states (124)

Bookmark your favorite web resources in a visual interface with Wibki. Instead of just creating a long list of bookmarks, use Wibki to organize your favorite resources through categories and labels you choose. Through the use of icons, Wibki displays each bookmark in a visually appealing display, making them easy to find and use. View up to 40 icons at one time. This view is especially handy on a tablet. Registration is required (with email.) Share any link on Twitter or Facebook by clicking the edit (pencil) icon in the link. Use the Discover link to find new favorites offered by Wibki editors weekly. Click on the star to add to any of your categories. Add the bookmarklet to your browser bar to quickly add any website as a favorite. Wibki works well with touch and click features on any device.

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

Killer Asteroids: Science Fiction or Science Fact? Make up your mind by exploring physics-based interactives, interesting articles, and asteroid simulations. Select the topic of asteroids to explore primers on asteroids vs comets; find out what happens when asteroids and comets hit the earth. Discover how backyard astronomers aid researchers in watching asteroids. One fun activity simulates the damage caused on earth by different size asteroids and comets. Choose your hometown to see what would happen! The activities require Flash, however there is a lot of information to be learned at this site. The Games do NOT require Flash.

tag(s): earth (184), light (56), planets (113), space (223)

Worldcrunch delivers news from top world-language outlets, translated into English and providing a non-U.S. "view" via reputable sources. The collection was created by a former NY Times bureau chief and foreign correspondent for various U.S. publications. He has teamed with a media collaborator from France. Worldcrunch is a great resource for locating news and culture from around the world. During periods of controversy or high international tension, this is an informative source for teens to adults. Explore the interactive map to find news from specific locations or browse through headlines on the main page. This site is very up to date and includes articles from the news today around the world. Choose from topics such as Geopolitics, Economy, Future, Green, or Society. Easily share articles using social networking and email links. Use the "Read Later" link to email, send to Pocket, reviewed here.
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tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), journalism (74), media literacy (109), news (228), newspapers (93)

Stressed? Unable to concentrate or complete a task? This tool will generate background sounds and colors to create a positive thinking environment! Choose from a variety of sounds that sooth and relax while promoting creative productivity. These sounds are much better than plain, white noise. Classic sounds for relaxation include thunder, rain, waves, summer night, forest, white noise, and more. Even Coffee House is a sound that is the general hum of a business and not distracting to your work. As the music plays, the background color changes through a variety of harmonious colors to match the mood of the sound. Click on multiple sounds to create your own mix that is sure to please. Note: Be patient for the music to start, and be sure to click the icon again to stop it before choosing another sound if not mixing them. There is also a link to click and be taken to a blank writing page. (It may not be a white background though, but rather red, yellow, or green.) Click on the lines on the right side of the site to access the writing area. Click the arrow to SAVE your work. Use the music to inspire your writing.

tag(s): creative writing (124), learning styles (18), sounds (43)

Do you have a PowerPoint presentation AND YouTube video to combine for your next presentation? Zentation helps you combine these two tools into one dynamic presentation with both the slides AND the video showing side by side. This presentation method can share the "live" presenter (from a video) and his/her slides together on the screen. Watch the demo to see what the results look like. After creating your account, choose New Presentation to begin. Provide a name and description. Click the Start under the Public column. (Premium Private provides additional paid options.) Copy/paste in the link to your prerecorded YouTube or Google video. Upload your PowerPoint from your computer or link to a SlideShare presentation and choose "Upload PPT." Once all uploads finish, use the sync option in your account to add descriptions and modify slide display time as needed to sync with the video. Use the share button to share your finished project via URL, embed into your blog, send through email, or create a link with thumbnail images. If your district blocks YouTube, you may not be able to use this tool at school.
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tag(s): slides (43), video (266)

Generate maps with unlimited markers easily with this tool! NO membership is required to create, save, or collaborate on maps, and you do not need to install software. Enter a title, description (optional), an admin password for others to collaborate, and a starting location to create your map. Add simple or detailed markers to your map. Input data from multiple formats: KML, CSV, Excel, and more. Add video, audio, and information to each of the markers. Markers can also be customized icons. Be sure to check out the menu options available such as Additions, where areas of the map can be highlighted and Annotations can be added to the markers. Share your map by URL or publish on a webpage.

tag(s): directions (11), map skills (63), maps (220)

Whether the contest is over or not, there is plenty for classroom teachers to use here. Think about having your own class or school wide contest with custodians, bus drivers, administration, secretaries, etc as the judges. Made By Milk Contest (a design and building challenge) simply your students to learn in a creative way. Of course you can make your own rules or follow the ones on this site. Create a design using 100 or more milk cartons. Take pictures of the completed project, and include a short essay explaining what was your student's idea. Be sure to check out the Past Winners page for ideas on what it takes to create a winner. Even if you do not want to have a contest, be sure to check out the wonderful STEM projects to try within your school or at home, so check out the Educational Resources.

tag(s): architecture (76), counting (60), grants (15), STEM (298), structures (18)

Celebrate 50 years of space exploration with this beautiful interactive map created by Sean McNaughton and Samuel Velasco. Clicking on a section of the map will increase its size. Follow the paths for launches to their destinations. This interactive includes the mission's destination, when the mission started, and whether the mission was a success or failure. Find all international space missions from the past. Follow the flight paths of current missions such as New Horizons traveling to Pluto and the location of the Voyagers. A line on the bottom shows the relative distances in interstellar space. If the article is open be sure to click Hide Article to see this entire map. Inspect parts of the map by using the plus-minus box on the upper right corner of the image.

tag(s): explorers (64), moon (73), nasa (30), planets (113), space (223), stars (71)

My Study Life is a web-based and mobile app for a student to manage classes, tasks, and assignments. Features include tracking tasks, adding exam dates, managing classes, and notification reminders of upcoming events. Enroll through email, Facebook, or Google. Once enrolled, add course schedules to set up a schedule. After entering courses, add tasks with due dates or exam dates. All tasks and information displays on the homepage along with approaching due dates. My Study Life shows both tasks completed and unfinished.

tag(s): classroom management (120), DAT device agnostic tool (147), Learning Management Systems (20), organizational skills (88)

Create quick and easy slides and presentations that are viewable on any device. The best part is that no email or registration (or special software) is required! Click the edit icon (pencil) to begin adding text. Each line of text will create a new slide. The more you add to a line, the smaller your text will be. Edit font and background options as desired. Add the URL of any image or video to embed directly into your slide presentation. When finished, click on the gear icon for the URL, embed code, or even a QR Code image!

tag(s): images (263), qr codes (18), slides (43), video (266)

VideoAnt is an annotation tool for use with YouTube, mp4 and .mov formats. Create and share your annotated videos without ever leaving VideoAnt. Launch VideoAnt and sign in using Google+, Facebook, or Twitter. You may also sign in as a guest (email required). As a guest, you will not have as many options for sharing your completed videos. Upload a video file or enter the URL for a YouTube video. Browse your YouTube account uploads and choose a video to annotate. Begin and stop your video at any time to add a subject line and content. When finished, choose from sharing options using the link, embed code (not available for guest users), or export as various video file types. Privacy options include making ANTS (your annotated videos) public or private for only those with the link. Share using the annotate link to allow others to contribute (make their own comments/annotations) to your video, or use the view link for viewing only. If your school blocks YouTube, these videos may not be viewable. The four minute Getting Started video is very helpful!

tag(s): media literacy (109), video (266)

Grow For It offers lessons and resources for exploring agriculture, natural resources, and insects! Download several different lessons correlated to Common Core and/or North Carolina Standards. Find teaching materials about gardening, insects, and soil erosion. Some lessons offer additional materials not included as part of teacher training, provided by 4H services. However, free materials include detailed lessons and activities worth exploring. Be sure to explore other links for grant opportunities, weekend projects, and a "Plant Geek Pledge."

tag(s): agriculture (51), ecosystems (83), erosion (15), insects (68), natural resources (37), nutrition (140), plants (146), soil (16)

Why just read about polar bears in the news? Follow polar bears with the Bear Tracker. Learn about their habitat and efforts to save them. Use the "About Bears" tab to find the "Polar Bear Tracker Map" and watch polar bears traverse the sea ice. Be sure to look at the unit and lesson plans that accompany the Tracker Map. Learn about Global Warming, Polar Bear Facts and Information, and more in the "About Bears" section. Click on the Science tab to view research projects, status reports, and care guidelines for polar bears. Find lesson plans, WebQuests, and mini courses for teacher use.
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tag(s): animals (294), biomes (110), conservation (102), ecosystems (83), polar (10), tundra (14)

WordDraw offers a variety of newsletter and flyer templates designed for classroom use in Microsoft Word format. Scroll through the home page to find templates for each grade level, holidays, back to school, and more. To view all school templates choose the "School Templates" link at the very bottom of each page. Other options include Business and Family templates. Click any link to view a short description and larger image of the template. Choose "Template Download" to save directly to your computer. Modify any design after downloading by clicking in text boxes to add text or change text box properties. Modify the color, size, and font. Use templates on all versions of Microsoft Word 2000 and after. Don't have Word? Many of the templates can be saved to your computer (without opening) then uploaded to Google Docs/Drive (reviewed here) with the option set to CONVERT them to Google's format and used there. Note that most of the text is designed to go inside text boxes, so you have to double click the text box to edit the words.
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tag(s): back to school (55), Microsoft (80), newspapers (93)

What better way to learn science than by "doing science"? My NASA Data provides satellite images, charts, and graphs to analyze information from real world problems. Where to start? Best place is the Lesson Plan tab. Here, find a variety of lessons that can be used in any classroom. Lessons are sorted by High School, Middle School, Elementary. View climate change lessons, Stand alone lessons (a great way to get started), and 50 or 90 minute lessons. Find great ideas that are multi-day projects. Each lesson plan features outcomes, pre-requisite knowledge, tools, National and AP standards as well as Virginia State standards. Be sure to use the linked vocabulary they provide and view all the lesson links. The included background information, procedures, student questions, and extensions are invaluable in planning the lessons. Be sure to go to the bottom of each lesson page to click on the Teachers Notes and to even view the lesson without the standards.

tag(s): charts and graphs (171), data (151), scientific method (48), scientists (67)

Thoughtbox.es organizes your ideas, notes, and to-do lists in a post-it note format. Add up to three train-of-thought "boxes" to hold your lists or notes. Drag and drop items to reorder as needed using the free format. Make lists public or share privately via email for viewing or collaboration. Change settings as desired. Thoughtbox.es is web-based, so view lists at any time on any device.
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tag(s): note taking (36), organizational skills (88)

Travel to Space Facts to see a growing collection of interesting facts about planets, the solar system, space explorations, and more. Information includes planet profiles, planet size compared to Earth, and basic facts about the planet. The blog area provides updates on current discoveries and space related features. The Gallery includes images available for use in other projects. Read the terms of use, but most are NASA images that are permissible for download and use in your own projects. Although this site is rather text heavy, it is full of great content! There are rather annoying advertisements, so readers who are easily distracted may find it disruptive.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): earth (184), mars (26), planets (113), solar system (110), space (223)